Considerations on the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ - 41

I. St. Augustine says to us: "It is not permitted to you to love a little: let Him Who was wholly fixed upon the Cross for you be wholly fixed in your hearts." Let us, therefore, unite ourselves wholly with St. Paul, and say with him: I live, now not I, but Christ liveth in me... I live in the faith of the Son of God who loved me and delivered himself for me (Gal. ii. 20). On this St. Bernard remarks: "It is as if he had said, — To all other things I am dead and for them I have no feeling or regard; but the things which are of Christ, these find me a living man, and prepared to act. Therefore St. Paul says: To me to live is Christ (Phil. i. 21), meaning by these brief words, "Jesus Christ is my life, for He is all my mind, all my hope, all my desire, because He is all my love." It is a sure promise; if we are dead with Him we shall also live with Him; if we suffer with Him, we shall also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us." The kings of the earth, after a victory over their enemies, confer a part of all they have gained upon those who have fought on their side. This Jesus Christ does on the Day of Judgment; He gives a share of the blessings of Heaven to all who have toiled and suffered for His glory. O my Jesus, infinitely lovely, grant that I may no longer live ungrateful to so great a good! For the past I have lived in forgetfulness of Thy love, and of all Thou hast suffered for me; but henceforth I will think of nothing but loving Thee. O Wounds of Jesus, Wounds of love! O Blood of Jesus, inebriating with love! O death of Jesus, cause me to die to every love which is not love for Him. O Jesus, I love Thee above everything. I love Thee with all my soul; I love Thee more than myself. I love Thee, and because I love Thee, I wish to die of grief because I have so often turned my back upon Thee, and have despised Thy grace. By Thy merits, O my crucified Saviour, give me Thy love, and make me all Thine own.

O Mary, my hope, make me love Jesus Christ, and I ask for nothing more.

II. The Apostle says: If we be dead with him, we shall live also with him (2 Tim. ii. 11). To die with Christ means the denial of ourselves, that is, of our own inclinations, which, if we deny not, we shall come to deny Jesus Christ, Who will justly deny us on the day of account. And here we must remark that we not only deny Jesus Christ when we deny the Faith, but also when we refuse to obey Him in anything He desires of us; as, for example, when, for love of Him, we will not forgive an injury we have received, when we give way to the love of vain honour, when we will not break through a friendship which imperils the friendship of Jesus Christ, or we yield to the fear of being counted ungrateful, while our first gratitude is due to Jesus Christ, Who has given His Blood and Life for us, which no creature whatever has done.

O Divine Love! how is it that Thou art despised by men? O man, look at this Cross of the Son of God, Who as an innocent Lamb, sacrifices Himself to pay for thy sins, and thus to gain thy love! Look at Him! Look at Him! And love Him!