9781644135945

The Time After Pentecost
with bitter disappointments, beset by humiliation and persecution. Under the Emperor
Nero his career is culminated by the crucifixion which Christ had foretold to him. “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). But today he triumphs in the glory of eternal
life, and the time of suffering is past. What he once considered a loss, has become his most
precious gain. Through his crosses and sufferings he has merited a crown of everlasting
glory. Therefore he stands before us and encourages us: “The sufferings of this time are not
worthy to be compared with the glory to come.” In the same spirit the Church believes and
hopes, and in the same spirit we, too, must believe and hope.
In Holy Communion our Lord seeks to draw us to Himself. He asks us at the time of Holy
Communion, as He did at the time of our baptism: “Can you drink the chalice that I shall
drink?” (Mt 20:22.) Relying on His power, we desire to drink it. “The sufferings of this time
are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come.”
Having been crucified with Christ in baptism, we offer ourselves daily, while assisting at
Mass, as living sacrifices together with our Lord. His power is communicated to us daily in Holy
Communion and in the many actual graces which we receive. Opportunities for taking up the
cross and following Him are never wanting. As yet perhaps we have not learned how to embrace
cheerfully the sufferings of Christ, how to share the chalice of the Lord, how to love the cross
as Christ loved it. And yet, with every cross comes grace and strength. The interior life, the life
of the religious community, thrives on the cross. The cross is our salvation.
Prayer
Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that the course of this world may be so peaceably ordered
by Thee that Thy Church may joyfully serve Thee in quiet devotion. Through Christ our
Lord. Amen.
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
The Mass
The Spirit of Christ, which was poured out on the Church at Pentecost, is the Spirit of love, and
it urges us to practice charity. This spirit of God and of Christ will attain a dominant position
in the Church and in every member of the Church to the extent in which it is cultivated. This
seed was planted in the soul at baptism and should grow to maturity. Today’s liturgy seeks to
instill into our hearts the spirit of love for God and for our fellow men. Charity opens the path
to heavenly treasures that surpass our fondest desires. It frees the soul from the bonds of the
world and even from itself. It gives wings to the soul, that it may soar above this present world
and attain that goal for which it was reborn through baptism.
Imbued with this spirit, we enter the holy dwelling of the Lord, singing the Introit and lifting
up our eyes to almighty God, who is our light and our salvation. We lift up our hands and pray:
“Pour forth Thy love into our hearts” (Collect). We seek a love like that pictured for us in the
457