True Devotion by St Louis de Montfort cf. 12-38
God’s Will to Work through Mary
My heart has dictated with special joy all that I have written to show that Mary has been unknown up till now, and that that is one of the reasons why Jesus Christ is not known as he should be. If then, as is certain, the knowledge and the kingdom of Jesus Christ must come into the world, it can only be as a necessary consequence of the knowledge and reign of Mary. She who first gave him to the world will establish his kingdom in the world.
With the whole Church I acknowledge that Mary, being a mere creature fashioned by the hands of God is, compared to his infinite majesty, less than an atom, or rather is simply nothing, since he alone can say, “I am he who is”. Consequently, this great Lord, who is ever independent and self-sufficient, never had and does not now have any absolute need of the Blessed Virgin for the accomplishment of his will and the manifestation of his glory. To do all things he has only to will them. However, I declare that, considering things as they are, because God has decided to begin and accomplish his greatest works through the Blessed Virgin ever since he created her, we can safely believe that he will not change his plan in the time to come, for he is God and therefore does not change in his thoughts or his way of acting.
Mary is the Queen of heaven and earth by grace as Jesus is king by nature and by conquest. But as the kingdom of Jesus Christ exists primarily in the heart or interior of man, according to the words of the Gospel, “The kingdom of God is within you”, so the kingdom of the Blessed Virgin is principally in the interior of man, that is, in his soul. It is principally in souls that she is glorified with her Son more than in any visible creature. So we may call her, as the saints do, Queen of our hearts.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Nov. 29, 2010 Monday: Total Consecration Day 25
True Devotion by St. Louis de Montfort
cf. 213-225
Effects of True Devotion: Self-Knowledge, Share in Mary’s Faith, Gift of Pure Love, Confidence in God and in Mary, Spirit of Mary, Likeness of Jesus, Glory of Christ.
My dear friend, be sure that if you remain faithful to the interior and exterior practices of this devotion which I will point out, the following effects will be produced in your soul:
1. Knowledge of our unworthiness: By the light which the Holy Spirit will give you through Mary, his faithful spouse, you will perceive the evil inclinations of your fallen nature and how incapable you are of any good apart from that which God produces in you as Author of nature and of grace. As a consequence of this knowledge you will despise yourself and think of yourself only as an object of repugnance.
2. A share in Maryʼs faith: Mary will share her faith with you. Her faith on earth was stronger than that of all the patriarchs, prophets, apostles and saints.
3. The gift of pure love: The Mother of fair love will rid your heart of all scruples and inordinate servile fear.
4. Great confidence in God and in Mary: Our Blessed Lady will fill you with unbounded confidence in God and in herself:Because you will no longer approach Jesus by yourself but always through Mary, your loving Mother.
5. Communication of the spirit of Mary: The soul of Mary will be communicated to you to glorify the Lord. Her spirit will take the place of yours to rejoice in God, her Saviour, but only if you are faithful to the practices of this devotion.
6. Transformation into the likeness of Jesus: If Mary, the Tree of Life, is well cultivated in our soul by fidelity to this devotion, she will in due time bring forth her fruit which is none other than Jesus.
7. The greater glory of Christ: If you live this devotion sincerely, you will give more glory to Jesus in a month than in many years of a more demanding devotion. “If you wish to understand the Mother,” says a saint, “then understand the Son. She is a worthy Mother of God.” Hic taceat omnis lingua : Here let every tongue be silent.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Nov. 28, 2010 Sunday: Total Consecration Day 24
True Devotion by St. Louis de Montfort
cf. 152-164
Smooth, Short, Perfect, and Sure way to Christ
This devotion is a smooth, short, perfect and sure way of attaining union with our Lord, in which Christian perfection consists.
(a) This devotion is a smooth way. It is the path which Jesus Christ opened up in coming to us and in which there is no obstruction to prevent us reaching him. It is quite true that we can attain to divine union by other roads, but these involve many more crosses and exceptional setbacks and many difficulties that we cannot easily overcome
(b) This devotion is a short way to discover Jesus, either because it is a road we do not wander from, or because, as we have just said, we walk along this road with greater ease and joy, and consequently with greater speed. We advance more in a brief period of submission to Mary and dependence on her than in whole years of self-will and self-reliance.
(c) This devotion is a perfect way to reach our Lord and be united to him, for Mary is the most perfect and the most holy of all creatures, and Jesus, who came to us in a perfect manner, chose no other road for his great and wonderful journey. The Most High, the Incomprehensible One, the Inaccessible One, He who is, deigned to come down to us poor earthly creatures who are nothing at all. How was this done? The Most High God came down to us in a perfect way through the humble Virgin Mary, without losing anything of his divinity or holiness. It is likewise through Mary that we poor creatures must ascend to almighty God in a perfect manner without having anything to fear.
(d) This devotion to our Lady is a sure way to go to Jesus and to acquire holiness through union with him. The devotion which I teach is not new. Indeed it could not be condemned without overthrowing the foundations of Christianity. It is obvious then that this devotion is not new. If it is not commonly practiced, the reason is that it is too sublime to be appreciated and undertaken by everyone. This devotion is a safe means of going to Jesus Christ, because it is Maryʼs role to lead us safely to her Son.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Nov. 28, 2010: 1st Sunday Advent (A)
Click to hear audio homily
Forty hours is a long time to be sitting and waiting. Many of us men are certainly capable of this on a deer stand out in the woods, or like JD Dean of Myrtle Beach, in front of the Best Buy store from Wednesday (11/24) until the store opened on Friday. We know that at least one dedicated shopper wasn’t waiting until Black Friday to stake out his place in line. Mr. Dean said for the past three years, he has been the first in line for Black Friday shopping. Asked what the rest of the family would be doing on Thanksgiving Day, Mr. Dean said that, “My family will bring me a nice big tray of food, turkey, mashed potatoes, everything.”
Mr. Dean may not realize that he is being used today in my homily as an example for the First Week of Advent. He said that he did not even know what would be on sale. In other words, he did not even know what he wanted. But what kept him awake in his tent outside Best Buy was the promise of a great deal. Our First Reading also points to something similar to the Black Friday shopping frenzy where hundreds and hundreds of people stream toward Best Buy, Wal-mart, and Target at 3 in the morning. Prophet Isaiah says, “All nations shall stream toward it; many peoples shall come…” (Is 2:1-5). Is there something here nearby worth waiting in line for 40 hours, for people all over Denham Springs, Walker, Watson, and Livingston to stream toward?
There is. In order to describe it, let’s look for clues in the First Reading. The Book of the Prophet Isaiah reads, “Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.” Isaiah gives us an image of a mountain, which is difficult for us living in South Louisiana to imagine. If we look at the Book of Exodus, we see a man climbing the mountain of the Lord. It was Moses. And there he stayed, not 40 hours like Mr. Dean outside the Best Buy, but 40 days and 40 nights. Was it worth it for Moses to stay there for 40 long days? Did he get a great bargain, the sale of the century, something that he could show to his wife why it was necessary for him to take a leave of absence from work for more than a month? Can you imagine Moses meeting his wife for the first time in 40 days, and she would ask, “Honey, what happened?” And Moses would answer, “I saw God, and I actually talked with Him.” And his wife would see how his face and hair were transformed; she would only guess as to what transformation took place in his heart.
Now, can you imagine if I walked up to Mr. Dean who is busily camping out in front of Best Buy and asked him, “Mr. Dean, do you know that there is something more worthwhile to do than waiting for Black Friday deals at Best Buy?” “What,” he would ask. I would answer, “Seeing God, talking to Him, being transformed by Him, and receiving His very Heart.” How would he reply? Would he say, “No thank you. I’ll take the $200 laptop deal over that?” How would you reply, especially if I asked you on your way back from a busy and stressful day at work or running errands? Would you drop by the church or the adoration chapel and talk to Him? Do we even realize how we are changed each time we spend a few minutes in prayer with the Lord? Are we aware that our days are less stressful when we begin them with prayer? Likes Moses, when we pray, we are preparing and waiting for our hearts to be transformed. This is why the Church gives us the Season of Advent--to change our appetite from things of the this world to desring God Himself. Our Lord reminds us, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. In those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark. They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.” Even St. Paul reminds us:
"Brothers and sisters: You know the time; it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand. Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and lust, not in rivalry and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh."
