Page:Meditations For Every Day In The Year.djvu/24

 Jesus Christ,  you  must,  in  the  first  place,  humbly  beg pardon for  your  offences  committed  against  Him. "Father, I have  sinned  against  heaven  and  before  Thee." (Luke xv.  18.)  Secondly,  you  must  form  a  resolution of never  more  abandoning  Him;  but  of  imitating  the perfection of  your  heavenly  Father,  according  to  the words of  the  Apostle: "Be  ye  therefore  followers  of  God, as  most  dear  children." (Eph. v.  1.)  You  must,  therefore, with a  filial  confidence,  represent  to  your  heavenly Father all  your  weaknesses  and  your  wants  when  He visits  you,  for  if  "fathers  know  how  to  give  good  gifts to  their  children,  how  much  more  will  your  Father  from heaven  give  the  good  Spirit  to  those  who  ask  Him." (Luke xi.  13.)

"Who shall  give  thee  to  me,  for  my  brother,  sucking  the  breasts  of my  mother,  that  I  may  find  thee  without,  and  kiss  thee." (Cant. viii.  8.)

I. To  make  us  more  sensible  of  His  love  for  us,  Jesus Christ has  adopted  not  only  the  name  of  our  Father,  but even that  of  our  Brother. Thus, by  placing  Himself  on a  certain  equality  with  us  (which  is  accustomed  to  be  the case  between  brothers),  he  insinuates  Himself  in  a  more familiar manner  into  our  favor,  "for  which  reason,"  as St. Paul writes,  "He  is  not  ashamed  to  call  them  brethren, saying,  I  will  declare  thy  name  to  My  brethren." (Heb. ii.  11,  12.)  "  Go  tell  My  brethren,"  He  says,  "that they  go  into  Galilee." (Matt, xxviii.  10.)  Reflect  what an honor  it  is  to  be  the  brother  of  so  great  a  prince; "and if,"  as  the  wise  man  says,  "  a  brother  helped  by  a brother  is  like  a  strong  city"  (Prov.  xviii.  19),  what  help