CALENDARIUM ROMANUM FORMA ORDINARIA

Jesus Himself has willed to confirm by a comparison our faith in His sanctifying influence: “I am the vine,” He said “You are the branches” (Jn 15:5). The branches have life, but they do not themselves provide the sap which nourishes them. They are constantly drawing their vitality from the sap which comes from the parent stem. So it is for the members of Christ: their good actions, their practice of the virtues, their spiritual progress, their sanctity, belong to them certainly; but it is the sap of grace coming from Christ which produces these wonders in them. “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in me;” (Jn 15;4) In Jesus everything radiates life: His words, His actions, the different phases of His life. All the mysteries of His life on earth, those of His childhood, as well as those of His death, possess an ever efficacious power of sanctification. In Him the past is not effaced: “Christ dieth no more: death shall no more have dominion over Him.” (Rm 6:9) He never ceases to pour into our souls His supernatural life. But too often our inattention or lack of faith paralyzes the effects of His action in our souls. For us to live is to possess sanctifying grace; to make our thoughts, our affections, and all our activity emmanate from Christ.

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team

For as those who see the light are within the light, and partake of its brilliancy; even so, those who see God are in God, and receive of His splendour. But [His] splendour vivifies them; those, therefore, who see God, do receive life. And for this reason, He, [although] beyond comprehension, and boundless and invisible, rendered Himself visible, and comprehensible, and within the capacity of those who believe, that He might vivify those who receive and behold Him through faith. For as His greatness is past finding out, so also His goodness is beyond expression; by which having been seen, He bestows life upon those who see Him. It is not possible to live apart from life, and the means of life is found in fellowship with God; but fellowship with God is to know God, and to enjoy His goodness. Men therefore shall see God, that they may live, being made immortal by that sight, and attaining even unto God; which, as I have already said, was declared figuratively by the prophets, that God should be seen by men who bear His Spirit [in them], and do always wait patiently for His coming. As also Moses says in Deuteronomy, “We shall see in that day that God will talk to man, and he shall live.” (Deuteronomy 5:24) But as He who works all things in all is God, [as to the points] of what nature and how great He is, [God] is invisible and indescribable to all things which have been made by Him, but He is by no means unknown: for all things learn through His Word that there is one God the Father, who contains all things, and who grants existence to all, as is written in the Gospel: “No man has seen God at any time, except the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father; He has declared [Him].” (John 1:18)

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team

The sovereign goodness manifests itself in various ways, and the Blessed Christ said: “There are several residences in my father’s house” (Jn 14,2). Who could say the diversity of means, visits, gifts and graces of God, not only in creatures, but in one single soul? Just as the virtues are different, although they are all marked by the sign of charity, the conduct and the works of the servants of God are also very different. Not that the one who perfectly has the virtue of charity does not have so all the others, but everyone has a particular one which dominates all the others; hence the differences in life. Those who especially have charity puts all their happiness to exercise it with regard to their neighbor. Whoever has humility passionately seeks solitude. One loves justice, the other the freedom of one who seems to fear nothing that strong faith gives. Others engage in penance and mortification of their bodies; Others work to deny their own will by a real and perfect obedience. Thus the means are different, although all run in the path of charity. The saints who enjoy eternal life all followed her, but in various ways; Because one does not look like the other. There is the same difference among the angels, who are not all the same. One of the joys of the soul in eternal life is to see the greatness of God in the variety of rewards he gives to his saints.

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team