2. What we give to the great ones of the earth may, in a great measure, be considered as forfeited: but what we present to God is always attended with advantage. He gives it back with interest. He repays with liberality the crumbs that are given for his sake; his rewards are laid up even fora cup of cold water. Play, luxury, and debauch, have ruined innumerable families, but alms have impoverished no one.
3. Men at the day of judgment shall be accountable for their alms; but what answer can the unfeeling rich ones make when the poor shall accuse them, when Jesus Christ himself shall reproach them with their insensibility? "Go, ye accursed, into eternal fire: I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat; I was naked, and you did not clothe me," &c. A heart that is hard to the poor, is the heart of a reprobate; but on the contrary, a soul that is truly charitable, is a soul predestined. What can our Judge say against us, when he shall see our clothes upon himself, when he shall see our bread and our money in his own hands? We shall approach his awful tribunal with confidence, provided the poor be our advocates.
Consider seriously how you behave to the poor; whether you treat them as members of Jesus Christ, by doing them all the good in your power.
"He gives at interest to the Lord,who has pity on the poor."Proverbsxix.
"Give unto all, lest he whom you refuse should be Jesus Christ."St. Augustine.
1. Bad example has damned more souls than the preaching and good example of all the saints together have been the means of saving.
2. Were the gates of hell to be laid open, scarcely would any one be found that would not say,it is such or such-a-one that has damned me. O what a reproach! We are commanded to love our enemies: why then should we destroy souls which have never done us an injury? A man who has been unfortunate enough to ruin souls redeemed by the blood of a God, hath much reason to fear for his salvation. What can we reasonably hope from Jesus Christ, after having torn from him what he hath so dearly purchased? O fathers and mothers, who do not live as Christians ought to live, it were far better for your children that they had never been born! You have given them life only to put them to death; that dreadful death which is eternal! When they shall require of you the heaven they have lost, what will you he able to answer them?
3. Let us clothe ourselves with Jesus Christ, according to the words of the apostle; let his conduct, his virtue, and his spirit shine forth in us, so thathemay be remembered when we are seen. We contribute not less to our neighbour's salvation by an edifying life, than we do to his damnation by a scandalous one.
Be very careful to do nothing that may scandalize your neighbour; and humbly beg pardon of God for the sins you have occasioned.
"Wo be to the man by whom scandal cometh."St. Matt. xviii.
"The scandalous sinner must answer for the crimes which his bad example hath caused to be committed."Salvian.
1. We are not Christians merely to be rich and to live at our ease. It was not necessary to institute Christianity for that purpose: the world might have been left as it was, under the empire of passion and opinion. The life of a Christian is a crucified life: unless the cross be embraced, faith must be renounced.
2. What doth the gospel say? "Blessed are those who weep: wo be to you, O rich, who have your consolation in this world!" Such is the language of the Holy Ghost. But it is now looked on as nonsense to believe that felicity consists in tears, and that the rich are unhappy.
3. The Son of God was to die on the cross, that he might take possession of his glory; the saints have arrived at heaven by the path of sufferings. Shall we then imagine that what the Son of God and the saints have so dearly purchased, shall be given to us for nothing? No; the cross is the distinctive mark and portion of the elect: a soul which suffers nothing, and is resolved to suffer nothing, bears the strongest character of a reprobate. We must of necessity suffer in this world or in the next.
Adore Christ crucified, and beg of him the grace to participate now in his suffering life, that you may be one day a partaker in his life of glory.
"Whoever doth not carry his cross is not worthy of me."Luke, xiv.
"What a shame to be a delicate member of a head crowned with thorns."St. Bernard.
1. The greatest happiness of a rational creature is, to will that which his Creator willeth. It is in this, precisely, that real sanctity consists. The saints are saints only because their will corresponded with the will of God. Whatever virtue we may possess, if we have not that of conformity to the divine will, we are not truly virtuous.
2. A soul that is not satisfied with the will of God, seems to doubt, in some measure, of his authority. To desire that what he ordains and permits in this world should go on otherwise than it does, is to desire that God should not be master. Every thing that happens to us, happens by his order; and is it not just to acquiesce in whatever is ordained by infinite wisdom?
