Divine Intimacy: Meditations on the Interior Life for Everyday of the Year

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70.  THE BOND OF PERFECTION

[FIFTH WEEK AFTER THE EPIPHANY]

PRESENCE OF GOD - O my God, grant that I may desire and seek above all else the perfection of love.


MEDITATION

1. The Epistle for this Sunday (Col 3,12-17) recalls to our mind the fundamental duty of a Christian: charity. All programs and resolutions of the spiritual life are of little value if they are not animated by love and directed to the perfection of love. Detachment, mortification, humility, and all the other virtues are of little worth if they do not incline the heart to a wider, more complete and more expansive charity. “ But above all these things,” St. Paul recommends, “ have charity, which is the bond of perfection ”; not only love for God, but also for our neighbor. It is under this aspect that the Apostle speaks of charity in today’s Epistle, carefully pointing out that all our relations with our neighbor should be inspired by love. “Put ye on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, the bowels of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience : bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if any have a complaint against another.”

Fraternal charity is the mark of God’s elect. If we do not have this distinctive mark, Jesus does not recognize us as His disciples; our heavenly Father does not love us as His children, nor will He take us into His Kingdom. The spiritual life requires the use of so many means, calls for the exercise of so many virtues that care must be taken lest we become lost in details, forgetting the love which should be the foundation and end of all. Of what value is the spiritual life, consecration to God, or even the vows of religion, if they do not help the soul to tend to the perfection of love?

Consider the perfect love which the Apostle asks us to have for our neighbor : mercy, compassion, mutual forgiveness, and that love which leaves no room for divisions or dissensions, which overcomes strife and forgets offenses. This is long-suffering charity which makes every sacrifice and overcomes all difficulties in order to be in harmony with all, because we all form “ one body” in Christ, because we are all children of the same heavenly Father. Fraternal charity of this kind is the surest guarantee of a spiritual life that is advancing toward sanctity.


2. The Epistle has presented us with the ideal of the Christian life, an ideal of love which should unite all the faithful in singleness of heart; the Gospel (Mt 13,24-30) shows us the practical way to live this ideal.

“The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that sowed good seed in his field. But...his enemy came and oversowed cockle among the wheat.” God has sown the good seed generously in His field, the world; He has sown grace and love, and the desire for total oblation, the ideals of an apostolic, religious, saintly life. But, in the midst of all this good, the enemy comes to sow evil. Why does God permit this? To sift His servants as we sift grain, to test them.

Sometimes we are scandalized, seeing evil working its way even into the best places, seeing that even among God’s friends, among those who should be a source of edification to others, there are some who behave unworthily. Then we are filled with zeal, like the servants in the parable. We want to remedy this evil and root up the cockle. “ Wilt Thou that we go and gather it up?” But God answers, “ No, lest perhaps gathering up the cockle, you root up the wheat also together with it.” The cockle is spared, not because it is good,
but in order to save the wheat. In the same way God spares the wicked and does not destroy them, for the sake of the elect. When God asks us to endure with patience certain situations, as inevitable as they are deplorable, He asks for one of the greatest exercises of charity, compassion, and mercy. He does not tell us to fraternize with evil, to make a league with the cockle, but He tells us to endure it with the longanimity with which He Himself endured it. Was there not a traitor among the Apostles? Yet Jesus wanted him among His intimates — and with how much love He treated him! Indeed one of the greatest opportunities for the practice of charity is offered us by those who by their evil conduct give us so many occasions for forgiving them, for returning good for evil, and for suffering injustice for the love of God. Moreover, we should consider that, whereas cockle cannot be changed into wheat, it is always possible for the wicked to be converted and become good. Were not Magdalen, the good thief, and Peter, who had denied Jesus, converted? ‘This is one of the strongest motives to incite us to do good to all. When our love is perfect, we are able to live among the wicked without being harsh or contentious, without being influenced by them, but rather doing them good.


COLLOQUY

“O most noble, most beautiful, most innocent Lord Jesus, You have loved me, a vile, ugly creature, deformed by sin; teach me to imitate Your great charity, so that I will love my neighbor with sincere, brotherly love, however imperfect and sinful he may be.

“Teach me to love all men for love of You, and then I shall never lack motives for benevolence, even if I have to deal with those who are coarse, ill-mannered, and full of imperfections. Only by keeping my eyes fixed on You, my God, who are infinite love, shall I be able to surmount all the annoyances and difficulties I meet in my contacts with my neighbor.

