Meditation: The Choice of a State of Life: Conformity to the Holy Will of God in the Choice (6): Third Meditation (2)

Third Meditation (2)

Institution of the Sacrament of Baptism(3)

Let Us Adore Jesus as the Institutor of the

Sacrament of Baptism

0 Jesus, I adore Thee as divine Author of the holy Sacrament of Baptism, which Thou didst institute for my salvation. Thou didst also acquire and merit the grace contained in that Sacrament, by Thy Incarnation, Thy Baptism in the River Jordan and by Thy holy death.

I adore the exceeding great love with which Thou didst merit and institute this same Sacrament.

I adore all the designs which Thou didst cherish in its institutions for the whole Church and for myself in particular.

I thank Thee countless times for all the glory Thou hast given to Thyself and for all the graces Thou hast transmitted to Thy Church, and to me in particular, by this Sacrament.

I offer Thee all that glory and all the graces Thou hast produced in Thy Holy Church by this means. (2). Before these Meditations on Baptism, St. John Eudes says:

"Holy Baptism is the beginning of your true life, that is, your life in Jesus Christ, and it i s the origin of all happiness. Therefore, it is certain that you would have been obliged to render avery special tribute to your Heavenly Father on the occasion of your baptism. But you were incapable of fulfilling your obligation then because you did not have the use of reason. It is logical that you should each year set apart a little interval near the anniversary of your baptism, or else some other time, to devote yourself to prayer and thanksgiving for this priceless Sacrament." Cf. The Kingdom of Jesus, P. 302 (3). Saint John Eudes begins this meditation with the following reflections:

«The author of the holy Sacrament of Baptism is Jesus Christ out Lord. He is the source of all its graces, acquired and merited by His Incarnation, by His Baptism in the River Jordan, by His Passion and Death. He applied these infinite merits to you by virtue, of His Resurrection., out of His exceeding great love.» Ibid., loc. cit.

Act OF REPARATION FOR HAVING SO LITTLE PROFITED

By the Grace of Baptism

I beg Thee to forgive me for neglecting to take advantage of the grace Thou didst give me in holy Baptism, and for having made it valueless by my cowardice and infidelities in Thy service, and for having even destroyed it entirely in my soul, by my sins.

I give myself to Thee, 0 Good Jesus; renew in me the treasure of baptismal grace, and accomplish in me, by Thy very great mercy, all the plans of Thy Providence on my behalf in the divine Sacrament of Baptism.

Let Us Adore Jesus Receiving Baptism

In the River Jordan

0 Jesus, I adore Thee in the mystery of Thy Incarnation, Passion and Death, as meriting the grace of the Sacrament of Baptism; but especially do I adore Thee in the mystery of Thy holy Baptism in the River Jordan. I adore all the dispositions of Thy divine soul in this mystery, and all the designs Thou didst then deign to have in my regard. How different was Thy Baptism, Lord, from ours! In Thy Baptism Thou didst take upon Thyself our sins, to make satisfaction and do penance for them before the Father of heaven, in the desert and on the Cross, while in our baptism Thou didst lift from us the burden of our sins, washing and effacing them in Thy Precious Blood. Baptize me with the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and of fire, even as Thy blessed precursor, St. John the Baptist, assures us Thou dost baptize, that is, consume all my sins in the fire of Thy holy love, and by the power of Thy divine spirit.

Ejaculatory prayer:

"We are baptized in Christ Jesus." In Christo Jesu baptizati sumus (Rom. 6, 3) - 157-

The Mysteries of Which Baptism Makes Us Participants(4)

Let Us Adore Jesus as the Exemplar of Our Baptism in the

MYSTERY OF His TEMPORAL AND ETERNAL BIRTH

0 JESUS, Son of God and at the same time Son of man, I adore Thee in Thy temporal and eternal birth . I give Thee infinite thanks for all the glory Thou didst thus render to Thy heavenly Father. I adore the thoughts and designs Thou didst then deign to have for me, thinking of me from the very first, 0 Good Jesus; Thou didst love me and didst plan to make in me a living image of Thyself, of Thy birth and The following reflections should be read before the meditation: (1). "All things outside of God have their idea, their exemplar, and their prototype in God; so also Sacramental Baptism has for prototype and exemplar four great mysteries, namely:

(a) The mystery of our Lord's eternal birth, because His Father, by eternal generation, imparted to Him being, life and all the divine perfections, by reason of which He is the Son of God and the perfect image of His Father. Likewise, by Baptism He imparted to you the celestial and divine life He received from His Father; He implanted in you a living image of Himself, and He made you children of His Own Heavenly Father.

