meditation of the day

Living for the Kingdom without Rain or Winds

Because the just have the reward of seeing the face of God and the light that enlightens every man, let us clothe ourselves in zeal that our soul may draw near to God, that our prayer may draw near to him, that we may cleave to him in desire and may not be separated from him. And taking this stand, let us be united to God by meditating and reading and searching, and let us come to know him according to our ability. For only in part have we come to know him here, because here all things are imperfect, but there all are perfect; here we are slight, but there we are strong. We see now through a mirror in an obscure manner, but then face to face. Then we will be allowed to look upon the glory of God, and his face will be revealed….

Let us not dread the end that is due to all…. Let us go on without fear to Jesus our Redeemer, and without fear let us advance to the council of the patriarchs and our father Abraham, when the day comes, and let us go on without fear to the assembly of the saints and the congregation of the just. For we will go to our fathers, we will go to our instructors in the faith; even though our works are deficient, our faith will come to our aid and our inheritance will be maintained. We will go to where holy Abraham opens his bosom to receive the poor, as he also received Lazarus (Lk 16:22); in his bosom those who have endured bitter hardships in this world find rest…. We will go there, where there is a paradise of delight, where Adam, who fell among thieves, cannot now weep for his wounds, where the robber as well rejoices in the fellowship of the heavenly kingdom, where there are no clouds, no thunderstorms, no lightning flashes, no windstorm nor darkness nor evening nor summer nor winter, nor changing course of seasons, no cold, no hail, no rains, no need of sun or moon or mass of stars, but only the brightness of God will shine. For the Lord will be the light of all, and the true light that enlightens every man will shine for all.

Saint Ambrose

Saint Ambrose († 397), known as the Pastoral Doctor, was a model bishop and an eloquent preacher. He was instrumental in the conversion of Saint Augustine. / From Saint Ambrose: Seven Exegetical Works, The Fathers of the Church, A New Translation, Volume 65, Michael P. McHugh, Tr. Copyright © 1972, The Catholic University of America Press, Washington, D.C. Used with permission.