Saturday after Ash Wednesday

On the Obligations We Are under to Meditate on the Passion of Jesus Christ.

I.

The Son of God is well pleased when we reflect on the sorrows of his bitter passion, and we owe him this consolation, since it was for us that he suffered and yielded himself a willing victim to the justice of God, bearing in himself the punishment due for our sins. It was for this that he descended from the throne of his splendor at the right hand of the Father, and passed his life on earth in poverty, humiliation, and misery, "Blotting out" says St. Paul, "the handwriting of the decree that was against us, fastening it to his cross." We should, then, suffer with patience and joy, for the love of him, all pain, all distress, all injuries, which may overtake us. But he only asks us to come to the foot of the cross and there think of the love we owe him, and the excessive griefs he has suffered for our salvation. It is only just that we should do so, for had he not suffered and died so cruelly, we should not be saved.

II.

There is nothing sweeter or more consoling, than to meditate on the passion of Jesus, because it reveals to us the excess of his tender and compassionate love, and inspires us with a lively and strong hope, that God will pardon our sins, and be merciful to our infirmities. For the Son of God has satisfied the justice of God the Father; he has transferred to us the treasures of his merits; and we should glory more in the price he has given for us, than in all the blessings, graces, and joys, which we hope to obtain from his infinite goodness.

These are sweet reflections, and ought to fill our souls with consolation. What joy and pleasure ought we not to derive from the fountain of all grace, which is ever open and free for the refreshment of souls!

I have committed many and grievous sins; my conscience is terrified. But why should I be cast down or troubled, when I remember the wounds of my Savior, and that it was for my sins that he received them? "There are no wounds, however mortal," says St. Bernard, "which may not be healed by the death of Jesus."

III.

The remembrance of the passion of our Lord, is very useful to us in our spiritual warfare; for it renders us victorious over our enemies, who are the world, the flesh, and the devil. The devil tempts us by despair or presumption. Despair arises from ignorance of the mercy of God, who delivered his only Son to death for the salvation of sinners, and accepted his sufferings in payment of their debt. He revealed his justice in the rigorous treatment which he inflicted on his only, his most holy and innocent Son, who, wearing only the likeness of a sinner, and being clothed in the shadow of our transgressions, was obliged to submit to the weight of his anger, and suffer the penalty of our guilt.

The passion of Jesus enables us to obtain the victory over the world, which tempts us only by love and pleasure, fear and grief; for who is there that can love pleasure, when they behold the Savior of the world consumed by suffering? Who can fear grief and pain, when they reflect that Jesus preferred them to all the splendor and felicity of paradise?

The flesh is our most dangerous enemy; it is that which tempts us both by love and fear; but the passion of Jesus inspires us with horror for all that it loves, and with love for all that it hates and fears. When I see the body of my Savior covered with wounds, I am constrained to cry out, with one of the saints, in accents of tender compunction, Behold mine, without wounds!

Resolution: To keep a crucifix or image of Jesus suffering in a prominent place as a constant reminder of what he has suffered for me. (Additionally a holy card kept in a wallet or on one’s desk is another helpful way to keep the Sacred Passion ever in mind.)

Prayer: Oh, Savior of my soul, is it surprising that I, who meditate so seldom on thy sacred passion, who shrink with horror from the contemplation of thy wondrous sufferings, who turn my eyes away from thy wounds, should yield to temptations when they assail me? But, from henceforth, I will establish my habitation on Calvary. There do I wish to live—there do I wish to die. Not on Thabor will I begin my Lent, but on this hill of grief. Here I will say, "It is good, O Lord, for me to be in this place." Oh, spectacle full of profit and consolation, to behold a God expiring on a cross for the love of sinners!

By a Member of the Society of Jesus, edited and amended by J. Scott Bailey, C.Ss.R.
© ASG

Friday after Ash Wednesday

On the Excellence of Mortification.

I.

Mortification is the training of the soul so as to live a life of holiness and virtue according to the will of God. As Christ was slain on the cross and rose to life, so by means of mortification the diseases of the soul are slain and it is restored to a new and invigorated life.

Since mortification is voluntary it is a sacrifice of love. The Holy Spirit is the priest, the body is the victim, the heart is the altar, love is the fire, and glory is the fruit. Mortification is also a martyrdom of love, a "white martyrdom." It is longer and more wearisome than the red martyrdom of faith, but it too bears great fruits since it is completely voluntary.

