Meditations for Each Day 23: JESUS IN His LIFE OF LABOR

and perdition. I wish to dwell ever in Thee, following Thy commandment: "Abide in me" (John 15, 4), that is, in Thy Spirit, Thy love, Thy sentiments and inclinations, never to leave Thee again.

JESUS IN His LIFE OF LABOR

Teaches Us Humility

0 Most Great and Most Adorable Jesus, Thou didst will to lead an unknown and despised life, a life lowly and abject in the eyes of men, a life of poverty, labor and suffering, hearing the name and following the trade of carpenter, to teach us first by example what Thou didst later teach us by words, namely, that "what is high to men is an abomination before God;" quod hominibus altum est, abominatio est ante Deum (Luke 16, 15). 0 Jesus, imprint this truth deeply in my mind and firmly implant in my heart a great hatred and horror of an fame, praise, greatness and vanity, and for all that catches and dazzles the eyes of men, giving me a very strong love for all that involves lowliness§, abjection and humiliation.

JESUS IN His HIDDEN LIFE RENDERS INFINITE

GLORY To His HEAVENLY FATHER

0 Jesus, Thou art God, even as Thy Heavenly Father and Thou art but One God with Him; Thou dost share one power and operation, and with Him Thou art the Creator, Preserver and Governor of our vast universe. From all eternity Thou dost send forth with Him a Divine Person, that is, the Holy Ghost, who is God even as the Father and Thou. This and other exalted marvels worthy of Thy supreme greatness, Thou dost accomplish. Yet in Thy hidden life of labor on earth, I see that Thou dost lower Thyself to the commonest and most lowly actions of human life, such as eating, drinking, sleeping, working, earning Thy living with the toil of Thy hands and in the sweat of Thy brow. I am filled with wonder and consolation because Thou art no less great and admirable in small things than in great. I n these

lowly commonplace activities Thou didst tender infinitely great glory to the Omnipotent Father because, 0 Jesus, Thou didst perform all actions, even the smallest and most ordinary, not with common or ordinary dispositions, but with an infinite love for the Father and for us. Thou didst merit and acquire, by the power of Thy holy actions, a special grace for all our acts, to enable us to perform them meritoriously. Hence we can and must do everything devoutly; otherwise we nullify and waste the graces Thou hast acquired for us in the performance of similar actions. Do not allow this to happen, 0 Good Jesus! Give me the grace Thou hast acquired for me by Thy holy actions, so that I may perform all my own acts with holiness. This is my desire and my resolve. Grant me grace to fulfil i t purely for Thy glory, that in future I may offer up all my acts, even the smallest, in honor of Thine and that I may, as far as possible, perform my tasks with the dispositions and intentions that exalted the lowliness of all Thy most humble-, human deeds.

Ejaculatory prayer:

"Your life is hid with Christ in God." Vita vestra est abscondita cum Christo in Deo (Col. 3, 3)

25-

Thursday

The Public Life of Jesus and His Life in the Blessed Eucharist

There Are Five Potent Reasons Why Jesus

LIVED His PUBLIC LIFE

0 MOST Amiable Jesus, Thou dost live, reign and commune for all eternity with the Eternal Father and the Holy Spirit. How rich is this association and how delightful to Thee! What glory and praise Thou dost receive from the Father and Holy Spirit Yet Thou didst will to come forth from the bosom of the Father to appear on earth, to associate, cat and drink in familiar visible companionship, not only with Thy Blessed Mother, St. Joseph and the holy apostles and disciples, but even with sinners, from whom Thou didst sustain all kinds of outrages and indignities. Thou didst will to do this: first, to give homage to Thy divine and holy association with the Father and the Holy Spirit from all eternity by association with Thy Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, the holy apostles and the disciples; secondly, to deliver us from the punishment, so rightly deserved by our sins, of being reduced forever to the wretched company of demons, and to make us worthy to dwell eternally in the company of the angels and saints, Thy Blessed Mother, and the Three Divine Persons; thirdly, to show us the vital truth of Thy words, "My delights were to be with the children of men" (Prov. 8, 3 1 ) ; fourthly, to acquire for us, by the merit of Thy active life, the grace we need to behave virtuously in our relations with one another; fifthly, in order that the perfection of Thy holy and divine conduct in Thy relations with other men might serve as a model and example of the way we should act towards our neighbor.

Dispositions Which Characterlized the

Public Life of Jesus

I adore Thee, 0 Jesus, I bless Thee and love Thee for all these favors. I adore Thee in Thy public life and active ministry, which lasted from Thy thirtieth year to the day of Thy death. I adore and give Thee glory for everything in this period of Thy life, inward and outward, that is, all the actions, words, teachings, miracles, journeys, labors and weariness, and for all Thy thoughts, feelings, intentions, affections and inner dispositions. I bless Thee for all the glory Thou didst render to the Eternal Father. I offer Thee all the love and honor accorded during the time of Thine active life by all the holy souls who came in contact with Thee. I also offer Thee all my own associations and contacts, whether past or future, in homage to Thine own, and I implore Thee to cause all my actions relating to my neighbor to be consecrated to the glory of Thy public life.

0 Jesus, I adore the thoroughly holy and divine dispositions which characterized Thy activity among men. With what dignity, charity, meekness, patience, modesty, detachment from creatures and attention to God didst Thou move and act in the world of men! 0 my Saviour, I desire that such dispositions may henceforth characterize all my relations with my neighbor. Alas! How far I am from such perfection and how many faults I have committed in the days gone byl For all these I beg Thy forgiveness, imploring Thee to implant in me all the dispositions I have requested.

Jesus Still Lives with Us in the Blessed Eucharist

0 Lord, Thou wast not satisfied to live and associate with mankind during Thy mortal life. When Thou wast on the point of returning to heaven, Thy most insatiable love and exceeding great desire to prove the tremendous truth that Thy delight is to be with the children of men inspired Thee to devise a most admirable institution that would