Extraordinary Purity of Heart

These wonderful thoughts about our Blessed Lady come from a monk, ascetic and writer of the Carthusian Order named, Ioannes Iustus Lanspergius. This is the Latinized name of John Gerecht of Landsberg. His name, however, most often appears simply as “Lanspergius.” He lived in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century. He was born in Bavaria, Germany. He joined the Carthusian Order at twenty years of age after studying philosophy at the University of Cologne. After spending ten years in Cologne he was made Prior of the Charterhouse of Cantave. Along with his duties as Prior, he gave himself completely to God in prayer, asceticism, mysticism and writing. In this post, Lanspergius plunges deeper into Sacred Scripture, most specifically the scene of the Annunciation. We can see the mind of a contemplative at work in how this is written.

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The good and gracious Creator became intolerant in seeing man fall into the abyss. Overcome by inexpressible mercy, He sent an angel, chosen among the most worthy, the archangel Gabriel – to a town in Galilee called Nazareth.

The angel came into the house which was inhabited by the parents of the future Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin, who had now returned from the temple, and was betrothed to Saint Joseph.

The angel then appeared to the Virgin. And what a Virgin! A Virgin in body and having the pure soul of an angel; a Virgin whose beauty is so bright, that the King of heaven, the Son of the Most High, would have her for His Mother, choosing her from the boundless crowd of humanity.

The angel came to greet the Virgin and bring a message from God – an unheard of message – no words of this kind had ever been brought to the earth until that day.

It is written that the angel came to her. But where did He enter? Mary had withdrawn to her father’s residence, sitting in her small bedroom, totally absorbed in entreating God to free humanity. She was immersed in divine contemplation and was completely suspended in God as her spirit remained closely united to Him constantly, due to the extraordinary purity of her heart. For as often as she wished, she could move towards the Almighty through contemplation.

And so, there she sat, earnestly beseeching the Lord to send into the land the Christ, the long-awaited Messiah. The angel enters into the room where Mary is devoted only to God, by herself, absorbed. Gabriel turns with the utmost respect towards her who is about to become the Mother of God, and greets her: Hail, full of grace.

Hail, full of grace. You are free from every stain, even the slightest shadow. You’re so perfectly beautiful and Immaculate that nothing in you has ever displeased God.

Grace has invaded you and you possess it completely. The Lord is with you, in you the Trinity dwells, and not in an ordinary manner, but in a special way. The Lord is pleased with you, He created you and enjoys dwelling in you always, enamored by your beauty. He has completely enveloped you, protecting you from the invasion of the enemy. The Lord is always with you, He strengthens you, surrounds you with His grace which will never abandon you.

Almighty God has prepared in you a worthy and adequate dwelling for His Son, Who wished to be born in your lap.

Blessed are you among women, among all creatures. The sweetness of God you have received with so many blessings that the Omnipotent Creator decreed to be your Son. The Immense One desired to be born like a child, thanks to you.

Blessed are you among women, you who enjoy the honor of virginity and are the Mother of the Almighty.

Unique among all women you have conceived without the stain of sin and without suffering. This conception made you even more pure and more holy.

You have favor with God. I know that your bewilderment and your fear are not from defects, but are the fragrant flowers of your virtues. With certainty you have found favor with God, appreciated and likened unto Him beyond measure.

Your eminent virtues, your continuous prayer, and the fire of your love has asked for and obtained His grace.

Blessed are you, Mary, for you have received not the grace of men, but of God.

A Virtuous Woman Has Been Found

Many changes occurred in the Roman Breviary during the 1900’s starting at 1911. The feast of the Immaculate Conception used to be celebrated with an Octave. This permission first began with Pope Clement IX when he granted this favor to France, and later that permission was extended to the universal Church by Pope Innocent XII, although not privileged - meaning that other feasts were also celebrated within those eight days. This lasted until changes were made in 1955. For that eight day period, in the early twentieth-century Roman Breviary, most of those days at the hour of Matins for the Second Nocturn contained extracts from Ineffabilis Deus, the Apostolic Constitution issued by Pope Pius IX in December of 1854 which declared that “in the first instance of her conception,” Mary “was preserved free from all stain of original sin.” In fact, also in that Apostolic Constitution, the Holy Father wrote: “Moreover, Our said Predecessors with great joy ordained that the Feast of the said Conception should be observed as of the same rank as that of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, and appointed that it should be kept with an Octave throughout the whole Church.” Well, those days may be gone but some interesting reflections were contained in the Breviary during those eight days at the hour of Matins in the Third Nocturn. Today would have been Day Three within the Octave and what was in the Roman Breviary is this Homily from Saint Bernard of Clairvaux.