There is. In order to describe it, let’s look for clues in the First Reading. The Book of the Prophet Isaiah reads, “Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.” Isaiah gives us an image of a mountain, which is difficult for us living in South Louisiana to imagine. If we look at the Book of Exodus, we see a man climbing the mountain of the Lord. It was Moses. And there he stayed, not 40 hours like Mr. Dean outside the Best Buy, but 40 days and 40 nights. Was it worth it for Moses to stay there for 40 long days? Did he get a great bargain, the sale of the century, something that he could show to his wife why it was necessary for him to take a leave of absence from work for more than a month? Can you imagine Moses meeting his wife for the first time in 40 days, and she would ask, “Honey, what happened?” And Moses would answer, “I saw God, and I actually talked with Him.” And his wife would see how his face and hair were transformed; she would only guess as to what transformation took place in his heart.
Now, can you imagine if I walked up to Mr. Dean who is busily camping out in front of Best Buy and asked him, “Mr. Dean, do you know that there is something more worthwhile to do than waiting for Black Friday deals at Best Buy?” “What,” he would ask. I would answer, “Seeing God, talking to Him, being transformed by Him, and receiving His very Heart.” How would he reply? Would he say, “No thank you. I’ll take the $200 laptop deal over that?” How would you reply, especially if I asked you on your way back from a busy and stressful day at work or running errands? Would you drop by the church or the adoration chapel and talk to Him? Do we even realize how we are changed each time we spend a few minutes in prayer with the Lord? Are we aware that our days are less stressful when we begin them with prayer? Likes Moses, when we pray, we are preparing and waiting for our hearts to be transformed. This is why the Church gives us the Season of Advent--to change our appetite from things of the this world to desring God Himself. Our Lord reminds us, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. In those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark. They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.” Even St. Paul reminds us:
"Brothers and sisters: You know the time; it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand. Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and lust, not in rivalry and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh."
Friday, November 26, 2010
Nov. 27, 2010 Saturday: Total Consecration Day 23
True Devotion by St. Louis de Montfort
p. 120-121
Belong to Mary so as to Belong to Jesus
(1) Our body with its senses and members;
(2) Our soul with its faculties;
(3) Our present material possessions and all we shall acquire in the future;
(4) Our interior and spiritual possessions, that is, our merits, virtues and good actions of the past, the present and the future.
In other words, we give her all that we possess both in our natural life and in our spiritual life as well as everything we shall acquire in the future in the order of nature, of grace, and of glory in heaven. This we do without any reservation, not even of a penny, a hair, or the smallest good deed. And we give for all eternity without claiming or expecting, in return for our offering and our service, any other reward than the honour of belonging to our Lord through Mary and in Mary, even though our Mother were not - as in fact she always is - the most generous and appreciative of all Godʼs creatures.
Nov. 26, 2010 Friday: Total Consecration Day 22
True Devotion by St Louis de Montfort
cf. 106-110
True Devotion: Interior, Trustful, Holy, Constant, and Disinterested
(1) First, true devotion to our Lady is interior, that is, it comes from within the mind and the heart and follows from the esteem in which we hold her, the high regard we have for her greatness, and the love we bear her.
(2) Second, it is trustful, that is to say, it fills us with confidence in the Blessed Virgin, the confidence that a child has for its loving Mother. It prompts us to go to her in every need of body and soul with great simplicity, trust and affection. We implore our Motherʼs help always, everywhere, and for everything. We pray to her to be enlightened in our doubts, to be put back on the right path when we go astray, to be protected when we are tempted, to be strengthened when we are weakening, to be lifted up when we fall into sin, to be encouraged when we are losing heart, to be rid of our scruples, to be consoled in the trials, crosses and disappointments of life. Finally, in all our afflictions of body and soul, we naturally turn to Mary for help, with never a fear of importuning her or displeasing our Lord.
(3) Third, true devotion to our Lady is holy, that is, it leads us to avoid sin and to imitate the virtues of Mary. Her ten principal virtues are: deep humility, lively faith, blind obedience, unceasing prayer, constant self-denial, surpassing purity, ardent love, heroic patience, angelic kindness, and heavenly wisdom.
(4) Fourth, true devotion to our Lady is constant. It strengthens us in our desire to do good and prevents us from giving up our devotional practices too easily. It gives us the courage to oppose the fashions and maxims of the world, the vexations and unruly inclinations of the flesh and the temptations of the devil. Thus a person truly devoted to our Blessed Lady is not changeable, fretful, scrupulous or timid. We do not say however that such a person never sins or that his sensible feelings of devotion never change. When he has fallen, he stretches out his hand to his Blessed Mother and rises again. If he loses all taste and feeling for devotion, he is not at all upset because a good and faithful servant of Mary is guided in his life by faith in Jesus and Mary, and not by feelings.
(5) Fifth, true devotion to Mary is disinterested. It inspires us to seek God alone in his Blessed Mother and not ourselves. The true subject of Mary does not serve his illustrious Queen for selfish gain. He does not serve her for temporal or eternal well-being but simply and solely because she has the right to be served and God alone in her. He loves her not so much because she is good to him or because he expects something from her, but simply because she is lovable. That is why he loves and serves her just as faithfully in weariness and dryness of soul as in sweet and sensible fervor. He loves her as much on Calvary as at Cana. How pleasing and precious in the sight of God and his holy Mother must these servants of Mary be, who serve her without any self-seeking. How rare they are nowadays! It is to increase their number that I have taken up my pen to write down what I have been teaching with success both publicly and in private in my missions for many years.
cf. 106-110
True Devotion: Interior, Trustful, Holy, Constant, and Disinterested
(1) First, true devotion to our Lady is interior, that is, it comes from within the mind and the heart and follows from the esteem in which we hold her, the high regard we have for her greatness, and the love we bear her.
(2) Second, it is trustful, that is to say, it fills us with confidence in the Blessed Virgin, the confidence that a child has for its loving Mother. It prompts us to go to her in every need of body and soul with great simplicity, trust and affection. We implore our Motherʼs help always, everywhere, and for everything. We pray to her to be enlightened in our doubts, to be put back on the right path when we go astray, to be protected when we are tempted, to be strengthened when we are weakening, to be lifted up when we fall into sin, to be encouraged when we are losing heart, to be rid of our scruples, to be consoled in the trials, crosses and disappointments of life. Finally, in all our afflictions of body and soul, we naturally turn to Mary for help, with never a fear of importuning her or displeasing our Lord.
(3) Third, true devotion to our Lady is holy, that is, it leads us to avoid sin and to imitate the virtues of Mary. Her ten principal virtues are: deep humility, lively faith, blind obedience, unceasing prayer, constant self-denial, surpassing purity, ardent love, heroic patience, angelic kindness, and heavenly wisdom.
(4) Fourth, true devotion to our Lady is constant. It strengthens us in our desire to do good and prevents us from giving up our devotional practices too easily. It gives us the courage to oppose the fashions and maxims of the world, the vexations and unruly inclinations of the flesh and the temptations of the devil. Thus a person truly devoted to our Blessed Lady is not changeable, fretful, scrupulous or timid. We do not say however that such a person never sins or that his sensible feelings of devotion never change. When he has fallen, he stretches out his hand to his Blessed Mother and rises again. If he loses all taste and feeling for devotion, he is not at all upset because a good and faithful servant of Mary is guided in his life by faith in Jesus and Mary, and not by feelings.
(5) Fifth, true devotion to Mary is disinterested. It inspires us to seek God alone in his Blessed Mother and not ourselves. The true subject of Mary does not serve his illustrious Queen for selfish gain. He does not serve her for temporal or eternal well-being but simply and solely because she has the right to be served and God alone in her. He loves her not so much because she is good to him or because he expects something from her, but simply because she is lovable. That is why he loves and serves her just as faithfully in weariness and dryness of soul as in sweet and sensible fervor. He loves her as much on Calvary as at Cana. How pleasing and precious in the sight of God and his holy Mother must these servants of Mary be, who serve her without any self-seeking. How rare they are nowadays! It is to increase their number that I have taken up my pen to write down what I have been teaching with success both publicly and in private in my missions for many years.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Nov. 25, 2010 Thursday: Total Consecration Day 21
Secret of Mary by St. Louis de Montfort
cf. 23-26
Perfect Devotion to Mother Mary
Therefore, if we wish to go to him, seeking union with him, we must use the same means which he used in coming down from heaven to assume our human nature and to impart his graces to us. That means was a complete dependence on Mary his Mother, which is true devotion to her. There are indeed several true devotions to our Lady. I do not intend treating of those which are false.
(1) The first consists in fulfilling the duties of our Christian state, avoiding all mortal sin, performing our actions for God more through love than through fear, praying to our Lady occasionally, and honoring her as the Mother of God, but without our devotion to her being exceptional.
