Divine Intimacy

By Gabriel Of St. Mary Magdalen

Divine Intimacy is considered a classic throughout the Christian world, a work prepared with loving and conscientious labor by one of the great Catholic teachers of our time. This revision of his famous works vibrates with the freshness of the springtime of grace stirred up by Vatican II and inspired by the renewed impulse to a more vital return to Sacred Scripture. Of all the books of meditation available today, this series is the most practical, liturgically and spiritually formative, and helpful for true communion with God.

Volume IV covers from the Twenty-second Sunday through the Thirty-fourth Week of Ordinary Time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ignatius Press
• Release date: Jul 15, 2011
• ISBN: 9781681491394

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304. TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

YEAR A

Lord, may I offer myself as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to you  (Rom 12:1)

On account of sin and its consequences, the service of God brings with it struggle, renunciation, and the overcoming of self. Today’s Liturgy gives us a typical example of this. In the first place we see Jeremiah’s sorrowful confusion (20:7-9), which expresses the profound distress of a man chosen by God to proclaim his word and, because of this, persecuted endlessly. The prophet goes so far as to declare himself deceived by God, as if fooled by him, because his mission has made him a reproach and derision all day long (ib. 8). Overwhelmed by suffering, he would like to escape from the divine will, yet that is impossible. There is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot (ib. 9). This mysterious interior fire, a mark of the love of God which has conquered him, even deceived him, and of the prophetic charism with which he has been invested, forces him, against every natural inclination, to continue his thankless mission. It is a splendid example of the power of the divine action in a weak creature.

But the most authoritative demonstration comes in the Gospel (Mt 16:21-27), with the announcement of the passion of Jesus, compared to which the sufferings of Jeremiah are but a tenuous figure. From that time—that is, since Peter’s profession of faith at Caesarea—Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things . . . and be killed (ib. 21). With characteristic impetuosity, Peter reacts immediately. How can he accept that the Messiah, the Son of the living God, is going to be persecuted and put to death? Peter is only expressing the mentality of the men of every age. According to human reasoning, the more important one is, the more successful he should be, proceeding from victory to victory. But this is not God’s logic, nor the thought of Jesus, who declares he must suffer because the Father has so ruled it in order to redeem the world from sin. And Peter finds himself strongly rebuked: Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men (ib. 23). How tremendous the contrast between these words and those the apostle had heard at Caesarea, when he had acknowledged the messiahship and divinity of Jesus. There it was Blessed are you! and the conferring of the primacy; here, he is called Satan and repulsed. The only reason is his opposition to the passion and death of the Lord. It is easier to acknowledge the Son of God in Jesus than to accept seeing him die as a criminal. But whoever is scandalized by the cross is scandalized by him; whoever rejects his passion rejects him, because Christ is the Crucified. Whoever follows him must accept not only Christ’s cross, but his own as well. In order to make his disciples understand that it would be an illusion to think they can follow him without carrying their cross with him, Jesus at once adds: If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me (ib. 24). Since sin, this is the only way of salvation for an individual and for the whole of humanity.

I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God—writes St. Paul—to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God (Rom 12:1; 2nd reading). A Christian is not forced to bear his cross; he is a volunteer, who accepts it with love in order to make himself a living and holy sacrifice in union with that of Christ, for the glory of the Father and the redemption of the world. But this is not possible without that profound change in his manner of thinking which will make him think as God does, and thereby become capable of proving what is the will of God (ib. 2), without being scandalized in the face of suffering.

O Lord, you have deceived me and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me. . . . For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. . . . There is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. . . . But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior.

Jeremiah 20:7-9, 11

If I wish to live with you, O Jesus, I must be convinced that Christian life is synthesized in you crucified, that is, in the spirit of renunciation and sacrifice, practiced in total abandonment and self-denial; only through Calvary can we reach our goal. If we meet with grief and struggle along this road, you will sustain us, O Christ, with your cross and help us with your grace. May your words be stamped upon my heart: "Whoever would come after me must take up his cross and follow me."

My Jesus, your cross is too big for our meager strength; we cannot offer very much to your love; but, O Jesus, accept the offering of our sufferings, help us to unite ourselves to you in the sufferings of your passion that we may be worthy to be united to the glories of your Resurrection. My Jesus, grant that during my whole life I may see my cross as the pledge of your holy love, and the earnest of your merciful kindness, so that, dead and crucified to the world, I may live the life of grace.

