Tuesday, December 25, 2012 - Litany Lane Blog:
Exalt, Isaiah 62:11-12, Psalms 97, John 1: 1-18 ,The Adoration of the Shepherds and MagiGood Day Bloggers! Joyeux Noelle et Bonne Annee!
Wishing everyone a Blessed Week!
Year of Faith - October 11, 2012 - November 24, 2013
P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens). It has a remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience and tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.
The world begins and ends everyday for someone. We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have
flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge and free will,
make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in
Heaven. Its your choice whether to rise towards eternal light or lost to
eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and
survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes
from this earth to Purgatory and/or Heaven is our Soul, our Spirit...it's God's perpetual
gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...
"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill." ~ Zarya Parx 2012
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December 25, 2012 Message From Our Lady of Medjugorje to World:
Our Lady came with little Jesus in her arms and she did not give a message, but little Jesus began to speak and said : “I am your peace, live my commandments.” With a sign of the cross, Our Lady and little Jesus blessed us together.
December 2, 2012 Message From Our Lady of Medjugorje to World:
Dear
children, with motherly love and motherly patience anew I call you to
live according to my Son, to spread His peace and His love, so that, as
my apostles, you may accept God's truth with all your heart and pray for
the Holy Spirit to guide you. Then you will be able to faithfully serve
my Son, and show His love to others with your life. According to the
love of my Son and my love, as a mother, I strive to bring all of my
strayed children into my motherly embrace and to show them the way of
faith. My children, help me in my motherly battle and pray with me that
sinners may become aware of their sins and repent sincerely. Pray also
for those whom my Son has chosen and consecrated in His name. Thank
you."
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Today's Word: exalt ex·alt [ig-zawlt]
Origin: 1375–1425; late Middle English exalten < Latin exaltāre to lift up, equivalent to ex- ex-1 + alt ( us ) high + -āre infinitive ending
verb (used with object)
1. to raise in rank, honor, power, character, quality, etc.; elevate: He was exalted to the position of president.
2. to praise; extol: to exalt someone to the skies.
3. to stimulate, as the imagination: The lyrics of Shakespeare exalted the audience.
4. to intensify, as a color: complementary colors exalt each other.
5. Obsolete . to elate, as with pride or joy.
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Today's Old Testament Reading - Psalms 97:1, 6, 11-12
1 Yahweh is king! Let earth rejoice, the many isles be glad!6 The heavens proclaim his saving justice, all nations see his glory.
11 Light dawns for the upright, and joy for honest hearts.
12 Rejoice in Yahweh, you who are upright, praise his unforgettable holiness.
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Today's Epistle - Isaiah 62:11-12
11 This is what Yahweh has proclaimed to the remotest part of earth: Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Look, your salvation is coming; with him comes his reward, his achievement precedes him!'12 They will be called 'The Holy People', 'Yahweh's Redeemed', while you will be called 'Sought-after', 'City-not-forsaken'.
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Today's Gospel Reading - John 1: 1-18
The Prologue of John’s Gospel
John 1:1-18
John 1:1-18
1. OPENING PRAYER
In the darkness of a starless night,
a night of no sense,
you, the Word of life,
like lightning in the storm of forgetfulness,
entered within the bounds of doubt
under cover of the limits of precariousness
to hide the light.
Words made of silence and of the ordinary,
your human words, heralds of the secrets of the Most High:
like hooks cast into the waters of death
to find man once more, immersed in his anxious follies,
and reclaim him, plundered, through the attractive radiance of
forgiveness.
To you, Ocean of Peace and shadow of eternal Glory,
I render thanks:
Calm waters on my shore that awaits the wave, I wish to seek you!
And may the friendship of the brothers protect me
when night falls on my desire for you. Amen.
a night of no sense,
you, the Word of life,
like lightning in the storm of forgetfulness,
entered within the bounds of doubt
under cover of the limits of precariousness
to hide the light.
Words made of silence and of the ordinary,
your human words, heralds of the secrets of the Most High:
like hooks cast into the waters of death
to find man once more, immersed in his anxious follies,
and reclaim him, plundered, through the attractive radiance of
forgiveness.
To you, Ocean of Peace and shadow of eternal Glory,
I render thanks:
Calm waters on my shore that awaits the wave, I wish to seek you!
And may the friendship of the brothers protect me
when night falls on my desire for you. Amen.
2. READING
a) The text: John 1:1-18
1
In the beginning was the Word: the Word was with God and the
Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through
him all things came into being, not one thing came into being
except through him. 4 What has come into being in him was
life, life that was the light of men; 5 and light shines in
darkness, and darkness could not overpower it. 6 A man came,
sent by God. His name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to
bear witness to the light, so that everyone might believe through
him. 8 He was not the light, he was to bear witness to the light. 9
The Word was the real light that gives light to everyone; he
was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world that had
come into being through him, and the world did not recognise
him. 11 He came to his own and his own people did not accept
him. 12 But to those who did accept him he gave power to
become children of God, to those who believed in his name 13
who were born not from human stock or human desire or human
will but from God himself. 14 The Word became flesh, he lived among
us, and we saw his glory, the glory that he has from the Father
as only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John
witnesses to him. He proclaims: 'This is the one of whom I
said: He who comes after me has passed ahead of me because he
existed before me.' 16 Indeed, from his fullness we have,
all of us, received -- one gift replacing another, 17 for the
Law was given through Moses, grace and truth have come through
Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; it is the only Son, who is
close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.
b) A moment of silence: Allow the voice of the Word echo within us.
3. MEDITATION
a) Some question for reflection:
- God who is light has chosen to dispel
the darkness of man by making himself darkness. Man is born
blind (cfr Jn 9:1-41): blindness is his condition of
creature. The symbolical gesture of Jesus in gathering mud to
spread over the eyes of the man born blind in John,
signifies the newness of the incarnation: it is a gesture of new
creation. The blind man whose eyes are still covered with the
mud of creation is asked to make not an act of faith but one
of obedience: to go to the pool of Siloe, which means
“sent”. The one “sent” is Jesus. Are we able to obey the Word, which comes to us every day?
- The blind man in the Gospel of John is poor: he has no pretence and asks for nothing. We often live in daily blindness, resigned that we do not deserve better horizons. Can we see ourselves as having nothing so that the gift of God may be ours too, a gift of the redemption of the flesh, but above all a gift of light and faith?