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Rejoice, father Adam, and you even more mother Eve, you who are the source of all, and the ruin of all, and the unhappy cause of their ruin before you gave them birth. Be comforted both in your Daughter, and such a Daughter; but chiefly you, O woman, of whom the first evil came, and who has cast your slur upon all women. The time has come for the slur to be taken away, and for the man to have nothing to say against the woman. At first, when he unwisely began to make an excuse, he did not scruple to throw the blame upon her, saying: The woman whom You have given to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate. Wherefore, O Eve, betake yourself to Mother Mary, betake yourself to your Daughter; let the Daughter answer for the mother; let her take away her mother's reproach; let her make up to her father for her mother's fault for if man is fallen by means of a woman, it is by means of Woman that he is raised up again.

What did you say, O Adam? The woman whom You have given to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate. These are wrathful words, by which you would rather magnify than diminish your offence. Nevertheless, Wisdom has defeated your malice. God asked you that He might find in you an occasion of pardon, but, in that He did not find it, He has sought and found it in the Treasure of His own mercy. One woman answers for another; the wise for the foolish; the lowly for the proud; for her that gave to you from the tree of death, another that gives to you to taste from the tree of life; for her that brought you the bitter food of sin, another that gives you from the sweet fruits of righteousness. Wherefore accuse the woman no more, but speak in thanksgiving, and say: Lord, the Woman whom You have given to me, she has given to me from the tree of life, and I have eaten; and it is in my mouth sweeter than honey, for thereby You have quickened me. Behold, it was for this that the angel Gabriel was sent to the Virgin, to the most admirable of women, a Woman more wonderful than all women, the restorer of those that went before, and the one that quickens those that come after her.

Is it not of this your Daughter, O Adam, that God spoke of when He said to the serpent: I will put enmity between you and the Woman? And if you will still doubt that He speaks of Mary, hear what follows: She shall bruise your head. Who won this conquest but Mary? She brought to nothing all the wiles of Satan, whether for the pollution of her body or the injury of her soul. Was it not of her that Solomon spoke of when he said: Who shall find a virtuous Woman? He had read that God had promised that the enemy, who had prevailed by means of a woman, was by a Woman to be overthrown, and he believed. But he wondered greatly, and said: Who shall find a virtuous Woman? That is to say: If our salvation, and the bringing back of that which is lost, and the final triumph over the enemy, is in the hands of a Woman, it must be that a virtuous Woman has been found, prepared to work in that matter.

Free from All Shadow of Self

“Meek among mankind” is how our Blessed Lady is described in the praises of her evening Office. Everything that Mary is comes from God and reflects God as in a mirror. And like us, she is a creature which should make her example compelling to meditate upon and deeply immerse ourselves in. Meekness is the topic of this Carthusian monk's reflection and is most appropriate for the season of Advent as well as for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.

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Virgo singularis, inter omnes mitis (Virgin all excelling, meek among mankind) . . . It is thus that Mary is described in the hymn we say every day (Ave Maris Stella, Vespers of Our Lady), and it is concerning her meekness that I would meditate with you for a few moments.

The Gospel tells us that the meek shall inherit the earth; but it also reminds us that the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and that the violent shall bear it away (cf. Matthew 11:12). The paradox disappears when we realize that in this spiritual warfare we must be meek towards others, but violent in the unhesitating promptitude with which we answer the call of divine love. It is exactly the opposite of what the unspiritual man does. He is brutal towards others, but interiorly without any zeal for justice or passion for truth. The violence of the spiritual man is inseparable from his meekness, which is quickly lost if he does not know how to meet with a categorical refusal the lie which hides itself in all excuses or softness towards oneself. To dismiss all interior discussion with a Yes or No, that resoluteness which our Lord recommends to us, is the very first condition that must be fulfilled if the soul is to disentangle itself and be given the marvelous grace of meekness.

