Volume I, Treatise VIII, Chapter XXXIV

How We May Still Enlarge Upon This Exercise

We may extend this exercise still farther by descending from the contemplation of the divine nature, to the consideration of the sacred humanity of Jesus Christ, and exciting ourselves thereby to produce the same acts of love and joy. We will consider for this effect, the excellency and the perfections of this most sacred humanity. We may well rejoice that it has been elevated to the honour of being united to the divine person, and replenished with grace and glory; that it is the instrument of the divinity to sanctify and glorify the elect, and in general, to operate all those graces, and distribute all those supernatural gifts God imparts to men: and in fine we will conceive an interior delight in all that concerns the perfection and glory of the soul and body of Jesus Christ. To dwell the more hereupon, and to excite in ourselves the deepest sentiments of love and joy we possibly can, we may propose to ourselves, either, the joy the Blessed Virgin felt on the day of our Saviour’s resurrection, when she beheld him triumph most gloriously over death—-or the joy wherewith the holy Scripture affirms the patriarch Jacob was transported on hearing that his son Joseph lived, an:t was made superintendent of all Egypt. The excess of his joy was such, that, “receiving as it were a new life, I am satisfied,” said he, “since my son Joseph is yet alive. I will go and see him before I die.” (Genesis 45:27,28)

We may also apply this exercise to what relates to the glory of the Blessed Virgin and that of the saints: and this will be a very laudable devotion, if we employ therein a part of our prayer upon the day of their feast. For this is to give them the greatest testimony they can receive from us, when we rejoice with them at the felicity they possess. Wherefore the Church, upon the feast of the Blessed Virgin’s assumption, proposes to us this exercise in these words: ‘To-day the Blessed Virgin Mary mounted the heavens; rejoice that she reigns with Jesus Christ for all eternity.” And upon the day of the same feast and several others, the same Church begins the office of the mass by inviting us wu: the same practice, and exciting us to the example of the angels: “Let us all rejoice in our Lord, in celebrating this feast ir honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary; at whose assumption the angels rejoice and praise the Son of God.” There ‘is alsc another advantage in practising this exercise in respect of the

saints, and chiefly of the sacred humanity of Jesus Christ: since hereby we come to elevate ourselves to the exercise which relates to the divinity, and we make it easy. For our Saviour himself teaches us, that he is the way and the gate whereby we must have access to his eternal Father.,

This exercise has also its different degrees, even when we practise it in reference to Godas he is God. We may also bring it more within our reach, by descending to the consideration vf things here below. For although it is true that God in himself increaseth not, because he is infinite, and that we cannot wish him any good he possesses not already, he may, neverthsless, receive an exterior addition from his creatures, inasmuch 43 they come to know him, to love and glorify him the more; and by consequence we may exercise this sort of love towards him, in wishing him ardently this kind of exterior good. To this end, when in our prayer we come to consider how worthy God is of w ry w we

being loved and served by all his creatures, we must then apply ourselves to wish that all men present and to come may know him, love and glorify him in all thing’: How happy should we be, O my God! were we able to convert all the infidels and ginners throughout the whole world; that we could but hinder all persons from ever offending you, and make all obey you, and study nothing else for the future but to serve you! “Hallowed be thy name.” (Matthew 6:9) “Let all the earth adore you, and chant forth your praises. Let it sing canticles of praise to your holy name!” (Psalms 65:4) We can entertain ourselves thus in this exercise; and by representing to ourselves a thousand sorts of services which creatures can render God, we shall find sufficient matter to dilate our wishes upon.

Thence each one coming to reflect upon himself, ought to apply his thoughts to an earnest desire of accomplishing the will of God, and promoting his glory in whatsoever depends upon him; and from henceforth imitating Jesus Christ, “who always performed such things as were acceptable to his eternal Father” (John 8:29), he may form a determined resolution of embracing with joy whatsoever he knows to be according to the will and glory of God. For, “he who says he knows God, and nevertheless, keeps not his commandments, is a liar, and has not truth in him; but he who keeps his words, in this man the love - of God perfectly abides.” (1 John 2:4,5) In like manner, to attain a real love of God, and an entire conformity to his holy will, it suffices not that by considering the infinite good God possesses, we turn it into a subject of joy, and so wish all creatures to love and glorify him. We must wholly devote ourselves and employ our whole force to the fulfilling the divine will; since we cannot say from our heart we desire the greater glory of God, unless we contribute all we are able to the accomplishing of it. It is in this sort of love our soul is exercised, when in time of prayer it conceives a real desire, and a firm resolution of performing the will of God in things proposed to it at that time, and in whatever may afterwards occur; and this exercise is what we ought more frequently to use in all our prayers.

We have here opened a field wide enough to employ ourselves a long time in this exercise, and have sufficiently explained the perfection included therein, and the profit we may hence receive. There is nothing now remaining but that we lay our hand to the work, and begin from this moment to repeat upon 5221.. OR CONFORMINT TO THE WILL DO ARP. earth what wü rate bureafier to repeat for eternity in Lear:. It is here we. must begin to enkindle in ourselves the tire i thi love if Crud.’: But since ibis;% divine fire has its source in Sirr and its furnace in Jerusalem“(Isa. Xxxi. 9), it will nerer atta. the perfection of a full blaze till we arrive in the heareriy tir. salem, i. e., till we attain the felicity of glory.”%“! ON END OF VOLUME FIRST. • - Dublin: Printed by MoorE AND MURPHY, 2, Crampton-ruay.

About ReligiousBookshelf.com · A Supernerd Media project