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THE DESIRE JESUS HAD TO SUFFER FOR US
What a subject of wonder to the Angels must not the great love of God have been when they saw the Eternal Word become Man for the Redemption of fallen man! How is it possible, indeed, that God should be so enamoured of men and that men, who are so grateful to one another, should be so ungrateful to God?
I.
Jesus could have saved us without suffering; but He chose rather to embrace a life of sorrow and contempt, deprived of every earthly consolation, and a death of bitterness and desolation, only to make us understand the love He bore us, and the desire He had that we should love Him. He passed His whole life in sighing for the hour of His death, which He desired to offer to God to obtain for us eternal salvation. And it was this desire which made Him exclaim: I have a baptism wherewith I am to be baptized; and how am I straitened until it be accomplished? (Luke xii. 50). He desired to be baptized in His own Blood, to wash out, not indeed His own sins, but ours. O infinite Love, how miserable is he who does not know Thee, and does not love Thee!
This same desire caused Jesus to say, on the night before His death: With desire I have desired to eat this pasch with you. By which words He shows that His one desire during His whole life had been to see the time arrive for His Passion and Death, in order to prove to man the immense love He bore him. So much, therefore, O my Jesus, didst Thou desire our love, that to obtain it Thou didst not refuse to die. How can I, then, deny anything to a God Who has given His Blood and His life for the love of me?
II.
St. Bonaventure says that it is a marvel to see a God suffering for the love of men; but that it is a still greater marvel that men should behold a God suffering so much for them, shivering with cold as an Infant in a manger, living as a poor boy in a shop, dying as a criminal on a Cross, and yet not burn with love for this most loving God; and even go so far as to despise this love for the sake of the miserable pleasures of this earth. But how is it possible that God should be so enamoured of men, and that men who are so grateful to one another, should be so ungrateful to God?
Alas, my Jesus, I find myself also among the number of these ungrateful ones. Tell me, how couldst Thou suffer so much for me, knowing the injuries I would commit against Thee? But since Thou hast borne with me, and even desirest my salvation, give me, I pray Thee, a great sorrow for my sins, a sorrow equal to my ingratitude. I hate and detest, above all things, the displeasure I have caused Thee. If, during my past life, I despised Thy grace, now I value it above all the kingdoms of the earth. I love Thee with my whole soul, O God, worthy of infinite love, and I desire only to live in order to love Thee. Increase the flames of Thy love, and give me more and more love. Keep alive in my remembrance the love Thou hast borne me, so that my heart may always burn with love for Thee, as Thy Heart burns with love for me. O burning heart of Mary, inflame my poor heart with holy love.
Spiritual Reading
PRAYER–CONCLUSION
I have done. Some, perhaps will wish that I had given more space to the distinct examination of the question so much controverted, wherein consists the efficacy of grace, and which the Systems of different Schools attribute to–physical premotion,–to congruous grace,–to concomitant grace,–to a delectation which overcomes by reason of moral motion–to a delectation which overcomes by reason of its superiority in degree. But for this, such a book as mine, which I deliberately intended should be small and more likely to be read, would not have been enough. To explore this vast sea many volumes would be required. But this work has been sufficiently performed by others, and, moreover, it was beside my purpose. Still, however, I wished to establish the Proposition–that God gives to all the grace of Prayer, for the honour of God’s Providence and Goodness, and to be of assistance to sinners, to prevent them from giving themselves up to despair, thinking themselves deprived of grace; and, at the same time, to take from them all excuse for saying that they have not strength to resist the assaults of the senses and of hell. I have shown them that of those who are lost, no one is damned for the Original sin of Adam, but solely for his own sin, because God refuses to no one the grace of Prayer, whereby we may obtain His assistance to overcome every desire and every temptation.
After all, of course, my principal intention was to recommend to all men the use of Prayer, that most powerful and necessary means of grace, in order that all men may more diligently and earnestly attend to it, if they wish to be saved. Many poor souls lose God’s grace, and continue to live in sin, and are finally damned, for this very reason, that they did not pray, nor have recourse to God for assistance. The worst of the matter is (I cannot help repeating it), that so few preachers and so few confessors recommend Prayer to their hearers and penitents, without which it is impossible to observe the laws of God, and to obtain perseverance in His grace.
Having observed that so many passages, both of the Old and the New Testament, assert the absolute necessity of Prayer, I have taken care to see that on the Missions given by our Congregation, there should always be a Sermon on Prayer, which is now our custom of long years standing. And this I say, and repeat, and will keep repeating as long as I live, that our salvation wholly depends on Prayer; and, therefore, that all writers in their books, all preachers in their sermons, all confessors in their instructions to their penitents, should inculcate nothing more strongly than continual Prayer. They should admonish them, and unceasingly exhort them: Pray! Pray I Never cease to pray! For if you pray, your salvation will be certain; but if you leave off praying, certain will be your damnation. All preachers and directors ought to preach this; because, according to the teaching of every Catholic School, there is no doubt of this truth, that he who prays obtains grace and is saved. Those who practise it are too few; and this is the reason why so few are saved.
I.
PRAYER TO JESUS CHRIST, TO OBTAIN HIS HOLY LOVE
My crucified Love, my dear Jesus! I believe in Thee, and confess Thee to be the true Son of God and my Saviour. I adore Thee from the abyss of my own nothingness, and I thank Thee for the death Thou didst suffer for me, that I might obtain the life of Divine grace. My beloved Redeemer, to Thee I owe all my salvation. Through Thee I have hitherto escaped hell. Through Thee have I received the pardon of my sins. But I am so ungrateful that, instead of loving Thee, I have repeated my offences against Thee. I deserve to be condemned, so as not to be able to love Thee any more. But no, my Jesus, punish me in any other way, but not in this. If I have not loved Thee in time past, I love Thee now; and I desire nothing but to love Thee with all my heart. But without Thy help I can do nothing. Since Thou dost command me to love Thee, give me also the strength to fulfil this Thy sweet and loving precept. Thou hast promised to grant all that we ask of Thee: You shall ask whatever you will, and it shall be done unto you (Jo. xv. 7). Confiding, then, in this promise, my dear Jesus, I ask, first of all, pardon of all my sins; and I repent of them above all things, because I have offended Thee, O Infinite Goodness! I ask for holy perseverance in Thy grace until death. But above all, I ask for the gift of Thy holy love. Ah, my Jesus, my Hope, my Love, my All, inflame me with that love which Thou didst come on earth to enkindle! For this end make me always live in conformity with Thy holy will. Enlighten me that I may understand more and more how worthy Thou art to be loved, and that I may know the immense love Thou hast borne me, especially in giving Thy life for me. Grant, then, that I may love Thee with all my heart, and may love Thee always, and never cease to beg of Thee the grace to love Thee in this life; that always living in Thy love, and dying in Thy love, I may come one day to love Thee with all my strength in heaven, never to cease loving Thee for all eternity.
O Mother of beautiful love, O Mary, my advocate and refuge, who art of all creatures the most beautiful, the most loving, and the most beloved of God, and whose only desire it is to see Him loved! ah, by the love that thou bearest to Jesus Christ, pray for me, and obtain for me the grace to love Him always and with all my heart! This I ask and hope for from Thee. Amen.
II.
PRAYER TO OBTAIN THE GRACE OF BEING CONSTANT IN PRAYER.
O God of my soul, I hope in Thy goodness that Thou hast pardoned all my offences against Thee, and that I am now in the state of grace. I thank Thee for it with all my heart, and I hope to thank Thee for all eternity. The mercies of the Lord I will sing for ever (Ps. lxxxviii. 2). I know well why I have fallen, because I have not had recourse to Thee when I was tempted, to ask for holy perseverance. For the future, I firmly resolve to recommend myself always to Thee and especially when I see myself in danger of offending Thee again. I will always fly to Thy mercy, invoking always the most holy Names of Jesus and Mary, with full confidence that when I pray Thou wilt not fail to give me the strength I need to resist my enemies. This I resolve and promise to do. But of what use, O my God, will all these resolutions and promises be, if Thou dost not assist me with Thy grace to put them in practice; that is, to have recourse to Thee in all dangers? O Eternal Father, help me, for the love of Jesus Christ, and let me never omit recommending myself to Thee whenever I am tempted. I know that Thou dost always help me when I have recourse to Thee; but my fear is that I should forget to recommend myself to Thee, and my negligence be the cause of my ruin, that is, the loss of Thy grace, the greatest evil that can befall me. Ah, by the merits of Jesus Christ, give me the grace to pray to Thee; but grant me such an abundant grace that I may always pray, and pray as I ought!
O my Mother Mary, whenever I have had recourse to thee, thou hast obtained for me the help which has kept me from falling! Now I come to beg of thee to obtain a still greater grace, namely, that of recommending myself always to thy Son and to thee in all my necessities. My Queen, thou obtainest all thou dost desire from God by the love thou bearest to Jesus Christ; obtain for me now this grace which I beg of thee–namely, to pray always, and never to cease to pray, even unto death. Amen.
Evening Meditation
THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST
“Charity endureth all things”
HE THAT LOVES JESUS CHRIST WITH A STRONG LOVE DOES NOT CEASE TO LOVE HIM IN THE MIDST OF TEMPTATIONS AND DESOLATIONS
I.
When a soul that loves God finds herself in this state of darkness, uncertainty, and fear, she must not lose courage; and neither must he who directs her become alarmed. Those sensual movements, those temptations against Faith, those feelings of distrust, and those attacks which urge her to hate Almighty God, are fears, are tortures of the soul, are efforts of the enemy; but they are not voluntary, and therefore they are not sins. The sincere lover of Jesus Christ resists valiantly on such occasions, and withholds all consent to such suggestions; but because of the darkness which envelops her she knows not how to distinguish, her soul is thrown into confusion, and the privation of the presence of Divine grace makes her fearful and sad. But it can be soon discovered that in these souls, thus tried by God, all is dread and apprehension, but not truth: only ask them, even in their state of desolation, whether they would willingly commit one single deliberate venial sin; they will reply that they are ready to suffer not one, but a thousand deaths, rather than be guilty of giving such displeasure to Almighty God.
