St. John, Apostle and Evangelist
by VP
Posted on Friday December 27, 2024 at 12:00AM in Saints
Last Supper, Juan de Juanes
"Saint John having been the most beloved disciple of Jesus, and having loved to repose on the bosom of his divine Master; we may well study on this his festival, how to regulate our love of creatures, so that we may never be separated by them from the love of our Creator and Redeemer. Though we have permitted us in this life, the use of creatures; though they are allowed in their due degree and the being pleased with them cannot be separated from that use which is permitted; yet to love them is dangerous, and exposes the soul to the hazard of resting on them instead of on Christ. It is, therefore, a nice point to use and enjoy creatures and the goods of this life, and yet not to love them; at least, not so as to prejudice that love and rest which we ought to have in Christ. Yet thus it ought to be, because we are not to transgress the eternal decrees of God; who having given all creatures for our use and convenience, allows us not to give our hearts to them, but has reserved these for himself.
There is no less difficulty on the other side, as to things that displease us. For though we are here in this life exposed to variety of necessities; though we see ourselves destitute of all human comfort; though we suffer loss of goods and friends; though we see the world armed against us; though there be a succession of evils attending our whole lives; yet it is not allowed us, under the oppression of the most weighty afflictions, to lose our comfort and rest in Christ, but in His breast we are ever to repose. Those are the conditions for obtaining the love of Jesus, hard enough to our corrupt nature, and yet not to be dispensed with.
While all pretend to this love, how few are solicitous to put themselves in the dispositions of being capable of it? Only those, who keep that guard upon their hearts, as not to admit of any such excess, in things that either please or displease them, as to let love or fear, content or trouble, take them from the sacred breast of their Redeemer. And now, if the breasts of all were to be this day laid open, is it not to be feared that there would be very few, whose hearts would be found thus resting in Jesus? We are placed in this world for the gaining a better; we have the use of creatures allowed us, and we too often let these so occupy our hearts, as to leave but little place for the love of our eternal good. We pervert them into the occasions of sin, and make them instruments of our exclusion from the sight of God.
It is the remedy of this abuse that we are to pray for this day, that no concern for what is created, may take place of our Creator. God must be the principal object of our love: other things are to be loved only for Him, or in Him. Whenever any affection, though of things
most innocent and lawful, arises to that degree, as to take off our
concern from God and his commandments, all such love is injurious to our
greater interest, and we cannot truly say that we rest in Christ. God
likewise is to be the principal object of our fear and whenever we indulge our trouble so far, as to remove all fear of losing God, all such trouble is immoderate and sinful; and cannot be permitted, but by forsaking the resting-place of this apostle. How very apprehensive then ought Christians to be of these growing passions; for playing with them is jesting with eternity. To pray for the love of Jesus, and not to labour in cutting off the occasions of these
passions, is to run from Jesus, and yet pray that they may come to Him.
Teach us then, O blessed Redeemer, so to regulate all our affections,
that neither the love of what we possess, nor the trouble for what we want, may ever arise to such excess, as to separate us from thee." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
The Holy Mother
by VP
Posted on Friday December 27, 2024 at 12:00AM in Meditations
The Virgin Mary with the Christ child, surrounded by angel's heads. Engraving by C.D. Jardinier after C. Hutin after C. Maratta.
"By the side of the manger where the Infant lies, His Mother is watching. Who is she ?
1. A poor and humble maiden, but nevertheless the Mother of God. The Mother of God! How can this be ? How can the Eternal, Infinite God have a human mother? Yet so it is; Mary has a privilege which raises her immeasurably above the highest of the seraphim. It makes her more perfect in her likeness to God than is possible to any other creature. If, then, we honor the saints and angels, how much more should we honor God's own Mother !
2. Yet Mary has a still greater claim to our homage, a more fruitful source of blessedness even than the divine maternity. Her unswerving obedience to the inspirations of God is declared by Our Lord Himself to be a still higher privilege. "Yea, rather blessed are they who hear the Word of God and keep it." If only we realized the blessedness of unswerving obedience, how different our lot would be !
3. What are Mary's thoughts as she sits watching there? She has no thought save of God. She is absorbed in Him. The hours pass like minutes, they are a sort of anticipation of Paradise. She sees her God face to face, and though His glory is veiled under the robe of flesh, yet Mary can pierce through it as none else ever could, and can bask in the Divinity which it conceals. O God, help me to realize now Thy presence when Thou art veiled under the sacramental species. "
Meditations for Christmas . By Rev. Richard F. Clarke S.J. The Catholic Truth Society, London 1891