(2) The second consists in entertaining for our Lady deeper feelings of esteem and love, of confidence and veneration. This devotion inspires us to join the confraternities of the Holy Rosary and the Scapular, to say the five or fifteen decades of the Rosary, to venerate our Ladyʼs pictures and shrines, to make her known to others, and to enroll in her sodalities. This devotion, in keeping us from sin, is good, holy and praiseworthy, but it is not as perfect as the third, nor as effective in detaching us from creatures, or in practicing that self-denial necessary for union with Jesus Christ.
(3)The third devotion to our Lady is one which is unknown to many and practiced by very few. This is the one I am about to present to you. Chosen soul, this devotion consists in surrendering oneself in the manner of a slave to Mary, and to Jesus through her, and then performing all our actions with Mary, in Mary, through Mary, and for Mary. Let me explain this statement further. We should choose a special feast-day on which to give ourselves. Then, willingly and lovingly and under no constraint, we consecrate and sacrifice to her unreservedly our body and soul. We give to her our material possessions, such as house, family, income, and even the inner possessions of our soul, namely, our merits, graces, virtues and atonements.
cf. 23-26
Perfect Devotion to Mother Mary
Therefore, if we wish to go to him, seeking union with him, we must use the same means which he used in coming down from heaven to assume our human nature and to impart his graces to us. That means was a complete dependence on Mary his Mother, which is true devotion to her. There are indeed several true devotions to our Lady. I do not intend treating of those which are false.
(1) The first consists in fulfilling the duties of our Christian state, avoiding all mortal sin, performing our actions for God more through love than through fear, praying to our Lady occasionally, and honoring her as the Mother of God, but without our devotion to her being exceptional.
(2) The second consists in entertaining for our Lady deeper feelings of esteem and love, of confidence and veneration. This devotion inspires us to join the confraternities of the Holy Rosary and the Scapular, to say the five or fifteen decades of the Rosary, to venerate our Ladyʼs pictures and shrines, to make her known to others, and to enroll in her sodalities. This devotion, in keeping us from sin, is good, holy and praiseworthy, but it is not as perfect as the third, nor as effective in detaching us from creatures, or in practicing that self-denial necessary for union with Jesus Christ.
(3)The third devotion to our Lady is one which is unknown to many and practiced by very few. This is the one I am about to present to you. Chosen soul, this devotion consists in surrendering oneself in the manner of a slave to Mary, and to Jesus through her, and then performing all our actions with Mary, in Mary, through Mary, and for Mary. Let me explain this statement further. We should choose a special feast-day on which to give ourselves. Then, willingly and lovingly and under no constraint, we consecrate and sacrifice to her unreservedly our body and soul. We give to her our material possessions, such as house, family, income, and even the inner possessions of our soul, namely, our merits, graces, virtues and atonements.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Nov. 24, 2010 Wednesday: Total Consecration Day 20
Prayer to Mary, by St. Louis-Marie de Montfort
Hail MARY, beloved Daughter of the Eternal Father. Hail MARY, admirable Mother of the Son. Hail MARY, faithful Spouse of the Holy Ghost. Hail MARY, my Mother, my loving Mistress, my powerful sovereign. Hail, my joy, my glory, my heart and my soul. Thou art all mine by mercy, and I am Thine by justice. But I am not yet sufficiently Thine. I now give myself wholly to Thee without keeping anything back for myself or others. If Thou seest anything in me which does not belong to Thee, I beseech Thee to take it and make Thyself the absolute Mistress of all that is mine.
Destroy in me all that may displease GOD; root it up and bring it to nought. Place and cultivate in me everything that is pleasing to Thee. May the light of Thy faith dispel the darkness of my mind. May Thy profound humility take the place of my pride; may Thy sublime contemplation check the distractions of my wandering imagination. May Thy continuous sight of GOD fill my memory with His presence; may the burning love of Thy heart inflame the lukewarmness of mine. May Thy virtues take the place of my sins; may Thy merits be my only adornment in the sight of GOD and make up for all that is wanting in me. Finally, dearly beloved Mother, grant, if it be possible, that I may have no other spirit but Thine to know JESUS and His Divine Will; that I may have no other soul but Thine to praise and glorify GOD; that I may have no other heart but Thine to love GOD with a love as pure and ardent as Thine.
I do not ask Thee for visions, revelations, sensible devotions, or spiritual pleasures. It is Thy privilege to see GOD clearly; it is Thy privilege to enjoy heavenly bliss; it is Thy privilege to triumph gloriously in Heaven at the right hand of Thy Son and to hold absolute sway over angels, men and demons. It is Thy privilege to dispose of all the gifts of GOD, just as Thou willest. Such, O heavenly MARY, is the ʻbest partʼ, which the Lord has given Thee, and which shall never be taken away from Thee, and this thought fills my heart with joy. As for my part here below, I wish for no other than that which was Thine, to believe sincerely without spiritual pleasures, to suffer joyfully without human consolation, to die continually to myself without respite, and to work zealously and unselfishly for Thee until death, as the humblest of Thy servants. The only grace I beg Thee, for me, is that every moment of the day, and every moment of my life, I may say, “Amen, so be it, to all that Thou art doing in Heaven. Amen, so be it, to all Thou didst do while on earth. Amen, so be it, to all Thou art doing in my soul,” so that Thou alone mayest fully glorify JESUS in me for time and eternity. Amen.
Hail MARY, beloved Daughter of the Eternal Father. Hail MARY, admirable Mother of the Son. Hail MARY, faithful Spouse of the Holy Ghost. Hail MARY, my Mother, my loving Mistress, my powerful sovereign. Hail, my joy, my glory, my heart and my soul. Thou art all mine by mercy, and I am Thine by justice. But I am not yet sufficiently Thine. I now give myself wholly to Thee without keeping anything back for myself or others. If Thou seest anything in me which does not belong to Thee, I beseech Thee to take it and make Thyself the absolute Mistress of all that is mine.
Destroy in me all that may displease GOD; root it up and bring it to nought. Place and cultivate in me everything that is pleasing to Thee. May the light of Thy faith dispel the darkness of my mind. May Thy profound humility take the place of my pride; may Thy sublime contemplation check the distractions of my wandering imagination. May Thy continuous sight of GOD fill my memory with His presence; may the burning love of Thy heart inflame the lukewarmness of mine. May Thy virtues take the place of my sins; may Thy merits be my only adornment in the sight of GOD and make up for all that is wanting in me. Finally, dearly beloved Mother, grant, if it be possible, that I may have no other spirit but Thine to know JESUS and His Divine Will; that I may have no other soul but Thine to praise and glorify GOD; that I may have no other heart but Thine to love GOD with a love as pure and ardent as Thine.
I do not ask Thee for visions, revelations, sensible devotions, or spiritual pleasures. It is Thy privilege to see GOD clearly; it is Thy privilege to enjoy heavenly bliss; it is Thy privilege to triumph gloriously in Heaven at the right hand of Thy Son and to hold absolute sway over angels, men and demons. It is Thy privilege to dispose of all the gifts of GOD, just as Thou willest. Such, O heavenly MARY, is the ʻbest partʼ, which the Lord has given Thee, and which shall never be taken away from Thee, and this thought fills my heart with joy. As for my part here below, I wish for no other than that which was Thine, to believe sincerely without spiritual pleasures, to suffer joyfully without human consolation, to die continually to myself without respite, and to work zealously and unselfishly for Thee until death, as the humblest of Thy servants. The only grace I beg Thee, for me, is that every moment of the day, and every moment of my life, I may say, “Amen, so be it, to all that Thou art doing in Heaven. Amen, so be it, to all Thou didst do while on earth. Amen, so be it, to all Thou art doing in my soul,” so that Thou alone mayest fully glorify JESUS in me for time and eternity. Amen.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Nov. 22, 2010 Monday: Imitation of Christ, Total Consecration
Day 18 of Total Consecration
Lk 17:1-10; Imitation III, 47
Temptation and Spiritual Battle
And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung round his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Take heed to yourselves; if your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him; and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, and says, ʻI repent,ʼ you must forgive him.”
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this sycamine tree, ʻBe rooted up, and be planted in the sea,ʼ and it would obey you.
“Will any one of you, who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep, say to him when he has come in from the field, ʻCome at once and sit down at tableʼ? Will he not rather say to him, ʻPrepare supper for me, and gird yourself and serve me, till I eat and drink; and afterward you shall eat and drinkʼ? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, ʻWe are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.ʼ”
Imitation of Christ #47
EVERY TRIAL MUST BE BORNE FOR THE SAKE OF ETERNAL LIFE;
THE VOICE OF CHRIST: MY CHILD, do not let the labors which you have taken up for My sake break you, and do not let troubles, from whatever source, cast you down; but in everything let My promise strengthen and console you. I am able to reward you beyond all means and measure.