II.
It is necessary, therefore, to make this distinction, that it is one thing to perform an act of virtue, such as to repel a temptation, to trust in God, to love God, and to will what He wills; and it is another thing to have the consciousness of really making these good acts. This consciousness of doing good contributes to our pleasure; but the profit consists, not in our being conscious of doing good, but in actually doing good. God is satisfied with our doing good, but deprives the soul of the consciousness of doing it in order thus to remove from her all self-satisfaction, which, of course, adds nothing to the merit of the good action; for our Lord ever desires our real advantage more than our satisfaction. St. John of the Cross wrote the following words to comfort a desolate soul: “You were never in a better state than at present; for you were never so deeply humbled, and so cut off from all attachment to this world, and at the same time you were never so thoroughly impressed with the conviction of your own wickedness. Neither were you ever so divested and purified of all self-seeking as now.” Let us, then, not believe that when we feel a greater tenderness of devotion we are more beloved by God; for perfection does not consist in that, but in the mortification of our own will, and in its union with the will of God.
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre
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Morning Meditation
"PATIENCE HATH A PERFECT WORK"
Patience hath a perfect work. Patience is a perfect sacrifice which we offer to God; because in suffering tribulations and contradictions we are but accepting from God's hands the cross He sends us. All our good, indeed, consists in bearing crosses with patience.
I.
Patience hath a perfect work (James i. 4). Patience is a perfect sacrifice that we offer to God; because in suffering tribulations and contradictions we are but accepting from God's hands the cross He sends us. A patient man is better than the valiant (Prov. xvi. 32). He who suffers with patience is better than a valiant man. Some are resolute and courageous in promoting and supporting a pious undertaking, but are not patient in bearing adversity. It would be better for them to be valiant in patience than in undertaking good works. This earth is a place of merit, and therefore it is not a place of repose, but of toils and pains; for merit is acquired not by rest but by suffering. All those who live here below, whether saints or sinners, must suffer. Some are in want of this, others of that; some have nobility, but are poor; others abound in riches, but want nobility; others enjoy nobility and wealth but are poor in health. In a word, all, even sovereigns, have occasion to suffer; because sovereigns are the most exalted of mortals their cares and troubles are the most harassing and perplexing.
All our good, then, consists in bearing crosses with patience. Hence the Holy Ghost admonishes us not to become like to senseless beasts that break out into a rage when they are unable to indulge their appetites. Do not become like the horse and the mule who have not understanding (Ps. xxxi. 9). What other advantage than to double our misfortunes can we ever derive from giving way to impatience in contradictions? The good thief and the bad thief died on the cross, both suffering the same pains; but because one embraced them with patience he was saved, and the other bore them with impatience he was damned. St. Augustine says that the same affliction sends the just to glory because they accept it with peace, and the wicked to fire because they submit to it with impatience.
II.
It often happens that a person who flies from a cross that God sends him meets with another far more afflicting. They, says Job, that fear the hoar frost, the snow shall fall upon them (Job vi. 16). They who shun the hoar-frost shall he covered with snow. Such a one may say: Give me any other office, but take from me the one that I hold. But he will suffer much more in the second office than in the first, and with little or no merit. Be careful not to imitate such. Embrace the fatigue and tribulation that God sends you: for you will thus acquire greater merit, and in truth have less to suffer: you will at least suffer with peace, knowing that your sufferings come not from self-will, but from the will of God. Let us be persuaded of the truth of what St. Augustine says, that the whole life of a Christian must be a continual cross. The life of those who wish to become saints must in a special manner be a continued series of crosses. St. Gregory Nazianzen says that these noble souls place their riches in poverty, their glory in contempt, and their delights in the voluntary privation of earthly pleasures. Hence St. John Climacus asks: Who is truly religious? He answers: He that offers continual violence to himself. And when shall this violence cease? When life shall have an end, answers St. Prosper. Then shall the battle cease when the conquest of the eternal kingdom shall be obtained. If you remember to have hitherto offended God, and if you desire to be saved, you should be consoled when you see that God sends you an occasion of suffering. St. John Chrysostom writes: "Sin is an ulcer, and chastisement a healing iron: therefore the sinner who is left unpunished is most miserable." Sin is an abscess on the soul: if tribulations do not come to extract the putrid humour the soul is lost. Miserable the sinner who is not punished after his sin in this life.
Spiritual Reading
THE DOCTOR AND APOSTLE OF PRAYER. ST. ALPHONSUS.*
Amongst those who have been eminent in the Church of God, both for their lives and their labours, a foremost place must be assigned to St. Alphonsus Mary Liguori. This illustrious man, who may truly be styled an apostle, spent a long life of upwards of ninety years in the zealous service of God, and in unwearied labours for the good of souls--a proof sufficient of the greatness and varied nature of his sanctity. The long life of this holy man presents us, indeed, with examples of every virtue; yet there is one virtue which shines forth conspicuously from among the rest, and gives a definite tone and character to his whole life--I mean his burning love for Jesus Christ. With Alphonsus, as with St. Paul, to live was Christ. This love was the sacred source from which were derived all the other virtues which he practised in an heroic degree. It was from his love for Jesus that there sprung that ardent zeal for souls which ever inflamed his heart, and which found vent in apostolic labours without number. This love it was which urged him on to write so many books replete with learning and piety, by which he won for himself the glorious title of Doctor of the Church. Hence the lesson which the life of Alphonsus ought to teach us is that in order to sanctify ourselves and our neighbours there is but one thing necessary, and that is a great and genuine love for Jesus Christ; especially if this love is accompanied, as it was in the heart of Alphonsus, by an affectionate and filial confidence in the Virgin Mother of God.
St. Alphonsus Mary Liguori was born on the 26th of September in the year 1696, in a country place called Marianella, near Naples, where his father possessed a villa. His infancy was marked by those signs of future sanctity which generally adorn the cradle of the Saints. When his mother presented him, shortly after his birth, to Father Francis of Jerome, S.J. (as we read in the Roman Breviary), and begged the holy man's blessing for her infant, Father Francis (who was afterwards canonised on the same day as Alphonsus) prophesied of him that he would live to the age of ninety, would become a bishop, and would do great things for the Church. Our history will show how happily this prophecy was fulfilled.
The parents of Alphonsus were both of them members of noble families of great antiquity. They were also distinguished by a piety of no common order. His father, Don Joseph Liguori, belonged to the family of the Prince of Presiccio, and was brother of Monsignor Liguori, Bishop of Cava. His duties as a naval officer did not prevent him from diligently practising all the duties of a good Christian. He was particularly devout to Our Lord's Passion, frequently approached the Sacraments, and his delicacy of conscience was so well known that no one dared to utter an unseemly word in his presence. Yet he was too fond of worldly honours and his ambition urged him on to oppose his son's Divine call to a higher life, as we shall afterwards see.
The mother of Alphonsus, Anne Catherine Cavallieri, was a person of extraordinary merit and piety. She was not the only member of her family remarkable for holiness of life, for her brother was that great servant of God, Monsignor Cavallieri, the saintly Bishop of Troja. The great aim of her life was to bring up in a truly Christian manner the seven children with whom God had blessed her. In order to attain her end, her first care was to instil into their hearts a truly ardent love for Jesus Christ, together with a tender and filial devotion to the Immaculate Mother of God. Her maternal anxiety was crowned with the happiest success for of the three brothers of Alphonsus, one became a Benedictine; another chose the sacerdotal state, and lived a most holy life in his father's house; and the third, who married, led a life worthy of a good Christian. Of his sisters, two became nuns, and dedicated their virginity to Christ; the third, who was married, was a model of Christian mothers. But Alphonsus himself became the pride and glory, not only of his own family but of the whole Church. Even in his old age he used to thank God for having given him so holy a mother. "This," he used to say, was one of the greatest graces which God bestowed upon me, for if I avoided evil when I was a boy, I owe it to my mother."
Under the care of such parents, Alphonsus in his earliest years, laid the solid foundation of his wonderful sanctity. He was accustomed to pay frequent loving visits to Jesus hidden in the Sacred Tabernacle, and was assiduous in the devout invocation of the Blessed Virgin, especially by reciting her Rosary--a custom in which he persevered until his death. As for sin, the pleasures of the world, and the company of the licentious, all these he fled from as from a serpent. In order to tread more securely in the path of virtue, by the advice of his mother, he joined the Congregation of Young Nobles, and so perfectly observed the rules of this confraternity that, as the Roman Breviary testifies, all the young noblemen were drawn to Christian modesty by his words and example. His pious manner of life obtained for him the gift of a high contemplation, even when he had scarcely reached his twelfth year, as is proved by the following remarkable occurrence. On a certain occasion he had been taken, with some of his companions, to a country house for recreation. The boys began to play at some game, in which they wished Alphonsus to join. At first he refused, but finally, yielding to their importunities, he took part in the game. Fortune favoured him to such an extent that one of his companions, envious of his success, completely lost his temper and broke out into blasphemies against God. As soon as the pious youth heard these imprecations, indignant that God should be thus outraged for such a trifle, he at once quitted the company, and retired into a neighbouring wood to pray. Here, after a long search, he was found in the evening, kneeling before a picture of the Blessed Virgin, and rapt in a sweet ecstasy.
*This sketch of the Life of St. Alphonsus, the Doctor and Apostle of Prayer, was taken from Surius' Lives of the Saints (Marietti, Turin), and edited by Very Rev. Aston Coffin, C.SS.R., in 1880. We thank the Publishers, Messrs. Gill and Sons, Dublin, for allowing us to insert it in this volume.--Ed.
Evening Meditation
THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST
"Charity endureth all things"
HE THAT LOVES JESUS CHRIST WITH A STRONG LOVE DOES NOT CEASE TO LOVE HIM IN THE MIDST OF TEMPTATIONS AND DESOLATIONS
I.
