“Forgive Us Our Debts”
1. When we have asked God for nourishment for soul and body, we go on
to implore forgiveness for our debts, whether they have been contracted
in the course of nature, or of grace, or of sin. We owe everything to
God. There was a time when we did not exist, and in His divine
omnipotence He created us from nothing. Our bodily powers and spiritual
faculties are His gifts to us. If we
enjoy health, it is He Who has given it to us. If we have any ability,
it comes from Him. Anything which we have been able to achieve as the
result of mental or manual labour has been made possible by His help.
Who is it but God Who rescues us from the many perils which surround
us? Who but He enables us to overcome so many difficulties? How many
times we should have died if He had not sustained us!
Let us
think back over our past lives. How much reason we have to be grateful
to God, Who has watched over us continually like a loving Father. The
conservation of life is a continuous act of creation. When we recite the
Pater Noster, therefore, we should express our filial gratitude to God
and ask for His continued protection. Every moment of life is a new gift
of God and an act of His infinite love in our regard. Let us be
grateful and love Him generously in return.
2. Over and above
these natural debts, we are also indebted to God for His grace. Not only
has God created us, but He has also raised us to the supernatural
order. By His grace He has made us His friends and His adopted children.
As a result of original sin we lost this supernatural life and were
unable to regain it by our own efforts.
God was moved with
compassion for us, however, and sent His own divine Son to sacrifice
Himself for love of us in order to redeem us and to restore to us the
supernatural life of the soul. We are greatly indebted in the
supernatural order, therefore, to our Creator and our Redeemer. The only
way in which we can adequately satisfy our obligation is by offering up
the infinite merits of Jesus Christ.
We have been born,
moreover, in the Catholic Church and have received a Christian
education. God has always been close to us with His Sacraments. By means
of Baptism He caused us to be born again to a life of grace. Whenever
we fell, He raised us up again through the Sacrament of Penance, and
when we were weak and faltering He nourished us with His Eucharistic
food. Let us adore Him and acknowledge that we can never thank Him
enough for all that He has done for us. That is why we need to repeat
time and time again: Forgive us our debts.
3. Finally, we owe
God a great deal on account of our sins. Unfortunately, our only return
for God’s continual favours has been negligence, ingratitude, and sin.
How many failings we have been guilty of throughout our lives. Since it
is an offence against God, Who is infinitely good and amiable, even
venial sin cannot properly be atoned for by the merits of all the Angels
and of all the Saints of Heaven. Therefore it was necessary for the Son
of God made man to offer Himself as a victim of expiation on our
behalf.
Remembering His infinite merits, we should humbly ask
God: Forgive us our debts, that is, our many sins and failings and
whatever punishment is owing to us, for every sin demands some expiation
either in this life or in the next. Meanwhile, we should accept with
resignation all the sufferings which God sends us in reparation for our
sins, and we should promise never to offend Him any more.
Monday, 27 October 2014
Our Daily Bread - Cardinal Bacci
Our Daily Bread
1. In the Pater Noster Jesus instructs us to ask for our daily bread – that is, for sufficient bread for today, not for tomorrow. In this way He warns us not to be too preoccupied with the future, but to trust in Providence and accept from God’s hands from day to day whatever is necessary for us. God is our Father and loves us as His children. Knowing this, why should we worry about the future?
We are in the hands of God, Who looks after all His children. Let us entrust ourselves completely to His care. This does not mean that we should indulge in any kind of fatalism, expecting everything from God and doing nothing ourselves. We cannot and should not expect unnecessary miracles. We are under an obligation to work, because work is the result of, and the punishment for, sin. It enables us to co-operate with God in His work of creation and has been ennobled and sanctified by Jesus Christ, Who chose to be “the carpenter’s son,” (Mt. 13:55) and a carpenter Himself. (Cf. Mk. 6:3) We should work, therefore, but should not worry.
When we have done everything of which we are capable, we should leave the rest to Divine Providence.
