CHRIST, THE SALVATION OF YOUR SOUL.

"Attend to my life, O Lord, the God of my salvation." (Ps. 37:23)

I.

Christ is recorded in the Gospel of today to have restored to life the daughter of a ruler of the Synagogue, and to have cured a woman of the bloody flux. (Matt. 9:18; Mark 5:22; Luke 8:41) Lastly, He bestowed perfect health on those who approaches Him, "for virtue went out from Him and healed all." (Luke 6:19) Hence royal David exclaims: "The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?" (Ps. 26:1) How securely is he protected, whose savior and defender is God Himself!

II.

This same God will visit you today in the Eucharist. O, what a happiness is this! Examine your soul accurately, and discover what are your spiritual infirmities, and in what attacks against you your enemy oftenest succeeds. If you do not find that your soul is dead in the sight of God, by mortal sin, perhaps you may find that it is dying by the lingering consumption of tepidity. Have, therefore, recourse to the Lord, your Savior, in order that He may say to you, "I am thy salvation." (Ps. 36:3)

III.

To prepare yourself for Christ's visit, you must imitate the humility of the ruler, "who came and adored Him," and of the woman who "came behind Him and touched the hem of His garment." (Matt. 9:18, 20) You must place great confidence in your visitor; for, in consequence of this virtue, Christ said to the woman: "Thy faith hath made thee whole." Consistently with this spirit of confidence, the Prophet says: "Thy life shall be saved for thee, because thou hast put thy trust in Me, saith the Lord." (Jer. 39:18)

THE SOWER.

I.

"A sower went out to sow his seed." (Luke 8:5) Ponder the infinite mercy of God; He does not stand in need of any fruit which we can yield Him, and yet He condescends by various ways, by preachers, by good books, by holy inspirations, by superiors and directors, and by the influence of good example, to go forth and sow in our hearts the seed of eternal salvation. Reflect how precious must be that seed whose fruit is everlasting life.

II.

The earth on which this seed is sown is the heart of man; but there are three kinds of soil, in which this seed produces no fruit: 1. In the highway; that is, in at heart which is continually exposed to distracting thoughts. 2. In a stony soil; that is, in a hard heart, in which there is no moisture of devotion. 3. In a field full of thorns and briers; that is, in a heart which is overrun with the cares, and pleasures, and desires of earthly riches. Examine your heart on these subjects, and see if it be in a fit condition to receive the seed of eternal life.

III.

It is the property of the good soil to "keep the seed and bring forth fruit in patience." (Luke 8:15) It is not sufficient to receive holy inspirations; you must endeavor to retain them; "for whosoever," writes St. Gregory, "is unable to retain his food is in a desperate situation." The field of your heart must be patient; that is, it must willingly bear the plow of affliction, and wait for the dew of Heaven and the showers of divine grace. "In your patience, you shall possess your souls." (Luke 21:19)

THE COCKLE.

I.

"The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that sowed good seed in his field." (Matt. 13:24) By Christ's own exposition, the sower in this parable is God; the field, the world; the good seed, the just; the cockle, the wicked; the enemy, the world; and the Angels, the reapers. God, on His part, wishes all men to be virtuous, and, with this good intention, gives His good seed; but whilst men are asleep, and careless in the affairs of salvation, the devil sows cockle among the good grain; thus some men become wicked. The cockle grows up with the good grain, and sometimes is hardly distinguishable from it; during this life, the wicked are often scarcely known from the good. Examine whether you be wheat or cockle, and do not sleep or be careless in your salvation, for fear of receiving injury from your enemy.

II.

The just even are sometimes indiscreet, when they wish the wicked to be destroyed at once. "Wilt Thou that we go and gather them up." God, however, acts in a different manner: "He makes the sun to rise upon the good and the bad." (Matt. 5:45) He waits with patience for the conversion of the wicked, and therefore does not wish them immediately to be gathered up. Imitate God in this patient forbearance in regard to your brethren, whose conduct displeases or disedifies you.

III.

How differently this world terminates in regard to the good and the wicked. "Gather up first the cockle, and bind it into bundles to burn, but gather the wheat into My barn." Would you wish to be cockle or wheat? If you prefer to be wheat, suffer yourself to be purified by afflictions sent from God, and, by voluntary mortification, from all chaff, and separated from the cockle, for "nothing defiled can enter heaven." (Apoc. 21:27)

THE MUSTARD SEED.

I.

"The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed." (Matt. 13:31) A mustard seed is small and not remarkable either for its smell or outward appearance, but it contains within itself great natural heat, and manifests, it, particularly when it its bruised. Thus, Christ in outward appearance was "a worm and no man, the reproach of men and the outcast of the people." (Ps. 21:7) Nevertheless, He is possessed of all "the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (Col. 2:3) When He was bruised and buffeted, and suspended on His Cross, He expressed and manifested the most unparalleled charity for mankind. Do you on your part suffer yourself to be inflamed with emanations of love from this divine source.

II.

