DAILY MEDITATION (MONDAY, OCTOBER 26)
MEDITATION OF THE DAY
Set Free of Our Infirmities
The first thing that many souls do, as soon as they have had the misfortune to commit an offense, is to withdraw from our Lord. What a strange thing! They withdraw from our Lord, and when do they plan to return to him? Perhaps after their confession. But how can one make a confession without drawing near to Jesus? Who washes them? Who cleanses them?…
If he is the only one who can cleanse us, if he is the only one who can pardon us, to whom shall we have recourse but to him? Consequently, whenever we may have the misfortune to commit an offense, no matter what kind, venial or mortal, even a crime to which an excommunication is attached, the first thing we should do is cast ourselves into the arms of our Lord, filled with grief, but also filled with confidence. How much time souls lose in their act of withdrawing from our Lord when they have committed an offense! Why do they delay, if the only one who can cleanse them is Jesus?
This course is also to judge our Lord in a very human manner. When we have offended a man, our delay is justified; for it is very natural for his passion to become aroused when he sees himself offended, and hence, we must wait until his ire passes and his soul calms down. But since our Lord is always calm, why do we delay? At length we shall come to cast ourselves into his arms, since there is no hope or peace or pardon or anything in anyone else. Hence, the sooner, the better, for he ever holds his arms outstretched to us. What I have just said is not a new doctrine…. It is as old as the Gospel. There our Lord teaches it in an insistent and clear manner. What happens is this: either we do not read the Gospel, or we do not take it seriously.
Servant of God Luis María Martínez
Archbishop Martínez († 1956) was a spiritual author, and the first official Primate of Mexico. [From Worshipping a Hidden God: Unlocking the Secrets of the Interior Life. © 2003, Sophia Institute Press, Manchester, NH. www.sophiainstitute.com. Used with permission.]