G. Canovai, Suscipe Domine

YEAR B

"O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? . . . He who walks blamelessly, and does what is right" (Ps 15:1-2)

In this Sunday’s Liturgy, the theme of God’s law is treated with remarkable richness. The first reading (Dt 4:1-2, 6-8) presents fidelity to the law as an essential condition for the covenant with God, and hence as a response to his love, through which he made himself so near to his people as to be accessible whenever they sought and called upon him (ib. 7). The observance of the divine precepts neither oppresses nor enslaves, but produces true life based upon a relationship of friendship with God, which leads to possession of the promised land, the symbol of eternal beatitude. And now, O Israel, give heed to the statutes . . . which I teach you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land which the Lord . . . gives you (ib. 1). Besides, the practice of the law ennobles man by making him share in the wisdom of God who established it (ib. 6), gives him the security of walking in truth and righteousness, and also the joy of being admitted into his presence. Lord, who will dwell in your abode?—sings the responsorial psalm—he who walks with integrity, acts uprightly . . . who speaks no slander, . . . who does no evil to his neighbor. In a word, one who follows the divine commandments.

The second reading (Jas 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27) stresses the interior aspect of the law, showing it as the word of truth sown in the heart of man to lead him to salvation. Receive with meekness—St. James urges—the implanted word, which is able to save your souls (ib. 21). That same divine word which called man into existence has been implanted in his heart as the law and guide of his life. Therefore we must listen to the voice within us in order to perceive it, and then to be its faithful doer (ib. 22). We would be deceiving ourselves if we were content to know the divine precepts without taking the trouble to translate them into works. The conclusion that follows bears upon the central point of the law: the love of neighbor as the concrete expression of true love of God: Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world (ib. 27).

The Gospel (Mk 7:1-8a, 14-15, 21-23) confirms and completes the concepts expressed in the preceding readings. Moses had said: You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord (Dt 4:2). Nevertheless an indiscreet zeal had built up around the law a host of minute prescriptions which caused the basic precepts to be lost sight of, so much so that Jesus’ contemporaries were scandalized when his disciples neglected certain washings of the hands, of cups and pots and vessels of bronze (Mk 7:4). Jesus reacted forecefully against such formalists Hypocrites . . . you leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men (ib. 6,8). He condemned all legalism, but desired the sincere observance of the law, a much more essential and interior reality, for there is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him (ib. 15). It is hypocrisy to be scrupulous about washing one’s hands or giving importance to any other exterior observance when the heart is full of corruption. It is our interior which needs to be purified, because from there come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness (ib. 22-23). Without purification of the heart there is no observance of God’s law, since its precise aim is to free us from our passions and our corruption, in order to make us capable of loving God and our neighbor.

O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly, and does what is right, and speaks truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue, and does no evil to his friend, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor; in whose eyes a reprobate is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord; who swears to his own hurt and does not change; who does not put out his money at interest, and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.

Psalm 15

Give us, O Lord, hunger and thirst for the divine Word, because this is light to the soul, light to the mind, the very life-giving breath. You declared it:. . . The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life (Jn 6:63).

O holy Bible, divine book! Sublimity and sanctity are contained in you and fused into one. Perusing your page is like listening to the most beautiful and heart-stirring music. . . . But the central point at which sublimity and holiness meet and overflow in all their fullness is the New Testament, your Gospel, O Jesus.

The sublimity of the Gospel is not like that of a torrent which rushes by with its great voice arousing the echoes of the mountains from which it sprang, but like that of a calm river, always full of water, and always wonderful in its majesty; it is not the crash of the thunderbolt which precedes the storm, but the slow and peaceful diffusion of serene light, which gradually increases until it floods earth and heaven.

John XXIII, Prayers and Devotions

YEAR C

Lord, you are glorified by the humble (Sir 3:20)

Today’s readings propose a meditation on humility, so much the more timely the less this virtue is understood and practiced. First of all the Old Testament (1st reading: Sir 3:17-18, 20, 28-29) speaks of its necessity, both in relationship to God and to our neighbor. The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself; so you will find favor in the sight of the Lord (ib. 18). Humility does not consist in denying our good qualities, but in recognizing that these are a pure gift of God; it follows that the greater we are, that is, the more richly endowed, the more we should humble ourselves by acknowledging that all has been given to us by God. Then there are desirable qualities which are purely accidental, which are connected with our social level or with the office we occupy; although these qualities add nothing to a person’s intrinsic worth, we are led to be boastful about them, and to consider ourselves a step above others. My son, perform your tasks in meekness, then you will be loved (ib. 17). For as humility invites love, haughtiness repels it; everybody dislikes the proud. So if we allow pride to take root in us, it becomes like second nature to us until we are no longer aware of its malice and are incapable of amendment.

