Meditations for Lent

[Shin]

From  the book.

The meditation for today:

THE GOSPEL. Matt. iv. 1-11.

"At that time, Jesus was led by the spirit into the desert, to be tempted by the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterwards hungry. And the tempter coming, said to him: If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. Who answered and said: It is written: Not in bread alone doth man live, but in every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil took him into the holy city, and set him upon a pinnacle of the temple, and said to him: If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down; for it is written: He hath given his angels charge over thee; and in their hands shall they bear thee up, lest perhaps thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said to him: It is written again: Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again the devil took him up into a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and all the glory of them, and said to him: All these will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and adore me. Then Jesus said to him: Begone, Satan; for it is written: The Lord thy God shalt thou adore, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil left him; and, behold, angels came and ministered to him."

MEDITATION

ON THE CAUSES OF TEMPTATION.

1st POINT. Why did our Lord suffer himself to be tempted? It was in order to vanquish our enemy, to teach us how to combat to inspire us with courage, to animate us by his example, to humiliate the devil, who triumphed over Adam, to repair the sin of our first parents, and to raise them from their fallen condition, by giving their children power to triumph over the devil.

2nd POINT. Why am I tempted? It is because you are proud, because you do not guard your senses, especially your eyes and ears, because you are under the dominion of bad habits, which hold correspondence with the devil; it is, perhaps, because you are not in the order, or state, in which God desires you to be, and have not followed your vocation; it is that your heart is attached to creatures, or that you are not sufficiently occupied; it is that you are a man, a sinful man and a Christian, and that you desire only happiness and consolation. For a man, being free, is not always determined to do good; but the sinner, being a slave, is under the dominion of him who has conquered. The Christian, being a soldier, should never relax his warfare, or slumber at his post. If the righteous wish to be crowned, they must first be proved by temptation.

3rd POINT. Why has the devil tempted me? Because he hates the image of God, which you bear in you; because he is envious of man, and wishes him to be in his own place; because he seeks to make you his slave and the companion of his pains. It is for this end that he desires to enter into your heart, which is the throne of God, to be adored therein; strives to profane his temple and sanctuary; wishes to drive Jesus Christ from his kingdom, which is in you; wishes to crucify him anew, in your soul, and renew the ignominies of his passion. Do you not assist him in his malicious designs? Do you not satisfy his ambitious schemes? You do this as often as you yield assent to his temptations.

4th POINT. Why does God suffer me to be tempted? For his glory and your good. He wishes to know if you truly love him; he wishes you to know yourself, and to make you sensible of your infirmities, and constrain you to have recourse to him; he wishes to prove your virtue, to hold you in dependence on him, to prepare you for combat, detach you from creatures, and render you worthy of eternal life.

Oh, Jesus, Saviour of my soul! since thou hast been tempted, I am no longer astonished that I also suffer temptations. It is good for me to know thee and know myself. Temptation is necessary and salutary for me, because it renders me humble, and prevents me from being presumptuous. Let me be tempted, then, my God, and prove me to see if there is any iniquity in me. Oh, no, my God, do not tempt me; I know my miseries too well! Deliver me speedily from temptation, at least strengthen me against its assaults, and give me courage to vanquish it. Satan aims at thee as well as at thy servant. Defend thyself and thy interests, therefore, in me, against the enemy and mine.

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE.

"God tempted Abraham." -- Genesis, xxiii.
"Fear not; for God is come to prove you." -- Exodus, xx.
"Ananias, why hath Satan tempted thy heart?" -- Acts. v.
"God himself tried them, and found them worthy of himself.' -- Wisdom, iii.
"As gold in the furnace he hath proved them." -- Ibid.

[Shin]

The meditation for today, the second Lord's Day in Lent..

The Gospel. St. Matt. xvii. 1-9.

"At that time, Jesus taketh unto him Peter and James, and John his brother, and bring them up into a high mountain apart. And he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun, and his garments became white as snow. And, behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then Peter, answering, said to Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us here make three tabernacles, one for thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias. And as he was yet speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And, low! a voice out of the cloud saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And the disciples, hearing, fell upon their face, and were very much afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said to them: Arise, and be not afraid. And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one, but only Jesus. And as they came down from the mountain Jesus charged them, saying: Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of Man be risen from the dead."

MEDITATION

ON THE TRANSFIGURATION

1ST POINT. Jesus is transfigured on Thabor, on Calvary, and on our altars. The first is a transfiguration of glory; the second of ignominy; the third of love. To be transfigured with Jesus on Thabor, we must be transfigured with him on Calvary. If you suffer with him, you shall reign with him; if you take part in his ignominies, you shall also have part in his glory.

2ND POINT. The third transfiguration is that of the body of Jesus on our altars. His vestments there are white as snow, and his face a thousand times brighter than the sun; but it is covered with a cloud or veil, for what human eye could support the ineffable splendour of his countenance? It is here that Moses and Elias, that is, the will and understanding, converse together with him of all the extremes of love and grief that he suffered for us in Jerusalem, since this divine mystery represents the sacrifice of his bitter passion and death, and was instituted by him as a commemoration thereof.

