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THE SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST ~ LESSON OF HUMILITY

(Read Luke xiv, 1-11.)

CONSIDER FIRSTLY this short maxim of thru humility which Jesus gives you. Sit down in the lowest place. You must put yourself in the lowest place in your own heart and in your opinion of yourself, considering everyone else better than yourself. That this may be less difficult to your pride, consider seriously your natural imperfections, your ingratitude towards the divine goodness and your many sins. For which you have deserved to be trampled under the feet of Lucifer. This will lead you to say like David: I will be little in my own eyes. (2 Kings vi, 22.)

APPLICATION. Till now you have perhaps done the opposite. Closing your eyes to your imperfections, to your sins, to your pride, you look only at the defects of others. It is no wonder therefore that, instead of putting yourself in the last place in your own opinion, you so easily prefer yourself to others. Oh how many others there are, whom you consider your inferiors, but who before God are much better than you and will be still more so in the next life. 

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS. Thou hast regarded my humility; thou hast saved my soul of distresses. (Ps. xxx, 8.)

CONSIDER SECONDLY that you should put yourself in the lowest place exteriorly also. Procure for yourself as far as it is permitted you the lowest place in all things, and rejoice when the will of others or by order of superiors you are placed there. Whenever you find yourself in a higher place, you should show great humility in your outward behaviour, manifesting the low opinion you have of yourself, and the esteeming yourself below others in talents and in merit. You must let this low opinion of yourself be so evident in your words, by being as silent as possible in everything that might turn to your own praise. Praise others at all times. Be content to be reproved for your faults, but hide those of your neighbours as much as you can.

APPLICATION.  Reflect carefully on your behaviour hitherto in this respect. You will find much to be ashamed of in your great pride.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS.  Thou wilt save the humble people; but wilt bring down the eyes of the proud. (Ps. xvii, 28.)

CONSIDER THIRDLY, by way of animating yourself to conquer your pride and to seek the lowest place. That the rules and standards of Christ are far different from those of the world. The world thinks most of him who exalts himself; Christ of him who humbles himself. By humility we now become more like unto Christ Who humbled Himself, in order that we may be more like Him in glory. He that humbleth himself shall be exalted. Who are those who are most venerated and esteemed even by the world? Certainly not the proud nor the ambitious and arrogant, but the humble like St. Francis of Assisi, who in order to follow in the footsteps of Christ had espoused humility.

APPLICATION. What more monstrous than to see one, who even as a Christian professes to imitate the humility of Christ, in any way urged on by ambition, courting honours, sensitive on points of honour, preferring himself to others, praising himself and seeking the most honourable posts? Keep ever before you that teaching of Christ: Every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled. 

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS. A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit: a contrite and humble heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. (Ps. l, 19.)

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MONDAY AFTER THE SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST ~ JUDGING OTHERS

Judge not, that you may not be judged. (Matt. vii, 1.)

CONSIDER FIRSTLY how unreasonable it is that you observe, criticise and condemn the little defects of your brethren. You have far greater ones in yourself to which you should attend, and yet you pay no heed to these. Before setting yourself to judge the defects of others think of your own: Before judgment examine thyself. (Ecclus. xviii, 20.) Do not seek to act the zealot. For Christ gave the most ignominious title of hypocrite to hi m who acts in this evil way. Thou hypocrite, cast out the beam first out of thy own eye; and with reason. For such a one wants to appear to be better than others, as hypocrites do, not because of his good works, alms, prayers or similar deeds, like the Pharisee in the temple, but by arrogantly despising his neighbour, whom he ought indeed to think better than himself.

APPLICATION: See to yourself lest you deserve a like appellation by seeking to raise your own self by depreciating him who is better than you.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Thou, O God, dost judge the people with justice, and directest the nations upon the earth. (Ps. lxvi, 5.)

CONSIDER SECONDLY that in condemning the lesser faults of your brethren, even if this be done from motives of great zeal, you yourself do not derive any profit from it. For even supposing that you succeeded in clearing all the motes from the eyes of others, what good would that do you if you still keep the beam in your own which will bring about your ruin? Thou that teachest another teachest not thyself. (Rom. ii, 21.)