For this reason Jesus censured all forms of ambition, pointing out their deep-seated vanity. This was the case when he had been invited to dinner by a Pharisee, and saw the guests rushing to occupy the choice places (Lk 14:1, 7-14). It was a ridiculous, disgusting scene, but still, how true to life. Can a particular place at table make a man greater than he is? It is really his little worth that leads him to mask his insufficiency by the dignity of a place. At the same time, it exposes him to being more easily humiliated, because sooner or later someone will point out that he has overreached himself. Jesus is teaching this when he advises: When you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place. . . For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted (ib. 10-11). This can seem very elementary, yet the lives of many, even Christians, are more or less reduced to a race for the leading places. And they find no lack of reasons to justify this, whether in the name of some good, of the apostolate, or even of the glory of God. But if they have the courage to analyze themselves to the very core, they will discover that it is all a question of vanity.

Jesus addressed another lesson to his host: When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your kinsmen or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and you be repaid (ib. 12). Jesus was turning the usual way of thinking completely around. The world reserves its invitations for those who will bring it honor by their rank or from whom it can expect some benefit; such a way of acting is inspired by vanity and selfishness. But a disciple of Christ must conduct himself in the opposite manner: he should invite the poor, the maimed, the blind, and the lame, that is, those who are in need of help and are unable to reciprocate. When he acts in this way he can count himself not only honored, but blessed because he will be repaid at the resurrection of the just (ib. 13-14). It is impossible for us to change our mental outlook to such an extent unless we are thoroughly convinced that values are true only in so far as they are directed toward eternal truths, and that our life on earth is but a pilgrimage to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, where the just—the humble, the charitable—are enrolled in heaven (Heb 12:22-23; 2nd reading).

Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear me. . . . You incline your ear if I do not lift up my head. You come close to one who humbles himself, while you draw away from one who exalts himself, except one whom you yourself exalt because he first humbled himself. Then, O God, you do bend down to us. You are high, we are low. You are at the summit, we are destitute, yet not abandoned. . . . You have indeed shown your love for us, so true it is that, while we were sinners, Christ died for us. . . .

Lord, incline your ear and hear me, because I am wretched and poor. You do not hearken to the rich, but rather to the needy and the poor, that is, to the lowly and to those who confess their guilt; to one in need of mercy, but not to one who is satiated and who boasts with pride that he lacks nothing.

St. Augustine, In Ps 86:2

Lord, help us to be united with all our brothers, even with those who are most distant and with whom you have dealt in a different way than with us. Teach us how to love, how to make our less favored brothers profit from our riches; make us love them as brothers and share all our goods with them, indeed, rush to offer these to them, begging them to accept them.

cf C. de Foucauld, Meditations on the Old Testament

305. SELF-CONTROL

Lord grant me self-control and gentleness, fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22)

1.  ‘All things are lawful for me’; but not all things are helpful! ‘All things are lawful for me’; but I will not be enslaved by anything (1 Cor 6:12). Here St. Paul is rebutting the claims of those who, under the pretext of freedom, want to enjoy everything and to experience everything. The liberation from the prescriptions of an oppressive law brought about by Christ and confirmed by the Apostle cannot be synonymous with licentiousness. Not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy; but put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires (Rom 13:13-14). All things are lawful to the Christian, to the pure all things are pure (Tit 1:15), but on condition that this benefits his own and others’ welfare and does not make a slave of anyone. The freedom of the children of God is in quite another sphere than that of immodesty, greed, or anger. I will not allow anything to dominate me is the program to be followed by anyone who wants to become master of himself, in order to submit himself to the one rule, the liberating dominion of God.

Like the other virtues, temperance is infused into us at baptism as the capacity to subject the irrational world of instincts and passions to the spirit, and the spirit to God. The way of temperance is, then, one that frees us from everything that can pull us down to the level of animal life, in order that the life of the Spirit may triumph. Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit (Rom 8:5). Born again in the Holy Spirit, we must know how to live not only according to the requirements of the human spirit—reason and liberty—but also according to the requirements of the divine Spirit: love and dedication to God and to neighbor. This is the highest and most positive aspect of temperance; by detaching us from the selfish satisfaction of the senses, it leads us to that perfect harmony between spirit and matter, which permits us to make rapid progress in the charity which is poured out into us by the Holy Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace (ib. 6).