Wherefore, in this state of desolation the soul must not heed the devil, when he suggests that God has abandoned her; nor must she leave off prayer. This is the object at which the devil is aiming, in order afterwards to drag her down some precipice. St. Teresa writes: "The Lord proves His true lovers by dryness and temptations. What though the dryness should be of life-long duration, let the soul never relax in prayer; the time will arrive when all will be abundantly repaid." In such a state of suffering a person should humble himself by the reflection that his offences against God are undeserving of any milder treatment; he should humble himself, and be fully resigned to the Divine will, saying: O my Lord, behold me at Thy feet; if it be Thy will that I should remain thus desolate and afflicted for my whole life, and even for all eternity, only grant me Thy grace and the gift of Thy love, and do with me whatever Thou wilt.
II.
It will be useless then, and perhaps a source of greater disquiet, to wish to assure yourself that you are in the grace of God, and that what you experience is only a trial, and not abandonment on the part of God. At such times it is not the will of God that you should have this assurance; and He so wills it for your greater advantage, in order that you may humble yourself the more, and increase your prayers and acts of confidence in His mercy. You desire to see, and God wills that you should not see. For the rest, St. Francis de Sales says: "The resolution not to consent to any sin, however small, is a sure sign that we are in God's grace." But a soul in profound desolation cannot even clearly discern this resolution; nevertheless, in such a state she must not aim at feeling what she wills; it is enough to will with the point of the will. In this manner she must entirely abandon herself into the arms of the Divine Goodness. Oh, how such acts of confidence and resignation ravish the Heart of God, when made in the midst of the darkness of desolation! Ah, let us simply trust in a God, Who, as St. Teresa says, loves us far better than we love ourselves.
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre
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“Let man understand,” says St. Augustine, “that God is a physician, and that tribulation is a medicine for salvation, not a punishment for damnation.” Hence we ought to thank God when He chastises us, for His chastisements are a proof of His love for us, and that He wishes to number us amongst His children.
I.
Be persuaded, says St. Augustine, that when the Lord sends you suffering He acts as a physician; and that the tribulation He sends you is not the punishment of condemnation, but a remedy for your salvation. “Let man understand,” says the holy Doctor, “that God is a physician, and that tribulation is a medicine for salvation, not a punishment for damnation.” Hence you ought to thank God when He chastises you; for His chastisements are a proof that He loves you, and receives you into the number of His children. Whoever the Lord loveth, says St. Paul, he chastiseth; and he scourgeth every son whom he receiveth (Heb. xii. 6). Hence, St. Augustine says: “Do you enjoy consolation? Acknowledge a father who caresses you: Are you in tribulation? Recognise a parent who corrects you.” On the other hand, the same holy Doctor says: “Unhappy you, if after you have sinned God exempts you from scourges in this life. It is a sign that He excludes you from the number of His children.” Say not, then, for the future, when you find yourself in tribulation, that God has forgotten you; say rather that you have forgotten your sins. He who knows that He has offended God must pray with St. Bonaventure: “Hasten, O Lord, hasten, and wound Thy servants with sacred wounds, lest they be wounded with the wounds of death.” Hasten, O Lord, wound Thy servants with the wounds of love and salvation, that they may escape the wounds of Thy wrath and of eternal death.
II.
Let us rest assured that God sends us crosses not for our destruction but for our salvation. If we know not how to turn them to our own profit it is entirely our own fault. Explaining the words: the house of Israel is become dross to me, all these are … iron and lead in the midst of the furnace (Ezech. xxii. 18), St. Gregory says: “As if God should say: ‘I wished to purify them by the fire of tribulation, and sought to make them gold, but in the furnace they have become unto me iron and lead.'” I have endeavoured by the fire of tribulation to change them into pure gold, but they have been converted into lead. These are the sinners who, though they have several times deserved hell, when visited with any calamity, break out into impatience and anger; they almost wish to look upon God as if guilty of injustice and tyranny, and even go so far as to say: But, O Lord, I am not the only one who has offended Thee. It would appear I am the only person whom Thou chastisest. I am weak; I have not strength to bear so great a cross. Miserable man, alas! What do you say? You say to God: I am not the only one who has offended Thee. If others have offended God, He will punish them also in this life if He wills to show mercy to them; but do you not know that, according to the word of God–My indignation shall rest in thee, and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and … I will be angry no more (Ezech. xvi. 42) the greatest chastisement God can inflict on sinners is not to chastise them on this earth? I have no more zeal for your soul, and therefore as long as you live you shall never more feel my anger. But St. Bernard says: “God’s anger is greatest when He is not angry. I wish, O Father of Mercies, that Thou mayest be angry with me.” God’s wrath against sinners is greatest when He is not angry with them, and abstains from chastising them. Hence the Saint prayed the Lord, saying: Lord, I wish that Thou shouldst treat me with the mercy of the Father of Mercies, and therefore I wish that Thou shouldst chastise me here for my sins, and thus save me from Thy everlasting vengeance. Do you say, I have not strength to bear this cross? But if you have not strength why do you not ask it of God? He has promised to give His aid to all who pray for it: Ask, and it shall be given you (Matt. vii. 7).
Spiritual Reading
THE DOCTOR AND APOSTLE OF PRAYER, ST. ALPHONSUS.
Meantime his studies were not neglected. His father, remarking the wonderful quickness of his intellect, procured the best masters for him as soon as he was capable of instruction. The young Alphonsus soon obtained considerable proficiency in the Greek, Latin, and French languages. He excelled, too, in poetical composition, as may be inferred from the touching hymns which he composed, especially those in honour of Jesus and Mary. He applied himself, too, to the study of music, painting, and architecture with no inconsiderable success. After these lighter accomplishments he turned his attention to graver subjects, such as philosophy and mathematics, and finally gave himself up entirely to the study of law. The Bull of his Canonization tells us that “he possessed so great an aptitude for learning that he had scarcely entered on his sixteenth year when, after a rigorous examination, he obtained, with distinguished applause, the degree of Doctor both in Canon and Civil Law.” All Naples, indeed, wondered at the extent and solidity of his knowledge. From this time, in obedience to the wishes of his father, he applied all his attention to the practice of the Bar. For ten years he continued to plead as a barrister, with brilliant success for during all this time he never lost a single case, with the exception of the last of all, of which we are about to speak, and the loss of which produced such happy results. The arduous duties which engaged him in the law-courts did not, however, induce him to swerve even a hair’s breadth from the path of virtue. No one could be more vigilant than he was in avoiding occasions of sin. If he happened to commit a fault, he bitterly wept over it, however slight it might be. When he joined the pious Congregation of young doctors he was a model for all his companions. He used to be present each day at the Holy Sacrifice; frequently to go to Confession and to Holy Communion; to spend a great part of his time in prayer, especially during the devotion of the Forty Hours; and to serve the sick in the public hospitals. These pious practices formed the delight of our young lawyer. In order, too, to keep up the fervour of his piety, he accompanied his father every year to some religious house in order to go through the spiritual exercises.
About this time it happened that the fervour of Alphonsus began to grow a little cool. The games, innocent indeed in themselves in which he began to indulge, the theatres to which from time to time he used to go by his father’s orders, the brilliant marriages which were proposed to him (but from which, by a hidden instinct of the Holy Spirit, he was most averse), the praises and flatteries which reached his ears from all quarters–all these could not but exercise an influence over him, and so by degrees things came to such a pass that he used to omit, even for the most trivial reasons, his accustomed exercises of piety. “If I had remained long in this state of tepidity” (he used afterwards to say) “I should certainly have fallen headlong into the greatest excesses.” But the innocence of his life, which, according to the Roman Breviary, was never stained by mortal sin, was soon delivered from the great danger to which it was exposed; for when he was going through the Spiritual Exercises as usual, he experienced a complete renewal of spirit, and not only returned to his former habits of virtue, but even went beyond all that he had hitherto practised.
Not long afterwards a providential event induced Alphonsus to make a complete break from the world. He had undertaken the defence of a case of the highest importance, and had spent a whole month in mastering all its details. When the day for hearing the case had arrived, he went full of confidence to the court, made his opening speech with his usual eloquence, quoting the words of the law, and confirming his position with what seemed to be indisputable arguments. But just as he was flattering himself that, with the applause of all, the decision would be given in his favour, the whole of his argument was suddenly upset by a few words from the lawyer on the opposite side, who pointed out that Alphonsus had mistaken a negative for an affirmative. Alphonsus stopped in confusion, and immediately recognising his mistake, was overwhelmed with emotion, fearing that he would be suspected of unfair dealing. Blushing with shame, he hurried from the court, exclaiming: “World, I know thee now!–no longer shalt thou see me.” On entering his house, he betook himself to his room, where, like another Paul, he remained three days and three nights without eating or drinking. When at length he left his solitude, he had resolutely determined to bid farewell to the law courts, whose dangers he had learned by sad experience.*
This first heavenly grace was soon followed by a second and much more extraordinary one. On a certain day, when Alphonsus was in the Hospital of Incurables, attending the sick, he suddenly saw himself surrounded by a bright light. The whole house seemed to be shaken as by an earthquake, and a voice repeated in his inmost heart these words: “Forsake the world, and give thyself wholly to Me.” Although he was struck by the strangeness of the thing, he did not leave off what he was doing. But when his work was finished, and he was on the point of leaving the hospital, the same voice was again clearly heard, and this time in his very ears: “Forsake the world, and give thyself wholly to Me.” Alphonsus then waits no longer, but exclaims, with tearful eyes: “My God, here I am! Do with me what Thou wilt.” And then, moved by a divine impulse, he directs his steps to the Church of Our Lady, and there, encircled with a celestial light, he gives himself up entirely to the service of God, and promises that he will renounce the world. As a pledge of his fidelity, he takes off his sword, which he wore as the mark of his rank, and lays it on the altar of the holy Virgin. This took place in the Church of Our Lady of Ransom, of the Redemption of Captives; as though Divine Providence wished to show that Alphonsus henceforth would devote himself to the work of redemption by founding the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer.
