392. Twenty-fifth Friday of Ordinary Time
Meditations no. 352 (unofficial computer-aided translation)
God has created everything good; it is we human beings who can introduce evil.
He has made all things good in their time, declares Ecclesiastes. And our Father wrote: The world, my children, all Godâs creatures are good. Sacred Scripture teaches us that after completing the marvellous work of creation, heaven and earth in their splendid array, God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.
It was Adamâs sin that broke this divine harmony of creation. Since then, human beings, free creatures capable of sin, can taint what came forth pure from Godâs hands. By sinning, human beings not only disfigure the world: above all, they defile themselves, made as they are in Godâs image and likeness, and they profane what, after Christâs redeeming restoration, has become a member of his Mystical Body. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? St Paul asks. He who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him ⌠Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own.
We need to be vigilant because the world, the devil and the flesh are a band of adventurers who, taking advantage of the weakness of that savage you bear within you, want you to hand over to them, in exchange for the glittering tinsel of a pleasure, which is worth nothing, the pure gold and the pearls and the diamonds and rubies drenched in the living and redeeming blood of your God, which are the price and the treasure of your eternity.
We canât let ourselves be deceived by these adventurers, these enemies of our soul who try to entrap us into small concessions in this area, masking them as something harmless or even good. The enemy almost always works that way with souls who are going to resist him: hypocritically, gently: with motives⌠of a spiritual nature!: not attracting attention⌠-And then, when there seems to be no remedy (there is), he comes brazenly⌠trying to bring about a Judas-like despair, with no room for repentance.
When we feel our feet are of clay, we need to appeal to Christ and his Blessed Mother, saying with the Psalmist: O Lord, you have been our refuge through all generations. And in the words of the Liturgy today after Communion, we ask Jesus: Lord, may your aid always accompany those you nourish with this sacrament. Through these mysteries may we experience the fruits of your redemption in our lives.
Sensitivity with regard to holy purity.
Be strong in the Lord, in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. The virtue of holy purity, which draws us into intimacy with God and, as far as human nature permits, makes us equal to him, requires a sensitive response to Godâs love. Although Godâs grace will always assist us, on our part we have to fight. And now I ask you, how are you facing up to this battle? You know very well that a fight which is kept up from the very beginning is a fight already won. Get away from danger as soon as you are aware of the first sparks of passion, and even before. Also, speak about it at once to the person who directs your soul. Better still, talk about it beforehand if possible, because if you open your heart wide, you will not be defeated. One such act after another leads to the forming of a habit, an inclination, and ends up making things easy. That is why we have to struggle to make this virtue a habit, making mortification a habit so that we do not reject the Love of Loves.
To avoid falls, we need to be alert, not trusting ourselves, nor allowing the fire of the passions to take hold. Donât be such a coward as to be âbraveâ: flee! our Father urged. We must flee from occasions of sin, avoid them, even though they may seem tiny and insignificant. If we do not break off in time, it becomes much more difficult later. Half-hearted desires lead only to lukewarmness. If the circumstances of our life or our human nature - given as it is to moods and changes -were ever to make it easier for the enemy to open a breach which could disturb us; if anyone, at a particular moment, felt their supernatural outlook waning and began to think there were reasons for not cutting decisively whatever it was that was preventing them from seeing things clearly, then they should listen to our Fatherâs words as if they were addressed to them personally: Youâre wanting to, without really wanting to, as long as you donât put the occasion firmly aside. -Donât try to fool yourself by telling me youâre weak. Youâre a⌠coward, which is not the same thing.
We have to guard our senses and apply the human and supernatural precautions that we have learned in the Work: at our job and when we are resting, during social activities and sports, without fearing to clash with our environment. And when something bothers us, we need to turn to our Lord in prayer and open our heart in the fraternal chat, knowing that to feel is one thing, to consent another. Thus we will discover the specific obstacle at the root of every temptation and fall, and apply the appropriate remedy.
Be forewarned against difficulties over our dedication appearing in later life.
I want to warn you, our Father wrote, against a psychological conflict. Some years ago, a prudent and pious friar told me: âDonât forget that when people reach the age of forty, those who are married want to become single again; friars want to become priests; doctors want to become lawyers; lawyers, engineers; and so on: itâs like a spiritual cataclysm.â
Life doesnât always unfold as that good religious said, or at least itâs not such a general rule. But I want my children to know about this possible evil and to be forewarned, even though very few may actually go through this crisis. If one of your brothers or sisters passes through this anxious phase, you will need to help them: rejuvenating and strengthening their piety, treating them with special affection and giving them something nice to do. It may not happen at exactly forty, but perhaps at forty-five. We should also try to ensure that they have a period of rest: and well behave this way not just with three or four, but with everyone.
Though we are very much children before God, we cannot be childish. People come to the Work old enough to know that we have feet of clay and are made of flesh and blood. It would be absurd for this to dawn on us in our maturity, like a few-months-old baby astonished to discover it has hands and feet. We have come to serve God, aware how weak and frail we are. But if we have given ourselves to him, Love will prevent us from being unfaithful.
Besides, be convinced that to be disloyal, to latch on then to an earthly love, would be the beginning of a very bitter life, full of sadness, shame and sorrow. My children, strengthen your resolve never to sell your birthright, never to exchange it, after years have gone by, for a plate of lentils. It would be a great pity to squander so many years of self-sacrificing love. Say with the Psalmist: I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to observe your righteous ordinances.
God, who rewards our faithfulness and reminds us that omnia cooperantur in bonum (everything works together unto good), forewarns us at the same time against the constant danger of vanity. St
Augustine wrote: For those who love God, everything works together unto good - absolutely everything, even to this extent, that if some swerve and stray from the path, he makes their very wanderings contribute to their good, because they come back wiser and more humble. They learn that their rejoicing on the right path ought to be with trembling, and that they should not arrogantly rely on their own strength to remain on the path, nor say in times of prosperity: now we will never fall.
We finish our prayer today by asking Christ to grant us the grace to live the Christian virtue of chastity as a joyful affirmation. We ask this of him through the intercession of our Lady, she who is immaculate purity. Let us turn to her, tota pulchra! - all beautiful! - taking to heart the advice I gave many years ago to those who felt uneasy in their daily struggle to be humble, pure, sincere, cheerful and generous. All the sins of your life seem to be rising up against you. Donât give up hope! On the contrary, call on your holy Mother Mary, with the faith and abandonment of a child. She will bring peace to your soul.