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THE SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST ~THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT

(Read Matt. xxii, 35-46 .)

CONSIDER FIRSTLY that in order to fulfill the first and greatest precept of loving God, you must carefully consider three things; how lovable God is in Himself, how loving He is towards you, and how truly lovable He is to you. There is nothing that so touches your heart, nothing that so moves you to love another, as the knowledge that he ever displays his love to you by his goodness towards you. God who is the author of nature created you pout of nothing, and Who preferred you before numberless others who would have been better than you, preserves you every moment, and by His omnipotence preserves also all the other creatures of this world for your use. As the author of grace He has redeemed you with His blood. He has granted you the gift of faith in Holy Baptism which has been denied to so many, and has called you ever nearer to Himself by means of so many special lights. Finally, as the Lord of glory, He is prepared to give you His kingdom, and to make you blessed with the gift of Himself.

APPLICATION: Do not than all these innumerable benefits suffice to unite your heart with Him, and move you to love Him? But true love is known by works. It is like fire that cannot remain inactive. Hence St. John says: Let us not love in word nor in tongue, but in deed and in truth. (1 John iii, 18.)

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. (Ps. xvii, 2.)

CONSIDER SECONDLY how loving God is towards you. We should esteem His love more than His benefits, for His love is the very soul of His gifts. God has loved you, and that without any limit of time, without any necessity on His part, without any return on yours. Without any limit, because he began to love you from the beginning of eternity, and on His part desires to love you for all eternity to come. Without any necessity, for what need could he have had for you Who was always most completely happy and blessed in Himself? Without any return; for possibly Hr receives no daily return of love from you, but rather thousands of offences and base ingratitude, for which however He does not cease to love you.

APPLICATION: What man is there in this world who, seeing himself badly treated by whom he loves, does not diminish his love or cease to love at all? Learn then once and for all to serve God purely for love and for His glory, without regard to your own interest.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS:The Lord lifteth up them that are casted down: the Lord loveth the just. (Ps. cxlv, 8.)

CONSIDER THIRDLY how lovable God is in Himself for His infinite perfections and excellences. We are quickly drawn to love a man who possesses in himself some excellence of worth or of virtue. But how much more would you be drawn to love another if in his single person there were gathered all the most attractive virtues, all the most sublime gifts that are to be found scattered among all who are in the world? But God contains in Himself all the good and most perfect gifts that he has bestowed so abundantly on His creatures. Moreover He has in Himself all the perfections, and these without number and infinitely more excellent than those to be found in creatures.

APPLICATION: How is it than that you do not love God for what He is in Himself? How is it that you will not love Him, and for Him, all that is good and perfect in His creatures, since He is the original source of all their good? 

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: O Lord our Lord, how admirable is thy name in the whole earth! For thy magnificence is elevated above the heavens. (Ps. viii, 2.)

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MONDAY AFTER THE SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST ~ THE FAITHFUL SERVANT

Well done, good and faithful servant . . . enter thou into the joy of the Lord. (Matt. xxv, 21.)

CONSIDER FIRSTLY that the virtue prized above all others in a servant is fidelity. If thou have a faithful servant let him be to thee as thy own soul. (Ecclus. xxxiii, 31.) You are the servant of God and His servant in every sense of the word. It is no wonder then that, even with great promises, He invites you to be always faithful to Him. But what is meant by being His faithful servant? It means that you always esteem the interest of God more than your own. Hence where there is a question of pleasing God, you take no account, for instance, of your health, of you reputation, or of life itself. He is a faithful servant who thinks more of His master than of himself.

APPLICATION: Does it seem to you that you possess such fidelity as this? It is necessary that you should if you would obtain the promised crown: Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee the crown of life. (Apoc. ii, 10.)

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: O Lord, for I am thy servant: I am thy servant, and the son of thy handmaid. (Ps. cxv, 16.)

CONSIDER SECONDLY that it is not enough to show this fidelity for a short time. It must be continued until the end, until death, because it is perseverance that proves the reality of fidelity. Some care only to die well, but not to live well. Do not act so. Be faithful to God during all your life, until death. Hence if He sends you a sickness or some other affliction that lasts till death, be still faithful to Him in spite of everything. Fidelity is proved particularly in adverse circum stances, and therefore when it stands the test it is crowned. 

APPLICATION: Consider how your fidelity stands the little troubles you encounter. If you bear these well, you may hope to be able to stand well also in greater trials.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Uphold thy servant unto good. (Ps. cxviii, 122.)

CONSIDER THIRDLY that it alarms you to think of being faithful unto death, because you imagine that you have still a long time to live. Perhaps death is already nearer to you than you think, and indeed if you would that your life should appear very short, then think of the reward of eternity: I will give thee the crown of life.

