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Imitation of
Christ, by Thomas á Kempis: Book 2, Chapter 7
Of the Love of Jesus above All Things
Blessed is he
that understandeth (Psalm 119:1,2) what it is to love Jesus, and to
despise himself for Jesus' sake. Thou oughtest to leave thy beloved,
for thy beloved (Deut. 6:5; Matt. 22:37; Cant. 2:16); for that Jesus
will be loved alone above all things.
The love of things created is deceitful and inconstant; the love of
Jesus is faithful and persevering. He that cleaveth unto a creature,
shall fall with that which is subject to fall; he that embraceth Jesus
shall be made strong for ever.
2. Love Him, and keep Him for thy friend, who, when all go away, will
not forsake thee, nor suffer thee to perish in the end. Some time or
other thou must be separated from all, whether thou wilt or no. Keep
close to Jesus both in life and in death, and commit thyself unto His
faithfulness, who, when all fail, can alone help thee.
Thy Beloved is of that nature, that He will admit of no rival; but will
have thy heart alone, and sit on His throne as King. If thou couldest
empty thyself perfectly from all creatures, Jesus would willingly dwell
with thee.
From True
Devotion To the Blessed Virgin Mary, Nos. 257-260
There are some
very sanctifying interior practices for those souls who feel called by
the Holy Spirit to a high degree of perfection. They may be expressed
in four words, doing everything through Mary, with Mary, in Mary, and
for Mary, in order to do it more perfectly through Jesus, with Jesus,
in Jesus, and for Jesus.
Through Mary
258. We must do
everything through Mary, that is, we must obey her always and be led in
all things by her spirit, which is the Holy Spirit of God. "Those who
are led by the Spirit of God are children of God," says St. Paul. Those
who are led by the spirit of Mary are children of Mary, and,
consequently children of God, as we have already shown. Among the many
servants of Mary only those who are truly and faithfully devoted to her
are led by her spirit. I have said that the spirit of Mary is the
spirit of God because she was never led by her own spirit, but always
by the spirit of God, who made himself master of her to such an extent
that he became her very spirit. That is why St. Ambrose says, "May the
soul of Mary be in each one of us to glorify the Lord. May the spirit
of Mary be in each one of us to rejoice in God." Happy is the man who
follows the example of the good Jesuit Brother Rodriguez, who died a
holy death, because he will be completely possessed and governed by the
spirit of Mary, a spirit which is gentle yet strong, zealous yet
prudent, humble yet courageous, pure yet fruitful.
With Mary
260. We must do
everything with Mary, that is to say, in all our actions we must look
upon Mary, although a simple human being, as the perfect model of every
virtue and perfection, fashioned by the Holy Spirit for us to imitate,
as far as our limited capacity allows. In every action then we should
consider how Mary performed it or how she would perform it if she were
in our place. For this reason, we must examine and meditate on the
great virtues she practised during her life, especially: 1) Her lively
faith, by which she believed the angel's word without the least
hesitation, and believed faithfully and constantly even to the foot of
the Cross on Calvary. 2) Her deep humility, which made her prefer
seclusion, maintain silence, submit to every eventuality and put
herself in the last place.
Prayers for the Third Week
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