You will not labor here long, nor will you always be oppressed by sorrows. Wait a little while and you will see a speedy end of evils. The hour will come when all labor and trouble shall be no more. All that passes away with time is trivial.
Lk 17:1-10; Imitation III, 47
Temptation and Spiritual Battle
And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung round his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Take heed to yourselves; if your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him; and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, and says, ʻI repent,ʼ you must forgive him.”
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this sycamine tree, ʻBe rooted up, and be planted in the sea,ʼ and it would obey you.
“Will any one of you, who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep, say to him when he has come in from the field, ʻCome at once and sit down at tableʼ? Will he not rather say to him, ʻPrepare supper for me, and gird yourself and serve me, till I eat and drink; and afterward you shall eat and drinkʼ? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, ʻWe are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.ʼ”
Imitation of Christ #47
EVERY TRIAL MUST BE BORNE FOR THE SAKE OF ETERNAL LIFE;
THE VOICE OF CHRIST: MY CHILD, do not let the labors which you have taken up for My sake break you, and do not let troubles, from whatever source, cast you down; but in everything let My promise strengthen and console you. I am able to reward you beyond all means and measure.
You will not labor here long, nor will you always be oppressed by sorrows. Wait a little while and you will see a speedy end of evils. The hour will come when all labor and trouble shall be no more. All that passes away with time is trivial.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Nov. 21, 2010 Sunday: Christ the King, "Holiness"
The following talk on "Holiness" was given on Nov. 17 for Marian Servants at St. George.
Click to hear audio of the talk
I could have listed another name
on that board like, ‘Princess Diana.’ If you remember on August 31, 1987,
Princess Diana was killed in a car accident in Paris. She was only 36 years
old. For weeks, we saw on TV how mountain of flowers and tributes were showered
on her death. A week later, on September 5, Mother Teresa of Calcutta died. Yet
her death was overshadowed by the continuing coverage of the death of Princess
Diana. If I asked you, “Do you think the word ‘holy’ fits Princess Diana” how
would you answer? We know she did numerous humanitarian works all over the
world. We know she was kind and gentle woman. Why do we hesitate to use the
word, ‘holy’ with Princess Diana?
In the chapels of Mother
Teresa’s sisters all around the world, there is a very succinct sentence that
Jesus spoke that is affixed next to the crucifix, ‘I Thirst.’ The one great
secret of Mother Teresa’s soul was the mystery of Jesus’ thirst. Thirst for her
signifies deep, intense desire. As Fr. Joseph Langford says in his book about
Mother Teresa, “The divine thirst points to the mystery of God’s freely chosen
longing for man. Simply put, though nothing in God needs us, everything in God
wants us—deeply and intensely.” In the depth of the mystery of who God is as
Trinity, we see “the depths of God’s infinite longing to love and be loved.”
Mother Teresa said in one of her letters to her sisters, “the closer you come
to Jesus, the better you will know His thirst…Whenever we come close to Him—we
become partners of Our Lady, St. John, Magdalen.” So what does it mean to be
holy? After receiving the fruits of silence and prayer, we possess in the
depths of our heart this very thirst of God for souls within us, which propels
us to love and to serve. This is being the channel of God’s holiness. Mother
Teresa said,
·
How unlike Him we are.
How little love, little compassion, how little forgiveness, how little kindness
we have. We are not worthy to be so close to Him--to enter His heart. Let us
find out what part of His body is wounded by our sins. Let us not go alone but
put our hands in His. Our Father loves us. He has given us a name. We belong to
Him with all our misery, our sin, our weakness, our goodness. We are His. Our
way of life depends on our being rooted in Christ Jesus our Lord by our
deliberate choice.
Click to hear audio of the talk
Mother Teresa: No Greater
Love – On Being Holy
Opening Prayer
Offering of myself as a Victim of Holocaust to God's Merciful Love
(St. Therese of Lisieux)
O My God! Most Blessed Trinity,
I desire to Love You and make You Loved, to work for the glory of Holy Church
by saving souls on earth and liberating those suffering in purgatory. I desire
to accomplish Your will perfectly and to reach the degree of glory You have
prepared for me in Your Kingdom. I desire, in a word, to be a saint, but I feel
my helplessness and I beg You, O my God! to be Yourself my Sanctity!
In the evening of this life, I
shall appear before You with empty hands, for I do not ask You, Lord, to count
my works. All our justice is stained in Your eyes. I wish, then, to be clothed
in Your own Justice and to receive from Your Love the eternal possession of
Yourself. I want no other Throne, no other Crown but You, my Beloved!
In order to live in one single
act of perfect Love, I OFFER MYSELF AS A VICTIM OF HOLOCAUST TO YOUR MERCIFUL
LOVE, asking You to consume me incessantly, allowing the waves of infinite
tenderness shut up within You to overflow into my soul, and that thus I may
become a martyr of Your Love, O my God!
Introduction
Several years ago, when I was
still a seminarian, I dropped by Mother Teresa sisters at St. Agnes to say hi.
The sisters then whisked me to the CCD classrooms and asked me to say hi to the
kids. Then, a sister said, “Brother Paul, we’re missing a catechist for 8th
grade, would you sub in the class?” I said hesitantly, “Yes.” Once in the
class, I asked what the topic of the day was, and they said, “Holiness.” So on
the blackboard, I wrote two names. On one side, I wrote, ‘Mother Teresa’ and on
the other, I wrote, ‘Madonna’ (the pop star) Then I said to the kids, “Do you
think the word ‘holy’ fits Mother Teresa?” All the kids answered, “Yes.” Then I
asked, “Do you think the word ‘holy’ fits Madonna?” All the kids laughed and
said, “No.” Then I asked, “So what is holiness?” The kids hesitated. It is easy to identify a person who is
holy, yet difficult to describe what holiness is.
Now suppose on the board, I
write ‘Mother Teresa’ on one side and your name on the other side. Do you think
the word ‘holy’ fits your name? Are you hesitating? Do you not go to mass
frequently like Mother Teresa? Do you not do the works of charity like Mother
Teresa? Mother Teresa went to confession every week. How often do you go to
confession? Monthly? It must mean that she has more sins to confess than you
do, right?
Humility
If Mother Teresa were to be
asked to write her name on one side, who would she write on the other side?
Jesus. And what would she say about herself? She would say, “I am not holy.
Only He is holy.” If we want to understand how to be holy, the very foundation
of holiness is humility—knowing that only Jesus is holy, and we are only
channels of His holiness. So Mother Teresa said,
·
We should not be
concerned with the instrument God uses to speak to us, but with what God is
saying to us. I'm just a little pencil in His hand. Tomorrow, if He finds
somebody more helpless, more hopeless, I think He will do still greater things
with her and through her.
·
To become holy we need
humility and prayer. Jesus taught us how to pray, and He also told us to learn
from Him to be meek and humble of heart. Neither of these can we do unless we
know what silence is. Both humility and prayer grow from an ear, mind, and
tongue that have lived in silence with God, for in the silence of the heart God
speak.
Humility
and Silence
Do you
remember one of her simple sayings?
“The
fruit of silence is prayer. The fruit of prayer is faith. The fruit of faith is
love. The fruit of love is service. The fruit of service is peace.” We all had
a time when we had a period of peace, and all of a sudden, we lose that peace;
we go from order to disorder. In order to regain that peace, we try everything,
except the one thing we need to try. An analogy I can think of is driving a standard
transmission car on a highway. As you cruise on the highway at 70 miles per
hour, all of a sudden you see a line of cars not moving and you hit the breaks;
this happens everyday if you drive eastbound on I-12 toward Denham Springs.
When we lose peace, it’s like our car going from 70 miles down to a crawl. And
if you have a standard transmission, you have to downshift to the first gear to
make your car start moving again. The moment we lose peace, we should not be
downshifting to doing more service activities. Mother Teresa suggests
downshifting all the way down to silence, in order to build back up prayer, then
faith, then love, then service, and ultimately, peace. So Mother Teresa said,
·
Let us really take
trouble to learn the lesson of holiness from Jesus, whose heart was meek and
humble. The first lesson from this heart is an examination of our conscience,
and the rest--love and service--follow at once.
·
Examination is not our
work alone, but a partnership between us and Jesus. We should not waste our
time in useless looks at our own miseries, but should lift our hearts to God
and let His light enlighten us.
One of the prayers that Mother
Teresa prayed frequently was the Litany of Humility. I recommend all of us to
pray this daily, for I have found it to be one of the most effective ways of
Examination of Conscience. It was composed by Cardinal Rafael, the Secretary of
State for the Holy See under Pope Pius X. It’s divided into three-parts.
