Commentary of the day :
Saint Bernard (1091-1153), Cistercian monk and Doctor of the Church
Various sermons, no. 22, 5-6
You owe your entire life to Christ Jesus, since he gave his life for yours and he bore bitter torments so that you might not bear eternal torments… What would not seem sweet to you, when you have gathered together all your Lord’s bitterness in your heart? … As the heavens are high above the earth (Isa 55:9), so his life is high above our life, and yet it was given for our life. Just as nothingness cannot be compared with anything else, so our life is in no proportion to his…
When I will have consecrated to him all that I am, all that I can, it will be like a star compared to the sun, a drop of water compared to a river, a stone compared to a tower, a grain of sand compared to a mountain. I have nothing except two small, even very tiny things: my body and my soul, or rather one single small thing: my will. And I wouldn’t give it to him who came first with so much kindness? I who am such a small being to him who redeemed me entirely by giving himself entirely? Ot herwise, if I keep my will for myself, with what face, what eyes, what mind, what conscience would I go to find refuge in our God’s heart of mercy? Would I dare to break through the very strong rampart that guards Israel and cause not just a few drops but the whole tide of that blood to flow, that comes forth from the five parts of his body to pay for my redemption?
First Reading: Jeremiah 20,10-13
Psalms: Psalms 18,2-7
Gospel: John 10,31-42
Commentary courtesy of DailyGospel.org, for Friday, April 7, 2006. Readings are from the Catholic liturgical calendar, links via the New American Bible online via the USCCB.
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