Sunday, August 17 : Saint Bonaventure

O soul, weeping for your sins, fear the divine judgements, which are a profound abyss. Even though you may already be somewhat penitent, fear, I say, fear intensely to displease God once again. And fear yet more, even now, to sin anew against God. Above all else fear to be separated from God at the last, deprived of his light forever, burned by the fire and consumed by the worm that never dies. Fear all these things, if true repentance does not enable you to die in a final state of grace, and sing with the Prophet: “My flesh shudders with dread of you and I fear your judgements” (Ps 118[119]:120). All the same, desire heavenly gifts. Be lifted up to God with the flame of divine love. He has borne so patiently with you in your sins, has waited for you with such patience and brought you back to repentance with so much mercy, through forgiveness, the infusion of grace and the promise of an everlasting crown. All He asks of you is to offer Him – or rather, to receive from Him so as to offer Him – “the sacrifice of a contrite spirit, a humbled contrite heart” (Ps 50[51]:19) through bitter compunction, sincere confession and adequate satisfaction. Fervently desire that he will prove his love with a plentiful communication of the Holy Spirit. Long with even greater ardor to be conformed to Him through a faithful imitation of Jesus crucified. But above all desire to possess God in the clear vision of the eternal Father so that, in all truth, you can sing with the prophet: “Athirst is my soul for God, the living God. When shall I go and behold the living God?” (Ps 41[42]:3).

Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team