On the day of my Incorporation the event was celebrated as a part of the Liturgy of Hours. This was in order that the second reading might be from the writings of St. Gaspar, something that would not have been possible at a Mass. So Mass was celebrated in the morning at our Assembly, and then the Incorporation was celebrated at an evening prayer, structured closer to the Office of Readings than to Evening Prayer.
GDC preached. I remember it as being a pretty stunning homily, and memorable. Still I listened to it again today and it stills has the same power. The task, he says, is to walk by faith and to know that hope does not disappoint.
Here is the second reading, selections form the Eleventh Circular letter of St. Gaspar del Bufalo:
I suggest three things in particular for our consideration during these days.First, that we examine ourselves in the light of the question which the Mellifluous Doctor was accustomed to ask his monks: Why have you come here? (St. Bernard.) For what purpose are we in the Society? To cooperate with the great designs of divine Providence in the sanctification of ourselves and others; to be united in the bond of charity? and to imitate more closely the life of Jesus Christ....
I am in the Society to look after the life of my soul, to offer myself for the glory of God with a holy abandonment in God himself, and to train myself in humility and obedience, all this with the purpose of knowing better his divine Will by being completely reliant upon him as I should.
The second point about which we must examine ourselves is the love that we are to show towards our Society and towards one another. We should always act according to the spirit of the Lord. ? We should act in such a manner that we, too, might have stamped upon our hearts the saying of the great St. Francis Xavier: May my right hand be forgotten if I should forget you? (Cf. Ps 136 (137):5.) In this matter, may our love be very, very special. Let it be generous and outgoing, patient and longsuffering, judicious and vigorous.
?May God grant that in the case of our Society the words following may be verified: The blossoming vines give out their fragrance.( Song 2:13) ?The cultivation of a vineyard requires skill, toil, vigilance and fruitful rain. Likewise, in the cultivation of our communities, we need special graces. These are obtained through prayer, through exerting ourselves in accomplishing good works, in being orderly and in being vigilant to gather the awaited fruit. In a marvelous way, our Prescriptions and our Rule, which cannot be too highly recommended, serve as our support.
Finally, the third point for our meditation is our activity in furthering those objectives which lead towards the glory of the Lord. This we do in seeking to give them permanence through the Associations which our Society promotes, using the means that it designates as well as the practices which it encourages. Here, let the apostle St. Paul speak. In his letters he reveals a very profound ardor for the salvation of souls and their constant perfection. The love of Christ compels us. (2 Cor 5:14) In all our trouble I am filled with consolation and my joy is overflowing.( 2 Cor 7:4)
