Second Sunday of Lent

The Gospel: Matt. 17:1-9.

At that time, Jesus took unto him Peter and James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain apart. And he was transfigured before them. And his face shone as the sun, and his garments became white as snow. And, behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then Peter, answering, said to Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be here: if you will, let us here make three tabernacles, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elias. And as he was yet speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And, lo! a voice out of the cloud saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear him. And the disciples, hearing, fell upon their face, and were very much afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said to them: Arise, and be not afraid. And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one, but only Jesus. And as they came down from the mountain Jesus charged them, saying: Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of Man be risen from the dead.

Meditation for the Second Sunday of Lent:

On the Transfiguration.

I.

Jesus is transfigured on Thabor, on Calvary, and on our altars. The first is a transfiguration of glory; the second of ignominy; the third of love. To be transfigured with Jesus on Thabor, we must be transfigured with him on Calvary. If you suffer with him, you shall reign with him; if you take part in his ignominies, you shall also have part in his glory.

II.

The third transfiguration is that of the body of Jesus on our altars. His vestments there are as white as snow, and his face a thousand times brighter than the sun; but it is covered with a cloud or veil, for what human eye could support the ineffable splendor of his countenance? It is here that Moses and Elias, that is, the will and understanding, converse together with him of all the extremes of love and grief that he suffered for us in Jerusalem, since this divine mystery represents the sacrifice of his bitter passion and death, and was instituted by him as a commemoration thereof.

III.

The fourth transfiguration is that which takes place in holy communion; wherein a man is transformed into Jesus Christ. He is no longer a man, but a God; no longer a sinner, but a child of God. The eternal Father regards him with love, and salutes him, as he did his divine Son on Thabor: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." He who was before a sinner, being clothed in the real presence of the body and divinity of Jesus, is thereby rendered holy and just! They are one body, and one spirit; they are two united in one flesh. Let your lives, then, correspond with the great privilege you enjoy, of being transformed into Jesus. Let your thoughts be the thoughts of Jesus, your words be the words of Jesus; that God the Father, beholding you, may say: "This is my beloved son, in whom 1 am well pleased."

IV.

The fifth transfiguration is that of a soul in prayer. His heart burns with a celestial flame. Moses and Elias, the law and the prophets, converse with him of the passion of Jesus. The powers of his soul, filled with the sweet rest of contemplation, cry out with ecstasy: It is good, O Lord, for us to be here; here let us remain always. I have had great difficulty in ascending the height. I have not spared myself in the exercise of mortification, and I have, through many toils, prepared my spirit by meditation; but the labor, the sweat, and the pains are forgotten in my present happiness, and in the extreme repose that I enjoy.

V.

The last transfiguration is that of happy souls in heaven. "When we behold God," says St. John, "we shall be like him." When, after the sufferings of this life, we shall, have been received into the glorious company of those who reign on this beautiful Thabor, our eternal and joyful song shall be: "Oh, it is good for its to be here!" There is nothing left me to wish for. I have found an everlasting rest. I have received a glorious recompense for my poor labors. But, Christian soul, while you are waiting to sing this beautiful canticle in heaven, be contented, wherever God may place you on earth. In whatever state you may be, it is good for you to be therein, since God has placed you there; whether it be in poverty, sickness, humiliations, or confusion, Jesus is with you, and will remain with you, if you do his holy will.

Resolution: I will keep in mind that my only true happiness is the beautiful Thabor of heaven and live my life so as to achieve that end.

Prayer: My loving Redeemer, transfigured on the mountain, grant me the grace to be transfigured in thy sight. Help me to live my life on earth always in your presence, so that when my life shall come to an end, I may dwell in thy presence forever. O Mary, my dearest Mother, keep me always close to thy son and give me the grace of salvation.

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

Saturday of the First Week in Lent

The Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin.

I.

O all ye that pass by the way, attend, and see if there be any sorrow like to my sorrow. Mary’s sorrows are measured by her love. Those who love much, suffer in proportion to their love. They who have but little love, know but little suffering. The holy Virgin loved her divine Son with a tender affection, which surpassed that of all other mothers for theirs, because he was the most amiable of the children of men; and she loved him by nature, knowledge, and grace.