This virtue which distinguished our Blessed Lady among all women, cannot but be a most necessary virtue. Note first that Mary’s meekness is, as it were, a reflection of God’s. Mary is, indeed, a pure mirror, so free from all shadow of self, that the divine Essence finds its perfection fully reflected in her humility. That is why the Immaculate Virgin can be an object of contemplation, since her purity so mirrors that of God that we see Him, Who is Pure Act in her.

For meekness is a disposition truly divine. Violence proceeds from an authority conscious of its weakness. God has no need to break us in order to impose His will; His meekness is only another name for His all-powerfulness. Mary, on the other hand, is all-obedient, and it is in her total abandonment that she comes very close to God’s omnipotence. To abandon all pretensions to self-love without a struggle; to consent quietly to all that is asked of us: it is this that makes us resemble Mary, and allows us to partake of her graciousness and power. For God refuses us nothing – provided we abandon ourselves to Him with all our heart.

Meekness towards creatures is the result of patience and of respect for them. It has been said of meekness that it is the crown of the Christian virtues: indeed almost more than a virtue. It is, indeed, a unique grace, which penetrates one’s whole being, and influences one’s whole conduct; it even extends its influence to beings lower than man, to things inanimate. A meek person does even the simplest things in a different way from those who are not meek. Wisdom is meek; so too is understanding, since one must necessarily respect an object if one is to understand it. What is more, meekness implies sympathy; it wrests their secret from beings who would withdraw into themselves in face of impulsiveness as they would from violence. Meekness is both virginal and maternal; without it the approach to souls can never be deep or effective.

We have said that meekness is the fruit of patience and of respect – of patience above all. A soul will not be meek unless it is firmly resolved repeatedly to forgo its rights, and to suffer continuously, at times cruelly. On the other hand, it is true that meekness disarms our adversaries, and robs suffering of its venom. Our suffering, for the most part, comes from revolt, from a want of adaptability and abandonment.

It is true that we must do violence to ourselves if we would cease to be violent; but in a manner more general and profound, the respect and patience which, in imitation of Mary and even of God Himself, we must acquire in our relations with others, we have need of also towards ourselves. We need much patience with our own soul, to say nothing of the body. All the natural energy in the world will not enable us to change to any appreciable degree the character, unsatisfactory as it is in general, which our nature and upbringing have provided for us (cf. Matthew 6:27). But anyone who recognizes himself frankly for what he is, who by that fact alone is freed from the temptation to criticize others, and who in spite of his self-knowledge does not omit to renew his effort every day, keeping his eyes fixed on God, persevering for God’s sake alone and counting solely on His bounty – such a one, I say, does more than grow better; he leaves and abandons himself to God, to Whom such loving humility gives more glory than all success. Each one of us must respect his soul, remembering that it comes from God and belongs lovingly to Him; welcoming the action of the Holy Spirit in it, whatever form that action may take. The soul is so delicate that only God can handle it.

Let us, then, beg our Blessed Lady something of her meekness. It is she who shields us for God, and makes us chaste in the highest sense: that is to say, free from all resistance, awaiting the coming of our Spouse.

3rd Sunday of Advent - December 14, 2014

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First Reading Commentary

The prophet Isaiah here is speaking of himself and his mission of consolation in which he foretells a future glory for Zion; therefore, prophetically his words point to Christ, thus making Isaiah a figure of the Messiah.  Jesus is the fulfillment of these words and proclaims them in Saint Luke’s Gospel when He reads the prophet’s words in a synagogue (cf. Luke 4:16-21). 

“A year of favor” refers to the Jubilee year in which slaves were set free.  “A day of vindication” is the judgment that will come on those who oppressed God’s people; and so, the freedom of slaves and the judgment of oppressors represent Christ’s work of redemption. 

