CHRIST, YOUR LORD.

"Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve Him only." (Deut. 6:13)

I.

"No man can serve two masters." (Matt. 6:24) God is our only true and lawful Lord. "I am the Lord," He says by Isaiah, "and there is no other." (45:18) "All souls are Mine: as the soul of the father, so also, the soul of the son is Mine." (Ezech. 18:4) No master has so perfect a right to his servant as God has to you. You belong to Him under the titles of creation, preservation, and redemption; you belong to Him, too, by voluntary subjection in baptism. Rejoice that your Lord and Master is so exalted and so powerful, for as St. Ambrose remarks: "It is an honor to be a servant to an exalted Lord."

II.

Dominion over a thing infers the right of disposing of that thing as the proprietor thinks proper. Reflect how often you have violated this right that God possesses over you by not permitting Him to dispose of you as He pleases. Worse than this, you have frequently stood in open rebellion to Him by your sins. Oh how often have you embraced the interests of the devil, His capital and sworn enemy! "Thou hast forsaken the God that begot thee, and hast forgotten the Lord that created thee." (Deut. 32:18) Ponder this expression of God and be confounded.

III.

Your Lord and Sovereign will visit you today in the Holy Eucharist to take a fuller and more perfect possession of you; for, although He does not stand in need of you, He wishes you to belong entirely to Him. "The Lord thy God thou shalt adore, and Him only shalt thou serve." (Matt. 4:10) Renounce, therefore, every connection and league with the devil, the world, and the flesh. Present your heart to Him again, ask His pardon for your former disloyalty, and permit Him to dispose of you as He pleases in everything. In fine, let it be your future care to please Him alone, in your every thought, word, and deed, for "no man can serve two masters."

THE CONVERSION OF MAGDALENE. I.

I.

"And behold a woman in the city who was a sinner." (Luke 7:37) She was a sinner against the virtue of purity, although it be not specified, because, as the Apostle observes, the very name ought not to be pronounced among Christians, so odious is the vice in those who pretend to virtue and sanctity. It is probable she heard our Lord preach; and, being touched to the heart with repentance, she did not wait for the opportunity of time or place, but immediately "rushed into the banquet," as St. Augustine observes. Wherefore, on your part, "delay not to be converted to the Lord and defer it not from day to day." (Ecclus. 5:8)

II.

In the fervor of her penance she displays four eminent virtues, in which we must imitate her. 1. Her faith in the Divinity of Christ, and His power to forgive sin, was most lively. 2. Her humility equaled her faith; for she willingly suffered confusion, for "she stood behind at His feet," because she considered herself unworthy of His sight. 3. Her love was extreme, and she expressed it by tears, by embracing our Lord's feet, and by anointing them. 4. She had a sovereign contempt of the world; she made her precious ointments, her very hair, and eyes subservient to her penance, because they had before been the instruments of her vanity and sin, and she wished to punish herself in those things by which she had sinned.

III.

Consider the rash judgment of the Pharisees in condemning Christ for suffering Himself to be touched by a sinful woman. Learn hence, that there is no action, however holy, that is not liable to be censured: so true it is that "the sons of men are liars in their balances," (Ps. 41:10) that is, in their judgments. Accustom yourself to disregard the enemies of true piety and solid devotion.

THE CONVERSION OF MAGDALENE. II.

I.

Consider Christ's wisdom in reproving the Pharisee. He reprimands him with mildness and sweetness, as all men in authority ought to do, in order to avoid giving useless offence. He couches His reproof in a parable of two debtors to one creditor. God is our creditor, and we are all His debtors, some more so, and others less; and we have no means of satisfying our Creditor, but by the merits of Christ. The greater, therefore, the debt is which is forgiven us, the greater is our obligation of love and gratitude. Examine your debts, and consequently your obligations to God.

II.

"Dost thou see this, woman?" (Luke 7:44) He confounds the Pharisee and our pride by the example of a sinful woman. She acknowledges the favor done to her by the remission of her great debt, and shows much more love than those who, neglecting their less debts, are cold in their affections. Often ask yourself this question, "Dost thou see this woman?" and be confounded for being so inferior to her in love of God and works of penance, often having, perhaps, received greater favors than she had. Take care that you be not of the number of those to whom Christ addresses the terrible sentence: "The publicans and the harlots shall go into the kingdom of God before you." (Matt. 21:31)

III.

"Thy sins are forgiven thee." What was her joy when she heard those consoling words? Ponder on the efficacy of contrition, which in a moment blots out all the sins of former life. Take care to excite this contrition in your mind, especially when you approach the sacrament of penance. As you have followed her in sinning, follow her in repenting. Say with the Psalmist: "I will confess against myself my iniquities to the Lord, and Thou hast forgiven the wickedness of my sin." (Ps. 31:5)

THE CONVERSION OF THE SAMARITAN WOMAN. I.

I.

"Jesus, being wearied with His journey, sat thus on the well." (John 4:6) Like a good shepherd, our Lord traveled on foot seeking for His lost sheep, and, among other corporal miseries, admitted weariness and thirst. But observe with what patience He endured them. He sat down by the fountain, foreseeing what would happen, not so much to rest Himself as to take an occasion of benefiting others. Thus the divine "wisdom forerunneth them that covet her, so that she first showeth herself to them." (Wis. 6:14) How often has she attempted to anticipate you, and you have disregarded her!

II.

While He was sitting by the fountain, a woman came to draw water. Christ first addresses her by the words: "Give Me to drink." She refuses, and asks: "How dost Thou, being a Jew, ask of me to drink?" Thus many reject Jesus Christ when He moves them by His interior grace, and wishes to be refreshed by their virtues. Christ, however, did not desist from helping this sinner, but remarked: "If thou didst know the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, 'give Me to drink,' thou perhaps wouldst have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water." (John 4:10)

III.

