St. Paul the Apostle
1. St. Paul was by
nature fiery and zealous. Once he discovered the truth, he was ready to
die for it. Originally he was convinced that Judaism contained the whole
truth, and for this reason he hated the Christians, whom he regarded as
a sect which had corrupted the sacred Hebrew tradition. The deacon
Stephen was the first victim of his persecuting zeal. As he was being
stoned and beaten to death this saintly young man prayed for his
persecutors. It may be that in this moment his eyes, shining with faith
and love, encountered those of the man who hated him. Soon afterwards
Saul (this was Paul's real name) left Jerusalem for Damascus carrying
letters investing him with new powers for the persecution of the infant
Church. On the way this headstrong but sincere enemy of Christianity was
suddenly dazzled by a light from Heaven. He fell to the ground and
heard a mysterious voice saying: “Saul, Saul, why dost thou persecute
me?” Terrified, he answered: “Who art thou, Lord?” “I am Jesus,” the
voice said, “whom thou art persecuting.” (Acts 9: 1-5) From that day
Saul was changed completely. Under the influence of divine grace he
became the Apostle of the Gentiles.
Before he set out on his
missionary journeys Paul went apart into the desert of Arabia, (Cf. Gal.
1:17) where he remained some time in prayer and recollection. Then he
went to Jerusalem to pay homage to the Prince of the Apostles, St. Peter
(Gal. 1:18). After this he began his apostolic travels, in the course
of which he encountered all kinds of hardship and danger. The Jews
frequently hunted him in order to put him to death. He was often cruelly
scourged and flung into prison, and several times he was shipwrecked
and had miraculous escapes from death. (Cf. 2 Cor. 11: 23-27) He bore
everything joyfully however, in order to prove his love for Jesus
Christ. Charity was always his main incentive. “The love of Christ
impels us.” (2 Cor. 5:14) Charity, he said himself, “believes all
things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (Cf. 1 Cor. 13:4-13) His
charity was so great that he could truthfully say: “Who is weak, and I
am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I am not inflamed?” (2 Cor.
11:29)
St. Paul could make this claim because his heart had
become identified with the Heart of Jesus. Therefore he could say: “It
is now no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me;” (Gal. 2:20) and:
“For me to live is Christ and to die is gain;” (Phil. 1:21) and: “I am
hard pressed from both sides - desiring to depart and to be with Christ,
a lot by far the better; yet to stay on in the flesh is necessary for
your sake.” (Phil. 1:23-24)
Let us meditate on this ardent love
of God. Let us cast aside our coldness and indifference and ask St.
Paul to set us on fire with divine charity.
2. We can learn
other virtues from St. Paul besides his zealous love for God and for his
fellowmen. We can also learn from him the virtues of humility and of
apostolic fervour. The Apostle of the Gentiles reached such heights of
sanctity as to feel himself transformed into Christ Himself and to
deserve to be taken up into the third Heaven where he enjoyed a
foretaste of eternal happiness. Nevertheless, he considered himself
unworthy to be called an Apostle and realised that all his gifts came to
him from God. “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think
anything, as from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.” (2 Cor.
3:5) Whenever we succeed in any project we should think on the same
lines, because it is only when we are humble and depend on the grace of
God that the success of our actions will redound to the glory of our
Creator. If the cancer of ambition or of self-love should corrupt our
purity of intention, our work would not be blessed by God and would not
make us worthy of everlasting life. Let us repeat often: "All for You,
with You and in You, my God."
3. "Always breathe the life of
Christ; place your trust in Him; and live as if every day were your
last." (St. Athanasius, "Life of St. Anthony," n. 91.)
