233 part i: sunday meditations for the entire year reveal His image by enduring all the adversities, temptations, torments, harsh words, and cruel beatings, on account of His love. As St. Paul, speaking of himself, says: “the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may accomplish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” (Acts 20:23-24). Realize, therefore, that you have been fortified today with the Most Holy Body of Christ the Lord, so that you may be made stronger for enduring every experience of changing fortune and of tribulations, which make you like Christ. 3. “I shall send to you” (Jn 15:26). When Moses offered his lack of fluency in speech as an excuse to God, who appeared before him and commanded him to approach Pharaoh with a request to set the Israelites free, he was told in response: “[Go, and] I will be with you” (Ex 3:12). In a similar way, while withdrawing Himself from the apostles, whomHe sends to convert the world, Christ the Lord encourages them, lest they doubt and worry about how they will preach to the nations; how they will manage to bring the corrupt Gentiles to venerate the true God; and what means they will use not only to disprove the sophisms, deceits, and errors of those men, but to bear the threats, persecutions, and death with which the Gentiles will threaten them. He says: “I will send to you ... the Spirit of truth” and “[He] will teach you everything” (cf. Jn 15:26; 14:26); He will be your future Teacher, Protector, Helper, and Consoler. But He also says, “I am with you always, to the close of the age” (cf. Mt 28:20); promising them and assuring them of His most certain presence, lest they lose hope entirely because of His absence: And today you have indeed experienced exactly this. For certainly you saw Him present on the altar; you adored and received Him. Wherefore, do not fear to apply yourself also to the apostolic duties imposed upon you, because He has not only sent you His Spirit, but He also came to you, He stays with you, and will do everything together with you. [f.56r]
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