Wednesday 16 December 2020
Wednesday of the 3rd week of Advent
Spiritual Reading
Your Second Reading from the Office of Readings:
Wednesday of the 3rd week of Advent
From the treatise "Against the Heresies" by St Irenaeus
At Christ's coming, God will be visible to man
There is one God, who by the Word and Wisdom created and arranged all things.
But God’s Word is our Lord Jesus Christ, who in these last times was made a man among men, that he might join the end to the beginning: that is, join man to God.
For this reason the prophets, who received the prophetic gift from the same Word, preached his coming in the flesh, by which God and man would be blended and united according to the will of the Father. The Word of God foretold from the beginning that God would be seen by men and live on earth among them, and speak with them; that he should come to the help of what he had created and save it. He would be seen by his creation and would free us from the hands of all that hate us – that is, save it from every spirit of wickedness. He would lead us to serve him in holiness and righteousness through all our days so that man, having embraced the Spirit of God, might pass into the glory of the Father.
The prophets foretold, therefore, that God would be seen by men; as indeed the Lord himself confirmed: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
But at the same time God is great and unspeakably glorious, so that no man shall see God and live, for God can never be completely understood. But God is loving and kind and omnipotent, and so he gives the sight of God, the greatest gift of all, to those who love him. Even this was foretold by the prophets: For those things that are impossible with men, are possible with God.
For man does not see God by his own powers; but God is seen by men when it pleases him that this should be so. He decides by whom he should be seen, and when, and how for God is powerful in all things. He was seen in the past prophetically, through the Spirit, and now as it were by adoption, through the Son; and in the kingdom of heaven he will be seen as a true father. The Spirit prepares mankind for the Son of God, the Son leads it to God, and God gives it the gift of incorruptible eternal life, a life that everyone receives who sees God.
Just as those who see light are within the light and share in its splendour, so those who see God are in God and share his splendour also. But God’s splendour gives life: and so those who see God receive life.
________
In other parts of the world and other calendars:
Blessed Mary of the Angels, Virgin
From 'The Way of Perfection' by St Teresa of Jesus
True love for God cannot be hidden
Those who truly love God love every good, desire every good, favour every good, praise every good. They always join, favour, and defend good people. They have no love for anything but truth, and whatever is worthy of love. Do you think it is possible for a person who really loves God to love vanities? No, indeed, he cannot, nor can he love riches, or worldly things, or delights, or honours, or strife, or envy. All of this is so because he seeks only to please the Beloved. These persons go about dying so that their Beloved might love them, and thus they dedicate their lives to learning how they might please him more. Hide itself? Oh, with regard to the love of God — if it is genuine love — this is impossible. If you don’t think so, look at Saint Paul or the Magdalene. Within three days the one began to realise that he was sick with love; that was Saint Paul. The Magdalene knew from the first day; and how well she knew! Love has this characteristic: it can be greater or lesser in degree. Thus, the love makes itself known according to its intensity. When slight, it shows itself but slightly; when strong, it shows itself strongly. But where there is love of God, whether little or great, it is always recognised.
And could one conceal a love that is so strong and just that it always increases and sees no reason to stop since its foundation is made from the cement of being repaid by another love? This other love can no longer be doubted, since it was shown so openly and with so many sufferings and trials, and with the shedding of blood, even to the point of death, in order that we might have no doubt about it.
May it please His Majesty to give us his love before he takes us out of this life, for it will be a great thing at the hour of death to see that we are going to be judged by the One whom we have loved above all things. We shall be able to proceed securely with the judgment concerning our debts. It will not be like going to a foreign country, but like going to our own, because it is the country of one whom we love so much and who loves us.
Copyright © 1996-2020 Universalis Publishing Limited: see www.universalis.com. Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible are published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc, and used by permission of the publishers. Text of the Psalms: Copyright © 1963, The Grail (England). Used with permission of A.P. Watt Ltd. All rights reserved.