Rescuing the souls of the just, Christ returns from the grave as the Conqueror of Death, and goes to console his Mother.
Editor’s Notes
This is Day 32, in Week 3 of our Preparing for Total Consecration to the Blessed Virgin series. The purpose of this week is growing in knowledge of Our Lord, so that we may love him more dearly and follow him more nearly.
Today we are returning to Fr Aloysius Ambruzzi’s Companion to the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius. We have followed Christ through his Passion, and now we are to see his Resurrection – as well as his descent into Hell beforehand, and his visit to his Blessed Mother afterwards.
This visit to his Mother is not mentioned in Holy Scripture, but Catholic tradition and common sense witnesses to its truth. St Ignatius commented in the notes on this meditation:
“This, although it is not said in Scripture, is included in saying that He appeared to so many others, because Scripture supposes that we have understanding, as it is written: ‘Are you also without understanding.’”
Have you been enjoying this series? What’s struck you most? Let us know in the comments below:
David from Catholic Hub has again kindly agreed to read this text for us, following his previous readings:
Day 6: Satan’s battle plan to ensnare souls – and Christ’s battle plan to save them
The Two StandardsDay 8: Are you a weakling, a self-seeker... or something better?
The Three Classes of MenDay 9: Do we actually want what humility entails?
The Three Ranks of HumilityDay 12: Why Christians become liberals – and how to avoid it happening to YOU
From Liberalism is a SinDay 16: Why lukewarmness towards God can be worse than actual coldness
TepidityDay 29: The King abandoned by his followers
The Agony in the Garden
David has also released a video about True Devotion and this series:
Meditation on glory
Just as St Ignatius has three specific points for us to recall when meditation on the Passion, he gives two specific points for meditation on the Resurrection and Christ’s glory.
That while Christ’s divinity was hidden during the Passion, it now appears and shows itself wonderfully in the Resurrection in various ways
That Christ adopts the office of Consoler, just as friends are accustomed to console other friends.
We should keep these thoughts in mind as we proceed.
In addition, in the final two days of this preparation, St Ignatius’ gives the following advice for the fourth week of the Spiritual Exercises, and the meditation on Resurrection and the glorious mysteries:
“[I]mmediately on awaking, to put before me the Contemplation which I have to make, wanting to arouse feeling and be glad at the great joy and gladness of Christ our Lord.
“[B]ring to memory and think of things that move to spiritual pleasure, gladness and joy, as of heavenly glory.
“[Use light or temporal comforts—as, in summer, the coolness; and in winter, the sun or heat—as far as the soul thinks or conjectures that it can help it to be joyful in its Creator and Redeemer.
“[I]n place of penance, let one regard temperance and all moderation; except it is question of precepts of fasting or of abstinence which the Church commands [as on Christmas Eve]; because those are always to be fulfilled, if there is no just impediment.”
Finally, St Louis de Montfort recommends going to confession on the day of the consecration (Day 34). Look ahead now, and consider whether you need to arrange that with a priest in advance.
CONTENTS:
READING: The text is based on an extract from Fr Aloysius Ambruzzi SJ.
MEDITATION: The points for meditation are included below. A guide on how to use these points in meditation can be found here.
Reading: The Resurrection
The King in Glory
A Companion to the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius
Fr Aloysius Ambruzzi SJ
The first Prelude is to call to mind how, after expiring on the Cross, Christ our Lord descended into Hell to release the souls of the Just and then, coming to the Sepulchre, He rose from the dead and appeared to His Mother.
The second is to see the arrangement of the holy Sepulchre, and the place or house of our Lady, beholding its parts in particular, and likewise her chamber oratory, etc.
The third is to ask for grace to feel intense joy and gladness for the great glory and joy of Christ our Lord.
1. “He descended into Hell”
It is a point of Catholic doctrine, handed down by Tradition, that the Soul of our Lord, on being separated from the Body, went into the hidden abode where the souls of the Just were detained—the bosom of Abraham, as our Lord Himself calls it.
