MEDITATIO

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you.” He will arise within you, Mary. In some saints he has come; in others he will come; but in you he will arise… He will arise by means of the fertility, the abundance, the fullness of his outpouring in your being. Even when he has filled you, he will yet be upon you; he will sweep over your waters to create in you a work greater and more admirable than when, hovering over the waters at the beginning, he brought created substance into being in all its various forms (Gn 1,2). “And the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” Christ, the power and wisdom of God, will overshadow you. Then he will take human nature from you while keeping the fullness of God, which you are unable to bear, even as he assumes our flesh. He will take you beneath his shadow because the humanity to be taken by the Word is to be a screen for the inaccessible light of God. This light, filtered by its screen, will penetrate your most chaste womb… We therefore pray you, Sovereign Lady, most worthy Mother of God, do not despise today those who ask with fear, who seek with devotion, who knock with love. We pray you, tell us what feelings moved you, what love seized you… when this was accomplished in you, when the Word took flesh from you? In what state was your soul, your heart, your spirit, your senses, your mind? You burst into flame like the bush that was shown to Moses long ago and you did not burn, (Ex 3,2). You dissolved away in God but were not consumed. Burning, you melted beneath the fire from on high yet regained strength from that fire divine to burn again and dissolve once more in him… You became more virgin still – and more than virgin because both virgin and mother. Therefore we greet you, full of grace: the Lord is with you. You are blessed among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team

Merciful God, grant that I may ardently desire what is pleasing to you, prudently seek it, truthfully acknowledge it and perfectly fulfill it to the praise and glory of your name. Order my life and grant I may carry out what you wish me to do as is fitting and serviceable to my soul’s salvation. May I come to you, Lord, by a way that is sure, direct, pleasant and ordered to its end; a way that does not wander aimlessly between prosperity and adversity; that I may thank you when things go well and keep patience when they go badly, neither letting myself be raised up by the former nor cast down by the latter. May nothing bring me happiness nor make me sad except those things that either lead to you or draw me away. May I neither desire to please nor fear to displease anyone except you alone. May all passing things become as worthless in my eyes because of you, Lord, and may I hold dear whatever touches you nearly and you yourself, O my God, more than all… May I desire nothing besides you… O Lord my God, grant me an understanding that knows you, an eagerness that seeks you, a wisdom that finds you, a life that pleases you, a perseverance that waits for you with trust and a trust that holds you fast until the end. Grant me to be afflicted with your sorrows through penance, to make use of your blessings along the way by your grace, and above all to rejoice in your joy through glory in your homeland, O You who, being God, live and reign through all ages.

Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team

The parable of the talents is about all those who, instead of providing assistance to their brethren with their goods, their advice or in some other way, live only for themselves… Jesus wants to show us our Lord’s long patience in this parable but he also alludes, it seems to me, to the final resurrection… In the first place, the servants who give an account of their dealings unequivocally acknowledge what comes from their master’s gift and what is the fruit of their stewardship. The first says: “Lord, you entrusted me with five talents”, and the second: “Lord, you entrusted me with two talents.” Thus they acknowledge it is from their master’s bounty that they hold the capital they put to their profit. This acknowledgement goes so far that they ascribe all the merit and glory of their success to their master’s trust. What does the master reply, then? “Well done, good and faithful servant.” This is real goodness, isn’t it, when someone strives to do good to their brethren?… “Enter into the joy of your Lord”: this refers to the blessedness of eternal life. But it is by no means the same case for the wicked servant… What is then the master’s reply? “You wicked and lazy servant, why did you not place my money in the bank?” which means speaking to, encouraging, counselling one’s brothers and sisters. “But people wouldn’t listen to me,” the other might have replied. To which the Lord answers: “What is that to you?… You should at least have deposited this money in the bank and left me to collect it with interest on my return.” The interest refers to the good works that go before the hearing of the Word we are to speak. “You only had to do the easier part of the work and leave the more difficult to me”… What is there to say? Someone who, for the sake of the other, has received the grace of word and teaching but does not put it to use, will have this grace taken away. But someone who uses wisely and zealously the grace received will receive an even more abundant grace.

Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team