APPLICATION: A crown of life that endures for ever and shall never end, a blessed life where joy shall be eternal! Is not this enough to take away your fear of the little you have to suffer in order to be faithful to God in this world? We should even grieve that the appointed time for suffering is so short, for suffering merits a joy which is to be eternal. 

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: My eyes were upon the faithful of the earth, that they may sit with me. (Ps. c, 6.) 

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TUESDAY AFTER THE SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST ~ CONFESSING CHRIST

Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the son of man also confess before the Angels of God. (Luke xii, 8.)

CONSIDER FIRSTLY what a supreme honour our Lord here promises you. he promises to confess you before all the angels who will be around His throne at the day of judgment, because you have faithfully confessed Him before men. He declares that He will glory in you before so many sublime spirits, and acknowledge you worthy to have a place among the magnificent thrones as a true subject of His, a true follower and a true soldier.

APPLICATION:   Can you imagine any honour in this world equal to this? You think it much if a sovereign or a prince esteems and praises you before the members of his court. How then ought you to esteem it that God Himself should honour and praise you in the presence of the choirs of angels? Think often of this immense glory and honour. Thus you will not make any account of the honour of men in this life.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS:To me thy friends, O God, are made exceedingly honourable. (Ps. cxxxviii, 17.) 

CONSIDER SECONDLY that in order to merit this honour it is necessary for you to confess Jesus Christ now. This confession must be made not only with the heart but in word and in act: In thy mouth and in thy heart that thou mayest do it. (Deut. xxx, 14) For if you confess Him only in your heart, and do not confess Him otherwise, you do Him little honour. Therefore He says to you: Whosoever shall confess me before men. Thus you may understand that by putting away all human respect you have glorify, confess, and honour Jesus Christ, not only within the walls of your own room, but in whatever public place you may happen to be. Jesus will then confess you in the presence of all His angels, before His angels. This you should do not only from the pulpit if you are a preacher but by taking occasion in familiar talk to exalt His holy doctrine, His maxims and His virtues. Thus you will move others also to honour Him. 

APPLICATION: Is it not a deplorable thing, we may ask ourselves, that from the mouth of a follower of Jesus Christ no other conversation should be heard but the language of the world in praise of its pomp, its grandeur and its goods? So little care is shown for the things of heaven and the glory of God!

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with my whole heart: and I will glorify thy name for ever. (Ps. lxxxv, 12. )

CONSIDER THIRDLY that for this true, genuine, confession of Him which Jesus expects of you, your heart and tongue are not enough. He moreover requires your actions also. Thus openly and publicly you may show by your life that you live as a true follower of Jesus Christ.

APPLICATION: But what honour do you give Him if you are ashamed to profess, before the face of men, that humility and patience, that meekness and modesty, that He taught you by His example? You rather bring dishonour upon Him, and are a cause of confusion to Him. Therefore your own dishonour and confusion will be great at the day of the last judgment. 

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: In God shall we glory all the day long: and in thy name we will give praise for ever. (Ps. xliii, 9.)

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WEDNESDAY AFTER THE SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST ~ STRENGTH IN GOD

Without me you can do nothing. (John xv, 5.)

CONSIDER FIRSTLY the magnificent courage which the Apostles showed when he said: I can do all things in him who strengthens me. (Phil. iv, 13.) He spoke of himself as almost omnipotent: I can do all things, not indeed in his own strength, but in that of God, Who alone could render him such. This was not pride in him but courage. For humility does not consist in believing that we can do nothing for God, but in believing that we cannot do anything of ourselves, as of our own strength.

APPLICATION: It sometimes seems to you impossible to conquer your own defects, to perform some duty, to continue in a certain place or office because you look only at yourself. Lift up your eyes and look on God. Believe that you have only to act in the strength of Him Who wishes to make use of you, weak and incapable as you are, to show that He is the author of the work that He lays on you. Then you will be humble and will be at the same time courageous.  

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Thou art my strength and my refuge: and for thy name’s sake thou wilt lead me and nourish me. (Ps. xxx, 4.)

CONSIDER SECONDLY the aim of the Apostle in saying: I can do all things in him who strengthens me. He would show that he was really able to do everything not by virtue of his natural forces, but in virtue of Him Who infused into him supernatural strength.

APPLICATION: That which should give you courage to do great things is the thought that you have to do them in the strength of God. But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me. (2. Tim. Iv, 17.) So it was that St. Paul wrote to Timothy. Hence you may understand that the strength of grace is given us, that we may co-operate with our free-will in work which we cannot really attribute to ourselves.  