The day on which this happened was ever a memorable one to St. Alphonsus as long as he lived, and in his humility he used to call it the day of his conversion; and justly so, for it was then that he offered himself as a complete holocaust to God. The moment he knew the way along which he was to walk, Alphonsus entered upon it with alacrity. He formed the resolution of becoming a priest, and of following the Most Holy Redeemer in the salvation of souls. But it can scarcely be expressed how great was the opposition which his proposal met with. His father left nothing untried to shake his resolution for he desired his son to occupy a brilliant position in the world. But threats and entreaties were equally vain–Alphonsus overcame all with heroic courage; and on the 23rd of October, 1723, he put on the ecclesiastical dress, and enrolled himself in the service of God. Since he well knew that the lips of the priest shall keep knowledge, he applied himself with the greatest diligence to the study of sacred theology. He made so admirable a use of his time that three years had scarcely elapsed when he was judged to be perfectly qualified for all the duties of the apostolic ministry. Without delay he was ordained priest on the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle, 1726, and celebrated his first holy Mass at Naples, with all the ardour of a seraph, being then in his thirty-first year.
*The whole case would seem to have turned on whether the fief in dispute was held under Lombard or French law, and Alphonsus could not explain how he overlooked a clause in the documents which destroyed his whole case. A chapter–entitled “The Road to Damascus”–in Father Berthe’s Life of St. Alphonsus, graphically describes the scene in court that day. (2 Vols. Duffy and Co., Dublin.)–Ed.
Evening Meditation
THE PRACTICE OF THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST
“Charity endureth all things”
HE THAT LOVES JESUS CHRIST WITH A STRONG LOVE DOES NOT CEASE TO LOVE HIM IN THE MIDST OF TEMPTATIONS AND DESOLATIONS
I.
Let these souls so dear to God, and who are resolutely determined to belong entirely to Him, take comfort, although at the same time they see themselves deprived of every consolation. Their desolation is a sign of their being very acceptable to God, and that He has for them a place prepared in His heavenly kingdom, which overflows with consolations as full as they are lasting. And let them hold for certain that the more they are afflicted in the present life, so much the more shall they be consoled in eternity: According to the multitude of my sorrows in my heart, thy comforts have given joy to my soul (Ps. xciii. 19). For the encouragement of souls in desolation, I will here mention what is related in the Life of St. Jane Frances de Chantal, who for the space of forty years was tormented by the most fearful interior trials, by temptations, by fears of being at enmity with God, and of being even quite forsaken by Him. Her afflictions were so excruciating and unremitting that she declared her sole ray of comfort came from the thought of death. Moreover she said: “I am so furiously assaulted that I know not where to hide my poor soul. I seem at times on the point of losing all patience, and of giving up all as entirely lost.” “The tyrant of temptation is so relentless,” she says, “that any hour of the day I would gladly barter it with the loss of my life; and sometimes it happens that I can neither eat nor sleep.”
During the last eight or nine years of her life her temptations became still more violent. Mother de Scatel said that her saintly Mother de Chantal suffered a continual interior martyrdom night and day, at prayer, at work, and even during sleep; so that she felt the deepest compassion for her. The Saint endured assaults against every virtue (except chastity), and had likewise to contend with doubts, darkness, and disgust. Sometimes God would withdraw all lights from her, and seem indignant with her, and just on the point of expelling her from Him, so that terror drove her to look in some other direction for relief: but failing to find any, she was obliged to return to look on God, and to abandon herself to His mercy. She seemed each moment ready to yield to the violence of her temptations. The Divine assistance did not, indeed, forsake her; but it seemed to her to have done so, since, instead of finding satisfaction in anything she found only weariness and anguish in prayer, in reading spiritual books, in Communion, and in all other exercises of piety. Her sole resource in this state of dereliction was to look upon God, and to let Him do His will.
II.
The Saint said: “In all my abandonment my very life is daily a new cross to me, and my incapability of action adds considerably to its heaviness.” And it was for this reason she compared herself to a sick person overwhelmed with sufferings, unable to turn from one side to the other, speechless, so as not to be able to tell of his ills, and blind, so as not to discern whether the attendants are administering to him medicine or poison. And then, weeping bitterly, she added: “I seem to be without Faith, without Hope, and without love for my God.” Nevertheless the Saint maintained throughout her serenity of countenance and affability in conversation, and kept her mind fixedly bent on God, in the bosom of Whose blessed will she constantly reposed. Wherefore, St. Francis de Sales, who was her director, and knew well what an object of predilection her beautiful soul was to Almighty God, wrote thus of her: “Her heart resembled a deaf musician, who, though he may sing most exquisitely, can derive no pleasure from it himself.” And to herself he wrote as follows: “You must endeavour to serve your Saviour solely through love of His blessed will, utterly deprived of consolations, and overwhelmed by a deluge of fears and sadness.” It is thus that the Saints are formed:
“Long did the chisels ring around,
Long did the mallet’s blows rebound,
Long worked the head and toiled the hand,
Ere stood thy stones as now they stand.”
The Saints are precisely these choice stones, of whom the Church sings, which are reduced to shapeliness and beauty by the strokes of the chisel, that is, by temptations, by fears, by darkness, and other torments, internal and external, till at length they are made worthy to be enthroned in the blessed kingdom of Paradise.
I wish to belong wholly to Thee, O my God; and I give Thee my body, my soul, my will, and my liberty. I will no longer live for myself, but for Thee alone, my Creator, my Redeemer, my Love, and my All: Deus meus et Omnia! My God and my All! I desire to become a Saint, and I hope it of Thee. Afflict me as Thou wilt, deprive me of all; only deprive me not of Thy grace and of Thy love. O Mary, the hope of sinners, great is thy power with God; I confide fully in thy intercession: I entreat thee by thy love of Jesus Christ, help me, and make me a saint!
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre
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When you are visited by God with any infirmity, or loss, or persecutions, humble yourself and say with the Good Thief on the Cross: We receive the due reward of our deeds. Let my consolation be that the Lord may afflict me and spare me not here below, that He may spare me in eternity.
I.
When you are visited by God with any infirmity, or loss, or persecution, humble yourself, and say with the good thief: We receive the due reward of our deeds (Luke xxiii. 41). Lord, I deserve this cross because I have offended Thee. Humble yourself and be comforted, for the chastisement that you receive is a proof that God wishes to pardon the eternal punishment due to your sins. Who will grant me, says Job ... that this may be my comfort, that afflicting me with sorrow, he spare not (Job vi. 8-10). Let this be my consolation, that the Lord may afflict me and may not spare me here below in order to spare me hereafter. O God, how can he who has deserved hell complain if the Lord send him a cross! Were the pains of hell trifling, still, because they are eternal, we should gladly exchange them for all temporal sufferings, for they have an end. But in hell there are all kinds of pain--they are all intense and all everlasting. And though you should have preserved Baptismal innocence and have never deserved hell, you have at least merited a long Purgatory: and do you know what Purgatory is? St. Thomas says that the souls in Purgatory are tormented by the very same kind of fire that torments the damned. Hence St. Augustine says that the pain of that fire surpasses every torment that man can suffer in this life. Be content, then, to be chastised in this life rather than in the next; particularly since by accepting crosses with patience in this life your sufferings will be meritorious; but hereafter you will have to suffer without merit.
II.
Console yourself in suffering with the hope of Paradise. St. Joseph Calasanctius used to say: "To gain Heaven all labour is small." And before him the Apostle said: The sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come, that shall be revealed in us (Rom. viii. 18). It would be but little to suffer all the pains of this earth for the enjoyment of a single moment in Heaven: how much more, then, ought we to embrace the crosses God sends us when we know that the short sufferings of this life will merit for us eternal felicity. That which is at present momentary and light of our tribulation, worketh for us ... an eternal weight of glory (2 Cor. iv. 17). We should not feel sadness but consolation of spirit when God sends us sufferings here below. They who pass to eternity with the greatest merit shall receive the greatest reward. It is on this account that the Lord sends us tribulations. Virtues, which are the fountains of merit, are practised only by acts. They who are exposed to the most frequent annoyances make the most frequent acts of patience; they who are most frequently insulted make most frequent acts of meekness. Hence St. James says: Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been proved, he shall receive the crown of life (James i. 12). Blessed is he who suffers afflictions with peace, for when he shall be thus proved he shall receive the crown of eternal life.
Spiritual Reading
THE DOCTOR AND APOSTLE OF PRAYER, ST. ALPHONSUS
The manner of life which Alphonsus thenceforth adopted, during the two years he lived at Naples as a secular priest and as a member of the Congregation of the Propaganda in Naples, is described in glowing terms in the Bull of his canonization. These are the words of the Supreme Pontiff, Gregory XVI.: "Having received Holy Orders and been raised to the dignity of the priesthood, he applied all his energies to extend on every side the glory of God, to sow the seeds of virtue in the minds of men, and to pluck up the roots of vice. Persuaded that the labours of an apostle cannot be productive of abundant fruit unless he teach as well by example as by words, it became the chief object of his care to exhibit himself by the practice of every kind of virtues 'as a minister of God' and a 'dispenser of His mysteries'. Of chastity, which he had long since consecrated by vow to God, he was ever the most watchful guardian, incessantly exerting all the powers of his mind, and employing every movement of his body to preserve it free from the slightest stain. To attain this object with perfect security he dedicated that virtue with filial confidence to the care of the Mother of God. With so vehement an impulse of love was he carried towards God, that his attention was unceasingly fixed upon Him, and nothing seems to have afforded him pleasure but to think and speak of God. Since the love of God so ardently inflamed him, it is easy to conclude that he cherished a fervent charity for his neighbour. No toil, no trouble was spared by him in order to recall men steeped in vice and wickedness to the loving embraces of God. It was his constant occupation to visit the hospitals for the purpose of assisting the sick, and of aiding, by his presence, those in particular who were in immediate danger of death. Moved by the same charity, he used to hear confessions with the greatest patience, and to spend in the performance of that office not only whole days, but also a considerable part of the night. Hence, too, was he in the habit of addressing from the pulpit his crowded audience in strains of such fervid language as to conquer and break down the obstinacy of the most abandoned sinners. He exhibited to them the foul baseness of the crimes which had so hardened their hearts, and aroused in their minds so lively a feeling of sorrow that they were moved to tears, and on many occasions filled the sacred edifice with their sobs and lamentations." Such are the words of Gregory XVI.