Isaiah expresses his joy over the prospect of salvation as if it has already been attained.  As a figure of Christ, Isaiah represents the community as wearing “a robe of salvation and wrapped in a mantle of justice” which is compared to the diadem of a bridegroom and the jewels of a bride.  The joy of salvation, then, is being compared to the joy of the wedding day.  God is faithful, therefore, salvation will come as surely “as the earth brings forth plants and a garden makes its growth spring up.”

  

Second Reading Commentary

It’s difficult to believe that Saint Paul would call for such a demanding Christian life: one of constant rejoicing, ceaseless prayer and refraining from evil unless Paul himself displayed these qualities.  Maintaining the standard of a good Christian life is very difficult in the world in which we live but cheerfulness is a characteristic of true virtue.  Authentic Christian joy is unshakeable and permanent.  Certainly we all experience sadness from time-to-time as it is a part of life; but Christians endure sadness, sorrow, and strife with Christian joy which means that in suffering trust is given to God’s care and promises. 

To “quench the Spirit” is to oppose the interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are His graces.  “Prophetic utterances” are the Holy Spirit’s exterior gifts.  To “test everything” means to be prudent and cautious so as not to be deceived. 

We may seek an intimate union with God but we have an enemy seeking to separate us from God.  Because of original sin we are not immune from deception.  Human beings can deceive and be deceived, but the Spirit of God can neither deceive us nor be deceived. 

  

Gospel Commentary

It might get a little confusing if we were all named “John” but aren’t each of us called to “testify to the Light?”  This is evangelization and the call of every Christian.  Saint John the Baptist is a perfect example of what our response should be to the greatness that God calls us to.  John was quick to point out that “he was not the Light.”  John would also say elsewhere that “He [Jesus] must increase but I must decrease” (John 3:30). 

It would be very easy for us to let our egos soar because of the wonders that God does through us.  Recognize, though, that this is the tempter saying: “Look at what you can do; you don’t need God.”  Ah, but the reality is: we can’t do it without God.  Jesus Himself assures of this when He said: “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). 

“The Jews from Jerusalem” were priests and Levites who most likely were sent and deputed by the Sanhedrin to ask of John the Baptist, who was held in great esteem, if he was their Messiah.  They knew by the predictions of the prophets that the Messiah was to come about that time.  John declared to them he was not.  To their next question, if he was not Elijah?  He answered, he was not because in person he was not, though our Savior (see Matthew 11:14) says he was Elijah, but in spirit and office only.  Their third question was, if he was a prophet?  He answered, no.  Yet Jesus (see Matthew 11:9) tells us, John was a prophet, and more than a prophet. 

In ordinary acceptation, prophets were called such because they foretold of things to come.  John then, with truth and humility, could say he was not a prophet because he was not sent to foretell the coming of the Messiah; but instead to point him out as already here and present among the people of God. 

When John the Baptist says, “There is one among you Whom you do not recognize,” he is not suggesting that Jesus was at the present time standing amongst them, but these words may be understood in two different ways.  In regard to His Divinity, Jesus was always by His Divine Presence among them; or in regard to His Humanity, He lived among their countrymen.  Once a year, however, Jesus was physically present among them because He was accustomed to go up to Jerusalem on the festival of the Passover.  Imagine what must’ve been going through the minds of John’s hearers.  Who would even be enthused at the thought of untying another man’s sandal strap?  And yet, what would go through your mind if you were told you’re not even worthy enough to untie this mysterious Man’s sandal strap?

The Holy Baptizer

Saint Gregory, Pope and Doctor of the Church gave a homily at the Basilica of Saint John the Baptist during Advent. This particular part extracted from it is about John the Baptist. It kind of prods us to examine who we are and what we do to prepare the way for Jesus: Am I a voice that precedes the Word or am I a voice which proudly attempts to overpower the Word? Do I try to make crooked paths straight? If I use my gifts well, do I take credit for them or am I prepared to proclaim that there is “One mightier than I?” Do I really try to get out of the way of myself and let Christ increase in my life? These and other questions are intimated for self-examination of conscience.

