St. Anselm’s chief perfection was the illumination of the speculative intellect by the gifts of science and understanding: that of St. Thomas the elevation and grandeur of the will by fortitude and holy fear: that of St. Edmund the sanctification of the practical intellect by the gifts of counsel and of wisdom.
- INTRODUCTION.
- FIRST MEDITATION. OF THE DIGNITY AND THE WOE OF MAN’S ESTATE.
- I. Our creation to the Image and Likeness of God.
- II. To praise God eternally the end of our creation.
- III. Wherever we are, we live, move, and are in Him; whilst also we have Him within us.
- IV. All of us who have been baptized in Christ have put on Christ.
- V. We are the Body of Christ.
- VI. In Christ we are one, and are with Him one Christ.
- VII. A consideration of our sins, for the which our conscience does the more sting us, and by which we have forfeited all these blessings.
- VIII. A review of our Lord’s Incarnation, by means of which we have recovered all these losses.
- IX. The duty of praying to be drawn out of the pit of misery and the mire of dregs.
- X. A consideration of the miseries of the present life.
- XI. Of the body after the soul’s departure.
- XII. Of the soul after her separation from the body.
- XIII. A consideration of the day of judgment, when the goats shall be set on the left hand.
- XIV. A consideration of the joy when the sheep shall be set on the right hand.
- SECOND MEDITATION. OF THE AWFUL JUDGMENT: FOR AWAKENING FEAR IN ONESELF.
- XV. The sinner’s fear.
- XVI. The sinners hope.
- THIRD MEDITATION. A BEMOANING OF VIRGINITY SADLY LOST.
- XVII. The sinner’s past.
- XVIII. The sinner’s future.
- FOURTH MEDITATION. TEACHING THE SINNER TO BESTIR HIMSELF FOR THE AMENDMENT OF HIS SINS.
- XIX. The necessity and the benefit of careful self-examination.
- XX. The goodness of God, and the malignity of the Devil.
- XXI. The compassion of Jesus.
- FIFTH MEDITATION. ON THE LIFE OF SOUL AND OF FLESH, AND OF THE GLORY OF THE GOOD SOUL, AND THE MISERY OF THE WICKED SOUL, ON THEIR DEPARTURE FROM THE BODY.
- XXII. On the life of soul and of flesh.
- XXIII. And of the glory of the good soul.
- XXIV. And the misery of the wicked soul, on their departure from the body.
- SIXTH MEDITATION. DESIGNED TO BRACE THE HEART AGAINST DESPAIR, FORASMUCH AS WE SHALL WITHOUT DOUBT FIND TRUE MERCY FOR ALL OUR SINS IF WE DO TRUE PENANCE.
- XXV. The condition of the sinner.
- XXVI. The Divine mercy before the Incarnation.
- XXVII. The Divine mercy in the Incarnation.
- XXVIII. The sinner’s contemplation of himself.
- XXIX. The sinner’s prayer to Jesus Christ.
- SEVENTH MEDITATION.
- XXX. I. Of the changefulness of all that is in the world.
- XXXI. II. Of the manifold blessings of Almighty God.
- XXXII. III. Here the sinner chides himself for his ingratitude.
- XXXIII. IV. An acknowledgment of sin.
- XXXIV. The sinner’s review of himself.
- XXXV. The sinner’s cry to God.
- EIGHTH MEDITATION. THE PENITENT’S ADDRESS TO GOD HIS FATHER.
- XXXVI. A prayer for mercy and help.
- XXXVII. The penitent’s hope in the Divine mercy.
- NINTH MEDITATION. OF THE HUMANITY OF CHRIST.
- XXXVIII. The glories and the condescension of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- XXXIX. The Nativity of Christ, and its sanctification of poverty.
- XL. The hidden life and ministry of our Lord.
- XLI. The meekness and humility of Christ.
- XLII. The agony and the betrayal.
- XLIII. The condemnation and the crucifixion.
- XLIV. The humiliations of the Passion.
- XLV. The glories of the Passion.
- XLVI. Joseph in Egypt a type of Christ.
- XLVII. Love our only possible return to Christ for His sufferings.
- XLVIII. The likeness of His Death and of His Resurrection.
- XLIX. Aspiration and prayer.
- TENTH MEDITATION.
- L. Of the passion of Christ.
- ELEVENTH MEDITATION. OF THE REDEMPTION OF MANKIND.
