9781644135945

The Light of the World
realizes that God is with him in the boat? Only one thing is expected of us, that we believe
in Him and place ourselves completely in His keeping. We must surrender ourselves to Him
with complete confidence and allow Him to dispose of us as He wishes. Everything that
He does is done for our best interest. Our faith and our reason command us to submit to
Him; yet how often we do so with doubt, with fear and hesitation! This is not the kind of
trust He desires; He wishes a faith and a confidence in Him that does not falter, that does
not hesitate, that asks no questions and feels no anxiety.
Why so many considerations? Why do we have so much anxiety and restless solicitude for our
own welfare? We wish to sanctify ourselves by our own exertion and effort; but God wishes
to accomplish this Himself, and He requires of us our complete submission to His plan. He
desires nothing so much as our sanctification, but He insists on accomplishing it in His way.
That is the sacred law of the spiritual life. “When thou wast younger thou didst gird thyself
and didst walk where thou wouldst. But when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy
hands, and another shall gird thee and lead thee whither thou wouldst not” ( Jn 21:18). That
is the secret of Christian life.
If we surrender ourselves completely to God, we shall make rapid progress. If we work
by ourselves, our progress will be slow and toilsome. If God works with us and in us, we shall
advance rapidly. “He must increase, but I must decrease” ( Jn 3:30).
Prayer
O God, our salvation, hear us and protect us from all the enemies of body and soul. Grant us
Thy grace in this life and eternal happiness in the next. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Wednesday
“Adore God, all you His angels. . . . The Lord hath reigned; let the earth rejoice” (Introit). Christ
is the divine King who works wonders both in nature (Gospel) and in the hearts of men whom
He unites in brotherly love (Epistle). “That they all may be one” ( Jn 17:21).
“Owe no man anything, but to love one another. . . . Love, therefore, is the fulfilling of the
law” (Epistle). We cannot free ourselves from this obligation of love so that at any time
we may be free not to love one another. “He that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law.
For thou shalt not commit adultery; thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal; thou shalt
not bear false witness; thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment it is
comprised in this word: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. The love of our neighbor
worketh no evil. Love, therefore, is the fulfilling of the law” (Epistle). True love of neighbor
rests on the love of God. In its essence the love of neighbor does not differ from the love of
God, for we can love our neighbor only in so far as we love God. Without the love of God,
the love of neighbor cannot exist. In all nature, any impediment placed in the way of full
self-gratification results in hatred and strife. Among men, too, hatred and strife are inevitable
unless the associations of one man with another are founded on the love of God and of
one another. For this reason the love of neighbor fulfills the entire law, even the first three
commandments, which deal with the honor of God Himself. Therefore charity, the love of
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