(b) The mystery of our Lord's temporal birth, became at the moment of His Incarnation and birth in the Blessed Virgin, He united our nature with His and His essence with our nature, and filled it with Himself and clad Himself in it as in a garment; similarly in the holy Sacrament of Baptism He united Himself with you and incorporated you with Him; He formed Himself and, as it were, took flesh in you. He clothed and filled you with Himself, according to these words of St. Paul: "As many of you as have been baptized in Christ have put on Christ" (Gal. 3, 27).

(c) The mystery of His death and burial, for St Paul also tells us that "All we, who have been baptized in Christ Jesus, are baptized in His death" (Rom. 6, 3), and that "we are buried together with Him by baptism law death" (Rom. 6, 4). This means precisely the Same as the thought expressed by the same Apostle in other words: "You arc dead: and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Col. 3, 3), that is: You have entered by baptism into a state which obliges you to die to yourself and to the world, and to live no longer except with Jesus Christ, by a totally holy and divine life, hidden and absorbed in God, resembling die life of Jesus Christ.

(d) The mystery of the Resurrection, because by His Resurrection the Son of God entered into a new life, totally heavenly and spiritual, entirely separated from the earth. And so St. Paul instructs the faithful: "We are buried together with him by baptism into death; that, as Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also may Walk in newness of life' (Rom. 6, 4).

For these reasons, then, we owe our Saviour a great tribute of homage and should lift up our minds and hearts to Him.« The Kingdom Of Jesus», P. 303-304

Thy life. just as God the Father communicates to Thee His divine and immortal life, and just as Thou art consequently His Son and His most perfect image, so also Thou didst plan to transmit to me by Baptism Thy holy and celestial life, and to make me a living image of Thyself, and to transform me by grace into what Thou art by nature, that is, a child of God, and by participation and resemblance, God and another Jesus Christ.

Who could ever thank Thee for such great favors! How culpable I am for having, by my sins, so often impeded the perfect fulfilment of Thy divine plan! Forgive me, my Saviour, with all m y heart I beg Thee to forgive me, and I give myself to Thee so that Thou mayest make amends for m y faults and renew in me that image of Thyself, of Thy birth and of Thy life. Separate me from myself and from all that is not Thee, in order to unite and incorporate me with Thee. Empty me of myself and of all things, destroy me utterly, in order to fill me with Thyself and to form and establish Thyself i n me. Cause me henceforth to be a perfect image of Thyself, just as Thou art a most perfect image of Thy Father.

Grant that I may share in Thy filial love for Him, since He is my Father as He is Thine; enable me to live by Thy life, that is, a holy and perfect life, truly worthy of God, since Thou hast made me God by participation; and, finally, invest me so fully with Thy qualities, perfections, virtues and dispositions, and so transform me into Thee that men may see only Jesus in me, only His life, His humility, His meekness, His charity, His love, His spirit, and His other virtues and qualities, since Thou dost will me to be Thy other self on earth.

Our Birth and Baptism 159

Let Us Adore Jesus as the Exemplar of Our Baptism in the

Mysteries of his Death, Burial and Resurrection

0 Jesus, I adore Thee in the mystery of Thy holy death, Thy burial and Resurrection. I give Thee thanks for the glory Thou didst render to the Eternal Father in these mysteries, and for the thoughts and plans Thou didst have in them for me. For Thou didst constantly think of me in all these mysteries, and at every moment of Thy life, and Thou didst always have a special plan for me. Thy special Providence was to imprint on my soul, by holy Baptism, an image of Thy death, burial and Resurrection, causing me to die to myself and to the world, hiding me in Thyself, and with Thee in the bosom of the eternal Father, and raising me up again and causing me to live like Thee a new life , altogether celestial and divine. For this, be Thou blessed forever!

