Page:IncarnationofJesus.djvu/102



St. John  says,  All  that  is  in  the  world  is  the  concupiscence of the  flesh,  and  the  concupiscence  of  the  eyes,  and  the  pride  of life. Behold the  three  sinful  loves  which  held  dominion over man  after  the  sin  of  Adam, — the  love  of  pleasures, the love  of  riches,  the  love  of  honors,  which  generate human pride. The divine  Word,  to  teach  us,  by  his  example,  the  mortification  of  the  senses,  by  which  the  love of pleasures  is  subdued,  from  being  happy  became afflicted; to  teach  us  detachment  from  the  goods  of  this earth, from  rich  he  became  poor;  and,  finally,  to  teach us humility,  which  overcomes  the  love  of  honors,  from being exalted  he  became  humble. We will  speak  on these  three  points  during  these  three  last  days  of  the Novena; to-day  let  us  speak  of  the  first.

Our Redeemer  came,  then,  to  teach  us  the  love  of  the mortification of  the  senses  more  by  the  example  of  his life than  by  the  doctrines  which  he  preached;  and  therefore,  from  happy,  as  he  is  and  had  always  been  from  all eternity, he  became  afflicted. Let us  see  it,  and  let  us ask  light  of  Jesus  and  Mary.

The Apostle,  speaking  of  the  divine  beatitude,  calls God the  only  one  happy  and  powerful:  The  blessed  and only mighty. And with  reason,  because  all  the  happiness which can  be  enjoyed  by  us  his  creatures  is  nothing