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Sunday, June 7, 2015
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Pentecost Novena: Day Nine
The Pentecost Novena, itself, can be found here.
"Give them virtue's sure reward; give them your salvation, Lord; give them joys that never end. Amen. Alleluia." - From the Veni Sancte Spiritus, Sequence for Pentecost
Each of the Sacraments bestows upon the Faithful who receive them a foretaste of heavenly life. Baptism inaugurates a soul into that life by uniting them with Christ and infusing them with the virtues of faith, hope, and charity. It insures the reward of eternal bliss for the fulfillment of the Christian vocation, namely the Baptismal promises. Confirmation confirms this willful commitment and bestows further graces upon the soul in order that the Christian may come safely through the pilgrimage and warfare of this world. The Eucharist is the heavenly Food whereby we are nourished and flooded with grace.
It is this idea which the final meditation for the Pentecost Novena shall focus on, the philosophical axiom, especially popular among Thomistic theologians, "Gratia non destruit naturam sed perficit. - Grace doesn't destroy nature, but perfects it." The Holy Spirit, given to us especially in the three Sacraments of Initiation, does not force our hand, so to speak. He does not automatically make us love Him and He does not instantly destroy all vices present in our souls. Rather, He perfects that which is already present.
This is one of the themes which makes our Faith so precious, "The God Who created us without us, will not save us without us," as St. Augustine phrased it. The spiritual life is a mutual endeavor; it requires a commitment and effort on our part. When we make our baptismal promises, and each year when we renew them, it is not something we should take lightly. We are making a promise to God, the Power above all other powers, that we shall live our lives for Him, and this begins with the practice of natural virtue.
The spiritual life has its roots in the following of the natural law. Before we can participate in the Divine life to which we are called, we must be followers and practitioners of those four cardinal virtues, prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude. By these the soul is given a fit foundation for the Holy Spirit to come and build His temple in our souls. The practice of those four natural virtues, along with the cement of the three theological virtues which the Holy Spirit pours forth especially through the Sacraments allow for those seven bricks of virtue - humility, chastity, generosity, meekness, love of others, diligence, and spiritual temperance - to be obtained by the Christian.
The practice and attainment of all these virtues is the sure reward for our simple effort of the will to live the Christian life and to submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit. It requires a firm commitment on our part, and it does necessitate giving up many things this world offers, both bad and indifferent. Nevertheless, the small effort we put in is magnified more than we can imagine by the Holy Spirit. Our nature is perfected; we become full human beings. And not only do we "find ourselves," but we find Him for Whom our soul longs. But most importantly, ultimately, we gain salvation, and "joys that never end. Amen. Alleluia."
"Give them virtue's sure reward; give them your salvation, Lord; give them joys that never end. Amen. Alleluia." - From the Veni Sancte Spiritus, Sequence for Pentecost
Each of the Sacraments bestows upon the Faithful who receive them a foretaste of heavenly life. Baptism inaugurates a soul into that life by uniting them with Christ and infusing them with the virtues of faith, hope, and charity. It insures the reward of eternal bliss for the fulfillment of the Christian vocation, namely the Baptismal promises. Confirmation confirms this willful commitment and bestows further graces upon the soul in order that the Christian may come safely through the pilgrimage and warfare of this world. The Eucharist is the heavenly Food whereby we are nourished and flooded with grace.
It is this idea which the final meditation for the Pentecost Novena shall focus on, the philosophical axiom, especially popular among Thomistic theologians, "Gratia non destruit naturam sed perficit. - Grace doesn't destroy nature, but perfects it." The Holy Spirit, given to us especially in the three Sacraments of Initiation, does not force our hand, so to speak. He does not automatically make us love Him and He does not instantly destroy all vices present in our souls. Rather, He perfects that which is already present.
This is one of the themes which makes our Faith so precious, "The God Who created us without us, will not save us without us," as St. Augustine phrased it. The spiritual life is a mutual endeavor; it requires a commitment and effort on our part. When we make our baptismal promises, and each year when we renew them, it is not something we should take lightly. We are making a promise to God, the Power above all other powers, that we shall live our lives for Him, and this begins with the practice of natural virtue.
The spiritual life has its roots in the following of the natural law. Before we can participate in the Divine life to which we are called, we must be followers and practitioners of those four cardinal virtues, prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude. By these the soul is given a fit foundation for the Holy Spirit to come and build His temple in our souls. The practice of those four natural virtues, along with the cement of the three theological virtues which the Holy Spirit pours forth especially through the Sacraments allow for those seven bricks of virtue - humility, chastity, generosity, meekness, love of others, diligence, and spiritual temperance - to be obtained by the Christian.
The practice and attainment of all these virtues is the sure reward for our simple effort of the will to live the Christian life and to submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit. It requires a firm commitment on our part, and it does necessitate giving up many things this world offers, both bad and indifferent. Nevertheless, the small effort we put in is magnified more than we can imagine by the Holy Spirit. Our nature is perfected; we become full human beings. And not only do we "find ourselves," but we find Him for Whom our soul longs. But most importantly, ultimately, we gain salvation, and "joys that never end. Amen. Alleluia."
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