9781644135945

The Light of the World
which do not lead us directly to Christ. “But the things that were gain to me, the same I
have counted loss for Christ. Furthermore, I count all things to be but loss for the excellent
knowledge of Jesus Christ, my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and
count them but as dung, that I may gain Christ and may be found in Him, not having my
justice, which is of the law, but that which is of the faith of Christ Jesus, which is of God:
justice in faith. That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship
of His sufferings, being made conformable to His death. If by any means I may attain to the
resurrection which is from the dead” (Phil 3:7–11).
Those are the sentiments of a true Christian. Can we speak in like manner? Most of us fail
to realize the value of the things that God has promised us, and thus fail to direct all our energies
toward obtaining them. We take a very human view of our fellow man. We see in him only
another creature like ourselves, and not a member of the mystical body of Christ. The living
faith which enables us to see Christ in our fellow man is wanting in us. For the true Christian
there is “neither Gentile nor Jew, . . . barbarian nor Scythian, bond nor free” (Col 3:11). The
Christians of apostolic times used to say, “If thou see thy brother, thou hast seen Christ.” How
little that spirit has penetrated even the most pious of us.
“Let the peace of Christ rejoice in your hearts.” The struggle to obtain this peace and harmony
will stamp out our self-love and free us from our solicitude for earthly goods. Christ
wishes to live His life in us in all its fullness. He is incarnate Love in the souls of men; He is
the enemy of all discord and dissension. He judges everything in the light of eternity. His
chief concern is to see us united to the Father and the Holy Ghost. Four things, says the
Imitation of Christ, lead us on the way of peace and unity: “Study, my son, to do the will of
another rather than thy own. Ever choose rather to have less than more. Always seek the
lowest place, and strive to be subject to everyone. Desire and always pray that the will of
God may be entirely fulfilled in thee. Behold such a one entereth within the borders of
peace and rest” (III, chap. 23).
Prayer
O God, from whom proceed all holy desires, all right counsels, and just works, grant unto us,
Thy servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be devoted to Thy
service, and that being delivered from the fear of our enemies, we may pass our time in peace
under Thy protection. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Friday
“The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that sowed good seed in his field. But while men
were asleep, his enemy came and oversowed cockle among the wheat” (Gospel). Truly, God
sowed the best of seed in our souls at baptism. The seed sown there is the seed of sanctifying
grace and the seed of the virtues of faith, hope, and charity. Daily He cares for the field of our
soul and nourishes by Holy Communion the seed planted there. He gives us the grace to suffer,
to grow, and to endure. In spite of the fact that He sowed good seed, and in spite of the fact that
He continuously watches over us, the cockle is always there too. When we ask, “Wilt Thou that
we go and gather it up,” He answers, “Suffer both to grow.”
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