“O Jesus, who took on my wretchedness in becoming man and in clothing Yourself with my weak nature, teach me how to accommodate myself to my neighbor and to bear with his faults patiently; help me to do my best to correct my own faults and to eliminate from my conduct everything that might be displeasing to others” (Ven. John of Jesus Mary).

“See, Lord, how far I still am from true charity and humility!’ You show me that there is nothing wonderful about living in peace with kind, good people; nothing is more natural. We all love peace and prefer those who love peace also. But it takes great virtue to live in peace with obstinate, perverse, intractable people whose ideas are not like our own.

“I beseech You, Lord, grant me that grace without which I shall never be at peace with my neighbor, but will ever be prompt to take offense. It would be far better for me to correct my own faults than to criticize the actions of others! If I expect others to bear with my defects, I must likewise bear with theirs” (cf. Imit. IT, 3,2).

71. BAPTISM

PRESENCE OF GOD - O God, who without any merit on my part, have made me Your child, grant that my life may be worthy of this divine Sonship.


MEDITATION

1. The Church, like a mother anxious for the salvation of her children, and eager to rescue them from the slavery of Satan, to make them living temples of God, does not wait until a child is able to appreciate the value of Baptism, but hastens to confer it upon him in the first days of his life.

Thus Baptism is the only Sacrament which is given without the consent of the recipient. However, the Church requires that competent sponsors represent the newborn child in order that God’s gift may not be lost through the child’s unawareness in receiving it. As soon as the child has attained the age of reason, it is the sacred duty of these sponsors to see that it understands and appreciates this great Sacrament and lives accordingly. Indeed, we are all bound to cultivate during the entire course of our life that knowledge and appreciation which we could not take personally to the baptismal font; we are bound to live in such a way as to place no obstacle to the development of baptismal grace, thus making ourselves more worthy of the sacramental character we have received. We must live up to the pledges of our Baptism, that is, we must conform our lives to the petitions, renouncements, and promises which our godparents made in our name. ‘Through our godparents we asked for faith; we renounced Satan and all his works and pomps; we requested to be baptized, so that we might be received into God’s great and holy family.

God, by means of the Church, has delivered us from the bonds of sin; He has taken us into His arms and marked us with an indelible sign as His children. The passing years, the vicissitudes of life, our failures to cooperate with grace, even the most serious sins, if we have been so unfortunate as to commit any, can never destroy that indelible mark of a child of God. Think what an honor it is, how glorious and blessed, to be for all eternity the child of God! “ Behold what manner of charity the Father hath bestowed on us, that we should be called and should be the sons of God” (1 Jn 3,1). We are children of God, not through any merit on our part, but only through His infinite goodness anticipating, as it were, our request and desire.


2. Baptism is the seed, the cause of our whole Christian life and of all the graces which we have received and will receive until we die. Furthermore, beyond the limits of this earthly life, Baptism is the cause and beginning of our eternal glory. This was prefigured by the white robe and the lighted candle which the Church presented to us at the sacred fount: “Receive this white garment and wear it without spot until you come to the judgment seat of our Lord Jesus Christ, in order to have eternal life. Receive this burning candle and preserve untarnished the grace of your Baptism. ..so that, when the Lord comes to conduct you to the eternal nuptials, you may go to meet Him with all the saints of heaven and may have eternal life” (Roman Ritual).

These profoundly significant words should be engraved upon our hearts, reminding us continually of our duty to preserve our baptismal grace. As the years go by, many obligations and duties will claim our time and attention. These duties are sacred, because they are closely connected with our state in life and are herefore willed by God. Nevertheless, we must never forget that our first duty is always the one imposed by holy Baptism : to preserve intact the garment of grace. Before everything else, we have the great obligation of living our Baptism.

If we had not been baptized, we would be unable to nourish our soul with the Body of the Lord; we would not be an apostle; we would not be consecrated to God as a priest or as a religious. Everything is attached to that first link in the chain of sanctifying grace. If we do not strive to live our Baptism according to the perfection demanded by our state in life, our piety will be vain, our Communions without fruit; our apostolic works and even our consecration to God or our priestly ministry will be futile.

We should often reflect on the words which the Church pronounced over us on that day: “Depart from him, unclean spirit, and give place to the Holy Spirit, the consoler.... So live that you will indeed be a temple of God” (Roman Ritual).


