MARY, OUR MOTHER

ADVENT MEDITATIONS
FOR THE FIRST EIGHT DAYS
By St. Alphonsus de Liguori

MEDITATION VIII

Haurietis aquas in gaudio de fontibus Salvatoris.
"You shall draw waters with joy out of the Saviour's fountains." (Isa. 12:3)

Three Fountains of Grace that We have in Jesus Christ.

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I.
We have three fountains of grace in Jesus Christ. The first is the fountain of mercy, in which we may purify ourselves from all the filth of our sins. For this end did our blessed Redeemer form, for our good, this fountain out of His own Blood. He hath loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own Blood. (Apoc. 1:5)

My dearest Saviour, how much do I owe Thee! Thou hast done for me what no servant would have done for his master, and no son for his father. No, I cannot cease to love Thee; for Thou hast, by Thy love, entailed on me the necessity of loving Thee.

II.
The second fountain is that of love. He that meditates on the sufferings and degradations undergone by Jesus Christ, for the love of us, from His birth even until His death, must of necessity feel himself inflamed with that blessed fire which He came on earth to enkindle in the hearts of men. Thus it is that the waters of this fountain wash, and at the same time inflame, our souls. Grant, therefore, O my Jesus! that the Blood which Thou hast shed for me may not only wash away all the sins which I have committed against Thee, but may also inflame me with holy ardor towards Thee. Make me forget everything, so that I may be intent only on loving Thee, my God, who art worthy of infinite love.

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III.
The third fountain is that of peace. This is what Jesus Christ meant when He said, "If any man thirst, let him come to Me." (John 7:37) He that desireth peace of mind, let him come to me, who am the God of peace. The peace which the Lord gives to the souls that love Him is not the peace which the world promises in the pleasures of sense or in temporal goods which do not satisfy the heart of man. The peace that God gives to His servants is true peace, perfect peace, which satisfies the heart, and surpasses all the enjoyments that creatures can afford. "But he that shall drink of the water that I will give him shall not thirst forever." (John 4:13) He that truly loves God leaves everything, despises everything, and seeks nothing but God. "Yes, my God, I desire Thee alone, and nothing else." There was, indeed, a time when I sought for other goods besides Thee; but when I think of the injustice which I have done Thee, in preferring so vile and fleeting goods besides Thee, I am ready to die of sorrow. I acknowledge the sin I have committed, and I grieve for it with my whole heart. I acknowledge also that Thou art worthy of all my love; and therefore I repeat, and hope always to repeat in this life and in the next, "My God, my God, I desire Thee alone and nothing more; I desire Thee alone, and nothing more." O Mary, thou wert the first lover of this God; oh, make me partake in thy love!
 
[From 'The Incarnation, Birth and Infancy of Jesus Christ.']