- LI. Cur Deus Homo.
- LII. Thanksgiving for the liberation of mankind.
- LIII. Man’s past condition and present privilege.
- LIV. The soul’s surrender of itself to God.
- TWELFTH MEDITATION. OF THE HUMANITY OF CHRIST.
- LV. The Mystery of the Incarnation.
- LVI. Hope inspired by the thought of the Incarnation.
- LVII. Joy inspired by the thought of the Incarnation.
- LVIII. Love inspired by the thought of the Incarnation.
- LIX. Jesus the Salvation of sinners.
- THIRTEENTH MEDITATION. OF CHRIST.
- LX. The Son of God, archetypal Beauty.
- LXI. The nine Choirs of Angels.
- LXII. The desires of the soul aspiring to God.
- LXIII. The Saints in heaven.
- LXIV. The joys of Mary, Queen of Heaven, and Mother of God.
- LXV. The loving aspirations of the soul to Jesus.
- FOURTEENTH MEDITATION.
- LXVI. I. Of the wonderful Being of God.
- LXVII. II. Of the science of God, and the inadequacy of human speech to utter it.
- LXVIII. III. Of the desire of a soul thirsting after God.
- LXIX. IV. Of the misery of a soul that loves not and that seeks not our Lord Jesus Christ.
- LXX. V. Of the desire of the soul.
- LXXI. VI. Of the happiness of the soul set free from her earthly prison.
- LXXII. VII. Of the joy of Paradise.
- LXXIII. VIII. Of the kingdom of heaven.
- LXXIV. IX. God comforts the sorrowing soul after her great griefs.
- FIFTEENTH MEDITATION. OF THE MEMORY OF PAST BENEFITS FROM CHRIST, OF THE EXPERIENCE OF PRESENT BENEFITS, AND OF THE HOPE OF FUTURE.
- LXXV. On the subjects of meditation.
- LXXVI. The Annunciation.
- LXXVII. The Visitation, Nativity, and Adoration of the Kings.
- LXXVIII. The flight into Egypt.
- LXXIX. The early life, baptism, fasting, and ministry of our Lord.
- LXXX. Our Lords works of mercy.
- LXXXI. Bethany and the Cœnaculum.
- LXXXII. Gethsemane and the high-priest’s palace.
- LXXXIII. The Prætorium.
- LXXXIV. The Crucifixion.
- LXXXV. The Entombment and Resurrection.
- SIXTEENTH MEDITATION. OP PRESENT BENEFITS FROM GOD.
- LXXXVI. The writer’s review of his past life, and exhortation to his sister.
- SEVENTEENTH MEDITATION. OF FUTURE BENEFITS FROM GOD.
- LXXXVII. Death and its immediate sequel.
- LXXXVIII. The Day of Judgment: the right hand and the left.
- LXXXIX. The joys of Heaven, and the joy of joys.
- EIGHTEENTH MEDITATION. THANKSGIVING FOR THE BENEFITS OF THE DIVINE MERCY, AND PRAYER FOR THE DIVINE ASSISTANCE.
- XC. Thanksgiving for past blessings, and prayer for future.
- XCI. Thanksgiving for past blessings, and prayer for future.
- NINETEENTH MEDITATION. OF THE SWEETNESS OF THE DIVINE MAJESTY, AND OF MANY OTHER THINGS.
- XCII. I. Wonder at the unspeakable goodness of God the Creator, and the deep misery of man the creature.
- XCIII. II. The degree to which man may be loved by man, and the reason why God should be more loved than any human being.
- XCIV. III. God made all things good, but He alone is Good essentially.
- XCV. IV. The praise of the Creator by the whole creation.
- XCVI. V. The resemblance of man to his Creator.
- XCVII. VI. Man is composed of two parts; by the one of which he is raised to highest things, and by the other dragged down to lowest.
- XCVIII. VII. Here man prays God not to allow him to make ill use of his free power of choice.
- TWENTIETH MEDITATION.
- XCIX. Complaint of the soul banished from God.
- C. The soul’s absence from God.
- CI. Complaint of the soul banished from God.
- CII. The soul’s return to God.
- TWENTY-FIRST MEDITATION.
- CIII. The soul of man urged to seek and to find its God. the mind aroused to the contemplation of God.
- CIV. The inapproachable dwelling-place of God.
- CV. The goodness of God, the creative Life.
- CVI. The fulness of joy.
- Index of Scripture References