100. Sim RevelationFirst Sermon for the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist

Synopsis — Total freedom from vain glory is the first requisite — Kindly maimers are needed — Love of suffering follows necessarily — Busy industry is demanded — Tlie last and most necessary quality is keeping God alone in her intention.

SERMON FOE THE FEAST OF ST. AGATHA, VIRGIN

AND MARTYR.

The kingdom of this world and all its pomp I have despised for love of my Lord Jesus Christ. — From the Roman Ritual.

The Church sings these words in the holy office today in the name of every bride of Christ, who has given herself up to His service to persevere in the same forever. Take notice, dear children, what peculiar qualities she should show who would be pleasing to God, be accepted by Him, and led to His eternal espousals, consummating a perpetual union between Him and her soul.

And be it observed that a virgin is not well pleasing to God, unless she despises the kingdom of this world and all its pomp. That means that she sets a watchful guard against pride, vain glory, and the favor of men. This extends not only to personal adornment, but over everything else whatsoever of this fleeting life of ours. She must give all this up for the honor of God. And the same is to be said of spiritual pride, interior vain glory; and also the outward show of piety, the parade of devout words (given forth by a worldly heart), selfish joy of heart over spiritual gifts or graces, and all sorts of spiritual self-satisfaction. Such difficulties as these do the virgins of Christ encounter, and that in many various ways. One can hardly exaggerate the hurt that is done these guileless hearts, and how by all these means the evil one endeavors to mislead them.

Another good trait is watchful guard against a different kind of pride. This is an overbearing manner towards others, arrogance, and boasting, assuming to be wise, putting on airs of prudence. And if she happens to be reproved for her faults, or anywise despised and illtreated, she defends herself hotly, instead of meekly submitting to correction and showing real humility in word and deed, while giving welcome to all efforts to correct her.

A third good trait is this. It is not enough for her to know and to avoid her faults. She must give herself up to suffer willingly all that distresses her, laboring in God's vineyard in all patience, preparing for her Spouse a deeply humbled heart, in which He alone shall be allowed to rest. God's rest is indeed in the heart of a virgin self-abased, very meek, subjected unto God and all men even unto death, if such were God's will. This self-abnegation from the inmost heart, wins from God all that the soul stands in need of, and very much more. God meets such a soul half way, bringing all His graces. He ennobles it with every dignity granted to His holy ones.

The fourth trait of a true virgin, is that she shall gladly be despised and punished and disgraced in this life, and undergo much ill treatment, just as the Canaanitish woman endured what she seemed to suffer from Christ. The like treatment He gives to all • His elect spirits even unto our own times. If He has a special love for anyone, and if He would infuse into him special graces, then does He scourge him hard in his inner soul ; and even outwardly He permits him to be trampled under the feet of all men. Evil things are uttered against him, false and intolerable charges are made against him. When this happens to Christ's virgin, let her revile her own self with the utmost sincerity, let her bow down in true humility, let her esteem her sad lot a real boon from God, of which she is by no means worthy, thanking Him for a gift that shows she is one of His favorites.

The fifth trait is a yet deeper humility. Christ's true virgin should despise herself in truest sincerity, suffer every adversity with absolute patience, submit to every one's caprice, and never under any circumstance utter the least complaint. We meet with virgins who speak evil of themselves with fine words, saying : O I am only a poor sinner. But let anyone else dare to say that to them. This reveals half a heart of pride. A virgin with half-hearted humility is shown in being Instantly provoked by even a single little word of contempt and beginning to defend herself. She cannot endure being made light of :-— and yet she insists on being considered a humble virgin. No, my dear child; all the contempt thou dost outwardly shoAV for thyself is manifestly without any real foundation of humility, if thou are not willing to be shamed by thy equals, or better still, by one who is thy inferior.

That goes through the marrow; that will show whether or not thou hast genuine humility and patience.

The sixth trait, is that Christ's virgin does not idle away her time — she is not careless of duty or of pious exercises. With much devotion, and with all the yearning of her heart, she meditates on the passion of her Beloved. She loves His holy wounds. Nothing pleases her better than to pass her time in studying the life of Jesus Christ, for whose sake she has given up all things : no occupation seems to her more useful. Again, it is peculiar to the virgins of Christ, that they are diligent in labor all the days of their life; outward and inward occupations absorb them, all being done for the honor of God. They incessantly offer prayers for the salvation of all mankind; nay, they offer themselves up as a sacrifice to God for the sins of the common mass of the people, good and bad together. And it may happen that God will have His virgin spouse in a state of interior desolation; all love for God seems gone, for every sort of joy has vanished away ; not a particle of devotional feeling remains; the soul is void, miserable and abandoned. If in that state the virgin persist in serving God with her old fervor, full of faith, entirely resigned to her sorrow of heart, then indeed will God be honored in her, then is He well pleased with her.

The seventh trait of a true virgin of Christ is in the quality of her intention. She should see God and mean God in all she does, in all she leaves undone. Let her disengage her soul from all outward things. When she does good works, let her feel as if she had done nothing; and let her think of all good works, as if she were not concerned in them but only in God. Such a virgin of Christ longs to suffer all the shame and scandal of all men, that God's glory may be advanced: for herself she craves neither authority nor honors. She can in no possible way be puffed up with self-conceit, for the Holy Ghost reigns in her. Such persons are sometimes compelled to govern others; in which case they rule with much affection and with true meekness. They fulfil Christ's words: "He that will be first among you, shall be your servant" (Matt, xx, 27).

The eighth good quality of a virgin of Christ, is that she constantly strives against all love and desire of transitory things, and all worldly honor. But it happens that when such desires grow weak in her heart, then is she first assailed with spiritual pride. This is a powerful sense of self-approval, often coupled with longing for the praise of others — so strong indeed that God alone can expel it from the heart. No matter how holy any one may be, he must reckon on hard fighting to the end of life, and especially must he be prepared to resist spiritual pride. Now, although in Christ's true virgin no place is usually found for pride, avarice, hate or envy, yet will she now and then be assailed with temptation to sloth, to the vice of gluttony, and even to impurity. These vices are rooted in our flesh, and are sure to rise up to tempt us, if they are not wholly overcome. But such temptations are of great profit to Christ's virgin ; for this ardent lover of God enjoys nothing but suffering, and shame, and all that is painful to her interiorly or exteriorly, and this out of tender affection for Christ. These afflictions she covets above all contemplation, before all interior sweetness. When called on to endure some evil thing for Christ's sake, she is better satisfied than if she received all the pleasure that creatures can minister. On this account the movements of the lower appetites cannot drive her into sin — she can now conceive of no joy in such things, for her will is to suffer, her desire is to be afflicted for Christ's sake, and meanwhile always to make herself acceptable to God, her divine Spouse. May God help us to gain and to hold all these traits of a true virgin of Christ. Amen.