Thursday, May 06, 2010

Garrigou-Lagrange on Charity

Two souls united in God by charity are like two candles whose flames unite and fuse.
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St. Catherine obtained the conversion of Andrea Mei, a Sienese invalid, who had grievously calumniated her. The saint with consummate devotion nursed this woman, who was being eaten by a cancer. The unfortunate creature had the sorry courage to impugn the virginal honor of her devoted nurse, and these evil remarks spread abroad. Catherine, however, did not cease to tend her with the same zeal. Her patience and humility triumphed over Andrea Mei. One day the saint, as she approached the sick woman's bed, was surrounded by light, as if resplendent in glory; "Pardon!" cried the guilty woman. Catherine threw her arms around her neck, and their tears mingled. It was like the radiation of the divine goodness and the realization of our Savior's words: "The glory which Thou hast given Me, I have given to them; that they may be one, as We also are one."
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Charity, which thus triumphs over wickedness, makes the saints share in the victory of Christ over sin and the devil. It is one of the glories of His mystical body; through it shine forth the grandeur of the life of the Church, its fruitfulness in every kind of good and of works of mercy. It is the confirmation of the divine origin of the Church. - Three Ages of the Interior Life
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A footnote to this chapter:
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22. One of the characteristics of heroic charity is to bear with great generosity the sufferings that come from those one loves. Thus saints who, like St. Catherine of Siena and St. Joan of Arc, had a great love for the Church, have also had to suffer particularly from the faults of churchmen. This suffering was in the nature of reparation.
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Charity covers a multitude of sins.  "Catherine threw her arms around her neck, and their tears mingled."  That is how Christ is with us when we confess our sins.
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Art: Stigmatization of Saint Catherine of Siena, Rutilio Manetti

3 comments:

  1. AMEN!
    I must confess: a priest who I particularly was completely pee-o'd as h*** about; sorry, friends, but priests do get VERY angry sometimes...esp. when it involves our community, here...
    anyways...I remembered his name in the Roman Canon each time I offered the EF or the OF and in several months, I was able to forgive him...no merit on my part; all the Sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who takes away the sins of the world.
    It is all Him.
    Otherwise, I would have put a contract out on this guy, priest or no (that's how incredibly nasty I could be if Jesus didn't intervene:<)!)

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  2. Father - I do that too - not say Mass of course - but I make a point of praying for those people who annoy me or for whom I have a natural dislike - really praying hard for them - and amazingly, the antipathy often seems to disappear... Just don't cross me again - LOL! Kidding... kind of... or am I?

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  3. Oh, Terry, I hope I never "cross" you...please, please let me know...I will repent or ask for clarification!
    We, here, have to do this regularly..otherwise, it is HELL!

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