Part three (3): Employing the Actions and Sufferings of Others for the Glory of God

Xx. Employing the Actions and Sufferings of Others for the Glory of God

Not only is it possible, but it is necessary to make a holy use of every personal occurrence for the glory of Our Lord, but also of everything that ever has happened, is happening now, or ever shall happen i n the world. You can do this because it is within your power to make use of what is your own. Now, as has been said, St. Paul assures you that all things without a single exception, past, present or to come, belong to you (i Cor. 3, 22). You must make use of them because you are bound to utilize and employ everything that is yours for the glory of Him Who gave you everything.

Hence, when you perform some act, the love and zeal you are bound to have for the glory of Our Lord ought to incite you not only to offer Him this action, but also to unite it with all other actions, past. present and future, similar to the one being performed, to offer and consecrate them to His glory together with your own act.

For instance, when you are at work, consider how many people there have been, are now, and shall be in the world who did, are doing, and will do the same work as you, only they neglect to offer it to God. Unite all that work with your own and offer it up to Jesus

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as belonging to you, in honor of His labors. Do the same thing whenever a trial or affliction, whether of body or mind, comes upon you, as well as whenever you engage in any mental or physical activity.

This is the way you ought to take holy advantage of all things for God's glory. This is the way you ought to carry on and express in yourself Christ's exceeding great zeal for the glory of His Father, making use of all things to glorify Him. His zeal for His Father's glory was infinitely great, and every action that ever was, or is, or shall be done on earth was just as present to Him as what He was doing then, and He looked upon them all as His own, given to Him by the Omnipotent Father. Therefore, you can not doubt that He consecrated all the acts of mankind together with His own, to the glory of His Father. He compensated for the deficiencies of men and made use of every gift to glorify His Father. What I have said of actions may also be applied to sorrow and suffering, since the Son of God left nothing on earth unemployed for the glory of His Father. Let us enter into His sentiments and dispositions, and unite ourselves with Him in His sacred employment of all things to honor His Father; allow nothing to slip by, whether good or evil, in yourself o r in others, but take advantage of everything to lift up your heart to Jesus, and to make everything that occurs a means of glorifying Him, just as He Himself makes all things cooperate for your good and utilizes everything for the advantage of your soul.

XXl. IN TIME OF AFFLICTION

As soon as any affliction of body or spirit visits you, go at once and cast yourself down at the feet of our Blessed Lord Who said: "Him that cometh to me I will not cast out" (John 6, 37), and "Come to me, all you that labor and are burdened:.and I will refresh you" (Matt. 11, 28). Adore His divine will. Humble yourself before Him at the sight of your sins, which are the cause of all your trials; offer Him your affliction; ask Him for the grace to bear it in a holy manner, and reconcile yourself with Him by means of Confession and Holy Communion. For if you are not in His grace and love, even though you were to suffer martyrdom, it would be useless both for God's

glory and your own sanctification. You are robbing God of the very great honor you might give Him in time of tribulation, if you were only in fit condition, and you yourself suffer the loss of incalculable riches of grace and glory.

Xxii. Prayer to Jesus in Time of Affliction

0 Jesus, my Lord, I cast myself down at Thy feet, adoring, blessing and loving Thy Divine Providence with my whole heart, in all that it ordains and permits now and ever in regard to me and m y affairs. For what Thou dost ordain and dost permit, 0 great God, are to be equally adored and loved. Yes, m y Saviour, may Thy holy will be done in all things, everywhere, in spite of the weakness of my own will. May Thy divine ordinances and permissions be forever adored and glorified.

I admit, 0 my God, and I confess before heaven and earth, that Thou art just and that I fully deserve this suffering a hundredfold for the least of my sins. And so, in spite of the reluctance of my own mind, I desire to embrace this afflict">n to the full extent of my will, in homage to Thy divine justice, i n submission to Thy holy will, in honor of Thy extreme sufferings on earth, in satisfaction for my sins, to accomplish Thy designs for me, and as something which comes from Thy beloved hand and from Thy Heart overflowing with love for me.

Blessed be Thou, Good Jesus, because Thou art pleased to give me the opportunity to suffer something for love of Thee. Grant that I may share in the love, humility, patience, meekness and charity of Thy Passion; and give me grace to endure all things for Thy glory and for Thy pure love.

Xxiii. Prayer Against Temptations

When some bad thought or other kind of temptation comes to you, do not become upset, but turn with confidence of mind and heart to Jesus. Humble yourself deeply before Him and ask for strength.