- «The law was given through Moses, grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; it is the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known» (Jn 1:17-18). The knowledge of what happens in the story of our lives leads us to get out of the blindness of presumption and to contemplate the light that shines on the face of the Son of God. Our eyes, flooded with light, become open to events. When shall we be able to see God in our midst?
- The blind man in the Gospel of John is poor: he has no pretence and asks for nothing. We often live in daily blindness, resigned that we do not deserve better horizons. Can we see ourselves as having nothing so that the gift of God may be ours too, a gift of the redemption of the flesh, but above all a gift of light and faith?
- «The law was given through Moses, grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; it is the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known» (Jn 1:17-18). The knowledge of what happens in the story of our lives leads us to get out of the blindness of presumption and to contemplate the light that shines on the face of the Son of God. Our eyes, flooded with light, become open to events. When shall we be able to see God in our midst?
b) A key to the reading:
John was someone who was able to see the
light shining, who saw, heard and touched the light. In the
beginning was the Word: constantly turned towards the love of
the Father, the Word became the Father’s true explanation,
his only exegesis (Jn 1:18), the revelation of his love. In
the logos was life and life was light, but the darkness did
not welcome the light. In the OT the revelation of the Word is the
revelation of light: to this corresponds the fullness of grace,
the grace of grace, given to us in Jesus, the revelation of
God’s unlimited love (Jn 1:4-5, 16). The whole witness of the
OT is a witness of light: from Abraham to John the Baptist,
God sends witnesses to his light. John the Baptist is the
last of these: he announces the light that is to come into
the world and recognises in Jesus the long awaited light (Jn
1:6-8;15).
Dabar IHWH is God’s communication with man, which took place with all those whom God has called and to whom the word of the Lord came (cfr Is 55: 10-11). As Augustine says: The Word of God is the true light.
The word comes from the mouth of God, but it keeps its full force, and it is a person who creates and sustains the world. This word that creates and saves is identified with the Torah, which for Israel is the divine revelation in its totality, with Wisdom: The law will go out from Zion, and the oracle of Yahweh from Jerusalem (Is 2:3).
The memra (aramaic) is the concept used by John to go from the dabar to the logos: in the targum the memra has a creating function, but above all a revealing function that is expressed particularly through the image of light. In the Targum Neophiti, the famous poem of the four nights on Ex 12:42 it is written: «The first night was when IHWH revealed himself above the world to create it: the world was desert and empty and darkness covered the face of the abyss. And the memra of IHWH was the light that shone». In the Targum Jerushalaim manuscript 110 says: «With his word IHWH shone and shed light».
The midrash stresses that the law was before the world, it was life, it was light: «The words of the Torah are light for the world» (Midrash Dt Rabba 7.3). Only daughter of God, the Torah was written with black fire in the white flame and sits on God’s knees while God sits on his throne of glory (cfr Midrash on Psalm 90:3).
The logos-light becomes present in the world. All is life in him: the Word takes the place of the Torah. The signs are transcendent, and more than a substitution we see a fulfilment. If for the Jew the Torah is God’s daughter, John shows that she is the logos that from the beginning is with God, is God. This logos becomes flesh: man, frail, limited, finite, placing his glory in the flesh. He put down his tent, skené, among us, he became the shekinah of God among us, and he showed his glory, the overwhelming presence of God to men. The glory that dwelt in the tent of the exodus (Ex 40:34-38), that dwelt in the temple (1 Kings 8: 10), now dwells in the flesh of the Son of God. This is indeed an epiphany. The shekinah is made visible, because the shekinah is Christ, place of the presence and of the divine glory. There is one who has seen the glory of God: the only Son full of grace and truth; he comes to reveal to us the face of the Father, the only one who can do this because he has his existence in the bosom of the Father. From this fullness of life comes the new creation. Moses gave the law. Christ gives grace and truth, love and fidelity. In the Son we can contemplate God without dying because whoever sees the Son sees also the Father: Jesus is the exegesis, the narration of the divine life.
And the place of revelation is his flesh. This is why John says at the time of fulfilment: “We have seen his glory” (Jn 1: 14), when at the “time of glorification” there is only darkness. The light is hidden when it gives its life for love of men, love to the very end, without restriction, respecting the freedom of man to crucify the Author of life. God is glorified at the moment of the passion: a love completed, definitive, unlimited, a love shown even to its extremist consequences. This is the mystery of the light that becomes a way in the darkness, because love likes the darkness of the night when life becomes more intimate and one’s words die to live in the breath of the words of the person loved, the light is in the love that gives light to that hour of expropriation, the hour when one loses oneself to find oneself again in the embrace of life.
Dabar IHWH is God’s communication with man, which took place with all those whom God has called and to whom the word of the Lord came (cfr Is 55: 10-11). As Augustine says: The Word of God is the true light.
The word comes from the mouth of God, but it keeps its full force, and it is a person who creates and sustains the world. This word that creates and saves is identified with the Torah, which for Israel is the divine revelation in its totality, with Wisdom: The law will go out from Zion, and the oracle of Yahweh from Jerusalem (Is 2:3).
The memra (aramaic) is the concept used by John to go from the dabar to the logos: in the targum the memra has a creating function, but above all a revealing function that is expressed particularly through the image of light. In the Targum Neophiti, the famous poem of the four nights on Ex 12:42 it is written: «The first night was when IHWH revealed himself above the world to create it: the world was desert and empty and darkness covered the face of the abyss. And the memra of IHWH was the light that shone». In the Targum Jerushalaim manuscript 110 says: «With his word IHWH shone and shed light».
The midrash stresses that the law was before the world, it was life, it was light: «The words of the Torah are light for the world» (Midrash Dt Rabba 7.3). Only daughter of God, the Torah was written with black fire in the white flame and sits on God’s knees while God sits on his throne of glory (cfr Midrash on Psalm 90:3).