3. All things but sin fall out by God's appointment. Though his arm be raised to strike, we are sure that his hand is conducted by his heart. What have we to fear from a heart that loves us? We will then desire nothing but what he pleases; we will not complain of losses, sickness, trouble, &c. The name and the nature of these things are changed as they pass through the hands of God. What the world calls misfortunes, affliction, dishonour, is an advantage, a grace, and a favour from heaven, when considered in the order of providence.
Renounce your own will, and beg of God that his maybe accomplished in you.
"Be it so, Father, because it is thy will."Matthewxi.
"He is pleasing to God,to whom God is pleasing."St. Augustine.
1. God is the greatest parent of mankind; our Lord Jesus Christ has taught us to call himFather. Not a hair can even drop from our heads without his knowledge. His providence reaches from end to end, disposing all things sweetly. What madness, therefore, to doubt of his protection, or to be slow in trusting ourself to his guidance!
2. Theinsectsare an object of his care; how much more we who are created to his image, and redeemed by the blood of his only-begotten Son! If God feed the infidels, who know him not; if he heaps favours on the impious, by whom he is blasphemed, what will he not do for Christians who honour and love him?
3. Our affairs are much better off when in his hands, than they can be in our own: let us therefore leave them all at his disposal. He is at the same time our Father and our Creator. The tenderness he has for his children obliges him to take care of them. He has promised us his protection; he will then be as good as his word. Sooner shall the heavens and the earth he destroyed, than that man should perish, who places his confidence in God.
Examine your heart, and see whether your confidence be worthy of the goodness of God, and the merits of Jesus Christ.
"Thou art my God: my lot is in thy hands."Psalmxxx.
"Throw yourself upon him,he will not withdraw to let you fall."St. Augustine.
1. God has loved us to such a degree, as to give us his only Son: had he any thing better he would have given it us. Is it not buying our love too dearly, to purchase it at so dear a rate? A trifling bounty from a fellow-creature is entitled to our love; why, then, shall we not love a bounty that is infinite? Why doth its being infinite render it less amiable?
2. God has strictly enjoined me to love him. Is a commandment rigorous, which orders us to love what is infinitely worthy of our affections? He commands us to love him with all our hearts. Is a heart so small as mine, too much for a God so great? But in sayingall, he admits of no exception. Whatever share I give him, if I give him not all, I give him nothing.
3. If eternity could have an end, the torments of the damned in hell, even to the day of judgment, would not be too much to obtain this heavenly love. There is not one of these miserable souls that would not think itself happy, provided that, after ages of sufferings, it could love that infinite beauty. We can love God if we please: every moment invites us to it. Not to do so while it can be done, is a monstrous insensibility.
Disclaim every love but that of God alone, and endeavour to love him above all things.
"If I have not charity, I am nothing."1Corinthiansxiii.
1. Nothing was ever purchased at so dear a rate as my soul. A divine life was given to redeem it. I deserved hell: justice cried out for punishment; but Christ would listen only to the emotions of his heart: it pleaded in my behalf, and I obtained forgiveness. If I return him not life for life, the least I can do is to return him love for love.
2. The dog that I feed, watches, caresses, and attends me: Jesus has given his blood for me, and continues to give me himself; yet I am still insensible. Learn, then, ungrateful soul! learn, I say, thy duty from a brute! thy dog is thy teacher and thy judge. If his example reform not thy heart, thou art more brutal than he.
3. We can feel for our friends; we are not insensible of the good they do us; we pique ourselves upon gratitude. Shall we then be ungrateful only to Christ? Shall he alone find us hard-hearted? Had we ever a friend that sacrificed himself for us?
Beg the love of Jesus from Jesus himself. Without his grace we shall never be able to love him.
"If any one love not the Lord Jesus,let him be accursed."1Corinthiansvi.
"If I belong to him entirely for having created me, what shall I add for having been redeemed, and redeemed in so excellent a manner?"St. Bernard.
1. If we love not our neighbour, we cannot love God. Whatever good we do, is to no purpose, if we do not love our brethren. Even martyrdom itself will not avail us, without charity.
2. "This is my commandment," said Jesus, "that you love one another, as I have loved you." Had mankind nothing else than Christ's love to endear them, they are objects of esteem for that very reason. Since our Saviour has loved them, shall we refuse to do so?
3. Do we love all men as Christ has loved them? Do we thirst for their salvation as he did? Do we do by them as we would be done by?
Excite yourself to love those whom our Lord Jesus Christ has loved so tenderly: firmly purpose to promote their salvation, and never to do what may offend against charity.