APPLICATION: By showing your zeal for the slight defects of others, without attending to your own graver ones, they will only be scandalised to see that you want to make yourself superior and a judge in that which you are yourself more guilty than they. If you would amend the defects of others with profit, correct them by a good example. Thus by reflecting upon yourself and by amending your own defects, you will lead others to amend theirs.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Who can understand sin? From my secret ones cleanse me, O Lord. (Ps. xviii, 13.)

CONSIDER THIRDLY that in reproving the defects of others without correcting your own, you are doing not only what is useless and wrong, but also what is most harmful to yourself. For wherein thou judgest another thou condemnest thyself. (Rom. ii, 1.) You usurp an authority which has not been given you and which does not belong to you in any way. You provoke also the divine anger of God, Who has not appointed you to be judge over your neighbour.

APPLICATION: Think first then of freeing yourself from your own sins. Then you may lawfully admonish your brethren with charity of those defects, which of themselves perhaps they do not know or perceive. 

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: If in very deed you speak justice; judge right things, ye sons of men. For in your heart you work iniquity. (Ps. lvii, 2-3.)

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TUESDAY AFTER THE SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST ~ VALUE OF A SOUL

What exchange will a man give for his soul? (Matt. xvi, 26.)

CONSIDER FIRSTLY what is the honour which holy writ tells us we owe to our own soul. Keep thy soul in meekness and give it honour according to its desert. (Ecclus. x, 31.) It is in the first place that you remember its indisputable right to command, being made to command as a queen, and not to obey like a servant the mere inclinations of your body. The lust thereof shall be under thee, and thou shalt have dominion over it. (Gen. iv, 7.)

APPLICATION: Think therefore what wrong you do your soul by making it subservient to your flesh, or to any part of your lower nature. Do not act thus but keep for your soul its place of ruler.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Shall not my soul be subject to God? For from him is my salvation. (Ps. lxi, 2.)

CONSIDER SECONDLY another honour you should give your soul. It is that you should  prefer it, as it deserves, to everything of less value than itself, namely to all that perishes and is temporary. For all things temporal pass away and your soul is eternal. 

APPLICATION: Hence you should prize it more than the empty friendship of men, more than reputation, more than the things of this life, more even than that bodily life which is so dear to you. All that a man hath he will give for his life. (Job ii, 4.) Alas! that there should be found so many in the world, who for a mere nothing so not fear to sell it to their mortal enemy!

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Let the poor seek and rejoice. Seek ye God and your soul shall live. (Ps. lxviii, 33.)

CONSIDER THIRDLY that the third honour you should do your soul is that you not only treat it as a ruler, and prefer it to all the goods of earth, as it is your duty to do, but that you make it also to rejoice in God. This is the end which it was created. You should not defer this honour to God until the next life, but give it to Him now as much as ever you can, by attending earnestly to prayer, by thinking of God, by speaking of God, by conversing with God, and by lining in His divine presence. We shall live In his sight. (Osee vi, 3.)

APPLICATION: This third honour makes it more easy for you to give also the other two. He who converses much with God will not subject his soul as a slave to his senses. Still more does he despise all exterior things, nor will he esteem them as of more value than his soul. By means of this interior recollection your soul will not go wandering abroad, but will remain within like a queen on her throne. 

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: To him my soul shall live; and my seed shall serve him. (Ps. xxi, 31.) 

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WEDNESDAY AFTER THE SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST ~ CORRESPONDENCE WITH GRACE

If in Tyre and Sidon had been wrought the miracles that have been wrought in you, they had long ago done penance in sackcloth and ashes. (Matt. xi, 21.)

CONSIDER FIRSTLY that as no ground can by itself produce a blade of grass without the benefit of rain, so no soul can of itself bring forth any fruit of virtue without the rain of divine grace. Strive to understand this truth well, and so to come utterly to distrust yourself. But grace does not suffice without your correspondence.

APPLICATION: Observe the difference there is between one piece of ground and another, both of which are watered in the same way, but which are not fruitful to the same degree. So two souls may receive equal graces from heaven without being equally grateful, and consequently one is blessed far above the other. To which of these classes do you belong? 

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

CONSIDER SECONDLY how much more frequently and liberally heaven has rained upon your soul, than it has on many souls that are left in circumstances where there is a greater scarcity of spiritual helps. Reflect therefore and see how far you have corresponded. What fruit of good works have you produces considering the great help God has given you?

