Saturday, March 4 : Saint John Cassian

Our Saviour summons us: Be, says He, perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:48 For in these persons sometimes the love of goodness is found to be interrupted, when the vigour of the soul is relaxed by some coldness or joy or delight, and so loses either the fear of hell for the time, or the desire of future blessings. And there is indeed in these a stage leading to some advance, which affects us so that when from fear of punishment or from hope of reward we begin to avoid sin we are enabled to pass on to the stage of love, for fear, says one, is not in love, but perfect love casts out fear: for fear has torment, but he who fears is not perfect in love. We therefore love because God first loved us. 1 John 4:18-19 We can then only ascend to that true perfection when, as He first loved us for the grace of nothing but our salvation, we also have loved Him for the sake of nothing but His own love alone. Wherefore we must do our best to mount with perfect ardour of mind from this fear to hope, from hope to the love of God, and the love of the virtues themselves, that as we steadily pass on to the love of goodness itself, we may, as far as it is possible for human nature, keep firm hold of what is good.

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team