Come to me all you that labor and are burdened, and I
will refresh you. St. Matthew 11:28
THIRD MONDAY
MEDITATION XVI
Jesus is the Fountain of Grace
Haurietis
aquas in gaudio de fontibtis Salvatoris.
You shall draw
waters with joy out of the Saviour’s fountains. Isa. 12: 3
Consider the four fountains of grace that we have in Jesus Christ, as
contemplated by St. Bernard. The first is that of mercy, in which we can wash
ourselves from all the filthiness of our sins. This fountain was formed for us
by our Redeemer with his tears and his blood: He loved us, and washed us from our sins in
his own blood.
The second fountain is that
of peace and consolation in our tribulations: Call upon me (saith Jesus Christ) the day of trouble, and I will console thee. He that thirsteth, let him come to me. He that
thirsteth for true consolations even in this world, let him come to me, for I
will satisfy him. He that once tastes the water of my love will forever disdain
all the delights of the world: But he that shall drink of the water that I will give,
him shall not thirst forever. And thoroughly contented will he be
when he shall enter into the kingdom of the blessed, for the water of my grace
shall raise him from earth to heaven. It will become in him a fountain of water springing up
into life everlasting. The peace
which God gives to the souls that love him is not the peace that the world
promises from sensual pleasures, which leave in the soul more bitterness than
peace; the peace which God bestows exceeds all the pleasures of the senses: Peace
which surpasseth all understanding. Blessed are those who long for this divine
fountain. Blessed
are they that hunger and thirst after justice.
The third fountain is that of devotion. Oh,
how devout and ready to execute the divine will, and increasing every day in
virtue, is he who constantly meditates on all that Jesus Christ has done for
our sake! He will be like the tree planted by a stream of water: He shall be like
a tree that is planted near the running waters.
The fourth fountain is that
of love: In my
meditation a fire shall flame out. It is impossible to meditate on
the sufferings and ignominy borne by Jesus Christ for the love of us, and not
to feel inflamed by that blessed fire which he came upon earth to enkindle. How
true it is, then, that he who avails himself of these blessed fountains of
Jesus Christ will always draw from them waters of joy and of salvation! You shall draw
waters with joy out of the Saviour's fountains.
Vision of St Bernard with Sts. Benedict and John the Evangelist by Fra Bartolomeo
Affections and Prayers
O my sweet and dearest Saviour, how much do I not owe Thee! What an
obligation hast Thou put upon me of loving Thee, since Thou hast done for me
what no son would have done for his father, and no servant for his master! If
Thou, therefore, hast loved me above every one else, it is only just that I
should love Thee above all others. I could wish to die with sorrow at the
thought that Thou hast suffered so much for me, and that Thou didst accept for my sake the most painful and ignominious death that it is possible for a man to endure; and yet
I have so often despised Thy friendship. How many times hast Thou forgiven me, and
I have despised Thee afresh? But Thy merits are my hope. I now esteem Thy grace
above all the kingdoms of the world. I love Thee, and for Thy love I accept
every sorrow, every kind of death. And if I am not worthy to die for Thy glory
by the hand of executioners, I accept at least willingly that death which Thou
hast allotted to me; and I accept it in the manner and at the time that Thou shalt
choose. My dear Mother Mary, obtain for me the grace always to live and to die
loving Jesus.
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