He was her only Son, whom she shared with no father. She had conceived him by the operation of the Holy Ghost, who is the spirit of divine love, and who united them together by an indissoluble chain of love and sympathy. This Son resembled her in holiness, purity, and perfection. She had received infinite graces from him, and thus with her natural love was united a love of gratitude, a love of sympathy, and a love of charity. She loved him as God and as man; as her Father and her Son; as her Creator and Redeemer. There never existed any creature so amiable as Jesus. There never has been known love comparable to Mary’s, which was better, more tender, and more perfect, than the love of all mothers who have ever lived.

II.

Mary’s grief was measured and augmented by the prophetic knowledge she had of all that he was to suffer. Not only had the Prophets foretold his passion and death, but he, also, had discoursed with her, and instructed her concerning them. It was all—the ignominy, the buffeting, the scourging, the bloody sweat, the spitting, the cross, the spear—apparent to her from the hour of his birth. She meditated on the griefs which awaited her divine Son and examined in her thoughts all the circumstances attendant thereon. Consider the anguish of this most afflicted and tender mother, when her Son separated himself from her and bade her a last adieu! As the Son and the mother had but one and the same heart, she felt all that he endured. The wounds which were inflicted on his body, were imprinted on her sacred heart. What a spectacle! A Son expiring on a cross, and a mother standing by, the mute and agonized witness of his sufferings! O all ye that pass by the way, attend, and see if there be any sorrow like to my sorrow.

III.

Admire the virtues of the most holy Virgin. What resignation to the will of God does she not exhibit amidst so many afflictions and sorrows! What humility, to follow her Son to the place of suffering and ignominy, and wish to be recognized by all the world as his mother! What courage, to behold him expiring, without evincing the least sign of impatience, without allowing herself to be bowed down by her grief, but to remain standing by his cross! What charity, to consent to the death of a Child so dear to her soul, to satisfy his will and desire! What love for men, to immolate her Son on this bloody altar, for their salvation!

Resolution: Today I will give alms to the poor in honor of our Lady’s sorrows.

Prayer: Oh, Mother of grace and mercy, since thou hast loved me so much as to deliver thy only Son to the painful and ignominious death of the cross, I will love and serve thee all the days of my life. I will offer thee only praise and benedictions all my life. I will, by thy most holy example, make a continual sacrifice to God of all that I hold most dear to me. I will endeavour to imitate thy virtues, of which I will make a chaplet, to crown my heart continually with, in thy honor.

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

A Note to Readers

I want to thank all those who have sent notes or commented on the Lenten Meditations. It is important for me to know that they are of use and are helping you to further your prayer and spiritual life. They are the work of an unnamed Jesuit priest which I have edited and amended for current English usage and grammer as well as development of the points which are at times rather sketchy.

Rarely will you find on this blog a request for prayers or any commentary. That is not the concern of Evening Devotions. However, at times there are situations that, in my opinion, do need to be brought to your attention. There are two of which I am thinking.

1. Pray each day for our Holy Father, Pope Benedict. Of late he is being attacked on all sides for standing up for the truthes of our Holy Faith and for doing what is truly just and right. Many of those who attack and speak out against him are Catholic bishops and priests who have sold themselves to the court of public opinion and the movement of the politically correct. Pray also for them.

2. Pray for those bishops and priests who are loyal sons of the Church and work tirelessly in obedience to the Holy Father to uphold the Faith. They are the men who are attacked in such "Catholic" publications as the National Catholic Reporter or The Tablet. I am thinking particularly of great men like Bishop Martino of Scranton and Fr. Finigan, Parish Priest of Blackfen, among many others.

As Catholics we are obliged to stand up for the truth of the Faith, not tout theological opinions. Unfortunately we have been fed so much garbage in the past 40 years it can be difficult to discern the wheat of truth from the chaff to be discarded burned in the fire. Therefore, pray also to the Holy Ghost for his gifts that you may know the truth.

Fr. Scott Bailey, C.Ss.R.

Friday of the First Week in Lent

The Prayer of Jesus in the Garden.

I.

In his sadness, Jesus withdraws himself from his disciples to pray to God his Father to remove from his lips the bitter cup of his passion. He prays with reverence, prostrating himself before God. He prays with perseverance for several hours. He prays with resignation to the divine will of God his Father. He prays, and is not favorably heard, that we may learn to pray and be resigned.

II.

Jesus, so sweet and tender, did not desire to receive a consoling answer to his prayers that I might prevail in mine. He did obtain favor for himself, but secured it for me. I am heard favorably when I pray, but he was not. He could have commanded legions of angels to come to his assistance, but he did not invoke their presence, because he wished to die and shed his blood for my salvation. What love! What compassion! What mercy!

III.

Pray in your afflictions. Pray that God may remove them from you. Pray with humility. Pray with constancy and perseverance. Pray with resignation. Pray with conformity to the will of God. Weary not in prayer, and do not murmur if you are not heard, remembering that Jesus was not heard.

Resolution: Think of all those fears and the sadness which distresses you, and present them to Jesus with the following prayer.

Prayer: My Lord and my Savior, behold this chalice of confusion which thou hast presented to me to drink. Remove it far from my lips, for it is extremely bitter; nevertheless, not my will but thine be done. Father of mercies, behold a chalice of grief prepared for me! Father of the poor, behold a chalice of poverty, presented to me by thy divine providence! Must I drain it? Wilt thou not in pity remove it? I pray thee, O my God, to dispense me from this bitter drought; yet not my will but thine be done.

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

Thursday of the First Week in Lent

On the Bloody Sweat.

I.

Consider, my soul, how rude was this first shock of his sacred passion to our divine Savior! Behold him kneeling, bathed in his own blood, which oozes from every pore. It is the fear of his approaching torments. It is the horror inspired by your crimes, and the desire for your salvation, which excites this intolerable combat in his Sacred Heart. He has concentrated in himself all the iniquities of the human race, and conceived for them so great a sorrow, that he must have expired had not his life been preserved by a miracle. He wrought miracles that he might suffer, but none to exempt himself from suffering. And I am impatient, because God does not constantly interpose miracles to exempt me from suffering and dying.

II.

Oh Savior of my soul, this first combat of thine has been a bloody and fearful one! What pains it cost thee to dissipate, by the violence of thy sorrow, the multitude of our crimes, which thou hadst before thine eyes! I was with Judas in the Garden of Gethsemani to seize thee! I was in thy sacred heart to afflict thee! My sins were in the world before my birth. They strengthened the arms of the Jews to strike and buffet thee and delivered thee to thy enemies, who tormented thee with malicious ingenuity and afterwards crucified thee!

III.

The divine Master, has given to the world most noble and beautiful examples, but no one desires to imitate them. He has taught us the most perfect lessons, but no one desires to learn them. He goes first to the conflict, but none follow him. His disciples have basely abandoned him; they sleep while he watches: they enjoy repose while he is engaged in a bitter warfare; they afflict him instead of consoling him; they betray him instead of delivering him.

Oh, what confusion overwhelms me! Jesus overcomes all the alarms and infirmities of nature, clothed as he was with the weakness of man, and I yield to them, although I am sustained by the strength of God. He goes generously to the conflict with my timidity, and I, who am endowed with his courage, fly away.

Resolution: I will keep Jesus company for at least fifteen minutes today, preferably during the night, supporting him in his suffering and agony by my presence.

Prayer: Oh, precious blood, which watered and bathed this ungrateful earth, warm my cold heart, water my arid soul, strengthen my spirit, and raise up my fallen courage! I wish to enter the combat with a firm resolution to overcome and resist the rebellious movements of nature, even unto the shedding of blood. I will, by the grace and in the strength of God, triumph over my flesh, and subject my spirit to divine charity. I will maintain the warfare, until, like thee, I sweat blood and water. Like thee will I suffer, and drink the chalice of thy bitterness unto death.

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

Wednesday of the First Week in Lent

Jesus in the Garden of Olives.

I.

Jesus is sorrowful even unto death. The cause of his sadness is the foreknowledge of all that he is to suffer. But even more so it is the sight of my sins, my ingratitude, my misery! I laugh at those things which should cause me to weep! I take pleasure in that which ought to render me miserable! He has compassion on me, and I have none on him.

II.

Jesus is seized with fear to prove that he is man, that he is human and infirm, like myself. He has divested himself of his strength, and clothed himself with my weakness. He has given me his courage, and taken my timidity. He trembles to assure me, fears to encourage me, falls to raise me! Oh, what goodness! What charity! Where can we find a physician who is willing to give his health and strength to his patients in exchange for their maladies and feebleness? Surely, he has borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows.

III.

Pleasure and grief constitute the causes of the sins of men, desire and fear their passions. Jesus has vanquished these two enemies and imparted to us his strength that we also may vanquish them. He has abstained from all pleasure, suffered all griefs, renounced all the desires of nature, triumphed over all fears sweat blood and water from all his veins, and contended even unto death.

Resolution: Today, in reparation for my sins, I will reach out to someone who is suffering either with a telephone call, a visit, or a hand-written note, showing my support and offering my prayers.

Prayer: O my Jesus, in the Garden of Olives thou didst suffer on account of my sins and my ingratitude. How unworthy I am of all thou hast done for me, and for me alone. All thou hast suffered, thou wouldst have suffered had I alone been in need of redemption, and I have repaid thee with ingratitude and indifference. I cannot console thee in the Garden, but I can console thee present in all those who suffer. Give me the grace to see thy face in all the sick and suffering and to reach out to them and care for them as I would for thee. Mary, my Mother and my Queen, open my eyes to see the blood-streaked face of thy son.

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

Tuesday of the FIrst Week in Lent

On the Same Subject of the Passion of Our Lord in General.

I.

Jesus is the victim of all time and of all men, the victim of both sinners and the just. As he has loaded himself with all our crimes, he has crowned himself with all our sufferings! As there are none of his creatures whom he has not loved, there are none for whom he has not suffered. But he suffered for me and he bestows great graces on me which are the fruits of his sufferings. He has ever held me in remembrance, and I never think of him! I do not love him as I ought nor do I desire to suffer for his sake.

II.

Why did Jesus die? Why did he desire the unspeakable anguish and misery that he endured? He died to return to me the life which I lost through sin. He rendered himself miserable to secure for me eternal happiness. He delivered himself to the power of his enemies to deliver me from mine! He did not question the judgment of Pilate, he did not work miracles as he might have done, to deliver himself from their hands. He suffered throughout his life. His heart was transfixed to the cross with his body. The greatest of all his sufferings was in not suffering. It was his chief desire to be baptized in his own blood, to drain the chalice of his passion, and die. And all of this for me.

Resolution: I will not complain today, either to others or myself, when I am faced with suffering of any kind such as aches, having to wait, being treated unkindly. Instead I will offer them to the Father together with the sufferings of Jesus.

Prayer: Oh, sweetest Jesus! thou wert not displeased with thy enemies for doing that which thou didst so much desire, and which enabled thee to suffer without measure. It was only their sins and malice which diminished thy satisfaction, and added to thy griefs. The torments which they inflicted on thee cannot be surpassed in cruelty, nor could they make thee suffer more. They loaded thee with opprobrium and ignominy. They treated thee as the most miserable of all slaves and the most abandoned of all men. Couldst thou have suffered more than thou didst suffer, or die in more cruel agonies than thou didst?

And I avoid all suffering and mortification, and would even escape death. I wish to live surrounded by delights and enjoyments, when, if justice were awarded me, I should at this moment be suffering all the pains of hell. Where is it that I do not find examples of thy goodness .and tender mercy? Where is it that I do not discover my own malice and presumption? Where is it that my ingratitude is not apparent?

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