First part asks us to set aside
our attempts to make ourselves feel “special” through the acceptance and
admiration of others. Second part asks us to overcome our repugnance to feeling
emotionally hurt by others. The last part asks us to seek the good of others in
all things, setting aside all competition, even at our own expense.
I will read it slowly, and I
will ask you to respond to each of the litany.
Litany of Humility
(Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val,
d1930)
O Jesus! meek and humble of
heart, hear me.
From the desire of being
esteemed, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being
extolled, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being
honored, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being
praised, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being
preferred, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being
consulted, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being
approved, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being
humiliated, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering
rebukes, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being
calumniated, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being
forgotten, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being
ridiculed, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being
suspected, Deliver me, Jesus.
That others may be loved more
than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more
than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to
desire it.
That in the opinion of the
world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I
set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to
desire it.
That others may be praised and I
unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to
desire it.
That others may be preferred to
me in everything, Jesus, grant me the
grace to desire it.
That others may become holier
than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
How many times have we tried to
make ourselves feel “special” through the acceptance and admiration of others?
How many times have we avoided doing something because we feared being hurt by
others. And how many times have we failed to seek the good of others,
especially when we were overcome by envy, jealousy, and pride. By praying this Litany daily, we are
asking God to give us the grace to overcome these temptations.
I Thirst
·
I have the impression
that the passion of Christ is being relived everywhere. Are we willing to share
in this passion? Are we willing to share people's sufferings, not only in poor
countries but all over the world? It seems to me that this great poverty of
suffering in the West is much harder to solve. When I pick up some starving
person off the street and offer him a bowl of rice or a piece of bread, I can
satisfy his hunger. But a person that has been beaten or feels unwanted or
unloved or fearful or rejected by society experiences a kind of poverty that is
much more painful and deep. The cure is much more difficult to find.
·
People are hungry for
God. People are hungry for love. Are we aware of that? Since we cannot see
Christ, we cannot express our love to Him. But we do see our neighbor, and we
can do for him what we would do for Christ if He were visible. Let us be open
to God, so that He can use us. Let us put love into action. Let us begin with
our family, with our closest neighbors. It is the individual that is important
to us. In order to love a person, one must come close to him or her.
Back when I was a seminarian
serving at Our Lady of Mercy, I used to help with communion service at a nursing
home. I befriended a volunteer in her 80s who organized the communion service
and some of the social events there. She told me that 20 years ago her mother
was placed in that nursing home. Every time she came to visit her mother, she
saw those sad, abandoned faces sitting near the entrance of the nursing home
waiting for their children who seldom came to visit. After her mother died, she
continued to come because she had the desire in her heart to serve those
elderly like her own mother. She had in her heart God’s thirst for these souls.
This call to holiness is nothing
but God’s call for us to be transformed into the image and likeness of His Son.
Mother said,
·
The perfect will of God
for us: You must be holy. Holiness is the greatest gift that God can give us
because for that reason He created us. Submission, for a person who loves, is
more than a duty; it is the secret of holiness.
·
Saint Francis said each
one of us is what he is in the eyes of God--nothing more, nothing less. We are
all called to be saints. There is nothing extraordinary about this call. We all
have been created in the image of God to love and to be loved.
·
"It is God's will
that you grow in holiness" (1 Thessalonians 4:3). His Sacred Heart is
filled with an insatiable longing to see us advance toward holiness.
·
We cannot be renewed
without the humility to recognize what needs to be renewed in ourselves.
This transformation into the
image and likeness of Jesus involves us following Our Lord’s Way of the Cross.
Mother said,
·
Don't be afraid. There
must be the cross, there must be suffering, a clear sign that Jesus has drawn
you so close to His heart that He can share His suffering with you. Without God
we can spread only pain and suffering around us.
We think of suffering as
something coming from outside of us. But the deeper suffering is of denying our
will to make room for God’s Will. Mother said,
·
We all long for heaven
where God is, but we have it in our power to be in heaven with Him right now,
to be happy with Him at this very moment. But being happy with Him now means
loving like He loves, helping like He helps, giving as He gives, serving as He
serves, rescuing as He rescues, being with Him twenty-four hours a day,
touching Him in His distressing disguise.
·
Jesus is going to do
great things with you if you let Him, and if you don't try to interfere with
Him. We interfere with God's plans when we push in someone or something else
not suitable for us. Be strict with yourself, and then be very strict with what
you are receiving from the outside. People may come with wonderful ideas, with
beautiful things, but anything that takes you away from the reality of what you
have given to God must remain outside.
We will be constantly tempted to
choose our will over God’s. As Padre Pio said, “The life of a Christian is
nothing but a perpetual struggle
against self; there is no flowering of the soul to the beauty of its perfection
except at the price of pain.” Mother said,
·
Let us ask our Lord to be
with us in our moments of temptation. We must not be afraid, because God loves
us and will not fail to help us. Hence, have a deep reverence for our own
person; reverence for others, treating all with accepted marks of courtesy, but
abstaining from sentimental feelings or ill-ordered affections.
Do you know what age Mother
Teresa began her work in the slums? When she was 40 years old! She had been a
Loreto Sister for over 20 years as a teacher. Then God began calling her in her
midlife. She felt the tug, but she was frightened. She wrote in her diary, “I
am so afraid.—This fear shows me how much I love myself.—I am afraid of the
suffering that will come—through leading that Indian life [of the poor],
clothing like them, eating like them, sleeping like them—living with them and
never having anything my way. How much comfort has taken possession of my
heart.” She argued with God, “My own Jesus—what You ask it is beyond me […] I
am unworthy—I am sinful—I am weak—Go, Jesus and find a more worthy soul, a more
generous one.”
Mother Teresa was not unlike the
rest of us, as we struggle to answer the promptings of grace that nudges us
beyond ourselves. Unfortunately, when faced with new challenges our first
response is often negative, as we listen instead to the voice that insists we
cannot change. Like Mother Teresa, when faced with God’s unexpected
invitations, we find ourselves held back by fear, fatigue, tepidity, and a
reluctance to take on new challenges. And we pull back. Mother Teresa showed
us, though, that despite our struggles it is never too late to change, to grow,
to say yes to the God who calls. Mother said, “Give yourself fully to God. He
will use you to accomplish great things, on the condition that you believe much
more in his love than in your own weakness.”
We began this talk with names on
a black board—names of Mother Teresa, Madonna, Princess Diana, and your own
name. And I asked you whether the word ‘holy’ fits with these names. Whereas
most of us would ascribe the word ‘holy’ only with Mother Teresa, Mother Teresa
herself would say that there is only one person who fits that word, Jesus. Mother
Teresa urges us to thirst for souls like Jesus, to bear suffering like Jesus,
and to love like Jesus. She said,
·
The work of moral
rearmament is carried out with discretion and love. The more discrete, the more
penetrating it will be. You give it to others, and it is they who absorb it.
If we had to ask her, “Mother
Teresa, can you summarize for me in less than three paragraphs, how I should
live a life of holiness,” she would reply,
·
[First], we shall
instruct by the power of the example of our lives lived entirely in and with
Jesus Christ our Lord, bearing witness to the truth of the gospel by our
single-minded devotion to and burning love of Christ and His Church, and also
by verbal proclamation of the Word of God fearlessly, openly, and clearly,
according to the teaching of the Church, whenever opportunity offers.
·
[Second], we shall
sustain the tempted by our prayer, penance, and understanding love, and when
opportunity offers, also by enlightening and encouraging words. We shall
befriend the friendless and comfort the sick and sorrowful by our real love and
personal concern for them, identifying ourselves with them in their pain and
sorrow and by praying with them for God's healing and comfort and by
encouraging them to offer their sufferings to the Lord for the salvation of the
whole world.
·
[Third], we shall bear
wrongs patiently by offering no resistance to the wicked. If anyone hits us on
the right cheek we shall turn the left also; if anyone takes away anything from
us, we shall not try to get it back. We shall forgive injuries by seeking no
revenge but returning good for evil, by loving our enemies and praying for
those who persecute us and blessing those who curse us.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Nov. 19, 2010 Friday: Imitation of Christ
14th Day of Total Consecration
Imitation of Christ
Book 3: Ch 13
Humble Submission
MY CHILD, he who attempts to escape obeying withdraws himself from grace. Likewise he who seeks private benefits for himself loses those which are common to all. He who does not submit himself freely and willingly to his superior, shows that his flesh is not yet perfectly obedient but that it often rebels and murmurs against him.
Learn quickly, then, to submit yourself to your superior if you wish to conquer your own flesh. For the exterior enemy is more quickly overcome if the inner man is not laid waste. There is no more troublesome, no worse enemy of the soul than you yourself, if you are not in harmony with the spirit. It is absolutely necessary that you conceive a true contempt for yourself if you wish to be victorious over flesh and blood.