We should not desire, moreover, to accumulate riches which, as the Gospel warns us, often turn out to be thorns which choke us (Cf. Luke 8:14) and halt our progress towards God. We should desire instead the true spiritual riches, namely, divine grace and virtue. We should be prepared to expend all our energy in order to acquire these. If material wealth comes our way, however, it is not necessary to reject it. Evangelical poverty is not a command, but simply a counsel of perfection. As long as we use it well and do not become too attached to it, wealth can be an instrument of virtue and powerful means of doing good. (Cf. St. Thomas, Contra Gentiles, III, 134)
2. We can find this teaching which is contained in these words of the “Our Father” in another section of the Gospel, where Jesus tells us not to ask for riches and not to hoard goods for the future, but to pray and work from day to day for our daily needs. “Do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat, nor yet for your body, what you shall put on… Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them… Consider how the lilies of the fields grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which flourishes today but tomorrow is thrown in the oven, how much more you, O you… you of little faith! … Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow; for tomorrow will have anxieties of its own. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Cf. Mt. 6:25-34)
3. When we pray to God to give us our daily bread, we should remember this beautiful sermon of Christ, which will remove all our anxiety and worldly worry. As long as we are prepared to do our work, we shall obtain our daily bread from our loving Father and shall receive in addition spiritual peace, confidence, and perfect resignation to His holy will.
1. In the Pater Noster Jesus instructs us to ask for our daily bread – that is, for sufficient bread for today, not for tomorrow. In this way He warns us not to be too preoccupied with the future, but to trust in Providence and accept from God’s hands from day to day whatever is necessary for us. God is our Father and loves us as His children. Knowing this, why should we worry about the future?
We are in the hands of God, Who looks after all His children. Let us entrust ourselves completely to His care. This does not mean that we should indulge in any kind of fatalism, expecting everything from God and doing nothing ourselves. We cannot and should not expect unnecessary miracles. We are under an obligation to work, because work is the result of, and the punishment for, sin. It enables us to co-operate with God in His work of creation and has been ennobled and sanctified by Jesus Christ, Who chose to be “the carpenter’s son,” (Mt. 13:55) and a carpenter Himself. (Cf. Mk. 6:3) We should work, therefore, but should not worry.
When we have done everything of which we are capable, we should leave the rest to Divine Providence.
We should not desire, moreover, to accumulate riches which, as the Gospel warns us, often turn out to be thorns which choke us (Cf. Luke 8:14) and halt our progress towards God. We should desire instead the true spiritual riches, namely, divine grace and virtue. We should be prepared to expend all our energy in order to acquire these. If material wealth comes our way, however, it is not necessary to reject it. Evangelical poverty is not a command, but simply a counsel of perfection. As long as we use it well and do not become too attached to it, wealth can be an instrument of virtue and powerful means of doing good. (Cf. St. Thomas, Contra Gentiles, III, 134)
2. We can find this teaching which is contained in these words of the “Our Father” in another section of the Gospel, where Jesus tells us not to ask for riches and not to hoard goods for the future, but to pray and work from day to day for our daily needs. “Do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat, nor yet for your body, what you shall put on… Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them… Consider how the lilies of the fields grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which flourishes today but tomorrow is thrown in the oven, how much more you, O you… you of little faith! … Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow; for tomorrow will have anxieties of its own. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Cf. Mt. 6:25-34)
3. When we pray to God to give us our daily bread, we should remember this beautiful sermon of Christ, which will remove all our anxiety and worldly worry. As long as we are prepared to do our work, we shall obtain our daily bread from our loving Father and shall receive in addition spiritual peace, confidence, and perfect resignation to His holy will.
“Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread” - Cardinal Bacci
“Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread”
1. In the second part of the Lord’s Prayer we ask the universal Father, on behalf of ourselves and of our brethren, for all things necessary for soul and body. Since we have already paid homage to God, our Creator and our Redeemer, and have prayed for the triumph of His kingdom and for the accomplishment of His will in Heaven and on earth, Our Lord does not forbid us to think now of ourselves and to pray for our own needs. “Give us this day our daily bread,” we ask, intending to pray both for our spiritual and material requirements.
We should not delude ourselves into imagining that it is we who produce the fruits of the earth. A grain of wheat dies beneath the soil, but God has infused into it a mysterious force as a result of which, in dying, it generates new life.
The moisture of the soil, the warmth of the air, and the light of the sun combine to develop this mysterious life-force, which produces the green stalk and then the flaxen ear of corn which provides us with bread. It is God Who has given this vital power to this tiny seed, as well as to all the other seeds of the soil. It is He Who has endowed the soil with the nutritive elements from which the seeds draw life, and it is He Who sends the dew, the rain, and the sunshine, which cause the flowers to blossom and the plants to bear fruit.
