This is what Christ has won for us, and why he was born at Christmas – and where he and his Mother will receive our consecration.
Editor’s Notes
This is Day 33 in Week 3 of our Preparing for Total Consecration to the Blessed Virgin series. The purpose of this week was growing in knowledge of Our Lord, so that we may love him more dearly and follow him more nearly.
It is also the last day of the preparation, before the consecration itself. On the first run of this series, we suggest that you make the consecration itself either on Christmas Eve, at Midnight Mass, or in the day on Christmas Day – according to what suits you best.
In this preparation, over the last month or so, we have looked sin and the spirit of the world in the eye – and tried to look ourselves in the eye too. We have heard the call of Christ the King, and followed him and his Holy Mother from before the Annunciation, to Christmas, his childhood, his life, his blessed sufferings and Passion, and his Resurrection.
Now is the time for us to follow him to Heaven, to see his court in glory – for it is to this court, in the presence of the angels and saints, that we shall go tomorrow in our hearts, in order to consecrate ourselves to his Blessed Mother, and to him, through her. It is also important for us to have in mind our last end, and where God has directed us through his providence.
To this end, we are again returning to Fr Aloysius Ambruzzi’s Companion to the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius, and considering his treatment of Heaven.
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. 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 Glory of Heaven
The King’s Court
A Companion to the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius
Fr Aloysius Ambruzzi SJ
The first Prelude is to lift up my face unto Heaven and behold how Christ and all His Saints with Him, who in this world had great conflicts, do now rejoice, are now comforted, now secure, and at rest, and shall remain with Him everlastingly in the Kingdom of His Father.
The second Prelude is to ask to know something of the joy that God has prepared for His Elect.
1. God’s eternal garden
Heaven is the goal of our earthly pilgrimage. We naturally long for it more than “a servant longeth for the shade,” or “the hireling looketh for the end of his work” (Job vii, 2). The vision of our eternal home, caught by the light of Faith, encourages us in our trials, strengthens us in our toilsome journey, and inspires us with ever higher and greater resolves, just as the sight of his native hills, seen now and then at the turning of the road, fills the weary traveller with new life.
Still better: Heaven is the lasting and consummate perfection of our being. It means untroubled peace and complete happiness, full and endless life.
As a matter of fact, what is Heaven? Till we enter it, we shall not know what Heaven truly is. “What eye hath not seen, what ear hath not heard—what hath not entered into heart of man—all these things God hath prepared for them that love Him.” (1 Cor. ii, 9) We may, indeed, picture to ourselves Heaven as a most delightful place—God’s eternal garden, as the Church calls it in her prayers for the commendation of a departing soul—where our eyes will rest on ever new scenes of everlasting beauty, our ears, delighted with the most mellifluous melodies, our imaginations, filled with noble and joy-giving images, and our bodies, agile, lightsome and wholly obedient to the soul, will fly, unhampered across the immense universe. Heaven, after the final resurrection, will be all that and exceedingly more and better that we can ever fancy. And what happiness will it mean for us when we remember that the sound of a violin string, touched by an Angel’s hand, caused St Francis of Assisi, when racked by pain, to fall into an ecstasy of love.
And yet not in these delights does the happiness of Heaven consist.
2. The Vision of God
The happiness of Heaven is the outcome of the beatific vision, which is an uninterrupted gazing on God’s infinite beauty. That vision will be eternal, as God is eternal and unchanging because it is, all at once, the totality of every good. It will be a participation in God’s own eternity.
Heaven, we may say, is the complete and eternal realization of our end. The Blessed adore, love and praise God, the Principle and the End of their existence, in a new Heaven and a new earth, where every creature reflects the All-Good and contributes to increase the love and joy of the children of God. The memory will be full of His presence and of His favours; the intellect will enter into the powers of God and know Him as He is, face to face; the will will be transformed in God through love, and from this love there will flow a torrent of ineffable pleasure.
Though, on earth, we shall never grasp the nature of the beatific vision, in the light of Faith we can have some faint idea of it. For our benefit, our Lord deigned to reveal to His beloved Apostle, St John, what He keeps in store for His friends, by showing him the glory of the Blessed who already reign with Him.
The Apocalypse, as a matter of fact, is not only a prophetic revelation of the perpetual combat between Satan and Christ, but also a revelation of the glory and triumph which Christ has already achieved. It holds out the vision and promise of everlasting happiness with Christ to the first Christians all harassed by trials and persecutions, and some perhaps prone to compromise and even to backsliding. It describes the happiness of those who have passed away in the Lord and now rejoice with Him in the new Jerusalem. Instead of fanciful descriptions of Heaven, and of theological and philosophical disquisitions, which convey little to the mind of many, we had then better take up God’s book, and consider what the beloved disciple wrote for our instruction at the command of his Master.
