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GOOD
FRIDAY (APRIL 10)
It
is very natural that tonight we should make our conference
on the Way of the Cross, for today is Friday, the day
on which Our Lord died for us. Our Seraphic Father St.
Francis was very fond of a favorite saying of St. Paul,
"God forbid that I should glory save in the cross
of Our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified
unto me, and I unto the world." [Gal.4:16] It was
when kneeling before the Crucifix that he heard the voice
of the Master saying, "Go and rebuild my church which
is tottering to ruins." It was his summons and his
message. With that prompt obedience which characterized
him and accepting it as a command, St. Francis started
to rebuild that one little church on the outskirts of
Assisi, St. Damian's. He rebuilt three churches in Assisi
and its environs and then God called him to the larger
work of rebuilding the love of God in the hearts of men
and renewing the face of the world.
In a vision God showed him much armor, shields, spears
and breast-plates, and upon them all was the sign of the
cross. At first Francis thought he was to be a soldier
like the crusaders, win a great reputation with material
arms, but he was afterwards taught that he was to be the
founder of a militia of Jesus Christ and all their armor
should be marked with the cross. His life was short and
it was full of the cross. He performed miracles, raising
the dead, repeating the scenes which followed the footsteps
of Our Lord through Judea and Galilee, but in the midst
of it he himself was smitten with great infirmities, weakness,
staggered along, and sometimes he could not do even that
and had to be lifted to the back of a mule. He suffered
from blindness and then at last on Mount Alverna Our Lord
visited him, pierced him in the hands and feet and side
with the wounds of the Crucified. Those wounds burned
and hurt him dreadfully, but he never complained.
Once, out of pity for his sufferings one of the brothers
attending him suggested that the Lord treated him severely.
St. Francis was so indignant that it was difficult for
him to forgive the brother, and as a protest he threw
him out of the house and declared that if the Lord gave
him a thousand times as much to suffer, he would suffer
it gladly, which manifested his spirit and love and those
fountains of joy, concerning which we read in the Scripture,
"He endured the cross, despising the shame, for the
joy that was set before him." [Heb.12:2] And so it
should be with us. We should love the cross in spite of
the suffering that is associated with it, for after all,
in human experience in its last analysis, what is sweeter
than suffering?
A Good Friday well spent is apt to give to the soul of
the penitent a sense of interior joy greater than the
triumphs of music in the Alleluias of Easter Day itself.
Now one of the great gifts of the Franciscan family to
the Church is the Stations of the Cross. St. Francis himself
was a great and successful crusader. He went to the crusades
of Damiata, but he was not satisfied with that. When there
was a defeat and the soldiers were driven back and they
did not get any farther towards the Holy Land, he with
two companions made the journey on foot, arrived at the
Holy Land and visited the holy places and established
some arrangement by means of which his Friars have been
guardians of the holy places ever since, and what hundreds
and thousands of men by arms failed to do, with no other
arms than those of the Spirit, St. Francis succeeded in
doing. The Franciscans originated the Stations of the
Cross as a substitute for going actually to Jerusalem
on foot, and the holy Popes have endowed these Stations
of the Cross with Indulgences--instead of making a physical
journey visiting the Holy Land, especially Mount Calvary.
Now the difficulty with us poor creatures is that when
we do something over and over again, we get kind of callous
to it. I remember when I was a young Anglican clergyman,
I got hold of a book with the Stations in it (we did not
have any Stations in the Church), but just taking those
stations and meditating on them on Good Friday brought
a good many tears to my eyes, but I must say that it is
a long time since the Stations of the Cross have brought
any tears to my eyes. We go through the formal way and
it is hard to stir up our hearts. But for St. Francis
just the thought of Christ's sufferings was enough to
start the tears from his eyes. Even that being so, we
can use the Stations of the Cross as a form of meditation
that will be very fruitful and we ought to try to cultivate
a way of doing it, not merely going through them formally
when somebody reads them and we sing a hymn. That is all
right, if we do it with the proper intention and in the
spirit we should have.
Even though we are not struck by any emotions, God sees
fit to grant us indulgences and graces, nevertheless.