COLLOQUY

“O Lord, I beseech You, keep my faith pure and grant that, until my last sigh, I may feel the testimony of a good conscience. Grant that I, who have been baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, may always believe what I professed in the Sacrament of my regeneration. Let me adore You, my Father, and Your Son with You; let me be worthy of the Holy Spirit who proceeds from You and Your only-begotten Son. Truly I have a worthy pledge of faith to guarantee what I believe, and it is He who said, ‘ Father, all that is Mine is Yours, and all that is Yours is Mine,’ Jesus Christ, my Lord, who lives in You and who, remaining God, proceeds from You, is always near You, and is blessed forever and ever” (St. Hilary).

“I renounce satan! O my God, this was my baptismal promise, a solemn promise made in the presence of the Church, a promise so explicit that no one can dispense me from it, a promise recorded by angelic hands, a promise on which I shall be judged at the hour of my death.

“O my God, I desire to renew very fervently that promise today. Therefore, with all my heart and all my strength, I renounce you, O Satan; I renounce you, abominable sin; I renounce you, detestable world!

“O Lord Jesus Christ, I give myself entirely to You forever. I desire to adhere to Your holy doctrine by faith, to Your sacred promises by hope, to Your divine commandments and counsels by love and charity. I desire to follow You by the practice of all the virtues. I desire to follow You as my Head, as a living member of Your Body ” (St. John Eudes).

72. CONFIRMATION

PRESENCE OF GOD - O Holy Spirit, come, work in me again and enable me to live like a true soldier of Christ.


MEDITATION

1. Baptism is the Sacrament of Christian initiation. It introduces us into the Church, God’s great family, and infuses into our souls the new life of sanctifying grace by which we become children of the Most High and brothers of Jesus Christ. Confirmation confirms and strengthens this supernatural life which Baptism has engendered in us. Baptism is our Christian birth; Confirmation brings us to Christian maturity. "Confirmation,” according to the catechism, “is the Sacrament through which the Holy Spirit comes to us in a special way to enable us to profess our faith as strong and perfect Christians and soldiers of Jesus
Christ. ”

At Baptism we become temples of the Holy Spirit; in Confirmation, this divine Spirit comes to us in greater plenitude and sets us apart as knights of Christ, capable of fighting to defend our faith and the Church. We have very great need of this Sacrament, especially today when God’s enemies and the snares and enticements of evil are increasing to such an extent that it often requires great courage, and sometimes even heroism, to stand firm in our Catholic faith and morality. Confirmation imprints an indelible mark on our soul, the glorious character of a “ soldier ” of Jesus Christ. It endows us with the corresponding strength and confers on us the right to receive, at the opportune moment, the actual graces necessary to remain faithful to God, in spite of the difficulties and obstacles we may encounter. This is the “sacramental grace” of Confirmation.

Therefore we may say that, at least virtually, Confirmation is the Sacrament that consecrates the heroes and the martyrs of duty, for it gives man the strength to live in open profession of his faith, even at the cost of great sacrifices, not excluding the sacrifice of his life, if this were necessary.

When cowardice or human respect tempts us to waver, we should repeat St. Francis of Assisi’s daring words: “Knight of Christ, are you afraid?” And recalling the happy day of our Confirmation when we were solemnly consecrated a soldier of Christ, we shall find the strength to continue the battle and to win.


2. Writing about her confirmation, St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus said, “It was with the greatest care that I made ready for the coming of the Holy Ghost, and I could not understand how anyone could do otherwise before receiving this Sacrament of Love.... Like the Apostles, I looked with joy for the promised Comforter, gladdened by the thought that I should soon be a perfect Christian” (T.C.J. St, 4). Unfortunately, there are very few who, like this young saint, can say that they prepared themselves for the reception of Confirmation with a true comprehension of it. Very few give any thought to the Holy Spirit, the great uncreated Gift, who gives Himself to the soul as its Paraclete, that is, as its strength, support, and guide; very few think of Him or if they do, it is in passing, and superficially, so that there is little possibility of their coming to a deep understanding of this ineffable mystery. Let us try to make up now for our own lack of preparation for the reception of this Sacrament. Let us meditate on the beautiful prayer recited by the Bishop during the imposition of hands: “ Almighty, everlasting God... send forth upon them the Author of Thy sevenfold Gifts, the Paraclete, Thy Holy Spirit, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and fortitude, the Spirit of knowledge and piety; fill them with the Spirit of Thy holy fear, and sign them with the sign of the Cross of Christ unto eternal life” (Roman Ritual). The Holy Spirit came down upon us with the abundance of His Gifts. He confirmed us in the faith; He gave us the strength we need to live as perfect Christians, in complete accord with the holy requirements of God’s law.