"0 my Saviour, I confess that my sins fully deserve that Thou shouldst permit me to be harassed by all sorts of temptations, nay even vanquished and overwhelmed by them. I admit that, of myself,

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I have no strength to resist the slightest temptation, and that if Thou didst not sustain me now and always, I should fall into a terrifying hell of sin. Alas, my Jesus, what frightful danger confronts me now! I behold myself on the edge of the abyss and the jaws of the lion of hell open wide to devour me. I am on the point of losing Thy grace, of being cut off from Thee, of being led away by Satan as a slave and, most terrible of all , of crucifying Thee with the utmost cruelty and infinite dishonor, if I allow myself to be overcome by this temptation. 0 dearest Lord, prevent this. Free me from this danger, give me the grace and strength to turn this temptation to good use and to make it an occasion for glorifying Thee. My God, with all my might I renounce the evil spirit, sin, and everything that displeases Thee. I surrender my will to Thee; take it into Thy safe-keeping and do not allow me to take sides, in any way, with the will of Thine enemies. My Saviour, I conjure Thee by Thy holy Passion, by Thy boundless goodness and mercy to grant me the favor of suffering all the ignominies and torments in the world, and indeed, of dying a thousand deaths rather than ever offend Thee." 164-

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

Xxiv. Manner of Assisting Worthily at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

To assist worthily at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and to give God the glory He deserves, there are four things you must do.

1. As soon as you leave the house to go to Mass, you should realize that you are going not merely to attend or watch, but actually to perform an action more holy and divine, greater and more sublime, more noble and admirable than any other in heaven or on earth. Consequently, you must perform it in a holy and divine manner, that is, with thoroughly holy and divine dispositions, with great care and attention of mind and heart, and with the realization that what you are going to do is more vitally important to you than anything else in the world. I stress the words "you are going to perform" because all Christians are one with Jesus Christ, the Sovereign Priest, and, therefore, they share in His divine Priesthood. Hence, they are called priests in Holy Scripture (I Peter 2, g). The faithful are consequently entitled not only to assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, but also to participate in the action of the priest, that is, to offer with him and with Jesus Christ Himself the Sacrifice that is offered to God on the altar.

2. Upon entering the Church, you should profoundly humble yourself in spirit, considering yourself most unworthy to enter the house of God, to appear before His face, and to take part in so great a mystery, - a mystery which contains in itself all the mysteries and all the wonders of heaven and earth. Remember your nothingness and your sins, for which you ought to enter into a spirit of penance, humiliation and contrition at the beginning of the Mass, accusing yourself of your sins with the priest at the Confiteor, asking God's forgiveness, and begging Him to give you the grace and strength to keep yourself free from sins in future. To make reparation, offer your Heavenly Father the Holy Sacrifice of the Precious Body and Blood of His Son,

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once offered to Him on the Cross, and now about to be offered to Him on the altar.

3. Having adored our Lord Jesus Christ, Who becomes present on the altar to receive the homage and adoration we owe Him, pray that He, who changes the base and earthly nature of bread and wine into His body and blood, may also change and transform the heaviness, frigidity and dryness of our earthly and and hearts into the ardor, tenderness and vitality of the holy dispositions of His divine Heart. Then remember that all Christians are one with Jesus Christ, as members with their Head. and, therefore, share all His qualities. Recollect that Jesus Christ consummates this sacrifice as both Priest and Victim at the same time, so all present must likewise attend Mass both as priests and sacrificers, to offer up one and the same Sacrifice with Jesus Christ, the Sovereign Priest, and as hosts and victims, forming one Host with Jesus Christ just as they form one Priest with Him, one Host to be immolated with Jesus Christ, to the glory of God.

Thus you participate in the divine priesthood of Jesus Christ. As a Christian and member of Jesus Christ you bear the name and character of priest; therefore you ought to act in that capacity and exercise the rights it confers upon you, the right of offering up to God, together with the priest and with Jesus Christ Himself, the Sacrifice of the divine body and blood of God the Son in Holy Mass, and to offer it as far as possible, with the very dispositions with which it is offered by Jesus Christ, His Son, with holy and divine dispositions. What holy and filial dispositions! What humility, what purity and sanctity, what detachment from self and from all things, what attentiveness to God, what charity towards man and what love towards His Father! Unite yourself in desire and intention with these sublime dispositions. Pray to Jesus to implant them in you, enabling you to offer up this divine Sacrifice with Him in union with the dispositions of His adorable Heart.

Unite yourself also to the intentions for which Christ offers His endless Sacrifice. There are five principal intentions. The first is to honor God the Father in all that He is in Himself and in all things, and to pay Him fitting honor, glory, and love. The second is to render

the All-bountiful Father a tribute of thanksgiving that measures up to His goodness and all the benefits He has ever bestowed on all His creatures. The third is to make complete satisfaction for all the sins of the world. The fourth is to perfect the fulfilment of all His designs and His holy will. The fifth intention is to beseech Divine Providence to grant you the things necessary to all men, both for their bodies and their souls. So, in conformity with these intentions of Jesus Christ, you ought to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as follows:

(1) In honor of the Most Holy Trinity, in honor of all that Jesus Christ is in Himself, in all His states, mysteries, qualities, virtues, actions and sufferings, and in honor of all that He is and achieves whether through mercy or justice, in His Blessed Mother, in all the angels and saints, in His whole Church Militant, Suffering and Triumphant, and in all creatures of heaven, earth and hell.