Because you still love yourself too inordinately, you are afraid to resign yourself wholly to the will of others. Is it such a great matter if you, who are but dust and nothingness, subject yourself to man for the sake of God, when I, the All-Powerful, the Most High, Who created all things out of nothing, humbly subjected Myself to man for your sake? I became the most humble and the lowest of all men that you might overcome your pride with My humility.
Learn to obey, you who are but dust! Learn to humble yourself, you who are but earth and clay, and bow down under the foot of every man! Learn to break your own will, to submit to all subjection! Be zealous against yourself! Allow no pride to dwell in you, but prove yourself so humble and lowly that all may walk over you and trample upon you as dust in the streets!
Imitation of Christ
Book 3: Ch 13
Humble Submission
MY CHILD, he who attempts to escape obeying withdraws himself from grace. Likewise he who seeks private benefits for himself loses those which are common to all. He who does not submit himself freely and willingly to his superior, shows that his flesh is not yet perfectly obedient but that it often rebels and murmurs against him.
Learn quickly, then, to submit yourself to your superior if you wish to conquer your own flesh. For the exterior enemy is more quickly overcome if the inner man is not laid waste. There is no more troublesome, no worse enemy of the soul than you yourself, if you are not in harmony with the spirit. It is absolutely necessary that you conceive a true contempt for yourself if you wish to be victorious over flesh and blood.
Because you still love yourself too inordinately, you are afraid to resign yourself wholly to the will of others. Is it such a great matter if you, who are but dust and nothingness, subject yourself to man for the sake of God, when I, the All-Powerful, the Most High, Who created all things out of nothing, humbly subjected Myself to man for your sake? I became the most humble and the lowest of all men that you might overcome your pride with My humility.
Learn to obey, you who are but dust! Learn to humble yourself, you who are but earth and clay, and bow down under the foot of every man! Learn to break your own will, to submit to all subjection! Be zealous against yourself! Allow no pride to dwell in you, but prove yourself so humble and lowly that all may walk over you and trample upon you as dust in the streets!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Nov. 17, 2010 Wednesday: Daily Homily "Jesus' Internal Cross"
The following is an excerpt from "What is Jesus Like" by Concepcion Cabrera de Armida (Conchita)
Ch. 28: "His Internal Cross"
If Jesus was all love, He was also all suffering. He longed "to be baptized with a baptism of blood" (cf. Lk 12:50). His external cross was a relief, or rest, compared to the interior suffering of His Heart that crucified Him. From the moment of His Incarnation, this inner cross oppressed Him and throughout His life, the thorns of human ingratitude pierced Him.
Jesus kept those sufferings hidden and veiled. He smiled, worked and preached, but He hid His interior suffering (which Mary surmised), which He offered as the purest incense to His Father in all the instances of His life. The martyrdoms that tortured Him interiorly are neither taken into account nor are they appreciated.
That little cross, which we contemplate driven into the upper portion of Jesus' Heart, represents to us the most exquisite pain and a pain without relief. It is only in His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane that He allows us a vague idea of the torture which, during His entire life, tore His innocent Heart to shreds.
Water and blood gushed forth from this Inner Sanctuary of Love to purify and save me. Jesus was willing to be left without blood, but not without me. He opened the Fountain of Life so that my lips might drink and my soul might inebriate itself with purity and sanctity with this Wine that brings forth virgins.
Have I at least been grateful for these internal sufferings? Do I love them? Do I honor them? Do I meditate upon them? Do I make them known? Do I ask for them and do I embrace them in order to console Jesus?
If Jesus was all love, He was also all suffering. He longed "to be baptized with a baptism of blood" (cf. Lk 12:50). His external cross was a relief, or rest, compared to the interior suffering of His Heart that crucified Him. From the moment of His Incarnation, this inner cross oppressed Him and throughout His life, the thorns of human ingratitude pierced Him.
Jesus kept those sufferings hidden and veiled. He smiled, worked and preached, but He hid His interior suffering (which Mary surmised), which He offered as the purest incense to His Father in all the instances of His life. The martyrdoms that tortured Him interiorly are neither taken into account nor are they appreciated.
That little cross, which we contemplate driven into the upper portion of Jesus' Heart, represents to us the most exquisite pain and a pain without relief. It is only in His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane that He allows us a vague idea of the torture which, during His entire life, tore His innocent Heart to shreds.
Water and blood gushed forth from this Inner Sanctuary of Love to purify and save me. Jesus was willing to be left without blood, but not without me. He opened the Fountain of Life so that my lips might drink and my soul might inebriate itself with purity and sanctity with this Wine that brings forth virgins.
Have I at least been grateful for these internal sufferings? Do I love them? Do I honor them? Do I meditate upon them? Do I make them known? Do I ask for them and do I embrace them in order to console Jesus?
Nov. 16, 2010 Tuesday: Daily Homily "Loving Complaints"
Click here for audio homily
The following is an excerpt from "What is Jesus Like" by Concepcion Cabrera de Armida (Conchita)
Ch. 10: Loving Complaints
From His monstrance, from His tabernacle, from the depths of our hearts, He speaks to us. "For such a long time I have been with you, living by your side, coming to you daily in Holy Communion, never leaving you, being even closer than I was to My disciples. Still you do not know Me? Have you not contemplated My virtues? Have you not entered into My Sacred Heart? Have you not shared My very Life? I love you so much, so very much, beloved soul who is listening to Me."
That emotions of Jesus as He delicately renders His most tender complaints. That emotion--that causes our being to come to life even after so many centuries--came from the depths of the Infinite, the Sublime and the Divine. Jesus was deeply moved and He was speaking to all the cold and indifferent souls of all the ages with the emphasis of the heart.
Again Jesus, Whom we so frequently forget about, complains with a sadness that tears the heart about that which hurts Him most: our ingratitude! This dagger thrust is terrible for a noble Heart, Who has only known how to pour forth blessings. For what must the most sensitive, the most pure and loving Heart, have felt when being forgotten by His children? What a painful sword being forgotten is for the Soul Who only knew how to love and to sacrifice Himself in every form of martyrdom to bring happiness to those He loves!
We really do not comprehend the profound Love that the Heart of Jesus has for us. The more Jesus deigns to reveal to us those secrets of His loving Heart, the more we realize that we do not understand Him.
The following is an excerpt from "What is Jesus Like" by Concepcion Cabrera de Armida (Conchita)
From His monstrance, from His tabernacle, from the depths of our hearts, He speaks to us. "For such a long time I have been with you, living by your side, coming to you daily in Holy Communion, never leaving you, being even closer than I was to My disciples. Still you do not know Me? Have you not contemplated My virtues? Have you not entered into My Sacred Heart? Have you not shared My very Life? I love you so much, so very much, beloved soul who is listening to Me."
That emotions of Jesus as He delicately renders His most tender complaints. That emotion--that causes our being to come to life even after so many centuries--came from the depths of the Infinite, the Sublime and the Divine. Jesus was deeply moved and He was speaking to all the cold and indifferent souls of all the ages with the emphasis of the heart.
Again Jesus, Whom we so frequently forget about, complains with a sadness that tears the heart about that which hurts Him most: our ingratitude! This dagger thrust is terrible for a noble Heart, Who has only known how to pour forth blessings. For what must the most sensitive, the most pure and loving Heart, have felt when being forgotten by His children? What a painful sword being forgotten is for the Soul Who only knew how to love and to sacrifice Himself in every form of martyrdom to bring happiness to those He loves!
We really do not comprehend the profound Love that the Heart of Jesus has for us. The more Jesus deigns to reveal to us those secrets of His loving Heart, the more we realize that we do not understand Him.
Nov. 16, 2010 Tuesday: Imitation of Christ
Day 12 of Total Consecration
Imitation of Christ
Book 1, Ch 25
Fervent and Diligent Discipline
On the other hand, take care lest you be guilty of those things which you consider reprehensible, or if you have ever been guilty of them, try to correct yourself as soon as possible. As you see others, so they see you.
How pleasant and sweet to behold brethren fervent and devout, well mannered and disciplined! How sad and painful to see them wandering in dissolution, not practicing the things to which they are called! How hurtful it is to neglect the purpose of their vocation and to attend to what is not their business!
Remember the purpose you have undertaken, and keep in mind the image of the Crucified. Even though you may have walked for many years on the pathway to God, you may well be ashamed if, with the image of Christ before you, you do not try to make yourself still more like Him.
The religious who concerns himself intently and devoutly with our Lordʼs most holy life and passion will find there an abundance of all things useful and necessary for him. He need not seek for anything better than Jesus.
If the Crucified should come to our hearts, how quickly and abundantly we would learn!