The logos-light becomes present in the world. All is life in him: the Word takes the place of the Torah. The signs are transcendent, and more than a substitution we see a fulfilment. If for the Jew the Torah is God’s daughter, John shows that she is the logos that from the beginning is with God, is God. This logos becomes flesh: man, frail, limited, finite, placing his glory in the flesh. He put down his tent, skené, among us, he became the shekinah of God among us, and he showed his glory, the overwhelming presence of God to men. The glory that dwelt in the tent of the exodus (Ex 40:34-38), that dwelt in the temple (1 Kings 8: 10), now dwells in the flesh of the Son of God. This is indeed an epiphany. The shekinah is made visible, because the shekinah is Christ, place of the presence and of the divine glory. There is one who has seen the glory of God: the only Son full of grace and truth; he comes to reveal to us the face of the Father, the only one who can do this because he has his existence in the bosom of the Father. From this fullness of life comes the new creation. Moses gave the law. Christ gives grace and truth, love and fidelity. In the Son we can contemplate God without dying because whoever sees the Son sees also the Father: Jesus is the exegesis, the narration of the divine life.
And the place of revelation is his flesh. This is why John says at the time of fulfilment: “We have seen his glory” (Jn 1: 14), when at the “time of glorification” there is only darkness. The light is hidden when it gives its life for love of men, love to the very end, without restriction, respecting the freedom of man to crucify the Author of life. God is glorified at the moment of the passion: a love completed, definitive, unlimited, a love shown even to its extremist consequences. This is the mystery of the light that becomes a way in the darkness, because love likes the darkness of the night when life becomes more intimate and one’s words die to live in the breath of the words of the person loved, the light is in the love that gives light to that hour of expropriation, the hour when one loses oneself to find oneself again in the embrace of life.
4. PRAYER
Jerusalem, take off your dress of sorrow and distress,
put on the beauty of God's glory for evermore,
wrap the cloak of God's saving justice around you,
put the diadem of the Eternal One's glory on your head,
for God means to show your splendour
to every nation under heaven,
and the name God gives you for evermore will be,
'Peace-through-Justice, and Glory-through-Devotion'.
Arise, Jerusalem,
stand on the heights and turn your eyes to the east:
see your children reassembled from west
and east at the Holy One's command,
rejoicing because God has remembered.
Though they left you on foot driven by enemies,
now God brings them back to you,
carried gloriously, like a royal throne.
For God has decreed the flattening of each high mountain,
of the everlasting hills,
the filling of the valleys to make the ground level
so that Israel can walk safely in God's glory.
And the forests and every fragrant tree will provide shade for Israel,
at God's command;
for God will guide Israel in joy by the light of his glory,
with the mercy and saving justice which come from him.
Baruc 5,1-9
put on the beauty of God's glory for evermore,
wrap the cloak of God's saving justice around you,
put the diadem of the Eternal One's glory on your head,
for God means to show your splendour
to every nation under heaven,
and the name God gives you for evermore will be,
'Peace-through-Justice, and Glory-through-Devotion'.
Arise, Jerusalem,
stand on the heights and turn your eyes to the east:
see your children reassembled from west
and east at the Holy One's command,
rejoicing because God has remembered.
Though they left you on foot driven by enemies,
now God brings them back to you,
carried gloriously, like a royal throne.
For God has decreed the flattening of each high mountain,
of the everlasting hills,
the filling of the valleys to make the ground level
so that Israel can walk safely in God's glory.
And the forests and every fragrant tree will provide shade for Israel,
at God's command;
for God will guide Israel in joy by the light of his glory,
with the mercy and saving justice which come from him.
Baruc 5,1-9
5. CONTEMPLATION
Father of light, I come to you with my
whole being. After going through times of goodness and times
of slipping into evil I finally understand, because of my
experience, that alone I only exist in shadow and darkness.
Without your light I cannot see anything. Indeed, you are the
source of life; you, Sun of justice, who opens my eyes, you
the way that leads to the Father. Today you have come among us,
eternal Word, as light that goes on crossing the pages of history to
offer humankind the gifts of grace and joy in the desert of
famine and emptiness: the bread and wine of your holy Name,
which at the hour of the cross will become visible signs of
consummated love, give us birth with you from that fertile
side that is the Church, the cradle of your life for us.
Like Mary, we wish to stay by your side to learn to be like
her, full of grace from the Most High. And when our tents will
welcome the cloud of the Spirit in the radiance of one more word, we
shall understand the Glory of your Face and we shall bless in
an adoring silence without any further hesitation the Beauty
of being one with you, living Word of God.
Reference: Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.
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Featured Item of the Day from Litany Lane
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Saint of the Day: Feria
Feast Day: December 25
Patron Saint:
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Today's Snippet I:
Book 4, Chapter 5
The Mystical City of God, The Divine History and
Life of The Virgin Mother of God
THE ADORATION OF THE SHEPHERD; THE CIRCUMCISION.
Another of the holy angels that attended and guarded the
heavenly Mother was sent to saint Elisabeth and her son John. On hearing this
news of the birth of the Redeemer, the prudent matron and her son, although he
was yet of so tender an age, prostrated themselves upon the earth and adored
their God made man in spirit and in truth (John 4, 23). The child which had been
consecrated as his Precursor, was renewed interiorly with a spirit more inflamed
than that of Elias, causing new admiration and jubilation in the angels
themselves. Saint John and his mother requested our Queen through the angels,
that She in the name of them both, adore her most holy Son and offer Him their
services; all of which the heavenly Queen immediately fulfilled.
Amongst all these, the shepherds of that region. who were
watching their flocks at the time of the birth of Christ, were especially
blessed (Luke 2, 8); not only because they accepted the labor and inconvenience
of their calling with resignation from the hand of God; but also because, being
poor and humble, and despised by the world, they belonged in sincerity and
uprightness of heart to those Israelites, who fervently hoped and longed for the
coming of the Messias, speaking and discoursing of Him among themselves
many times. They resembled the Author of life, as they were removed from the
riches, vanity and ostentation of the world and far from its diabolical cunning
(John 10, 14). They exhibited in the circumstances of their calling the office,
which the good Shepherd had come to fulfill in knowing his Sheep and being known
to them. Hence they merited to be called and invited, as the first fruits of the
saints by the Savior himself, to be the very first ones, to whom the eternal and
incarnate Word manifested Himself and by whom He wished to be praised, served
and adored. Hence the archangel Gabriel was sent to them as they watched on the
field, appearing to them in human form and with great splendor.