3. The Glory of Christ
Christ is the life, the spring and source of eternal life.
Accordingly, the first vision, vouchsafed to the seer of Patmos is the vision of our Lord, the Son of God, God and Man, Redeemer and King. He is, like the Almighty God, Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the one that is living for ever and ever, and has the key of Death and of Hell. His dress marks Him as King and Priest; the sword issuing from His mouth, as Him Whose word is irresistible; the white head and hair symbolize His Divine eternity. One with the Father, He is the centre of all activity of the militant and of the Heavenly Jerusalem: the spring of grace here below and of glory hereafter.
The vision of Christ, at the right hand of the Father, has been for millions of Christians a foretaste of Heaven and a mainstay in the midst of trials and sufferings. Each one of them would cry out with St Stephen: “Behold I see the Heavens opened, and the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of God,” and make no account of the fury of the persecutors (Acts vii, 55).
It is this vision that should accompany us through life to brighten our path and strengthen our hearts.
“Seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated on the right hand of God: mind the things that are above, not the things that are on the earth. For ye have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God; when Christ, our life, shall appear, then also shall ye appear with Him in glory.” (Col. iii, 1-4)
To be always with the Lord, to rejoice in His glory and to partake of it—that is Heaven.
“Father, I will that where I am, they also whom Thou hast given me may be with Me, that they may see Me in the glory which Thou hast given Me” (John xvii, 24).
4. Christ’s Promise of Glory
In the seven letters to the Churches, Christ encourages His own to rise from tepidity and sin, to work and suffer for Him, with the thought of the heavenly glory, which He describes in ever more glowing terms.
(i) Heaven is the public acknowledgment of the Blessed by Christ.
“I will confess his name before My Father and before His holy Angels.” (Ap. iii, 5)
(ii) Heaven is the sharing in the life of God.
“He that conquereth shall be clad thus in white garments.” (Ap. iii, 5)
“To him that conquereth, I will give of the hidden manna.” (Ap. ii, 17)
“To him that conquereth, I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” (Ap. ii, 7)
(iii) Heaven is the association and perfect union of each one of us with the triumphant Lord, with His life, His glory, and His Kingly dignity—a union most intimate and most mysterious, felt but indescribable.
“And I will give him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, which no one knoweth except him that receiveth it.”—i.e., a most inward testimony that he is approved and eternally admitted into God’s presence. (Ap. ii, 17)
“As for him that conquereth and keepeth My works, till the end, I will give power over the nations.” (Ap. ii, 26)
“As for him that conquereth, I will give him to sit with Me upon My Throne as I Myself have conquered, and sat down with My Father on His Throne.” (Ap. iii, 21)
(iv) Heaven is eternal life, with no fear of decay or death.
“He that conquereth shall not be harmed by the second death.” (Ap. ii, 11)
“He that conquereth, I will make him a pillar in the sanctuary of My God, and never more shall he go out of it. And I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the City of My God,—the new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of Heaven from my God,—and My new name.” (Ap. iii, 12)
God takes him as His own; he becomes a perpetual citizen of Heaven, and one with Christ.
(v) Heaven is the soul seated along with Christ at the eternal banquet.
“Behold I stand at the gate and knock. If any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him and I will sup with him, and he with Me.” (Ap. iii, 20)
5. The Glory of the Blessed
As though to give more credit to such promises, Christ lifts for a moment, the veil that conceals Heaven from mortal eyes, and reveals to His beloved disciple, the glory of the citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem, asking him to write down all that he sees. And what ineffable scenes unroll themselves before the ecstatic gaze of John!
(i)
The Blessed stand before the throne of God, and in the sight of the Lamb. (Cf. Ap. vii, 9)
They offer to God an incessant sacrifice. (Cf. Ap. vii, 15)
All their sufferings, physical and moral, are past. (Cf. Ap. vii, 16, 17)
(ii)
The Lamb of God is their shepherd, and leads them to the fountains of the waters of life. (Cf. Ap. vii, 17)
They follow Him whithersoever He goeth. (Cf. Ap. xiv, 4)
(iii)
The union of the Blessed with God is presented under the figure of a wedding, (Cf. Ap. xix, 7) and of a nuptial banquet. (Cf. Ap. xix, 9)
(iv)
The home of God and of the Blessed is described under the figure of a heavenly city, beautiful as a bride adorned for her husband. (Cf. Ap. xxi, 10-27)
(v)
The life of the Blessed is the last vision vouchsafed to John. The tree of life is the Word made Flesh. It bears fruit throughout the year, i.e., for time and eternity, and that fruit is the life of the dwellers in the heavenly Jerusalem, while its leaves are for the healing of the Church militant. The Eucharistic Christ is our food; the glorified Christ, our reward. The “river of the water of life, clear as crystal, issuing forth from the throne of God and of the Lamb,” is the Holy Ghost (Ap. xxii, 1)
6. Longing for Heaven
“Come, Lord Jesus!” is the passionate cry with which St John ends his Apocalypse.