(2) In thanksgiving to God for all the benefits and graces whether temporal or eternal, imparted to the sacred humanity of His Son, to the most Blessed Virgin, to all angels and men, to all creatures and especially to yourself.

(3) In satisfaction to His divine justice for all your sins and for all the sins of the world, especially for those of the poor souls in Purgatory.

(4) For the fulfilment of all His designs and desires, especially those He entertains on your behalf.

(5) To obtain from His goodness all the graces necessary to you and to all mankind, so that He may be served and honored by all creatures with the perfection He demands of each one.

All this you should perform in the Christian role of priest. But over and above that, in the role of host, when you offer Jesus Christ to God in Holy Mass as a victim you are obliged to offer yourself also, like Him, as a victim. Better still, pray that Jesus Christ will enter into you and draw you into Himself to unite and incorporate you with Himself as host, to sacrifice you with Him for the glory of His Father.

The Host to be sacrificed must be slain and consumed by fire; so you must implore Our Lord to make you die to yourself, to your passions, to your self-love and to all that displeases Him, that He may consume

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you in the sacred fire of His divine love, and cause your whole life to be henceforth a perpetual sacrifice of praise, glory and love for His Eternal Father and for Him.

4. You should prepare yourself for communion-if not sacramental, at least spiritual communion. Consider that our Lord Jesus Christ, Who loves you beyond measure, becomes present in the Sacrifice not only to be with you, but to be with you in intimate friendship and to impart to you His gifts and graces. And what is far more, He wills to be actually within you. He has a most ardent desire to dwell in your very heart, and give Himself to you in sacramental or spiritual communion. Therefore, you ought to prepare yourself to receive Him by fostering dispositions necessary to communicate sacramentally, namely, sentiments of humility and love. Humble yourself before Him, considering yourself most unworthy to receive Him; nevertheless, since He so earnestly desires to have communion with you, you must also long to receive Him and invite Him, by countless acts of love, to enter your heart and to live and reign in you perfectly.

5. Finally, after having thanked Our Lord for the graces He has given you in Holy Mass, leave the church with a firm resolution to spend the day well in His service, with the thought that you must henceforth be a host at the same time living and dead: dead to all that is not God, living in God and for God, totally consecrated and sacrificed purely to the glory and love of God. Declare to Our Lord that you will be a victim of His love, and that you offer yourself to Him to do and suffer, for that end, whatever may please Him. Pray that He may accomplish this in you by His very great mercy; ask Him to give you the grace to lift up your heart to Him frequently during the day, to do everything for His glory. and choose to die rather than offend Him. For all these intentions, ask Him to give you His holy blessing.

Such is the way you should make use of so divine an event as the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. I f you do not feel the need of so many intentions to keep your mind devoutly occupied during Mass, select the most helpful and inspirational. To assist you to acquire greater facility in the use of these exercises, I now present them in the form of prayers, which you are to use not in haste and confusion, but

in a leisurely and recollected state of mind and heart, if you want to reap fruits for God's glory.

Xxv. Prayer at the Beginning of Holy Mass

0 my God and Sovereign Lord, behold me prostrate at the feet of Thy mercy. Deign to look with kindness upon so insignificant a creature, who recognizes and confesses before heaven and earth, that he i s the most unworthy and ungrateful of all creatures.

0 Father of mercies, I accuse myself before Thee, before the angels and saints, of all the lapses of my past life, all the offenses I have committed against Thy divine majesty, my great coldness in Thy ardent love, my neglect in Thy holy service and in following Thy inspirations, and countless other faults of which Thou well knowest me to be guilty. 0 my God, when I consider that Thy well-beloved Son, whom I am here to adore, gave me even the first moment of His life, I account myself exceedingly guilty for not having consecrated to Thee the very first use of reason given me by Thy divine majesty.

0 my Lord Jesus, Thou didst spend all Thy days in poverty and suffering and didst end them on the Cross for love of me. Thou didst spend Thy whole life in uninterrupted works of ardent and exceeding great charity towards my soul. Yet I, treating my days and my life as something all my own, spend them ordinarily in useless or indifferent neglect, and often in offending Thy divine majesty. 0 my Saviour, grant that I may detest all my faults, since the very least of them was a reason why Thou didst will to be born in a stable and die on the Cross to expiate even that fault before the justice of Thy Father.

0 my Jesus, the very least of Thy humanly divine and divinely human actions, repeated so often for my benefit during the thirty. four years of Thy life on earth, possesses such value and merit, that even if i t had taken place no more than once, it could rightfully claim that my whole life should be devoted to doing Thy will, as a mark of gratitude and thanksgiving and by way of repayment to Thy divine majesty. Yet I do not do this. On the contrary, it would seem that I was born for the sole purpose of offending and insulting Thee. 0 what ingratitude! What infidelity! How I detest my treachery! How