| . CHAPTER 33 . The Way of Perfection - Treats of our great need that the Lord should give us what we ask in these words of the Paternoster: "Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie." [116] "Give us this day our daily bread." |
The good Jesus understands,
as I have said,
- how difficult a thing
He is offering on our behalf,
for He knows our weakness,
and
- how often we show
that we do not understand
what the will of the Lord is,
since we are weak
while He is so merciful.
He knows
that some means must be found
by which we shall not omit to give
what He has given on our behalf,
for if we did that
it would be anything but good for us,
since everything we gain
comes from what we give.
Yet He knows
that it will be difficult for us
to carry this out;
for if anyone were to tell some
wealthy, pampered person
that it is God's will for him
to moderate his eating
so that others, who are dying of hunger,
shall have at least bread to eat,
he will discover a thousand reasons
for not understanding this
but interpreting it in his own way.
If one tells a person
who speaks ill of others
that it is God's will
that he should love his neighbour as himself,
[117]
he will lose patience
and
no amount of reasoning will convince him.
If one tells a religious
who is accustomed to
liberty and indulgence
- that he must be careful
to set a good example
and
to remember
that when he makes this petition
it is his duty to keep
what he has sworn and promised,
and
that not in word alone;
- that it is the will of God
that he should fulfil his vows
and
see that he gives no occasion
for scandal
by acting contrarily to them,
even though he may not
actually break them;
- that he has taken the vow of poverty
and
must keep it without evasions,
because that is the Lord's will
--it would be impossible,
in spite of all this,
that some religious should not still
want their own way.
What would be the case, then,
if the Lord had not done
most of what was necessary
by means of the remedy He has given us?
There would have been very few
who could have fulfilled this petition,
which the Lord made to the Father
on our behalf:
"Fiat voluntas tua."
"Thy Will be done."
"Thy Will be done."
Seeing our need, therefore,
the good Jesus has sought
the admirable means
whereby He has shown us the extreme love
which He has for us,
and
in His own name and
in that of His brethren
He has made this petition:
"Give us, Lord, this day our daily bread."
For the love of God, sisters,
let us realize the meaning
of our good Master's petition,
for our very life depends
on our not disregarding it.
Set very little store
by what you have given,
since there is so much
that you will receive.
It seems to me,
in the absence of a better opinion,
that the good Jesus knew
what He had given for us
and
how important it was for us
to give this to God, and
yet how difficult it would be
for us to do so, as has been said,
because of
our natural inclination to base things
and
our want of love and courage.
He saw that,
before we could be aroused,
we needed His aid,
not once but every day,
and
it must have been for this reason
that He resolved to remain with us.
As this was
so weighty and important a matter,
He wished it to come
so weighty and important a matter,
He wished it to come
from the hand of the Eternal Father.
Though both Father and Son
are one and the same,
and
He knew
that whatever He did on earth
God
would do in Heaven, and
would consider it good,
since His will and the Father's will
were one,
were one,
yet the humility of the good Jesus was such
that He wanted, as it were,
to ask leave of His Father,
for He knew
that He was His beloved Son
and
that He was well pleased with Him.
He knew quite well
that in this petition
He was asking for more
than He had asked for in the others,
but He already knew
what death He was to suffer
and
what dishonours and affronts
He would have to bear.
What father could there be, Lord,
Who,
after giving us His Son,
and such a Son,
would allow Him to remain among us
day by day
to suffer as He had done already?
None, Lord, in truth, but Thine:
Well dost Thou know
of Whom Thou art asking this.
God help me!
What a great love is
that of the Son
and
what a great love is
that of the Father!
I am not so much amazed at the good Jesus,
because, as He had already said
"Fiat voluntas tua",
He was bound,
being Who He is,
to put what He had said into practice.
Yes, for He is not like us;
Knowing that He was carrying out His words
by loving us as He loves Himself,
He went about seeking
how He could carry out
this commandment more perfectly,
even at His own cost.
But how, Eternal Father,
couldst Thou consent to this?
How canst Thou see Thy Son every day
in such wicked hands?
Since first Thou didst
permit it and
consent to it,
Thou seest how He has been treated.
How can Thy Mercy,
day by day and every day, [118]
see Him affronted?
And how many affronts
are being offered to-day
to this Most Holy Sacrament?
How often must the Father see Him
in the hands of His enemies?
What desecrations these heretics commit!
O Eternal Lord!
How canst Thou grant such a petition?
How canst Thou consent to it?
Consider not His love,
which, for the sake
of fulfilling Thy will
and
of helping us,
would allow Him to submit day by day
to being cut to pieces.
to being cut to pieces.
It is for Thee to see to this, my Lord,
since Thy Son allows no obstacle
to stand in His way.
Why must all the blessings
that we receive
be at His cost?
be at His cost?
How is it
that He
is silent in face of all,
and
cannot speak for Himself,
but only for us?
Is there none
who will speak for this most loving Lamb?
Give me permission to speak for Him, Lord,
since Thou hast been pleased
to leave Him in our power,
and
let me beseech Thee on His behalf,
since He
gave Thee such full obedience
and
surrendered Himself to us
with such great love.
I have been reflecting how
in this petition alone
the same words are repeated:
first of all the Lord
speaks of "our daily bread"
and
asks Thee to give it,
and
then He says:
"Give it us to-day, Lord." [119]
He lays the matter
before His Father in this way:
the Father gave us His Son
once and for all
to die for us,
to die for us,
and
thus He is our own;
yet He does not want the gift
to be taken from us
until the end of the world
but would have it left
to be a help to us every day.
Let this melt your hearts, my daughters,
and
make you love your Spouse,
for there is no slave
who would willingly call himself
by that name,
yet the good Jesus seems to think
it an honour.
O Eternal Father,
How great is the merit
of this humility!
of this humility!
With what a treasure
are we purchasing Thy Son!
How to sell Him we already know,
for He was sold
for thirty pieces of silver;
but, if we would purchase Him,
for thirty pieces of silver;
but, if we would purchase Him,
no price is sufficient.
Being made one with us
through the portion of our nature
which is His,
and
being Lord of His own will,
He reminds His Father
that, as our nature is His,
He is able to give it to us,
and
thus He says "our bread".
He makes no difference
between Himself and us,
though we make one
between ourselves and Him
through not giving ourselves daily
for His Majesty's sake.
_______________________
| . Foot Notes: . [116] "Give us this day our daily bread." [117] Lit.: "should want as much for himself as for his neighbour, and for his neighbour as for himself The italicized phrase is found in E. only. [118] Lit.: "each day, each day." [119] This, as will be observed from the title to this chapter, is the order of the words in the Latin. |
| . End of Chapter 33 The Way of Perfection . |
