197 part i: sunday meditations for the entire year into one completely subordinated to the spirit, and the one formerly given over to sensual things into a lover of mortifications. He makes the one formerly addicted to various passions into a cultivator of many virtues, and the one afflicted by frigidity and dryness to one abounding in graces of devotion and heavenly consolations. Moreover, the proud becomes transformed into the humble, the rebellious into the obedient, and the follower of the world into the follower of God. These are the effects of the Most Holy Sacrament; these are the most certain signs of divine grace abiding and acting in a man. If on this day you feel affected, stirred up, and moved in an unusual way; if you are discouraged or filled with anger or jealousy; if you crave to be soothed and covered with flatteries, if you are given to the vanities of the world or feel that your heart is not yet fully detached from them; if you flee before even the smallest of crosses, if you dread the divine will and refuse to resign yourself to it, then know that you received Christ the Lord the same way as the Pharisees did, and not as the jubilant crowd that danced for joy. Therefore, you must quickly correct this error. SUNDAY OF THE LORD’S RESURRECTION Before Holy Communion 1. “And very early on the first day of the week, they went to the tomb when the sun had risen” (Mk 16:2). Ponder the true love of the pious women, Magdalene and the other Mary (cf. Lk 24:10), the love with which they burned for Jesus. First of all, you should consider here their eagerness, namely, that they hurried to the tomb very early in the morning. Hence, we learn from this, a swift accomplishment of actions undertaken out of love for God. For when love is true indeed, by the power of its warmth, it burns out all laziness and sluggishness in the loving one. Love is quick, it cannot stand a delay, it dislikes slowness, it does nothing at a slow pace, it accomplishes
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