The shepherds found themselves suddenly enveloped and bathed
in the celestial radiance of the angel, and at his sight, being little versed in
such visions, they were filled with great fear. The holy prince reassured
them and said: "Ye upright men, be not afraid: for I announce to you
tidings of great joy, which is, that for you is born today the Redeemer Christ,
our Lord, in the city of David. And as a sign of this truth, I announce to you,
that you shall find the Infant wrapped in swaddling-clothes and placed in a
manger" (Luke 2, 10, 12). At these words of the angel, suddenly
appeared a great multitude of the celestial army, who in voices of sweet harmony
sang to the Most High these words: "Glory to God in the highest and on
earth peace to men of good will." Rehearsing this divine canticle, so new
to the world, the holy angels disappeared. All this happened in the fourth watch
of the night. By this angelic vision the humble and fortunate shepherds were
filled with divine enlightenment and were unanimously impelled by a fervent
longing to make certain of this blessing and to witness with their own eyes the
most high mystery of which they had been informed.
The signs which the holy angels had indicated to them did not
seem appropriate or proportioned for attesting the greatness of the Newborn to
eyes of the flesh. For to lie in a manger and to be wrapped in
swaddling-clothes, would not have been convincing proof of the majesty of a
king, if these shepherds had not been illumined by divine light and been enabled
to penetrate the mystery. As they were free from the arrogant wisdom of the
world, they were easily made proficient in the divine wisdom. Conferring among
themselves the thoughts excited by this message, they resolved to hasten in all
speed to Bethlehem and see the wonder made known to them by the Lord. They
departed without delay and entering the cave or portal, they found, as saint
Luke tells us, Mary and Joseph, and the Infant lying in a manger. Seeing all
this they recognized the truth of what they had heard of the Child. Upon this
followed an interior enlightenment consequent upon seeing the Word made flesh;
for when the shepherds looked upon Him. He also glanced at them, emitting from
his countenance a great effulgence, which wounded with love the sincere heart of
each of these poor yet fortunate men; with divine efficiency it changed them and
renewed them, constituting them in a new state of grace and holiness and filling
them with an exalted knowledge of the divine mysteries of the Incarnation and
the Redemption of the human race.
Prostrating themselves on the earth they adored the Word made
flesh. Not any more as ignorant rustics, but as wise and prudent men they adored
Him, acknowledged and magnified him as true God and man, as Restorer and
Redeemer of the human race. The heavenly Lady and Mother of the Child took
notice of all that they did interiorly and exteriorly; for She saw into their
inmost hearts. In highest wisdom and prudence She preserved the memory of all
these happenings and pondered them in her soul, (Luke 2, 19), comparing them
with the other mysteries therein contained and with the holy prophecies and
sayings of the Scriptures. As She was then the organ of the holy Spirit and the
representative of the Infant, She spoke to the shepherds, instructing and
exhorting them to persevere in divine love and in the service of the Most High.
They also conversed with Her on their part and showed by their answers
that they understood many of the mysteries. They remained in the cave from the
beginning of dawn until mid-day, when, having given them something to eat, our
great Queen sent them off full of heavenly grace and consolation.
When for the first time She placed the infant God in his
arms, the most holy Mary said to him: "My husband and my helper, receive in
thy arms the Creator of heaven and earth and enjoy his amiable and sweet
company, in order that my Lord and my God may be delighted and recompensed by
thy faithful services (Prov. 8, 31). Take to thyself the Treasure of the eternal
Father and participate in this blessing of the human race." And speaking
interiorly to the divine Infant, She said: "Sweetest Love of my soul and
Light of my eyes, rest in the arms of Joseph, my friend and spouse: do thou hold
sweet companionship with him and pardon me my shortcomings. Much do I feel the
loss of Thee even for one instant, but I wish to communicate without envy the
good I have received, to all that are worthy" (Wis. 7, 13). Her most
faithful husband, acknowledging this new blessing, humbled himself to the earth
and answered: "Lady and Sovereign of the world, my Spouse, how can I, being
so unworthy, presume to hold in my arms God himself, in whose presence tremble
the pillars of heaven? (Job 26, 11). How can this vile wormlet have courage to
accept such an exalted favor? I am but dust and ashes, but do Thou, Lady, assist
me in my lowliness and ask his Majesty to look upon me with clemency and make me
worthy through his grace."
His desire of holding the infant God and his reverential fear
of Him caused in saint Joseph heroic acts of love, of faith, of humility and
profoundest reverence. Trembling with discreet fear He fell on his knees to
receive Him from the hands of his most holy Mother, while sweetest tears of joy
and delight copiously flowed from his eyes at a happiness so extraordinary. The
divine Infant looked at him caressingly and at the same time renewed his inmost
soul with such divine efficacy as no words will suffice to explain. He broke out
in new canticles of praise at seeing himself thus enriched with such magnificent
blessings and favors. After having for some time enjoyed in spirit the sweetest
effects of holding in his arms the Lord, who contains heaven and earth (Is. 40,
12), He replaced him into the arms of his fortunate Mother, both of them being
on their knees in receiving and giving Him. Similar reverence the most prudent
Mother observed every time She took Him up or relinquished Him, in which also
Joseph imitated Her, as often as it was his happy lot to hold the incarnate
Word. When they approached his Majesty, they also made three genuflections,
kissing the earth and exciting heroic acts of humility, worship and reverence.
Thus both the great Queen and the blessed Joseph observed all propriety in
receiving or giving the Child from and to one another.
From the moment the most prudent Virgin found Herself chosen
as the Mother of the divine Word, She began to ponder upon the labors and
sufferings in store for her sweetest Son. As her knowledge of Scripture was
profound, She understood all the mysteries contained therein and She began to
foresee and prepare with incomparable compassion for all that He was to suffer
for the Redemption of Man. This sorrow, foreseen and expected with such a full
knowledge of details, was a prolonged martyrdom for the most meek Mother of the
sacrificial Lamb of God (Jer. 11, 19). But in regard to the Circumcision, which
was to take place after the birth of the Child, the heavenly Lady had received
no command or intimation of the will of the eternal Father. This uncertainty
excited the loving solicitude and sweet plaints of the tender and affectionate
Mother. Her prudent foresight enabled Her to conjecture, that, as her most holy
Son had come to honor and confirm his law by fulfilling it and as He had
moreover come in order to suffer for men, He would be constrained by his burning
love and by other motives to undergo the pains of circumcision.