We should ask God humbly, therefore, to “give us this day our daily bread.” Our own labours would be futile without the intervention of the all-powerful Creator. We are capable neither of producing nor of destroying a single atom nor a single seedling. Without God we are incapable of achieving anything either in the natural or in the supernatural order. Therefore we must ask Him to provide us with what we need. He is supremely good and loves us very much. His Providence will not leave us in want, even if we are often obliged to work hard in co-operation with Him to procure the necessaries of life. The birds have no granary, yet they manage to find enough seed to keep them alive because God is watching over them. How could we suppose that He will not look after us if we turn to Him with trust and perseverance?
2. Note that each one of us prays for “our daily bread,” not for “my daily bread.” We should not ask only for our own requirements, but for those of all our fellow-men as well.
There are many poverty-stricken people for whom bread is very scarce. We should pray especially for them and should be prepared to share our bread with those who have none. Both charity and justice demand this of us. Let us ask, moreover, only for our necessary requirements, not for wealth and luxury. Anything superfluous which we possess does not belong to us, but to the poor. “Give that which remains,” the Gospel commands, “as alms.” (Luke 11:41) Let us remember that, whether we are rich or poor, we are all one great family. Our love for one another should not be merely theoretical, but practical; otherwise we are not sincere Christians.
3. We should not ask only for food for the body, but for spiritual nourishment. “Not by bread alone does man live,” says Holy Scripture, “but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” (Mt. 4:4; cf. Deut. 8:3) The soul must be nourished as well as the body, for it has its own life which is worn away by the daily conflict against sinful inclinations and by the constant struggle to achieve sanctity. It needs to be nourished by the word of God, by His grace, and especially by receiving the Author of grace frequently in Holy Communion. We should ask before anything else for the grace of God and for the true bread of life which descends from Heaven. “Whoever eats this bread will live forever.” Let us ask for this life-giving bread for ourselves and for our unfortunate brothers who are living apart from Jesus in a state of spiritual death. May daily Communion become once more the inexhaustible source of the spiritual life and of Christian virtue which it was in the early days of the Church.
1. In the second part of the Lord’s Prayer we ask the universal Father, on behalf of ourselves and of our brethren, for all things necessary for soul and body. Since we have already paid homage to God, our Creator and our Redeemer, and have prayed for the triumph of His kingdom and for the accomplishment of His will in Heaven and on earth, Our Lord does not forbid us to think now of ourselves and to pray for our own needs. “Give us this day our daily bread,” we ask, intending to pray both for our spiritual and material requirements.
We should not delude ourselves into imagining that it is we who produce the fruits of the earth. A grain of wheat dies beneath the soil, but God has infused into it a mysterious force as a result of which, in dying, it generates new life.
The moisture of the soil, the warmth of the air, and the light of the sun combine to develop this mysterious life-force, which produces the green stalk and then the flaxen ear of corn which provides us with bread. It is God Who has given this vital power to this tiny seed, as well as to all the other seeds of the soil. It is He Who has endowed the soil with the nutritive elements from which the seeds draw life, and it is He Who sends the dew, the rain, and the sunshine, which cause the flowers to blossom and the plants to bear fruit.
We should ask God humbly, therefore, to “give us this day our daily bread.” Our own labours would be futile without the intervention of the all-powerful Creator. We are capable neither of producing nor of destroying a single atom nor a single seedling. Without God we are incapable of achieving anything either in the natural or in the supernatural order. Therefore we must ask Him to provide us with what we need. He is supremely good and loves us very much. His Providence will not leave us in want, even if we are often obliged to work hard in co-operation with Him to procure the necessaries of life. The birds have no granary, yet they manage to find enough seed to keep them alive because God is watching over them. How could we suppose that He will not look after us if we turn to Him with trust and perseverance?
2. Note that each one of us prays for “our daily bread,” not for “my daily bread.” We should not ask only for our own requirements, but for those of all our fellow-men as well.
There are many poverty-stricken people for whom bread is very scarce. We should pray especially for them and should be prepared to share our bread with those who have none. Both charity and justice demand this of us. Let us ask, moreover, only for our necessary requirements, not for wealth and luxury. Anything superfluous which we possess does not belong to us, but to the poor. “Give that which remains,” the Gospel commands, “as alms.” (Luke 11:41) Let us remember that, whether we are rich or poor, we are all one great family. Our love for one another should not be merely theoretical, but practical; otherwise we are not sincere Christians.
