August 18

Fifth Sunday after Trinity

Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. Galatians 5:6.

IF one stone did not uphold another, how could the building stand? We are the building of God, raised up of living stones, and unless they uphold one another, it will become a mere heap. The highest achievement of charity is to love our enemies; but to bear cheerfully with our neighbour's failings is scarcely an inferior grace. It is easy to love those who are agreeable and obliging—what fly is not attracted by sugar and honey?—but to love one who is cross, perverse, tiresome, is unpleasant; but this is the real touchstone of brotherly love. The best way of practising it is to put oneself in the place of him who tries us, and to see how we should wish him to treat us. "When," says a Saint of old, "shall we learn sufficiently to bear with our neighbours? that most precious lesson of the Saints. Blessed is he who hath acquired it. We want to have our burdens borne for us, and we always count them worthy of respect, but we are generally ready to find out that our neighbour's burden is too cumbrous or unsupportable to us." Three things are necessary if we would live according to the mind of Jesus Christ, viz. first, to follow His maxims; second, to do His work; and third, to be actuated in all we do by His Holy Spirit.

Let the great Master's steps be thine; Fill up each hour with what will last; Buy up the moments as they go: The life above, when this is past, Is the ripe fruit of life below. Sow truth if thou the truth wouldst reap;

Sow love, and taste its fruitage pure; Sow peace, and reap its harvest bright.