3RD POINT. The fourth transfiguration is that which takes place in holy communion; wherein a man is transformed into Jesus Christ. He is no longer a man, but a God; no longer a sinner, but a child of God. The eternal Father regards him with complacency, and salutes him, as he did his divine Son on Thabor: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." He who was before a sinner, being clothed in the real presence of the body and divinity of Jesus, is thereby rendered holy and just! They are one body, and one spirit; they are two united in one flesh. Let your lives, then, correspond with the great privilege you enjoy, of being transformed into Jesus. Let your thoughts be the thoughts of Jesus, your words be the words of Jesus; that God the Father, beholding you, may say: "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased."

4TH POINT. The fifth transfiguration is that of a soul in prayer. His heart burns with a celestial flame. Moses and Elias, the law and the prophets, converse with him of the passion of Jesus. The powers of his soul, filled with the sweet rest of contemplation, cry out with ecstasy: It is good, O Lord, for us to be here; here let us remain always. I have had great difficulty in ascending the height, I have not spared myself in the exercise of mortification, and I have, through many toils, prepared my spirit by meditation; but the labour, the sweat, and the pains are forgotten in my present happiness, and in the extreme repose that I enjoy.

5TH POINT. The last transfiguration is that of happy souls in heaven. "When we behold God," says St. John, "we shall be like him." When, after the sufferings of this life, we shall have been received into the glorious company of those who reign on this beautiful Thabor, our eternal and joyful song shall be: "Oh, it is good for us to be here!". There is nothing left for me to [strive] for. I have found an everlasting rest. I have received a glorious recompense for my labours. But, Christian soul, while you are waiting to sing this beautiful canticle in heaven, be contented, wherever God may place you on earth. In whatever state you may be, it is good for you to be therein, since God has placed you there; whether it be in poverty, sickness, humiliations, or confusion, Jesus is with you, and [he will] remain with you, if you do his holy will.

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE

"But we all, beholding the glory of the Lord with an open face, are transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord." - 2 Corinthians, iii.

"We are the sons of God. And if sons, also: heirs indeed of God, and joint-hears of CHRIST: yet so if we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him." - Romans

"If so be you have tasted that the Lord is sweet." - 1 Peter, ii.

"Thou art beautiful, O my love, sweet and comely as Jerusalem." - Canticles, vi.

"But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit." - 1 Corinthians, vi.

"How lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord." - Psalm lxxxiii.

[Therese]

The "Meditation for Third Thursday in Lent "about "Jesus Accused before Pilate" is most excellent-- the one written by the anonymous Jesuit whose book is found under Saints' Books.  I highly recommend that you folks look into meditating on it!

[Therese]

Today's meditation, "Meditation for Fourth Sunday in Lent" is particularly good.  I recommend that you folks meditate on it.

[Shin]

Yes truly splendid!

[Therese]

Yes truly splendid!

I knew you'd appreciate these two particular meditations, Shin!

[Shin]

Meditation on the Death of Jesus Christ

1st POINT. Jesus died: who will fear death? Having died for us, who will refuse to die for him? In his death he was consumed with grief: who will desire to die without suffering? By his death he redeemed us: who will serve any other master? He died for our sins: who will not endeavour to destroy and overcome sin?

Oh Good Shepherd! thou hast given thy life for thy sheep. Oh High Priest of the New Law! truly has thou immolated thyself for the salvation of thy people. Oh divine Lord! thou hast, indeed, taught us from the cross how great an evil sin is, since it caused thee to die; and how infinite a good is that heaven, which cost the life of the Son of God.

2nd POINT. Children of men, will you be always ungrateful, always blind? Do you know the price that was paid for you? Do you know what you owe? You owe your life to the Son of God, who has given his for you. What injustice, then, to give it to the world, the flesh, and the devil, which are your most deadly enemies. Did the enemy of souls die for you? Did the prince of this world and concupiscence shed their blood for you? Have they ever done you good? Can they ever do you good? Can they love you? Have they a heaven to offer you? My breathren, you belong, not to yourselves, but to him who, in dying for you, paid an infinite price for your salvation.

3rd POINT. Oh, Jesus my Saviour, let me die with thee, for thee, and like thee. I forgive all my enemies, and hope humbly thou wilt be favourable to me; accept my desires, and graciously give me admittance into Paradise, as thou didst the penitent thief. I declare myself a child and servant of thy holy Mother. Recommend me to her as thou didst thy beloved disciple, and desire her to take care of me at the hour of death. And I implore thee, oh blessed Jesus, by thy abandonment on the cross, do not leave me when all the world abandons me. Sustain my spirit by thy grace, when the strength of my body fails. Give me a great thirst and desire for paradise. Cast thy eyes on the poor victim, who is consumed with grief and suffering.

Oh my Father, I abandon my spirit to thee; I unite my last hour to that of thy divine Son. I wish to hour thee by the sacrifice of my life. I accept death, in acknowledgement of all the blessings I have received from thee; I accept it to satisfy thy justice, which I have so often irritated; I accept it willingly, as an expression of my love and obedience; I accept it that I may enjoy the bliss of possessing and beholding thee; I accept it, finally, to honour thy Son and his most holy Mother, and to drink the same chalice which they have drained.

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE.

"And bowing his head, he gave up the ghost." -- St. John, xix.

"The just perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart." Isaias, lvii.

"For why did Christ die for the ungodly?" -- Romans, v.

"Christ died for us." -- Ibid.

"For to this end Christ died and rose again, that he might be Lord both of the living and the dead." -- Romans, xiv.

"For you are dead; and your life is hidden with Christ in God." -- Colossians, iii.