On the other hand her maternal love and compassion longed to
exempt her sweet Child if possible, from this suffering; moreover She knew, that
circumcision was a rite instituted for cleansing the newborn children from
original sin, whereas the divine Infant was entirely free from this guilt, not
having contracted it in Adam. In this hesitation between love of her divine Son
and obedience to the eternal Father, the most prudent Virgin practiced many
heroic acts of virtue, unspeakably pleasing to his Majesty. Although She could
have easily escaped this uncertainty by directly asking the Lord what was to be
done; yet, being as humble as She was prudent, She refrained. Neither would She
ask her angels; for with admirable wisdom, She awaited the opportune time and
occasion, assigned by divine Providence for all things, and She would not
presume curiously to search or pry into his decrees by consulting supernatural
sources of information, especially in order to rid Herself of any suffering.
When any grave and doubtful affair arose, in which there was danger of offending
God, or some urgent undertaking for the good of creatures, in which it would be
necessary to know the divine will, She first asked permission to submit her
petition for enlightenment regarding the divine pleasure.
Most holy Mary issued from her prayer and requested saint
Joseph to take the necessary steps for the Circumcision of the divine Infant.
With rarest prudence She avoided telling Him anything of what She had been told
in answer to her prayer. She spoke as if She wished to consult Him or ask his
opinion in regard to the Circumcision, saying that the time appointed by law for
the Circumcision of the Child had arrived and since they had not received any
orders to the contrary, it seemed necessary to comply with it. They themselves,
She said, were more bound to please the Most High, to obey more punctually his
precepts, and to be more zealous in the love and care of his most holy Son than
all the rest of creatures, seeking to fulfill in all things the divine pleasure
in return for his incomparable favors. To these words saint Joseph answered with
the greatest modesty and discretion, saying, that, as no command to the contrary
had been given concerning the Child he wished in all things to conform himself
to the divine will manifested in the common law; that, although as God the
incarnate Word was not subject to the law, yet He was now clothed with our
humanity, and, as a most perfect Teacher and Savior, no doubt wished to conform
with other men in its fulfillment. Then he asked his heavenly Spouse how the
Circumcision was to take place.
The most holy Mary answered, that the Circumcision should be
performed substantially in the same way as it was performed on other children
but that She need not hand him over or consign Him to any other person, but that
She would herself hold Him in her arms. And the delicacy and tenderness of the
Infant would make this ceremony more painful to him than to other children, they
should have at hand the soothing medicine, which was ordinarily applied at
circumcision. Moreover, She requested saint Joseph to procure a crystal or glass
vessel for preserving the sacred relic of the Circumcision of the divine Infant.
In the meanwhile the cautious Mother prepared some linen cloths to catch the
sacred blood, which was now for the first time to be shed for our rescue, so
that not one drop of it might be lost or fall upon the ground. After these
preparations the heavenly Lady asked saint Joseph to inform the priest and
request him to come to the cave where, without the necessity of bringing the
Child to any other place, he might, as a fit and worthy minister of so hidden
and great a sacrament, with his priestly hands perform the rite of the
Circumcision.
Then most holy Mary and Joseph took counsel concerning the
name to be given to the divine Infant in the Circumcision, and the holy spouse
said: "My Lady, when the holy angel of the Most High informed me of this
great sacrament, he also told me that thy most sacred Son should be called
JESUS." The Virgin Mother answered: "This same name was revealed to me
when He assumed flesh in my womb; and thus receiving this name from the Most
High through the mouth of his holy angels, his ministers, it is befitting that
we conform in humble reverence with the hidden and inscrutable judgments of his
infinite wisdom in conferring it on my Son and Lord, and that we call Him JESUS.
This name we will propose to the priest, for inscription in the register of the
other circumcised children."
While the great Mistress of heaven and saint Joseph thus
conversed with each other, innumerable angels descended in human forms from on
high, clothed in shining white garments, on which were woven red embroideries of
wonderful beauty. They had palms in their hands and crowns upon their heads and
emitted a greater splendor than many suns. In comparison with the beauty of
these holy princes all the loveliness seen in this world appeared repulsive. But
pre-eminent in splendor were the devices or escutcheons on their breasts, at
each of which the sweet name of Jesus was engraved or embossed. The effulgence
which each of these escutcheons exceeded that of all the angels together, and
the variety of the beauty thus exhibited in this great multitude was so rare and
exquisite as neither human tongue can express nor human imagination ever
compass. The holy angels divided into two choirs in the cave, keeping their gaze
fixed upon the King and Lord in the arms of his virginal Mother. The chiefs of
these heavenly cohorts were the two princes, saint Michael and saint Gabriel,
shining in greater splendor than the rest and bearing in their hands, as a
special distinction, the most holy name of JESUS, written in larger letters on
something like cards of incomparable beauty and splendor.
The two princes presented themselves apart from the rest
before their Queen and said: "Lady, this is the name of thy Son (Matth. 1,
21), which was written in the mind of God from all eternity and which the
blessed Trinity has given to thy Onlybegotten Son and our Lord as the signal of
salvation for the whole human race; establishing Him at the same time on the
throne David. He shall reign upon it, chastise his enemies and triumph over
them, making them his footstool and passing judgment upon them; He shall raise
his friends to the glory of his right hand. But all this is to happen at the
cost of suffering and blood; and even now He is to shed it in receiving this
name, since it is that of the Savior and Redeemer; it shall be the beginning of
his sufferings in obedience to the will of his eternal Father. We all are come
as ministering spirits of the Most High, appointed and sent by the holy Trinity
in order to serve the Onlybegotten of the Father and thy own in all the
mysteries and sacraments of the law of grace. We are to accompany Him and
minister to Him until He shall ascend triumphantly to the celestial Jerusalem
and open the portals of heaven; afterwards we shall enjoy an especial accidental
glory beyond that of the other blessed, to whom no such commission has been
given." All this was witnessed by the most fortunate spouse Joseph
conjointly with the Queen of heaven; but his understanding of these happenings
was not so deep as hers, for the Mother of wisdom understood and comprehended
the highest mysteries of the Redemption. Although saint Joseph understood many
more mysteries than other mortals, yet he did not penetrate them in the same way
as his heavenly Spouse. Both of them, however, were full of heavenly joy and
admiration, and extolled the Lord in new canticles of glory. All that they
experienced in these various and wonderful events surpasses human language, and
certainly my own powers, and I cannot find adequate words for expressing my
conceptions.