Showing posts with label St Paul. Show all posts
Showing posts with label St Paul. Show all posts
Monday, 30 June 2014
Wednesday, 21 May 2014
Contemplation and Our Lady - Cardinal Bacci
Contemplation and Our Lady
1. True contemplation has its origin in love, for when love is intense it gives a clear insight into that which is loved. It is never the result of mere learning, which can be cold and uninspiring and therefore unable to give us a vision of the truth. Many are learned without love, while there are others who have no learning but love God and contemplate Him with a spiritual joy which is a prelude to the happiness of Heaven. Contemplation is not, therefore, a gift of learning. Even an illiterate man can have it, while those who study a great deal may be without it. For the most part, it is the gift of divine grace. This is not to deny that the knowledge of sacred things, especially of theology, can promote contemplation. It can help, as long as it is not the kind of learning which makes a man proud but rather leads him nearer to God. This is what St. Paul meant when he said that “knowledge puffs up, but charity edifies.” (1 Cor. 8:1)
Contemplation, then, begins in the love which is based on humility and on prayer. The contemplative must always look for the help of divine grace without ever presuming on his own powers and without fooling himself that he has made any progress of his own accord. It does not matter whether he is an ignorant or a learned man as long as he sees the reflection of God in all things and comes to know and love Him. Then, under the influence of divine grace, contemplation flows from the loving knowledge of God. The Blessed Virgin was created and conceived full of grace and endowed with more supernatural privileges than any other creature. Therefore she knew and loved God in a higher way than any of the Cherubim or Seraphim. It is only to be expected, then, that she would have had the gift of contemplation. Her prayer was an intimate conversation with God. We have an example of this kind of contemplative prayer in the hymn which she composed when she became the Mother of the Word Incarnate. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; Because he has regarded the lowliness of his handmaid; for, behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed...” (Luke 1:46-48) In Mary, however, the contemplative life was united to the active life. This was so whether she was in the house in Nazareth, or following Jesus on His apostolic journeys, or co-operating with the Apostles in their great mission during her last years on earth.
2. We must try and unite the active with the contemplative life as far as circumstances will allow. St. Thomas says that the perfection of the spiritual life consists precisely in this union of activity and contemplation. One without the other falls short of perfection. “It is greater to enlighten than simply to shine,” writes St. Thomas, “and greater to pass on the fruits of contemplation to others than merely to contemplate.” (St. Th., II-II, q.6, a.3)
Contemplation on its own can degenerate into useless day dreaming. It is necessary that it should produce a genuine interior transformation as a result of which the subject, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, becomes in his speech and in his conduct a man of God. Now, the man of God is not satisfied with enjoying spiritual consolations, but is moved by his zeal for the glory of God to try and extend His kingdom by every possible means. It is in this way that contemplation becomes apostolic action.
We must remember, on the other hand, that neither is action on its own sufficient. It can become barren when it is not nourished by the interior life of grace which is the source of prayer and contemplation. It cannot be held that this last is the exclusive gift of a few privileged souls. Anyone can have it as long as he allows himself to be penetrated by the love of God and as long as he succeeds in securing moments of silence and recollection at intervals during life. In these moments he will grow closer to God and will enjoy a foretaste of the happiness of Heaven.
3. O Mary, my most holy Mother, obtain for me a great love for God, which will lead me closer to Him in all my actions. Even if I have not got the extraordinary gift of contemplation, grant that this love may live so powerfully in me that it will pervade all my actions. Then I shall be able to live in constant union with God and act in perfect accordance with His holy will. Amen.
1. True contemplation has its origin in love, for when love is intense it gives a clear insight into that which is loved. It is never the result of mere learning, which can be cold and uninspiring and therefore unable to give us a vision of the truth. Many are learned without love, while there are others who have no learning but love God and contemplate Him with a spiritual joy which is a prelude to the happiness of Heaven. Contemplation is not, therefore, a gift of learning. Even an illiterate man can have it, while those who study a great deal may be without it. For the most part, it is the gift of divine grace. This is not to deny that the knowledge of sacred things, especially of theology, can promote contemplation. It can help, as long as it is not the kind of learning which makes a man proud but rather leads him nearer to God. This is what St. Paul meant when he said that “knowledge puffs up, but charity edifies.” (1 Cor. 8:1)
Contemplation, then, begins in the love which is based on humility and on prayer. The contemplative must always look for the help of divine grace without ever presuming on his own powers and without fooling himself that he has made any progress of his own accord. It does not matter whether he is an ignorant or a learned man as long as he sees the reflection of God in all things and comes to know and love Him. Then, under the influence of divine grace, contemplation flows from the loving knowledge of God. The Blessed Virgin was created and conceived full of grace and endowed with more supernatural privileges than any other creature. Therefore she knew and loved God in a higher way than any of the Cherubim or Seraphim. It is only to be expected, then, that she would have had the gift of contemplation. Her prayer was an intimate conversation with God. We have an example of this kind of contemplative prayer in the hymn which she composed when she became the Mother of the Word Incarnate. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; Because he has regarded the lowliness of his handmaid; for, behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed...” (Luke 1:46-48) In Mary, however, the contemplative life was united to the active life. This was so whether she was in the house in Nazareth, or following Jesus on His apostolic journeys, or co-operating with the Apostles in their great mission during her last years on earth.
