De bona societate cum Iesu et sanctis eius
The Blessedness of Seeking Jesus
The soul finds true life and comfort by seeking Jesus and his faithful followers in spirit and truth.
Seek God, and your soul will live. Nothing is better; nothing is happier for the soul. Whoever seeks anything else will gain nothing in the end. If, therefore, you want a good companion for comfort, seek Jesus with the shepherds in the manger, or more closely with the saints in his mother's embrace, or with Simeon and Anna in the temple; or with Martha in the village, or with Mary Magdalene at the tomb, or with the apostles in the upper room to receive the Holy Spirit with great joy. Blessed is the one who seeks Jesus devoutly in these and other holy places, not in body, but in spirit and in truth. Blessed is the one who seeks Jesus intimately in every place and at every time, who longs with great desire for his clear vision and presence, and who prepares himself daily. Blessed is the one who follows Jesus in his life through his passion and cross, because in the end it will be well with him with Jesus, and he won't fear when he hears of evil. Don't seek only Jesus, but also the disciples of Jesus and all who love Jesus, and those who patiently bear adversity for the sake of Jesus.
Retreating into Holy Company
To grow in devotion, one must withdraw from worldly distractions to commune with the Virgin Mary and the saints in the secret place of the heart.
For the love of Jesus and his friends rejects the world, and pushes every vain and impure thing far away. Leave behind, then, those friends, acquaintances, and companions who can hinder you in your solitude and devotion; instead, seek for your own unique comfort the intimacy of the holy apostles and the relatives of Jesus in the secret place of your cell, so that they may speak to you of the kingdom of God and the state of eternal blessedness, and how you might reach their company through many tribulations. But approach all the holy men and women, the citizens of the heavenly court, and go to the secret tabernacle and oratory of the blessed Virgin Mary, removed from the crowds of the world, and seek there the comfort of your soul by persisting in prayer. Listen to how the angel of the Lord speaks with Mary about the incarnation of Christ and the redemption of the human race. What a happy day and blessed hour it is if you can linger there with the angel Gabriel and the blessed Virgin Mary, hearing the heavenly mysteries from them. Believe most firmly that everything announced to Mary through the angel is true, just as Mary believed God and his angel who was sent to her from heaven. Then, diligently seek out holy John the Baptist, the forerunner of our Lord Jesus Christ, hiding in the desert, and with bent knees, greet him with most devout supplication. Hail, most holy and most beloved friend of Jesus Christ, John.
Learning from the Forerunner
By meditating on the life of John the Baptist and the early apostles, the soul learns the discipline of solitude and prayer.
I have heard many good and great wonders about you: how holy and miraculous your birth was; how strictly and religiously you lived in solitude from childhood, so that you would not sin even by a light word or thought. Ask him how long he remained there alone, and stay with him as long as you like and as time allows. Learn from him what he ate and drank, and who provided his necessities; whether his father and mother sent him anything and sometimes came to see him, or whether he went out to see them; whether the holy angel Gabriel sometimes came down to him and revealed many secrets to him; and whether Jesus appeared to him personally and comforted his hands, just as it is written in the Gospel. For the hand of the Lord was with him. Commit everything regarding these matters entirely to the Holy Spirit, who filled, taught, and guided him; who adorned his whole life with virtues; who protected him until the end of his life in the desert, among people, and even in chains and in prison; and who finally received his soul with the palm of martyrdom. Then proceed to the apostles of Christ and seek out Saint Peter, and go with him into the temple to pray, or even ascend into the upper room to receive the Holy Spirit. Seek out Paul also in Damascus and in Ephesus, and go with him everywhere to preach the Gospel of Christ, not in the body, but in the spirit. See how he labors more than all, and how often he prays; and how frequently he is caught up in prayer and contemplation through an ecstasy into heaven.
Walking the Path of the Cross
Following the apostles requires embracing humility and the passion of Christ as the surest path to heaven.
This lofty flight isn't given to everyone, yet descending to the lowest things, he says: “I don't consider that I've attained it.” And again, after those high things, he speaks to instruct the humble in the life and passion of Christ. “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” Follow Saint Paul, and he'll lead you by a straight path to Christ, and through the cross to heaven. Go further and seek out the apostle Andrew in the regions of Achaia as he preaches Christ, and listen to the words of one hanging on a cross for the name of Christ. Mark these things in your heart, and strive to fulfill with joy—as the Holy Spirit inspires and helps you—whatever he says about the passion of Christ and the praises of the holy cross. Seek out next Saint James the Greater, who suffered and was killed by Herod, and drink with him the cup of the passion of this miserable life, patiently enduring sorrows for the love of God and the salvation of your soul.
