THIRTY FIFTH MEDITATION FOR LENT
John answered them, saying . . . "there hath stood one in the midst of you, whom you know not . . . the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to loose." (John 1:26-27)
What a misfortune for the Jews that they had not known Him who was in the midst of them! But do we know Him who is in our midst? Great ones of this world, do you know Him--you who punish so rigorously the smallest faults against the respect due to yourselves, but who are so little touched by the outrages done to this Sovereign, whom you profess to know? You, common people, do you know Him who is in the midst of you--you who pay court so assiduously to those from whom you expect some favor and who are so reserved in the presence of those whom you fear, while you have so little respect in the church and hardly ever find a moment of leisure to come and pay your homage to Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament? Finally, ministers of the Lord, religious, do you know Him who is constantly in your midst? And if you do know Him, whence comes it that you are so rarely in His presence? No, O Lord, we do not know Thee. I confess that hitherto I have not known Thee, but for the future my conduct towards Thee will show that I am beginning to know Thee really, since I will begin to love Thee truly.
[From 'The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus' by Fr. John Croiset, SJ]
What a misfortune for the Jews that they had not known Him who was in the midst of them! But do we know Him who is in our midst? Great ones of this world, do you know Him--you who punish so rigorously the smallest faults against the respect due to yourselves, but who are so little touched by the outrages done to this Sovereign, whom you profess to know? You, common people, do you know Him who is in the midst of you--you who pay court so assiduously to those from whom you expect some favor and who are so reserved in the presence of those whom you fear, while you have so little respect in the church and hardly ever find a moment of leisure to come and pay your homage to Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament? Finally, ministers of the Lord, religious, do you know Him who is constantly in your midst? And if you do know Him, whence comes it that you are so rarely in His presence? No, O Lord, we do not know Thee. I confess that hitherto I have not known Thee, but for the future my conduct towards Thee will show that I am beginning to know Thee really, since I will begin to love Thee truly.
[From 'The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus' by Fr. John Croiset, SJ]
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please no anonymous comments. I require at least some way for people to address each other personally and courteously. Having some name or handle helps.
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.