In this world, the just bear a resemblance to the mustard seed. They are simple and contemptible in the eyes of the world, but they are high in the estimation of God and His Angels. Of them, the wicked will say at the day of judgment: "We fools esteemed their life madness, and their end without honor. Behold, how they are numbered among the children of God." (Wis. 5:4) Observe also that good men display their virtue most when they are under the pressure of afflictions. Hence the Apostle writes: "When I am weak, I am powerful." (2 Cor. 12:10)

III.

When the mustard seed is sown, it grows into a large tree, "so that the birds of the air come and dwell in the branches thereof." Thus, Christ was perfectly mortified and dead on the Cross, and in His branches, that is, in His doctrine and example, devout souls dwell by holy contemplation. "I sat down," says the spouse in the Canticle, "under His shadow whom I desired and His fruit was sweet to my palate." (Cant. 2:3)

THE LEAVEN.

I.

"The kingdom of heaven is like to leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal." (Matt. 13:33) This leaven, in the first place, is Christ, who, concealing Himself in our nature, rendered the whole mass, which had been cursed in consequence of the sin of our first parents, acceptable to God. He is, again, in a special manner, this leaven in the Holy Eucharist, for by it He penetrates into the human heart: and, thus, in a certain manner, transforms the whole man, giving chastity to the body, and the fervor of every virtue to the soul.

II.

All good men are leaven, whether they live in communities or in the world, for an exemplary life has a wonderful influence on men's actions, and secretly urges to imitation, making those who imitate, like their models. Hence, St. Paul says to his disciple: "Be thou an example of the faithful in conversation and charity." (Tim. 4:13) Because, as St. Leo writes: "Examples are more powerful than words, and it is a more perfect manner to teach by actions than by words."

III.

The influence of evil example or bad leaven is very great. "Know you not," writes St. Paul, "that a little leaven corrupts the whole mass?" (1 Cor. 5:6) Thus our bad example infects those with whom we live and converse; hence we ought to be very cautious, lest we make the sins of others our own; for this is the case when our bad example is followed. Examine yourself, therefore, most seriously, and see whether you are accustomed to give bad example of any kind; for "woe to that man, by whom scandal cometh." (Matt. 18:7)

THE TREASURE HIDDEN IN A FIELD.

I.

"The kingdom of heaven is like to a treasure hidden in a field." (Matt. 13:44) This treasure, says St. Gregory, is the desire of heaven, or the love of virtue and heavenly things, and it is said to be hidden in the field of this world, because all do not know its value. "Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to the little ones." (Matt. 11:25) Hence most men abhor poverty and humility, and consider them as curses. Entreat our Lord to open your eyes, that you may be able to discover this treasure.

II.

Consider how this treasure is to be kept, "which when a man hath found, he hideth." We must conceal this treasure in our hearts, and cover it with the veil of humility, lest the praises of men or vain glory deprive us of it. Examine whether this be your conduct, or whether you do not rather on all occasions boast of the merits which you think you possess. Our road to heaven is infested with many thieves, "and he wishes to be robbed," observes St. Gregory, "who carries his treasure in open view on the road." Hide it, therefore, as much as you can, in order that you may preserve it.

III.

This treasure can only be purchased by the sale not of one or more things, but of all that we have. "He goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." Christ in another place pronounces: "Every one of you that doth not renounce all that he possesseth, cannot be My disciple." (Luke 14:33) We must, therefore, leave all things in this world, at least in affection, to attain the perfect enjoyment of Christ, and we must consider that we have made a good exchange, for we gain a hundred fold, a hundred times over what we have left.

THE PEARL.

I.

"The kingdom of heaven is like to a merchant seeking good pearls." (Matt. 13:45) We are all merchants so long as we live in this world; hence, Christ in the parable of the talents said: "Trade till I come." (Luke 19:13) All men are in quest of pearls; that is, of the means of happiness. Some place their happiness in temporal enjoyments, others in learning and science, and others in honors. They are, however, all mistaken: all these are false pearls; they have nothing to recommend them but their outward show. Hence the Apostle addresses the rich: "Your riches are putrefied, your gold and silver are rusted." (James 5:2) Examine whether you be not employed in seeking such kind of pearls.

II.

"When he had found one pearl of great value, he sold all that he had, and bought it." There is only one true and really valuable Pearl, that is, Christ our Lord and the love of eternal things. "All gold in comparison to her is as a little sand, and silver in respect to her shall be counted as clay." (Wis. 7:9) There is no comparison between time and eternity, heaven and earth, nor is there any between Christ and all earthly goods whatever; and yet, as often as you sin, you prefer some temporal gratification to Christ.

III.

Here we are told again that this precious pearl is not to be bought but by the sale of every thing else. "He went his way, and sold all that he had and bought it." "Happy is the man," says St. Gregory, "who, with all his fortunes, is able to purchase Christ." Hence, St. Paul writes: "For whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as dying, that I may gain Christ." (Phil. 3:8) Examine your conduct in this respect.