17 May, Antonio, Cardinal Bacci: Meditations For Each Day

Living the Gospel

1.The Gospel teaches perfection. It teaches the perfection of the interior life as well as the exterior life, of private as well as of domestic and social life.

There is no problem in the universe which has not been solved in the Gospel. In regard to the spiritual life, its command is clear. “You are to be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt. 5:48) “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind...Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Mt. 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27) “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12) “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) “Blessed are the poor in spirit... the clean of heart... the peacemakers ...” (Mt. 5:3-10) “If thou wilt be perfect, go, sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven.” (Mt. 19:21) “Our Father who art in heaven... thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Mt. 6:10) “Father... not my will but thine be done.” (Luke 22:42) Anyone who identifies himself with these maxims rises above the level of a man to that of an angel. His interior life soars to such a peak that he seems to be leading a heavenly rather than an earthly existence. If he is living the Gospel, moreover, his external behaviour will be a faithful mirror of his interior life, for it is not enough to say “Lord, Lord,” but a man must also do the will of the Father. (Cf. Mt. 7:21) A man's domestic and social life will follow the pattern of his private life. When he has reached the summit of perfection, an invisible force will emanate from him, the force of good example. This force will transform everything within him and around him. Like Mary and the Saints, he will become the loyal and powerful co-worker of Christ in the redemption of the human race and in the Christian transformation of society. Redemption and restoration can come only through the Gospel. Other theories are always bound up with and impeded by human egoism. The doctrine of the Gospel is reinforced by the love of God and of our neighbour. In the Gospel public and private justice is transformed into the charity of Christ which cannot be impeded by any earthly difficulty nor by any human barrier, not even by death. “Who shall separate us from the charity of Christ?” (Rom. 8:35) asks St. Paul. Let us meditate on this.

2. The doctrine of the Gospel is so sublime that no generation has yet been able to practise it fully. Only the Blessed Virgin and the Saints have approached the peak of perfection indicated by Christ. “You are to be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt. 5:48) How far have we advanced? We are not expected, obviously, to achieve the absolute perfection of our heavenly Father. But we are obliged to strive towards it with the help of the grace of God. It may be that our particular circumstances excuse us from fulfilling the evangelical counsels, but we have no option but to obey the precepts of the Gospel. We are under no obligation to sell all our possessions and give the money to the poor, but it is too bad for us if our hearts are not detached from earthly things and in contact with God. We must be prepared to face the consequences if we do not observe the precepts of justice and charity towards God and our neighbour. We are especially obliged to help those who are in need of any kind with whatever we have to spare in the way of material assistance or advice. It is our own misfortune, too, if we do not mortify ourselves, accept the will of God even in suffering, and empty our hearts of worldly attachments in order to fill them with spiritual preoccupations. Let us remember that we belong to God. All our thoughts and desires should, therefore, be directed towards God alone.

3. Most Holy Mary, you sought always to reflect in your own soul the beauty and sanctity of your divine Son by obeying His teaching in a heroic manner. Obtain for me the grace to be detached from worldly affairs, especially from sin. Let me be prepared to make any sacrifice which is necessary in order to follow the Gospel precepts, so that the image of our divine Lord and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, may be faithfully imprinted upon my soul, even as it was so wonderfully portrayed in yours. Amen.