This admirable zeal for souls was, in union with his love for Jesus, the characteristic virtue of Alphonsus. It already showed itself in the very beginning of his priestly life in such a manner as to foreshadow what he would be in the future--the great apostle of the poor and of the country people. It is true that he readily bestowed his time and his labour on all kinds of men; yet it was the poor and the abandoned who were ever the special objects of his care. This can be seen from the work which he effected among the Neapolitan day-labourers and porters. After he had been ordained deacon he used to bring those poor men together at certain times into an appointed place, and then exhort them to the love of Jesus Christ. And when the number of his hearers gradually increased, he dispersed them through the town in different assemblies, arranging everything so that the members might urge on one another to the practice of every virtue. Such was the origin of the famous Institution of the "Chapels," which has lasted in Naples up to the present day, and which has been the means of salvation to countless numbers of workmen. But Alphonsus did not confine himself to the poor of Naples only; his burning zeal spread itself beyond the limits of the city. In his compassion for the country people, he went through the fields, and villages, and hamlets, preaching the word of God, so that to him might aptly be applied the words of Scripture: The spirit of the Lord is upon me: wherefore he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the contrite of heart (Luke iv. 18).
Evening Meditation
CONSIDERATIONS ON THE PASSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
I.
How pleasing it is to Jesus Christ that we should often remember His Passion, and the shameful death He suffered for us, can be well undersood from His having instituted the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar for this very end, that there might ever dwell in us the lively memory of the love He bore to us in sacrificing Himself on the Cross for our salvation. Let us, then, recollect that on the night preceding His death Jesus instituted this Sacrament of love, and, when He had distributed His Body to His disciples, He said to them, and through them to all of us, that in receiving the Holy Communion we should bear in mind what great things He suffered for us: As often as ye shall eat this bread and drink the chalice, ye shall show the death of the Lord (1 Cor. xi. 26). Therefore, in the Mass the Holy Church ordains that after the consecration the celebrant shall say, in the Name of Jesus Christ, As often as ye do this, ye shall do it in memory of me (Canon of the Mass). And the angelic St. Thomas writes: "That the memory of the great things Jesus did for us might ever remain with us, He left us His own Body to be received as our food." The Saint then goes on to say that through this Sacrament is preserved the memory of the boundless love which Jesus Christ has shown us in His Passion.
If we were to endure injuries and stripes for the sake of a friend, and were then to learn that our friend, when he heard anyone speak of what we had done, would not pay any heed to it, but turned the conversation, and said: "Let us talk of something else"--what pain we should suffer at the neglect of the ungrateful man! And, on the other hand, how glad we should be to find that our friend admitted that he was under an eternal obligation to us, that he constantly bore it in mind, and spoke of it with affection and with tears.
II.
The Saints, knowing how much it pleases Jesus Christ that we should often call to mind His Passion, have been almost perpetually occupied in meditating on the pains and insults which our loving Redeemer suffered during His whole life, and still more in His death. St. Augustine writes that there is no more profitable occupation for the soul than to meditate daily on the Passion of the Lord. It was revealed by God to a holy anchorite that there is no exercise more adapted to inflame the heart with divine love than the thought of the death of Jesus Christ. And to St. Gertrude, as Blosius records, it was revealed that as often as we look with devotion upon the Crucifix, so often does Jesus look upon us with love. Blosius adds that to consider or read any portion of the Passion brings greater profit than any other devout exercise. Therefore St. Bonaventure writes: "O Passion worthy of love, which renders divine him who meditates upon it!" And speaking of the Wounds of the Crucified, he calls them Wounds which pierce the hardest hearts, and inflame the coldest souls with divine love.
It is repeated in the life of the Blessed Bernard of Corlione, a Capuchin, that when his Brother-Religious desired to teach him to read, he went to take advice from Him Who was crucified, and that the Lord replied to him: "What is reading? What are books? I Who was crucified will be thy Book, in which thou mayest read the love I bore thee." Jesus Crucified was also the beloved Book of St. Philip Benizi; and when the Saint was dying, he desired to have his Book given him. Those who stood by, however, did not know what book he wanted; but Brother Ubaldo, his confidential friend, offered to him the Image of the Crucified, on which the Saint said: "This is my Book!" and, kissing the sacred Wounds, breathed out his blessed soul.
For myself, in my spiritual works, I have often written of the Passion of Jesus Christ, but yet I think that it will not be unprofitable to devout souls if I here add many other points and reflections which I have read in various books, or which have occurred to myself; and I have determined to commit them to writing for the use of others, but especially for my own profit. I am composing this little treatise in the seventy-seventh year of my life, and nigh unto death, and hence I am desirous to prolong these considerations by way of preparing myself for the great day of account. And, in fact, I make my own poor meditations on these very points; often and often reading some portion, in order that, whenever my last hour shall come, I may find myself occupied in keeping before my eyes Jesus Crucified, Who is my only hope, and thus I hope to breathe out my soul into His hands.
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre
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To be in tribulation in this world is a great sign of predestination. "To be afflicted here on earth," says St. Gregory, "belongs to the elect for whom is reserved the beatitude of eternity." Hence we find in the Lives of the Saints that all, without exception, had been loaded with crosses.
I.
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation for when he hath been proved he shall receive the crown of life (James i. 12). This thought made St. Agapitus, Martyr, a boy of fifteen years, say, when the tyrant ordered his head to be encompassed with burning coals: "It is very little to bear the burning of my head, which shall be crowned with glory in Heaven." This thought made Job exclaim: If we have received good things at the hand of God, why should we not receive evil? (Job 10). Yes, if we have gladly received good things, why should we not also receive with greater joy temporal evils, by which we shall acquire the eternal goods of Paradise? This thought also filled with jubilation the hermit found singing in a wood though his body was so covered with ulcers that his flesh was falling to pieces. When asked if it were he who was singing, he said: Yes, I sing, and I have reason to sing; for between me and God there is nothing but the filthy wall of my body. I now see it falling to pieces, and therefore I sing, because I see that the time is at hand when I shall go to enjoy my Lord. This thought made St. Francis of Assisi say: "So great is the good which I expect, that to me every pain gives delight." In a word, the Saints feel consoled when they are in tribulation, and are afflicted when they enjoy earthly consolations. We read in the Teresian Chronicles that in reciting these words of the Office: When wilt thou comfort me? (Ps. cxviii. 82) Mother Isabella of the Angels used to say them so fast that she would anticipate the other Sisters. Being asked why she did so, she answered: "I am afraid that God may give me comfort in this life."
II.
To be in tribulation in this world is a great sign of predestination. "To be afflicted here below," says St. Gregory, "belongs to the elect, for whom is reserved the beatitude of eternity." Hence we find in the Lives of the Saints, that all, without exception, have been loaded with crosses. This is precisely what St. Jerome wrote to the virgin Eustochia: "Seek," says the holy Doctor, "and you shall find that every Saint has been subject to tribulations: Solomon, alone, lived in the midst of delights, and therefore perhaps he was lost." The Apostle has said that all the predestined must be found like to Jesus Christ: Whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be made conformable to the image of his Son (Rom. viii. 29). But the life of Jesus Christ was a life of continual suffering; hence the same Apostle says: Yet so if we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him (Rom. viii. 17). If we suffer with Jesus Christ we shall also be glorified with Jesus Christ.
But we shall not be glorified with Him unless we suffer with patience like our Saviour, who when he was reviled did not revile; when he suffered he threatened not (1 Pet. ii. 23). St. Gregory says that as to suffer with patience is a mark of predestination, so to suffer with impatience is a presage of damnation. Hence the Lord tells us that we shall attain to salvation only by suffering with patience: In your patience you shall possess your souls (Luke xxi. 19). And let us be persuaded that God sends us tribulations only because He seeks our welfare. By them He wishes to detach us from earthly pleasures, which may occasion the loss of our eternal salvation.
Spiritual Reading
THE DOCTOR AND APOSTLE OF PRAYER, ST. ALPHONSUS.
Worn out by a constant succession of labours, and weakened by the austerities of his life, Alphonsus withdrew with some of the companions of his apostolate, for the sake of a little rest, into a solitary spot called Santa Maria dei Monti, near Scala. This was in the month of May in the year 1731. The inhabitants of the place were poor peasants and shepherds, whose knowledge of religion was very small, and whose spiritual destitution was extreme. Alphonsus was moved with pity on learning their sad state. When he saw them coming in crowds to the lonely chapel, where he was accustomed to spend a great part of his time before the Blessed Sacrament, and eagerly begging for a spiritual alms, he at once devoted himself to their service, and gave all his attention to instruct them in Christian Doctrine, and prepare them for a devout reception of the Sacraments. Thus it happened that the time set aside for repose was employed most fruitfully for the salvation of souls, and at the same time an ardent desire was implanted in the soul of Alphonsus of henceforth devoting himself in a special manner to the service of such poor, abandoned beings. The desire came from God; it was the seed from which in a short time was to spring the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. But we must now briefly relate how this important work began, and how it was brought to completion.
