Monday
“On the morning of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary left the tomb trembling and joyful… They ran to carry the new … Mt
28:8…
From a sermon by St. Francis de Sales.
(Works IX 171-336)
The poor Saint Magdeleine, all in love with the love of her Master, returned to to seek him before no other, after he was dead and put in the tomb; and having found him, but only of the angels, she cannot be content with it, Although they were very beautiful and dressed in angelica …
Mary does not amuse himself with these heavenly spirits, nor with the beauty of their faces, neither to the whiteness of their clothes, nor still less to their maintenance more than royal… The angels ask him, “Why are you crying?” as if they had meant to say, “‘Have you not had good subject to Rejoice and wipe away your tears when you see us? What, the splendor and beauty of our faces, the brilliance of our garments, our magnificence greater than that of Solomon, Isn’t she able to soothe you? “
O Certainly, no, my heart cannot be satisfied unless it is with God. Magdeleine loves his crucified Master better than the glorified angels.
… Everyone who practices sacred love knows that his wounds are diverse and that he wounds hearts in many ways. The sacred lover says that the guards hurt her… for nothing hurts a heart so much who loves God, than to be kept away from God.
Love makes people act. Do you see Magdeleine she was touched by emotional love, when seeing her Master, and wanting to kiss his feet, she cried out, “Rabboni… ». But Our Lord rebuffed her, saying to her, “Do not touch me, Go to my brothers.” Now, this is the effective love, for she went out and went promptly.
For Walking, you have to take two steps: die and give up all things who are outside of us, and die and deny oneself which is most difficult.
Tuesday
“Mary Magdalene stood there crying in front of the tomb. She turns around and sees Jesus who was there, but she didn’t know it was Him. Jn
20
From a sermon by St. Francis de Sales. July 22, 1621
(Works X.96-97-98)
See the Madeleine who provokes you by her example. She seeks her Savior and asks the gardener… “I will prevail,” she said. Will you win? … But the One you seek is dead, how will you be able to carry His dead body which is very heavy? Oh! Love gives me enough strength to go and take it and to take care of it. What this gardener, who was the very one she sought, could no longer let the heart of this lover tear with his love, called her “Mary.” And she, all enlightened, cried “Master!” remaining all accoisé and rejoiced!
Go at the right time, my dear daughters, to seek the crucified Saviour with Magdalene. Don’t be afraid to take it with you and grab it wherever you find it. Do not be astonished at its heaviness; and so it seems to you that you are too weak to take charge of a crucified dead, increase your courage and do not lend your shoulders, for the glorious Magdalene will come to your aid, and joining her shoulders with yours, her love with yours, you will triumph over all difficulties and remain victorious. You will then be very happy if the Savior, witnessing your labors and labors taken for his love, finally calls you by your names: Mary! Strong soul, brave valiant and persevering!
And, like Madeleine, you will answer “Rabboni! my Master! Master we followed,. Master whom we obeyed! Master to whom we conformed and with whom we ‘crucified’ ourselves, in order after this life to be glorified with him in the eternity of the blessed life!
Wednesday
“Then they said to one another, Was not our hearts burning in us, while he spoke to us on the road and made us understand the Scriptures?”
Luke 24:13-35
Saint François de Sales
From the Treatise on the Love of God. (Works IV. 197)
Truth is the object of our understanding, which has, therefore, all its contentment in discovering and knowing the truth of things; and according to whether the truths are more excellent, our understanding applies itself more deliciously and more attentively to consider them.
God has imprinted his track, his gaits, and his past in all created things; so that the knowledge we have of his divine Majesty by creatures seems to be nothing but the sight of the feet of God, and that in comparison with this faith is a view of the very face of his divine Majesty, which we do not yet see in the full day of glory, but we see it, nevertheless, as in the prime dawn of the day, as it happened to Jacob at the ford of Jabbok; for although he had not seen the Angel with whom he struggled, except at the faint light of the day point, if all delight with contentment he did not let himself cry out, “I have seen the Lord face to face, and my soul has been saved.” O how delicious is the holy light of faith, by which we know with unparalleled certainty, not only the history of the origin of creatures and their true use, but also that of the eternal birth of the great and sovereign divine Word, to whom and by whom all things were made, and who, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, is one very unique, most adorable and blessed God ever and ever. Amen. “Ah!” said St. Jerome to his Paulinus: “The learned Plato does not know this; the eloquent Demosthenes ignored him. “O how sweet your words,” said this great King, “are to my palate, more than honey to my mouth! “Was not our hearts all ardent, while he spoke to us on the way?” say these happy pilgrims of Emmaus, speaking of the loving flames with which they were touched by the word of faith.
That if divine truths are of such suavity, being proposed in the dark light of faith, O God, what will it be when we contemplate them in the light of the noon of glory?