Jesus said to the Apostles, “You shall receive the power of the Hcly Ghost coming upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto Me in Jerusalem. ..and even to the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1, 8). In these words He predicted the coming of the divine Paraclete. We too received this power when we were confirmed, and if our conduct has not always borne witness to Christ, this is not due to a defect in the Sacrament, but to our lack of correspondence with the grace it conferred. If we are weak in the struggle against our passions, the world, and the devil, it is precisely because we have not made profitable use of the grace of fortitude which the Holy Spirit lavished upon us when we were confirmed.

Let us implore this divine Spirit to pardon our negligence and to help us henceforth to make up for our past deficiencies.


COLLOQUY

“I recognize You as the one true God, O Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father and the Son, consubstantial and coeternal with them, the Paraclete and our Advocate, who came down in the form of a dove upon our Lord Jesus Christ and appeared in the form of tongues of fire over the Apostles. From the beginning You have taught all the saints and the elect of God by the gift of Your grace; You opened the mouths of the prophets so that they could speak of the wonders of God’s kingdom. You, together with the Father and the Son, are adored and glorified by all the saints of God. And I too, the child of your handmaid, glorify Your Name with my whole heart because You have enlightened me, You who are the true light, the Fire of God, and the director of souls, teaching us all truth by Your unction. Without Your help, we cannot be pleasing to God, because You are God of God, Light proceeding from Light, that is, proceeding ineffably from the Father of lights and from His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom You are glorified and reign, consubstantial, equal and coeternal with Them, existing in the essence of one indivisible Trinity!

“O Holy Spirit, quench my thirst at the torrent of Your delights, so that I will no longer wish to taste the poisonous delights of the world ” (St. Augustine).

“O Holy Spirit, infinite Love, proceeding from the Father and the Son, give me the spirit of adoption; teach me to act always like a true child of God. Abide in me and grant that I may abide in You, that I may love as You love. Without You, I am nothing: Sine tuo numine nihil est in homine... 1 am worth nothing, but keep me united to You; fill me with Your love, so that, with Your help, I may remain united to the Father and the Son ” (Dom Marmion).

73. PENANCE (1)

PRESENCE OF GOD - O Jesus, You who are ever seeking the prodigal son, despise not my contrite and humble heart, but purify it in Your precious Blood.


MEDITATION

1. Grace, which has been given to us so abundantly in Baptism and Confirmation, has of itself the infallible power to sanctify. It does not force us, however, to do good nor does it sanctify us without our voluntary cooperation. Man always remains free to cooperate or not with this divine gift; unfortunately, it is always possible for him to resist grace and condescend to evil, thus failing in his duty as a child of God and a soldier of Christ. Jesus, foreseeing these possible defections and falls, has instituted a special Sacrament for the sole purpose of healing the wounds of sin, of restoring sinners to grace and of providing strength for their weakness. Our Lord said to the Apostles, “Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained” (Jn 20,23). By these words Christ conferred on them and on their successors the formidable power of forgiving sins in His Name. This power was not given to the angels nor even to the most Blessed Virgin Mary, but was reserved for His ministers.

Scandalized at seeing Jesus absolve sinners, the scribes asked one another, “ Who can forgive sins, hut God only?” (Mk 2,7). Wavering between unbelief and derision, the world still considers the Sacrament of Penance with a like attitude; it cannot and will not recognize in the priest a minister commissioned by God to remit sin. But for those who believe, there is perhaps no other Sacrament which so rouses our piety, devotion and gratitude. How powerful are the Sacraments by which we are raised to the dignity of children of God and soldiers of Jesus-Christ; how ineffable is the Sacrament by which we are nourished with the immaculate Flesh; yet is it not more touching still that in the Sacrament of Penance Jesus goes in search of the Christian who has betrayed Him, of the soldier who has deserted the camp, of the son who, after having been nourished at His table, has gone far away to eat even the husks of swine? Instead of being indignant or repelling one who has made such poor use of His boundless gifts, Jesus through the Sacrament of Penance offers him pardon and mercy; He heals this soul which, though formerly clothed in the wedding garment of grace and regenerated in His precious Blood, has fallen into sin, making itself His enemy.