Alphonsus returned not long afterwards to the town of Scala, in order to celebrate a Novena with the people in the cathedral. Here God was awaiting His servant, in order to manifest His will to him. There was in a convent in the city a certain nun--Sister Celeste Crostarosa by name--who was frequently favoured by God with extraordinary graces. This holy nun was a member of the Community which had been founded by Monsignor Falcoja in the town of Scala in the year 1719. She was born in Naples on the 31st of October, 1696, being, consequently, just one month younger than Alphonsus. God made known to her many things concerning the Institute of the Most Holy Redeemer; and Falcoja, who had in the meantime become Bishop of Castellamare, after mature consideration, charged Alphonsus, in the spring of 1731, to give the spiritual exercises to the nuns of the Most Holy Saviour, with the permission of the Bishop of Scala. This Alphonsus accordingly did; and when he returned again in the autumn, Sister Celeste had a vision on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, in which our Divine Lord, accompanied by St. Francis, appeared to her, and showed her a number of priests zealously engaged in instructing a countless multitude of men, who were scattered through villages and hamlets, deprived of spiritual aid. The leader and director of these priests was Alphonsus. Whilst the holy religious was contemplating this vision, these words sounded in her ear: "That is the man whom I have chosen as My instrument in this work, which is to glorify My Name." She did not think it right to conceal a fact of so great importance, and spoke of it to Alphonsus, who was greatly agitated on hearing a revelation which coincided so perfectly with his own desires. Being in doubt as to the course which he ought to take, he determined at once to give himself up to the most fervent prayer, and to redouble his austerities, in order to obtain a more certain knowledge of the Divine Will. His hopes were not deceived. In a short time he clearly perceived that he was called by God to this great work, both by the heavenly light with which his soul was abundantly illumined, and also by the advice which he received from many men illustrious both for their learning and their sanctity. He was confirmed in this conviction by the approbation of his director, the saintly Bishop Falcoja. From this time Alphonsus bound himself by vow to depend entirely on the direction of this holy prelate. Moreover, in addition to all this, the will of God was made plain by a manifest miracle. One day when the nun of whom we have spoken, was eagerly maintaining in the presence of her sisters the truth of the revelation made to her, one of her hearers exclaimed: "Well, I shall believe it when Sister Mary Magdalene is cured." Wonderful to relate, this Religious, who was then out of her mind, was at that very instant freed from her mental disorder.
When the will of God had been once made known to him, Alphonsus, relying principally on the advice of Bishop Falcoja, resolutely determined to begin the work. As soon as his intentions were known, several distinguished men felt themselves divinely called to enter his Congregation. Amongst these must be mentioned a young man of good family whose past life had been far from edifying, but who now received a vocation to join Alphonsus, which was evidently miraculous. This youth, who was called Vitus Curzio, himself related what had happened. "I dreamt," says he, "that I was standing at the foot of a high and steep mountain which many priests were trying to ascend. I wished to follow them, but at each attempt my foot slipped, and I fell back. Seeing that all my efforts to advance were useless, I began to feel exceedingly disheartened and sad. At last, one of the priests taking compassion on me, stretched out his hand, and with his help I ascended the mountain with the rest." Such was the young man's dream. A few days after he met Alphonsus in Naples, and, struck with astonishment, he recognised in him the priest whom he had seen in his dream, and who had helped him to ascend the mountain. Moved by Divine grace he at once obeyed the wonderful call he had received from Heaven, and became the first Lay-brother of the new Institute.
Evening Meditation
CONSIDERATIONS ON THE PASSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
I.
Adam sinned and rebelled against God, and, being the first man, and the progenitor of all men, he fell into a state of perdition, together with the whole human race. The injury was done to God; so that neither Adam nor all the rest of mankind, by all the sacrifices they could have offered, even of their own lives, could furnish a worthy satisfaction to the Divine majesty which was offended. There was need that a Divine person should satisfy Divine justice. Behold, then, the Son of God, moved to deep compassion for men, and excited by the bowels of His mercy, offered Himself to take human flesh and to die for men, that He might thus give to God a complete satisfaction for all the sins of men and obtain for them the Divine grace they had lost.
Our loving Redeemer thus came into this life, and became Man, in order that He might find a remedy for all the miseries which sin had brought upon men. At the same time, He chose to lead men to an observance of the Divine precepts, and thus to the acquisition of eternal life, not only by His instructions, but also by the example of His own holy life. For this end Jesus Christ renounced all honours, delights, and riches, which He might have enjoyed upon this earth, and which belonged to Him as Lord of the world; and He chose for Himself a life of humility, poverty, and tribulation, until He died in anguish upon a Cross.
The Jews were possessed with a delusion that the Messias would come upon earth to triumph over all His enemies by force of arms, and that, having conquered them, and acquired the rule of all the earth, He would make His followers rich and glorious. But if the Messias had been what the Jews imagined, a Prince triumphant and honoured by all men as the Sovereign of all the earth, He would not have been the Redeemer promised by God and predicted by the Prophets. This He Himself declared, when He replied to Pilate: My kingdom is not of this world (Jo. xviii. 36). On this St. Fulgentius writes: "Why, Herod, art thou thus troubled? This King Who is born is not come to conquer kings in battle, but wonderfully to subdue them by His death."
II.
The Jews had two false ideas regarding the Redeemer Whom they expected. The first was the idea that the spiritual and eternal blessings with which the Prophets foretold that the Messias would enrich His people, were earthly and temporal blessings: There shall be faith in thy days; the riches of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is thy treasure (Is. xxxiii. 6). These were the glorious blessings promised by the Redeemer: faith, the knowledge of virtue, and holy fear. These were the riches of salvation which He had promised. Besides this, He promised He would bring healing for the penitent, pardon for sinners, and liberty to the captives of Satan: He hath sent me to bring tidings to those who are meek, that I should heal those who are contrite of heart, and preach pardon to the captives, and liberty to those who are in bondage (Isaias, lxi. 1). The other delusion of the Jews was that what was predicted by the Prophets respecting the second coming of the Saviour when He should come to judge the world at the end of ages, was to be understood of His first coming. David wrote of the future Messias, that He would conquer the princes of the earth, and beat down the pride of many, and with the force of His sword would subdue the whole earth: The Lord, upon thy right hand, shall beat down kings in the day of his wrath; he shall judge among the nations; he shall shatter the heads of many upon the earth (Ps. cix. 5, 6). And the Prophet Jeremias wrote: The sword of the Lord shall devour from the one end of the earth to the other (Jer xii. 12). But all this is to be understood of the second advent, when He shall come as Judge to condemn the wicked.
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre
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If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, let him take up his cross and follow me. These words of our Lord give us to understand that he who is not willing to suffer, but refuses the cross, must not pretend to be Christ's disciple or expect to follow Him to Paradise.
I.
"The world is bitter and it is loved," says St. Augustine; "if it were sweet, how it would be loved!" The world is bitter because all its delights do not content the heart of man, and because they all ultimately terminate in bitterness and remorse of conscience; but still it is loved. Imagine, then, says the Saint, were it sweet, how intensely we would love it, and how completely forget the soul, Heaven and God! To wean an infant the mother puts gall on the breasts. It is thus God treats us. He makes the very pleasures of this earth bitter, that, by detaching our hearts from them, we may pant after the eternal delights which He has prepared in Heaven for all who love Him. It was for this end that our loving Saviour came on earth to suffer, that we might not refuse to imitate His example. Christ, says St. Peter, suffered for us, leaving you an example, that you should follow his steps (1 Pet. ii. 21). Behold how He invites us to follow: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me (Matt. xvi. 24). As if He were to say: He who is not willing to suffer, and refuses the cross, let him cease to pretend to be My disciple, or to expect to follow Me to Paradise.
II.
The desire of pleasing God is the sublime end which a soul should have in embracing sufferings. Ecclesiasticus says that some show friendship only in the time of prosperity, and abandon a friend in his adversity: There is a friend for his own occasion, and he will not abide in the day of thy trouble (Ecclus. vi. 8). But the most certain testimony of love is to suffer with cheerfulness for the person loved. The sacrifice most agreeable to God consists in embracing with patience all the crosses He sends. Charity is patient ...beareth all things (1 Cor. xiii 4, 7). Love bears all things: external crosses; loss of health; loss of property, of honours, of relatives, of friends: interior crosses, anguish, temptations, sorrows, desolation of spirit. It is by patience that virtue is proved. Hence, in the Lives of the Saints, we usually find a description of their patience under afflictions. It is thus the Lord proves our fidelity. The devil tempts us, and God also tempts us. The devil tempts us in order to bring us to perdition, God tempts us in order to prove us: As gold in the furnace he hath proved them (Wis. iii. 6). As gold is proved by fire, so God proves the love of His lovers by the fire of tribulation. Hence to be in tribulation is a sign that the soul is dear to God. Because thou wast acceptable to God, said the Angel to Tobias, it was necessary that temptation should prove thee (Tob. xii. 13). St. Jerome says that when God sends a person an occasion of suffering He confers a greater favour than if He gave him power to raise the dead to life. Because, adds the Saint, when we work miracles we are debtors to God, but when we bear afflictions with patience, God is, in a certain manner, our debtor.
Spiritual Reading
THE DOCTOR AND APOSTLE OF PRAYER, ST. ALPHONSUS.
It would be too long to relate here all the difficulties with which, for more than a year, the holy founder had to contend. When once his intention was known, all Naples was in commotion against him; and he, whom all had formerly held in admiration, now became the common laughing-stock. All his friends withdrew from him, and his former superiors and associates of the Congregation of the Propaganda vied with one another in the bitter attacks which they made upon what they called his obstinacy and his visionary schemes. But no one was more opposed to Alphonsus than his own father. He left no stone unturned in order to shake his son's resolution, and finding that threats were of no avail, he had recourse to tears and entreaties. One day he entered his son's room and fell upon his neck, shedding an abundance of tears, and for three hours he held him in a close embrace, imploring him not to abandon his unhappy father. But prayers and tears alike were useless. Alphonsus condescended not to flesh and blood. Victorious in this long conflict, he now bade adieu to Naples, and went to lay the foundations of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, together with a few companions, who were to meet him at this time at Scala. He entered this town on the 8th of November, 1732.