3. We should not ask only for food for the body, but for spiritual nourishment. “Not by bread alone does man live,” says Holy Scripture, “but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” (Mt. 4:4; cf. Deut. 8:3) The soul must be nourished as well as the body, for it has its own life which is worn away by the daily conflict against sinful inclinations and by the constant struggle to achieve sanctity. It needs to be nourished by the word of God, by His grace, and especially by receiving the Author of grace frequently in Holy Communion. We should ask before anything else for the grace of God and for the true bread of life which descends from Heaven. “Whoever eats this bread will live forever.” Let us ask for this life-giving bread for ourselves and for our unfortunate brothers who are living apart from Jesus in a state of spiritual death. May daily Communion become once more the inexhaustible source of the spiritual life and of Christian virtue which it was in the early days of the Church.
The First Part of the “Our Father” - Cardinal Bacci
The First Part of the “Our Father”
1.The Pater Noster, being God’s own composition, is the most perfect of prayers. It covers, moreover, all our obligations and all our needs. It may be divided into two parts, the first of which refers to God, the second to ourselves. We should ask first of all for whatever is important to God, and then for whatever concerns ourselves. This is the command of Jesus. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things shall be given you besides. (Mt. 6:33)
When we have invoked our Father in Heaven we go on to pray: “Hallowed be Thy name.”
Let us think about this. What do we look for first of all when we pray? Is it the glory of God, or is it our own self-interest? Which occupies the principal place in our thoughts, God or our own ego? Let us remember that we have been created for the glory of God. We shall not find happiness unless we seek God’s glory alone, for God is our true welfare.
We must not allow ourselves to become absorbed in insignificant worldly objects, which can never completely satisfy us. Rather must we keep our minds on God. “God alone is sufficient,” said St. Teresa. Without Him there is nothing good within us or around us.
When we say “Hallowed be Thy name,” moreover, we should not only give God’s glory precedence over all our desires, but we should also make an act of reparation for the countless blasphemies by which His name has been injured. How can we remain passive and inert while our Creator and our Redeemer is being continually blasphemed and offended? At the very least we can set against the diabolical insults of many of our fellow-men our own humble and loving prayer: “May Thy name, my God, be blessed and glorified.”
2. Our second ejaculation is: “Thy kingdom come.” It is true that God reigns over Heaven, earth, and the infernal regions. Everything is subject to His will; the sun, the stars, the birds of the air, the fishes of the sea, and the tiniest insects carry out His commands. Even the demons of Hell, who He has condemned to eternal punishment, are obedient to His will. But what about the human race?
Man possesses the precious but dangerous privilege of free will, which he has power to abuse by rebelling against God. We should pray that the sovereignty of God many be triumphant in all hearts, beginning with our own, and that all men may willingly subject themselves to His commandments and to His grace. This is the only way in which they can find peace. “Take my yoke upon you... and you will find rest for your souls.” (Mt. 11:29)
We should pray, moreover, for the Church, which is the kingdom of God on earth. We should pray for her peaceful victory over her enemies, who persecute her and impede her work for the salvation of souls. We should love the Church even as we love Jesus Christ, for the Church is His handiwork and the fruit of His Precious Blood.
3. “Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven.” There is infinite and everlasting happiness in Heaven because all the blessed do God’s will in a spirit of love and find perfect peace in Him.
We have a strict obligation to do God’s will, because we all owe prompt and generous obedience to our Creator and Redeemer. Furthermore, this is the only way in which we can acquire peace of soul, which is the beginning of true happiness. “There is no peace to the wicked.” (Is. 48:22) The sinner can never be at peace.
Therefore, when we say “Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven,” let us resolve to do God’s will in all things in the manner of the blessed in Heaven. Our reward will be spiritual peace, even in the midst of trial and sorrow.
1.The Pater Noster, being God’s own composition, is the most perfect of prayers. It covers, moreover, all our obligations and all our needs. It may be divided into two parts, the first of which refers to God, the second to ourselves. We should ask first of all for whatever is important to God, and then for whatever concerns ourselves. This is the command of Jesus. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things shall be given you besides. (Mt. 6:33)
When we have invoked our Father in Heaven we go on to pray: “Hallowed be Thy name.”
Let us think about this. What do we look for first of all when we pray? Is it the glory of God, or is it our own self-interest? Which occupies the principal place in our thoughts, God or our own ego? Let us remember that we have been created for the glory of God. We shall not find happiness unless we seek God’s glory alone, for God is our true welfare.
