If one could compare the life of a Christian with a sacrifice, then humility digs the foundation for the altar; the prayer brings the uncut stones and stacks them on top of each other; the penance filled with water the
ditch around the altar; obedience orders the wood; faith argues with Jehovah-jireh, and places the victim on the altar; but the sacrifice
It is incomplete at that moment, then, where is the fire? Love,
only love can consummate the sacrifice by providing from heaven the
fire needed. Regardless of what we need in our
mercy, just as it is indispensable that we have faith in Christ, so it is absolutely essential that we love Christ. The heart
who is devoid of a sincere love for Jesus, is dead in his
crimes and sins still. And if someone ventured to claim that he has
Faith in Christ, but will not love you, we would immediately venture to affirm with certainty that your religion is vain.
Perhaps the great lack of the religion of our times is love.
Sometimes I consider the world in general, and the church that is too committed in its bosom, and I tend to think that the church has
light, but lacks fire; that has a certain degree of true faith, a
clear knowledge, and many other things that are precious, but that
lacks, to a large extent, that ardent love with which he once walked
with Christ through the fire of martyrdom, like a virgin caste; when
I showed him, in the catacombs of the city and from the caverns of the
rock, his pure and inextinguishable love; when the snows of the Alps could testify about the virginal purity of the saints' love, for the
purple stain that marked the shedding of his blood in defense of our bleeding Lord, blood that was shed in defense of
The one whom they "incessantly worshiped," even though they had not seen His
face.
My pleasant task today is to motivate the knowledgeable minds of
the truth, so that, as part of the Church of Christ, somehow
feel today love to Him in your hearts, and you can address Him, not only according to the expression, "oh you in whom my soul trusts," but, "oh you to whom
love my soul. "Last Sunday, if you remember, we talked about the
simple faith, and we try to preach the Gospel to the ungodly; at this time,
we will dedicate ourselves to speak of the flame of pure love, born of the Spirit,
similar to God.
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