Salesian Literature

Chapter 12  :  A useful way of acting on these motives

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For the above motives to awaken the full force of love’s activity three things are necessary:

1. After reflecting on one particular motive in general terms, we should go on to make a personal application of it to ourselves.  For instance: “So lovable, this great God above; in his infinite goodness he gave his own Son for the whole world’s redemption.  For everyone, yes; but especially for me, the worst of all sinners (1 Tim. 1:15).  He loved me, even for what I am, and in his passion gave himself for me (Gal. 2:20).”

2. We must let our minds dwell on the origin of God’s blessings, their eternal source.  No love of ours is worthy to match the Creator’s infinite goodness, whose intention from all eternity has been to make, keep, guide, redeem, save and glorify us all, collectively and individually.  What made God think of me, before I knew existence; of me who, now that I do exist, am but an insignificant grub of a creature?  Yet think of me he did; it was my welfare he had in mind in the mysterious reaches of eternity (cf. Jer. 29:11).  For me he devised and decreed moment of birth, baptism, all the graces he would offer me; in a word, every blessing in store for me.  No kindness can match his.

3. We must also reflect on the meritorious source of God’s blessings.  The high priest of the Old Law wore on his breast, and suspended from his shoulders, a burse containing precious stones inscribed with the names of the chief men of Israel (cf. Ex. 39:14).  Our great high priest Jesus (cf. Heb. 4:14), from the moment of his conception, bore us upon his shoulders, accepting the function of redeemer, which brought him to death, death on a cross (Phil. 2:8).

 

Theotimus, our Saviour knew us all by name.  On the day of his passion, his tears, prayers, blood and life were offered for all men; but you, personally, figured in his loving thoughts.  “Eternal Father,” he prayed, “I make myself responsible for poor Theotimus and all his sins; torture and death I am enduring, to set him free from sin’s slavery, so that he may not be lost, but live.  Let me die, if only he may live[1]; to crucifixion with me, as long as he may come to glory!”  The transcendent love of the heart of Jesus! – it imposes a debt of gratitude beyond repayment by any human heart.

 

 God’s blessings breed no fervour in our hearts, until we gaze at the eternal will that planned them all; until we study the heart of Jesus who merited them for us at the cost of so much suffering, in his passion and death especially.

 

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[1]  Cf. Book Ten, chapter 8.

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