Lest You Remain

Fr. Founder’s Selected Thoughts on the Religious Life 121 that Christ, His life and teaching are the gate; while the sheepfold is the Church, the Order or any Religious Society. Those who enter through this gate, that is Christ, into Christ’s sheepfold, the Church, Order or Society, will certainly be saved. To enter through the gate, is also to contemplate the teaching, in particular to ponder on the most holy passion of the Savior, and to follow the example of His life. Truly, there are many of those who, professing Christ, develop a liking for His teaching and carefully ponder it all the time, yet they walk away from the gate of salvation, because their contemplation is not united with their life practices. And only “blest are they who hear the word of God and keep it” (Luke 11: 28). ( Inspectio Cordis ) 2 “The reign of God is like [...] the owner” (Matthew 20:1). Consider that the owner is Christ; the Church, the vineyard; and the souls of the faithful are the vine bushes in the vineyard; while the workers, are both religious and lay priests, many of whom have preceded us: originally, the apostles, who set up and cultivated the vine- yard with Christ, the owner; later, the martyrs, whose blood watered it; and the vir- gins, whose virginal lilies and other flowers of scented, shining virtues, adorned it. You should also consider yourself called to this vineyard, and rejoicing, devote yourself with all your strength, with all your spirit and body, to fulfilling the works of love in it. The great Owner of the vineyard has already prepared for you and His other workers, the most wonderful meal, filling food, the food of salvation that is His Most Holy Body. ( Inspectio Cordis ) 3 “He sent them out to his vineyard” (...). Imagine that you were also sent to some vineyard, where many people have been working: one is digging the soil, another is trimming the branches clean, yet another is cultivating the vineyard and one more is watering it. Realize that such a vineyard of the heavenly Lord is the faithful Church in which numerous workers toil and sweat. One teaches, another acts, yet another fertilizes the field of the faithful souls with the word of God and another, through the sacrament