First Prelude: In spirit join the Apostles and disciples and the Blessed Virgin on Mount Olivet to contemplate the King of Glory about to enter His kingdom.
Second Prelude: O my beloved Saviour, grant me grace to follow Thee in spirit by my intense desire and the most ardent love.
The Triumphal Entry of Jesus into His Heavenly Kingdom
Resplendent with celestial light, the Saviour ascends to heaven, as King of eternal glory, to take possession of His kingdom. What a consoling and joyous aspect was it not for the Apostles, for His Blessed Mother and all the friends of Jesus! How great must have been their desire to accompany their Divine Master on His triumphal ascent! Happier than they were the countless hosts of the Old Law, who being now released from their weary captivity, were permitted with Him to enter the heavenly Jerusalem, to dwell with Him in the Eternal Mansions. Hosts of angels are flocking earthward, eager to hail their King, Who now returns to take possession of His Kingdom. Watch the grand procession, as it moves onward to the eternal gates. Join in the sounds of praise and congratulations on every side, and rejoice in the brilliant triumph of our Lord and Saviour, Who has redeemed us with His Precious Blood, and opened for us, too, the portals of heaven. In truth, Jesus could now present to the heavenly Father, as trophies of His victory, the countless souls that He had snatched from the clutches of Satan. “I have glorified Thee on earth, I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do. And now glorify Thou Me, O Father, with Thyself, with the glory which I had, before the world was, with Thee. I have manifested Thy name to the men whom Thou hast given Me out of the world. Thine they were, and to Me Thou gavest them; and they have kept Thy word” (John 17, 4-6).
Let us behold our Blessed Saviour enthroned at the right hand of the Father, while the hosts of blessed spirits tender Him due homage and adoration. Now He can reward His elect according to their merits, with the places forfeited by Lucifer and his proud adherents. Prostrate in adoration at the feet of the Divine Conqueror, let us offer Him our felicitations and beg Him to disengage our hearts from all earthly affections to draw us after Him, that, in the words of Holy Church, we may even now “spiritually dwell in heavenly places.”
How easy and bearable should all hardships and sufferings appear if I would more frequently raise my mind and heart to heaven to say with the Apostle: “But our conversation is in heaven” (Phil. 3, 20).
The Apostles and Disciples of the Lord
The disciples lovingly gazed after their Divine Master till a light cloud enveloped Him, the joy of their hearts, and the source of all consolation. Long after the cloud had disappeared, and all trace of Him had gone, they remained motionless, still gazing after Him. Suddenly two men in white garments stood by them and said: “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking up to heaven?” It was as if they would remind the Apostles not to remain in contemplation, but to go forth to prepare themselves for the work entrusted to them. Apostles should announce the glad tidings of the gospel to the whole world. It will not suffice merely to raise our eyes heavenward with intense desire, but we must labor and struggle, for the “Kingdom of heaven suffers violence and only the violent shall bear it away” (Matt. 11, 11-12).
We, too, must profit by this sound advice. We must turn away our eyes from the vanities of the world, and look up to heaven, our eternal home. This alone, however, will not suffice. We must keep on the narrow path of the evangelical counsels, advancing from virtue to virtue, by removing all the obstacles that place themselves between God and our soul and obscure the light of grace. Our evil inclinations are, as it were, clouds that hinder us from perceiving the divine presence. How often has not a cloudlet of vanity, of sensitiveness, of dissipation and idleness withdrawn our Divine Master from view, thus frustrating the work of His grace! If we consider the happiness to which we have been called, should we not despise the deceitful pleasures which self-love, vanity, sensual gratification, and the use of temporal goods afford? Let us cry out with St. Ignatius: “Oh, how contemptible does earth appear when I contemplate heaven!”
Am I convinced that I must become a saint, if I wish to join my Saviour in heaven, and that I can become a saint only through mortification and self-denial?
Affections: O my Jesus, all power and glory is Thine own! Thou hast achieved it by suffering, happily now over. Thou hast today entered into eternal glory, opened heaven for us, and prepared a place for me in Thy Kingdom. Should such a hope not be mighty enough to elevate my thoughts and desires to Thee incessantly? Draw me after Thee, O my Beloved, disengage me from earthly ties, which rivet me to creatures, and impress deeply on my heart a burning desire for heaven. But, O my King, before beholding Thee in Thy glory, I must merit this happiness by love, by sufferings, and by self-restraint. Give me the grace to follow Thee, that for me, too, the day will dawn when I shall be made worthy to join in the canticle of all the heavenly hosts: “Sing ye to God, ye kingdoms of the earth; sing ye to the Lord: sing ye to God Who mounteth above the heaven of heavens to the east. Alleluia!” (Ps. 67).
Resolution: We will renounce every worldly inclination, and constantly direct our thoughts and desires heavenwards.
Spiritual Bouquet: “I am going to prepare a place for you.”
Prayer of the Church: O powerful Lord, Who hast this day ascended victoriously above all heaven leave us not as poor orphans, but send us from the Father the Spirit of Truth, Whom Thou hast promised, Alleluia! Our Father . . .
No comments:
Post a Comment