We must not allow ourselves to become absorbed in insignificant worldly objects, which can never completely satisfy us. Rather must we keep our minds on God. “God alone is sufficient,” said St. Teresa. Without Him there is nothing good within us or around us.
When we say “Hallowed be Thy name,” moreover, we should not only give God’s glory precedence over all our desires, but we should also make an act of reparation for the countless blasphemies by which His name has been injured. How can we remain passive and inert while our Creator and our Redeemer is being continually blasphemed and offended? At the very least we can set against the diabolical insults of many of our fellow-men our own humble and loving prayer: “May Thy name, my God, be blessed and glorified.”
2. Our second ejaculation is: “Thy kingdom come.” It is true that God reigns over Heaven, earth, and the infernal regions. Everything is subject to His will; the sun, the stars, the birds of the air, the fishes of the sea, and the tiniest insects carry out His commands. Even the demons of Hell, who He has condemned to eternal punishment, are obedient to His will. But what about the human race?
Man possesses the precious but dangerous privilege of free will, which he has power to abuse by rebelling against God. We should pray that the sovereignty of God many be triumphant in all hearts, beginning with our own, and that all men may willingly subject themselves to His commandments and to His grace. This is the only way in which they can find peace. “Take my yoke upon you... and you will find rest for your souls.” (Mt. 11:29)
We should pray, moreover, for the Church, which is the kingdom of God on earth. We should pray for her peaceful victory over her enemies, who persecute her and impede her work for the salvation of souls. We should love the Church even as we love Jesus Christ, for the Church is His handiwork and the fruit of His Precious Blood.
3. “Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven.” There is infinite and everlasting happiness in Heaven because all the blessed do God’s will in a spirit of love and find perfect peace in Him.
We have a strict obligation to do God’s will, because we all owe prompt and generous obedience to our Creator and Redeemer. Furthermore, this is the only way in which we can acquire peace of soul, which is the beginning of true happiness. “There is no peace to the wicked.” (Is. 48:22) The sinner can never be at peace.
Therefore, when we say “Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven,” let us resolve to do God’s will in all things in the manner of the blessed in Heaven. Our reward will be spiritual peace, even in the midst of trial and sorrow.
The “Our Father” - Cardinal Bacci
The “Our Father”
1. Our Lord exhorted His disciples on many occasions to pray often and with confidence if they wished to be heard. Everything which they asked His heavenly Father in His name, He said, they would obtain. Ask, He said, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find, knock, and it shall be opened to you. Finally, He insisted that we ought to pray and never to give up. In other words, life can be a continuous prayer if we offer to God all our thoughts, words, and actions.
The ideal Christian prayer is to do the will of God at all times from the motive of pure love. The Apostles, however, who had not made that much progress in the spiritual life, asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. (Luke 11:1) It was then that Our Lord composed the most beautiful of prayers, the “Our Father.” (Mt. 6:9-13) When we recite it, we speak to God in the words of Jesus Christ Himself and unite our weak voices with the powerful voice of the Son of God. We address the Eternal God, moreover, by the name of Father. Even in the Old Testament God is often referred to in this way. Then, however, He figured as the Father of the chosen people, whereas now He is the Father of all. He is our Father, the Father of all mankind and of all races, whom He has willed to redeem from the slavery of sin. The term “Our Father” has taken on a new and fuller meaning. Our weak prayer becomes united to that of Jesus, our first-born brother, and to the prayers of the Apostles, Martyrs, Virgins, and Confessors, who form and have formed throughout the centuries the Mystical Body of Christ which is the Church. We need no longer feel that we are on our own, for through the Communion of Saints our entreaties are joined to those of the entire Church, militant, suffering, and triumphant. We can be confident, therefore, that our prayer will be heard.
2. “Our Father, Who art in Heaven.” Heaven is God Himself, Who reveals Himself to the souls of the blessed. If a man lives in God, his mind and heart are already in Heaven, even though he is still an exile upon this earth. It is a wonderful experience to lead a bodily existence upon earth while our minds are with God in heaven, for, as St. Paul says, “our citizenship is in heaven.” (Phil. 3:20) As we are aware, God is everywhere, in Heaven and on earth. When we invoke our Father Who is in Heaven, however, we manifest our faith in Him and in His generosity, whereby He reveals Himself in all His glory to the blessed and shows His mercy to us poor exiles when we come to Him. In the first words of the Pater Noster, we express not only our faith, but also our hope of being happy with God for all eternity.