Consider the excellence of this living water, which is divine grace, and which Christ promises to His faithful servants. "He that shall drink of the water that I will give him, shall not thirst forever." It quenches, therefore, forever, the thirst of the soul, and satisfies it. The soul then no longer thirsts after earthly waters, that is, the pleasures of this world. It becomes a fountain of all good to the soul, ever flowing and giving merit to our actions. "It springs up to everlasting life" (John 4:14), elevating our thoughts to heaven and heavenly joys, of which it is a pledge. Say, therefore, with the Samaritan woman: "Give me this water, that I may not thirst."

THE CONVERSION OF THE SAMARITAN WOMAN. II.

I.

Consider the wonderful goodness of our Lord in manifesting Himself to the sinful woman when she spoke of the Messiah: "I am He," He said, "who am speaking to thee." (John 4:26) Ponder the efficacy of her faith. She immediately leaves the vessel in which she intended to draw water, and runs back into the city to induce others to believe as well as herself. "Come and see," she said, "a man who hath told me all the things that ever I did." Such is the fervor of true zeal; it is always active, and always wishes to gain subjects to Christ. If you wish, therefore, to be inflamed with true zeal, throw away every earthly affection and seek the greater glory of God.

II.

When the woman was gone, the Disciples offered Christ something to eat; but He, being intent on the conversion of the Samaritans, observed: "My food is to do the will of Him that sent Me, that I may perfect His work." Learn, hence, to prefer the spiritual good of your neighbor, to your own temporal concerns. Would to God that your meat and drink, your delight and only pleasure, was to do the will of your Heavenly Father!

III.

Many of the Samaritans, moved by the woman's words, came to Christ and were converted. "We now believe," they said to her, "not for thy saying, for we ourselves have heard Him, and know that this is indeed the Savior of the world." Rejoice at your Savior's being manifested to those men, and wish that the whole world may come to the knowledge of Him. Exert yourself to the utmost in endeavoring to bring as many as you can to Him. "If you walk towards God," says St. Gregory, "endeavor not to come to Him alone without company."

THE WOMAN TAKEN IN ADULTERY.

I.

The Pharisees were continually seeking occasions of entrapping Christ in conversation, and on this endeavored to abuse His meekness. They therefore bring to Him a woman taken in adultery, with the intention that, if He gave sentence that she ought to be dismissed, they might accuse Him of being a corrupter of the Law. The devil is constantly occupied in laying snares for us in that virtue in which we most excel. The zealous he endeavors to provoke to anger; the humble to dejection and pusillanimity; and the meek to too much indulgence. But "there is no counsel against the Lord," (Prov. 21:30) and God "catcheth the wise in their craftiness, and disappointeth the counsel of the wicked." (Tob. 5:13)

II.

"Jesus stooping down, wrote with His finger on the ground." (John 8:6) He thus declined giving a sentence, which might create contention. Hence, the Apostle writes: "No man, being a soldier to God, entangleth himself in worldly business." (2 Tim. 2:4) He acted thus, too, in order to teach us to act prudently, and not with precipitation when the condemnation of our neighbor is in question. The Pharisees still urged Him, and He lifted up Himself and said to them: "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." This was a most wise decision; He neither condemned nor acquitted her, but attempted to move her accusers to compunction for their own sins, and pity for others. "Be ye merciful, as your Heavenly Father is also merciful." (Luke 6:36)

III.

The Pharisees went away one by one, and left the woman alone, repentant for her sin, and probably with interior faith, expecting absolution from Christ. Christ, understanding from her that no one had condemned her, said: "Neither will I condemn thee, go and now sin no more." (John 8:11) Admire the riches of God's goodness, patience, and longanimity in bringing you and others to penance. How often has He said to you, "now sin no more," and yet you have disobeyed Him? "A man that fasteth for his sins, and doeth the same again, what doth his humbling himself profit him? Who will hear his prayer?" (Ecclus. 34:31)

THE WOMAN OF CANAAN.

I.

A woman of Canaan, a Gentile, came to our Lord to obtain the cure of her daughter. Her prayer for this favor was most perfect; her faith was great; she confessed Christ to be the son of David. Her reverence was profound, for "she fell down at His feet." (Mark 7:25) Her charity was tender; she did not pray for herself, but for her daughter. Her prayer was earnest, for she cried out after our Lord. Lastly, her prayer was constant, for, although often repulsed, she persisted in her entreaty. Let this be the model of your prayers.

II.

At first, Christ seemed to address her harshly. "It is not good to take the bread of the children and cast it to the dogs." (Matt. 15:26) He thus wished to exercise her virtue and to try her perseverance. God often acts in the same manner with us, because, as St. Gregory remarks: "He loves to be entreated, He wishes to be forced, and desires to be overcome by importunities." Remark, admire, and imitate the woman's humility. Let your prayers be always attended by this virtue, for "the prayer of him that humbleth himself shall penetrate the clouds, and he will not depart till the Most High behold." (Ecclus. 35:19)

III.

Christ yielded at length to the woman's pious importunity, after having first commended her faith. "O woman, great is thy faith; be it done to thee as thou wilt." (Matt. 15:28) Perhaps your soul, like this woman's daughter, is afflicted with an evil spirit. He is afflicted with this spirit, who yields to troubles and temptations, but he who overcomes them is harassed to his greater merit. Beg, therefore, courage and strength to conquer them, and pray as this woman did, in order that "it may be done to thee as thou wilt."