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selected
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Meditations
Meditations for Advent and Easter
by the author of "Meditations for Lent," "St. Francis and the Franciscans," "The Life and Revelations of S. Gertrude," Etc. Etc.
Meditation II - Monday
The Heart of the Infant Jesus, Our Coming King
"Lift up thine eyes, O Jerusalem, and behold the mighty King." Ant. at Magnificat.
"The Lord shall be king over all the earth." (Zach. xiv. 9.)
1st Prelude. - Represent to yourself the Infant Jesus as a king coming now to deliver, and as a king coming hereafter to judge.
2nd Prelude. - Pray that you may be one of the faithful subjects of this King, so that you may not be punished hereafter with His enemies.
1st Point. - Consider the throne of this Infant King. It is in the heart of Mary, the only human heart in which He was ever permitted to reign supremely. Oh, how we should love that heart, how we should honour it, grander and more magnificent than the ivory throne of Solomon, "overlaid with the finest gold" (3 Kings, x. 18); fairer and more beautiful than his litter of the wood of Libanus, with "its pillars of silver, its seat of gold, its going up of purple, and the midst covered with charity for the daughters of Jerusalem" (Cant. iii. 10); for there is no charity like the charity of the heart of Mary, and there our Infant Jesus rules! Oh, let us go and adore Him there! Let us fall prostrate before Him, "the Lord, the coming King. O let us adore." Let us offer our homage to Him through the heart of Mary; let us kneel in spirit at the foot of this "ivory throne," from whence none are repulsed. Here every petition will be received; here we shall find our best and surest advocate with the King.
2nd Point. - But Jesus will not always remain on this fair throne of ivory. He seeks no litter of purple for His repose. Alas! has He not come to die on a couch covered with purple - the purple garment of His most precious blood? But when sweet Jesus comes forth from the heart of Mary, He will seek for other hearts wherein to reign. Shall we not offer Him ours? nay, rather, should we not implore Him to accept them? Oh, let us prepare our hearts to be His throne! He is coming forth from a heart which never gave Him a moment's pain, from a heart where all was subject to His rule, from a heart which never caused Him to shed a tear of pain, or to breathe a sigh of anguish; and He is coming to hearts who will treat Him with coldness, with indifference - alas! O my God, that it should be true - to hearts who will treat Him with ingratitude, with cruelty, who will even dare to hate Him. O sweet Infant Jesus, how Thou must love us, when Thou willest to leave that gentle, tender heart for those cruel and wicked ones!
3rd Point. - Consider the gentleness of this Infant King. He comes as the Prince of peace. Oh! surely we will endeavour to drive all His enemies far away. How could we bear that our young Prince should be disturbed and molested! Surely, from very love of His infant gentleness, we will use every effort to prepare our hearts for His reign, and we shall take care that He rules undisturbed. There shall be no cruel Herod to drive Him away, to seek the young Child's life. Alas! if unhappily we should be guilty of mortal sin, we would seek His life. But we will take care that no rumour of fear shall reach Him, that no imperfection, if possible, at least that no deliberate venial sin, shall disturb Him. Alas! if we do not permit Him to reign now in our hearts as the King of peace, He will reign hereafter as the King of vengeance. But if we are His faithful subjects now, oh, what joys and glories He will prepare for us when He calls us to heaven, His kingdom, for eternal ages!
Aspiration. - Come and reign over us, O sweet Infant Jesus.
Form your resolution, and place it in the Heart of the Infant Jesus. Examen of Meditation.
Return to the First Meditation . . . Proceed to the Third Meditation