2. We must try and unite the active with the contemplative life as far as circumstances will allow. St. Thomas says that the perfection of the spiritual life consists precisely in this union of activity and contemplation. One without the other falls short of perfection. “It is greater to enlighten than simply to shine,” writes St. Thomas, “and greater to pass on the fruits of contemplation to others than merely to contemplate.” (St. Th., II-II, q.6, a.3)
Contemplation on its own can degenerate into useless day dreaming. It is necessary that it should produce a genuine interior transformation as a result of which the subject, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, becomes in his speech and in his conduct a man of God. Now, the man of God is not satisfied with enjoying spiritual consolations, but is moved by his zeal for the glory of God to try and extend His kingdom by every possible means. It is in this way that contemplation becomes apostolic action.
We must remember, on the other hand, that neither is action on its own sufficient. It can become barren when it is not nourished by the interior life of grace which is the source of prayer and contemplation. It cannot be held that this last is the exclusive gift of a few privileged souls. Anyone can have it as long as he allows himself to be penetrated by the love of God and as long as he succeeds in securing moments of silence and recollection at intervals during life. In these moments he will grow closer to God and will enjoy a foretaste of the happiness of Heaven.
3. O Mary, my most holy Mother, obtain for me a great love for God, which will lead me closer to Him in all my actions. Even if I have not got the extraordinary gift of contemplation, grant that this love may live so powerfully in me that it will pervade all my actions. Then I shall be able to live in constant union with God and act in perfect accordance with His holy will. Amen.
A Lesson From Scripture - Cardinal Bacci
A Lesson From Scripture
1. The following is a passage from one of St. Paul’s letters to his disciple, Timothy: “Godliness with contentment is indeed great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and certainly we can take nothing out; but having food and sufficient clothing, with these let us be content. But those who seek to become rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many useless and harmful desires, which plunge men into destruction and damnation. For covetousness is the root of all evils, and some in their eagerness to get rich have strayed from the faith and have involved themselves in many troubles. But thou, o man of God, flee these things; but pursue justice, godliness, faith, charity, patience, mildness. Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal...” (1 Tim. 6:12)
These words may seem hard, but they are very true. All the evils of the world spring from an excessive longing for earthly possessions and from self-love. How far apart are the Gospel and modern life. Those who can afford to do so lead lives of luxury and of pleasure, while those who cannot are tormented by the desire to do the same. For many people life has become a weary pursuit of money, pleasure and reputation, and when they fail to achieve these they rebel against everybody and everything. This is a quest, St. Paul reminds us, which leads to “destruction and damnation.” (1 Tim. 6:9)
“Do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat,” Jesus tells us in the Gospel, “nor yet for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life a greater thing than the food, and the body than the clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns: yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of much more value than they?... Consider how the lilies of the field 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 into the oven, how much more you, O you of little faith! Therefore do not be anxious, saying: ‘What shall we eat?’ or, ‘What shall we drink?’ or, ‘What are we to put on?’... for your Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things shall he given to you besides.” (Cf. Mt. 6:25-34)
The teaching of the Gospel and of St. Paul does not forbid us to look after our affairs carefully. It only forbids us to become obsessed with worldly matters and to live without trust in Divine Providence. It tells us not to fret about things which should not be the goal of our lives and cannot satisfy our hearts which were made for God. St. John Bosco's great principle was that a man should work as if he were never going to die, but live as if he were about to die very shortly.
2. Mary lived a life of poverty and suffering even though she was close to Jesus, Who could have made her wealthy and happy on this earth by a single act of His will. But she never asked her divine Son for worldly happiness. She regarded Jesus as her only treasure and her happiness consisted in perfect obedience to the will of God. When she arrived in Bethlehem with her holy spouse, St. Joseph, she could not find room in the inn nor in any of the houses. This did not matter to her. She found refuge in a stable and there she gave birth to Jesus, the only treasure of her life.
