We often think of Advent as the time of year set aside to prepare for Christ’s coming, and this is certainly true. But it isn’t the only time of year when we meditate upon the coming of the Lord. In fact, the month of November – the month dedicated to the Holy Souls – is the time of year when we focus more and more on the End Times: Death, Judgement, Heaven, and Hell. During this month, we are called to spend time prayerfully considering our own death, as we remember the death of those who have already gone before us into eternity; we are called to ponder what our judgement will be according to how we are living our lives – either unto eternal punishment (Hell) for those who have not honored the Lord during their days, or unto eternal life (Heaven) for those who have strived to faithfully do the works of the God (cf. Matthew 25). The idea of our judgment can sometimes weigh heavily on us, but we need not be anxious if we consider that Christ has given us everything necessary to know the path of life and to walk it faithfully. By following God’s laws, as revealed by Christ and communicated to us through His Bride, the Church, we will achieve blessedness: “Blessed is the man whom You shall chasten, O Lord, and shall teach out of Your Law” (Psalm 94:12).
Of course, this doesn’t mean it is easy; following God’s Laws, which He entrusted to us through His Church, can be quite difficult at times, because we struggle with the remnant attraction to sin (concupiscence) that remains even after we are baptized. Sometimes we feel these laws to be downright burdensome, but then we remember that Jesus promised His yoke would be sweet and His burden would be light (Mt 11:30). So how does the yoke – the Law – of Christ transform from a burden to a blessing, from a heavy weight to a weightless joy? I recently began reading a book by St. Bonaventure called Holiness of Life, and the preface offers some profound and comforting words in this regard. There, the saint writes:
“I hold that only the man taught by the Holy Spirit and imbued with His blessed unction is to be considered wise [Father’s note: in biblical speak, being wise and being holy or happy are the same thing]. The prophet David lays down the same principle; he alone is really happy and wise whose mind the Lord has made learned in the Law. The Law of God is the only law without fault. It alone has the secret of ‘converting souls’ to the way of salvation. To read the law does not suffice. We only discover its wealth of meaning and reap the fruits of its profound learning through devout and affectionate meditating.” God’s laws are a light unto our feet on the path to eternal life, but we cannot simply know them: we must be devoted to them and have a love for them. But its light is not accessible without God’s grace. We must pray to understand and to love God’s laws, insofar as our weakened understanding is capable. “Conscientiously,” continues Bonaventure, “in Spirit and in truth (1 Thess. 1:5) are we to seek this meaning. We must beg the Holy Spirit, with ardent longing, to give us these fruits. The Holy Ghost alone knows how to bring to light the sweetness hidden away under the rugged exterior of the lords of the Law. We must go to the Holy Ghost for interior guidance.” This requires that we humble our own judgement and be open to the judgement of the Lord, whose ways and thoughts are not our ways and thoughts (Isaiah 55:8).
With this humble, open, and receptive disposition to the Laws of God (and in every area of our lives, not just the areas we are willing to hand over – holiness doesn’t work in halves), the Holy Spirit continue to lead us along the path of salvation. A final thought from Bonaventure: “The Law of the Lord teaches the way to live, what is to be done, avoided, believed, prayed for, longed for and feared. It teaches how to live the blameless and spotless life, how to keep one’s promises, and how to be sincerely contrite for one’s failings. The law of the Lord teaches contempt for earthly things and a loathing for all things of the flesh [Father’s note: here is meant the works of the flesh and the prince of this world, namely sin). Finally, it explains how with our whole heart, whole, soul, and whole mind we are to be converted to Jesus Christ (Matt 22:37).
It is always the right time to consider where we stand with the Lord, but perhaps this month is a special invitation to do so. As we prayerfully meditate on the coming of Jesus at the end of time, let us consider our own preparation to meet Him when He comes at the end of our own time, to be continually converted to Christ and His Body, the Church, so as to live with Him forever in Heaven, because that’s the whole reason we are here. May God bless you in the week ahead and may Mother Mary lead you more deeply into the Sacred and Merciful Heart of Jesus. I remain,
Affectionately yours in Christ,
Fr. Hess