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Lord, who is like thee? Who delivereth the poor from the hand of them that are stronger than he? (Ps. xxxiv, 10.)

CONSIDER THIRDLY of what things the Apostle speaks when he says, I can do all things. He means to speak of the difficulties of poverty, and of sufferings which of themselves would be insupportable to our natural strength. By reason however of the divine strength, though he ceased not to suffer, he suffered courageously.

APPLICATION: Do you likewise trust to God and put no obstacles in the way of receiving the grace which He has at hand to strengthen you. By thus acting you will not lose heart in the midst of your gravest difficulties and afflictions: I can do all things in him who strengthens me.   

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Do ye manfully, and let your heart be strengthened, all ye that hope in the Lord. (Ps. xxx, 25.)

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THURSDAY AFTER THE SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST ~ CONFORMITY TO THE DIVINE WILL

My meat is to do the will of him who sent me, that I may perfect his work. (John iv, 34.)

CONSIDER FIRSTLY that the real sign by which you may know that you love God faithfully, is that you conform yourself in all things to His most holy will. They that are faithful in love shall rest in him, says the Wise Man. (Wisd. Iii, 9.) It is easy for you to love Him, when He makes you rest in Him, by giving you much peace and spiritual consolation; but you must also continue to love Him when He chooses to treat you as He wills and to rest in Him, in infirmity, in dishonour, in aridity, and in desolation.

APPLICATION: And yet it is His will that you should not lack suffering. You in fact ask Him this when you say: Thy will be done, for the will of God is that you should become holy: This is the sill of God, your sanctification. (1 Thess. Iv, 3.) Now no one will ever become holy by any other way than by the path of suffering: All that have pleased God, passed through many tribulations, remaining faithful. (Judith viii, 23.)

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Set me, O Lord, a law in thy way, and guide me in the right path. (Ps. xxvi, 11.)

CONSIDER SECONDLY that this conformity, in order to be perfect, must be peaceful and tranquil. For though the interior part of your soul may not always remain calm in the midst of afflictions, yet the superior part should be always tranquil. You should calm your will, and you should calm your intellect. Many people calm their will easily, but not their intellect, since it seems strange to them that God should treat them in the manner He does.

APPLICATION: Let us then study to convince ourselves that an infirmity, the persecutions of malevolent people, or a disposition of circumstances which stops us from doing so many good works with much fruit to our neighbours, is the very best thing for us. If you have not reached this stage you are not completely tranquil and calm, nor are you faithful in love. 

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Much peace have they that love thy law. (Ps. cxviii, 165.)

CONSIDER THIRDLY that this complete conformity to divine will is that which, more than anything else, gives peace to your soul. For that reason also conformity is synonymous with tranquillity. As long as you try to force the will of God, or that of him who governs you in His place, you will never be at rest. You will always be disquieted by fears, by anxieties, by remorse of conscience. You will only be tranquil, when you let our Lord, or him who governs you in His place, dispose of your will with the full submission of your intellect.

APPLICATION: Give then to God or to His representative the entire disposal of yourself according to that saying of Job (xxii, 21): Submit yourself then to him and be at peace. 

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Turn, O my soul, into thy rest: for the Lord hath been bountiful to thee. I will please the Lord in the land of the living. (Ps. cxiv, 7-9.)

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FRIDAY AFTER THE SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST ~ WATERS FROM THE SAVIOUR’S FOUNTAINS

Thou perhaps wouldst have asked of him and he would have given thee living water. (John iv, 10.)

CONSIDER FIRSTLY how great must have been the joy of the Israelites when, after long journeying through the desert in the greatest want of water, they at last reached the well of Elim. Here each one could draw for himself as much as he pleased. But what are these fountains compared to those of Calvary? Here Jesus ceaselessly pours out for you rivers of grace from His wounds. From these fountains you can draw all that you need for your comfort and strength in the desert of this wretched world.

APPLICATION: Divine grace is often called by the name of water in the holy Scriptures, to teach us that as water has the three beneficent qualities of cleansing, of making fruitful, and of allaying thirst, so grace has the selfsame qualities. Strive to know them well. Then you may the more joyfully draw from these fountains of the Saviour.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: He hath set me in a place of pasture. He hath brought me up on the water of refreshment. (Ps xxii, 2.)

CONSIDER SECONDLY that the waters of grace first cleanse away the stains, not indeed of the body but of the soul, by reinvigorating it and giving it a beauty that renders it lovable in God’s sight. Secondly, it renders the soul fruitful, by making it rich in the good works and more productive than a well-watered garden, and makes it capable of bearing fruits that are divine. The third beneficent property of this water that flow from the wounds of Jesus, is that it extinguishes the evil thirst that is the result of spiritual infirmity or languor, and at the same time produce a holy thirst that is born of spiritual health.