The priest came to the gates or cave of the Nativity, where
the incarnate Word, resting in the arms of his Virgin Mother, awaited him. With
the priest came also two other officials, who were to render such assistance as
was customary at the performance of the rite. The rudeness of the dwelling at
first astonished and somewhat disconcerted the priest. But the most prudent
Queen spoke to him and welcomed him with such modesty and grace that his
constraint soon changed into devotion and into admiration at the composure and
noblest majesty of the Mother; and without knowing the cause he was moved to
reverence and esteem for such an unusual personage. When the priest looked upon
the face of Mary and of the Child in her arms he was filled with great devotion
and tenderness, wondering at the contrast exhibited amid such poverty and in a
place so lowly and despised. The priest thereupon proceeded to his duty and
circumcised the Child, the true God and man. At the same time the Son of God,
with immeasurable love, offered up to the eternal Father three sacrifices of so
great value that each one would have been sufficient for the Redemption of a
thousand worlds. The first was that He, being innocent and the Son of the true
God, assumed the condition of a sinner (Phil. 2, 7) by subjecting Himself to a
rite instituted as a remedy for original sin, and to a law not binding on Him
(II Cor. 5, 21). The second was his willingness to suffer the pains of
circumcision, which He felt as a true and perfect man. The third was the most
ardent love with which He began shed his blood for the human race, giving thanks
to eternal Father for having given Him a human nature capable of suffering for
his exaltation and glory.
This prayerful sacrifice of JESUS our Savior the Father
accepted, and, according to our way of speaking, He began to declare Himself
satisfied and paid for the indebtedness of humanity. The incarnate Word offered
these first fruits of his blood as pledges that He would give it all in order to
consummate the Redemption and extinguish the debt of the sons of Adam. All these
interior acts and movements of the Onlybegotten his most holy Mother perceived,
and in her heavenly wisdom She penetrated the mystery of this sacrament, acting
as his Mother and in concert with Her Son and Lord in all He was doing and
suffering. True to his human nature, the divine Infant shed tears as other
children. Although the pains caused by the wounding were most severe, as well on
account of the delicacy of his body as on account of the coarseness of the
knife, which was made of flint, yet his tears were caused not so much by the
sensible pain as by the supernatural sorrow caused by his knowledge of the
hard-heartedness of mortals. For this was more rude and unyielding than the
flint, resisting his sweetest love and the divine fire He had come to enkindle
in the world and in the hearts of the faithful (Luke 12, 49). Also the tender
and affectionate Mother wept, like the guileless sheep, which raises its voice
in unison with the innocent lamb. In reciprocal love and compassion the Child
clung to his Mother, while She sweetly caressed Him at her virginal breast and
caught the sacred relics and the falling blood in the towel.
In the meanwhile the priest asked the parents what name they
wished to give to the Child in Circumcision; the great Lady, always attentive to
honor her spouse, asked saint Joseph to mention the name. Saint Joseph turned
toward Her in like reverence and gave Her to understand that He thought it
proper this sweet name should first flow from her mouth. Therefore, by divine
interference, both Mary and Joseph said at the same time; "JESUS is his
name." The priest answered: "The parents are unanimously agreed, and
great is the name which they give to the Child"; and thereupon he inscribed
it in the tablet or register of names of the rest of the children. While writing
it the priest felt great interior movements, so that he shed copious tears; and
wondering at what he felt yet not being able to account for, he said: "I am
convinced that this Child is to be a great Prophet of the Lord. Have great care
in raising Him, and tell me in what I can relieve your needs." Most holy
Mary and Joseph answered the priest with humble gratitude and dismissed him
after offering him the gift of some candles and other articles.
Being again left alone with the Child, most holy Mary and
Joseph celebrated anew the mystery of the Circumcision, commenting on the holy
name of JESUS amid sweet canticles and tears of joy, the fuller knowledge of
which (as also of other mysteries which I have mentioned) is reserved as an
additional accidental glory to the saints in heaven. The most prudent Mother
applied to the wound caused by the knife such medicines as were wont to be used
on such occasions for other children, and during the time while the pain and the
healing lasted She would not for a moment part with holding Him in her arms day
and night. The tender love of the heavenly Mother is beyond all comprehension or
understanding of man; for her natural love was greater than any other mother was
capable of, and her supernatural love exceeded that of all the angels and saints
together. Her reverence and worship cannot be compared with that of any other
created being. These were the delights of the incarnate Word (Prov. 8, 31),
which He desired and longed for among the children of men; and this was the
recompense, which his loving heart drew from the exceeding sanctity of the
Virgin Mother for the sorrows occasioned Him by their behavior.
WORDS OF THE QUEEN. (The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of
Agreda, Spain.)
My daughter, I wish thee to consider attentively the blessed
favor conferred upon thee by being informed of the solicitous care and
attention which I lavished upon my most holy and sweetest Son in the mysteries
just now described. The Most High does not give thee this special light in order
only to be regaled by the knowledge of these mysteries; but in order to
imitate me in all these things as a faithful handmaid and in order to
distinguish thyself in rendering thanks for his works in the same measure as
thou art distinguished in knowing them more fully. Ponder, then, dearest, upon
the small return given for the love of my Son and Lord by mortals, and how
forgetful of thanks even his faithful continue to be. Assume it as thy task, as
far as thy weak powers allow, to render satisfaction for this grievous offense:
loving Him, thanking Him and serving Him with all thy powers, for all the other
men who fail to do so. Therefore thou must be an angel in promptitude, most
fervent and punctual on all occasions; thou must die to all earthly things,
eliminating and crushing all human inclinations and rising upon the wings of
love to the heights of love designed for thee by the Lord.
Thou art not ignorant of the sweet efficacy contained in the
memory of the works performed by my most holy Son: and although thou canst so
copiously avail thyself of the light given thee to be thankful: yet, in order
that thou mayest fear so much the more the danger of forgetfulness, I
particularly inform thee that the saints in heaven, comprehending by the divine
light these mysteries, are astonished at themselves for not having paid more
attention to them during their life. And if they were capable of pain, they
would be deeply grieved for their tardiness and carelessness in not having set
proper value upon the works for the Redemption, and for failing in the imitation
of Christ. All the angels and saints, by an insight hidden to mortals, wonder at
the cruelty of human hearts against themselves and against Christ their
Redeemer. Men have compassion neither for the sufferings of the Lord, nor for
the sufferings they themselves stand in danger of incurring. When the foreknown,
in unending bitterness shall recognize their dreadful forgetfulness and their
indifference to the works of Christ their Savior, their confusion and despair
will be an intolerable punishment, and it alone will be a chastisement beyond
all imagination; for they will then see the copiousness of the Redemption, which
they have despised (Ps. 44, 11). Hear me, my daughter, and bend thy ears to
these counsels and doctrines of eternal life. Cast out from thy faculties every
image and affection toward human creatures and turn all the powers of thy heart
and soul toward the mysteries and blessings of the Redemption. Occupy thyself
wholly with them, ponder and weigh them, give thanks for them as if thou alone
wert in existence, as if they had been wrought solely for thee, and singly for
each human being in particular (Gal. 2, 20). Thus thou wilt find life and the
way of life, proceeding thus thou canst not err; but thou shalt find therein the
light of thy eyes and true peace.
