If we receive from infinite love, then we are to bear fruit in that sharing that love with our neighbor. Even more, we are to increase in that love each week, in its depth and intensity. For the reception of Holy Communion is only the beginning of living and remaining in His love.
By Fr. Thaddaeus Lancton, MIC
A gaze of the heart. Examining the depth of one’s heart.
There is no one way to translate the Latin title Inspectio Cordis, given to the collection of meditations for Sundays by the Founder of the Marians, St. Stanislaus Papczyński (1631-1701).
These meditations, published weekly on Fridays in preparation for the Sunday Mass, follow the style and purpose of our holy Father Founder. While his original text is worth reading, his examples and style can feel outdated to the modern reader. As his spiritual son, I will attempt my best to imitate his style and imitate his ministry of preaching to hearts.
The goal is to allow Jesus to gaze into your heart and teach you self-examination, leading you to a more fruitful reception of Holy Communion, where there is a true encounter of our hearts with His Sacred Heart – especially fitting during this period of National Eucharistic Revival.
Fifth Sunday of Easter – Cycle B
April 28, 2024
This Sunday’s Inspectio Cordis meditation uses the original meditations – in the quotation marks – from St. Stanislaus Papczyński.
Before Holy Communion
1. “I am the true vine.”
“He declares [Himself] to be the true vine, and for this reason, He invites you gently and sweetly to approach Him. Hasten, therefore, to drink from the fruit of this Vine not only for pleasure, but also for quenching your thirst.”
Far from being an obligation, attendance at Mass is our response to His personal invitation to drink of this Vine and so quench the thirsts of our hearts. Jesus complained to St. Faustina that many seek far and wide for what would satisfy them.
Saint Stanislaus enjoined on the Marians to abstain from strong alcoholic drink to honor Christ’s thirst for us upon the Cross. Perhaps, we, too, can forgo some kind of alcohol for a time, to remember that Christ offers the true Wine, His Blood, which gives the sober intoxication of His Spirit by filling us with His infinite love in Holy Communion.
How could you imagine Jesus personally inviting you to partake of the Eucharist? How can you forgo alcohol – or some other drink – to prepare for the true drink of His Blood?
2. “He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit.”
“Take note and strive to make your frequent Communions as fruitful as possible, for you have heard with what undoing Christ the Lord threatens the branch that does not bear fruit in Him. If the householders have a good reason for reproaching the lazy and inept servants for eating their bread in vain while doing no work at all; then, if there is no fruit from your Communion, would not Jesus be right to blame you for consuming the angelic bread to no avail? Ah! Be on your guard, lest what happened to those branches also happen to you, for they were expected to bring forth grapes, and yet produced the wild grapes (cf. Is 5:2, 4).”
How necessary this reminder is, when the reception of Holy Communion can become rote, and we return to life with little fruit from Mass. St. Francis de Sales warns those who pray to always have a firm, concrete resolution, as a way of putting into practice the grace they have received.
If we receive from infinite love, then we are to bear fruit in that sharing that love with our neighbor. Even more, we are to increase in that love each week, in its depth and intensity. For the reception of Holy Communion is only the beginning of living and remaining in His love.
How can you recognize the fruitfulness of your Holy Communion? What resolution does the Spirit inspire within you, to share Christ’s love with others?
3. “Every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.”
“Reflect, how pleasing to Him are the branches that bring forth fruit; how worthy of love are those servants who work in the vineyard of the Lord. How acceptable to God are those … who cooperate for the salvation of souls to such an extent that, even though through frailty they brought on themselves some stains of imperfection because of dealings with the imperfect for the sake of their salvation, He purges them so that they ‘may bear more fruit.’ Oh, if you could be one of these who does their best for the Lord in order to show themselves to be fruitful branches!”
Pruning is inevitable, for even when we attempt our best, our work is marred by our imperfections. How often, though, we can be quick to be hurt by a comment that offers advice on how to do something better, or that points out an error we did not see. Just as we are to love and labor for the salvation of others – beginning in our own family – we also must accept that others love us and labor for our salvation.
Above all, Jesus loves us and so prunes us that we might bear more fruit, for our salvation and others’.
How do you experience pruning – from the Lord and from others? How can you humble yourself, so that you can bear even more fruit?
After Holy Communion
1. “You are already pruned.”
“Would you who let the whole Christ into your heart still be unclean [unpruned]? For if the word of the Lord is so effective that it cleans the hearers, how much better can the same Lord clean those who receive Him! He who touches the tar is smeared by it; on the contrary, he who touches the Immaculate Lamb, who consumes the cleanest Bread, will be completely cleansed. Do not create obstacles in this matter, I say: when the Lord wants to clean you, do not get more filth on yourself, do not let vain and worldly things affect you, and do not devote your heart to them.”
This pruning process is not always painful; sometimes, it is a surrender of the heart to His love, which cleanses us and makes us immaculate. Indeed, like the promise for Divine Mercy Sunday, Jesus desires to cleanse us entirely of all sin and its effects in each Holy Communion, if we trust that He only must “say the word” and our “soul shall be healed” when we receive Him. But we must beware of obstacles, as St. Stanislaus warns, and not devote the affection of our hearts to what needs to be pruned.
How can you trust in the Immaculate Lamb more, so that He can prune and cleanse you entirely? What obstacles of your heart stand in the way of such trust?
2. “Remain in me, as I remain in you.”
“Sometimes you unjustifiably complain or grumblingly accept that the Lord abandons you and withdraws His presence from you, while it is you who abandon Him and cause your solitude. Abide in God, and God will abide in you. Do not depart from His Heart, and He will not depart from yours. Fix your mind on Him, and He will fix His eyes on you, also. Without reason you grumble that He does not dwell with you, while you do not want to dwell with Him. You gave up the abode of your heart to vanities, and you desire that Christ abide with you? If you say: ‘Abide with me,’ say at the same time: ‘and I will be with [Y]ou always.’ Oh, if only today you would abide spiritually with Him, while He abides bodily with you!”
Christ desires always to abide in our hearts beyond Holy Communion, but we must provide Him space, time and attention. Otherwise, we find ourselves focused on and worried about many matters, like Martha. But, like a good host, we also must be Mary, and be with Jesus, who wants always to be with us.
How can you be not only Martha but also Mary this week, to abide in His presence? How can a lack of His presence alert you to draw near to Him?
3. “Without me you can do nothing.”
“Cast away the idea that you are somebody, that you can, and know how, to do something. Oh! The miserable one, what are you without Christ? What are you able to do without Christ? What would you do without Christ’s help? … For you have glorified your deeds sometimes, as if you really can do something all by yourself…
“Therefore, do not steal another’s glory in the future nor ascribe somebody else’s credit to yourself. Do not steal the glory due to God, for it is God who works all good things in you. Do not adorn yourself and be pleased with another’s feathers, O little crow! Your nature knows, the world knows, Heaven knows, that you are nothing, that you are incapable, that you do nothing good. Kindly realize that fact and fully believe it. May you desire that the glory for all good things be given not to you, but to the Name of God.”
How often, in the world today, we want our names to be recognized and associated with achievements, diplomas, reputations, etc. We can do many “things” by our human efforts, but even those are given by God, who granted us our talents, health, intelligence, and more. The source of all goodness in our lives is Jesus, who comes to us in Holy Communion. Perhaps we can remember to pray briefly as we work, uniting our hearts anew to the Eucharistic Jesus, and entrusting our poverty to His riches.
How do you seek to gain approval, reputation, or recognition from others? How can you turn to the Lord, giving Him thanks for all that you are able to do?
Next week: Sixth Sunday of Easter
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