2. When St. Paul speaks of the qualities necessary for one called to preside over a Christian community, he says: He must not be quick-tempered . . . nor violent, . . . but master of himself (Tit 1:7-8), sensible, and gentle (1 Tim 3:3). Self-mastery is the fruit of temperance, which restrains anger, wrath, violence. Christianity does not aim at forming weaklings or cowards, in whom every strong reaction is stilled and every vigorous deed is squelched; rather, it seeks to form us into strong persons, capable of mastering every angry excess. Temperance and: fortitude do not cancel out each other, but work together to form a Christian who is master of self: mild and peaceful in dealing with his neighbor, but prepared to do violence to himself to control his own passions and the sudden assaults of his own moods. This is exactly the opposite of domineering and short-tempered people who impose themselves violently on others, but interiorly are weak, without any zeal for self-restraint or inclination to submit to the meekness of the gospel.

Do not attempt anything by acts of insolence (Sir 10:6), because he who has a hasty temper exalts folly (Prov 14:29). The first thing to do is not to let our minds be clouded by anger, for that exposes us to the danger of rash actions. Indeed, the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God (Jas 1:20). When the heart is agitated by the impetuosity of anger, it is impossible to distinguish the true and the good, it is impossible to know what God’s will is. Only in tranquility and interior peace can we perceive the invitations of the Holy Spirit and be receptive to his actions.

John XXIII wrote in his diary: I must preserve my serenity, but within this serenity there must be great fervor. I must be faithful to this method, which means being humble and meek at all times, whatever impulse or temptation to the contrary I may feel; but my meekness will in no sense be pusillanimity (Journal of a Soul, 1939, 9 p. 234). This is an echo of St. Paul’s frequent exhortation that we conduct ourselves with all lowliness and meekness (Eph 4:2), and be gentle and show perfect courtesy toward all men (Tit 3:2). Furthermore, self-control and gentleness are numbered among the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22).

Lord God, almighty Father, good Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner and pardon my sins. Help me be on guard against all the snares of my enemies, against temptations and harmful amusements, and help me to overcome them and to abstain resolutely from thinking and doing anything you forbid; grant that I may serve you and love you as muck as you desire and that I may live according to your will. Lord, give me compunction of heart, the practice of piety, the virtue of humility. . . . Give me understanding, love, and delight in your commandments, ease and success in keeping them, untiring perseverance for higher things; grant that I may proceed with humility and never waver.

Do not abandon me, Lord, to human weakness or to ignorance, nor to my merits, nor to anything else than your will Lord, in your goodness do with me and with all my thoughts and deeds as it pleases you, so that only your will may always be done by me, in me, and for me.

St. Anselm, Orationes II

O Lord, let us with humble minds put on the livery of concord, be self-restrained, with humility and self-control, and keep ourselves free from all backbiting and scandalous talking; let us seek justification by actions, and not just words. . . . Let our praise rest with you, O God, and not spring from ourselves, for God hates those that praise themselves. Let the testimony to our good conduct be given by others, just as it was given to our fathers, those holy men. Rashness, wilfulness, and boldness belong to such as are cursed by you; mildness, humility, and gentleness are at home with those you bless. Then help us to study the ways of securing this blessing; . . . and make us eager to perform every good work with ardor and readiness.

St. Clement of Rome, 1 Corinthians 30:1, 33

306. THE CONQUEST OF THE KINGDOM

It is you, Lord, who gird me with strength, and make my way safe (Ps 18:33)

1. Fortitude, according to St. Augustine, is love which endures all with ease for God (De Mor Eccl 25). The christian who loves God with his whole heart thereby becomes capable of facing any difficulty for his sake, and of embracing and enduring any sacrifice. Precisely because the gospel is the code of love it is also the code of fortitude. Its early pages introduce the strong, noble figure of the Precursor, who, without human respect or fear, preached penance to all. When Jesus desired to praise him, he would say: What did you go out into the wilderness to behold? A reed shaken by the wind? (Mt 11:7). The Baptist was not a weakling who wavered in the face of trouble, but a strong man who, because of his zeal for God’s law, was not afraid of falling into disgrace with Herod, and was able to face martyrdom courageously.