When Herod planned to kill the Divine Infant, Mary did not ask for a miracle in order to escape, but undertook a long and difficult journey into exile. Only once did she ask her Divine Son for a miracle. Then it was not for herself, but for the newly-married couple at Cana, who had run short of wine. What is our attitude? How important are worldly matters to us? What place has God in our hearts? Are we chasing after money, pleasure and success? If we worry a great deal about these things we shall suffer torment and disillusionment. The final disillusionment will be the restlessness of our hearts, which can find peace and lasting happiness in God alone.
3. O Mary, my most holy Mother, free me from useless desires and from an excessive longing for worldly things. Help me to think always of Heaven. Grant that I may find my happiness in God as you did by acting in perfect accordance with His holy will. By loving Him above everything in the world, may I one day enjoy with you the everlasting happiness of Heaven. Amen.
1. The following is a passage from one of St. Paul’s letters to his disciple, Timothy: “Godliness with contentment is indeed great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and certainly we can take nothing out; but having food and sufficient clothing, with these let us be content. But those who seek to become rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many useless and harmful desires, which plunge men into destruction and damnation. For covetousness is the root of all evils, and some in their eagerness to get rich have strayed from the faith and have involved themselves in many troubles. But thou, o man of God, flee these things; but pursue justice, godliness, faith, charity, patience, mildness. Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal...” (1 Tim. 6:12)
These words may seem hard, but they are very true. All the evils of the world spring from an excessive longing for earthly possessions and from self-love. How far apart are the Gospel and modern life. Those who can afford to do so lead lives of luxury and of pleasure, while those who cannot are tormented by the desire to do the same. For many people life has become a weary pursuit of money, pleasure and reputation, and when they fail to achieve these they rebel against everybody and everything. This is a quest, St. Paul reminds us, which leads to “destruction and damnation.” (1 Tim. 6:9)
“Do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat,” Jesus tells us in the Gospel, “nor yet for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life a greater thing than the food, and the body than the clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns: yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of much more value than they?... Consider how the lilies of the field 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 into the oven, how much more you, O you of little faith! Therefore do not be anxious, saying: ‘What shall we eat?’ or, ‘What shall we drink?’ or, ‘What are we to put on?’... for your Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things shall he given to you besides.” (Cf. Mt. 6:25-34)
The teaching of the Gospel and of St. Paul does not forbid us to look after our affairs carefully. It only forbids us to become obsessed with worldly matters and to live without trust in Divine Providence. It tells us not to fret about things which should not be the goal of our lives and cannot satisfy our hearts which were made for God. St. John Bosco's great principle was that a man should work as if he were never going to die, but live as if he were about to die very shortly.
2. Mary lived a life of poverty and suffering even though she was close to Jesus, Who could have made her wealthy and happy on this earth by a single act of His will. But she never asked her divine Son for worldly happiness. She regarded Jesus as her only treasure and her happiness consisted in perfect obedience to the will of God. When she arrived in Bethlehem with her holy spouse, St. Joseph, she could not find room in the inn nor in any of the houses. This did not matter to her. She found refuge in a stable and there she gave birth to Jesus, the only treasure of her life.
When Herod planned to kill the Divine Infant, Mary did not ask for a miracle in order to escape, but undertook a long and difficult journey into exile. Only once did she ask her Divine Son for a miracle. Then it was not for herself, but for the newly-married couple at Cana, who had run short of wine. What is our attitude? How important are worldly matters to us? What place has God in our hearts? Are we chasing after money, pleasure and success? If we worry a great deal about these things we shall suffer torment and disillusionment. The final disillusionment will be the restlessness of our hearts, which can find peace and lasting happiness in God alone.
3. O Mary, my most holy Mother, free me from useless desires and from an excessive longing for worldly things. Help me to think always of Heaven. Grant that I may find my happiness in God as you did by acting in perfect accordance with His holy will. By loving Him above everything in the world, may I one day enjoy with you the everlasting happiness of Heaven. Amen.
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