"He that loveth his neighbour hath fulfilled the law."Romansxiii.
"By charity alone, the children of God are distinguished from the children of Satan."St. Augustine.
1. So essential is charity to the Christian religion, that we are obliged to love even our enemies; Christ hath given the commandment, and set the example. God orders it, and shall we find it hard to obey? A God forgives his very executioners, and shall we refuse to pardon a brother?
2. "He that will not forgive, shall not be forgiven." God will not pardon us, but on the condition that we pardon others. If we seek revenge, we call down God's anger upon us. We must either love our enemies, or hate ourselves.
3. It should seem that two Christians who hate each other, are not really professors of the same religion; for how can they approach the same altar, eat the same food, believe the same heaven, and hope to be together eternally? Mutual hatred is allowed but to devils: it belongs to them alone. There is not a more formal sign of reprobation, than that of refusing to pardon an enemy; and a soul in such a disposition may be looked on as marked for hell.
Examine your heart at the sight of the crucifix; and if you feel a hatred for any person, take sentiments of charity from the wounds of Jesus.
"He that hates his brother is a murderer."1John, iii. 15.
"You a Christian, and yet desire to be revenged! But Christ hath not yet taken vengeance."St. Augustine.
1. The Son of God, when he united his divinity to our human nature, became the model of Christians. He is the head of the predestined; we are therefore bound to resemble him.
2. The manners of the world are carefully studied; but the life of Jesus Christ is hardly thought upon. Courtiers form themselves upon their prince; philosophers have been imitated even in their faults. Did we ever seriously strive to imitate Jesus? Have we taken any pains to follow his example, or to copy after the virtues of his holy life?
3. What shall we say for ourselves at the awful tribunal of Divine Justice, when we shall be compared to our model; when the life of Jesus shall be opposed to our life; his humility to our pride; his wounds to our delicacy; his sweetness to our anger and impatience, &c.? Ah! what a monster is a Christian without Christianity! baptized, and a slave of the devil! under the banners of the cross, yet a follower of the flesh and the world! We must then renounce our baptism, or conform to the life of our Saviour.
See whether you bear any resemblance to the Son of God, and whether you may be truly considered as a disciple of a crucified Jesus.
"Master, I will follow thee wheresoever thou goest."Matthewviii.
"Without cause am I a Christian,if I follow not Christ."St. Bernard.
1. Let us have as much zeal for God as he has for us. He acts exteriorly, but for the perfection of our souls. All the desires of his heart, all the cares of his providence, all the tenderness of his mercy, are referred to this. O what a subject of confusion for tepid souls!
2. Were we to judge of God by our own indifference, it might be said that he does not deserve our services, and that his rewards are very trifling. What idea can be had of a master whose servants attend him carelessly, and without the smallest affection? We dishonour God, we cry down his services, as often as we perform negligently what he requires of us. Wo be to the man who does the work of God without attention!
3. An action done for God, how trifling soever it may be, is of far greater value than the most renowned exploits of heroes. If we pique ourselves upon so much courage in labouring for vanity, what should be done when we are employed for eternity? What! the servants of the devil spare no pains; they do not complain of what they go through; they are ever indefatigable. Is Jesus Christ then less considerable than the devil? Is paradise less valuable than hell? Hell then shall be, as it were, our instructor: we are to love God as much as the damned hate him; we are to serve God as much as the world serves the devil. Is this too much?
Examine your conduct with respect to the service of God; consider the actions in which you are most remiss, and excite yourself to perform them henceforth with a fervour worthy of your master.
"Fervent in spirit, serving the Lord."Romans.
"Let the ardour you formerly had for the world be now entertained for him that created it."St Augustine.
1. A more pure, more excellent, or more amiable being than this glorious Virgin, was never yet created. God having from all eternity destined her to be the mother of his Son, it was proper she should be embellished with every created excellence, and that her dignity and influence in heaven should far surpass the dignity and influence of all the other saints. Most justly then is she entitled to our veneration, respect, and confidence.
2. Let us put ourselves under her protection: let us recommend ourselves to her prayers. How great soever our wickedness, or how numerous soever our faults may have been, let us always have recourse to her, and hope, through her prayers, for the grace of our conversion. Her charity is so great, her interest is so powerful, that she must always plead successfully for the repenting sinner.