And now a new tempest of troubles was about to burst upon our Saint. The Congregation had scarcely come into existence when discord broke out amongst its members. Each one held a different opinion as to the special work in which the missionaries ought to engage. Many desired that they should add the instruction of youth to the labours of the missions, but Alphonsus was firm in his opinion that his Institute ought to have for its sole end the preaching of the Gospel to the poor and the most abandoned. Arguments were discussed on both sides, but no agreement could be come to either regarding the scope of the Institute or its rules; and finally the little flock was dispersed, and the holy founder was left with only two companions--Father Caesar Sportelli, and Brother Vitus Curzio. This abandonment was a cruel blow to the tender heart of Alphonsus. When the thing became known, the enemies of the Institute exulted for joy, and indulged without restraint in abuse and ridicule. To add to the trials of Alphonsus, Satan involved his soul in a thick darkness, and in an overwhelming sadness; and that nothing might be wanting to his misery, even Bishop Falcoja himself, his confessor, treated him harshly and seemed to abandon him. Alphonsus went to him for consolation, but the bishop said to him, coldly: "Will you also go away? God has not need of anyone to do His work." But then, seeing the deep affliction of Alphonsus, he encouraged him, and bade him persevere in carrying out his Divine vocation. The straits to which Alphonsus now saw himself reduced would have caused another utterly to lose heart, but they did but urge him on to form a magnanimous resolve, which he confirmed by vow, that, even if he could get no one to help him, he would, nevertheless, devote his whole life to evangelising the poor. This heroic resolve at once had its reward. The mind of Alphonsus recovered its usual tranquility, and God, who is ever ready to help those who trust in Him, sent him new companions and fellow-workers. The grief of the holy man at the loss of his first associates was soon changed into joy when he saw his solitude peopled by promising subjects, and from this time the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer was established on a firm footing. The little seed was gradually growing into a mighty tree, which was to extend its branches unto the uttermost parts of the earth.
Nothing could be imagined more humble than the first beginnings of the Institute. Poverty the most complete reigned in the house at Scala. As they had no tabernacle, Alphonsus placed the Blessed Sacrament in a box which he had decorated with ribbons and garlands. The altar had no other ornament but some little bouquets of artificial roses and other flowers. But, in spite of its poverty, the little sanctuary breathed a heavenly sweetness. There Alphonsus, wholly absorbed in the love of Jesus, used to spend whole nights in the presence of the Most Holy Sacrament. Close to the house was a half-ruined grotto, to which the Saint frequently withdrew, in order to give himself to prayer and to frightful austerities. In this place, tradition tells us, that he was favoured with many visions of the Virgin Mother of God, who bestowed upon him numerous proofs of her maternal affection. Alphonsus confessed that it was here he used to discuss the welfare of his Congregation with this loving Mother. Thus the remembrance of this grotto was always dear to him, and as often as he returned to Scala he used to visit it, exclaiming: "Oh, my grotto, my beloved grotto! would that I could enjoy thee as in the days gone by!"
When once the Congregation was established, the chief aim of its founder was to work hard for its propagation. Henceforth it was his home for thirty happy years, until 1762; and during all this time he was in the midst of his children as a burning and a shining light, by the holiness of his life and by his devotion through love of Jesus, to the work of redemption. This part of the saint's life was taken up with three important occupations, namely, the holy missions, the government of his Congregation, and the publication of his writings.
Evening Meditation
CONSIDERATIONS ON THE PASSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
I.
When the Prophets spoke of the first advent, in which He would accomplish the work of Redemption, they most clearly foretold that the Redeemer would live upon this earth a life of poverty and contempt. This was what was written by the Prophet Zacharias, when speaking of the life of Jesus Christ: Behold thy king cometh to thee the just one, and the Saviour; he is poor, and sitteth upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass (Zach. ix. 9). All this was specially fulfilled when He entered Jerusalem sitting upon a young ass, and was honorably received as the desired Messias, as St. John writes: And Jesus found an ass and sat upon it, as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Sion, behold thy king cometh to thee, sitting upon an ass's colt (Jo. xii. 14,15). We know, also that He was poor from the time of His birth, being born in Bethlehem, a place of no celebrity, and in a cave: And thou, Bethlehem Ephrata, art little among the thousands of Juda; from thee cometh forth to me he who is to be the ruler of Israel; and his going forth is from the beginning and from the days of eternity (Mich. v. 2). This Prophecy, also, is referred to by St. Matthew and St. John. Further, also, the Prophet Osee writes: From Egypt I have called my son (Os. xi. 1), which was fulfilled when Jesus Christ was carried as an Infant into Egypt, where He remained about seven years, as a stranger in the midst of a barbarous race, far from His kindred and friends, a thing sufficient to make His life one of poverty. And so, also, He continued to live the life of the poor when He had returned to Judea. He Himself foretold by the mouth of David, that throughout His whole life He would be poor and afflicted: I am poor, and in labours from my youth (Ps. lxxxvii. 16).
II.
Almighty God could not consider His justice truly satisfied by all the sacrifices men could offer, even of their own lives; and therefore He ordained that His own Son should take a human body, and become a Victim worthy to reconcile God with men, and obtain salvation for them. Sacrifice and oblation thou wouldst not, but a body hast thou prepared for me (Heb. x. 5). The only-begotten Son offered Himself willingly to be a sacrifice for us, and came down on earth in order that He might accomplish the sacrifice with His death, and thus complete the Redemption of man. Then said I: Behold, I come. In the head of the book it is written of me that I should do thy will, O God! (Heb. x. 5-7).
The Lord said, speaking to sinners, Why should I strike you any more? (Is. i. 5). This God said in order that we should understand that, however much He might punish those who offended Him, their punishments would never be sufficient to make reparation to His offended honour; and therefore He committed it to His own Son to make satisfaction for the sins of men, because His Son alone could give worthy satisfaction to Divine justice. Therefore He declared, by Isaias speaking of Jesus being made a Victim for our sins, For the wickedness of my people I have stricken him (Is. liii. 8). Nor was God satisfied with a light satisfaction, but chose to see His Son consumed with torments: The Lord was pleased to bruise him in infirmity (Is. liii. 10).
O my Jesus, O Victim of love, consumed by pangs upon the Cross to atone for my sins, I am ready to die with grief when I think that I have so often despised Thee, after Thou hast loved me so much. Oh, suffer it not that I should continue longer ungrateful for Thy goodness. Draw me wholly to Thee; grant it through the merits of that Blood which Thou hast poured forth for me.
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre
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The Blessed Virgin revealed to St. Bridget that there was no sinner in the world, however much he might be at enmity with God, who will not return to Him if he would only have recourse to her, and ask her assistance. Noe's Ark was a true figure of Mary, for as in it all kinds of beasts were saved, so under Mary's mantle all sinners find refuge.
I.
The devout Blosius declares that "Mary is the only refuge of those who have offended God, the asylum of all who are oppressed by temptation, calamity, or persecution. This Mother is all mercy, benignity, and sweetness, not only to the just, but also to despairing sinners; so that no sooner does she perceive them coming to her, and seeking her help from their hearts, than she aids them, welcomes them, and obtains their pardon from her Son. She knows not how to despise any one, however unworthy he may be of mercy, and therefore denies her protection to none; she consoles all, and is no sooner invoked than she helps whoever it may be that invokes her. She by her sweetness often awakens, and draws to devotion to her, sinners who are the most at enmity with God and the most deeply plunged in the lethargy of sin; and then, by the same means, she excites them effectually, and prepares them for grace, and thus renders them fit for the kingdom of Heaven. God has created this His beloved Daughter of so compassionate and sweet a disposition that no one can fear to have recourse to her." The pious author concludes in these words: "It is impossible for any one to perish who carefully, and with humility, cultivates devotion towards this Divine Mother."
In Ecclesiasticus Mary is called a plane-tree: As a plane-tree I was exalted (Ecclus. xxiv. 19). And she is so called that sinners may understand that as the plane-tree gives shelter to travellers from the heat of the sun, so does Mary invite them to take shelter under her protection from the wrath of God, justly enkindled against them. St. Bonaventure remarks that the Prophet Isaias complained of the times in which he lived, saying: Behold thou art angry, and we have sinned ... there is none ... that riseth up and taketh hold of thee (Is. lxiv. 5-7). And then he makes the following commentary: "It is true, O Lord, that at the time there was none to raise up sinners and withhold Thy wrath, for Mary was not yet born"; "before Mary," to quote the Saint's own words, "there was no one who could thus dare to restrain the arm of God." But now, if God is angry with a sinner, and Mary takes him under her protection, she withholds the avenging arm of her Son, and saves him. "And so," continues the same Saint, "no one can be found more fit for this office than Mary, who seizes the sword of Divine justice with her own hands to prevent it from falling upon and punishing the sinner." Upon the same subject Richard of St. Laurence says that "God, before the birth of Mary, complained by the mouth of the Prophet Ezechiel that there was no one to rise up and withhold Him from chastising sinners", for this office was reserved for our Blessed Lady, who withholds His arm until He is pacified.
II.
The Blessed Virgin herself revealed to St. Bridget "that there is no sinner in the world, however much he may be at enmity with God, who does not return to Him and recover His grace, if he has recourse to her and asks her assistance." The same St. Bridget one day heard Jesus Christ address His Mother, and say that "she would be ready to obtain the grace of God for Lucifer himself, if he only humbled himself so far as to seek her aid." That proud spirit will never humble himself so far as to implore the protection of Mary; but if such a thing were possible, Mary would be sufficiently compassionate, and her prayers would have sufficient power to obtain both forgiveness and salvation for him from God. But that which cannot be verified with regard to the devil is verified in the case of sinners who have recourse to this compassionate Mother.
Noe's Ark was a true figure of Mary; for as in it all kinds of beasts were saved, so under the mantle of Mary all sinners, who by their vices and sensuality are already like beasts, find refuge; but with this difference, as a pious author remarks, that "while the brutes that entered the ark remained brutes, the wolf remaining a wolf, and a tiger a tiger--under the mantle of Mary, on the other hand, the wolf becomes a lamb, and the tiger a dove." One day St. Gertrude saw Mary with her mantle open, and under it there were many wild beasts of different kinds--leopards, lions, and bears; and she saw not only that our Blessed Lady did not drive them away; but that she welcomed and caressed them with her benign hand. The Saint understood that these wild beasts were miserable sinners, who are welcomed by Mary with sweetness and love the moment they have recourse to her.
