Salesian Literature

Chapter 13:  Five Reflections for Renewal

Fourth Reflection: Jesus love for us

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Be conscious of the love with which Jesus Christ, our Lord suffered so much in this world, especially in the Garden of Olives and on the Mount Calvary.  You were the object of this love.  By means of all these sufferings, he obtained from God the Father good resolutions and decisions for your heart.  By the same means he obtained also all that you need to observe, nurture, strengthen and carry out these resolutions.  Firm Resolutions, how precious you are being the child of such a mother as is the Passion of my Saviour!  How much should I cherish you, since you have been so dear to my Jesus.  My Saviour you died to win for me the grace to make my deliberate decisions.  Grant me the grace to die rather than forsake them.

 

Remember Philothea, the heart of our Lord saw your heart, and loved you surely from the tree of the Cross.  By this love he obtained for you all the good things that you will ever have, including your resolutions.  Yes, Philothea, we can say with Jeremiah: Lord, before I existed you beheld me and called me by name (1:5).  This is indeed so, His divine Goodness has prepared in his love and mercy all the means, general and particular for our salvation, and consequently our resolutions.  Yes, without doubt.  A woman with child prepares the cradle, the linen and swaddling clothes, and even arranges a nurse for the child whom she hopes to bring forth, though it be not yet in the world.  So our Lord, his goodness, as it were pregnant with you, wishing to bring you forth to salvation and make you his child, prepared upon the tree of the Cross everything you would need.  He got ready your spiritual cradle, linen, and swaddling clothes, your nurse and everything suitable for your happiness. These are all the means, all the attractions and all the graces by which he guides you and wants to lead you to perfection.

 

My God, how deeply this truth should be fixed in our memory.  Is it possible that I have been loved, and loved so tenderly, by my Saviour?  That he thought of me personally in all these little events by which he has drawn me to himself?  How much then should we love, cherish and make good use of all this for our benefit!  This is extremely kind: this loving heart of my God thought of Philothea, loved her and obtained for her a thousand means of salvation.  This he did as though there was no other soul in the world he could think of.  The sun shines on one part of the earth, shining on it no less than if it shone nowhere else, and as if it shone upon it alone.  In the same way, our Lord thought of and cared for all his loving children, in such a way that he thought of each one of us as though he had not thought of all the rest.  He love me, says St. Paul, and gave himself for me (Gal. 2:20); as if he said: for myself alone, as though he had done nothing for the others.  Imprint this in your spirit, Philothea, in order to cherish and nourish with care your Firm Resolution so precious to the heart of the Saviour.

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