2. Although the Sacrament of Penance is necessary only to remit mortal sins, the Church has always recommended and praised the frequent use of it even for those who have only venial sins to confess. “We heartily recommend,” says Pius XII, “the pious custom introduced by the Church, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, of frequent confession. It gives us a more thorough knowledge of ourselves, stimulates Christian humility, helps us to uproot our evil habits, wages war on spiritual negligence and tepidity, purifies our consciences, strengthens our wills, encourages spiritual direction and, by virtue of the Sacrament itself, increases grace” (Mystici Corporis). Frequent confession has always been considered, in authentic Catholic tradition, as a school of perfection, an effective way to correct faults and evil tendencies and to advance in virtue.

When a penitent sees Our Lord Jesus Christ in the person of the confessor, and discloses with humble sincerity his sins and weaknesses, accompanying his accusation with true repentance and a firm purpose of amendment, the Sacrament will have most efficacious results. Not only will he be absolved from his infidelities and receive an increase of sanctifying grace, but he will also receive the “sacramental grace,” which assures him of divine assistance in correcting his weak points, overcoming the temptations to which he is most often exposed, and surmounting the particular difficulties he encounters in the practice of virtue. There is no better medicine for the ills and wounds of the soul than frequent confession when it is made with a humble, sincere, and contrite heart. Jesus awaits us in this Sacrament of His merciful love, not only to cleanse our soul in His precious Blood, but also to strengthen it in this salutary bath, fortify it, and guard it against future attacks of temptation and evil. Confession applies to our soul all the merits of the Passion of Jesus, all the infinite value of His Blood; we shall always return from this Sacrament renewed, sanctified, and strengthened in good in the measure in which we have approached it with a contrite and humble heart.


COLLOQUY


“If you have sinned, my soul, and are wounded, behold your God, your physician, waiting to heal you. His omnipotence permits Him to remit all your sins in one moment; His goodness and mercy urge Him to forgive you.

“Are you terrified, perhaps, because He is your judge? Have confidence, my soul, because if He is your judge, He is also your defender. He is your defender to excuse you and justify you if you repent; and He is your judge, not to condemn you, but to save you, if you are humble. His mercy is infinitely greater than all your iniquities. And I tell you this, not that you will remain in sin and make yourself unworthy of His pity, but that you will drive away evil, and not despair of His clemency and pardon ” (Bl. Louis de Blois).

“O fountain of love, most loving Lord Jesus Christ, filled with so much and such ineffable goodness, You always forestall us with Your love; if we seek You, You present Yourself to us and come to meet us. Your love, Your immense charity extends even to Your enemies. You do not refuse to give Yourself to anyone; You despise no one, but You call and welcome all as Your friends. Your superabundant charity is so limitless that You call to repentance those who miserably lie in sin; and often, even though they rebel, You constrain them to return to You.

“Deign then, to help me, O most merciful Lord Jesus Christ, fire and light of love; enkindle and illumine my cold, rebellious heart by Your charity, so that, for love of You, I may grieve for my sins, do penance, and with a pure, loving, and humble heart give myself to the practice of the works which are pleasing to You. Thus, prevented, aided, and followed by Your grace, I may live the present life in Your love, and at its close may obtain by your mercy life eternal where I shall love You forever in glory” (Ven. Raymond Jourdain).

(1) Also see Meditation 104.

74. EXTREME UNCTION

PRESENCE OF GOD - May Your grace, O Lord, cleanse me from all my faults, so that I may be without spot when admitted to Your presence.


MEDITATION

1. Extreme Unction (or the anointing of the sick) has been significantly defined by the Council of Trent as the “sacramentum exeuntium” that is, the Sacrament of those about to leave this world to enter eternity. The life of a Christian, begun at Baptism, perfected by Confirmation, nourished by the Holy Eucharist, restored by Penance, is, at its close, crowned, as it were, by Extreme Unction. This Sacrament completes the work of purifying the soul, giving it strength to face the difficulties of the last hour. It prepares the soul to appear in the sight of God. The special effect of this Sacrament, according to the Council of Trent, is the infusion into the soul of “the grace of the Holy Spirit, whose unction takes away the residue of sin, and animates and revives courage in the sick, arousing great trust in God’s mercy, so that the soul bears more calmly the sufferings of illness and resists more easily the temptations of the devil. ”
Undoubtedly, Extreme Unction has also the power to “cancel the venial and mortal sins which the dying person, although he has attrition, may not be able to confess” (Catechism of Pius X). However, this is not the special grace of this Sacrament, but is the effect proper to the Sacrament of Penance.

