Saint Luke - Above all seek the Kingdom of God and Its Justice
Holy Trinity by Szymon Czechowicz (1689-1775); 1756-58; Lithuanian Art Museum, Vilnius, Lithuania; commons.wikimedia.org
Saint Cyril of Alexandria (376-444), Homily 62 regarding the Gospel of Saint Luke, Chapter 12, Verse 31
(R.R. Tonneau: CSCO t. 70, 160-164)
(R.R. Tonneau: CSCO t. 70, 160-164)
Above all seek the kingdom of God and Its Justice 1
Upon hearing these words, what conclusions are the disciples to make and what practical decisions are they to adopt?
For certain, these: they are to abandon into the hands of God the preoccupation for their sustenance, and remember what Saint Luke said: Commend to God your desires, as He will sustain you.
Yes, He gives most generously to His Saints what they need for life, and certainly does not lie when Saint Luke continues: Do not be weighed down by life thinking what you are going to eat, nor by the body thinking on what you are going to wear - your Father in heaven already knows that you have need of all these.
Above all seek the Kingdom of God and Its justice; the rest will be given to you in addition.
It was extremely useful - and even necessary - that those who were invested in apostolic dignity would also have a soul liberated from the appetite for riches and would abhor nothing more than the accumulation of donations, being content instead with what God would proportion to them; just as it is written: covetousness is the root of all evils.
It was therefore propitious that at all costs they maintain themselves at the margins and fully liberated from that vice, which is the root and mother of all evils. Rather, they were to exhaust all of their diligence in truly necessary occupations: in not falling under the yoke of Satan.
In this manner, walking at the fringes of worldly preoccupations, undervaluing carnal appetites and desiring only what God wants.
And just like the most experienced and courageous soldiers, upon leaving for battle, who do not carry with them any other thing than the arms they need for war, the same as with those who Christ sent off for help while He was on Earth, and then to assume the fight afterwards, for the benefit of those in danger, against the powers that dominate this world of darkness; moreover, in the battle against Satan himself in person.
For this it was necessary that they maintain themselves free from the fatigues of this world and of all worldly concerns so that, lean and with the spiritual arms at hand, they could fight bravely against those who block the glory of Christ and who sow ruin throughout the entire earth; lamentable events which induced her inhabitants to adore the creature in place of the Creator and to offer worship to the elements of the world.
Have fitted the Breastplate of Faith, placed the Shield of Justice, and by the Sword of the Holy Spirit, all of these, the Word of God.
With these munitions it was inevitable that they would be intolerable for their enemies, and out in the world, carrying nothing worthy of stain or culpability; specifically, the ambition to possess, amass illicit gains and to carry themselves preoccupied in their upkeep; things which separate the human soul from a life pleasing to God.
Nor do they allow the soul to elevate itself to God; rather, they cut the wings of the soul and sink it into material and earthly aspirations.
Translated from the Formative Web of Spanish-Speaking Catholics by Jan Paul von Wendt -
www.mercaba.org
1 Saint Luke, Chapter 12, Verse 31
1 Saint Luke, Chapter 12, Verse 31
We must know the love of Christ, which exceeds all knowledge
From the letters of Saint Margaret Maria Alacoque, virgin and Doctor of the Church
I think that our Lords greatest desire to have His Sacred Heart honored with our most special devotion is directed toward renewing the effects of Redemption in our souls.
The Sacred Heart, in effect, is an inextinguishable source, a fount that desires nothing else than it be poured into the hearts of the humble, so that they may be free and well-disposed to spend their own lives in according to His pleasure.
From this Divine Heart flow without ceasing three streams:
the first is Mercy for sinners, over which it pours the spirit of contrition and penitence;
the second is Charity, for the utility of all those beset by any necessity and, principally, for those who aspire to perfection, so that they find the help needed to overcome their difficulties;
from the third stream emanate love and light for his now perfected friends, those who the Lords Sacred Heart wants to unite them with Himself so as to communicate His wisdom and precepts, with the end that they, in turn, each in their own way, be completely dedicated and committed to promoting His glory.
This divine Heart is an abyss of all assets in which the poor need to submerge their indigence; it is an abyss of bliss, in which we must submerge all of our sadness; it is an abyss of humility against our own ineptitude; it is an abyss of mercy for the downtrodden and unfortunate; and it is an abyss of love, in which our own indigence must be submerged.
It is in our own interest, therefore, that we unite to the Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ at the beginning of our conversion, so as to reach the needed availability of our soul, with the goal that we carry our conversion to term.
Do you not gain from prayer?
If so, it will suffice with you offering to God the pleadings that the Savior utter for our sake in the sacramental altar, offering His fervor in reparation for our tepidness; and, when you so disposed to do something, pray like this:
"My God, I do or suffer - such and such - in the Heart of Your Son and according to His Holy designs, and I offer them in reparation for all the bad or imperfect there is in my own works."
Do so, likewise, in all the circumstances in life. And every time that something horrible, afflictive, injurious happens to us, say to ourselves:
"I accept what the Sacred Heart of Jesus sends me so as to unite myself with It."
Above all, conserve your peace of heart, as it is the greatest treasure.
To conserve it, nothing helps as much as to renounce ones own proper will and to put the will of the divine Heart in place or our own, in such a manner that His divine Heart do on behalf do everything that contributes to His glory and us, full of bliss, subject ourselves to Him and we confide in Him completely.
PRAYER
Infuse, Lord, in our hearts the same spirit with which you enriched Saint Margaret Maria Alacoque, so that we come to a profound knowledge of the incomparable mystery of the love of Christ and we attain our own plenitude in accordance to the total plenitude of God. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit and is God, for ever and ever. Amen
Translated from the Spanish Liturgies of the Hours by Jan Paul von Wendt -
liturgiasdelashoras.com.ar
O God, who heals the infirmities of your
people, and who called Saint Luke, the beloved
doctor, to become one of your evangelists!
Grant us that in the healthy doctrine of
Your Word transmitted by him, our souls
may find the efficacious medicine for all
our dolours; through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Amen
O God, who heals the infirmities of your
people, and who called Saint Luke, the beloved
doctor, to become one of your evangelists!
Grant us that in the healthy doctrine of
Your Word transmitted by him, our souls
may find the efficacious medicine for all
our dolours; through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Amen
October 18 - Feast of Saint Luke (+84) - Above all seek the kingdom of God and Its Justice - Homily 62 by Saint Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) - Feast: February 9 (Traditional) / June 27 (New)
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