Monday, January 21, 2008

Living as New Wine - Guardini

Meditation of the Day

Living as New Wine

The whole life of Christ recapitulates itself ever anew in man. To live as a Christian means to participate in the re-enactment of Christ’s life. This happens every time a believer takes a step closer to the Lord, whenever he conquers himself in the course of following Christ. When he carries out within himself the Lord’s commandment, something dies within him. And so on, ever the same. Until such time as there slowly grows up within him, “the glory of a child of God,” “made after the image and likeness of Christ,” at first invisible, concealed, covered over with ashes and debris, frustrated, imperiled; but then gradually growing stronger until finally it is revealed, after his death, and the old man drops away forever.

That is Christ’s love: that he lives in us in this way, and we in him, and what is his and what is ours becomes one. That is what Christ’s love is: the love of the Redeemer who dies for us: the love which bestows itself, which gives its all, body and soul, for us to feed upon; the love of being within us, so that his life becomes our life , and ours his.

That is what Christ’s love is. And it is only in the light that shines hence that all else that had to do with love in his life takes on clarity in the plan or design of Christ’s love: how he called to himself the weary and oppressed that he might comfort them; how he took unto himself all the sufferings of mankind, bringing relief; how he cast his mercy over the dark distress of nations; how he showed tenderness for all living things, plants, and animals: the first kind of love we spoke of shows in all these instances. That is the love that is revealed in them.

Monsignor Romano Guardini (+ 1968) was born in Italy and was a renowned theologian and writer.

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