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Imitation of
Christ, by Thomas á Kempis: Book 4, Chapter 11
That the Blood of Christ and the Holy Scriptures
Are Most Necessary unto a Faithful Soul
O most sweet
Lord Jesus, how great is the pleasure of the devout soul that feasteth
with Thee in Thy banquet; where there is set for her no other food to
be eaten but Thyself, her only Beloved, and most to be desired above
all the desires of her heart! To me also it would be indeed sweet, in
Thy presence to pour forth tears from the very bottom of my heart, and
with the grateful Magdalene to wash Thy feet with tears (Luke 7:38).
But where is that devotion? Where that bountiful flowing of holy tears?
Surely in the sight of Thee and Thy holy Angels, my whole heart ought
to burn, and to weep for joy. For in this Sacrament I have Thee
mystically present, hidden under another shape. For to look upon Thee
in Thine own Divine brightness, mine eyes would not be able to endure;
nor could even the whole world stand in the splendor of the glory of
Thy majesty. Herein then Thou hast regard to my weakness, that Thou
dost hide Thyself under this Sacrament.
From True
Devotion To the Blessed Virgin Mary, Nos. 261-265
In Mary
261. We must do
everything in Mary. To understand this we must realise that the Blessed
Virgin is the true earthly paradise of the new Adam and that the
ancient paradise was only a symbol of her. There are in this earthly
paradise untold riches, beauties, rarities and delights, which the new
Adam, Jesus Christ, has left there. It is in this paradise that he
"took his delights" for nine months, worked his wonders and displayed
his riches with the magnificence of God himself.In this earthly
paradise grows the real Tree of Life which bore our Lord, the fruit of
Life, the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which bore the Light of
the world. In this divine place there are trees planted by the hand of
God and watered by his divine unction which have borne and continue to
bear fruit that is pleasing to him. Only the Holy Spirit can teach us
the truths that these material objects symbolise. 262. The Holy Spirit
speaking through the Fathers of the Church, also calls our Lady the
Eastern Gate, through which the High Priest, Jesus Christ, enters and
goes out into the world. Through this gate he entered the world the
first time and through this same gate he will come the second time.
For Mary
265. Finally, we
must do everything for Mary. We take Mary for our proximate end, our
mysterious intermediary and the easiest way of reaching him. Relying on
her protection, we should undertake and carry out great things for our
noble Queen. We must defend her privileges when they are questioned and
uphold her good name when it is under attack. We must attract everyone,
if possible, to her service and to this true and sound devotion. As a
reward for these little services, we should expect nothing in return
save the honour of belonging to such a lovable Queen and the joy of
being united through her to Jesus, her Son, by a bond that is
indissoluble in time and in eternity.
Prayers for the Third Week
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