APPLICATION: Reflect how the water of divine grace quenches the evil thirst, because it takes away all inordinate desires and all irregular inclinations, or at least so represses them that they no longer cause disquiet, or gravely molest the soul. He that shall drink of the water that I will give him, shall not thirst for ever. (John iv, 13.) It makes the good thirst to increase, because it causes the will to long after the love and service of God, to rejoice in Him, and to be united to Him for ever. It is water that came down from Paradise, and to Paradise returns again: A fountain of water springing up into life everlasting. (John iv, 14.) What doubt then is there that you can draw this water with joy, and as much of it as ever you wish, from the fountains of the Saviour?

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: He brought forth water out of the rock: and made streams run down as rivers. (Ps. lxxvii. 16.)

CONSIDER THIRDLY that if you have not this water of grace abundantly, you have only yourself to blame, for the water of the fountain is free to all: A fountain open to the house of David. (Zach. xii. 1.) To obtain it, you have only to ask it of Him and that with all your heart. You need not fear that He will refuse it to you. He thirsts more to give it to you than you to receive it, provided only that you are willing to ask it of Him.

APPLICATION: Resolve therefore to make your abode with Him: keep always with you Jesus crucified, call on Him, adore Him, for from Him you will derive your every good. This is all reduced to the laying aside of evil and acquiring virtue, desiring nothing in this world but God alone. All this the waters of grace which gush forth from the wounds of the Saviour will give you. If you will have recourse to them with confidence and abide in them, You shall draw water with joy out of the saviour’s fountains. (Isa. xii, 3.) 

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: I stretched forth my hands to thee: my soul is as earth without water unto thee. (Ps. cxlii, 6.)

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SATURDAY AFTER THE SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST ~ NEGLECT IN GOD’S SERVICE

Because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many things. (Matt. xxv, 21.)

CONSIDER FIRSTLY the meaning of those words of the wise man, He that feareth God neglecteth nothing. (Ecclus. vii, 19.)  They mean that he who fears God regards no good deed whatever as superfluous. It is common to nearly all occasionally to neglect to do good, either from fragility or from human weakness. But to neglect to do good from mere carelessness, to be satisfied with doing just enough not to lose the grace of God, this is the negligence the wise man deprecates, and which characterises him who fears God but little.

APPLICATION: Let us bear in mind that by thus acting we lose those abundant aids that God grants only to him, who is anxious and careful to please Him, and with the loss of these aids how many fail to persevere and so come to perish! Let us also observe well that such negligence, although it does not amount to grave sin, places us on the way to it and puts us in danger of it.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Ye that fear the Lord, praise him: all yr the seed of Jacob, glorify him. (Ps. xxi, 24.)

CONSIDER SECONDLY another meaning of these words, He that feareth God neglecteth nothing, namely, that he who fears God reckons nothing that is evil as a light matter. Even the very best sometimes commit sins, or at least some imperfections, for in many things we all offend. (James iii, 2,); but they do not make light of them, especially if they are in any way deliberate, but rather lament them deeply. He who is careless about little things will begin to count a sin as nothing because it is venial.

APPLICATION: Woe to you also if you are under such a delusion! A venial sin is the greatest evil there can be in the world except a mortal one. So that to have in you one single venial sin is a worse evil for you than if you were attacked by all imaginable sicknesses. Consequently you cannot be justified in committing one single venial sin in order to escape all these ills. Neither would it be lawful for you to tell a lie, even if by so doing you could convert to the faith of Christ the whole nation of the Jews and all who rebel against Him. God also would inflict upon you a most severe punishment, namely that of purgatory, because by that one venial sin you dishonour and offend Him so exceedingly. And this being so, can you make small account of venial sin?

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS:In thy words I have hoped exceedingly. So shall I always keep thy law, for ever and ever. (Ps. cxviii, 43-44.) 

CONSIDER THIRDLY that not to neglect any good deed as superfluous, and not to despise any venial sin as a small thing, is not for the perfect only. It is the duty of all who possess the fear of God, and have their own salvation at heart. For it is certain that God, by reason of venial sins either of omission or of commission, often takes from a man those abundant helps which he requires for his salvation.

APPLICATION: Now consider the very grave importance of this matter for you! If you make no account of venial sins, and if you neglect to do any good that you are not bound to do under the grave precept, fear lest God should abandon you and lest that be verified in you which has happened to so many others. 

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Such as turn aside unto deceits, the Lord shall number with the workers of iniquity. (Ps. cxxiv, 5.)

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