Traditional Catholic Teaching - FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT

FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT

When you shall see these things come to pass,
know that the kingdom of God is at hand.
St. Luke 21: 31.

Our Lord enumerated the events which are to precede the last judgment, in order that men may then at least have recourse to Penance; but, as far as we are concerned, the prediction of the events is equivalent to their occurrence. It is certain that sooner or later the terrible judgment will take place, and we ought therefore often seriously to think about it, and this reflection will lead us to give up our sins and will encourage us to strive earnestly to acquire fresh virtues. As the Wise Man says: "In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin" (Eccl. 7: 40).

By giving us so solemn and so important a subject for meditation as that contained in to-day's Gospel, our Lord shows how good and expedient it is for us to meditate upon all the truths of religion, as this tends to our edification and ultimately to our Salvation. Thinking over these truths is a form of prayer in the wider sense of the word, and is much recommended by all teachers of the spiritual life, who call it meditation. It behoves every Christian to know at least something about it, and so we will consider to-day first the advantages of meditation, and then the right way to make it.

By making a meditation we mean penetrating into some truth for our edification, and not merely in order to become acquainted with it or to obtain a better comprehension of it. If we, therefore, think over the truths of our religion simply with a view to learning them and to understanding them more fully, we are not making the sort of meditation of which we are now speaking.

When we meditate, we try to penetrate more deeply into one of the truths of our holy religion, so as to awaken in our hearts pious feelings and affections, holy resolutions and a firm intention to be zealous in acquiring virtues. Thinking over things in order to know them enlightens the mind, but pious meditation warms the heart, and urges it on to pursue what is right. Even if Holy Scripture and the great writers of the Church taught us nothing regarding the importance of frequently making pious meditations, we could find it out for ourselves. Any one who aims at achieving a task that demands great exertion and costly sacrifices, would be discouraged by the difficulty of his undertaking, unless he often renewed his purpose by thinking of his goal ; but he would often not know how to reach this goal, unless he studied the means of doing so, and, by thinking of the suitability of the means, derived fresh energy to apply them, in order thus to attain to the desired end. Thus serious meditation leads to an intense wish to reach the goal, and our one great goal is heaven.

Why has holy Church to mourn over many who do not lead Christian lives ? Chiefly because so many have not the faith. Yet the great majority of Christians, although they do not live as they ought, have the faith and adhere to its truths, but never think about them. And just because they never let their minds dwell upon these truths, they are unaffected by them, their hearts remain cold, and in spite of having the true faith, they live carelessly and act as if they had it not.

To such we may apply the words of the prophet Jeremias: "With desolation is all the land made desolate, because there is none that considereth in the heart" (Jer. 12: 11). Such hearts are devoid of virtue and devastated by sin, because they never consider the truths of faith that they know. God's word is planted in them like seed in the earth, but it never grows, and it bears no fruit, because it is not quickened into life by the warmth derived from mediation. What more terrible doctrine can there be than that concerning hell? Yet there are some who firmly believe it, but never think about it, never consider what everlasting punishment means, and so are unaffected by the warnings that it impresses upon us. Such people live as if they did not believe in hell; they will even live as if hell did not exist at all.

The faith of such Christians is like a flint, from which sparks of fire can be produced only by repeated blows with the steel; otherwise there is no sign of fire about it.

If only those who have the faith would frequently consider the various truths of our holy religion thoughtfully and with earnest piety, they would be led to make many good resolutions and to amend their way of life.

We may, therefore, know and believe the truths of religion, but, unless we think about them, we are only too likely to fall into a careless way of life and into the sins of the world. The man who meditates upon these truths is alone steadfast in his efforts to attain to eternal happiness.

We read in Holy Scripture that the man is blessed who meditates day and night on the law of the Lord (Ps. 1: 1 – 2), for the resolutions formed during meditation will not vanish and leave no trace, but they will remain with him day and night, and direct him in all that he thinks, does and avoids. Thus frequent meditation becomes really a remembrance of the law of the Lord by day and by night. In another passage of Holy Scripture we read: "Blessed is the man that shall continue in wisdorn, and that shall meditate in his justice, and in his mind shall think of the all-seeing eye of God"
(Eccl. 14: 22).

In accordance with the teaching of Holy Scripture, the Fathers of the Church lose no opportunity of urging men to meditate upon her doctrines. St. Jerome bids us withdraw often into holy, silent meditation, as into a quiet haven from the stormy sea of life, and he concludes his admonition with these words: "I give you this advice, not in order to cut you off from your family (as if you ought to forget them and spend your time in meditation upon sacred things), but, on the contrary, you ought to meditate, in order to learn thereby how to behave towards others."

St. Augustine recommends meditation as a safeguard against sin, and says very truly that it is impossible for one, who has holy thoughts in his heart, to do evil deeds, impossible, that is to say, for one whose heart is really filled and penetrated with holy thoughts that are the outcome of his meditation.

St. Bernard speaks of the excellent effects of meditation, and says: "It purifies first the source whence it proceeds, viz. the intellect, which begins the meditation, and then it gives a right intention to all our duties, directs our actions, corrects our faults, and orders our manners and our whole life; finally it procures for us a knowledge of all the things of God."

Meditation is most profitable not only to those who, desire to continue free from sin, but also, and in a higher degree, to those who wish to make progress in real piety and virtue. It completes our knowledge of the doctrines of our holy religion, it renders our faith more lively, it adds strength to our hope, and warmth and fervor to our love of God.

At first it may not be easy to meditate, but much of the difficulty is overcome by means of spiritual reading. Whoever has not learned how to make a meditation, may begin by reading a short passage in some good book, and then thinking over what he has read; afterwards he may read on further, and stop again to impress the subject well upon his memory, making such good resolutions as suggest themselves, and bearing them carefully in mind, in order to put them into practice.

It is very necessary for you to accustom yourselves to some extent to make meditations, if you wish to show others the way to lead a good life and to attain everlasting happiness. By meditating you will learn to do this, not so much by means of dry precepts, as by having your hearts inflamed with real zeal for souls. Therefore pray God to give you grace to acquire the habit of making meditations, for thus you will not merely learn the truths of religion, but, realising their beauty in the depths of your hearts, you will burn with an ardent desire to lead others too to know the infinite beauty of God. Amen.

Go to Meditation

Return to: Readings