From the Office of Readings today, the second reading is quite a beautiful reading taken from the Imitation of Christ.
Second Reading - From
the Imitation of Christ
Turn to the Lord with your whole heart and leave behind this
wretched world. Then your soul shall find rest. For the kingdom
of God
His glory and beauty are within you, and
he delights in dwelling there. The Lord frequently visits the heart of man.
There he shares with man pleasant conversations; welcome consolation, abundant
peace and a wonderful intimacy.
So come, faithful soul. Prepare your heart for
your spouse to dwell within you. For he says: If anyone loves me, he will
keep my word and we shall come to him and make our dwelling within him.
Make room for Christ. When you possess Christ
you are a rich man, for he is sufficient for you. He himself, shall provide for
you and faithfully administer all your cares. You will not have to place your
hope in men. Put all your trust in God; let him be both your fear and your
love. He will respond on your behalf and will do whatever is in your best
interest.
You have here no lasting city. For
wherever you find yourself, you will always be a pilgrim from another city.
Until you are united intimately with Christ, you will never find your true
rest.
Let your thoughts be with the Most High and
direct your prayers continually to Christ. If you do not know how to
contemplate the glory of heaven, take comfort in the passion of Christ, and
dwell willingly in his sacred wounds. Endure with Christ, suffer for him, if
you wish to reign with him.
Once you have entered completely into the depths
of Jesus, and have a taste of his powerful love, then you will not care about
your own convenience or inconvenience. Rather you will rejoice all the more in
insults and injuries, for the love of Jesus makes a man scorn his own needs.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please be respectful in your comments. Thank you.