3. But let us never forget, that to honour her properly, is to imitate her virtues; that to persevere in sin, upon the hopes of her future intercession, is equally absurd, impious, and detestable. Her hatred of this error should be always before our eyes. Her purity, her mildness, her patience, should be ever present to us.
"Hail, full of grace."Luke, i.
"O name! under which no one should despair."St. Augustine.
1. As Christians, it would be very profitable for us to reflect, every morning, that we have on that day a God to glorify, a Saviour to imitate, our souls to save, our bodies to mortify, virtues to acquire, sins to satisfy for, heaven to seek after, hell to fly, eternity to meditate on, time to improve, temptations to overcome, the devil to resist, our neighbour to edify, our passions to subdue, the world to guard against, and perhaps death and judgment to undergo. Reflect seriously on all these important truths, and they will not only incite you to begin the day well, but also, in the course thereof, to make the affair of your eternal salvation your principal study.
2. As it is also a duty of the last consequence to conclude the day properly, nothing can prove a more powerful incitement thereto, than the serious consideration of the many spiritual and temporal blessings which God hath bestowed on you; the various evils from which his providence hath hitherto preserved you; and the absolute uncertainty whether you shall ever unclose your eyes to behold the next morning. Thousands who had as good a right to expect it as you, were nevertheless disappointed. The very bed on which you lie is amemento mori, or kind of sepulchre; and sleep, the image of death. What unaccountable rashness then must it be, for a sinner to compose himself to sleep in a state of mortal sin, without first endeavouring to appease the wrath of God by an act of contrition, or some other spiritual exercise of piety and devotion; since that very night, perhaps, his soul may be required of him!
3. Let us then guard against this danger, by a faithful discharge of every Christian duty; let us frequently exclaim, with the prophet: "Enlighten mine eyes, O Lord, that I may never sleep in death, lest the enemy at any time may say, I haveprevailedagainst him."
"He that desires to make any progress in the service of God, must begin every day with fresh ardour; he must, as much as possible, keep himself in the presence of God, and in all his actions, have no other object in view but that of promoting the divine honour."St. C. Borromeus.
Which may be used with great spiritual profit by Religious Societies, or Private Families, assembled together in common prayer at night, or at any other time most convenient; on Sundays, Holidays, &c.
Thirteen Paters and Aves are annexed to these meditations, in honor of Jesus Christ and his twelve apostles. The meditations to be read by the head of the family or community, to which the assistants should hearken with the most devout attention. The prayers to be recited partly by the head, and partly by the assistants.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Blessed be the holy and undivided Trinity, now and for evermore. Amen.
V. Thou, O Lord, wilt open my lips,
R. And my tongue shall declare thy praise.
V. O God, incline unto mine aid.
R. O Lord, make haste to help me.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
R. As it was in the beginning, &c. Amen.
Direct, O Lord, we beseech thee, our actions by thy holy inspirations, and carry them on by thy gracious assistance, that every prayer and work of ours may always begin from thee, and may by thee be happily ended, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us recite the Lord's Prayer.
Our Father, &c. Give us this day, &c.
Let us recite the Angelical Salutation.
Hail Mary, &c. Holy Mary, &c.
Let us recite and devoutly meditate on the different articles of the Creed.
"I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth."—Let us attentively consider, in this first article of our creed, the infinite power, wisdom, and goodness, which our almighty and sovereign Lord God has displayed in the creation of the heavens and of the earth, and of all things visible and invisible therein contained. He drew us out of the abyss of nothing, and made all things for our use and service. He gave us rational and immortal souls, stamped with his own image and likeness, and capable of knowing, loving, and serving him on earth, and of enjoying him for all eternity in the kingdom of heaven. This is the noble, the blessed, and the glorious end for which he has vouchsafed to create us; and should it not be our chief study and care to answer this happy end, by dedicating ourselves to him for time and eternity, and by employing all our senses, and all the faculties of our souls, in his love and service, and for his greater honour and glory? With this intention let us say: "Our Father," &c. "Give us this day," &c. "Hail Mary," &c. "Holy Mary," &c.