A fervent and diligent man is ready for all things. It is greater work to resist vices and passions than to sweat in physical toil. He who does not overcome small faults, shall fall little by little into greater ones.
If you have spent the day profitably, you will always be happy at eventide. Watch over yourself, arouse yourself, warn yourself, and regardless of what becomes of others, do not neglect yourself. The more violence you do to yourself, the more progress you will make.
Imitation of Christ
Book 1, Ch 25
Fervent and Diligent Discipline
On the other hand, take care lest you be guilty of those things which you consider reprehensible, or if you have ever been guilty of them, try to correct yourself as soon as possible. As you see others, so they see you.
How pleasant and sweet to behold brethren fervent and devout, well mannered and disciplined! How sad and painful to see them wandering in dissolution, not practicing the things to which they are called! How hurtful it is to neglect the purpose of their vocation and to attend to what is not their business!
Remember the purpose you have undertaken, and keep in mind the image of the Crucified. Even though you may have walked for many years on the pathway to God, you may well be ashamed if, with the image of Christ before you, you do not try to make yourself still more like Him.
The religious who concerns himself intently and devoutly with our Lordʼs most holy life and passion will find there an abundance of all things useful and necessary for him. He need not seek for anything better than Jesus.
If the Crucified should come to our hearts, how quickly and abundantly we would learn!
A fervent and diligent man is ready for all things. It is greater work to resist vices and passions than to sweat in physical toil. He who does not overcome small faults, shall fall little by little into greater ones.
If you have spent the day profitably, you will always be happy at eventide. Watch over yourself, arouse yourself, warn yourself, and regardless of what becomes of others, do not neglect yourself. The more violence you do to yourself, the more progress you will make.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Nov. 15, 2010 Monday: Imitation of Christ
Day 11 of Total Consecration according to St Marie Louis de Montfort
Imitation of Christ
Book 1, Ch:25
Fight to Serve God Now
One day when a certain man who wavered often and anxiously between hope and fear was struck with sadness, he knelt in humble prayer before the altar of a church. While meditating on these things, he said: “Oh if I but knew whether I should persevere to the end!” Instantly he heard within the divine answer: “If you knew this, what would you do? Do now what you would do then and you will be quite secure.” Immediately consoled and comforted, he resigned himself to the divine will and the anxious uncertainty ceased. His curiosity no longer sought to know what the future held for him, and he tried instead to find the perfect, the acceptable will of God in the beginning and end of every good work.
“Trust thou in the Lord and do good,” says the Prophet; “dwell in the land and thou shalt feed on its riches.”[7]
There is one thing that keeps many from zealously improving their lives, that is, dread of the difficulty, the toil of battle. Certainly they who try bravely to overcome the most difficult and unpleasant obstacles far outstrip others in the pursuit of virtue. A man makes the most progress and merits the most grace precisely in those matters wherein he gains the greatest victories over self and most mortifies his will. True, each one has his own difficulties to meet and conquer, but a diligent and sincere man will make greater progress even though he have more passions than one who is more even-tempered but less concerned about virtue.
Imitation of Christ
Book 1, Ch:25
Fight to Serve God Now
One day when a certain man who wavered often and anxiously between hope and fear was struck with sadness, he knelt in humble prayer before the altar of a church. While meditating on these things, he said: “Oh if I but knew whether I should persevere to the end!” Instantly he heard within the divine answer: “If you knew this, what would you do? Do now what you would do then and you will be quite secure.” Immediately consoled and comforted, he resigned himself to the divine will and the anxious uncertainty ceased. His curiosity no longer sought to know what the future held for him, and he tried instead to find the perfect, the acceptable will of God in the beginning and end of every good work.
“Trust thou in the Lord and do good,” says the Prophet; “dwell in the land and thou shalt feed on its riches.”[7]
There is one thing that keeps many from zealously improving their lives, that is, dread of the difficulty, the toil of battle. Certainly they who try bravely to overcome the most difficult and unpleasant obstacles far outstrip others in the pursuit of virtue. A man makes the most progress and merits the most grace precisely in those matters wherein he gains the greatest victories over self and most mortifies his will. True, each one has his own difficulties to meet and conquer, but a diligent and sincere man will make greater progress even though he have more passions than one who is more even-tempered but less concerned about virtue.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Nov. 14, 2010: 33rd Sunday Ordinary (C)
Click here to hear audio homily
Have you ever played a game called "Broken Telephone" or "Grapevine"? In this game, the first player whispers a phrase or sentence to the next player. Each player successively whispers what that player heard to the next. The last player announces the statement to the entire group. What happens? Most of the times the original message is so garbled, that we laugh. The world record for the largest game of "Broken Telephone" involved 614 people organized by a stage magician named Mac King. They did this in Harrah's Casino in Las Vegas in Janauary, 2004. The phrase that Mac King whispered to the first player was, "Mac King is a comedy magic genius." And Mac King correctly predicted what the 614th person would say. "Macaroni cantaloupe knows the future."
(Picture: "Don't say I said it" by Norman Rockwell)Gossip has always been a part of human life. How do we know? We find references in the Old Testament in the Book of Proverbs. One such reference is, "The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts. (Prov 18:8) Elsewhere in Proverbs, it reads that friendships are destroyed (Proverbs 16: 28) and quarrels are provoked (Proverbs 26: 20). How many of you would agree with the Old Testament? All of us have been involved with spreading gossip and also have been hurt by gossip. Even our Second Reading takes this topic up. St. Paul says to the Thessalonians, "We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a disorderly way, by not keeping busy but minding the business of others. Such people we instruct and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and to eat their own food."
What's wrong with gossip? Some folks tell me in the confessional, "Father, I told a little gossip about someone. Is it a mortal sin? What I told was true. I wasn't lying." If you want a good rule to remember about whether to tell what you heard to another person, remember this one, "Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?"
Is it true? - The definition of rumor is, "a piece of unverified information of uncertain origin usually spread by word of mouth." So by its nature gossip is already mixed with untruth.
Is it kind? Is it necessary? - The Book of Leviticus says, “Do not go about spreading slander among your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.” (Lev 19:16) Endangering your neighbor's life, with gossip? Yes.
St. Paul challenges all of us to build up someone with our words, not tear down. He says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Eph 4:29) All of us are called to holiness. We must respond to Our Heavenly Father's call for our thoughts, feelings, and actions to be holy. Just as Jesus' entire life was a response to that call, we are to do the same. If Jesus heard what we are about to say about someone, would he be pleased?
Nov. 13, 2010 Saturday: Imitation of Christ
Day 9 of Total Consecration
Imitation of Christ
Book 3: Ch 13
Humble Prayer Defeats Temptation
Fire tempers iron and temptation steels the just. Often we do not know what we can stand, but temptation shows us what we are.
Above all, we must be especially alert against the beginnings of temptation, for the enemy is more easily conquered if he is refused admittance to the mind and is met beyond the threshold when he knocks.
Someone has said very aptly: “Resist the beginnings; remedies come too late, when by long delay the evil has gained strength.” First, a mere thought comes to mind, then strong imagination, followed by pleasure, evil delight, and consent. Thus, because he is not resisted in the beginning, Satan gains full entry. And the longer a man delays in resisting, so much the weaker does he become each day, while the strength of the enemy grows against him.
Some suffer great temptations in the beginning of their conversion, others toward the end, while some are troubled almost constantly throughout their life. Others, again, are tempted but lightly according to the wisdom and justice of Divine Providence Who weighs the status and merit of each and prepares all for the salvation of His elect.
We should not despair, therefore, when we are tempted, but pray to God the more fervently that He may see fit to help us, for according to the word of Paul, He will make issue with temptation that we may be able to bear it. Let us humble our souls under the hand of God in every trial and temptation for He will save and exalt the humble in spirit.
In temptations and trials the progress of a man is measured; in them opportunity for merit and virtue is made more manifest.
When a man is not troubled it is not hard for him to be fervent and devout, but if he bears up patiently in time of adversity, there is hope for great progress.
Some, guarded against great temptations, are frequently overcome by small ones in order that, humbled by their weakness in small trials, they may not presume on their own strength in great ones.
Imitation of Christ
Book 3: Ch 13
Humble Prayer Defeats Temptation
Fire tempers iron and temptation steels the just. Often we do not know what we can stand, but temptation shows us what we are.
Above all, we must be especially alert against the beginnings of temptation, for the enemy is more easily conquered if he is refused admittance to the mind and is met beyond the threshold when he knocks.
Someone has said very aptly: “Resist the beginnings; remedies come too late, when by long delay the evil has gained strength.” First, a mere thought comes to mind, then strong imagination, followed by pleasure, evil delight, and consent. Thus, because he is not resisted in the beginning, Satan gains full entry. And the longer a man delays in resisting, so much the weaker does he become each day, while the strength of the enemy grows against him.