When John on his part, was announcing the coming of the Messiah, he said: I baptize you with water; but he who is mightier than I. . . He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Lk 3:16). Jesus was presented as the mightier one, because the strength and power of God were in him. Even Isaiah, who so stressed the Savior’s meekness—he will not cry . . . a bruised reed he will not break. . . . (42:2-3)—foretold his fortitude: he will be the strong God upon whom will rest the Spirit of the Lord, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might (Is 11:2). Before Jesus began his preaching, the Gospel showed him in gigantic struggle against his greatest enemy: Satan. It is comforting to our human weakness to realize that our Lord willed to humble himself even to undergoing temptation, and that this fact does not lessen his fortitude and his victory. Begone, Satan! . . . Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him (Mt 4:10-11).

Strength and meekness are fused in Jesus without any contradiction, a perfect reflection of the strength and sweetness of God. And both should shine out in a Christian who is following his way of life.

2. The gospel shows us Christian life under the profile of a conquest that calls for fortitude, courage and hardihood. The kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force (Mt 11:12). Whether or not we wish to see in this statement an allusion to the hostility of the devil, giving vent to his fury against the kingdom of God, it is still always true that those who wish to master themselves must fight energetically to conquer the enemy and to overcome all the obstacles to their purpose that interpose themselves.

The sweet yoke and light burden of which Jesus speaks (ib. 30) is not to be interpreted as a sickly sweet and effeminate Christianity, which dispenses us from all struggle and reduces itself to fruitless sighs. The Lord’s yoke is indeed sweet and light, but only in proportion to the genuine (and hence vigorous) love which animates the Christian, since it is the property of love to make even the most arduous and wearisome things sweet and easy. Not for nothing did Jesus uncompromisingly say: Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction. . . . The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few (Mt 7:13-14) Christianity is for the courageous, for the strong who are not intimidated, and Who do not give up because the way is hard.

The whole of Christian tradition portrays the following of Christ as warfare, as a battle. St. Paul actually spoke of the armor that the Christian must put on to emerge victorious: Take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (Eph 6:13). These are the weapons: the girdle of truth, the breastplate of justice, the sandals of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and finally the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (ib. 14-17). Thus armed, the Christian can do battle valiantly, yet not without prayer, for only God can give the victory. Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication (ib. 18).

O Lord, make that possible to me by grace, which seems impossible to me by nature. You know how little I can bear, and that I am soon dejected when a small adversity arises. Let all exercises of tribulation become lovely and most desirable to me for your name’s sake; for to suffer and to be afflicted for you is very healthful for my soul.

Behold, O Lord, my abjection and frailty in every way known to you. . . . O most mighty God . . . that you would regard the labor and sorrow of your servant, and stand by him in all his undertakings. Strengthen me with heavenly fortitude, lest the old man, the miserable flesh not fully subdued to the spirit, prevail and get the upper hand; against which we must battle so long as we breathe in this most wretched life.

Imitation of Christ III 19:5; 20:2-3

O Lord God of hosts, who said in your Gospel I have not come to bring peace, but a sword, arm me for the combat. I burn to do battle for your glory, but I pray you to enliven my courage. Then with holy David, I shall be able to exclaim: You alone are my shield; it is you, O Lord, who teach my hands to fight. O my Beloved, I know the warfare in which I am to engage; it is not on the open field I shall fight. . . . My sword is love, with it I will drive the strangers from the land and I will have you proclaimed king of the souls who are refusing to submit to your divine power. (Prayer).

What a grace, when in the morning we feel no courage or strength for the practice of virtue—then is the moment to put the ax to the root of the tree. . . . Love can do all; the most impossible things do not seem difficult to it. O Jesus, you do not regard so much the greatness of the acts, nor even their difficulty, but the love which leads us to do them (Letter 40).

