faith; with the Apostle I desire to know nothing but Jesus Christ, my crucified Saviour; hereafter my mind shall rejoice in Thy kingdom in all sorts of knowledge. Now I resign my will to Thy most holy will; I leave my fate and fortunes in Thy fatherly hands, ready and willing to do, to omit, to suffer whatever, how, when, and as long as it pleases Thee; to this I make no exception; I do not desire to live or to die in any other way but as it pleases Thee, my God. Hereafter when I come to Thee in heaven, as I hope with child-like confidence, and as I most ardently desire, Thou wilt give me everything as I wish to have it, and that for all eternity. Amen.
Another introduction to the same sermon for the third Sunday of Advent.
Text.
Gaudete in Domino semper, iterum dico: gaudete.—Philipp. iv. 4.
“Rejoice in the Lord always: again, I say, rejoice.”
Introduction.
But, holy apostle, how can we always rejoice? This exhortation thou gavest to thy Christians who were still alive on this earth. But how should or could we follow it in this sorrowful vale of tears, where we are at such a distance from our heavenly country, in which we are surrounded on all sides by misery, crosses, and trials, so that our whole life is made up of mourning and lamentation? Nevertheless, says the Apostle, “again I say, rejoice.” My dear brothers and sisters, I allude to you who serve the Lord and try to do His will in all things; rejoice in the Lord always, for you have no occasion to trouble yourselves. “Again I say, rejoice;” and I mean it, too; rejoice precisely because you serve the Lord, and therefore have to expect the eternal reward of heaven, the hope of which should fill you with joy even in this troubled life. My dear brethren, St. John Chrysostom, considering these words, makes this reflection, which is suitable to our subject, etc. Continues as above.