APPLICATION: If you have produced some fruit, console yourself with the thought that God has blessed you by preparing your reward in heaven. But if instead of good works you have produced thorns and thistles (Gen. iii, 18), your lesser sins figured by the thorns and the greater by the thistles, what is the meed of punishment you may then expect?

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Come and hear, all ye that fear God: and I will tell you what great things he hath done for my soul. (Ps. lxv, 16.)

CONSIDER THIRDLY the three maledictions uttered by Holy Scripture upon the unfruitful earth. (Heb. vi, 7-8.) The first is a reproof, because one of the most certain signs of a soul’s being rejected by God is frequently to have received help from Him to do good, and all the same not have made use of it. The second is the imminent danger of receiving the sentence of condemnation, for God does not usually suffer such ingratitude very long. The third is the chastisement of hell itself, because the fire and punishment will be in proportion to the sterility of the ground.

APPLICATION: Strive then to correspond with all the innumerable graces that God continually showers upon you. Thus you will be ground well pleasing in God’s sight, and one which will be watered every day more and more by the favouring showers of His divine grace.  

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Behold, thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord. (Ps. cxxvii, 4.) 

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THURSDAY AFTER THE SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST ~ TRUE SPIRITUAL SCIENCE

If thou didst know the gift of God! (John iv, 10.)

CONSIDER FIRSTLY how many weary themselves in acquiring all the other gifts except those that are necessary. How many schools are everywhere opened and how many run to learn in them literature, science and art! But how few there are who hasten to the school of salvation, and set themselves to learn the holy fear of God! And yet in reality this is the true wisdom, to know how to direct all our actions to the attainment of our last end which is everlasting happiness. For he who has not this may be perfected in the arts and sciences as much as he will, but it will avail nothing: he shall be nothing regarded. (Wisdon ix, 6.)

APPLICATION:   And you who have been called to be a perfect follower of Christ, have you yet learned to value the holy fear of God above all other gifts?

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: He hath commanded his covenant for ever. Holy and terrible is his name: the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Ps. cx, 9, 10.)

CONSIDER SECONDLY that it is not said absolutely that he who possesses the gifts of literature, of the sciences, and of the arts, is nothing regarded, but he who possesses them unaccompanied by the holy fear of God. For these gifts may be acquired with merit, and directed to the acquirement of the fear of the God, and to His holy service. This then is the rule you must observe.

APPLICATION: Those arts and sciences, those employments and charges which help you to attain to the holy fear of God, to these you should apply all your efforts. You should leave aside those others which help you less thereunto, and which make it more difficult for you to obtain it. Examine yourself and make your resolve.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Teach me goodness and discipline and knowledge. (Ps. cxviii, 66.)

CONSIDER THIRDLY that it is clearly said that he, who is without this divine wisdom of the fear of God, is regarded as nothing, so that you may understand what is the value for heaven. All the valour of an Alexander, all the learning of an Aristotle, all the eloquence of a Cicero, and all the works of the greatest geniuses of the world ~ at what rate are these reckoned in heaven?  It shall be nothing regarded as nothing. On the contrary the poor ignorant beggar, he who lives in the holy fear of God, is reckoned of greater worth in heaven than all these great ones put together.

APPLICATION: Do you believe this truth? Why then not put it in practice? Any small mortification or little rebuke that you bear for the love of God, an act of humility however small, or one of obedience or charity renders you in heaven of far more worth than if you were the wisest man on earth. 

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Establish thy word to thy servant in thy fear. (Ps. cxviii, 38.)

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FRIDAY AFTER THE SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST ~ LIVING FOR GOD

Seek first the Kingdom of God and his justice and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matt. vi, 33.)

CONSIDER FIRSTLY that great kings used to have in their armies certain squadrons, which had the distinctive name of the doomed infantry. They were dedicated to the service of their king in such a special way that they no longer looked upon their lives as their own, but were pledged to throw themselves for his sake wherever the fight was the thickest. Such a one assuredly was the Apostle St. Paul, who had no other end in his life but the service of his Lord, no other gain in his death than the glory of Christ.

APPLICATION: This too is what you should do in your life the more wholly it is dedicated to the service of Christ. You  must be ready to live or die for Him. But in reality how do you act? You have not perhaps even the courage to live for God, by detaching yourself from those comforts that make you live for yourself.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: Mine enemies have reproached me whilst they say to me: Where is thy God?(Ps. lxi, 11.)

