Priest
An excerpt from his Meditation 201
Thursday after Second Sunday of Easter
The apostle Paul states that God has placed apostles, prophets and doctors in the Church. If you meditate on this you will be convinced that you too have been given your special place. Paul testifies to this. He declares that there are different kinds of ministry and work, and that the same Holy Spirit is manifested in a variety of gifts for the good of all, that is, the good of the Church.
Therefore you should not doubt that you have been given the same kind of grace to teach boys, to instruct them in the Gospel, and to form them in religion. This is a great gift which God gave you when he called you to this holy work.
In your teaching, the boys in your charge must see by the way you teach that you are true ministers of God, full of true charity and sincere in carrying out your task. It is most important for you to realize that you are ministers not only of God but also of Jesus Christ and the Church.
Saint Paul also urges us to regard as ministers of Christ not only all who preach the Gospel but also those who write the message that Christ dictates not with ink but with the spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on the fleshy tablets of the heart—on the hearts of boys. Be driven by the love of God then, because Jesus Christ died for all, that those who live may not live for themselves but for him who died and rose for them. Let your students be moved by your untiring care for them and feel as though God were encouraging them through you, because you perform your duties as ambassadors of Christ.
Above all, let your charity and zeal show how you love the Church. Your work is for the Church, which is the body of Christ. By your diligence show your love for those whom God has given you, just as Christ loved the Church.
Take care that your boys enter into the building up of this temple so that one day they may become worthy to stand, glorious and without spot or wrinkle, before the tribunal of Jesus Christ. See to it that the abundant grace God has given them may be shown in the years to come, as well as the grace given you to teach them and to bring them up to inherit the kingdom of God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore you should not doubt that you have been given the same kind of grace to teach boys, to instruct them in the Gospel, and to form them in religion. This is a great gift which God gave you when he called you to this holy work.
In your teaching, the boys in your charge must see by the way you teach that you are true ministers of God, full of true charity and sincere in carrying out your task. It is most important for you to realize that you are ministers not only of God but also of Jesus Christ and the Church.
Saint Paul also urges us to regard as ministers of Christ not only all who preach the Gospel but also those who write the message that Christ dictates not with ink but with the spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on the fleshy tablets of the heart—on the hearts of boys. Be driven by the love of God then, because Jesus Christ died for all, that those who live may not live for themselves but for him who died and rose for them. Let your students be moved by your untiring care for them and feel as though God were encouraging them through you, because you perform your duties as ambassadors of Christ.
Above all, let your charity and zeal show how you love the Church. Your work is for the Church, which is the body of Christ. By your diligence show your love for those whom God has given you, just as Christ loved the Church.
Take care that your boys enter into the building up of this temple so that one day they may become worthy to stand, glorious and without spot or wrinkle, before the tribunal of Jesus Christ. See to it that the abundant grace God has given them may be shown in the years to come, as well as the grace given you to teach them and to bring them up to inherit the kingdom of God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen
