CHRIST COMING TO EXACT AN ACCOUNT.

"Render an account of thy stewardship." (Luke 16:2)

I.

"There was a certain rich man, who had a steward." Imagine yourself to be this steward, whom our Lord has entrusted with several important things, external and internal, supernatural as well as natural. What advantage have you taken of them? As yet but little, it is to be feared, has been done. Examine yourself thoroughly, and you will probably find many things out of order. You have slept out your sleep of tepidity and now you find nothing in your hands; and therefore you are a disgrace to your Employer, because you have squandered away, not your own goods, for you have nothing, but those, which belong to Him.

II.

Our Lord, as your Employer, will wish today to exact from you an account of the goods with which He has entrusted you. At present, His visitation will be conducted with mercy and commiseration; for as holy Job remarks: "He doth not now bring on His fury, neither doth He revenge wickedness exceedingly." (Job 35:15) He will rather supply your defects, forgive you your debts, and restore to you, by this holy grace, the goods which you have misspent. Hereafter, He will come with an iron rod, to do judgment and justice, and to "search Jerusalem with lamps." (Zeph. 1:12) Endeavor, therefore, now to please Him by an exact performance of your duties, for by no other means can you make Him any atonement for your past carelessness.

III.

The duties which you have to perform are: 1. That you should humbly beg His pardon, according to St. Matthew: "I forgave thee all the debt, because thou besoughtest Me." (Matt. 18:32) 2. Frequent and constant love are required. "Many sins are forgiven her," says Christ about penitent Magdalen, "because she hath loved, much." (Luke 7:47) 3. You must forgive from your heart, all offences and injuries done against you by others. "Forgive and you shall be forgiven." (Luke 6:37) With these affections introduce your God into the closet of your heart and adopt the words of the Psalmist: "Enter not into judgment with Thy servant," but "look upon me, according to the multitude of Thy mercies." (Ps. 142:2 and 118:17)

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. I.

I.

"Seeing the multitude, He went up into a mountain, and opening His mouth, He taught them." (Luke 5:1-2) Reflect deeply on the circumstances that attended this memorable sermon on the mount. The uncreated Wisdom of God was the preacher, His pulpit was the bare ground, His auditors were His disciples and other unlettered men, and He discoursed of true happiness. Accompany the multitude, and seating yourself in spirit at the feet of so great a Master, listen attentively to His instruction. Say with young Samuel: "Speak Lord, for Thy servant heareth." (1 Kings, 3:10)

II.

In the sermon, Christ performed not only the office of a teacher, but also that of a law-giver, for He explained the Ancient and published the New Law. "It was said to them of old, thou shalt not kill, but I say to you, that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be guilty of the judgment." (Matt. 5:21) Reverence, then this Divine Lawgiver, and thank Him for His sublime precepts. Entreat Him to imprint His Holy Law in your heart; and say with David: "Set before me for a law, the way of Thy justifications, O Lord, and I will always seek after it." (Ps. 118:33)

III.

He acted also as a counselor by exhorting His hearers to aspire to the greatest perfection, even beyond the obligation of the Law. Such points of counsel were: to turn the other cheek to the striker; to suffer the man that takes the coat to take the cloak also; and to go two miles with the person, who forces you to go one. Reflect on the justice of these counsels. They are given by Him, "in Whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge," (Col. 2:3) and Who is pronounced by Isaiah to be "the counselor by excellence." (Isa. 9:6)

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. II.

I.

Every human being is continually panting for happiness; the good and the wicked are alike desirous of gaining it. But they seek for it by different means. Christ, therefore, commences His sermon by this subject, as if He were to say, you all desire to be happy; listen, then, and I will point out the ways that lead to felicity. Do you, therefore, take care to set your affections on this true happiness, and seek for it by the means which Christ shall point out.

II.

How contrary are the ways of God to the ways of man, and His judgments to those of the world. The world believes that happiness exists in honors, riches, and pleasures, and freedom from pain and grief. "They have called the people happy that hath these things." (Ps. 143:15) On the contrary, Christ pronounces those happy who are poor, meek, and humble, who hunger and thirst after justice, and who suffer reproaches and torments. "As the heavens are exalted above the earth, so are My ways above yours," (Isa. 55:9) says the Lord. Examine to which of these classes you belong, whether you follow the principles of Christ, or the principles of the world.

III.

Christ honored eight virtues which are contemptible in the eyes of the world with the titles of Beatitudes. He has made these so many steps, by which we may ascend to Heaven, in order to enjoy our ultimate and everlasting happiness. These are poverty of spirit, meekness, sorrow for sins, hunger and thirst after justice, mercy, purity of heart, the making of peace both with God and men, and the suffering of persecutions for Christ's sake. You must ascend these steps if you wish to enter into the joys of your Lord. "Blessed is the man whose help is from Thee; in his heart he hath disposed to ascend by steps." (Ps. 83:6)

THE FIRST BEATITUDE.

I.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit." (Matt. 5:3) Ponder, in each particular virtue, its acts, Christ's example, and its rewards. The proper acts of poverty are considered to be five: 1. He is poor in spirit who in affection is ready to lose all rather than offend God. 2. He who actually leaves all for God's sake. 3. He who never aspires to things above himself, and does not presume in himself, and does not court the praises of men. 4. He who denies his own will and judgment, and submits himself to others. 5. He who acknowledges that every thing which he has comes from God, and who is intimately convinced of his own nothingness, acknowledging with the Prophet: "My substance is as nothing before Thee." (Ps. 38:6) Though not bound to practice all, every Christian is bound to practice some of the above acts.

II.

