The practice of the love of Jesus Christ - 069

XXXIV.–HE THAT LOVES JESUS CHRIST IS NEVER ANGRY WITH HIS NEIGHBOUR

I. Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord-(Apoc. xiv. 13). We must, indeed, die in the Lord to be blessed, and to enjoy that blessedness here in the present life: we mean, such blessedness as can be had before entering Heaven, which, though certainly much below that of Heaven, yet far surpasses all the pleasures of sense in this world: And the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, keep your hearts-(PhiI. iv. 7); so wrote the Apostle to his disciples. But to gain this peace, even in the midst of affronts and calumnies, we must be dead in the Lord: a dead person, how much soever he may be ill-treated and trampled on by others, resents it not. In like manner, he who is meek, like a dead body, which no longer sees or feels, should endure all the outrages committed against him. Whoever loves Jesus Christ from his heart easily attains to this; because, as he is conformed in all things to God’s will, he accepts with equal composure and peace of mind prosperous and adverse occurrences, consolations and afflictions, injuries and courtesies. Such was the conduct of the Apostle; and he says, therefore: I exceedingly abound with joy in all our tribulation-(2 Cor. vii. 4). Oh, happy the man who reaches this point of virtue! He enjoys a continual peace, which is a treasure precious beyond all other goods of this world. St. Francis of Sales said: “Of what value is the whole universe in comparison with peace of heart?” And in truth, of what avail are all riches and all the honours of the world to a man that lives in disquiet, and whose heart is not at peace?

II. In short, in order to remain constantly united with Jesus Christ, we must do all with tranquility and not be troubled at any contradiction that we may encounter. The Lord is not in the earthquake-(3 Kings xix. II). The Lord does not abide in troubled hearts. Let us listen to the beautiful lessons given on this subject by that master of meekness St. Francis of Sales: “Never put yourself in a passion, nor open the door to anger on any pretext whatever; because, when once it has gained an entrance, it is no longer in our power to banish it, or moderate it, when we wish to do so. The remedies against it are: (1) To check it immediately, by diverting the mind to some other object, and not to speak a word; (2) To imitate the Apostles when they beheld the tempest at sea, and to have recourse to God, to Whom it belongs to restore peace to the soul; (3) If you feel that, owing to your weakness, anger has already got footing in your breast, in that case do yourself violence to regain your composure, and then try to make acts of humility and of sweetness towards the person against whom you are irritated; but all this must be done with sweetness and without violence, for it is of the utmost importance not to irritate the wounds.” The Saint said that he himself was obliged to labour much during his life to overcome two passions which predominated in him, namely, anger and love; to subdue the passion of anger, he avowed it had cost him twenty-two years hard struggle. As to the passion of love, he had succeeded in changing its object by leaving creatures and turning all his affections to God. And in this manner the Saint acquired so great an interior peace that it was visible even in his exterior; for he was invariably seen with a serene countenance and a smile on his features.

(Feast of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus)