MEDITATIO

For Holy Church for this reason undergoes the miseries of this life, that the grace above may lead her on her way to the rewards of eternity. She slights the death of her flesh, because she is intent on the glory of the resurrection; and what she suffers is transitory, what she expects everlasting, concerning which same everlasting blessings she has no misgiving, in that she has already a faithful testimony in the glory of her Redeemer. For she sees with the mind the resurrection of His flesh, and is strongly fortified to have hope, in that what she sees already brought to pass in her Head, she hopes without doubting will also follow in His Body, which is herself. Which same Church the Psalmist seeing destined to continue in everlasting perfection, describes her under the title of the moon. A perfect moon for everlasting. [Ps. 89, 37] And whereas the Resurrection of the Lord heartens her to entertain the hope of a Resurrection, he properly added, And a faithful witness in heaven. Forasmuch as that she may not tremble for her own resurrection, she has Him in heaven for a witness, Who rose again from the dead. So let the faithful People when it suffers adversity, when it is harassed with sore tribulations, lift up the mind to the hope of the glory to follow, and trusting in the resurrection of the Redeemer, let it say, Also now behold my witness is in heaven, and mine associate on high. Who is also rightly called ‘an associate,’ in that He was acquainted with our nature, not only by creating, but by taking it upon Himself. For His knowing is His having undertaken what belongs to us.

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team

Jesus does not reveal the Holy Spirit fully, until he himself has been glorified through his Death and Resurrection. Nevertheless, little by little he alludes to him. He alludes to the Spirit in speaking to Nicodemus, to the Samaritan woman, and to those who take part in the feast of Tabernacles. To his disciples he speaks openly of the Spirit in connection with prayer and with the witness they will have to bear. Only when the hour has arrived for his glorification does Jesus promise the coming of the Holy Spirit, since his Death and Resurrection will fulfill the promise made to the fathers. The Spirit of truth, the other Paraclete, will be given by the Father in answer to Jesus’ prayer; he will be sent by the Father in Jesus’ name; and Jesus will send him from the Father’s side, since he comes from the Father. the Holy Spirit will come and we shall know him; he will be with us for ever; he will remain with us. the Spirit will teach us everything, remind us of all that Christ said to us and bear witness to him. the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth and will glorify Christ. He will prove the world wrong about sin, righteousness, and judgment.

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team

The Holy Ghost does only what is good and salutary. First, His coming is gentle; the perception of Him is fragrant; His burden most light; beams of light and knowledge gleam forth before His coming. He comes with the bowels of a true guardian: for He comes to save, and to heal, to teach, to admonish, to strengthen, to exhort, to enlighten the mind, first of him who receives Him, and afterwards of others also, through him. And as a man, who being previously in darkness then suddenly beholds the sun, is enlightened in his bodily sight, and sees plainly things which he saw not, so likewise he to whom the Holy Ghost is vouchsafed, is enlightened in his soul, and sees things beyond man’s sight, which he knew not; his body is on earth, yet his soul mirrors forth the heavens. He sees, like Isaiah, the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up (Isaiah 6:1); he sees, like Ezekiel, Him who is above the Cherubim (Ezekiel 10:1); he sees like Daniel, ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands (Daniel 7:10); and the man, who is so little, beholds the beginning of the world, and knows the end of the world, and the times intervening, and the successions of kings — things which he never learned: for the True Enlightener is present with him. The man is within the walls of a house; yet the power of his knowledge reaches far and wide, and he sees even what other men are doing. May the God of peace, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, count all of you worthy of His spiritual and heavenly gifts: — To whom be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team

Our Lord was trampled down by death but, in return, he cleared a way that crushes death. He submitted to death and underwent it willingly so as to destroy it in spite of itself. For, at death’s orders, our Lord “set out bearing his cross” (Jn 19:17). But he cried out on the cross and drew the dead from hell. (…) He is the glorious “son of a carpenter” (Mt 13:55) who, on the chariot of his cross, emerged from the insatiable jaws of the dwellings of the dead and has transferred all humankind into the dwelling place of life (Col 1:13). And since, on account of the tree of paradise, humankind had fallen into the dwellings of the dead, it is on account of the tree of the cross that it has passed into the dwelling place of life. Bitterness had been grafted onto the wood of the former; but onto the latter sweetness has been grafted so that we might recognise in him the leader whom nothing created can resist. Glory to you! You have thrown your cross like a bridge over death so that men might cross it from the land of death to that of life. (…) Glory to you! You clothed yourself with the body of mortal Adam and made it the source of life for all mortals. Yes, you are alive! For your torturers treated your life like sowers: they sowed your life in the depths of the earth as grain is sown so that it might rise up of itself and bring with it much fruit (Jn 12:24). Come, let us make of our love a great and all-embracing censer; let us pour out songs and prayers to him who made of his cross an incense to the Godhead and who has lavished bounty on us all by his blood.
Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team

“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself” (Jn 12:32). O wondrous power of the Cross! O ineffable glory of the Passion, in which is contained the Lord’s tribunal, the world’s judgment, and the power of the Crucified! For you drew all things to yourself, Lord, and when “you stretched out your hands all the day long to an unbelieving and rebellious people” (Is 65:2; Rm 10:21), the whole world was at last brought to confess your majesty (…) You drew all things to yourself, Lord, when the veil of the temple was rent in two (Mt 27:51), and the symbol of the Holy of Holies was made manifest in truth, when prophecy found its fulfillment and the Old Law became the Gospel. You drew all things to yourself, Lord, so that the worship of all peoples should be celebrated in its fullness by that mystery which, veiled until now beneath the rites of a single temple in Judea, is at last openly made known. (…) For your cross is the source of all blessings, the origin of all grace. From the weakness of the cross believers gain strength, glory for shame, life for death. Now, too, the proliferation of sacrifices has ceased: the one offering of your body and blood fulfills all those different sacrifices offered throughout the world. For you are the true Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn 1:29). In yourself you bring to completion all religions of all peoples so that all these peoples might make up but one Kingdom.
Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team