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John the Baptist, being asked who he was, replied saying: “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness,” who is called a “voice” by the prophet, because he preceded the Word. What the voice was to cry is made plain: “Prepare the way of the Lord and make straight His paths.” Everyone that preaches true faith and good works, what does he do but prepare the way of the Lord so that He may come into the hearts of hearers, and may make straight the path for God, forming right dispositions within them by the words of exhortations, so that this power of pardon may enter in there, and the light of truth shine there.

“Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low.” What is here meant by valleys unless the humble, and by the hills and mountains the proud? At the Coming of the Redeemer, therefore, the valleys shall be filled, the mountains and hills brought low, according to His Word: “Everyone that exalts himself shall be humbled, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.”

As water falls away from the mountain, so the words of truth forsake the mind of the proud. But springs well up in the vales because the minds of the humble accept the words of prophecy. We already behold, we already look upon the valleys abounding in corn, because the mouths of those who are mild and gentle and who seem to the world contemptible, are now filled with the food of truth.

Because they had seen that he was endowed with rare holiness, the people began to believe that John the Baptist was that high and solid mountain of which it had been written: “And it came to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the house of the Lord, shall be prepared in the top of the mountains.” For they began to think that he was the Christ, as the Gospel relates. But unless that same John was a valley in himself, he would not have been filled with the Holy Spirit; who, that he might show who he truly was, said: “There comes One mightier than I, the latchet of Whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.”

“He must increase but I must decrease.” Here we must ask in what manner Christ increased, and in what manner John decreased. In the minds of the people Christ increased, because He came to be acknowledged for that which He was; and John was decreased because he ceased to be thought that which he was not. John did not change, but remained steadfast in holiness, because he remained humble in his heart, while many in like circumstances have fallen away because in their vanity they had become blown up through some vain notion.

“The crooked ways shall be made straight and the rough ways plain.” Crooked ways become straight when the hearts of sinners, twisted by evil, conform to the way of righteousness. And rough ways are changed to smooth when cruel and wrathful men turn to the mildness of clemency, through the infusion of heavenly grace.

“And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” Since all flesh means every man, and in this life every man cannot see the salvation God, which is Christ, where then does the prophet in this sentence turn his prophetic vision unless towards the day of the last judgment? Then, with opened eyes, in the presence of the adoring angels, and of the apostles seated there, Christ will appear upon His Throne of Majesty, and all, the elect and the reprobate, shall behold Him; the elect that they may without end enjoy the possession of their reward, the reprobate to grieve forever in the torment of retribution.

O Virgin, Receive Our Last Breath

This reflection was written by the Carthusian, Dom Louis Rouvier. It really allows us to take a peak into some Carthusian gems concerning our Blessed Lady. There is some namedropping in this writing which gives us a rare opportunity to read about some Carthusians who have had personal experiences with our Blessed Mother. Unless we were in the Order, these are monks that otherwise we probably would never hear of. Most likely, Dom Louis Rouvier’s intention was that this was to be shared only with his own and other Carthusian Houses. But his thoughts here have found their way outside of monastery walls. There is one name, however, that is mentioned who has some accolades outside of the Order, and that is Dom Henry Kalkar. He was also a writer in the Carthusian Order and was the Prior of several Charterhouses in Germany. He died at 80 years of age in the year 1408 where he was serving as Prior of Cologne. Dom Louis Rouvier, in this writing, also shares some Carthusian prayer customs. The main theme of this reflection is death, and how a strong devotion to our Lady doesn’t come to full fruition until that most mysterious moment of transition from this life into eternity.

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“In me is all grace of the way, and of the truth; in me is hope of all life and virtue” (Ecclesiasticus 24:25). These words the Church puts on the lips of our Lady in her Office that we say every day. It is at death and only at death that devotion to Mary receives its final fruit. Thus it is particularly with this moment in view that we address to the Queen of Heaven our most ardent entreaties. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us . . . now . . . and at the hour of our death.

In our Carthusian liturgy, five times a day, in the hymn of her Office, the . . . religious repeat to the most powerful Protectress of the dying, the words:

Per tuum, Virgo Filium,
Per Partem, per Paracletum,
Adsis prœsens ab obitum,
Nostrum muni exitum.