Extreme Unction destroys the last consequences of sin, curing the soul of the lassitude and weakness which are the natural effects of all the sins committed during life, sins which have already been forgiven in confession. Just as Confirmation strengthens and perfects the grace received in Baptism, so Extreme Unction perfects the purification of the soul already accomplished by the sacrament of Penance. “O our Redeemer,” says the Church, in administering Extreme Unction, “by the grace of the Holy Spirit, cure all the ills of this sick person, heal his wounds, pardon his sins, and drive away all his pains of soul and body. In Your mercy restore him to perfect spiritual and bodily health.” Perfect spiritual health, that is, the total remission, not only of sin, but also of all its consequences, is the effect of this Sacrament, by which the dying person, relieved of all the weight of his sins, can go serenely to God in peace.


2. St. Thomas teaches that Extreme Unction is the last Sacrament and, in a certain way, the “consummation” of all the work of purifying the soul; it prepares man for participation in glory.

A dying person who receives this Sacrament with the proper dispositions obtains the full remission of all his sins and of the penalty due to them, so that he can go directly from this earthly exile to eternal glory without passing through purgatory. But although this is the normal effect of Extreme Unction, very few actually receive all its fruit because very few have the proper dispositions. There is perhaps no Sacrament which is so little understood, it is often received in haste, without preparation, and in a state of complete or partial unconsciousness. The result is that its precious fruits are lost in great part. How necessary it is, therefore, to do all that is possible to see that the sick receive Extreme Unction in time, with full consciousness and with deep piety, so that they may derive all possible profit from the grace being offered to them. The fear of distressing the sick person or his family should not deter us from fulfilling this pious- duty with charity and tact. Some day we ourselves shall have the same need, and how fortunate we shall then be if there is someone who will render us this assistance at the proper moment. Moreover, in order to remove the prejudice which people often have against this Sacrament, it is useful to mention that it is ordered not only to the health of the soul, but even to that of the body, when this enters into God’s designs and would be beneficial to the soul. What is of most importance, however, is to try to procure for the dying person perfect tranquility of conscience and divine assistance and support in the painful sufferings and bitter struggle of the agony of death, so that he may courageously face the final attacks of the enemy, accept death with resignation, abandon himself with confidence to God’s mercy, and at last reach the heavenly country. Then the touching prayer of the Church will become a living reality for him : “ Go forth from this world, O Christian soul, in the name of God the Father who created you, in the name of Jesus Christ who died for you, in the name of the Holy Spirit who has been poured forth upon you” (Roman Ritual).


COLLOQUY

“You have softened the terrors of death for us, Lord; You have made the end of our life the beginning of true life. You make our body rest for a short time, but only for a short time. Then You will awaken us with the sound of the last trumpet. You commit us to the earth which You have made, that it may preserve us; some day You will restore our mortal remains and make them beautiful forever.

“For us You became malediction and sin to save us from the curse of sin. You prepared our resurrection when you burst the gates of hell and destroyed by Your death the one who had empire over death.

“You have given to the fearful the Sign of the Cross to destroy their enemies; and you have assured us that we will have life, O eternal God, to whom I was offered as a babe and whom I have loved with all my strength.

“O Master, send me an angel of light to conduct me to that place of refreshment, whence flows the spring which quenches our thirst.

“You gave paradise to the man who was crucified with You and who implored pardon. Be mindful also of me in Your kingdom, for I am crucified with You, and the fear of Your judgment has pierced my flesh. Grant that the abyss may not separate me from Your elect! Remember not my sins. If, because of the weakness of my nature, I have failed in thought, word, or deed, pardon me, for You have the power to forgive sins. May my soul be found without guilt when I lay aside the garment of my body. At that moment, deign to receive it without spot or blemish into Your hands as an offering pleasing to You” (St. Macrina).

75. VOCATION

PRESENCE OF GOD - Grant, O Lord, that I may accept with a humble and generous heart the honor of Your call.


MEDITATION


1. In a general sense, any invitation of God to the soul may be called a “vocation”; thus we speak of a “vocation to the Christian life.” “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” exclaims St. Paul, “who chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and unspotted in His sight, in charity; who hath predestined us unto the adoption of children through Jesus Christ unto Himself...” (Eph 1,3-5). How exalted is the Christian vocation, a vocation for which we can never adequately thank God, and to which we can never fully correspond.

