Friday of the Sixth week of Easter
Commentary of the day
Saint Bernard (1091-1153), Cistercian monk and doctor of the Church
Sermons on the Song of Songs, no. 37 (trans. ©Cistercian Publications Inc., 1976)
"You will grieve, but your grief will become joy"
"They went forth, sowing their seeds." But why? Shall they always weep? God forbid! "They shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves” (Ps 125[126],8). And so rightly do they shout for joy, since they bring back sheaves of glory. But you say: that is for the resurrection on the last day; a long time to wait! " Do not permit your will to be broken, do not yield to pusillanimity; you have in the meantime “the first-fruits of the Spirit” (2Cor 1,22), which even now you may reap with joy. Sow for yourselves righteousness, and reap the hope of life. These words do not postpone your triumph till the last day when the object of your desire will be possessed, not hoped for; they refer to the time now at your disposal. But when eternal life does come, what great gladness there will be, what joy beyond imagining! And can the hope of this great happiness be without happiness even now?
O Glorious Saint Joseph, after the Blessed Virgin, you were the first to hold in your arms the Redeemer. May you teach us; may you assist us, may you make us worthy members of the Holy Family. — Saint Joseph Marello