St.
Anthony Mary Claret was a Spaniard who was ordained in 1835. He tried to join
the Carthusian
order but was rejected because of poor health. He then entered
the Jesuit novitiate but had to leave when his health broke down again. While these doors closed, God opened another. He recovered his health sufficiently to
become a missionary and the Archbishop of Cuba.
In time he was called back to the royal court of Spain to be the
spiritual director for Queen Isabella II. Regarding this apostolate he wrote: “Living
at court and being constantly in the palace is a continuous martyrdom for
me. Every day at prayer I have to make
acts of resignation to God’s will. Day
and night and always I have to offer up the sacrifice of staying in Madrid.”
He
wrote a book entitled The Golden Key to
Heaven in which he reflected upon the Spiritual
Exercises of St. Ignatius, founder of the Jesuits. The following excerpt from
a section entitled “Love for Neighbor” is good preparation for this Sunday’s
Gospel (Matthew 22: 34-40) in which
Jesus teaches about the greatest commandment.
Composition of Place: Imagine you see Jesus Christ in the company of His Apostles and disciples and saying to them: “Love one another as I have loved you… By this shall all know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another” (John 13: 34, 35). “As long as you did it to one of these…brethren, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25: 40). …
You should know that God is Love itself; God is Charity. This virtue is the greatest of virtues. It is greater than faith and hope. It is like the sun among the stars, like gold among the metals. It gives life to all the virtues. Without it no act has value for reaching Heaven—no, not even the most heroic works. …If one truly loves God, that is proof that there is love for neighbor, and the love one has for his neighbor discloses the love one has for God. He who says he loves God and does not love his neighbor, does not tell the truth, because it is impossible to love one whom we do not see, who is God, if we do not love one whom we can see, namely, our neighbor. …
Charity is an all-extensive virtue which embraces everyone; fellow-countrymen and foreigner, friends and enemies. It extends to everyone, embraces all, and does good to all. Therefore people who limit their love to those of their own area or those of their own nation, to those of their own sentiments, or to their friends or relatives, and are not careful to love the rest—such people do not have true charity.
Composition of Place: Imagine you see Jesus Christ in the company of His Apostles and disciples and saying to them: “Love one another as I have loved you… By this shall all know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another” (John 13: 34, 35). “As long as you did it to one of these…brethren, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25: 40). …
You should know that God is Love itself; God is Charity. This virtue is the greatest of virtues. It is greater than faith and hope. It is like the sun among the stars, like gold among the metals. It gives life to all the virtues. Without it no act has value for reaching Heaven—no, not even the most heroic works. …If one truly loves God, that is proof that there is love for neighbor, and the love one has for his neighbor discloses the love one has for God. He who says he loves God and does not love his neighbor, does not tell the truth, because it is impossible to love one whom we do not see, who is God, if we do not love one whom we can see, namely, our neighbor. …
Charity is an all-extensive virtue which embraces everyone; fellow-countrymen and foreigner, friends and enemies. It extends to everyone, embraces all, and does good to all. Therefore people who limit their love to those of their own area or those of their own nation, to those of their own sentiments, or to their friends or relatives, and are not careful to love the rest—such people do not have true charity.
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