Actions of Infinite Value
by Charles Reed
Reflections, Jan. 2003
• "And, whereas indeed he was the Son of God, he learned obedience by the things which he suffered.
And, being consummated, he became, to all that obey him, the cause
of eternal salvation."
-- Hebrews 5, 8
IN 1922 Our Lord told Sister Josefa Menendez: "I gave as much glory to my heavenly Father when I swept the workshop in Nazareth, as when I preached and worked miracles during my public life. I so want souls to understand this."On Dec. 30, 1974, Our Lord told the Portavoz: "Note well, it is because you act complying with your obligations, and you offer everything to me, and through my merits you attain merit before my justice, and as your only goal is the glory of God and the good of souls, Oh, my spouse, this is like pure gold in the divine presence. It is not necessary that your acts be great; it is better if they are little, humble and simple. Even this earns merit, because all its value is covered with a veil of simplicity and littleness. You know very well, because I have revealed it to you, how my first merits as man began secretly in the womb of my Mother. There the Word of God made flesh garbed in littleness, routed the devil."
Theologians teach us that the actions of Christ were theandric, that is, they had a divine value, because they were the acts of the Son of God. Perhaps we could understand this better if we meditated upon who Christ is:
"The only-begotten Son of God. Born of the Father before all ages. God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God. Begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father: by whom all things were made."
And also if we meditated upon the other great truth of our faith, the Incarnation:
"Who for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven. And was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary: and was made man." (Nicene Creed)
Since all these truths are certain, it means that the least act of Christ, his smallest act, was an act of infinite value, and therefore having the power to redeem and save everyone.
If all this is true, we may ask: "If his redemption is sufficient to save everyone, then why are some not saved?" The answer is that God gives his salvation only to those who want to receive it: he cannot force it upon the indifferent or hostile. If some are not saved, the reason is that they deliberately refuse to accept the salvation God offers them: their malice and hardness of heart make it impossible for them to see what he wants to give them. They deliberately refuse his gifts and thus are lost.
Christ spent only three years of his life performing unusual, heroic actions: he spent most of his life in Nazareth, performing the routine, ordinary tasks of daily life, similar to the tasks we perform each day in the fulfillment of our duties. His least action was divine, for he was the Son of God. This fact is encouraging, for it means we can attain sanctity simply by performing our ordinary duties, having an intention similar to the one Christ had.
In this issue there is an article about the circumcision of Christ. The act of obedience by which he offered himself to be circumcised, and the blood and pains of his circumcision were of themselves acts of infinite value. And we can unite our pains and actions to Christ, simply by desiring to do so, whether they be painful, difficult actions or just ordinary actions.
Saint Paul wrote that Christians should have the same sentiments that Christ had. If there is any "secret" of sanctity, it is simply: love Christ as much as you can, try to unite yourself to him as much as you can, and try to do your actions for him, even small, ordinary actions.
St. Paul wrote that Christ was like to us in all things, except sin. (Heb. 4, 15). That fact is good news, because if he was like to us in his actions, we can be like him in all our actions (except sinful ones: you cannot offer a sinful action to God). If there is any "secret" of attaining holiness and being like Christ, perhaps it is simply to think of him often, and to do your actions for him, something within the reach of any person of good will.
May it be for the glory of God
The Vergel of the Immaculate Virgin of Guadalupe
Dec. 8, 2002 -- Immaculate Conception of Mary
Writings of Charles Reed -
Essays in Reflections
Essays not in Reflections
Novel. Mount Zion Revisited.
Anthologies
Translations
Note about Mount Zion Revisited
The character named Little Bear in ch. 13, is based on three persons, in order to condense much informtion into a small space. The face of one of them bore no resemblance to the face of a bear. (He is now deceased, probably in Paradise with his mother). The other two, still living, have the face of a teddy bear. This is not an exaggeration.
Mt. Zion is a narration of a shipwreck that was not total. Just as Robinson Crusoe and Man Friday came of their shipwreck alive and kicking, so these precious little souls came out of the crucible of sorrow, shining like gold (Job 19), and at least two of them are now praising God forever, in the heavenly Zion.
And the redeemed of the Lord will come into Zion with praise.
Sorrow and mourning will flee away,
And everlasting joy shall be upon their heads.
Isaiah 35
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Similarity with other novels.
Brideshead Revisited, by E. Waugh. The effects of grace, on a group of characters.
Robinson Crusoe, by Defoe. What to do when a shipwreck happens, and everything disintegrates, falls apart, and you are faced with a chaotic situation.
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