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The Time After Pentecost
Charity gives without reservation. It will suffer hardships and reverses. Charity renounces
the world, its goods, its honors, its pleasures. It crucifies the flesh, sacrifices its time,
its powers, its health, and even its life for the sake of God. It places the love of God above all
things, even above its own well being and its own satisfaction. Charity is strong; it despises
the world with its trials and dangers, the devil with his plots and his temptations. Charity
subjects the passions and breaks evil habits. It is strong in the hour of trial and causes us to
suffer crosses and sufferings, injustices and humiliations, trials and temptations with equanimity.
Charity is unselfish. It loves God not for the sake of His gifts but for Himself alone.
It directs all its energies to God and knows no desire but God’s good pleasure.
The love of God is closely bound up with the love of neighbor. How can one love God
without loving his neighbor, since God’s love embraces all men? How can one love God and
not love those for whom He suffered and died, for whom He established His Church and its
sacraments, and in whom the Blessed Trinity lives and works? The test of true charity is our
love for our neighbor. “Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together
in unity” (Gradual).
“Give a well-ordered speech in my mouth”; give me Christ in the Holy Eucharist. This
is the way to perfection in love. At the Holy Sacrifice the Lord, the Word of God, places
His gifts in our hands. His heart, His prayers, His limitless charity, His praise, devotion,
and thanksgiving belong to us. “Through Him, and with Him, and in Him is to Thee, O
God,” a meet and perfect praise, even from us poor sinners. We love God with the loving
heart of Jesus Himself. At Holy Communion the sacrificial victim, glowing with love for
the Father, plants in our hearts the fire of love which consumes His heart. God puts the
“well-ordered speech” into our mouth. Must not our charity grow strong and be perfected?
If only we possessed the spirit of the sacred liturgy, with how much courage and confidence
we should be inspired! “I can do all things in Him who strengtheneth me” (Phil 4:13). Do
we not depend too much on ourselves, and too little on Him who works in us? “And I live,
now not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Gal 2:20).
Prayer
O God, our refuge and strength, the very Author of godliness, hear the devout prayers of Thy
Church and grant that what we confidently ask we may efficaciously obtain. Through Christ
our Lord. Amen.
Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost
The Mass
The theme of the Mass for this Sunday is given in the Gospel. A certain ruler, Jairus by name,
approaches the Lord and reports, “My daughter is even now dead, but come lay Thy hand
upon her, and she shall live.” In the liturgy this dead child is a symbol of dying Judaism, which
rejected Jesus Christ and His Church. Jesus accompanies the ruler to restore his child to life.
But just as He is about to leave, a woman full of faith steps forward and touches the hem of His
garment. “If I shall touch only His garment, I shall be healed” (Gospel). This heathen woman
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