Christ has given us admirable examples of poverty of spirit, throughout the whole course of His life, but principally in His crib, in banishment, in His parents' house, and, lastly, on the Cross. Besides, "He debased himself," as St. Paul writes, (Phil. 2:7) becoming obedient, not only to His eternal Father and His earthly parents; but also to His tormentors, even to death itself. Of His doctrine, He publicly asserted: "My doctrine is not mine, but of Him that sent me." (John 7:16)

III.

Christ has promised to reward the professors of poverty of spirit with the possession of Heaven. "Theirs," he says, "is the kingdom of Heaven." Reflect how advantageous it is to obtain the kingdom of Heaven with its eternal happiness by the exchange of some few transitory enjoyments of this world. Ponder the excellence of this kingdom, its riches, glory, and perpetuity. "The eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him." (1 Cor. 2.9) Hence, St. Gregory Nazianzen had reason to say: "Happy is he who buys Christ, though the purchase cost him all his goods and fortune."

THE SECOND BEATITUDE.

I.

"Blessed are the meek." (Matt. 5:4) After poverty of spirit, that is, contempt of the world and its desires, follows meekness, as a child does its parent. The acts of this virtue are chiefly three: 1. To bridle the passion of anger and revenge; and when it is your duty to display zeal, to do it without any perturbation either exterior or interior. 2. To be affable to all, and troublesome to none, neither in word nor action. 3. The third act of meekness is, not to oppose or resist injuries with violence, even when you may lawfully do so, but to suffer contempt with peace and tranquility of mind. Examine yourself on these heads, and reform whatever stands in need of correction.

II.

Christ has given the world a most brilliant example of meekness. Speaking of the future Messiah, the Prophet says: "He shall not contend, nor cry out, neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets." "The bruised reed He shall not break and smoking flax He shall not extinguish." (Matt. 12:19; Isa. 42:4) "He shall not be sad nor turbulent." St. Peter, speaking of him, observes: "When He was reviled, He did not revile; when He suffered, He threatened not, but delivered Himself to him that judged Him unjustly." (1 Pet. 2:23) And He says of Himself: "Learn of Me, because I am meek and humble of heart." (Matt. 11:29)

III.

Christ promises the meek that "they shall possess the land." They will possess their own hearts, that is, they will be masters of their own passions. They will also possess the hearts of others, according to the author of the Ecclesiasticus: "My son, do thy works in meekness, and thou shalt be beloved above the glory of men." (Ecclus. 3:19) Lastly, they will possess the land of promise, as their eternal inheritance. "The meek shall inherit the land, and delight in the abundance of peace." (Ps. 36:11) Adopt, then, this meekness in your conduct and conversation, in order that you may delight in the abundance of peace, as well in regard to God, as yourself and your neighbor.

THE THIRD BEATITUDE.

I.

"Blessed are they that mourn." (Matt. 5:5) We have three motives for mourning: 1. We ought to indulge compunction for our sins according to the examples of David and St. Peter. 2. We should mourn for the sins of others, and feel compassion for them. 3. We have reason to grieve at our banishment in this worlds and our separation from God. "Woe is me, that my sojourning is prolonged." (Ps. 119:5) This spiritual mourning does not entirely consist in affliction of the mind, but also in refusing those things which brings pleasure along with them. Hence the Wise Man says: "Laughter I counted error, and to mirth I said, why art thou vainly deceived ?" (Eccles. 2:2) Reflect how, on the contrary, you are continually seeking your own satisfaction and enjoyment, and how to these you frequently sacrifice your content.

II.

Consider the example of Jesus Christ on this subject. St. Chrysostom writes: "You will often find Christ weeping, but never laughing." And Solomon remarks: "The heart of the wise is where there is mourning, and the heart of fools where there is mirth." (Eccles. 7:5) Reflect what reasons you have to imitate the example of so great a master, and rank yourself with the wise, rather than the foolish.

III.

Consider the reward attached to mourning. "They shall be comforted," in this life with Divine enlightenment and the testimony of a good conscience, and in the next, "they shall be inebriated," O God, "with the plenty of Thy house; and Thou shalt make them drink of the torrent of Thy pleasure." (Ps. 35:9) Lament, therefore, your own and your neighbors' sins, for they who sow in tears shall reap in joy. On the contrary, "woe to you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep," (Luke 6:25) as it is written in the Apocalypse: "As much as she hath glorified herself, and hath been in delicacies, so much torment and sorrow give unto her." (Apoc. 18:7)

THE FOURTH BEATITUDE.

I.

"Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice." (Matt. 5:6) These pious souls desire everything, without exception, to be fulfilled, which justice and our obligations to God, as well as to our neighbors, require. They desire to make continual progress in virtue and perfection. They wish perfect justice to exist among all mankind, and do all in their power to gain that object. Finally, they hunger and thirst after Christ our Lord, who is our "justice and sanctification," (1 Cor. 1:30) by a lively faith and interior relish of His presence. Examine yourself on these points, and discover whether you do not rather loathe justice than hunger and thirst after it, and ardently seek those things only which the world loves and admires.

II.

During the whole of His life, Christ sought nothing but the accomplishment of His Father's will. "My food," He says, "is to do the will of Him that sent Me." (John 4:34) When He hung upon the Cross, He exclaimed: "I thirst," (John 19:28) — that is, for the sanctification and salvation of all mankind, for whom He died. Such ought to be your hunger and thirst, and not the appetite of the wicked whose God is their belly. (Phil. 3:19)

III.

Consider the reward of those who hunger and thirst after justice: "They shall be filled." God will bestow special graces and spiritual comforts on them during this life, and in the next, and they will enjoy the beatific vision. "I shall be satisfied," says the Psalmist, "when Thy glory shall appear." (Ps. 16:15) Reflect how this heavenly satiety ought to be desired. It never cloys, and endures for all eternity. Examine your dispositions, whether you would rather enjoy yourself in this world or in the next; you cannot enjoy the happiness of both.