Twelveth Sunday After Pentecost The Gospel Luc. 10. v. 23. Friday Meditation: A Plaine Path-way To Heaven Thomas Hill 1634

FLÉMAL, Bertholet 
Heliodorus Driven from the Temple 
1658-62

GOSPEL Luke 10:23-37 
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: "Blessed are the eyes that see the things which you see. For I say to you that many prophets and kings have desired to see the things that you see and have not seen them; and to hear the things that you hear and have not heard them." And behold a certain lawyer stood up, tempting him and saying, "Master, what must I do to possess eternal life?" But he said to him: "What is written in the law? How readest thou?" He answering, said: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and with all thy strength and with all thy mind: and thy neighbour as thyself." And he said to him: "Thou hast answered right. This do: and thou shalt live." But he willing to justify himself, said to Jesus: "And who is my neighbour?" And Jesus answering, said: "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among robbers, who also stripped him and having wounded him went away, leaving him half dead. And it chanced, that a certain priest went down the same way: and seeing him, passed by. In like manner also a Levite, when he was near the place and saw him, passed by. But a certain Samaritan, being on his journey, came near him: and seeing him, was moved with compassion: And going up to him, bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine: and setting him upon his own beast, brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two pence and gave to the host and said: 'Take care of him; and whatsoever thou shalt spend over and above, I, at my return, will repay thee.' "Which of these three, in thy opinion, was neighbour to him that fell among the robbers?" But he said: "He that shewed mercy to him." And Jesus said to him: "Go, and do thou in like manner."

 
Friday Meditation

For as much as the love of God is the fulfilling of the Law and Prophets, and maketh all easy; we will continue our discourse of the love of God in this Meditation, namely, by what considerations we may move ourselves thereunto.

When the people of the Jews had offended God so Grievously, as to make to themselves a golden calf; and adored it for their God that brought them out of Captivity of Egypt, Moses commanded the sons of Levi, that they should take swords, and kill them.

They out of the zeal and love of God, killed every Mothers son, not sparing friend, neighbor, brethren, kindred, no nor their own parents, to the number of twenty three thousand men, and Moses commended them for it, saying unto them: you have consecrated hands this day to God, every one in the blood of his own child, brother & c. that God may give you a blessing for it.

And we read in the book of the Maccabees, that the people of God being assaulted by their enemies upon their Sabaoth day, they out of zeal and love of God, not to break the Sabaoth ( though an erroneous zeal) suffered themselves to be slain, rather then fight, in their own defense, upon that day.

Thus far did the peoples love towards God extend, preferring it before all other loves, even of their own wives, children, and parents, in regard only that God had created them of nothing, and all things else not only for their necessary use and sustentation, but for their pleasure and delectation, which cost him no more but this little word (fiat) that is to say: Let it be done.

Now, if their love were so great for these benefits, what should ours be for ours; who besides these, are redeemed with the painful passion and precious blood of Christ the son of God.

Every man loveth his own things, and so much the more, by how much the more precious they are: Christ hath made himself ours, he took our flesh upon him, & conversed with us therein here on earth, and ascended to heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of his Father, to honor it, and consequently us, so much the more: that  this way he might be ours so much the more, he giveth himself to us in the blessed Sacrament of the Altar, that so he might be ours.

In heaven he giveth, himself unto us by way of reward, our felicity consisting in the vision and fruition of him, that so he might be ours; he accounteth whatsoever we do unto one of our needy brethren, for his sake, to be done unto him, that so he may be ours.

Here God calleth himself in express terms ours, saying unto every one of us: Thou shalt love thy lord God, that is to say, the Lord God who is thine.

If we love things because they are ours, how much should we love God, who by so many titles is ours? if so much the more by how much the more precious they are, how much should we love God who is so precious a thing?

If we should not love ourselves, it were a very unnatural thing; and if we should be so unnatural as that, it were a great shame & reproach unto him: Even so it would be a great shame & reproach unto us, that there should need a law to command us to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, that hath heaped so many, and so great benefits upon us, and is wholly ours, nay more ours then ourselves; For in him, sayth St. Paul, we live, move, and be.

The reason, that God commanded us to love him, is only to increase our merit, by doing it under obedience, which otherwise we could not but do.

As God commanded Adam and Eve to eat of the other trees, as well  as he commanded them not to eat of that in the midst of paradise, that the eating of the one, by reason of the commandment (though they must have eaten of necessity, without the commandment) might be meritorious, as well as the forbearance thereof.


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