Easter 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 news… Mt28:8…
From a sermon by St. Francis de Sales.(Works IX 171-336)
Poor Saint Magdalene, enamoured of her Master’s love, returned to seek him before anyone else, after he had died and been buried in the sepulchre; and having found him, but only angels, she could not be satisfied with them, although they were very handsome and dressed in the angelic style.
Mary is not amused by these celestial spirits, nor by the beauty of their faces, nor by the whiteness of their garments, nor still less by their more than royal bearing. The angels asked him, “Why are you weeping?” as if they meant to say, “‘Have you not reason to rejoice and wipe away your tears when you see us? What, the splendor and beauty of our faces, the brightness of our garments, our magnificence greater than that of Solomon, is it not able to appease you? »
O indeed, no, my heart cannot be satisfied with anything but God. Magdeleine loves her crucified Master better than the glorified angels.
… All those who practice sacred love know that its wounds are diverse and that it wounds hearts in many ways.
The sacred lover says the guards hurt her… for nothing so wounds a heart that loves God, as to see oneself kept away from God.
Love makes you act. You see, Magdeleine, she was touched with emotional love, when, seeing her Master, and wishing to kiss his feet, she exclaimed, “Rabboni… ».
But Our Lord repulsed her, saying, “Do not touch me, go to my brethren.” Now this is the real love, for she went out and went
quickly.
To walk, one must take two steps: to die and renounce all the things that are outside of us, and to die and deny oneself what is the most difficult.
EASTER TUESDAY
“Mary Magdalene stood outside weeping before the tomb. She turns around and sees Jesus who was there, but she didn’t know it was Him. J 20
From a sermon by St. Francis de Sales. 22 July 1621
Look at the Magdalene who challenges you by her example. She looks for her Savior and asks the gardener… “I’ll win,” she said. Will you win? … But the One you seek is dead, how can you carry His dead body, which is very heavy? Oh! “Love,” she said, “gives me strength enough to go and take it and take it upon myself.” Seeing this, the gardener, who was the very One she sought, could no longer let the heart of this lover be saddened by his love, and called her “Mary.” And she, all enlightened, cried out, “Master!” and was all cheerful and delighted!
Go at the right time, my dear daughters, to seek the crucified Saviour with Magdalene. Don’t be afraid to take it with you wherever you find it. Do not be surprised at its weight; and if it seems to you that you are too weak to take upon yourselves a crucified dead man, increase your courage and do not cease to 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 be very happy afterwards if the Saviour, witness of your labors and labors taken for His love, finally calls you by your name: Mary! Strong, courageous, valiant and persevering soul!
And, like Madeleine, you will answer, “Rabboni! my Master! Master whom we followed. Master whom we have obeyed! Master to whom we have conformed and with whom we have ‘crucified’ ourselves, in order to be glorified with him in the eternity of the blessed life!
EASTER WEDNESDAY
“Then they said to one another, Was not our hearts burning within us, while he spoke to us on the road, and made us understand the Scriptures?”
Luke 24:13-35
St. Francis de Sales
From A 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 in proportion as the truths are more excellent, our understanding applies itself more delightfully and attentively to considering them.
God has stamped his track, his gaits, and his past in all created things; so that the knowledge which we have of His Divine Majesty by creatures, seems to be nothing else than 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 yet we see it as at the dawn of day, as it happened to Jacob at the ford of Jabbok; for though he had not seen the angel with whom he wrestled, except in the faint light of daybreak, yet he was overjoyed with contentment and cried out, “I have seen the Lord face to face, and my soul has been saved.” O how delightful 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 through whom all things were made, and who, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, is one God who is very unique, most adorable and blessed forever and ever. Amen. “Ah!” said St. Jerome to his Paulinus: “The learned Plato did not know this; the eloquent Demosthenes ignored it. “O how sweet are thy words,” said this great King, “O Lord, to my palate, more than honey to my mouth! “Was not our heart burning as he spoke to us on the way?” say these happy pilgrims to Emmaus, speaking of the amorous flames with which they were touched by the word of faith.
If the divine truths are of such great sweetness, being set forth in the dim light of faith, O God, what will it be when we behold them in the brightness of the noonday of glory?
