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The Light of the World
These sufferings are profitable only for the soul that embraces them willingly and receives them
blindly from the hand of God with complete and perfect confidence in His providence. If we
are wanting in faith and confidence in God, these visitations will fail in their purpose.
God influences the Church and the souls of men in various ways, but the one He uses most
frequently is that of inflicting suffering from within and from without. No other method has
proved so fruitful for the Church and for souls. God sends sufferings to His Church and to souls
precisely because He loves them. He must send them trials if they are to grow strong, become
perfect, and bear fruit. “Thou hast moved the earth, O Lord.” Only when the Lord has moved
it can the earth (the soul) become fruitful.
“Perfect Thou my goings in Thy paths, that my footsteps be not moved. Incline Thy ear
and hear my words. Show forth Thy wonderful mercies, Thou who savest them that trust in
Thee” (Offertory). With this prayer we surrender ourselves to the strength of Christ which
flows from the Mass. The weakness of men will be perfected by the strength of Christ. Sharing
the strength of Christ, the Church and the soul of the Christian will be faithful in the way of
the Lord. Christ gives the soul a new life (Secreta), holy joy (Communion), and a devout way
of life (Postcommunion). That is the substance of our thoughts and prayers as we celebrate
the liturgy today.
Prayer
O God, who seest that we put not our trust in anything that we do of ourselves; mercifully grant
that by the protection of the Doctor of the Gentiles, we may be defended against all adversities.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Monday
The lessons read at Matins during this week relate the story of the Deluge. During the whole
week the liturgy dwells on the terrible judgment passed by God on sinful mankind.
“And after that men began to be multiplied upon the earth and daughters were born to
them. The sons of God [the descendants of God-fearing Seth], seeing the daughters of
men [the descendants of Cain] that they were fair, took to themselves wives of all which
they chose. . . . And God, seeing that the wickedness of men was great on the earth and that
all the thought of their heart was bent upon evil at all times, it repented Him that He had
made man on the earth” (Gn 6:1 ff.).
God then considered destroying man, but He waited patiently for one hundred and
twenty years. He commanded Noe to build an ark which could be seen by all men, and
charged him to tell them that God would destroy the world should men fail to give up their
evil ways. Erring men had only ridicule and derision for Noe, his ark, and his fantastic story.
God then carried out the threat He had made. “And the flood was forty days upon the earth,
and the waters increased and lifted up the ark on high from the earth. For they overflowed
exceedingly; and filled all on the face of the earth, and the ark was carried upon the waters.
And the waters prevailed beyond measure upon the earth; and all the high mountains under
the whole heaven were covered. . . . And all flesh was destroyed that moved upon the
earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beasts, and of all creeping things that creep upon
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