'The Christian, on the contrary, with the holy daring of which the Apostle (Paul) speaks, removes all intermediaries between God and himself, and draws aside the veil of all figures. Beholding the glory of the Lord with face uncovered, we are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord', for we become other christs, and are made like to God the Father, as is His Son Jesus Christ.
Thus is fulfilled the will of the almighty Father for the sanctification of the elect. God sees Himself reflected in these predestined, who are becoming, in the beautiful light divine, conformable to the image of His Son. He could say of each one of them what He spoke at the Jordan and on Thabor: "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased." He makes them His true temple, verifying the word He spoke of old: "I will set my tabernacle in the midst of you: I will walk among you, and will be your God; I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north: "Give up!" and to the south: "Keep not back!" Bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the earth!'
Such are the promises, for whose realization we should, as the apostle says, be all earnestness in working out our sanctification, by cleansing ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and of the spirit, in the fear of God, and in His love.'
The kings and prophets of the Old Testament looked ahead to what was coming, but we are the ones who see it. Speaking of these people of old, our Abbot continues:
'...Heedless of the mockeries, as well as of the persecutions, of the world that was not worthy to possess such men, these champions of the faith were seen wandering in the deserts, sheltering in dens and caves, and yet happy in the love of One whom they knew they were not to see until long ages after their death.
Do we, then, who are their descendants,--we for whom they were obliged to wait, in order to enjoy a share of those blessings which their sighs and vehement desires did so much to hasten,--appreciate the immense favor bestowed on us by our Lord? Our virtue scarcely bears comparison with that of the fathers of our Faith; and nevertheless, by the descent of the Holy Spirit of love, we have been more enlightened than ever were the prophets, for, by that Holy Spirit, we have been put in possession of the mysteries which they only foretold. How is it, then, that we are so sadly slow to feel the obligation we are under of responding, by holiness of life, and by an ardent and generous love, to the liberality of that God, who has gratuitously called us from darkness to His admirable light? Having so great a cloud of witnesses over our heads, let us lay aside the burden of sin which impedes us, and run, by patience, in the fight proposed to us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of Faith, who, having joy set before Him, preferred to endure the Cross, despising the shame, and now sitteth on the right hand of the throne of God. We know Him with greater certainty than we do the events which are happening under our eyes, for He Himself, by His Holy Spirit, is ever within us, incorporating His mysteries into us.'
As Jesus Himself says in the Gospel according to St. Luke today: "BLESSED ARE THE EYES THAT SEE THE THINGS WHICH YOU SEE. FOR I SAY TO YOU, THAT MANY PROPHETS AND KINGS HAVE DESIRED TO SEE THE THINGS THAT YOU SEE, AND HAVE NOT SEEN THEM: AND TO HEAR THE THINGS THAT YOU HEAR, AND HAVE NOT HEARD THEM."
Christ calls His disciples blessed. This is because they had the happiness which so many patriarchs and prophets had desired in vain, namely: of seeing Him and hearing His teaching in Person. Though we have not the happiness to see Jesus and hear Him, nevertheless we are not less blessed than the apostles, since Christ pronounces those blessed who do not see and yet believe. (John XX. 29.) This is why John the Baptist was called the greatest prophet, since he saw Jesus in Person and pointed Him out to those around him. If only they had the eyes of Faith!
May we see what we are supposed to see, and hear what we're supposed to hear, and pass it on. Let us help those who are not as fortunate as us; that is, having the True Faith.
As Fr. Leonard Goffine says in his book 'The Church Year', published in 1880:
What, besides faith, is most necessary for salvation?
"That we love God and our neighbor, for in these two commandments consists the whole law. (Matt. xxii. 40.)
Who is our neighbor?
Every man, be he a stranger or a native, poor or rich, of our faith or of another, (or a total jerk); for the Samaritan did not ask the one who had fallen among robbers: Who and whence are you? but considered him without asking as his neighbor, and showed himself his neighbor by his prompt assistance.
How should we love our neighbor?
As we love ourselves, that is, we should wish him all the good, and in case of necessity also to do it to him, that we wish ourselves, and, on the contrary, not to wish, not to grudge him, nor to do to him anything that we do not wish ourselves. In this way the Samaritan loved his neighbor, and in this he was far superior to the priest and the Levite.
Now can we especially practice love for our neighbor?
By the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. To these must be added, that we are rejoiced at the spiritual and corporal graces of our neighbor, which God communicates to him; that we are sorry for his misfortunes, and, according to the example of St. Paul (i. Cor. i. 4.), that we have compassion on him; that we bear with the wants and faults of our neighbor; as St. Paul again admonishes us: Bear ye one another's burdens, and so shall you fulfill the law of Christ. (Gal. vi. 2.)
Why should we love our neighbor?
We should love him because God commands it; but there are also other reasons which should induce us to do so. For we are not only according to nature brothers and sisters in Adam, but also according to grace in Christ, and we would have to be ashamed before animals, if we would allow ourselves to be surpassed in the love which they bear one to another (Eccl. xiii. 19.); all our neighbors are, as we, the image and likeness of God, bought by the blood of Jesus, partakers of it, and being adopted children, called to heaven, as we are; the example of Christ who loved us, when we were yet His enemies (Rom. v. 10.), and gave Himself for us unto death, ought to incite us to their love. But can we be His disciples, if we do not follow Him, and if we do not bear the mark of His disciples, the love of our neighbor, in us? (John xiii. 35.) Finally, the necessity of the love for our neighbor ought to compel us, as it were, to it; for without it, we cannot be saved. He that loveth not, says St. John, abideth in death (i. John iii. 14.), and he that loveth not his brother, doth not love God (i. John iv. 20.), because he transgresses one of the greatest commandments of God, and does not fulfill the law. (Rom. xiii. 10.) What is necessary to make the love of our neighbor meritorious? That it tend to God, that is, that we love our neighbor only in and on account of God, because God commands it, and it is pleasing to Him. For to love our neighbor on account of a natural inclination, or selfinterest, or on account of some other still less honorable reason, and to do him good, is only a natural, animal love, in no wise different from the love of the heathen; for the heathen also love and salute those, that love and salute them in turn. (Matt. v. 46.)
PETITION
O my God, Father of mercy! give me a loving and compassionate heart, which will continually impel me to do good to my neighbor for Thy sake, to help the needy, to console the afflicted, to advise the erring, to raise up the oppressed, to comfort the poor, so that I may merit the same from Thy mercy.
No comments:
Post a Comment