16 September, Antonio, Cardinal Bacci: Meditations For Each Day

Christ’s Work in Us

1. It is not enough that Jesus live in us; He must increase and act in us continually. The spiritual life is like natural life. It cannot stop, for to halt would mean death. If Jesus is our life, He should live in us with ever-increasing intensity. Life is like a stairway; we are either going up or coming down.

If we continue to climb energetically towards Jesus, we shall be coming nearer to Christian perfection. If, on the other hand, we halt, the supernatural life of Jesus in us will begin to weaken. Tepidity will replace fervour, and sin will succeed tepidity. It is difficult to remain unchanged, because life involves movement. “Jesus Christ,” writes St. Augustine, “was born a baby, but He did not remain one. He grew to boyhood, to adolescence, and then to maturity.”
It is necessary for us to grow also. More precisely, it is necessary that Jesus grow continuously in us through faith, charity, and good works. “Court the good,” admonishes St. Paul, “from a good motive always… until Christ is formed in you.” (Gal. 4:18-19)

It is not enough that Christ be born in us; it is necessary that He increase to the fullness of perfection. (Cf. Eph. 4:13-16) “Jesus increases daily,” writes Origen, “in the soul of the holy and just man, which mirrors His grace, His wisdom, and His sanctity. In the soul of the unfortunate sinner, however, Christ decreases and dies.”

What kind of life has Jesus in my soul? If I am in the state of grace, He lives in my soul; but how does He live? In some, those of us who are tepid, worldly and dissipated, Jesus is hidden and languid. In those who are lazy, mediocre and indifferent, He seems to sleep, as He slept in the boat during the storm on the lake of Galilee. In those souls which have given in to temptation and surrendered themselves to sin, He is crucified and dying. Finally, there are souls in which He reigns supreme and which are resplendent with the magnificence of His gifts and graces. If we find ourselves in this last category, let us humbly thank God. But if we are forced to count ourselves among the tepid or the lazy or the sinful, let us rouse ourselves at once and pray fervently to God to help us to save  our souls.

2. “Whoever has Jesus in this heart,” writes St. Francis de Sales, “has Him also in his actions.” If God really lives in us, He cannot be inactive, but will work with us for our sanctification. Our actions must be the actions of Jesus Christ. Remember that the Gospel says that a good tree will produce good fruit, while a bad tree will produce bad fruit. (Cf. Mt. 7:17) From the fruits which we produce we can see clearly if Jesus is working in us. Holiness consists in accepting the will of God, whatever it is, whether it be sacrifice, sorrow or humiliation. We must allow Jesus to act in us as He desires. Not only must we conform to His holy will, but we must do so with enthusiasm. We must be obedient instruments of His grace, doing precisely what He wants us to do. If He wishes us to suffer, we must be prepared to do so for Him, knowing that we are participating and cooperating in the work of his Redemption. If He desires us to be happy, we should humbly accept happiness from His hands. Everything must be as Jesus wills. We must transform ourselves into Him, like the white host which first is bread and through the act of consecration becomes Jesus Christ.

3. “My beloved Jesus, I offer You my heart and I consecrate to You all my affections, my soul and all its faculties, and my will so that it may be united to Yours. Unite my intentions, my words, and my actions with Yours, and vivify them with Your Holy Spirit. Let me undertake nothing save from the motive of love for You. My beloved Jesus, make every action of mine one of adoration, love, and submission to Your holy will.” (St. Margaret Mary Alacoque)