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| Madonna and Child with Angels and Saints by Lorenzo Lotto |
MEDITATION IX
SECOND MONDAY
The Love that
the Son of God has shown us in the Redemption.
Dilexit nos,
et tradidit semetipsum pro nobis.
He hath loved
us, and hath delivered Himself for us. Eph. 5: 2
Consider that the eternal Word is that God who is so infinitely happy
in himself that his happiness cannot be greater than it is, nor could the
salvation of all mankind have added anything to it or have diminished it; and
yet he has done and suffered so much to save us miserable worms that if his
beatitude (as St. Thomas says) had depended on that of man, he could not have
done or suffered more: As if without him He could not be happy; and, indeed, if
Jesus Christ could not have been happy without redeeming us, how could he have
humbled himself more than he has done, in taking upon himself our infirmities,
the miseries of infancy, the troubles of human life, and a death so barbarous
and ignominious?
None but God was capable of
loving to such an excess so wretched sinners as we are, and who were so
unworthy of being loved. A devout author says: If Jesus Christ had permitted us
to ask of him to give us the greatest proof of his love, who would have
ventured to ask of him that he should become a child like unto us, that he
should clothe himself with all our miseries, and make himself of all men the
most poor, the most despised, and the most ill-treated, even to being put to
death by the hands of executioners, and in the greatest torments upon an
infamous gibbet, cursed and forsaken by all, even by his own Father, who
abandoned his Son that he might not abandon us in our ruin?
But that which we should not
have had the boldness even to think of, the Son of God has thought of and accomplished.
Even from his childhood he has sacrificed himself for us to sufferings, to
opprobrium, and to death: He hath loved us, and hath delivered Himself for us.
He hath loved us, and out of love hath given us himself, in order that we, by
offering him as a victim to the Father, in satisfaction for our debts, might
through his merits obtain from the divine goodness all the graces that we
desire; a victim dearer to the Father than if we had offered him the lives of
all men and of all the angels. Let us therefore continually offer to God the
merits of Jesus Christ, and through them let us seek and hope for every good.
Affections and Prayers
My Jesus, I should indeed do great injustice to Thy mercy and Thy love,
if, after Thou hast given me so many proofs of the love Thou bearest me, and
the desire Thou hast to save me, I should still distrust Thy mercy and Thy
love. My beloved Redeemer, I am a poor sinner; but Thou hast said that Thou
didst come to seek sinners: I am not come to call the just, but sinners. I am a poor infirm creature, Thou earnest to cure the infirm, and Thou
didst say, They that are whole need not the physician, but they that are sick.
I was lost through my sins; but Thou didst come to save the lost: The Son of
man is come to save that which was lost. What, then, can I fear, if I am
willing to amend my life and to become Thine? I have only myself and my own weakness
to fear; but my own weakness and poverty ought to increase my confidence in
Thee, who hast declared Thyself to be the refuge of the destitute: The Lord is
become a refuge for the poor And Thou hast promised to grant their desires: The
Lord hath heard the desire of the poor. Therefore, I implore this favor of
Thee, O my Jesus! give me confidence in Thy merits, and grant that I may always
recommend myself to God through Thy merits. Eternal Father, save me from hell,
and first from sin, for the love of Jesus Christ; for the merits of this Thy
Son enlighten my mind to obey Thy will; give me strength against temptations;
grant me the gift of Thy holy love; and, above all, I beseech Thee to give me
the grace to pray to Thee to help me, for the love of Jesus Christ, who hast
promised that Thou wilt grant to him who prays in his name whatever he asks of
Thee. If I continue to pray to Thee in this way, I shall certainly be saved;
but if I neglect it, I shall certainly be lost. Most holy Mary, obtain for me
this great gift of prayer, and that I may persevere in recommending myself
constantly to God, and also to thee, who dost obtain from God whatever thou wiliest.
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