The Wisdom of the Apostles
Studying the writings and lives of the apostles serves to humble the heart and instruct the soul in religious discipline.
Then move on to John the Apostle, the one Christ loved, who was exiled for the name of Jesus and set apart from all worldly cares and business. There, enlightened more deeply by divine revelation, he wrote the Book of Revelation about the state of the whole Church—both militant and triumphant—using figures and mystical words. After this, he also published the holy Gospel concerning the divinity of Christ as the last of the evangelists, for the instruction and consolation of all churches and believers. Read and study these and other books of Holy Scripture according to your capacity and for the consolation of your exile in this world, not so that you may appear learned and wise, but so that you may become meek and patient, humble and obedient even to death. Seek out still other holy apostles who were occupied in the service of Christ for your consolation, who were killed for the faith and love of Christ, and who built up many through their word and example. Look at holy James, the brother of the Lord, writing his canonical Epistle, which contains a pattern for the Christian life and the perfection of religious discipline. Seek out also holy Thomas in India, who reverently touched the wounds of Christ and believed firmly, and with fervent love cried out openly, saying: My Lord and my God. Seek also with great longing the holy and learned apostle, Matthew the Evangelist, who wrote the Gospel of Christ in Hebrew characters, destined for the salvation of the whole world, for all nations, peoples, and various languages. In a similar way and with the same affection, seek out other holy apostles and disciples of Jesus Christ who held fast to the word of life in their own places, teaching the people and laboring in the vineyard of the Lord even unto death.
Comfort in the Communion of Saints
Reflecting on the martyrdom and endurance of the saints provides perspective and comfort for our own daily struggles.
These are the saints and friends of God who earned eternal life by shedding their blood and receiving the crown of martyrdom. Read about their lives and sufferings with a willing heart, and you'll find comfort in your own labors and sorrows; for compared to the saints and other devout souls, whatever you do and endure for Christ in the service of God is nothing.
Read the original Latin
Quaerite Deum et vivet anima vestra. Nihil melius: nil animae felicius. Qui aliud quaerit: nihil in fine optinebit. Si ergo vis habere bonum socium pro solacio: quaere Iesum cum pastoribus in praesepio; aut cum sanctis magis in matris gremio aut cum Simeone et Anna in templo; aut cum Martha in castello: aut scum Maria Magdalena in sepulchro; aut cum apostolis in cenaculo: ad accipiendum Spiritum sanctum cum magno gaudio. Beatus qui in his et ‘aliis sanctis locis Iesum devote quaerit, non corpore: sed spiritu et veritate. Beatus qui in omni loco et omni tempore Iesum intime quaerit; et magnis desideriis ad eius claram visionem et praesentiam anhelat: et cotidie se praeparat. Beatus qui Iesum in vita sua per passionem et crucem sequitur; quia in extremis bene sibi cum Iesu erit: et ab auditione mala non timebit. Non solum Iesum quaere; sed etiam discipulos Iesu et omnes diligentes Iesum: et qui patienter ferunt adversa propter Iesum.
Amor namque Iesu et amicorum eius mundum spernit: et omne vanum et impurum longe a se repellit. Relinque ergo amicos et notos ac sodales extraneos qui in solitudine et devotione te impedire possunt; et quaere pro singulari solacio tuo in secretario cellae familiaritatem cum sanctis apostolis et cognatis Iesu ut loquantur tibi de regno Dei et statu aeternae beatitudinis: et quomodo per multas tribulationes possis ad eorum Societatem pervenire. Accede autem ante omnes sanctos et sanctas caelestis curiae cives ad secretum tabernaculum atque oratorium beatae Mariae virginis a saeculi turbis remotum: et quaere ibi solacium animae tuae precibus insistendo. Audi quomodo angelus Domini cum Maria loquitur de incarnatione Christi, et redemptione generis humani. Felix dies et beata hora: si poteris ibi facere moram cum angelo Gabriele et beata virgine Maria audiendo sab eis mysteria caelestia. Crede firmissime omnia esse vera per angelum Mariae nuntiata: sicut Maria credidit Deo et angelo eius sibi misso de caelo. Deinde quaere diligenter sanctum Iohannem Bapotistam praecursorem Domini nostri Iesu Christi in eremo latentem: et flexis genibus saluta eum devotissime supplicando. Ave sanctissime et dilectissime amice Iesu Christi Iohannes.