“Peace be with you, see my hands and my feet, and all that was written about me in the law of Moses had to be fulfilled”
Lk 36—44
From a sermon by St. Francis de Sales. 21 April 1620
(Works IX 290-291)
What our divine Master meant to His Apostles by these words:
“Peace be with you… behold my hands,” showing them a sure sign that peace was assured to them, by means of his wounds. It was as if he wanted to say, “What is the matter with you?” I see, my apostles, that you are all fearful and fearful; but now you have no reason to do so, for I have acquired for you the peace which I give you.
Not only does my Father owe it to me, because I am his Son, but also because I bought it at the price of my blood, and of these wounds which I show you. From now on, do not be cowardly or fearful, for the war is over…
You have heard, then, that I have been beaten, crowned with thorns, and fastened to the cross, that I have suffered all manner of reproach, dereliction, and ignominies, and that, in short, my enemies have banded against me, and have made me endure a thousand torments. But at this hour, “Fear no more, peace be in your hearts, for I have remained victorious and have slain all my adversaries; I have overcome 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 which I offered to the divine goodness on the tree of the cross, that this holy reconciliation has been accomplished.
I am poor, because I have nothing. You know that my greatness does not consist in the possession of earthly goods, since I have not had them all the time of my life; but for every wealth I have peace, which is the eternal legacy which I made to you when I separated from you, and which I reconfirm to you again.
All I give to my loved ones is PEACE!
Easter 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, Philothea, makes us act promptly. Ostriches never fly; The hens fly, however, heavily, lowly, and rarely; but the eagles, doves, and swallows often fly, swiftly and highly. Thus sinners do not steal in God, but do all their errands in the earth and for the earth; good people who have not yet attained devotion fly in God by their good deeds, but rarely, slowly, and heavily; devout people fly in God frequently, promptly, and highly. In short, devotion is nothing else than a spiritual agility and vivacity by means of which charity does its actions in us, or us through it, promptly and affectionately; and as it belongs to charity to make us generally and universally practice all the commandments of God, it also belongs to devotion to make us do them promptly and diligently.
And inasmuch as devotion lies in a certain degree of excellent charity, it not only makes us prompt, active, and diligent in the observance of all the commandments of God; but besides this, it provokes us to do promptly and affectionately as many good works as we can, though they are in no way commanded, but only advised or inspired.
For just as a man who is newly healed walks as much as is necessary for him, but slowly and ponderously, so the sinner being healed of his iniquity, he walks as much as God commands him, however, heavily, and as long as he has attained to devotion; for then he not only walks, but runs and leaps in the way of the commandments; And moreover, he passes and runs in the paths of advice and inspiration.
Finally, charity and devotion are no more different from each other than flame is from fire.
Easter Sat
“Jesus rose early in the morning and manifested himself and said, ‘Spread the good news everywhere!’ »
St. Francis de Sales. Treatise on the Love of God, Book VIII ch. X
The sun’s rays illuminate by heating and heat up by illuminating. Inspiration is a heavenly ray that carries a warm light into our hearts, by which it makes us see the good, and warms us in pursuit of it. Everything that has life on earth is numb in the cold of winter; But when the vital heat of spring returns, everything resumes its movement. Land animals run faster, birds fly higher and sing more merrily, and plants grow their leaves and flowers very pleasantly.
Without inspiration, our souls would live lazy and useless; But when the divine rays of inspiration arrive, we feel a light mingled with a life-giving warmth, which enlightens our understanding, awakens and animates our will, giving it the strength to will and do the good belonging to eternal salvation. God having formed the human body from the slime of the earth, as Moses says, he inspired in it the breath of life, and was made a living soul, that is, into a soul which gave life, motion, and operation to the body; and this same eternal God breathes and impels the inspirations of supernatural life 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 causes the works of grace to live, move, feel, and work.
The breath of God not only warms, but illuminates perfectly, especially since the divine spirit is an infinite light, of which the vital breath is called inspiration.
Now the means which the Lord uses are infinite. St. Anthony, St. Francis, St. Anselm, and a thousand others, often received inspirations from the sight of creatures. The ordinary way is preaching, but sometimes those who are not profited by the word are instructed by tribulation: “Affliction shall give understanding.”
St. Mary the Egyptian was inspired by the sight of an image of Our Lady, St. Anthony hearing the Gospel being read at Mass, Blessed Ignatius of Loyola reading the lives of the saints…
Oh, how blessed are those who keep their hearts open to holy inspirations, for they never lack those which are necessary for them to live well and devoutly!