O Virgin, by your Son,
By the Father, and the Holy Spirit
Receive our last breath
And protect us at our departure from this world.

What has been her response to a plea made to her name of all that is dearest to her heart?

In this prayer, so frequently renewed, is largely the secret of the interior peace which most always surrounds the death of a Carthusian. Often enough in the course of the ages, God has revealed by exterior signs the efficacy of this assiduous recourse to her who is called Consoler of the Afflicted (Litany of Our Lady).

First, there is the incident recorded in our annals of the professed monk of the Charterhouse of Vallis Christi in Spain, Dom Giles de Bidon, who had the happiness of leading two Moslems to the Christian faith. As he lay dying, a third follower of the Prophet, whom he had tried in vain to convert, entered his cell. The good monk earnestly recommended him to our Blessed Lady, who at that moment had appeared to him to announce his approaching death. Suddenly, touched by grace, the follower of the Prophet asked for baptism, and Dom Giles breathed his last breath in a rapture of gratitude for the supreme consolation granted him (Le Vasseur: Ephemerides, Volume II).

Dom James Saline of the Charterhouse of Porta Cœli, near Valencia, loved to address his Mother often with this greeting: Salve, Sancta Parens (Introit of the Mass of Our Lady). Now, three days before he died, it being a Wednesday, when the community had gathered around him to assist him with their prayer, he said: “Do not be anxious, dear Fathers, I shall not die until next Saturday when you are singing the Salve, Sancta Parens.” And so it came about. At the Introit of the conventual Mass, it being the Mass of Our Lady, as the first words of the Introit were being sung, the soul of the Father took flight (Le Vasseur: Ephemerides, Volume III).

Dom Cyril Abendaño, a monk of Vallis Christi, after receiving the Last Sacraments, was transported in spirit, as he himself related after coming out of his rapture, to the Spring called Ribas, which gushes forth at the foot of a mountain, at the summit of which is found a grotto where there is a statue of the Madonna. “Our Lady of the Grotto,” he said, “purify me in the fountain.” At that, he came to himself, filled, as he said, with heavenly consolations. And as he lay dying, he had the strength to sing the Salve Regina, and the prayer Sub tuum præsidium (We fly to thy protection, O holy Mother of God). His last prayer was: “O Maria, absque peccati originalis labe concepta . . . O Mary, conceived without sin.”

O most beloved Mother of the Carthusians, continue to grant to the sons of Saint Bruno your assistance at the hour when their eternity is at stake. Extend to all the Houses of the Order the favor which you declared to a novice of the Charterhouse of Montrieux. “I promise,” you told him, “the religious of this House that they will all enjoy in their last moments the perfect purity of conscience, and that they will fall asleep with tranquility and in peace” (Molin: Historia Cartusiana, Volume I). For all our brethren still suffering in exile, we address to you, O heavenly Mother, this prayer which you yourself taught to one of your most devout servants, Dom Henry Kalkar: “O Queen of virgins, surpassing Tabernacle of the august Trinity, Mirror of the angels, Ladder of saints, and sure Refuge of sinners – behold our distress, O loving Mother, and pray for us now and in the hour of our death. Amen” (Le Vasseur: Ephemerides, Volume IV).

Second Sunday of Advent - December 7, 2014

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First Reading Commentary

To sum up what the prophet Isaiah is sharing with his listeners here is to not be dejected because the Babylonian captivity has ended; and what will follow is the coming of the long awaited Messiah. 

An interesting note on translation: for the word “service” found in the second sentence of this Reading, the Latin Vulgate uses the word “malitia” which means “wickedness” referring to the evil Jerusalem has witnessed and experienced.  Other ancient copies translate as “warfare”.  What is likely the true meaning here is “servitude” as it applies to military service.  The New Vulgate uses the word “militia” which does indeed mean “military service”. 

In this Reading also are those familiar words of prophecy that we associate with John the Baptist.  The images like wasteland, highway, valley, mountain, hill, rugged land, plain, rough country and a broad valley seemingly desires to turn the readers of this passage towards thoughts of a new Exodus; and like the first Exodus from Egypt, this prophesied new Exodus is also accompanied by a manifestation of the glory of God. 

