9781644135945

The Light of the World
and John, brought her sons to Christ, so St. Cecilia brought her spiritual sons, Valerian and
Tiburtius, to Christ, to baptism, and to martyrdom. Salome and Cecilia are types of the Church,
who during Lent leads her children, the neophytes, to baptism, to Christ, and to participation
in the sufferings and resurrection of Christ.
The Church prays for her children. In the Gospel of the Mass today, Salome leading her sons to
Christ represents the Church praying for her sons. The mother of James and John forgets herself
and casts herself down at the feet of the Lord to make a request for her children. In the Epistle,
too, we find a picture of the Church praying for her children. Esther the queen entreats King
Assuerus in behalf of her people who had been condemned to destruction. Esther finding favor
in the sight of the king, is a picture of the Church, who is all-powerful in her prayers to God. She
prays day and night through her priests and religious, through her saints in heaven and on earth.
“O Lord, all things are in Thy power and there is none that can resist Thy will, if Thou determine
to save Israel [souls]. . . . And now, O Lord, O King, . . . have mercy on Thy people, because our
enemies resolve to destroy us and extinguish Thy inheritance. Despise not Thy portion, which
Thou hast redeemed for Thyself out of Egypt. Hear my supplication and be merciful to Thy
lot and inheritance, and turn our mourning into joy, that we may live and praise Thy name, O
Lord; and shut not the mouths of them that sing to Thee, O Lord our God” (Epistle). Thus the
Church prays during Lent for her children, the neophytes, the sinners, the penitents, and for all
of us. The world owes its continued existence to the continual prayer of the Church.
The Church leads souls to Christ as did St. Cecilia, who led her pagan friends, Valerian and
Tiburtius, to Christ. We see the Church also exemplified in Salome in the Gospel. She has no
other mission than to point the way to Christ. Through her sacraments and her sacrifices, in
life and in death, she leads men to Christ. She takes her children by the hand and leads them
to Christ, who is the fountain of truth, of life, and of grace. She and she alone can lead us to
Christ and to eternal salvation. Lead us, O Holy Mother the Church, for thou alone dost know
the way to Christ.
The Church also induces her children to participate in the chalice of the Lord. When a
man becomes a Christian through baptism, he begins to taste the chalice of Christ. “Can you
drink the chalice that I shall drink?” the Lord asks us. With James, and John, and Valerian, and
Tiburtius we answer, “We can.” We are determined to share everything with Christ, into whose
body we have been incorporated by baptism. We accompany Him and turn away steadfastly
from the world and its vanities. We wish to share His love of poverty, His privations, His mortifications,
His self-denial, by patiently bearing the hardships of our state of life. We follow Him by
a willing acceptance of difficulties, sufferings, troubles, and reverses. Thus we become martyrs
of love, confident of His love and providence.
The Church prays for her children and leads them to Christ and makes them share His suffering
and humiliation. We should not fear when she invites us to share with Him fasting, self-denial,
and the cross. By thus inviting us she proves that she is from above and not of the earth. She is
filled with the spirit of God, not with the spirit of the world.
The Church leads us to Christ especially in the celebration of Mass and in the reception
of Holy Communion. We participate in the Mass in order that we may drink His chalice with
Him. We place ourselves on the altar next to the Lamb of God, and with ourselves we offer
everything that we possess, everything that we are. In all sincerity we wish to be offered with
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