Alas, by my sins I have destroyed in myself the great effects produced by Thy goodness, and for this I beg Thee, with all humility and contrition, to forgive me. I give myself to Thee, 0 Good Jesus, I surrender myself to the spirit and the power of the mystery of Thy death, burial and Resurrection, that Thou mayest cause me to die again to all things; that Thou mayest hide me in Thyself and with Thyself in the bosom of the Heavenly Father; that Thou mayest dissolve my mind in Thy mind, m y heart in Thy Heart, my soul in Thy soul, my life in Thy life; and that Thou mayest establish in me the new life into which Thou didst enter by Thy Resurrection, so that I may no longer live, save in Thee, for Thee, and by Thee.

Ejaculatory prayer:

"We are buried together with him by baptism into death." Consepulti sumus cum illo per baptismum in mortem (Rom. 6, 4)

160-

Administration and Ceremonies of Baptism(5)

Let Us Adore Jesus as the One Who Baptized Us

In the Person of the Priest

0 my Most Beloved Jesus, I adore and recognize Thee as the One who baptized me, in the person of the priest, whom Thou didst use as a living instrument to confer this grace upon me. Alas, Lord, I knew Thee not at that time! I did not think of Thee, I did not love Thee, nor did I appreciate the very great favor conferred upon me. Yet this did not deter Thee from loving me, and receiving me among the number of Thy children, and even of Thy members, by the sanctifying grace of Baptism. 0 m y adorable Saviour, I desire with all my heart to bring back that holy time, that happy moment i n which Thou didst baptize me, in order that I may adore, bless, love and glorify Thee infinitely , imploring Thy Eternal Father, Thy Holy Spirit, Thy Blessed Mother, all the angels and saints and all creatures to love, bless and thank Thee for me forever. (5). All the Fathers of the Church teach us that our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, by the power of His Holy Spirit, confers all the Sacraments in the person of the priest, who represents Him and acts i n His name and by His authority. It is He who consecrates in Holy Mass and gives us absolution in the Sacrament of Penance; also He baptizes us, with various symbolic ceremonies, inspired by His S pirit in Holy Mother Church and filled with mysteries that signify great graces that are conferred upon us in Holy Baptism. We should, therefore~ pay Him homage in this connection. The Kingdom of Jesus, P. 306.

Our Birth and Baptism 161

Let Us Adore Jesus Inspiring the Ceremonies of

Baptism to the Church

0 Jesus, I adore Thee as the One who, by Thy Holy Spirit, didst institute and inspire in Thy Church all the ceremonies which accompany the solemn administration of Sacramental Baptism. I adore all Thy admirable designs in their institution. I give myself to Thee that Thou mayest effect them in my person, and that by Thy great mercy Thou mayest produce in me the great and holy effects signified by these symbolic ceremonies.

0 Jesus, cast out the evil spirit from me forever and fill me with Thy Divine Spirit. Give me a lively and perfect faith. Fortify my bodily senses and my spiritual faculties against every kind of temptation by the virtue of Thy holy Cross and consecrate them to Thy glory. Fill my soul with Thy divine wisdom, that is, with Thyself; excite in me the most avid hunger, thirst and desire of Thee, the principal and only food of my soul, so that I may no longer find any savor or relish in anything save Thee alone. Keep me safe in Thy Church, as in the bosom of a mother, apart from whom there is no life or salvation, and give me the grace to honor her in all her observances, as in customs taught and inspired by Thee. Give me the grace to obey all her laws and commandments, as those of a mother most worthy of honor who commands nothing save in Thy Holy Name. In all things and everywhere teach me to follow the maxims and guidance of the Spirit of the Church which is entirely Thine own.