Within this universal vocation which is proper to all Christians, there are more specific calls to the various states in life—to-matrimony, and to the single and religious states; thus the term “vocation” is often used restrictively. A person is said to have a vocation when he is called by God to that higher state of life indicated by the counsels and implying a special relationship with God which sets him apart as one “ consecrated,” that is, reserved for God alone. This is precisely why God asks these souls to renounce that life in which individuals contract bonds which establish a close union between them, and a mutual belonging to one another. Instead of binding itself to another creature, a consecrated soul binds itself to God by the pure bond of perfect chastity. It therefore belongs neither to itself nor to creatures, but only to God. This total belonging to God is the characteristic mark of a consecrated soul, whether it is sealed by sacramental charismatic consecration to the priesthood, by religious profession, or by a private vow of perfect chastity. It is not only its characteristic mark, but also its glory and the profound reason for its dignity, for just as God is superior to His creatures, so the honor of belonging to Him alone far surpasses that of belonging to a creature.


2. Vocation, or the call to consecrate oneself to God, is a privilege: a privilege which does not depend on personal merit, but on God’s good pleasure alone. God chooses whom He wills, when He wills, and as He wills. “ All men take not this word, ” said Jesus, speaking of perfect chastity, “but only they to whom it is given” (Mt 19,11). This prerogative has been given only because it pleased God and He so willed. “ You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you” (jn 15,16). God’s choice is the basis of every vocation; it is wholly gratuitous, inspired solely by His love. Each one so chosen should justly consider himself as a privileged one of God, privileged without any merit on his own part, privileged only because the Most High has so decreed in the unfathomable designs of His will. Each one so chosen can and should feel that God might have selected others far more deserving, more virtuous, more gifted; and confronted with the mystery of God’s choice and his own insufficiency, he should be unable to do otherwise than prostrate himself in gratitude and humility. Together with Mary, the most privileged of all creatures, every consecrated soul can sing its Magnificat: “ My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior, because He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid” (Lk 1,46-48).

The story of every vocation can be summarized by saying that God’s glance has rested with special love on one of His creatures. ‘That this creature is poor, weak, and wretched does not matter. God knows what it is made of. He sees its poverty and draws it to Himself : “I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore, have I drawn thee, taking pity on thee” (Jer 31,3). God’s choice is absolutely free and cannot be determined either by the merits or by the characteristics of His creatures. On the other hand, because He is infinite Wisdom and Omnipotence, He has no need of the gifts of His creatures, nor does He seek them; rather, His choice often falls on the weakest, on those whom the word despises. God only seeks hearts capable of corresponding to His love of predilection, hearts capable of giving themselves to Him without reserve and with complete generosity.


COLLOQUY

“O infinite Goodness, You chose us to be Your creatures even before You gave us being; therefore, You could well say, ‘You have not chosen Me, for since you are nothing, you had no power to choose, but I have chosen you.'"

“You chose to make us Your creatures and to create us to Your own image and likeness, moved by Your goodness alone. You chose us again at our Baptism, and made us Your children, while we, born in sin, could never have hoped to be Your children if You had not chosen us.

“Still moved by Your infinite bounty alone, O my God, You chose me and so many others to be consecrated wholly to You, choosing us in so many, many ways, by Your interior inspirations and by other means. You chose us especially to enable us to raise ourselves up to You, so that You could make us know Your Being and permit us to share Your Life.

“Oh, the grandeur of a creature who has been chosen by You! To what a sublime state it has been raised, and how abject it becomes when it falls into sin, instead of corresponding with Your choice!

“O my dear Spouse, I ask this grace of You always: grant that all chosen souls may receive perfect light and knowledge of their state, so that they may gladly renounce themselves and devote themselves to Your service.

“O Lord, how necessary this prayer is! How necessary it is for You to grant us this grace, that Your chosen ones may serve You perfectly!” (St. Mary Magdalen dei Pazzi).

“T come to You, O most loving Jesus, whom I have loved, sought, and always desired. I come because of Your sweetness, Your pity, Your charity. I come with all my heart, all my soul, all my strength. I follow You because You have called me. Do not reject me, but treat me with forbearance, in accordance with Your great mercy” (St. Gertrude).

76. CORRESPONDENCE TO VOCATION

PRESENCE OF GOD - O Lord, You call me unceasingly, drawing me to Yourself; grant that I may respond to Your call with ever-increasing generosity.


MEDITATION

1. God calls us but He does not constrain us. He grants man full liberty to accept or to refuse His divine invitation. “If thou wilt be perfect...come, follow Me” (Mt 19,21), says the Lord to every soul that He chooses, but as with the young man in the Gospel, He leaves to each soul the responsibility of answering or rejecting His call. However, when God calls us, it would be rash to close our heart to His voice and spurn His invitation. Who would dare turn away from the glance of predilection which the Most High casts on one whom He calls to follow Him?