Mortification is a continuation of the sacrifice of the passion of Jesus, which supplies all that is wanting in his sufferings. It transforms our bodies into members of his, and animates them with his divine spirit which makes us participate in his sorrows, merit his graces, and finally exalts us to the throne of his glory.

II.

By means of the sacrifice of mortification the disease of sin is destroyed in the soul and the desire for true penitence grows. We are thus impelled to use the means of forgiveness which our Lord has given to the Church, particularly the Sacrament of Penance.

Mortification teaches the will to accept hardships and difficulties. This strengthens and trains the will to overcome temptations to sin, and to this extent is a moral obligation. It also helps us overcome bad habits and replace them with good ones, for example overcoming an habitual sin and replacing it with its opposing virtue. It also teaches us self-discipline which aids us in every aspect of our lives.

Mortification is a means of expiation and penance for past sins committed.

III.

Why is it that I mortify myself so little? It is because I do not love Jesus Christ sufficiently and am not one of his members animated by his spirit. It is because I lead a sensual and carnal life, and despise and shrink from Christ’s sufferings. It is that I am the slave of my body, and seek only the pleasures of the flesh, and despise those of the spirit, being worldly, sensual, and the enemy of God. It is because I am lazy and do not consider it worth my time. It is because I believe I can put it off until another day, a day that may never come.

Our resolution and prayer are of great importance to the success of our Lenten program and so continue to remain the same.

Resolution: To develop a penitential program for Lent involving the three traditional mortifications of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, and to begin practicing it no later than next Monday.

Prayer: O Holy Spirit, enlighten me that I may know my weaknesses and guide me in choosing those penances and mortifications which will be most salutary for my salvation.

By a Member of the Society of Jesus, edited and amended by J. Scott Bailey, C.Ss.R.
© ASG

Thursday after Ash Wednesday

On the same subject of Exterior Penance and Mortification.

I.

Make a free offering of your body to God, and he will impart to you his Spirit. Be watchful and careful in the discipline of your exterior, and he will guard and provide for the interior. Do all that you can, and that which you cannot accomplish he will do for you. Walk while you can, and when your strength fails you he will bear you in his arms. Fast with Jesus, that you may eat the Pasch with him.

II.

Fasting is salutary for both soul and body; it is an efficacious remedy for their diseases. Nothing is impossible to him who has faith; nothing is difficult to him who loves; all is possible to him who places his trust in God. Fast if you can, and persuade yourself that you can do more than you imagine yourself capable of. Fasting is blessed by God, consecrated by his Son, and observed by all the faithful. God imparts strength to those who fast, and deprives of strength those who do not. Good cheer and luxurious ease are destructive to the health and life of all men; fasting and abstinence are safe remedies which restore the health and prolong the lives of all who practise them. He who shall have lost his health and strength for Jesus Christ, shall recover all that he thinks he has lost. He who desires to preserve his body and health over the interests of Jesus Christ, shall lose all that he hopes to gain.

III.

I will therefore chastise my body as the Apostles did, for fear of being found among the reprobates. I desire, with all my heart, to follow the example and imitate the life of Jesus Christ, that I may be of the number of the saved. I will mortify my body, in order to remedy the maladies of my soul; I will deprive it of the power of revolting, by fasting, which will impair its strength. I will mortify my senses, that I may live a spiritual life. I wish to die with Jesus, that I may rise with Jesus. I wish for stripes and wounds, that I may become a true member of his thorn-crowned head; and if I have not courage to inflict them on myself, I will at least suffer with thankfulness whatever afflictions God may see fit, in his divine providence, to send me.

Our resolution and prayer are of great importance to the success of our Lenten program and so remain the same.

Resolution: To develop a penitential program for Lent involving the three traditional mortifications of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, and to begin practicing it no later than next Monday.

Prayer: O Holy Spirit, enlighten me that I may know my weaknesses and guide me in choosing those penances and mortifications which will be most salutary for my salvation.

By a Member of the Society of Jesus, edited and amended by J. Scott Bailey, C.Ss.R.
© ASG

Ash Wednesday - Death and Ashes

Once again we come to the beginning of Lent. Once again we hear the call of the prophets, the apostles, and of Christ our Lord to conversion, that is, to turn away from sin and live a life of sanctity. But I wonder how many of us really do hear the call? How many of us heed the call? Every year the same words. Every year the same call to penance and conversion. Every year the same . . .