St. Therese of the Child Jesus

307. ONLY GOD IS STRONG

Lord, my strength and my shield, let my heart trust in you (Ps 28:7)

1. God is the mighty man . . . marching in the greatness of his strength (Is 42:13; 63:1). By his power he creates and governs the universe; he establishes the mountains and stills the roaring of the seas (Ps 65:7-8); thus does he also rule mankind. By his might he rules for ever, his eyes keep watch on the nations; let not the rebellious exalt themselves (Ps 66:7). The Old Testament is full of enthusiastic descriptions of God’s power, his exclusive attribute, of which he is jealous: Let not the mighty man glory in his might. . . but let him who glories glory in this, that he. . . knows me, says the Lord (Jer 9:22-23); in fact, only in him can man find his strength. To the people of Israel, whom the Lord had freed from Egypt by the power of his hand and had led through the desert, directing them toward the promised land, he addressed this exhortation: Beware lest you say in your heart: ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth (Dt 8:17-18). If we are able to do something it is only because God has infused into us a little of his power, or rather, has put his power at the disposition of those who trust in him. To the extent that we recognize our weakness and resort trustfully to God, we shall find our support in him. I will trust and will not be afraid—says Isaiah—for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation (12:2). Jeremiah calls out: O Lord, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in the day of trouble (16:19). The psalmist sings: A king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. . . . Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield (Ps 33:16, 20), and he does not tire of repeating: O God, I will sing praises to you . . . for you are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love (Ps 59:17). God, who alone possesses power as his own, is not stingy with it, and willingly lends it to us on condition that we, conscious of our weakness, turn trustfully to him. For thus said the Lord: In trust shall be your strength (Is 30:15).

2. The basic ideas of God’s power and our weakness are taken up again and completed in the New Testament, where Jesus embodies divine power in himself and is its mediator in relation to mankind. Mighty in deed and word before God and all the people (Lk 24:19), he declared: Apart from me you can do nothing (Jn 15:5). Having received power from the Father, he is prepared to communicate it to those who believe in him and have recourse to him with confidence, and in particular to those whom he will call to the apostolate. After he had chosen the Twelve, he gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases (Lk 9:1). Before his ascension into heaven he will promise to these same Twelve that they will be clothed with power from on high (Lk 24:49), and more explicitly: You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses (Acts 1:8). From the beginning, the Apostles ministry bore the imprint of the divine power with which they had been invested. Peter, who had denied the Master through fear of a woman, spoke to the people after Pentecost with courage and all openness, denouncing the unjust condemnation of Jesus (Acts 2:36). The fisherman’s weakness was transformed by the Holy Spirit into the Apostle’s courage.

Fortitude is a Christian virtue, which does not lie in nature’s having gifted a man with a more or less courageous character, but in God’s infusing into him at baptism a participation in his divine power. Only this is supernatural courage, and therefore fitted to overcome the troubles inherent in Christian life. Infused fortitude can, and should, be assisted by the natural qualities, but is not to be confused with them. Often a man, who is strong by nature and capable of courageous deeds on the human level becomes a weakling when it is a question of keeping faith with God and with his own obligations. And it is not rare that one who is timid by nature becomes strong when he lets divine courage act in him. God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise . . . so that no human being might boast in the presence of God (1 Cor 1:27, 29).

You are holy, O Lord, one only God, you work wonders. You are strong. You are great. You are most high. You are the almighty King, the holy Father, the King of heaven and earth. . . . You are the good, the whole good, the highest good, living and true Lord God. You are charity and love. You are wisdom. You are humility. You are patience. You are security. You are tranquility. You are joy and happiness. . . . You are every richness and sufficiency. You are beauty. You are gentleness. You are protector, guardian, and defender. You are strength. You are solace. You are our hope. You are our faith. You are our great sweetness. You are our eternal life, great and wonderful Lord, all-powerful God, merciful Savior.

St. Francis of Assisi, Sayings

Eternal God, you saw the frailty of this human nature of ours, how weak, fragile, and miserable it is; and therefore, O great provider who have provided for every need of your creature, best of healers who have given us a remedy for everything, you awoke stability and strength in our will and accompanied it with the weakness of our flesh; that will is then so strong that neither demon nor creature can overcome it, if we do not will it, that is to say, if our free will, in whose hands this fortitude is placed, does not give consent.

O infinite goodness, from where comes such firmness in your creature’s will? From you, O highest and eternal strength; wherefore we perceive that it shares in the strength of your will, for our will springs from yours. Whence we see that our will is strong only to the extent that it is following yours, and how weak it is when it departs from yours; for you created our will in the likeness of your own, so that when it rests in yours it is strong. . . . In our will, O eternal Father, you made manifest the strength of you will. If you have given so muck strength to one little member, how great must we judge yours to be, since you are the Creator and Ruler of all that is?

St. Catherine of Siena, Prayers

308. DO NOT FEAR!

Though a host encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. . . . I will be confident (Ps 27:3)

1. Jesus the mightiest one, came to bring an end to Satan’s reign in the world, took special pains to train his disciples in fortitude, strengthening them against every kind of danger.