"And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord."—Let us now meditate on the great benefit of our redemption, and the boundless mercy of the only-begotten and eternal Son of God; who, when four thousand years had elapsed after the creation and fall of our first parents from their original innocence, out of pure love and compassion, came down from heaven, to reconcile us to his eternal Father, and to purchase mercy, grace, and salvation for us, by the effusion of the last drop of his precious blood. Thus he became our Jesus, our Christ, our Redeemer, our Saviour, our High Priest, our Mediator, our King, our Lord, and our Sovereign Master. He claims and challenges us, therefore, as his sole right and property. We belong to him by every title that dominion or jurisdiction can confer. We are his by creation, his by preservation, his by the title of his all-ruling providence. We are his in a very special and particular manner, by virtue of our redemption. As Christians we derive our name from him, and are his members and temples, dedicated and consecrated to him by the solemn vows and covenant of our baptism.
Let us then offer all our thoughts, words, and actions, to his honour and glory, and let us employ our whole lives in loving and serving him faithfully; saying, for this end, the prayers which himself and his church have taught us: "Our Father," &c. "Hail Mary," &c.
"Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost; born of the Virgin Mary."—We are now to meditate on the wonderful mystery of the incarnation and temporal nativity of the Son of God. When the fulness of time appointed for the redemption of mankind was come, the second Person of the blessed Trinity assumed our flesh in the womb of his blessed Mother; that the divine and human nature being thus united in his person, he might be capable of satisfying divine justice for the injury which God had received by sin. He became man for our salvation, not in theordinary way, but aftera supernatural and incomprehensible manner, by the operation of the Holy Ghost. But although the incarnation, considered particularly as a work of divine mercy, goodness and love, be particularly attributed to the Holy Ghost, and although the three Persons of the blessed Trinity, essentially possessing the same undivided powers, have equally concurred therein, yet this wonderful work was effected only by the second Person: his sacred body was formed of the most pure blood of his Virgin Mother, without the least violation of her virginal integrity, and a most perfect soul was created to animate his body.Being thus miraculously conceived, he was also, after the space of nine months, miraculously born in a stable at Bethlehem, under the reign of Augustus Cæsar. As man, being at the same time true God, he subjected himself to all our infirmities and miseries, sin only excepted, of which he was incapable. At so early a period as at his very first entrance into the world, he was pleased to suffer for us, and to give us, in his tender infancy, the most perfect example of poverty, humility, and mortification; that he might thereby manifest to us the infinite riches of his mercy and goodness, and teach us to despise the sinful vanities of the world. He discovered himself to the shepherds by a choir of angels from heaven, to shew that he came to be the Saviour of the Jews. He manifested himself also to the Eastern Magi by a star from heaven, to shew that he was likewise come to be the Saviour of the Gentiles. He continued to live in a poor, private, and retired manner, till he was thirty years of age, when he began to preach the gospel, to cast out devils, to cure the dumb, the deaf, the lame, and blind, and to work the most stupendous miracles, in favour of a people the most ungrateful on the face of the earth.Let us not imitate them; let us rather embrace our divine Redeemer with all the affections of our souls, and ever retain a most grateful sense of the innumerable benefits he has conferred on us; devoutly saying: "Our Father," &c. "Hail Mary," &c.
"Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried."—Let us here meditate on the dolorous mysteries of our dear Redeemer's passion, crucifixion, death and burial. To show the greatness of his love for us, and the plenteous redemption which he brought us, he was pleased to suffer every kind of torment with which human nature could be afflicted. "What was sufficient for our salvation," says St. Bernard, "was not sufficient for his charity." When he could have saved us with a single drop of his blood, he redeemed us with a deluge thereof, after a painful life of thirty-three years. His passion began in the garden of Gethsemani, at the foot of Mount Olivet, near Jerusalem, and ended only on Mount Calvary; Tiberius being then emperor of Rome, and Pontius Pilate governor, or president, of Judea. He suffered in his soul, and in his body, in his senses, and in all his members, from the sole of his foot, to the crown of his head. He was buffet ted and spit upon; he was mocked and insulted; he was scourged; he was crowned with thorns; and at length his hands and feet were pierced and fastened with gross nails to an ignominious cross; and after hanging alive thereon, between two thieves, in the most excruciating pain, for the space of three long hours, he expired, and gave up his blessed soul into the hands of his eternal Father.After his death, his sacred body being taken off the cross on Good-Friday, in the afternoon, and being embalmed, according to the custom of the Jews, by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, it was wrapped up in linen cloth, and laid in a new monument, hewn out of a rock, near Mount Calvary. O let us not then repay the boundless love of our crucified Redeemer with sin and ingratitude, but let us rather make the best return we are able, of love and gratitude to him, who suffered so much for our sake; devoutly saying, "Our Father," &c. "Hail, Mary," &c.