We ought to answer God’s call with great humility and joy, with gratitude and readiness, saying with all our heart, Ecce venio, “ Behold, I come...that I should do Thy will, O God” (Heb 10,7). The creature should respond to God’s eternal choice of its soul, by choosing God to be its only good, its only love, by rising above all creatures and earthly affections. “ He that loveth father or mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me” (Mt 10,37). God, our Creator and absolute Ruler, has the full right to ask of us the renunciation of even the holiest affections and to exact that, for love of Him, we abandon father and mother, brothers and sisters, home, and all our possessions. Furthermore, if God has decreed that “a man shall leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife” (Gn 2,24), would it be extravagant to do the same thing when we give ourselves, not to another creature, but to the Creator Himself?

The first duty one who has received the divine call, is therefore to renounce all earthly affections, possessions, and joys, so that freed from all ties, he may follow the Lord. Actually, what is to be given up will not be the same for all; more is required of the religious than of the secular priest, of the nun than of a person consecrated to God in the world. But from the point of view of affection, the renunciation, or rather the detachment of the heart, must be the same for all; it attains its full measure when it is complete, with no reservation.


2. In order to correspond to one’s vocation, it is not enough to leave the world, nor to enter the seminary or the convent, nor even to be ordained a priest or make the vows of religion; we must strive, day by day, to live up to our vocation and to adapt our lives more and more to the exigencies of the divine call. Everything in us, as long as we live, is capable of becoming more perfect. Thus we can say that although our consecration to God becomes stabilized by receiving Holy Orders or by pronouncing vows, it is, nevertheless, subject to the law of growth and should become ever deeper and more perfect. Ordinarily, when we first bind ourselves to God—although we have a sincere intention of giving ourselves definitively to Him—we have not yet realized a full and total consecration. In reality, we are not yet entirely “consecrated”; we still have inclinations, tendencies, and affections not wholly under God’s sway. There is still much of “self,” much of the purely natural which is not perfectly submissive to God, not entirely sacrificed to Love. Each day should mean progress in the realization of one’s vocation, until not a single fiber of the soul remains which does not belong entirely to God.

There is nothing static about vocation, not even on God’s part, because, adapting Himself to our nature, He calls us in a progressive way. If we are faithful to His first invitation, others, increasingly pressing and definite, will follow, which will bind us more and more to our divine Master. Basically, there is but one call to the priesthood, the religious life, or consecration to God in the world; but God, through the various circumstances of life, and especially, through new occasions for sacrifice, repeats this invitation more precisely, more definitely, each time letting the soul see how far the gift of self must be extended in order to reach the plenitude of its consecration. If the soul is faithful, and answers these progressive calls generously, God will continue to send new invitations, which will open up wider and more luminous horizons, until the soul lives its consecration in a perpetual renewal of fervor and love.


COLLOQUY

“My love holdeth Thee, O loving Jesus, nor will I let Thee go. O Love, who art Life, Thou art also the living Word of God; kindle anew Thy life within me; make amends for all the losses my love has suffered. O God who art love, who hast created me, create me anew in love. O Love who hast redeemed me, redeem and give back to me all that I have lost of Thy love through my negligence. O Love who hast purchased me for Thyself with Thy precious Blood, sanctify me in charity. O God who art Love, who hast adopted me as Thy child, train and fashion me according to Thine own heart. O Love, who hast chosen me for Thyself, and not for another, grant that I may be wholly Thine, Thine alone. O God who art Love, Thou hast loved me freely, gratuitously; grant that I may love Thee with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my strength.

“O Jesus, my Brother and my Spouse, supreme King, set Thy mark on the face of my soul, and engrave it so deeply, that no creature may attract my choice, nor excite my desire, nor possess my love. Thou art dearer to me than all that is dearest; deign that I may ever be Thy true and faithful spouse in that love which is stronger than death.

“O Love, Thou art dear to me above all things; oh, let Thy love teach me always to be faithful to my promises.

“Grant that I may have a place among the wise virgins. There will I await the heavenly Bridegroom, having my lamp lighted and filled with oil. So I shall not be confounded at the sudden coming of my King; but all peaceful and clothed with light, I shall join with songs of gladness the choirs of virgins who have gone before me. O Lamb without spot, grant that I may not be excluded with the foolish virgins, but in humble confidence, may enter the banquet hall of the great King, where in virtue of my patient and persevering fidelity, I shall dwell forever with the heavenly Lamb ” (St. Gertrude).