Let Us Beg Jesus to Make Us Participants in the Graces

Symbolized by the Last Ceremonies of Baptism

0 Good Jesus, open my cars to Thy word and Thy voice, as Thou didst open the cars of the man possessed by the deaf and dumb spirit, by the application of Thy sacred spittle, and close them altogether to the voice of the world and of Satan. Anoint me with the oil of Thy

grace so that I may spread abroad, as it were, the divine odor of Thee in every place. Give me afirm and lasting peace with Thee and with every kind of creature. Clothe me in the white robe of Thy holy innocence and divine purity, both bodily and spiritually. Dispel the shadows of my darkness, filling me with Thy heavenly radiance.

Set me on fire with Thy sacred love and cause me to be a shining and a burning light, to illumine and enkindle all my associates with the light of Thy knowledge and the fire of Thy love. Finally, if I became a source of joy to all the citizens of heaven, to the Blessed Virgin, the Eternal Father, Thyself, and the Holy Spirit, when by Baptism I was delivered from the power of Satan and admitted into the divine company of angels. and saints, and even of the Three Divine and Eternal Persons, and if in token of this joy the church bells were rung after I was baptized, cause me now to live henceforth in such a way as to continue to be a source of joy and satisfaction to the court of heaven, the Queen of Angels and the Most Blessed Trinity. Grant also that I may find all m y satisfaction and joy in serving and loving Thee.

Ejaculatory prayer:

"You are the light of the world." Vos estis lux mundi (Matt. 5, 14) 163-

Profession of Baptism

Renewal of Our Baptismal Promises

0 JESUS, my Lord and my God, J adore Thee as the mystical Head whom I must follow and imitate i n all things, according to my solemn and public profession made at Baptism. I promise, through m y sponsors, before heaven and earth, to renounce Satan utterly with all his works and his pomps, that is, sin and the world, and to adhere to Thee as my Head, and to give and consecrate myself altogether to Thee, to dwell in Thee forever.

Great indeed are this promise and profession, which oblige me, as a Christian, to practise great perfection and sanctity. To profess to dwell in Thee and to adhere to Thee as my Head is to profess to be one with Thee, as the members are one with their head; it is to promise to have but one life, one mind, one heart, one soul, one will and one thought, one devotion and disposition with Thee. It means to profess not merely poverty, chastity and obedience, but to profess Thy very self, that i s , Thy life, spirit, humility, charity, purity, poverty, obedience and all other virtues. In a word, it i s to make the very profession Thou didst make before the Eternal Father at the moment of the Incarnation, a profession perfectly fulfilled throughout Thy life. It means to make profession never to follow my own will, but to seek all happiness in doing everything willed by God, to remain in a state of perpetual subjection to God, and submissive to men for the love of God. It means existing always as a host and victim continually sacrificed to the pure glory of God.

Such is the vow I made at Baptism, 0 Jesus my Lord. How holy and divine is that profession! How far is my life from this sanctity

and perfection! How often have I failed in every respect to live up to so sacred a promise! Forgive me, most merciful Lord, forgive me. 0 Divine Redeemer, I implore Thee to repair all my failings, and i n satisfaction for them, to offer to Thy Father the inestimable honor Thou didst accord Him all Thy life long, by carrying out perfectly the profession made to Him at the Incarnation.

0 my Jesus, in honor of and in union with the very great love and holy dispositions of Thy profession, I now desire to enact in my own person what I promised through others at my baptism, that is, I will to renew the profession then made by my godparents. Therefore, in the virtue and might of Thy Spirit and Thy love, I forever renounce Satan, sin, the world and myself. I give myself to Thee, 0 Jesus, to adhere to Thee, to remain in Thee, to be but one with Thee in heart, mind, spirit and life. I offer myself to Thee, never to do my own will, but to seek all my happiness in doing everything commanded by Thy holy will. I sacrifice myself to Thee as a host and victim to be immolated to Thy pure glory in any way that may be pleasing to Thee.

0 most compassionate Jesus, I implore Thee by Thy great mercy, grant me the grace to carry out this holy profession perfectly. Do Thou fulfil it Thyself in me and for me, or rather for Thyself and for Thine own good pleasure, in all the perfection Thou dost desire; for I offer myself to Thee to do and suffer whatever pleases Thee for this intention.