Quote of the day, 21 December: Père Jacques

The Virgin Mary, especially in the mystery of her visitation to her cousin Elizabeth, is the model for baptized Christians who carry the presence of Christ within them. Mary opens for us the paths of interiority and mission, as [the Servant of God] Père Jacques expressed in this sermon from May 1927, delivered to the faithful during the month of Mary:

“Mary spent delightful months of divine friendship as she carried Jesus. But we too, my friends, carry God within us. We can be certain that we possess the Good God living within us, as long as our souls remain in grace. (…) Oh, my friends, if this mystery could be revealed to your eyes! If your gaze could one day perceive the presence of the Good God in the very depths of your hearts, how your life would change, what a transformation in your entire being! Let us therefore resolve to cultivate the habit of thinking about the presence of God within us. We are bearers of God; the Good God lives in us. Oh, let our souls, from time to time during our days, gather in recollection for a moment—perhaps only a few seconds—to close our eyes, to descend within ourselves, and there, encountering God, the Good God, let us look upon Him with a kind smile and lose ourselves in Him in an affectionate embrace. Oh yes, may each hour of our lives bring us into greater intimacy with the divine guest who dwells within our souls. This will be our joy, our consolation. Mary will help us and will be our example.”

This awareness, so deeply rooted in Père Jacques’ heart, that every faithful baptized person carries Christ within, was present even during his seminary years, before he delved deeply into the teachings of the saints of Carmel. He wrote:

“One always and everywhere carries the Good God within, the Holy Trinity, who dwells in us through grace… Ah, yes, to live thus, within oneself, with the Good God everywhere, always—at the hotel, on the train, on the road, in the countryside, on the street!” (Letter, 14 January 1924).

Jean-Alexandre de Garidel, o.c.d.

Meditation for the Fourth Sunday of Advent (excerpt)
Carmelite Online Advent Retreat, 21 December 2014

Translation from the French text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: The Visitation was designed by Raphael (Italian, 1483–1520), who charged 300 scudi. He delegated the execution (c. 1517) of the painting to his assistant Giulio Romano; the landscape was entrusted to Giovanni Francesco Penni. The painting was commissioned by Giovanni Branconio, apostolic protonotary, on behalf of his father, Marino Branconio, for the family chapel in the church of San Silvestro in Aquila. In Marino’s choice of subject, the name of his wife Isabella, and that of his son Giovanni, must have been decisive. It was acquired in 1655 by Philip IV (1605-1665), who deposited it in the Monastery of El Escorial. It entered the Prado Museum in 1837. Image credit: Copyright ©Museo Nacional del Prado (Used by permission)

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