That should be the cry of every loving soul.
Our Lord Himself wants that we should be constantly watching for Him:
“Let your loins be girt, and lamps burning in your hands. And you yourselves like to men who wait for their lord, when he shall return from the wedding, that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open to him immediately.” (Luke xii, 35, 36)
Such is likewise the desire of the Church. Throughout her Liturgy she keeps heaven before our eyes as our true home, the end of our journey, the real goal of our desires, so that “amidst the vanities and the varieties of our earthly existence, our hearts may be fixed there where are eternal joys.”
Eternal life is essentially ours, even now, if we are in God’s grace.
“He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood, hath everlasting life.” (John vi, 55)
“As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father, so he that eateth Me, the same also shall live by Me.” (John vi, 58)
Death will but reveal the life of God that is already in us, consummate our union with Him, and seal it with immortality. Let us then live in Heaven, our true home and fatherland, and not only in expectation of it. But what will enable us to live such a heavenly life, if not the living companionship of our Eucharistic Lord!
Our churches are the counterpart of the heavenly Jerusalem.
The Altar is the throne of God and of the Lamb. At Mass Christ, the Divine Victim, is present and offered thereon, and we with Him.
Holy Communion is the espousals of our soul with the Lamb.
The Liturgy reflects the splendours of the heavenly Court.
With Christ in our heart, we leave the church and go to work calmly, patiently, unsparingly for Him and His Kingdom, though the years of expectation may be long and painful like those of the beloved disciple. At the first glimpse we catch of our dear Lord’s face, we shall forget all sufferings.
Our Priest, Our Victim, and Our Life
Suggestions for the colloquy
1. Thou art not only our Leader and King, O Lord, but also the Head of the Mystical Body of which, by Thee and in Thee, we are members. We are One with Thee. Thou hast associated us in Thy Death, and in Thy triumphs as well. With Thee we have died to sin; and with Thee we have been raised up and are seated in the Heavenly places. May I ever long for the day when Thou, the life of my life, shalt come to fetch me, and my heart shall be eternally fixed on Thee!
2. Thou hast ascended into Heaven ever to appear in the presence of God the Father for us. There Thou standest before Him as our Supreme Pontiff, always living to make intercession for us, offering to Him Thy sacrifice and prayers, and the sacrifices and prayers of all of us who are one with Thee.
O my Lord and my Divine Mediator, receive all my prayers and sacrifices, my good deeds and desires, my love and aspirations. May they rise to the Altar of God in Thee, with Thee, through Thee!
3. In Heaven Thou hast become, O Lord Jesus, the source of life for all the members of Thy Church—the Blessed, the Holy Souls, the Faithful on earth—the source of my supernatural life. Through the Holy Spirit, Whom Thou continually pourest down on us, Thou art formed in us, born in us, sufferest in us, risest again in us, livest in us. We form one thing in Thee—Thou the Vine, we the branches; Thou the Head, we the members; Thou the Heart, we the cells of Thy Mystical Body. O Jesus, be Thou the life of my life, now and in eternity!
Meditation for Day 33
The Glory of Heaven
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 to lift up my face unto Heaven and behold how Christ and all His Saints with Him, who in this world had great conflicts, do now rejoice, are now comforted, now secure, and at rest, and shall remain with Him everlastingly in the Kingdom of His Father.
The second Prelude is to ask to know something of the joy that God has prepared for His Elect.
The Points for Meditation
First Point. Consider that Heaven is the end to which God has directed us, in elevating us to the supernatural order of grace.
Second Point. Consider that Heaven consists in the vision of God, and the superabundant fulfilment of everything we are.
Third Point. Consider that Christ is in glory in Heaven, and that we are to be with him forever.
Fourth Point. Consider all the benefits of Heaven discussed in the Apocalypse, delineated above.
Fifth Point. Consider that we too will be in glory with Christ.
Sixth Point. Consider how and why we should long for Heaven, and how we have already a foretaste of it in this life.
In addition to the usual consideration of persons, words and actions, St Ignatius wants us to consider the following in all meditations on the Passion:
To consider that which Christ our Lord is suffering in His Humanity, or wants to suffer, according to the passage which is being contemplated, and here to commence with much vehemence and to force myself to grieve, be sad and weep, and so to labor through the other points which follow.
To consider how the Divinity hides Itself, that is, how It could destroy Its enemies and does not do it, and how It leaves the most sacred Humanity to suffer so very cruelly.
To consider how He suffers all this for my sins, etc.; and what I ought to do and suffer for Him.
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.
See you tomorrow for the Consecration. Hit subscribe to make sure you don’t miss it or any of our other material:
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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