It was, then, not without reason that St. Bernard addressed the Blessed Virgin, saying: "Thou, O Lady, dost not reject any sinner who approaches thee, however loathsome and repugnant he may be. If he asks thy assistance, thou dost not disdain to extend thy compassionate hand to him, to extricate him from the gulf of despair." May our God be eternally blessed and thanked, O most amiable Mary, for having created thee so sweet and benign, even towards the most miserable sinners! Truly unfortunate is he who loves thee not, and who, having it in his power to obtain thy assistance, has no confidence in thee. He who has not recourse to thee is lost; but who was ever lost that had recourse to thee, O most Blessed Virgin?
Spiritual Reading
THE DOCTOR AND APOSTLE OF PRAYER, ST. ALPHONSUS.
To begin with the holy missions: it would be difficult to express the ardent zeal with which Alphonsus laboured in this holy work. The charity of Christ so pressed this apostolic man, that in the whole kingdom of Naples but few provinces could be found which had not experienced the effects of his burning zeal. We should have to write many volumes if we wished to enumerate all the conversions that took place in the various regions he visited. A more perfect missionary than Alphonsus cannot be imagined. He aroused the admiration of the people by the marvellous power of his eloquence, but especially by the bright light of those apostolic virtues which made him, as it were, a mirror of sanctity. So great was his humility that, when journeying on the missions, his dress was no better than that of a ragged pauper. Thus it happened that on one occasion, before he had founded his Congregation, when giving a mission, in company with other priests, he entered a certain village dressed in a miserable cassock and riding on an ass, whilst the other missionaries were travelling in a carriage. The inhabitants, seeing his wretched costume, took him for the cook; and when they heard him preach in the evening they could not contain their astonishment and exclaimed: "If the cook is such a preacher, what will it be when the others begin?" The mortification of the servant of God was not less remarkable than his humility. He ate nothing but common food, and that most sparingly, and often it was only a little soup, and even that he seasoned with bitter herbs. On the missions, as well as at home, he used frequently to take the discipline, scourging himself cruelly, even to blood. To this was added the use of pointed chains, which he would fasten on so tightly that more than once he fell to the ground half dead, and almost incapable of movement; and thus at no moment of his life was he free from suffering.
A life of such austere holiness produced marvellous fruits in the salvation of souls. The words that flowed from the lips of the servant of God possessed so Divine an unction that they effected innumerable conversions. Not only individuals, but whole cities were converted, and the vices of Babylon disappeared to give place to the virtues of Paradise. Amongst his hearers there were none who could resist his eloquent appeals; all had to yield to the wisdom and spirit with which he spoke. The numerous sinners who came to him for confession were all converted to a better life. And Alphonsus himself owned that, even if he had to defer absolution in the case of certain sinners, these penitents had always returned to him in a state fit for absolution, so that no one was ever finally dismissed by him without having been sincerely converted to Almighty God.
In order to give greater efficacy to the words and actions of the Saint, God willed to ratify his ministry by miraculous favours. Chief of these were the extraordinary graces bestowed on him by his beloved Queen, the Blessed Virgin Mary. At Foggia, in Apulia, when he was preaching a Novena in her honour, for the space of a whole hour he was seen in ecstasy before one of her pictures. The Holy Virgin, as he himself declared, appeared to him under the form of a young maiden of thirteen or fourteen years of age. She wore a white veil, and seemed to be inclining her head, now to the right and now to the left. In regarding this apparition he said that he felt great devotion and spiritual joy and could not restrain his tears. The same prodigy was repeated at Foggia, and in the proper office granted in memory of it by the Apostolic See, it is described as follows: "When this fervent lover of the Mother of God was proclaiming in glowing accents the praises of the Blessed Virgin in front of one of her altars, to which the people had given the name of the altar of the Ancient Picture, a ray of splendour fell upon him from this picture, lighting up his whole countenance, whilst he was rapt in ecstasy in presence of all the people." At the same time he was raised three feet in the air, to the great joy and consolation of the assembled faithful. Alphonsus was rewarded with a similar apparition both in the town of Amalfi and in the hamlet of St. George. He was endowed, too, with the gift of prophecy, by which he both predicted coming events and announced what was taking place at a distance. He had also the power of seeing into the inmost recesses of the heart, and would often reveal to sinners their most hidden crimes. Amongst the graces bestowed upon him was that of healing, and also of bilocation, by which he was seen more than once in two places at the same time.
But whilst he was giving himself up with such unwearied zeal to the labours of the apostolic ministry, and was gaining innumerable souls to Christ by word and example and by the splendour of his miracles, the holy founder by no means neglected the grave obligations imposed upon him by the care of his young Institute. The members of his Congregation had been gradually increasing in numbers, until, in 1746, the Institute possessed four houses, namely, at Nocera, Ciorani, Iliceto, and Caposele. Of these, Iliceto and Caposele had been founded after the death of Bishop Falcoja, in the spring of 1743. The house at Scala had been given up in 1738, on account of the vexatious opposition which had been raised against it. Alphonsus considered that the time had now arrived for placing his Institute on a firm footing, and so all his energies were directed to obtain approbation for it from the Supreme Pontiff, and from the King of Naples. From the civil power, indeed, nothing could be gained but promises, but at Rome his efforts were more successful. The Chair of St. Peter was then occupied by Benedict XIV, and to him, in the year 1748, Alphonsus addressed a supplication, begging that the Pontiff would deign to confirm the new Institute by his authority. In order to ensure success, he sent one of the members of his Congregation to Rome to direct the negotiations in person, and to bring matters to a favourable conclusion. The petition of Alphonsus was graciously received, and although an affair of this kind is generally beset with numerous difficulties, nevertheless, owing to the prayers and mortifications of Alphonsus, it had a speedy and unlooked-for termination. On the 25th of February of the following year a Pontifical decree was issued, which not only approved the rules, but also confirmed the Institute itself by a solemn approbation. When this happy news reached the Saint he fell upon his knees, and, with eyes streaming with tears of joy, he poured forth heartfelt thanks to God for so great a blessing. Then, having summoned the whole community into the Church, he intoned the hymn "Te Deum Laudamus"; and after this had been sung he addressed to God the words of David: O God of hosts, visit this vineyard, and perfect the same, which thy right hand hath planted. Then, commenting on these words, he exhorted his children to show themselves worthy of the great grace which God had bestowed upon them, by observing with scrupulous exactitude all the rules of the Institute, and by ever cherishing feelings of gratitude to Jesus and Mary. The name of the Congregation was changed from that of the Most Holy Saviour to that of the Most Holy Redeemer; and as the nuns of Scala presented their rules also for approbation about the same time, Benedict XIV approved them, with the same title of the Most Holy Redeemer, on the eighth June, 1750.
Evening Meditation
CONSIDERATIONS ON THE PASSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
I.
When the Divine Word offered Himself to redeem mankind, there were before Him two ways of redeeming the world, the one of joy and glory, the other of pains and insults. But as it was His will, not only by His coming to deliver man from eternal death, but also to call forth the love of all the hearts of men, He rejected the way of joy and glory, and chose that of pains and insults: Having joy set before him, he endured the cross (Heb. xii. 2). In order that He might satisfy the Divine justice for us, and, at the same time, inflame us with His holy love, He was willing to endure the burden of all our sins; that, dying upon a Cross, He might obtain for us grace and the life of the Blessed. This is what Isaias intended to express when he said: He himself hath borne our infirmities, and carried our sorrows (Is. liii. 4).
Of this there were two express figures in the Old Testament; the first was the annual ceremony of the scape-goat, and the high priest presented as bearing all the sins of the people, and therefore all, loading it with curses, drove it into the desert, to be the object of the wrath of God. This scape-goat was a figure of our Redeemer, Who was willing to load Himself with all the curses deserved by us for our sins; being made a curse for us, in order that He might obtain for us the Divine blessing. Therefore the Apostle wrote in another place: He made him to be sin for us, who knew not sin, that we might be made the justice of God in him (2 Cor. v. 21). That is, as St. Ambrose and St. Anselm explain it, He made Him to be sin Who was Innocence itself. Jesus presented Himself to His Father as if He had been sin itself. In a word, Jesus took upon Himself the character of a sinner, and endured the pains due to us sinners, in order to render us just before God. The second type of the sacrifice that Jesus Christ offered to the Eternal Father for us upon the Cross was that brazen serpent fixed to a tree, by looking upon which the Jews who were bitten by fiery serpents were healed (Num. xxi. 8). Accordingly, St. John writes: As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that every one who believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life (Jo. iii. 14).
II.
We must here notice that in the Book of Wisdom, the shameful death of Jesus Christ is clearly foretold. Although the words of the passage referred to may apply to the death of every just man, yet, say Tertullian, St. Cyprian, St. Jerome, and many other holy Fathers, that they principally refer to the death of Christ. We read: If he is the true Son of God, he will accept him, and deliver him (Wis. 18). These words exactly correspond with what the Jews said when Jesus was upon the Cross: He trusted in God; let him deliver him, if he will have him; for he said, I am the Son of God (Matt. xxvii. 43). The wise Man goes on to say, Let us try him with insults and torments (that is, those of the Cross), and let us prove his patience; let us condemn him to the most shameful death (Wis. ii. 19, 20). The Jews chose the death of the Cross for Jesus Christ, because it is shameful, in order that His Name might be forever infamous, and no more held in remembrance, according to the other text of Jeremias: Let us cast wood into his bread, and wipe him out from the land of the living, and his name shall be remembered no more (Jer. xi. 19). How, then, can the Jews of the present day say that it is false that Christ, because His life was ended by a shameful death, was the promised Messias, when the Prophets themselves foretold that He would die a most dishonourable death?
And Jesus accepted such a death. He died to pay the price of our sins; and therefore, as a sinner, He desired to be circumcised; to be redeemed with a price when He was presented in the Temple; to receive the baptism of repentance from the Baptist; and lastly, in His Passion, to be nailed upon the Cross to atone for our guilty wanderings; to atone for our avarice by being stripped of His garments; for our pride, by the insults He endured; for our desires of power, by submitting himself to the executioner; for our evil thoughts, by His crown of thorns; for our intemperance, by the gall He tasted; and by the pangs of His body for our sensual delights.
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre
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