3. God is truly our Father because He created us from nothing and because He caused us to be born again through the Incarnation of His only-begotten Son and the work of the Redemption. In this way He is doubly our Father.
Can we claim, however, to be true sons of God? It is not enough simply to make this claim by reciting the “Our Father,” but we should prove it in a practical way in our daily lives. We can do this by accepting God’s will in all things, by obeying His commandments and the precepts of the church, and especially by loving Him more than anything in creation.
1. Our Lord exhorted His disciples on many occasions to pray often and with confidence if they wished to be heard. Everything which they asked His heavenly Father in His name, He said, they would obtain. Ask, He said, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find, knock, and it shall be opened to you. Finally, He insisted that we ought to pray and never to give up. In other words, life can be a continuous prayer if we offer to God all our thoughts, words, and actions.
The ideal Christian prayer is to do the will of God at all times from the motive of pure love. The Apostles, however, who had not made that much progress in the spiritual life, asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. (Luke 11:1) It was then that Our Lord composed the most beautiful of prayers, the “Our Father.” (Mt. 6:9-13) When we recite it, we speak to God in the words of Jesus Christ Himself and unite our weak voices with the powerful voice of the Son of God. We address the Eternal God, moreover, by the name of Father. Even in the Old Testament God is often referred to in this way. Then, however, He figured as the Father of the chosen people, whereas now He is the Father of all. He is our Father, the Father of all mankind and of all races, whom He has willed to redeem from the slavery of sin. The term “Our Father” has taken on a new and fuller meaning. Our weak prayer becomes united to that of Jesus, our first-born brother, and to the prayers of the Apostles, Martyrs, Virgins, and Confessors, who form and have formed throughout the centuries the Mystical Body of Christ which is the Church. We need no longer feel that we are on our own, for through the Communion of Saints our entreaties are joined to those of the entire Church, militant, suffering, and triumphant. We can be confident, therefore, that our prayer will be heard.
2. “Our Father, Who art in Heaven.” Heaven is God Himself, Who reveals Himself to the souls of the blessed. If a man lives in God, his mind and heart are already in Heaven, even though he is still an exile upon this earth. It is a wonderful experience to lead a bodily existence upon earth while our minds are with God in heaven, for, as St. Paul says, “our citizenship is in heaven.” (Phil. 3:20) As we are aware, God is everywhere, in Heaven and on earth. When we invoke our Father Who is in Heaven, however, we manifest our faith in Him and in His generosity, whereby He reveals Himself in all His glory to the blessed and shows His mercy to us poor exiles when we come to Him. In the first words of the Pater Noster, we express not only our faith, but also our hope of being happy with God for all eternity.
3. God is truly our Father because He created us from nothing and because He caused us to be born again through the Incarnation of His only-begotten Son and the work of the Redemption. In this way He is doubly our Father.
Can we claim, however, to be true sons of God? It is not enough simply to make this claim by reciting the “Our Father,” but we should prove it in a practical way in our daily lives. We can do this by accepting God’s will in all things, by obeying His commandments and the precepts of the church, and especially by loving Him more than anything in creation.
Friday, 17 October 2014
The Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth - Cardinal Bacci
The Fifth Glorious Mystery
The Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth
1. When the Virgin Mary was borne into Heaven, soul and body, by the Angels, she was received with great rejoicing by the entire company of the blessed. A halo of light surrounded her as her Divine Son, Jesus Christ, placed her on His right hand and proclaimed her Queen of Heaven and Earth. It was fitting that this supreme dignity should have been accorded her, for she was the beloved daughter of the Eternal Father, the immaculate spouse of the Holy Spirit, and the mother of God, the Word made man and the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.
Mary is Queen of the Angels because, even though she is inferior to them by reason of her human nature, she is superior to them by reason of her dignity as Mother of God. What Angel could say to the Incarnate Word: “You are my son”? What Angel could command Him as she could in her role of Mother?
Mary has yet another claim to her title which no Angel could ever have. She participated in the passion of her Son Jesus, offering herself along with Him as a victim of expiation. She made a contribution in the supernatural order of the Redemption which neither Angel nor Saint could have made. With Jesus, through Jesus, and in Jesus, she is the co-redemptrix of the human race. Let us bow low before such greatness and join with the choirs of the blessed in paying homage to her.
