Friday, August 30 : Saint Bernard

When Elisha of old knew that his master, Elijah, was about to die, he asked him for the grace of a double portion of his spirit. However, this would be possible only if he were to witness the moment when Elijah was taken up from him (2Kgs 2,9-10)… This account was written for us, too. We should be vigilant and attentive to the work of salvation that is being accomplished within us, for the Holy Spirit constantly carries out this work in the most interior part of our being with wonderful subtlety and the delicacy of a wholly divine art. May his anointing, which teaches us all things, never be withdrawn from us without our knowing and may his coming never catch us unawares if we would not be deprived of the double portion for which Elisha asked. To the contrary, we should always be on the lookout, with hearts wide open to receive this generous blessing from the Lord. What are the dispositions in which the Spirit would like to find us? “Be like servants who await their master’s return from the wedding.” He will never return empty-handed from the heavenly table and all the joys with which it is laden. So we should be on the alert and keep watch at all times since we never know at what hour the Spirit will come, nor at what hour he will depart again. The Spirit comes and goes (Jn 3,8); if it is thanks to him that we stand erect, when he goes away again we inevitably fall, yet without being broken since the Lord holds us in his hand. And the Spirit never ceases to give play to this alternating presence and absence in those who are spiritual or, rather, in those who intend to become spiritual. That is why he visits them at dawn and then suddenly puts them to the test.

Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team