That No One Should Glory Save In The Cross Of The Lord

 

Admonition 5   Consider, O man, how great the excellence in which the Lord has placed you because He has created and formed you to the image of His beloved Son according to the body and to His own likeness according to the spirit.1 And all the creatures that are under heaven serve and know and obey their Creator in their own way better than you And even the demons did not crucify Him, but you together with them crucified Him and still crucify Him by taking delight in vices and sins. Wherefore then can you glory?   For if you were so clever and wise that you possessed all science, and if you knew how to interpret every form of language and to investigate heavenly things minutely, you could not glory in all this, because one demon has known more of heavenly things and still knows more of earthly things than all men, although there may be some man who has received from the Lord a special knowledge of sovereign wisdom.   In like manner, if you were handsomer and richer than all others, and even if you could work wonders and put the demons to flight, all these things are hurtful to you and in nowise belong to you, and in them you cannot glory; that, however, in which we may glory is in our infirmities,2 and in bearing daily the holy cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Aside (As I read the Admonition for today I am struck by its likeness to the rhythm or beat of St. Paul’s prose, (as in Douay –Rheims) even in English, the similar stresses and unstressed words that carry us along within his teachings.)   Francis says ‘Consider O man, how great the excellence in which the Lord has placed you…’ Francis seems to build us up to take the fall of our disobedience, our presumption; because all other creatures serve, know and obey their creator, (after the manner of each kind in its capacity to know and love God) better than we do.   Our Father created us to be ‘a little lower than the angels crowned us with glory and honour and set us over all other beings, (Psalm 8:5) yet, in our service of God we fall from this position of trust.   I will leave us with some words by the Writer to the Hebrews:-   26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. 28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: 29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose you, shall he be thought worthy, who has trodden underfoot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant, with which he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and has done despite to the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him that has said, Vengeance belongs to me, I will recompense, said the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.