Thursday
“Peace be with you See my hands and feet It was necessary that all that was written of me in the law of Moses be fulfilled”
Lk 36—44
From a sermon by St. Francis de Sales. April 21, 1620
(Works IX 290-291)
That which our divine Master wanted to signify to his apostles with these words: “Peace be with you… Here are my hands” showing them a sign certain that peace was assured to them, by means of his wounds. As if he would have meant: What have you got? I see, my apostles, that you are everything fearful and fearful; but now you have no subject for it, for I You have gained the peace I give you.
No only my Father owes it to me, because I am his Son, but also because that I bought it at the price of my blood, and of these wounds that I show you. From now on, do not be cowardly or fearful, because the war is over …
You have therefore known that I have been beaten, crowned with thorns, and tied to the cross, that I have suffered all kinds of opprobrium, derelictions and ignominy, and that in All in all, my enemies bandaged against me, made me endure a thousand torments. But at this hour “Fear no more, peace be in your hearts, for I am remained victorious and defeated all my adversaries; I defeated the devil, the world and the flesh. Do not be afraid, I have made peace between my Heavenly Father and men, and it is in this sacrifice that I offered to the divine goodness on the tree From the Cross, may this holy reconciliation be accomplished.
I I am poor, because I have nothing. You know that my greatness does not consist in the possession of the goods of the earth, since I have not had them all the time of my life; But for all wealth, I have the peace which is the eternal legacy that I made you by separating myself from you and which I reconfirm to you again. All I give to my dearest is PEACE!
Friday
And as soon as Simon Peter heard him say that it was the Lord he threw himself into the water”
Jn 21:1
St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the devout life. (1era Part, Chapter 1).
Love, Philotheus makes us act promptly. Ostriches never fly; the hens fly, heavily, however, low and rarely; but the eagles, the Doves and swallows often fly, fast and high. Thus the sinners do not steal in God, they do all their shopping in the earth and for the land; Good people who have not yet attained devotion steal in God by their good deeds, but rarely, slowly and heavily; People devouts fly into God frequently, promptly, and highly. In short, devotion is nothing but agility and spiritual vivacity by means of which charity does its deeds in us, or us through it, promptly and affectionately; and as it behooves charity to make us generally and universally practice all the commandments of God, it belongs also to the devotion to make us do them promptly and diligently.
And especially since devotion lies in a certain degree of excellent charity, not only it makes us active and diligent in observing all. the commandments of God; But besides that, it provokes us to do promptly and affectionately as many good works as we can, yet they are not ordered at all, only advised or Inspired.
Because Everything as well as a man who is newly healed walks as much as he is necessary, but slowly and heavily, the sinner being healed of his iniquity, he walks as much as God commands him, heavily, nevertheless, and to as long as he has attained devotion; for then, not only does he walk, but he runs and jumps in the way of commandments; and moreover it passes and runs in the paths of advice and inspiration.
Finally Charity and devotion are no more different from each other than the flame is the fire.
Saturday
“Risen early in the morning, Jesus manifested Himself and said, ‘Spread the Good News everywhere!’ »
St. Francis de Sales. Treatise on the Love of God, Book VIII ch. X
The The sun’s rays illuminate by heating and heat by illuminating. Inspiration is a heavenly ray that carries in our hearts a warm light, by which he makes us see the good, and warms us in pursuit of This one. All that has life on earth numbs in the cold of winter; but When the vital heat of spring returns, everything resumes its movement. The Land animals run faster birds fly more highly and sing more cheerfully, and the plants grow their leaves and flowers Very nicely.
Without inspiration, our souls would live lazy piercings and useless; but to The arrival of the divine rays of inspiration, we feel a light mixed with a invigorating warmth, which enlightens our understanding, awakens and animates our will, giving him the strength to will and do the good belonging to salvation eternal. God having formed the human body from the silt of the earth, as said Moses, he inhaled in it the breath of life and he was made a soul alive, that is, as a soul that gave life, movement and operation to the body; and this same eternal God breathes and pushes the inspirations of life supernatural in our souls, so that, as the great Apostle says, they may be made in a life-giving spirit, that is, in a spirit that makes us live, move, feel and open the works of grace.
The the breath of God not only warms, but it illuminates perfectly, all the more so that the divine Spirit is an infinite light, from which the vital breath is called inspiration.
Gold the means the Lord uses are infinite. Saint Anthony, Saint Francis, St. Anselm and a thousand others often received inspiration by sight. creatures. The ordinary means is preaching, but sometimes those to whom the word does not benefit are instructed by tribulation: “affliction will give intelligence. “
Saint Mary the Egyptian was inspired by the sight of an image of Our Lady, saint Anthony hearing the Gospel read at Mass, Blessed Ignatius of Loyola Reading the lives of the saints…
Oh! how blessed are those who hold their hearts open Holy inspirations! for they never lack those which are theirs necessary to live well and devoutly!