Multa bona et magna mirabilia audivi de te: quam sancte et miraculose sis natus; quam stricte et religiose fuisti a puero in solitudine conversatus: ne levi saltem famine aut cogitatione peccares. Quaere ab eo quamdiu ibidem solus manserit: et maneas cum eo quantum placet et tempus permiserit. Disce ab eo quid comederit et biberit: et quis ei necessaria ministraverit; utrum pater eius et mater aliqua sibi miserint et quandoque ad eum venerint, vel ipse ad eos videndos exierit: an etiam sanctus angelus Gabriel ad eum quandoque descenderit et multa secreta ei revelaverit; et an Iesus ei personaliter apparuerit et manus eius confortaverit: sicut scriptum est in Evangelio. Etenim manus Domini erat cum eo. Quicquid de istis sit totaliter Spiritui sancto committe; qui ipsum implevit docuit et rexit: et totam vitam eius virtutibus ornavit; et usque ad exitum vitae in eremo et inter homines ets in vinculis et in carcere custodivit: et tandem cum martyrii palma animam eius suscepit. Deinde ad apostolos Christi procede, et quaere sanctum Petrum, et vade cum eo in templum ad orandum vel etiam in cenaculum ascende ad accipiendum Spiritum sanctum. Quaere etiam Paulum in Damasco et in Epheso: et perge cum eo ubique ad praedicandum evangelium Christi non in corpore, sed in spiritu. Ecce quomodo plus omnibus laborat, et quam saepe orat: et quam frequenter in orando et contemplando rapitur per excessum in caelum.
Sublimis volatus iste non omnibus datus: et tamen ad ima descendens dicit. Ego non arbitror me comprehendisse. Et iterum post alta ad instruendum humiles in vita et in passione Christi ait. Nihil arbitratus sum meos scire inter vos: nisi Iesum Christum et hunc crucifixum. Sequere sanctum Paulum: et ducet te recta via ad Christum et per crucem ad caelum. Vade ulterius et quaere Andream apostolum in Achaiae partibus praedicantem Christum: et audi verba pendentis in cruce pro Christi nomine. Signa ea in corde tuo, et stude implere cum gaudio inspirante et iuvante Spiritu sancto: quaescumque loquitur de passione Christi et sanctae crucis laudibus. Quaere consequenter sanctum Iacobum maiorem passum et occisum ab Herode: et bibe cum eo calicem passionis huius miserabilis vitae, patienter tolerando dolores pro amore Dei et animae tuae salute.
Deinde procede et quaere Iohannem apostolum Christo dilectum, et pro nomine Iesu in exilio religatum, ab omnibus saecularibus curis et negotiis segregatum; ubi divina revelatione altius illustratus, Apocalypsis librum de statu totius ecclesiae militantis et triumphantis figuris et mysticis verbis scripsit: et post haec etiam pro omnium ecclesiarum et fidelium eruditione et consolatione sanctum Evangelium de divinitate Christi ultimus edidit. Lege et stude in istis et aliis sacrae scripturae libris pro captu tuo et consolatione exilii tui in hoc mundo; non ut doctus et sapiens videaris: sed mitis et patiens, humilis et oboediens usque ad mortem efficiaris. Quaere adhuc alios sanctos apostolos pro consolatione tua in Christi servitio occupatos; pro fide et amore Christi occisos: verbo et exemplo multos aedificantes. Vide sanctum lacobum fratrem Domini Epistulam canonicam scribentem: formam christianae vitae et religionis perfectionem continentem. Quaere et sanctum Thomam in India, qui vulnera Christi reverenter palpavit, firmiter credidit: et cum ferventi amore aperte clamavit dicens. Dominus meus et Deus meus. Quaere etiam cum magno desiderio sanctum et eruditum apostolum scilicet Matthaeum evangelistam scribentem Hebraicis litteris Christi Evangelium toti mundo profuturum: omnibus nationibus populis et linguis variis ad salutem destinatum. Simili modo et affectu quaere alios sanctos apostolos et discipulos Iesu Christi in locis suis verbum vitae retinentes, et populum docentes: et usque ad mortem in vinea Domini laborantes.
Isti sunt sancti et amici Dei qui sanguine fuso cum corona martyrii meruerunt vitam aeternam. Lege ergo libenter vitam et passiones eorum: et consolaberis in laboribus et doloribus tuis; quia nihil est quod tu facis et pateris pro Christo in servitio Dei: comparatione sanctorum et aliorum devotorum.
The Little Garden of Roses & The Valley of Lilies companion
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