But there is such a thing as bringing the Way of the Cross
into the very warp and woof of our existence, and that
is by trying to apply them to ourselves.
So by using the Stations of the Cross in this way and
making private meditations and remembering the passion
of Our Lord, it may be an inspiration to us and may God
in the alchemy of His love quickly convert your crosses
into crowns of rejoicing, for after all, we are the children
of the Seraphic Patriarch who went over the hills of Subasio
praising and magnifying God, concerning whom the prophet
long ago said, "they shall enter Sion with everlasting
joy upon their heads," [Isaiah 35:10] and although
the minor notes, the melancholy notes, the funereal notes
will find expression in your life, I trust that always
the cheerful chords will be dominant, and surely they
will be in Heaven. (Fr. Paul Retreat Conference Aug. 20,
1926)
For
a printable version of this article click
here.
EASTER
SUNDAY (APRIL 12)
It
is a generous provision of Holy Mother Church, that the
Easter season for Catholics extends over a period of fifty
days, which we call Eastertide. This is in reality the
Church's most beautiful season, culminating in the glorious
ascension of Jesus Christ into Heaven, and the joyous
descent of the Holy Spirit to enlighten the Apostles with
celestial fire and to quicken the entire body of the faithful
with supernatural grace.
The joy of Easter Day to the Christian soul is a foretaste
of Heaven, and fortunate are they who can prolong that
spirit of exquisite happiness through the entire length
of Eastertide. I wish I might help you thus to prolong
the joy which Easter gives, so that your soul might rejoice
in harmony with the joy of the earth itself, when nature
is awakening from her winter's sleep, and the blossoming
trees, and the singing birds, and the golden sunshine
combine their charms to gladden the heart of man.
To the end that you may be truly happy, I pass on to you
the inspired advice of St. Paul,
| If
you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are
above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God.
Mind the things that are above, not the things that
are upon the earth, for you are dead, and your life
is hidden with Christ in God. [Col. 3:1-2] |
To
ascend with the Apostle, and walk in heavenly places with
Christ Jesus, through the Spirit of divine contemplation,
is certainly one of the best ways in which to preserve
interior happiness amid the cares, burdens, and vicissitudes
of our present life.
Frequent Holy Communion is also essential to that union
with the risen Christ which takes a solid and permanent
basis for Christian happiness. St. Paul amidst his life
of labor, of constant persecution from enemies on every
side, exclaimed , "It is no longer I that live, but
Christ that lives in me." [Gal.2:20] And it is the
risen Christ who gives himself to us under the appearance
of bread and wine in the Eucharistic feast. And to receive
him worthily, and to place him on the throne in our hearts,
there to render him daily worship and service, is really
the only way to fully satisfy the cravings of the human
heart, and make us more than conquerors in all the struggles
and conflicts with which life is so filled.
We should also try to picture to ourselves how our blessed
Lady of the Atonement must have passed her days in the
home provided for her by the beloved disciple St. John,
after her divine Son had risen from the grave and gone
up into Heaven. How her heart must have ascended constantly
in aspirations after him; and with what wonderful devotion
she must have made her daily communions! The more we can
imitate her in that spirit which bound her ever to the
Sacred Heart of the risen Jesus, the more we will be able
to preserve the spirit of Easter Day in our hearts always.
While so many of your neighbors are vainly seeking happiness
in the artificial excitement and strenuosity of modern
life, depend not upon the flesh and its sensations for
your pleasure and entertainment, but remember that God
is within you, and that as St. Augustine has truly said,
He, and He alone, can satisfy the human heart which He
has made for Himself. (The Lamp Apr. 1924 p.124)
For
a printable version of this article click
here.
DIVINE
MERCY SUNDAY (APRIL 17)
Of all the parables this [one on the prodigal son, Matt.15:11-32]
is the most popular, appealing more universally to the
heart of man than any other. In fact, it contains the
whole scope of the theology of God and the salvation of
men. And to some extent it applies to all of us to some
degree. Unless we have lived perfect lives, it is true
we are called prodigal.
As
Catholics, if we have done wrong, we go back to our Father.
Christ is represented by a priest. We say, “Father,
bless me for I have sinned.” The priest gives a blessing.
The penitent then says, “Father, it is so long since
my last confession and I have sinned as follows.”
