On the Spiritual Resurrection of the Children of God
If you be risen with Christ, mind the things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth. - Colossians 3
Let us represent to ourselves Jesus Christ, rising glorious from the Sepulchre.
O Divine Redeemer, give us strength to destroy completely all that may be in opposition to that perfect life to which we resolve to attain; reproduce in us Thy risen Life.
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ was real; there must be reality in ours also.
The Lord is risen indeed. Jesus Himself again assured His Disciples of the reality of His Resurrection when He appeared to them, and saw that they were afraid, believing that they saw a spirit. It is I, He said, fear not; see My Hands and Feet that it is I myself. It was to confirm the truth of this Mystery that He told them to touch His Sacred Body, that He ate and drank with them. Such should our spiritual resurrection also be, not merely an appearance, a phantom, but our whole being should rise with Christ, our inner life should be renewed, our own spirit should be changed into His spirit, our natural affections into holy affections, our defects into virtues - these changes being effected, our resurrection will be a reality. Such a signal favour we may and we ought to expect from the charity of our Saviour, since He has merited it for us by His victory over sin and hell; indeed, He offers it to us at this holy season, soliciting us to embrace that life of perfection to which He calls us. It is a matter of great importance that we should correspond to this grace by doing the works of Jesus, acting with Him and for Him.
The new Life of our Adorable Master was instantaneously perfected. There was nothing in it that death hereafter could touch. He could never again experience the trials and humiliations of poverty, of an obscure life, nor the shame and anguish of the Passion. It is one of the most dangerous errors into which we can fall, that of wishing to be only half converted, of thinking to rise in part only. We sometimes seem to imagine that we may still retain certain cherished inclinations, allow ourselves in certain favourite gratifications. No, the spiritual life cannot ally itself with any mere natural attachment, nor the love of God with any disorderly love of creatures, or of one's self. If God is to occupy our heart, He must find it disengaged from all that is opposed to His Will. To enjoy the heavenly delights which are granted to those whose hearts are free from all earthly affections, we must desire only one thing - that is God - and to be united to Him by a pure and ardent love. This is a faint outline of the risen life, for words cannot picture it. The Precious Mystery of the Resurrection - a consideration of it draws souls away from the service of God's foes, and frees them from the hindrances which prevent their rising towards God, and living the Life of Jesus. Do we not desire in all sincerity to be delivered from the servitude of corruption, into the liberty of the glory of the children of God?
How good You are, O my Heavenly Father, to have given me, in Your Divine Son, a perfect Model of the life to which You have called me. Thanks to the light afforded by the Mystery of His glorious Resurrection, thanks to my Risen Saviour, I sincerely desire to renew my life in Him, so that my spiritual resurrection may be real, entire, perfect.
Strive from this moment to put away absolutely that defect, which prevents the reality of my own spiritual resurrection.
The Lord is risen indeed.
- text from Growth in the Knowledge of Our Lord by Father de Brant, volume 2, 1882; it has the imprimatur of Cardinal Henry Edward Manning, Archbishop of Westminster, England