No one was admitted to the beatific vision before our Lord’s Passion. Though the souls in Limbo were purified from original and actual sin and had paid the debt of punishment due to the latter, they were not exempted from the penalty of original sin, excluding them from the vision of God so long as the Redemption had not been accomplished. Something similar happens now when, though through Baptism we are set free from the guilt of original sin and of actual sins, and are no longer excluded from eternal glory, we have still to undergo the penalty of death (Cf. Summa, III, Q. 32, a. 5, ad. 2).
As He enters into Limbo, Christ sheds His light upon the souls that have so long waited for the day of their complete deliverance, and fills them with inconceivable joy. He is the victorious and triumphant King that acknowledges the merits of His faithful soldiers and liberally rewards them.
All who have passed away in God’s grace, the Patriarchs, the Prophets, St Joachim, St Anne, St Zacharias, St Elizabeth, St Joseph and St John gather around Him—shortly after, the Good Thief too makes his appearance. The Saviour imparts to them the essential happiness of Heaven which consists in the vision of God, and thereby turns that lower region into Paradise.
“Amen I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with Me in Paradise” (Luke xxiii, 43)
At the same time Christ asserts His supreme power over Hell.
“At the name of Jesus every knee should bend in Heaven, on earth, and under the earth.” (Phil. ii, 10)
Satan and his satellites are made to understand that a stronger One than they has come to undermine the foundations of their Kingdom.
2. “The Lord hath risen indeed”
Accompanied by myriads of Angels and by the souls which He has made partakers of His glory, Christ goes to the Sepulchre. First of all, He shows them His sacred Body and the marks of the terrible sufferings which He endured, and then, Soul and Body once more reunited, He stands before them in His glorified Humanity. The wounds in His hands and feet are shining stars; that of the side, a dazzling sun. His head is crowned with glory and honour and His Heart throbs with unspeakable joy.
“According to the multitude of my sorrows in my heart, Thy comforts have given joy to my soul.” (Ps. xciii, 19)
The first movement of His Heart is to burst forth in a hymn of love and praise to His Father for granting to Him the glory which He asked for in His prayer at the Last Supper. A voice is heard clearer than that which resounded on the banks of the Jordan and on the mountain of the Transfiguration:
“Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee.” (Ps. ii, 7)
No more poor and despised as one day in the stable of Bethlehem, but full of majesty and of glory; no more destined to lead a life of suffering and neglect, but to rule over all the nations.
“Ask of Me and I shall give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession.” (Ps. ii, 8)
“And again, when He bringeth the First Born into the world, He saith: Let all the Angels of God worship Him.” (Heb. i, 6)
The angelic choirs crowd around the risen Saviour, happy to render Him the homage which they did not refuse Him when Satan raised in Heaven the standard of rebellion. With the Angels the blessed souls praise and adore their Liberator.
3. “This is the day which the Lord hath made: let us rejoice and be glad therein”
The love that caused us to grieve and suffer with Christ in His griefs and sufferings, should now prompt us to rejoice with Him in His joy, and to exult with Him in His glory. Does not a child delight in the happiness of his father, and does not a friend rejoice in the glory of his friend? Christ is our Father and our Friend. Though we are still in this vale of tears, weighed down by suffering and anguish, let us raise our eyes to Christ, and the sight of Him happy and glorious will fill our hearts with joy. On Holy Saturday, remembering the triumph of her Bridegroom, holy Church seems to fall in an ecstasy of love and joy.
“Let now the heavenly hosts of Angels rejoice: let the Divine mysteries be joyfully celebrated; and let a sacred trumpet proclaim the victory of so great a King. Let the earth also be filled with joy, being illuminated with such resplendent rays: and let it realize that the darkness, which overspread the whole world, is chased away by the splendour of our Eternal King. Let our Mother the Church also be glad, finding herself adorned with the rays of so great a light…
“This is the Night, which now, all over the world, delivers those that believe in Christ from the vices of the world and the darkness of sin, restores them to grace and clothes them with sanctity. This is the Night in which Christ broke the chains of death and ascended conqueror from Hell… O! how admirable is Thy goodness towards us! O! how inestimable is Thy love. Thou hast delivered up Thy Son to redeem a slave.”
