October 1, 2026
Summary of the Morrow's Meditation
After having meditated upon the love of complaisance, or of holy joy which the contemplation of the divine perfections excites in the soul, we will meditate to-morrow upon the sentiment of loving kindness, which is a second effect of the love of God in the heart; and we shall consider, 1st, in what this love consists; 2d, what ought to be the practice of it. We will then make the resolution: 1st, in all circumstances to sustain the cause of the glory of God and His religion, of His Church and of His worship; 2d, every time that we shall see or hear God offended to make Him reparation or honorable amends by means of acts of love. Our spiritual nosegay shall be the words of the prophet Elias: "With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant" (III. Kings xix. 10).
Meditation for the Morning
Let us adore Our Lord in the incomparable sentiment of loving kindness of which He made proof towards His Father. He descends upon earth in order to destroy His enemies, to make Him known by the whole world, to establish His kingdom there, to procure for Him all kinds of honors. Let us admire this loving kindness, and let us thank Our Lord for the beautiful example which He gives us.
FIRST POINT
In what Consists the Sentiment of Loving Kindness towards God.
This sentiment consists in a great desire that God should be known, loved, and served; His holy name blessed by all hearts, exalted by all mouths, and His will accomplished by all men (Matt. vi. 9). The soul which loves with the sentiment of loving kindness would willingly sacrifice for the cause of God and His glory its possessions, its reputation, its repose, its health, its life; and, in order to obtain one heart more in the world to love the Lord, there would be nothing it would not be ready to do. Therefore it is never without extreme suffering that it beholds God offended in the world; and when it hears His holy name blasphemed, when it sees His commandments despised, His worship neglected, His holy day violated, His Church insulted and delivered up to spoil, it is as though its heart were transpierced by a sword. It sighs over it, it entreats God to pardon it, it does penance for it, it offers reparation and honorable amends for it, it offers itself and all its actions as an expiatory victim, consenting willingly to suffer everything, even death itself, that God may no longer be offended and that sinners may be converted. Lastly, in its powerlessness to love God as much as it desires to do, it invites all beings, even the inanimate creation, to join themselves with it to celebrate His praises: O all ye whom the Lord has created, bless Him, praise Him, and glorify Him forever. Say with me, How great God is, let us exalt His name together (Dan. iii. 57; Ps. xxxiii.), and if it could it would enkindle the whole universe with a great fire of love towards the God whom it loves. Oh, that I could, said St. Teresa, hold the hearts of all men in my hands to consume them all in a furnace of love! Let us examine if these be our dispositions; if we have not beheld with indifference religion dishonored, the Church despised; if we have the interests of God at heart; if on many occasions we have not preferred our private interests to those of His honor and glory.
SECOND POINT
What are the Practices with which the Sentiment of Loving Kindness towards God ought to Inspire us.
When the love of God has really entered into the heart, it begins to seek after all possible means for honoring Him, and in its own sphere does all that is possible. From afar it follows with lively interest the Catholic missions which labor to gain new children to the faith; and it seconds them on the one hand by its prayers, and on the other by the efforts it makes to develop the good works of the Propagation of the Faith and of the Holy Infancy. In its own country, seeing the wicked attack Holy Church, her august head and her ministers, it compassionates these calamities, and, together with prayer, it opposes them by language which is firm without being bitter, when the opportunity presents itself. At the sight of the energy displayed by the genius of evil, of the associations and institutions he creates, the sacrifices and the trouble he imposes upon himself in order to pervert the peoples, it feels itself to be urged by a great desire, or, rather, by a holy passion, to do at least as much for the glory of God, and not allow the devil to enjoy the pleasure of being able to boast that he is better served by his adepts than Jesus Christ is by His disciples. In consequence, it is always actively engaged in doing all the good it can, and sacrifices cost it nothing. At the sight of sinners, who, with eyes closed, are hastening to their eternal ruin, it prays, it endeavors to bring back these wandering souls, now by good counsel and a word in season, now by some holy ingenuity, always by a good example; and, knowing the influence of external worship upon the mind of the people, it obtains, in as far as is possible, the decoration of churches, the ornamentation of altars, the neatness of the sacred vessels, propriety in singing and in ceremonies, perfect piety in the administration of the sacraments and of holy things; finally, burning with thirst for the glory of God, it says every day, with all its soul: "Glory to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost!" It communicates and performs various good works for the conversion of sinners, the exaltation of Holy Church, and the triumph of religion. Is it thus that we practise the sentiment of loving kindness towards God?
Resolutions and spiritual nosegay as above.