9781644135945

The Light of the World
Christ nor take a neutral stand with regard to Him. Having made this discovery, most of the
rich hate Christ. Today the rich, the rulers, the high priests, send out their minions to arrest
Christ. Christ speaks to them thus: “Yet a little while I am with you; and then I go to Him
that sent Me. You shall seek Me, and shall not find Me. And where I am, thither you cannot
come” (Gospel). Such is the terrifying judgment on the wicked. They will have need of Him;
in time of trouble they will seek Him; but they shall not find Him. They will be separated
from Him forever, for, “Where I am, thither you cannot come.” “He hath filled the hungry
with good things; and the rich He hath sent empty away” (Lk 1:53). That is a fundamental
law of the Christian order of grace.
“He hath filled the hungry with good things.” The Lord turns from the self-sufficient Jews
to the pagans. Even the inhabitants of Ninive are called (Epistle). Jonas the prophet came to
them and preached penance. “Yet forty days and Ninive shall be destroyed. And the men of
Ninive believed in God, and they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to
the least. And the word came to the king of Ninive, and he rose up out of his throne, and cast
away his robe from him, and was clothed with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.” He commanded
that men and beasts should fast and “be covered with sackcloth, and cry to the Lord with all
their strength.” We are like the people of Ninive, thirsting for salvation. The Lord has called
us. We must have faith, we must do penance, we must follow the Lord wholeheartedly. We
must not confine our works to meditation on the passion of Christ, and prayers and protestations;
we must put on sackcloth and perform works of self-denial and penance. We should
become sharers of the passion of Christ and be nailed to the cross with Him. And we must not
undertake penance reluctantly, only because we are obliged to do so or out of fear of losing
our souls; the Lord is seeking those who desire to participate in His passion, who appreciate
His cross, and who love it for what it is. He seeks the courageous, self-sacrificing souls, men
like St. Chrysogonus.
Today in the sanctuary of St. Chrysogonus we begin the journey down the sorrowful path that
will make us sharers of the passion of Christ. We are to help Him carry His cross and we shall
be with Him all the day long, afflicted and trodden under foot (Introit). We shall persevere in
this path and adhere to Christ with all our hearts, that we may be scourged with Him, unjustly
accused and condemned with Him, and classed with criminals. With Him we shall hear the
cruel mob crying out for our crucifixion. Daily in the Mass the Christian follows the path
trodden by His savior and is nailed to the cross with Him. “Have mercy on me, O Lord, for
man hath trodden me under foot; all the day long he hath afflicted me, fighting against me”
(Introit). Thus Jesus prayed during His passion; thus the Church prays, and we pray with her.
The Lord gives us the strength to drink the chalice of suffering. “The Lord of hosts, He is the
King of Glory” (Communion).
“Jesus has many lovers of His heavenly kingdom, but very few are they who carry His cross
with Him. He has many who long for consolation, but few who long for suffering. All wish to
rejoice with Him hereafter, but only a few wish to suffer something with Him. Many follow
Him in the breaking of bread, but only a few share the drinking of His chalice. Many praise His
wonderous deeds, but very few follow Him in the degradation of His cross.” 13
13
Imitation of Christ, bk. 2, chap. 11.
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