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Today's Snippet II:
Book 4, Chapter 6
The Mystical City of God, The Divine History and
Life of The Virgin Mother of God
THE ADORATION OF THE MAGI.
The three Magi Kings, who came to find the divine Infant
after his birth, were natives of Persia, Arabia and Sabba (Ps. 71, 10),
countries to the east of Palestine. Their coming was prophesied especially by
David, and before him, by Balaam, who, having been hired by Balaac, king of the
Moabites, to curse the Israelites, blessed them instead (Numb. 24, 17). In this
blessing Balaam said, that he would see the King Christ, although not at once,
and that he would behold Him, although not present; for he did not see Him with
his own eyes, but through the Magi, his descendants many centuries after. He
said, also, that a star would arise unto Jacob, which was Christ, who arose to
reign forever in the house of Jacob (Luke 1, 32).
At the same time the holy angel, who had brought the news
from Bethlehem to the kings, formed of the material air a most resplendent star,
although not so large as those of the firmament; for it was not to ascend higher
than was necessary for the purpose of its formation. It took its course through
the atmospheric regions in order to guide and direct the holy Kings to the cave,
where the Child awaited them. Its splendor was of a different kind from that of
the sun and the other stars; with its most beautiful light it illumined the
night like a brilliant torch, and it mingled its own most active brilliancy with
that of the sun by day. On coming out of their palaces each one of the kings saw
this new star (Matth. 2, 2) although each from a different standpoint, because
it was only one star and it was placed in such distance and height that it could
be seen by each one at the same time. As the three of them followed the guidance
of this miraculous star, they soon met. Thereupon it immediately approached them
much more closely, descending through many shifts of the aerial space and
rejoicing them by shedding its refulgence over them at closer range. They began
to confer among themselves about the revelation they had received and
about their plans, finding that they were identical. They were more and more
inflamed with devotion and with the pious desire of adoring the newborn
God, and broke out in praise and admiration at the inscrutable works and
mysteries of the Almighty.
The heavenly Mother awaited the pious and devout kings,
standing with the Child in her arms. Amid the humble and poor
surroundings of the cave, in incomparable modesty and beauty, She exhibited at
same time a majesty more than human, the light of heaven shining in her
countenance. Still more visible was this light in the Child, shedding through
the cavern effulgent splendor, which made it like a heaven. The three kings of
the East entered and at the first sight of the Son and Mother they were for
a considerable space of time overwhelmed with wonder. They prostrated themselves
upon the earth, and in this position they worshiped and adored the Infant,
acknowledging Him as the true God and man, and as the Savior of the human race.
By the divine power, which the sight of Him and his presence exerted in their
souls, they were filled with new enlightenment. They perceived the multitude of
angelic spirits, who as servants and ministers of the King of kings and
Lord of lords attended upon him in reverential fear (Heb. 1, 4). Arising,
they congratulated their and our Queen as Mother of the Son of the eternal
Father; and they approached to reverence Her on their knees. They sought her
hand in order to kiss it, as they were accustomed to do to their queens in their
countries. But the most prudent Lady withdrew her hand, and offered instead that
of the Redeemer of the world, saying: "My spirit rejoices in the Lord and
my soul blesses and extols Him; because among all the nations He has called and
selected you to look upon and behold that which many kings and prophets have in
vain desired to see, namely, Him who is the eternal Word incarnate (Luke 10,
24). Let us extol and praise his name on account of the sacraments and mysteries
wrought among his people; let us kiss the earth which He sanctifies by his real
presence."
At these words of most holy Mary the three kings humiliated
themselves anew, adoring the infant Jesus; they acknowledged the great blessings
of living in the time when the Sun of justice was arising in order to illumine
the darkness (Malachy 4, 2). Thereupon they spoke to saint Joseph,
congratulating him and extolling his good fortune in being chosen as the spouse
of the Mother of God; and they expressed wonder and compassion at the great
poverty, beneath which were hidden the greatest mysteries of heaven and earth.
Thereupon the three kings consumed three hours, and then the kings asked
permission of most holy Mary to go to the city in order to seek a lodging, as
they could find no room for themselves in the cave. Some people had accompanied
them; but the Magi alone participated in the light and the grace of this visit.
The others took notice merely of what passed exteriorly, and witnessed only the
destitute and neglected condition of the Mother and her husband. Though
wondering at the strange event, they perceived nothing of its mystery. The Magi
took leave and departed, while most holy Mary and Joseph, being again alone with
their Child, glorified his Majesty with new songs of praise, because his name
was beginning to be known and adored among the Gentiles (Ps. 85, 9). What else
the three wise men did will be related in the following chapter.
From the grotto of the Nativity, into which the three Kings
had entered directly on their way to Jerusalem, they betook themselves to a
lodging inside of the town of Bethlehem. They retired to a room where, in an
abundance of affectionate tears and aspirations, they spent the greater part of
the night, speaking of what they had seen, of the feelings and affections
aroused in each, and of what each had noticed for himself in the divine Child
and his Mother. During this conference they were more and more inflamed with
divine love, amazed at the majesty and divine effulgence of the Infant Jesus at
the prudence, modesty and reserve of his Mother; at the holiness of her spouse
Joseph, and the poverty of all three; at the humbleness of the place, where the
Lord of heaven and earth had wished to be born. The devout kings felt a divine
fire, which flamed up in their hearts, and, not being able to restrain
themselves, they broke out into exclamations of sweet affection and acts of
great reverence and love. "What is this that we feel?" they said.
"What influence of this great King is it that moves us to such desires and
affections? After this, how shall we converse with men? What can we do, who have
been instructed in such new, hidden and supernatural mysteries? O greatness of
his Omnipotence unknown to men and concealed beneath so much poverty! O humility
unimaginable for mortals! Would that all be drawn to it, in order that they may
not be deprived of such happiness!"
