Living the Gospel
1.The Gospel teaches perfection. It teaches the perfection of the
interior life as well as the exterior life, of private as well as of
domestic and social life.
There is no problem in the universe
which has not been solved in the Gospel. In regard to the spiritual
life, its command is clear. “You are to be perfect, even as your
heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt. 5:48) “Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole
soul, and with thy whole mind...Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself.” (Mt. 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27) “This is my commandment,
that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12) “If anyone
wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross
daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) “Blessed are the poor in spirit...
the clean of heart... the peacemakers ...” (Mt. 5:3-10) “If thou wilt be
perfect, go, sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt
have treasure in heaven.” (Mt. 19:21) “Our Father who art in heaven...
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Mt. 6:10) “Father... not
my will but thine be done.” (Luke 22:42) Anyone who identifies himself
with these maxims rises above the level of a man to that of an angel.
His interior life soars to such a peak that he seems to be leading a
heavenly rather than an earthly existence. If he is living the Gospel,
moreover, his external behaviour will be a faithful mirror of his
interior life, for it is not enough to say “Lord, Lord,” but a man must
also do the will of the Father. (Cf. Mt. 7:21) A man's domestic and
social life will follow the pattern of his private life. When he has
reached the summit of perfection, an invisible force will emanate from
him, the force of good example. This force will transform everything
within him and around him. Like Mary and the Saints, he will become the
loyal and powerful co-worker of Christ in the redemption of the human
race and in the Christian transformation of society. Redemption and
restoration can come only through the Gospel. Other theories are always
bound up with and impeded by human egoism. The doctrine of the Gospel is
reinforced by the love of God and of our neighbour. In the Gospel
public and private justice is transformed into the charity of Christ
which cannot be impeded by any earthly difficulty nor by any human
barrier, not even by death. “Who shall separate us from the charity of
Christ?” (Rom. 8:35) asks St. Paul. Let us meditate on this.
2.
The doctrine of the Gospel is so sublime that no generation has yet
been able to practise it fully. Only the Blessed Virgin and the Saints
have approached the peak of perfection indicated by Christ. “You are to
be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt. 5:48) How far
have we advanced? We are not expected, obviously, to achieve the
absolute perfection of our heavenly Father. But we are obliged to strive
towards it with the help of the grace of God. It may be that our
particular circumstances excuse us from fulfilling the evangelical
counsels, but we have no option but to obey the precepts of the Gospel.
We are under no obligation to sell all our possessions and give the
money to the poor, but it is too bad for us if our hearts are not
detached from earthly things and in contact with God. We must be
prepared to face the consequences if we do not observe the precepts of
justice and charity towards God and our neighbour. We are especially
obliged to help those who are in need of any kind with whatever we have
to spare in the way of material assistance or advice. It is our own
misfortune, too, if we do not mortify ourselves, accept the will of God
even in suffering, and empty our hearts of worldly attachments in order
to fill them with spiritual preoccupations. Let us remember that we
belong to God. All our thoughts and desires should, therefore, be
directed towards God alone.
3. Most Holy Mary, you sought
always to reflect in your own soul the beauty and sanctity of your
divine Son by obeying His teaching in a heroic manner. Obtain for me the
grace to be detached from worldly affairs, especially from sin. Let me
be prepared to make any sacrifice which is necessary in order to follow
the Gospel precepts, so that the image of our divine Lord and Redeemer,
Jesus Christ, may be faithfully imprinted upon my soul, even as it was
so wonderfully portrayed in yours. Amen.
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