CONSIDER SECONDLY that those live for themselves and likewise die for themselves alone, who live according to their own humours and caprices, and even come to die from the disorders and the labours, to which they have submitted themselves from their ambition and self will. On the contrary those live to God, who are always completely submissive to His divine will and give themselves up entirely to promote His divine glory. They use their tongues, their hands, all their senses and all their powers in the service of Christ, ready even to lose for Him that life which one day they must lose whether they will or not.

APPLICATION: Blessed then are you if you live and die for God. Do not be of the number of those miserable people who live and die for themselves alone.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: My soul hath thirsted after the strong living God. (Ps. lxi, 3.) 

CONSIDER THIRDLY that what most of all encouraged this heroic body of infantry not to regard their own lives, was to call to mind that they were not their own. They belonged to that monarch for whom they fought.               And this should also encourage us. Remember to whom we belong, and how many titles of right of dominion God has over us. For you are bought with a great price. (1 Cor. vi, 20.) What great marvel is it then, that we, vile slaves that we are, should live and die for Christ, when we know that Christ willed to spend His life and to die for us?

APPLICATION: Employ your life then most willingly in His divine honour. Do not fear to lose it for Him. For the more you employ and spend this passing and mortal life for God, so much the more will you enjoy an incomparably better life hereafter. 

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: To thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul. In thee, O my God, I put my trust. (Ps. xxiv, 1-2.)

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SATURDAY AFTER THE SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST ~ HOLY WISDOM

Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to little ones. (Matt. xi, 25.)

CONSIDER FIRSTLY that there is said to be the same difference between a wise and a holy man on the one hand, and a sinful and foolish man on the other, as there is between the sun and the moon. (Ecclus. xxvii, 12.) The sun is said to remain always unchanged, not indeed because it never moves, but because apparently it is always the same, and never loses anything of its light or strength. The moon on the contrary moves; it waxes and it wanes; it constantly is changing, it is now full of light, now again dark. Si likewise the holy man moves: at the same time he is immovable. He moves because he is ever growing in virtue; he is immovable for he allows not one degree of that virtue to escape him which he has gained, but rather increases it. The sinner on the contrary moves because he sometimes acquires virtue, but soon loses it again. If he begins to do a little good, he changes and soon repents of it.

APPLICATION: How far have you advanced in virtue and stand firm in that which you have once acquired? 

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: The most high hath sanctified his own tabernacle. God is in the midst thereof, it shall not be moved. (Ps. xlv, 5-6.)

CONSIDER SECONDLY how the holy and wise man continues firm in the way of goodness, never altering that end, which he has placed before himself, of tending always to God. He gives himself now to prayer, now to study, now to the service of his neighbour, and now to the duties to which obedience calls him. But he always continues firm in wisdom, by having in all he does the intention of always pleasing God more and more. He is like the sun which in all its regulated movements has for its ultimate aim the giving life of the world. The wise man does not fear, neither is he detained by the difficulties he encounters on the way. He constantly goes forward with his work towards the attainment of his end.   

APPLICATION: Blessed are you if you know how to continue firm and unmoved in that one true wisdom, which is to direct and order all your actions to the one aim of pleasing God. By so doing you will attain to holiness of life.

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: I have kept thy commandments and thy testimonies: because all my ways are in thy sight. (Ps. cxviii, 168.) 

CONSIDER THIRDLY the reason why the foolish man and the sinner id changeable like the moons , because he has no settled rule in his life, nor does he keep his gaze fixed on his end. He regulated by the opinions and the bad example of others. He has not for his aim to please God but to conform himself to those about him. Thus acting according to the various maxims and examples that he meets with, like the moon he never continueth in the same state. (Job xiv, 2.) Much more so is this the case when every little difficulty encountered in doing good alarms him either from human respect, or from the repugnance of his corrupt nature.

APPLICATION: Oh how necessary it is that you should know well and understand for yourself what it is you have to do. Thus you will not be easily turned from it by others, but will courageously surmount the obstacles which you encounter, and walk on direct to your end as indeed true wisdom requires of you!  

AFFECTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS: To thee, O Lord, are my eyes; in thee have I out my trust. (Ps. cxl, 8.)

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