During these divine colloquies the Magi remembered the dire
destitution of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in their cave, and they resolved
immediately to send them some gifts in order to show their affection and to
satisfy their desire of serving them, since they could not do anything else for
them. They sent through their servants many of the presents, which they had
already set aside for them, and others which they could procure. Most holy Mary
and Joseph received these gifts with humble acknowledgment and they made a
return not of emptyworded thanks, as other men are apt to make, but many
efficacious blessings for the spiritual consolation of the three Kings. These
gifts enabled our great Queen to prepare for her ordinary guests, the poor, an
abundant repast; for the needy ones were accustomed to receive alms from Her,
and, attracted still more by her sweet words, were wont to come and visit Her.
The Kings went to rest full of incomparable joy in the Lord; and in their
sleep the angels advised them as to their journey homeward.
On the following day at dawn they returned to the cave of the
Nativity in order to offer to the heavenly King the special gifts which they had
provided. Arriving they prostrated themselves anew in profound humility; and
opening their treasures, as Scripture relates, they offered Him gold, incense
and myrrh (Matth. 2, 11). They consulted the heavenly Mother in
regard to many mysteries and practices of faith, and concerning matters
pertaining to their consciences and to the government of their countries; for
they wished to return well instructed and capable of directing themselves to
holiness and perfection in their daily life. The great Lady heard them with
exceeding pleasure and She conferred interiorly with the divine Infant
concerning all that they had asked, in order to answer and properly to instruct
these sons of the new Law. As a Teacher and an instrument of divine wisdom She
answered all their questions, giving them such high precepts of sanctity that
they could scarcely part from her on account of the sweetness and attraction of
her words. However, an angel of the Lord appeared to them, reminding them of the
necessity and of the will of the Lord that they should return to their country.
No wonder that her words should so deeply affect these Kings; for all her words
were inspired by the holy Spirit and full of infused science regarding all that
they had inquired and many other matters.
The heavenly Mother received the gifts of the Kings and in
their name offered them to the Infant Jesus. His Majesty showed by signs of
highest pleasure, that He accepted their gifts: they themselves became aware of
the exalted and heavenly blessings with which He repaid them more than a
hundredfold (Matth. 19, 29). According to the custom of their country they also
offered to the heavenly Princess some gems of great value; but because these
gifts had no mysterious signification and referred not to Jesus, She returned
them to the Kings, reserving only the gifts of gold, incense and myrrh. In order
to send them away more rejoiced, She gave them some of the clothes in which She
had wrapped the infant God; for She neither had nor could have had any greater
visible pledges of esteem with which to enrich them at their departure. The
three Kings received these relics with such reverence and esteem that they
encased them in gold and precious stones in order to keep them ever after. As a
proof of their value these relics spread about such a copious fragrance that
they revealed their presence a league in circumference. However, only those who
believed in the coming of God into the world were able to perceive it; while the
incredulous perceived none of the fragrance emitted by the relics. In their own
countries the Magi performed great miracles with these relics.
The holy Kings also offered their property and possession to
the Mother of the sweetest Jesus, or, if She did not wish to accept of them and
preferred to live in this place, where her most holy Son had been born, they
would build Her a house, wherein She could live more comfortably. The most
prudent Mother thanked them for their offers without accepting them. On taking
leave of Her, the three Kings besought Her from their inmost hearts not to
forget them, which She promised and fulfilled in the same way they asked of
saint Joseph. With the blessing of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, they departed, so
moved by tenderest affection that it seemed to them they had left their hearts
all melted into sighs and tears in that place. They chose another way for their
return journey, in order not to meet Herod in Jerusalem; for thus they had been
instructed by the angel on the preceding night. On their departure from
Bethlehem the same or a similar star appeared in order to guide them home,
conducting them on their new route to the place where they had first met, whence
each one separated to reach his own country.
WORDS OF THE QUEEN. (The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of
Agreda, Spain.)
My daughter, great were the gifts which the Kings offered to
my most holy Son; but greater still was the affection with which they offered
them and the mystery concealed beneath them. On account of all this they were
most acceptable to his Majesty. I wish that thou also offer up similar gifts,
thanking him for having made thee poor in condition and profession. For I assure
thee, my dearest, there is no more acceptable gift to the Most High than
voluntary poverty. There are very few in the world in our days who use well the
temporal riches and offer them to their God and Lord with the generosity and
love of these holy Kings. The poor of the Lord, so numerous in our day,
experience and give witness how cruel and avaricious human nature has become;
since in their great necessities thley are so little succored by the rich. This
gross uncharitableness of men offends the holy angels and grieves the Holy
Ghost, since they are bound to witness the nobility of the souls so degraded and
abased in the service of vile greed of gold with all its evil powers (Eccles.
10, 20). As if all things had been created for the individual use of the rich,
they appropriate them to themselves and deprive the poor, their brothers
springing from the same nature and flesh; and denying them even to God, who
created and preserves all things, and who can give or take at will. It is most
lamentable that while the rich might purchase eternal life with their
possessions, they abuse them to draw upon themselves damnation as senseless and
foolish creatures (Luke 14, 9).
This evil is common among the children of Adam and therefore
voluntary poverty is so excellent and safe a remedy. By it, making man willing
to part joyfully with his possessions for the sake of the poor, a great
sacrifice is offered to the Lord. Thou also canst make such an offering of the
things necessary for sustenance, giving a part of it to the poor and desiring,
if it were possible by thy labor and sweat, to help all of them. Thy ceaseless
offer, however, must be love, which is the gold; continual prayer, which is the
incense; and the patient acceptance of labors and true mortifications, which is
the myrrh. All that thou dost for the Lord, thou should offer up to Him with
fervent affection and promptitude, without negligence or fear; for negligent
works, and those not enlivened by love, are not an acceptable sacrifice in the
eyes of his Majesty. In order to make those incessant offerings, it is necessary
that divine faith and light continually inflame thy heart, having before thy
eyes the great object of thy praise and exaltation, and the stimulus of love, by
which thou art bound to the right hand of the Most High. Thus shouldst thou
continue incessantly in this sweet exercise of love, so proper to the spouses of
his Majesty; for their name implies such a continual payment of the debt of love
and affection.
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