"He descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead."—Here let us meditate how our blessed Saviour's soul, when separated from his body, descended into hell, or the dreary prison, where the souls of the holy patriarchs and saints of the Old Testament were detained, until he had paid the price of their redemption, and opened for them the gates of heaven, which had remained shut against mankind from the fall [of] Adam until that time.We may judge how the presence and sight of their so long wished-for Redeemer turned their gloomy prison into a paradise of delights, and occasioned unspeakable joy to the holy souls to whom he came to preach the gospel of redemption, release from their tedious captivity, and carry up with him to heaven at his ascension, as the first fruits of his victorious triumph over sin and death. Having comforted them by these happy tidings, his blessed soul, after remaining part of three days subject to the laws of death, returned from this prison to the sepulchre, and being re-united to his body, he arose early on the morning of the third day from the bowels of the earth, by his own divine power, and was the first who from death rose to a glorious and immortal life. His resurrection is a perfect model for us to copy after. Let us endeavour to imitate it by a spiritual resurrection from the death of sin, to a new life of grace, so as to continue for ever to live with him, and to return no more to the death of mortal sin. For this end, let us implore his divine assistance; saying with devotion, "Our Father," &c. "Hail Mary," &c.
"He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty."—Let us here meditate how our divine Redeemer, after accomplishing the great work of our redemption, ascended triumphantly from the top of Mount Olivet into the kingdom of heaven, on the fortieth day after his glorious resurrection, in the presence of his apostles and disciples, till a cloud at length interposed and took him out of their sight.He then withdrew his visible presence from the world; raised human nature above the choirs of saints and angels, to the highest seat in the kingdom of heaven, where, in full possession of the glory of his eternal Father, he pleads for us with the powerful eloquence of his sacred wounds, which he incessantly represent to him, in quality of our High Priest, Mediator, and Advocate. O what a comfortable reflection, to think that we have such an affectionate friend in the court of heaven! O what encouragement to raise our hopes! what inducement to follow him with our hearts, and ascend after him in spirit and affection! For this end let us beseech him to break the chains of our sins, and the fetters of our passions, which so unhappily tie down our affections to the earth; devoutly saying, "Our Father," &c. "Hail Mary," &c.
"From whence he shall come to judge both the quick and the dead." Here let us meditate on our blessed Redeemer's return at the end of the world, with great pomp and majesty, in quality of Sovereign Judge of the living and the dead.As soon as the last trumpet shall sound, and the angel repeat these words in the four corners of the earth: "Arise ye dead, and come to judgment!" the whole race of mankind, both the good and the wicked, are to appear before his awful tribunal, in sight of Mount Calvary, in order to give a strict account of all their thoughts, words, and actions; for, besides the particular judgment which is passed on every soul immediately after death, the justice of God requires that a general judgment should also take place, in order that the children of Adam should be assembled together, and receive their sentence; either of eternal salvation or eternal reprobation. O let us make a timely provision for this woful day, in order that we may then meet with a favourable judgment, and be entitled to receive the happy sentence of the elect; saying for this end, "Our Father," &c. "Hail Mary," &c.
"I believe in the Holy Ghost."—Let us now meditate on the great work of our sanctification, which is particularly attributed to the Holy Ghost, the third person of the ever blessed Trinity; because he is the love of the Father and the Son, and because it is from God's love to us that all sanctity, all grace, all justification and virtue flow. For which reason the apostle says, "the charity of God is poured into our hearts by the Holy Ghost, who is given to us." We first receive the Holy Ghost, and are made his living temples at the font of baptism, and afterwards we receive him in a more perfect manner in the sacrament of confirmation, &c.O what a happiness it is to possess this divine and heavenly guest in our souls! and how solicitous should we be to invite him into our hearts, to engage him to stay with us, and to make our souls his dwelling-place for time and eternity! Let us devoutly implore this greatest of blessings; saying, "Our Father," &c. "Hail Mary," &c.
