Meditation for April 23, Nettezza

The Genoese mystic, St. Catherine, in order to express all that she beheld in God, the pure and absolute plenitude of His Divine Being, used the word Nettezza. When Father Leonce de Grand­maison, in his great work on Jesus Christ, sought an expression to translate exactly the incomparable limpidity of the soul of the Divine Savior, he found no better word.

Nettezza, means a complete uprightness and sincerity which stoops to no subterfuge or exaggeration, Yea, yea, no, no, and that which is over and above these is of evil (Matt. v, 37); a hatred of the slightest duplicity, evasions, all cunning, all hypocrisy and dissembling.

I must never dodge an issue. The truth and nothing but the truth! The fullness of truth was such a striking characteristic of Our Lord that even His enemies were forced to recognize it. Was it not because He condemned hyprocrisy of Pharisees that they became furious and used every means in their power to put Him to death.

Even before the judges, knowing that His life was at stake, Our Lord was perfectly frank, Tell us art thou the Son of God?

Thou hast said it.

And I? What is my solicitude for Nettezza, for this beautiful limpidity of soul?

"Mary, I wish to obtain through you this transparency and integrity of soul that Your Divine Son so loved. May I always be an upright soul. Fashion me, O Good Mother, according to your image. Then I can be certain of resembling Jesus."

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Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)