When a sudden squall was raging on the lake and his frightened disciples awakened him, shouting: Save us, Lord, we are perishing, the Master scolded them: Why are you afraid, O men of little faith? (Mt 8:25-26). Faith dispels fear. Of what can we be afraid if we believe firmly in God and are certain of his omnipotent help?

Jesus did not hide from the disciples the fact that they would meet with enemies and would be persecuted as he had been, and he exhorted them to behave fearlessly. I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that, have no more that they can do (Lk 12:4). A Christian must acknowledge his faith even when it costs him his life, for no matter what the value of earthly life may be, that of eternal life is infinitely greater and is something that no one can take from us. Whoever bears witness to Christ before men is assured of the testimony of Christ before the Father; his reward will be eternal life. Therefore, a disciple of Christ must not shrink before his enemies or judges. And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious how or what you are to answer or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say (ib. 11-12). The cause of a confessor of the faith is God’s cause; God himself will come to his aid and will inspire his conduct. Counting with absolute certainty on God is the secret of the martyr’s fearlessness.

Fear not, little flock—Jesus concludes—for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom (ib. 32). Although few in number, defenseless, and persecuted, the disciples of Christ are always surrounded by the love of the Father who has chosen them as his children and has destined them to have a place in his eternal kingdom. His grace and his all-powerful protection are theirs; and the more they take refuge in him the stronger they will be.

2. Christian fortitude is one of the virtues most recommended by Vatican Council II. Seminarians are to be trained in what strengthens character (OT 11); religious are to cultivate this virtue in a special way (PC 5); missionaries must dare to speak as they ought, and not be ashamed of the scandal of the Cross, and are therefore to ask of God power and strength (AG 24). Finally the Council thanks God for continuing in our times to raise up lay persons of heroic fortitude in the midst of persecutions (AA 17). Indeed, nearly everywhere today, there are not a few, both priests and lay people, who are suffering for their faith. Keeping this situation in mind, the Church has not hesitated to introduce the prospect of martyrdom into the framework of universal holiness recommended to all believers: By martyrdom, a disciple is transformed into an image of his Master . . . even to the shedding of blood. . . . The Church considers martyrdom as an exceptional gift and as the highest proof of love (LG 42). Martyrdom is the highest expression of Christian fortitude animated by charity and, if it is not asked of all, it must at least be kept in mind by each of the faithful. A Christian is a martyr in potentiality, consecrated as such through his baptism and confirmation, which, by infusing in him the virtue of fortitude, have made him capable, if need be, of sacrificing even his life for his faith. It is significant that before the Council describes martyrdom as the act of a Christian, it describes it as an exceptional gift of God. It is a gift in that only God can give us the courage to confront martyrdom, but a gift also because it is a very great privilege to be called to pay tribute to death, not out of natural necessity, but for God’s sake to bear witness to him of our own faith.

This does not prevent one from being taken unawares by alarm and anguish when persecution is threatening and danger is imminent. Christian fortitude does not dispense us from this painful experience, but it does make us capable of overcoming it by fixing our gaze upon Christ. Associated with him, a Christian finds the strength to follow him along the way of the cross through the persecutions which the Church will never fail to suffer (LG 42). The Master repeats to his persecuted disciples: Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (Jn 16:33).

O Lord, may I remain firm against the world, firm in my sufferings and firm against the snares of temptation. Help me not to go astray, . . . so that I may possess you, that I may possess love. Let me not be separated from the members of your bride [the Church], let me not be separated from faith, so that I may glory before you; thus I shall remain happily united with you, now through faith, and later through vision, of which I have so precious a pledge in the gift of the Holy Spirit.

St. Augustine, In I Io 9:11

O God, do not let me think of whether I shall lose or gain, but only of serving and pleasing you. Because I know the love you have for your servants, I want to leave aside my own satisfaction and good so as to please you and serve and tell souls beneficial truths by the best means I can. Nor will I think about whether or not I shall myself lose. I want to keep before my mind the benefit of my neighbor, nothing else. So as to please you more, I desire to forget myself for my neighbor’s sake, ready to lose my life, if necessary, as did many martyrs.

St. Teresa of Jesus, Meditations on the Song of Songs 7:5

Martyrdom was the dream of my youth and this dream has grown with me within Carmel’s cloisters. . . . But I feel that my dream is a folly, for I cannot confine