But every year is not the same. Every year we are one year closer to eternity. Every year we have one year less to be about the business of salvation. Every year death draws closer, the time of mercy lessens, and the dreadful reality of judgement is more immanent.

There is one thing, I fear, that is the same. That at the end of Lent we find ourselves no better prepared to meet our coming judgement than we were at the end of Lent last year or the year before that or the one before that.

We have been done a great disservice over the last forty years with the emphasis on Lent being placed on preparation for baptism. While it is true that this was the time in the early Church when catechumens entered the final days of preparation for Baptism, this is no longer true for even a large minority of people. I am not opposed to the current RCIA. I am opposed to how it has taken over the meaning and practices of Lent so that the vast majority of the faithful find themselves foundering in a season whose only meaning seems to be abstaining from meat on Fridays and a vague notion of the need for confession. We must recover the traditional meaning of Lent if it is to be of any help to us in attaining the only thing of importance: our eternal salvation.

We are marked with ashes for a number of reasons. From ancient days they have been symbols of penance. The cross reminds us that we are followers of Him whose Passion, Death, and Resurrection we are preparing to celebrate. They are a public witness to the need for penance and the hope for redemption in Jesus Christ. But most importantly, and we know this from the words properly used at their imposition, they are reminders that we will die and return to the dust from which we are made. "Remember, man, you are dust, and unto dust you shall return."
The reality is inevitable. We will die and we will return to dust. There is no escape. And when the time comes, we had best be prepared.

Lent is a time to face the reality of death and to prepare ourselves for it by meditating on the suffering and death our Lord. Our meditations lead us to penance for our sins and mortification to strengthen us against temptation. The reality of death fills us with the urgency to do what is necessary.

If in past years we have become complacent, either by ignoring or not being aware of the Lenten call to conversion because death is near at hand, let us resolve this year to face the reality of death signified by the ashes we wear and heed the urgent call to repentance. Many die suddenly and unexpectedly, so we had best be ready at all times and live our lives so that death will never find us unprepared.

Ash Wednesday

On Exterior Penance and Mortification.

I.

There is nothing more united and less united than the soul and body. When one advances, the other recoils; when one rises, the other descends; when one is in health, the other is sick; when one is strong, the other is weak. It is necessary, then, in order to strengthen and give health to the soul, to bring the body under subjection, and weaken its sinful inclinations by penance and mortification.


I am not a man if I obey my passions; I am not a Christian if I do not combat with and overcome my passions; I am not a true penitent if I do not mortify my passions. Since my body is polluted by sin, it ought to be purified by mortification; and since it has part in the pleasures of the soul, it ought to glory in sharing its sorrows.

II.

How do I know that my sins are forgiven? How do I know that the pain which my offences merit is remitted? How do I know that God will not punish me in my body? How do I know that he will not chastise me in my soul? How do I know that he will not regard me with coldness, and permit me to fall into some grievous sin? How do I know that I shall be able to rise after falling therein? Only if I consistently practice penance and mortification can I be sure that my sins will be forgiven, that my punishment will be remitted, that I will receive an abundance of grace, and that I shall have the strength to rise again.

III.

If I spare myself and do not practice mortification, God will not spare me on account of the weaknesses I fail to overcome. If I am filled with self-love and close myself off to loving God and others, I will be closed to God’s love for me, but if I forget myself and give myself to God and others, God will give himself to me. If I punish myself by the mortifications of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, God will not punish me. If I excuse nothing in myself, God will pardon all, but if I excuse all things in myself, God will pardon nothing. If I am indulgent to myself and live a life of excess, God will be severe, but if I am austere and live a life of Christian generosity, God will be generous and merciful.

Oh, Christian soul! make your body a living and dying victim; mortify your passions, your senses, and your desires; mortify yourself at all times, and in all places; mortify yourself with zeal, mortify yourself with discretion.

Resolution: To develop a penitential program for Lent involving the three traditional mortifications of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, and to begin practicing it no later than next Monday.

Prayer: O Holy Spirit, enlighten me that I may know my weaknesses and guide me in choosing those penances and mortifications which will be most salutary for my salvation.



By a Member of the Society of Jesus, edited and amended by J. Scott Bailey, C.Ss.R.
© ASG