321 part ii: meditations for more solemn feasts 2. “it was time to circumcise the child” (Lk 2:21). Weep now as you see that God, the Lawgiver, submits Himself to the law; while you were unwilling to take upon yourself every yoke of the cross, to fulfill each and every wish of your Superiors! Be ashamed of your proud and haughty spirit! God humbles Himself so much under the knife, so that, although He is without guilt, He may provide a remedy for guilt. Would it still be grievous to you to really undertake some mortifications of your will, when the Infant God endures already the wounds of the flesh, offering you the example of obeying and suffering? There is something else here that you should consider carefully. The reason Jesus pours out blood flowing from the wound in the beginning of His Nativity is so that you can immerse your imperfections in it. The reason that He reddens at His birth is for you to acknowledge that He is the Sun; the reason that He spurts out blood is for you to know that He is the Wellspring. Therefore, go ahead, run to this spring and wash away in it as soon as possible whatever faults, stains, and dirt you have on your soul. [f.96v] 3. “and He was called Jesus” (Lk 2:21). O name sweeter than any honey! More delightful than any ambrosia! More pleasant than any nectar!137 Mightier than any thunderbolt! More glorious than all the names of men and angels! It is with the name of Jesus that you should occupy your mind, and even if you reflected on it constantly, you would never comprehend it. You have countless goods in the name Jesus. Are you sad? Call upon Jesus, and He will console you. Are you being attacked? Invoke Jesus, and He will defend you. Do you desire to be saved? Love Jesus, follow and honor Him: Jesus is the Savior. Are you poor? Run to Jesus, and He will enrich you. Are you naked? Ask Jesus, and He will clothe you. Are you ill? Beseech Jesus, and He will heal you. Are you ignorant? Jesus is the Teacher. Are you surrounded by vices? Jesus is the Lord of virtues. Are you full of sins? Jesus came to save sinners. 137 Ambrosia— “thing delightful to taste or smell”; nectar — “most delicious drink conceivable” (F.G. Fowler, and H.W. Fowler, comps., The Pocket Oxford Dictionary of Current English, 4th ed., Oxford University Press, Oxford 1942, pp. 23, 523).
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjI2Mw==