He expresses his sorrow and contrition for his sins. Then
the words of absolution are pronounced over him. God sees
in him one that has been redeemed by the blood of Christ.
Then he is led to the glorious Lamb of God, slain for
us on Calvary, residing in the tabernacle, to be our food.
The tabernacle door is opened. It contains these hosts,
every one of which is the body, blood, soul and divinity
of the Lamb of God, giving peace to you, and there is
rejoicing among the angels.
There is told the story of an old French curate when a
prodigal came to him. As he was making his confession
in the sacristy, the priest smiled and the young man stopped
and said, “Father, if you are going to laugh at me
I won’t go on with my confession.” “My
son,’ said the priest, “You misunderstand. I
was only thinking of what the Lord said, ‘There is
more rejoicing among the angels of heaven over one sinner
that repents than over ninety-nine just persons which
need no repentance.’”
That is the spirit of the mercy and l ove of God. God
understands our weaknesses, our waywardness, infirmities,
like sheep going astray. His love goes out, seeks us,
so glad to have us come to Him. The very angels of God
sing with God the Father, that we are back home again.
I hope that everybody, in the degree in which you are
a prodigal, will take home the message of the love of
Christ, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and won’t keep
away from it. Repent of your sins, feel his embrace, that
joy of conscience after a good confession, after you have
been forgiven. The Father’s says, “I am well
pleased with you now. You were lost and you are found.”
[See Lk 15:32] (Fr. Paul Retreat at Hereford, Tex., June
1922)
For
a printable version of this article click
here.
EARTH
DAY (APRIL 22)
I
have been around a bit both in the United States and Europe,
and I have found nowhere
a more beautiful drive than the one you will be taking
from New York to Graymoor. (Fr. Paul to Miss K. of Elizabeth,
N.J. Sept. 25, 1937)
For
a printable version of this article click
here.
YEAR
OF ST. PAUL (JUNE 28, 2008 - JUNE 29, 2009)
The Graymoor Friars and Sisters never cease to pray for
the sanctification and increase of the Children of the
Atonement.
That prayer will undoubtedly be answered because it finds
its response in the fervent desire of the Sacred Heart
of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Moreover, the
most holy Trinity so wills it. “This is the will
of God,” says St. Paul, “your sanctification.”
[1 Thess.4:3] To the Roman Christians he wrote, “Beloved
of God, you are called to be Saints.” (Rom.1:7.)
To the Thessalonians, “May the God of Peace Himself
sanctify you in all things; that your whole spirit, and
soul, and body may be preserved blameless in the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has called you and he will
not fail you.” (I. Thess.5: 23-24.)
But the paternity of God and the maternity of Mary will
never be satisfied with just a few very choice and select
children. The sons and daughters of the Atonement must
not only be saints, holy and most beautiful in the eyes
of Christ the new Adam and Mary the new Eve, but they
must increase exceedingly and be multiplied until they
not only fill the world but the high courts of heaven.
(The Lamp Feb. 1933 pp.60-61)
For
a printable version of this article click
here.
ONE
& TWO LINERS OF FR. PAUL
On
the First Path up to the Graymoor Summit and the Vision:
As we blazed a pathway up the Mountain under the torrid
heat of July 1900, we had a vision of the Mountain’s
future glory, though we toiled alone. (The Lamp Sept.
1924 p.280)
On
Graymoor and Divine Love:
I want the Graymoor hills and valleys to be filled with
the sunshine of the divine love, upon which God and our
Lady and St. Francis and St. Clare and all the saints
and angels may look down with favor and gladness. [I want
it ] to be a garden spot of divine grace, flowing with
the milk and honey, the oil and wine of heavenly sweetness
and benediction. (Fr. Paul Talk perhaps 1910)
He
should Have Prayed to St. Anthony Earlier to Recover a
Lost Shipment of Lamp Magazines:
Our great regret is that we did not turn to St. Anthony
sooner, instead of putting our trust in telegraph wires,
telephones, special delivery letters, general managers,
railway clerks and so called “tracers” which
do not trace. (Fr. Paul in The Lamp July 1917 p.374)
For
a printable version of this article click
here.
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