Such must be our feelings while looking on the risen Lord.
4. Jesus appears to Mary
After His Father, Mary is first in Jesus’ thoughts. Deep in grief, the Virgin has passed the night in prayer, waiting, with unshaken faith, for the Resurrection of her Son, when, suddenly her chamber becomes luminous with heavenly light and Jesus stands before her.
“O Mother!” “O my Son!”, they cry out, and they are in each other’s arms. No other words are spoken. They see each other’s soul and read their thoughts and feelings which no human language can express. Our Lord feels happy in pouring abundantly into the soul of Mary that joy with which His Heart is overflowing and Mary, like a true mother, forgets herself and wholly rejoices in the joy and glory of her Son. All the while the choirs of Angels and the souls of the Just keep singing: Regina Cœli lætare, Alleluia.
“Oh that I had been there, and heard, O Jesus, Thy sweet words; that I had secretly stood near the window, and listened attentively, unseen by the eye of man, to every word which fell from the lips of my Lord Jesus Christ as He talked with His Mother about the joys of the citizens of Heaven. With what intense gladness would my heart have rejoiced in the Lord, could I, for my comfort in my earthly pilgrimage, so full of dangers as it is, have remembered even one or two words of that sacred converse!
“But perchance what passed was what man may not utter, which ought to be kept secret, which ought to be meditated upon in the joyous music of the heart alone. Blessed is he who knows that music, who by meditation rises above all earthly things, who is busy all day with Jesus and Mary, and neither cares nor thinks about what is going on in the world.”
(Kempis)
Ave, Rex Gloriæ!
Suggestions for the colloquy
1. No sooner hast Thou, O my Lord, expired on the Cross, than Thy Blessed Soul, united to the Divinity, hastens to the Limbo to free the Just of the Old Testament that have long waited for their complete deliverance, and to fill them with Thy happiness and joy. O Jesus, how truly Thou art the best of friends and leaders—eager to acknowledge and reward liberally the merits of Thy faithful Companions!
2. The time of Thy glorification has come, O Lord, and, behold, Thou standest before the souls of the Just and myriads of Angels in Thy glorified Humanity—Thy Soul and Body once more reunited. The wounds in Thy hands and feet are like shining stars, and that of Thy Side like a dazzling sun. Thy head is crowned with glory and Thy Heart throbs with unspeakable joy.
3. With the Just of the Old Testament and with the Angels, I adore Thee! Hail, O my Divine Saviour, crowned with glory and immortality, the Conqueror of Death and Hell, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords! Truly Thou art risen! Strengthen my faith in Thy resurrection as the cardinal point of Christian faith and Christian life.
4. Thy Mother is first in Thy thoughts. Deep in grief, she has passed the night in prayer, waiting with unshaken faith for Thee—and, behold, her room becomes luminous with heavenly light and Thou standest before her. Thou art happy, O Lord, in pouring into the soul of Thy Mother the joy with which Thy Heart is overflowing, and she, forgetting herself, wholly rejoices in Thy joy and glory.
Regina Cœli lætare, Alleluia! O Mother, obtain me grace to be, with thee, intensely glad and to rejoice in the great glory and joy of Thy Son—my Father, my Saviour, and my Friend!
Meditation for Day 32
King and Victim
Taken from St Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises
It is in mental prayer that that much of the preparation will be achieved – and meditation is a means of entering mental prayer. See our guide to meditation for two ways to use the below texts.
The Preparation
Prayer. The usual Preparatory Prayer.
The first Prelude is the narrative, which is here how, after Christ expired on the Cross, and the Body, always united with the Divinity, remained separated from the Soul, the blessed Soul, likewise united with the Divinity, went down to Hell, and taking from there the just souls, and coming to the Sepulchre and being risen, He appeared to His Blessed Mother in Body and in Soul.