"The holy Catholic Church; the Communion of Saints."—We are now to meditate on the infinite goodness and mercy of God, who, by a special grace, has vouchsafed to call us to the light of his true and saving faith, and to include us within the pale and bosom of his One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, in preference to so many thousands in different parts of the world, left in ignorance, or buried in the darkness of error and infidelity. This grace of our vocation is so signal a blessing, that it calls upon us for our most grateful acknowledgments, and will render us more culpable at the last day than pagans or infidels, if, instead of living up to our holy profession, we dishonour it by the immorality of our lives.On the contrary, if we square our actions according to our belief; if we show the purity of our religion by the purity of our morals, and live as becomes worthy members of the Catholic Church, we shall assuredly be made partakers of all spiritual blessings and treasures thereof, and benefit by all the prayers, sacrifices, and good works, which are wrought therein by our fellow-members; for as there subsists a common union between all the parts of the human body, there subsists, in like manner, a common or general union in spirituals between all the parts of Christ's mystical body, the holy Catholic Church. O what an inestimable blessing then must it be, to live and die in the communion of his church! and, on the contrary, what a grievous loss and misfortune to be cut off therefrom by excommunication, like rotten and dead members separated from a natural body by amputation! Let us beware of incurring the like misfortune, and beseech the Almighty to grant us grace to be always obedient hearers of the pastors of his church, those spiritual guides to whom he has committed the care of our souls; saying for this end, "Our Father," &c. "Hail Mary," &c.
"The Forgiveness of Sins."—Here let us also meditate on a second signal advantage which may be obtained within the pale of the holy Catholic Church. Besides the mutual communication in spirituals, and participation in good works, that subsists between all the parts of the church in their three different states, viz. the saints in heaven, the souls in purgatory, and the true believers on earth, who compose the church triumphant, sufferant, and militant; the apostles also teach us, in this article of their creed, that there is a power left by Jesus Christ to his church, to forgive the sins of such as truly repent, and properly apply for absolution.Original sin has been already remitted by the sacrament of baptism, and the actual sins committed after baptism are pardoned in the sacrament of penance, when duly administered by the pastors of the church, and received with the proper dispositions on the part of the repenting sinner. Let us therefore beseech the Father of mercies to grant us these dispositions; saying, "Our Father," &c. "Hail Mary," &c.
"The Resurrection of the Flesh."—Let us here meditate on a third signal privilege reserved in the next life for the living members of the holy Catholic Church. On the last day there will be a general resurrection of the dead; and the whole human race, which at the fall of our first parents had been sentenced to return to their original dust, shall arise again to receive their final and irrevocable doom. As soon as the angel, by the sound of his trumpet, proclaims the awful summons, "Arise ye dead, and come to judgment!" the bodies of all the children of Adam, re-animated by their respective souls, shall instantaneously, in the "twinkling of an eye," issue forth out of their several graves and sepulchres, never more to be separated for an endless eternity.But, alas! how very different will be the manner of the resurrection of the reprobate from that of the elect! for whereas the bodies of the former shall arise in a condition suitable to their deserts, that is, foul, hideous, heavy, inactive, and only fit to be the fuel of everlasting flames, (immortal indeed they shall be, but to no other end than to endure immortal torments,) so those of the latter shall arise glorious, beautiful, immortal, and impassible, brighter than the stars, and more resplendent than the sun. This glorious state of immortality is infallibly reserved for the bodies of such Christians as in this life have been as it were consecrated by receiving the holy sacraments, and particularly the Eucharist; since Christ himself expressly declares, "He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." O let us then frequently approach this heavenly banquet, with the proper dispositions, that thereby our bodies and souls being preserved pure from the corruption of sin, may both arise together at the last day to a happy immortality. That this may be our happy lot, let us with the most fervent devotion, say, "Our Father," &c. "Hail Mary," &c.
"Life everlasting."—This is the fourth and final blessing attainable within the pale of the holy Catholic Church, and reserved for the children of light in the next world. It is the last end of man, the ultimate reward that awaits true faith, animated by charity and good works, and it essentially consists in the clear vision and fruition of God. O let us lead such lives here on earth, that we may hereafter live with Jesus Christ in the glory of his eternal Father, for ever and ever: and that this may be our happy case, let us devoutly say, "Our Father," &c. "Hail Mary," &c.
Hail, happy Queen! thou mercy's parent hail!Life, hope, and comfort of this earthly vale;To thee we eve's wretched children cry;In sighs and tears to thee we suppliants fly.Rise, glorious advocate, exert thy love,And let our vows thine eyes of pity move.O sweet, O pious maid! for us obtain—For us who long have in our exile lain—To see thy Jesus, and with him to reign.
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
V. Pray for us, O ye holy apostles, and all ye saints of God,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.