2. Mary is also styled Queen of the Patriarchs because it was through her that they came to possess the object of their desires, the divine Redeemer, Who released them from Limbo and brought them to Heaven. She is Queen of the Prophets because their prophecies were realised through her. She is Queen of the Apostles whom she assisted and encouraged after the departure of her divine Son. She is the Queen of Martyrs because her maternal heart was pierced by a sword of sorrow. She is Queen of the Confessors because nobody else was capable of so deep and lively a profession of the faith. She is the Queen of Virgins because her virginal purity was crowned by the supreme dignity of Mother of God. She is Queen, moreover, of all the Saints, for no other human creature could ever surpass, or even dream of the summit of holiness to which she attained. Above all, however, she is our Mother and our most powerful Queen. She loves us because we have been redeemed by the blood of her Son, Jesus Christ, and she desires to obtain God’s favours for us and to take us under her maternal protection.
We children of Eve, in exile in this vale of tears, should turn to Mary with confidence and trust in her power to save us.
3. Mary’s reign extends even to the powers of hell, which were vanquished through her instrumentality as Mother of God. We should not lose courage when the devil tries to trap us into sinning. Instead, we should ask Mary, humbly and perseveringly, to save us. Besides praying to her, however, let us take care to imitate her virtues. We must endeavour to become more like Mary if we wish her to regard us as her children and to take us under her maternal protection.
The Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth
1. When the Virgin Mary was borne into Heaven, soul and body, by the Angels, she was received with great rejoicing by the entire company of the blessed. A halo of light surrounded her as her Divine Son, Jesus Christ, placed her on His right hand and proclaimed her Queen of Heaven and Earth. It was fitting that this supreme dignity should have been accorded her, for she was the beloved daughter of the Eternal Father, the immaculate spouse of the Holy Spirit, and the mother of God, the Word made man and the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.
Mary is Queen of the Angels because, even though she is inferior to them by reason of her human nature, she is superior to them by reason of her dignity as Mother of God. What Angel could say to the Incarnate Word: “You are my son”? What Angel could command Him as she could in her role of Mother?
Mary has yet another claim to her title which no Angel could ever have. She participated in the passion of her Son Jesus, offering herself along with Him as a victim of expiation. She made a contribution in the supernatural order of the Redemption which neither Angel nor Saint could have made. With Jesus, through Jesus, and in Jesus, she is the co-redemptrix of the human race. Let us bow low before such greatness and join with the choirs of the blessed in paying homage to her.
2. Mary is also styled Queen of the Patriarchs because it was through her that they came to possess the object of their desires, the divine Redeemer, Who released them from Limbo and brought them to Heaven. She is Queen of the Prophets because their prophecies were realised through her. She is Queen of the Apostles whom she assisted and encouraged after the departure of her divine Son. She is the Queen of Martyrs because her maternal heart was pierced by a sword of sorrow. She is Queen of the Confessors because nobody else was capable of so deep and lively a profession of the faith. She is the Queen of Virgins because her virginal purity was crowned by the supreme dignity of Mother of God. She is Queen, moreover, of all the Saints, for no other human creature could ever surpass, or even dream of the summit of holiness to which she attained. Above all, however, she is our Mother and our most powerful Queen. She loves us because we have been redeemed by the blood of her Son, Jesus Christ, and she desires to obtain God’s favours for us and to take us under her maternal protection.
We children of Eve, in exile in this vale of tears, should turn to Mary with confidence and trust in her power to save us.
3. Mary’s reign extends even to the powers of hell, which were vanquished through her instrumentality as Mother of God. We should not lose courage when the devil tries to trap us into sinning. Instead, we should ask Mary, humbly and perseveringly, to save us. Besides praying to her, however, let us take care to imitate her virtues. We must endeavour to become more like Mary if we wish her to regard us as her children and to take us under her maternal protection.
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin into Heaven - Cardinal Bacci
The Fourth Glorious Mystery
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin into Heaven
1. The Fourth Book of Kings tells us that the prophet Elias was brought up into Heaven in a fiery chariot without having first endured the pains and humiliation of death. (Cf. 4 Kings 2:11) Why did God not do likewise in the case of the Blessed Virgin, commanding His Angels to bear her to Heaven before death struck her innocent body? As St. Paul says, it was sin which caused death to enter the world. From the moment of her conception Mary was free from the slightest taint of sin, for she was immaculate and full of grace. Nevertheless, according to the most widely held tradition, Mary chose to die even as her divine Son had willed to die. Jesus “was offered because it was his own will.” (Is. 53:7) The same is true in Mary’s case, with only this difference. Jesus died a cruel death after the most hideous tortures in the midst of a blaspheming and hate-ridden mob. Nothing like this happened to Mary, although she is called the Queen of Martyrs because of the sword which pierced her soul at the sight of her divine Son dying in such agony.