The second Prelude, a composition, seeing the place; which will be here to see the arrangement of the Holy Sepulchre and the place or house of Our Lady, looking at its parts in particular; likewise the room, the oratory, etc.
The third Prelude, to ask for what I want, and it will be here to ask for grace to rejoice and be glad intensely at so great glory and joy of Christ our Lord.
The Points for Meditation
First Point. Consider how, after Christ expired on the Cross, his blessed Soul went down to Hell, and took from there the just souls held captive until that time.
Second Point. Consider how Christ brought these just souls to the Holy Sepulchre, to show them his body and its wounds; how his soul and body were reunited, and he stood before them in his glorified humanity; and how his body passed from the tomb, like light through a crystal, before the angel came to roll away the stone.
Third Point. He appeared to the Virgin Mary. This, although it is not said in Scripture, is included in saying that He appeared to so many others, because Scripture supposes that we have understanding, as it is written: “Are you also without understanding.”
In addition to the usual consideration of persons, words and actions, St Ignatius wants us to consider the following in all meditations on the Resurrection:
Fourth Point. The fourth, to consider how the Divinity, which seemed to hide Itself in the Passion, now appears and shows Itself so marvellously in the most holy Resurrection by Its true and most holy effects.
Fifth Point. The fifth is to consider the office of consoling which Christ our Lord bears, and to compare how friends are accustomed to console friends.
One could consider these points in reference to oneself: How far have we been conscious of this in our daily lives so far, what practical conclusions should we draw from these truths, how far have we lived up to them so far, what must we do to live up to them in the future, etc.
One could consider the acts of virtue we can make in response to these truths – Acts of faith, humility, hope/confidence, thanksgiving, contrition and love – talking all the while to God, the Blessed Virgin, our Guardian Angels, etc.
One should feel free to linger on only one of the points, if this is how the meditation proceeds.
The Colloquy
Colloquy. I will finish with a Colloquy to Christ our Lord, and, at the end, with an Our Father.
Note. It is to be noted, as was explained before and in part, that in the Colloquies I ought to discuss and ask according to the subject matter, that is, according as I find myself tempted or consoled, and according as I desire to have one virtue or another, as I want to dispose of myself in one direction or another, as I want to grieve or rejoice at the thing which I am contemplating; in fine, asking that which I more efficaciously desire as to any particular things.
And in this way I can make one Colloquy only, to Christ our Lord, or, if the matter or devotion move me, three Colloquies, one to the Mother, another to the Son, another to the Father, in the same form as was said in the Second Week, in the meditation of the Three Pairs, with the Note which follows The Pairs.
Fr Ambruzzi has further suggestions above. It is important to speak frankly to God in our own words, rather than simply reading somebody else’s. If one feels moved to speak to God before meditating on all the points, one should certainly do so. The same applies if one feels moved to simply rest in God, rather than engaging in discursive meditation. These impulses should be followed over any particular method of meditation.
The End
End the meditation with a vocal prayer – such as the Our Father, the Anima Christi.
Reflect on how well we have prayed, and how well we have followed our chosen method.
Select a spiritual nosegay from your meditation to keep with you for the rest of the day.
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See the index and explanation to this series here:
For more on the St Louis de Montfort’s True Devotion and Total Consecration, for which we are preparing, see here:
The theological basis of ‘True Devotion’ and the Consecration to Mary (Garrigou-Lagrange)
The fruits of ‘True Devotion’ and Consecration to Mary (Garrigou-Lagrange)
For more on the importance of not getting bogged down with methods, and on allowing God to act, see here:
For more on Week 3, and the vocal prayers that are are suggested for each day, see here:
‘Week 3’ of St Louis de Montfort’s Total Consecration preparation (Prayers, practices and reading)
Get the book here:
True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary (St Louis de Montfort)
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