19TH
SUNDAY AFTER PENTCOST (28th S. in Ord. Time)
Traditionally this Sunday focuses
on the necessity of charity (caritas)
for the eternal wedding feast.
Psalm 119, Verse 120
My flesh shudders with dread of you; I fear
your judgments.
The
justice of God is a tremendously awful subject of contemplation, even to those
who are safely shielded from its terrors. The believer, in the act of
witnessing its righteous stroke upon the wicked of the earth, cannot forbear to
cry out—My flesh trembleth for fear
of thee. David trembled at the stroke of Uzzah, as if it came very near to
himself. "Destruction from God" saith holy Job —"was a terror to
me: and by reason of his highness I could not endure." Such also was the
Prophet's strong sensation—"When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips
quivered at thy voice: rottenness entered into my bones." And thus, when
God comes to tread down and put away his enemies for the display of the
holiness of his character, and to excite the love of his people—those that
stand by, secure under the secret of their hiding place—cannot but "take up
their parable and say —Alas! Who shall live, when God doeth this!" The
children of God reverence their Father's anger. They cannot see it without an
awful fear; and this trembling at his judgments upon the ungodly covers them
from the heavy stroke. Those that refuseto tremble shall be made to feel, while
those that are afraid of his judgments shall be secure. "Only with thine
eyes shalt thou behold, and see the reward of the wicked." "I trembled
in myself," said the prophet, "that I might rest in the day of trouble."
Even the manifestations of his coming "for the salvation of his
people" are attended with all the marks of the most fearful terror— as if
his voice would shake the earth to its very foundation—"Thou didst cause
judgment to be heard from heaven—the earth feared and was still: when God arose
to judgment, to save all the meek, of the earth." To mark this trembling as
the character of the child of God, we need only contrast itwith the ungodly
scoffing, "Where is the God of judgment? Where is the promise of his
coming? The Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil." Thus do men
dare to "run upon the thick bosses of his bucklers" instead of trembling
for fear of him! This "stoutness against the Lord" excites the astonishment
of the hosts of heaven; so discordant is it to their notes of humble
praise—"Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name; for thy
judgmentsare made manifest!" Such is the special acceptance of this trembling
spirit, that some shadow of it obtained a respite even for wicked Ahab and a pardon
for the penitent Ninevites while its genuine "tenderness of heart"
screened Josiah from the doom of his people and will ever be regarded with the
tokens of the favor of this terrible God. "To this man," saith he,
"will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and that
trembleth at my word." Believers in
Christ! Rejoice in your deliverance from that "fear which hath torment."
Yet cherish that holy reverential fear of the character and judgments of God, which will form your most effectual safeguard
"from presumptuous sins." The very supposition, that, if God had not
engaged himself to you by an unchangeable covenant, his fearful judgmentsWould
have been your eternal portion, is of itself sufficient to mingle the wholesome
ingredient of fear with the most established assurance. What! Can you look down
into the burning bottomless gulf beneath your feet, without the recollection—If
I were not immoveably fastened to the "Rock of Ages" by the strong chain
of everlasting love, this must have been my abodethrough the countless ages of
eternity. If I had not been thus upheld by the grace, as well as by the
providence, of God, I might have dropped out of his hand, as one and another
not more rebellious than I have fallen, into this intolerable perdition! O God!
My flesh trembleth for fear of thee; and I am afraid of thy judgments. Thus the
dread of the judgments of God is not necessarily of a slavish and tormenting
character. "His saints" are called to "fear him"and their
fear, so far from "gendering unto bondage," is consistent with the strongest
assurance nay, even is its fruit and effect. It is at once the principle of
present obedience and of final perseverance. It is the confession of weakness,
unworthiness, and sinfulness, laying us low before our God. It is our most valuable
discipline. It is the "bit and bridle" that curbs the frowardness of
the flesh, and enables us to "serve God acceptably," in the remembrance,
that, though in love he is a reconciled Father, yet in holiness he is "a
consuming fire." Now, if we are under the influence of this reverential awe
and seriousness of spirit, we shall learn to attach a supreme authority and
consideration to the least of his commands. We shall dread the thought of
wilfully offending him. The fear of grieving him will be far more operative
now, than was the fear of hell in our unconverted state. Those who presume upon
their gospel liberty, will not, probably, understand this language. But the
humble believer well knows how intimately "the fear of the Lord" is
connected with "the comfort of the Holy Ghost" and with his own
steady progress in holiness, and preparation for heaven.
1040 The Last Judgment will come when Christ
returns in glory. Only the Father knows the day and the hour; only he
determines the moment of its coming. Then through his Son Jesus Christ
he will pronounce the final word on all history. We shall know the
ultimate meaning of the whole work of creation and of the entire economy
of salvation and understand the marvelous ways by which his Providence
led everything towards its final end. The Last Judgment will reveal that
God's justice triumphs over all the injustices committed by his
creatures and that God's love is stronger than death.
I fear no evil; for you are at my side with
your rod and your staff that give me courage.
The king said to him, "My friend, how is it that
you came in here without a wedding garment?" But he was reduced to
silence. Then the king said to his attendants, "Bind his hands and feet,
and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and
grinding of teeth." Many are invited, but few are chosen (Mt 22:12-14).
Lessons of Consolation from the Joys of Heaven[2]
In what these joys consist, St. Paul
himself, though more than once caught up to heaven and allowed to see and taste
them, could not describe. He only says that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for
them that love Him. In heaven all beauties, all delights, all joys, are found in
the highest and most perfect degree free from all evil, free from all anxiety and
disgust, and free from all fear of ever losing them. In a word, in heaven man shall
possess God Himself, the source of all joy and happiness, and shall, with Him, enjoy
God s own happiness for all eternity. We shall be like to Him (i. John iii. 2).
Is there need of anything more to give us the highest conception of heaven? How
lovely are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth and fainteth for
the courts of the Lord, my heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the living God (Ps.
Ixxxiii). How weary of the world am I when I contemplate heaven!
St. Teresa of Avila[3]
St. Teresa (1515-1582)
was born in Avila and died in Alba, Spain. When only a child of seven, she ran
away from home in the hope of being martyred by the Moors; in this way, she
said she could come to see God. At the age of eighteen she joined the Carmelite
Order and chose Christ as her heavenly Spouse. With the help of St. John of the
Cross she reformed most of the Carmelite convents and founded new ones. She
reached the highest degree of prayer and through prayer obtained such knowledge
of divine things that in 1970 Pope Paul VI named her the first woman Doctor of
the Church.
The Interior Castle[4]
Interior
Castle is the work of 16th century Carmelite nun and Christian mystic St.
Teresa of Avila. She wrote Interior Castle as a spiritual guide to union
with God. Her inspiration for the work came from a vision she received from
God. In it, there was a crystal globe with seven mansions, with God in the
innermost mansion. St. Teresa interpreted this vision as an allegory for the
soul's relationship with God; each mansion represents one place on a path
towards the "spiritual marriage"--i.e. union--with God in the seventh
mansion. One begins on this path through prayer and meditation. She also
describes the resistance that the Devil places in various rooms, to keep
believers from union with God. Throughout, she provides encouragements and
advice for spiritual development. Beyond its spiritual merit, Interior
Castle also contains much literary merit as a piece of Spanish Renaissance
literature. A spiritually challenging book, Interior Castle stands on
par with other great works of this time, such as Dark Night of the Soul.
Daily Devotions/Prayers
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