As this Reading closes, a literal crying out to the cities of Judah is called for because God has returned with the Jewish exiles.  Prophetically, this points to the Incarnation of Christ, and His mission as Chief Shepherd of the flock.  

Second Reading Commentary

This Reading exhorts us to be convinced of the truths revealed.  Someday each of us will carry our final cross to the hill of Calvary; and someday our Lord Jesus Christ will return in glory.  Regardless of how far away or close at hand that “someday” is, it is a mere speck of dust compared to eternity.  Time has no relevance in eternity which is why “that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day.”  To the devout Christian, however, this could bring with it a mixed bag of emotions.  On the one hand, as we strive to be all that God made us to be, that part of us is ready to shout from the highest mountaintops: “Veni, Domine Iesu!— Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).  On the other hand, quite in touch with our own human weaknesses, there is evil lurking which seeks our submission to temptation, and ultimately, the ruination of our souls; and since insecurity is a familiar human trait, that part of us can be quite content with our Lord’s “delay” until we can better prepare ourselves. 

It’s very difficult to be absolutely certain about our own salvation.  Even the spiritual greats like Saint Pio of Pietrelcina and Saint John Paul II were insecure about it.  Fortunately, God’s infinite mercy and His love for humanity is patient with us, not willing that any of us should perish, but that all of us would return to Him by a sincere repentance.  All things in the world shall pass in a short time; therefore, it is not prudent to devote a lifelong credence to any of those things.  Holiness is measured in our love for eternal things.  In this life, that translates into zeal for souls.  We eagerly “await new heavens and a new earth.”  May our Lord also find in that eagerness, unblemished souls.  

Gospel Commentary  

The word “Gospel” is a Saxon word which translates as “God’s spell” or “good spell,” that is, “God’s word” or “good speech.”  In modern terminology this all translates to mean the Good News of the coming of Jesus Christ and the glad tidings of salvation brought by Him. 

In the beginning of this Gospel, Saint Mark confirms the authority of the prophets, in this case, Isaiah.  Most likely he does this to convince his readers to willingly accept the story that is to follow since they too accepted the authority of the prophets. 

Saint John the Baptist is portrayed as a messenger possessing extraordinary sanctity; but what is meant by “he will prepare your way” is that John the Baptist has been chosen to prepare the minds and hearts of the people of God to receive their Messiah; and he prepares God’s people by his baptism, a call to repentance and by his powerful preaching. 

There have been other ideas bounced around over the centuries that portrayed John the Baptist as an angel because of what has been written by the prophet Malachi: “Behold, I send my angel, and he shall prepare the way before My Face” (Malachi 3:1). 

“A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths.’”  The prophet Isaiah spoke these words on behalf of the deliverance of the Jews from Babylonian captivity; but this was a figure of the eternal freedom of humanity that would come through Jesus Christ.  Most practitioners of the Law and the Prophets of that day expected that Elijah would return to prepare the way of the Messiah but it was John the Baptist who was raised up by God in the spirit and power of Elijah, to proclaim the coming of Jesus Christ. 

John’s baptism could not wash away sins.  He clearly professes this by saying that he baptizes “with water”; but the Messiah will baptize “with the Holy Spirit.”  John also needed to clear up any misconceptions about himself because many thought he was the Messiah.  Without a baptism of the Holy Spirit, the remission of sins is not possible.  John’s baptism is for repentance; that is, the baptized formally profess a desire to change their sinful ways.  This would also require a rebuilding, so to speak, of the interior life.  John, perhaps tactically, proclaimed the awaited Messiah as One Who was mightier than him.  He doesn’t outright say that the Messiah is the Son of God, although by prophesying a baptism by the Holy Spirit, he did at least intimate it.  Hinting at it may have been by design because the people’s hearts possibly were not fully prepared to have that bombshell dropped on them. 

The Messiah’s form of baptism compared to that of John’s, who was not among the chosen Twelve and thus not an ordained priest of Christ, confirms that only God can bestow upon us the grace of the Holy Spirit.