Jesus willed, however, that the immaculate body of His Mother would remain intact. It was only her great love and intense desire of being reunited with her Son which gradually consumed her mortal life. Her ever-increasing love for God broke the bonds of her mortal frame until she went to sleep at last in the Lord.
If only our death could be the same!
2. Because we are wretched sinners, death for us is a punishment. Let us accept it with resignation. We should frequently offer to God whatever death He has in store for us, with all its sorrow and suffering.
We can gain great merit in this way. As a result of our daily offering, God will surely grant us a more peaceful death. There are many people who long for death. Some desire it in moments of discouragement as a release from the sorrows of life. Others long for it to bring to an end their struggle against their sinful inclinations and to assure them of an everlasting reward, to gain which they may not even have made many sacrifices. The first kind of desire is unworthy of a true soldier of Christ while the second is presumptuous and self-interested. The only legitimate yearning for death is the desire to be united at last with Jesus.
This was the nature of Mary’s desire, as well as that of St. Paul, who wrote that he desired “to depart and to be with Christ.” (Phil. 1:23)
3. As a result of this meditation, let us make the following resolutions in the presence of Mary assumed into Heaven.
(1) To offer to God every day in expiation of our sins whatever kind of death He will please to give us.
(2) To build up for ourselves henceforth a substantial credit account of good actions and generous sacrifices.
(3) To pray fervently to our Mother Mary to obtain for us from her divine Son a death which will be peaceful like hers with all our sins forgiven and our hearts filled with a loving desire to be with God.
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin into Heaven
1. The Fourth Book of Kings tells us that the prophet Elias was brought up into Heaven in a fiery chariot without having first endured the pains and humiliation of death. (Cf. 4 Kings 2:11) Why did God not do likewise in the case of the Blessed Virgin, commanding His Angels to bear her to Heaven before death struck her innocent body? As St. Paul says, it was sin which caused death to enter the world. From the moment of her conception Mary was free from the slightest taint of sin, for she was immaculate and full of grace. Nevertheless, according to the most widely held tradition, Mary chose to die even as her divine Son had willed to die. Jesus “was offered because it was his own will.” (Is. 53:7) The same is true in Mary’s case, with only this difference. Jesus died a cruel death after the most hideous tortures in the midst of a blaspheming and hate-ridden mob. Nothing like this happened to Mary, although she is called the Queen of Martyrs because of the sword which pierced her soul at the sight of her divine Son dying in such agony.
Jesus willed, however, that the immaculate body of His Mother would remain intact. It was only her great love and intense desire of being reunited with her Son which gradually consumed her mortal life. Her ever-increasing love for God broke the bonds of her mortal frame until she went to sleep at last in the Lord.
If only our death could be the same!
2. Because we are wretched sinners, death for us is a punishment. Let us accept it with resignation. We should frequently offer to God whatever death He has in store for us, with all its sorrow and suffering.
We can gain great merit in this way. As a result of our daily offering, God will surely grant us a more peaceful death. There are many people who long for death. Some desire it in moments of discouragement as a release from the sorrows of life. Others long for it to bring to an end their struggle against their sinful inclinations and to assure them of an everlasting reward, to gain which they may not even have made many sacrifices. The first kind of desire is unworthy of a true soldier of Christ while the second is presumptuous and self-interested. The only legitimate yearning for death is the desire to be united at last with Jesus.
This was the nature of Mary’s desire, as well as that of St. Paul, who wrote that he desired “to depart and to be with Christ.” (Phil. 1:23)
3. As a result of this meditation, let us make the following resolutions in the presence of Mary assumed into Heaven.
(1) To offer to God every day in expiation of our sins whatever kind of death He will please to give us.
(2) To build up for ourselves henceforth a substantial credit account of good actions and generous sacrifices.
(3) To pray fervently to our Mother Mary to obtain for us from her divine Son a death which will be peaceful like hers with all our sins forgiven and our hearts filled with a loving desire to be with God.
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