Some suffer great temptations in the beginning of their conversion, others toward the end, while some are troubled almost constantly throughout their life. Others, again, are tempted but lightly according to the wisdom and justice of Divine Providence Who weighs the status and merit of each and prepares all for the salvation of His elect.
We should not despair, therefore, when we are tempted, but pray to God the more fervently that He may see fit to help us, for according to the word of Paul, He will make issue with temptation that we may be able to bear it. Let us humble our souls under the hand of God in every trial and temptation for He will save and exalt the humble in spirit.
In temptations and trials the progress of a man is measured; in them opportunity for merit and virtue is made more manifest.
When a man is not troubled it is not hard for him to be fervent and devout, but if he bears up patiently in time of adversity, there is hope for great progress.
Some, guarded against great temptations, are frequently overcome by small ones in order that, humbled by their weakness in small trials, they may not presume on their own strength in great ones.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Nov. 12, 2010 Friday: Imitation of Christ
Day 8 of Total Consecration
Imitation of Christ Book 3, Ch 13
Life as Spiritual Warfare
O LONG as we live in this world we cannot escape suffering and temptation. Whence it is written in Job: “The life of man upon earth is a warfare.”[3] Everyone, therefore, must guard against temptation and must watch in prayer lest the devil, who never sleeps but goes about seeking whom he may devour, find occasion to deceive him. No one is so perfect or so holy but he is sometimes tempted; man cannot be altogether free from temptation.
Yet temptations, though troublesome and severe, are often useful to a man, for in them he is humbled, purified, and instructed. The saints all passed through many temptations and trials to profit by them, while those who could not resist became reprobate and fell away. There is no state so holy, no place so secret that temptations and trials will not come. Man is never safe from them as long as he lives, for they come from within us - in sin we were born. When one temptation or trial passes, another comes; we shall always have something to suffer because we have lost the state of original blessedness.
Many people try to escape temptations, only to fall more deeply. We cannot conquer simply by fleeing, but by patience and true humility we become stronger than all our enemies. The man who only shuns temptations outwardly and does not uproot them will make little progress; indeed they will quickly return, more violent than before.
Little by little, in patience and long-suffering you will overcome them, by the help of God rather than by severity and your own rash ways. Often take counsel when tempted; and do not be harsh with others who are tempted, but console them as you yourself would wish to be consoled.
The beginning of all temptation lies in a wavering mind and little trust in God, for as a rudderless ship is driven hither and yon by waves, so a careless and irresolute man is tempted in many ways.
Imitation of Christ Book 3, Ch 13
Life as Spiritual Warfare
O LONG as we live in this world we cannot escape suffering and temptation. Whence it is written in Job: “The life of man upon earth is a warfare.”[3] Everyone, therefore, must guard against temptation and must watch in prayer lest the devil, who never sleeps but goes about seeking whom he may devour, find occasion to deceive him. No one is so perfect or so holy but he is sometimes tempted; man cannot be altogether free from temptation.
Yet temptations, though troublesome and severe, are often useful to a man, for in them he is humbled, purified, and instructed. The saints all passed through many temptations and trials to profit by them, while those who could not resist became reprobate and fell away. There is no state so holy, no place so secret that temptations and trials will not come. Man is never safe from them as long as he lives, for they come from within us - in sin we were born. When one temptation or trial passes, another comes; we shall always have something to suffer because we have lost the state of original blessedness.
Many people try to escape temptations, only to fall more deeply. We cannot conquer simply by fleeing, but by patience and true humility we become stronger than all our enemies. The man who only shuns temptations outwardly and does not uproot them will make little progress; indeed they will quickly return, more violent than before.
Little by little, in patience and long-suffering you will overcome them, by the help of God rather than by severity and your own rash ways. Often take counsel when tempted; and do not be harsh with others who are tempted, but console them as you yourself would wish to be consoled.
The beginning of all temptation lies in a wavering mind and little trust in God, for as a rudderless ship is driven hither and yon by waves, so a careless and irresolute man is tempted in many ways.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Nov. 11, 2010 Thursday: Imitation of Christ
The following is the Day 7 reflection of the Total Consecration according to St Louis de Montfort
Imitation Book 3, Ch 18
Past Fervor Versus our Lukewarmness
Outwardly destitute, inwardly [saints] were full of grace and divine consolation. Strangers to the world, they were close and intimate friends of God. To themselves they seemed as nothing, and they were despised by the world, but in the eyes of God they were precious and beloved. They lived in true humility and simple obedience; they walked in charity and patience, making progress daily on the pathway of spiritual life and obtaining great favor with God.
They were given as an example for all religious, and their power to stimulate us to perfection ought to be greater than that of the lukewarm to tempt us to laxity.
How great was the fervor of all religious in the beginning of their holy institution! How great their devotion in prayer and their rivalry for virtue! What splendid discipline flourished among them! What great reverence and obedience in all things under the rule of a superior! The footsteps they left behind still bear witness that they indeed were holy and perfect men who fought bravely and conquered the world.
Today, he who is not a transgressor and who can bear patiently the duties which he has taken upon himself is considered great. How lukewarm and negligent we are! We lose our original fervor very quickly and we even become weary of life from laziness! Do not you, who have seen so many examples of the devout, fall asleep in the pursuit of virtue!
Imitation Book 3, Ch 18
Past Fervor Versus our Lukewarmness
Outwardly destitute, inwardly [saints] were full of grace and divine consolation. Strangers to the world, they were close and intimate friends of God. To themselves they seemed as nothing, and they were despised by the world, but in the eyes of God they were precious and beloved. They lived in true humility and simple obedience; they walked in charity and patience, making progress daily on the pathway of spiritual life and obtaining great favor with God.
They were given as an example for all religious, and their power to stimulate us to perfection ought to be greater than that of the lukewarm to tempt us to laxity.
How great was the fervor of all religious in the beginning of their holy institution! How great their devotion in prayer and their rivalry for virtue! What splendid discipline flourished among them! What great reverence and obedience in all things under the rule of a superior! The footsteps they left behind still bear witness that they indeed were holy and perfect men who fought bravely and conquered the world.
Today, he who is not a transgressor and who can bear patiently the duties which he has taken upon himself is considered great. How lukewarm and negligent we are! We lose our original fervor very quickly and we even become weary of life from laziness! Do not you, who have seen so many examples of the devout, fall asleep in the pursuit of virtue!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Nov. 10, 2010 Wednesday: Imitation of Christ
The following excerpt from the Imitation of Christ is the Day 6 meditation of the Total Consecration according to St Marie Louis de Montfort
Imitation Book 3, Ch 18
Heroic Renouncement of the World
CONSIDER the lively examples set us by the saints, who possessed the light of true perfection and religion, and you will see how little, how nearly nothing, we do. What, alas, is our life, compared with theirs? The saints and friends of Christ served the Lord in hunger and thirst, in cold and nakedness, in work and fatigue, in vigils and fasts, in prayers and holy meditations, in persecutions and many afflictions. How many and severe were the trials they suffered - the Apostles, martyrs, confessors, virgins, and all the rest who willed to follow in the footsteps of Christ! They hated their lives on earth that they might have life in eternity.
How strict and detached were the lives the holy hermits led in the desert! What long and grave temptations they suffered! How often were they beset by the enemy! What frequent and ardent prayers they offered to God! What rigorous fasts they observed! How great their zeal and their love for spiritual perfection! How brave the fight they waged to master their evil habits! What pure and straightforward purpose they showed toward God! By day they labored and by night they spent themselves in long prayers. Even at work they did not cease from mental prayer. They used all their time profitably; every hour seemed too short for serving God, and in the great sweetness of contemplation, they forgot even their bodily needs.
They renounced all riches, dignities, honors, friends, and associates. They desired nothing of the world. They scarcely allowed themselves the necessities of life, and the service of the body, even when necessary, was irksome to them. They were poor in earthly things but rich in grace and virtue.
Imitation Book 3, Ch 18
Heroic Renouncement of the World
CONSIDER the lively examples set us by the saints, who possessed the light of true perfection and religion, and you will see how little, how nearly nothing, we do. What, alas, is our life, compared with theirs? The saints and friends of Christ served the Lord in hunger and thirst, in cold and nakedness, in work and fatigue, in vigils and fasts, in prayers and holy meditations, in persecutions and many afflictions. How many and severe were the trials they suffered - the Apostles, martyrs, confessors, virgins, and all the rest who willed to follow in the footsteps of Christ! They hated their lives on earth that they might have life in eternity.
How strict and detached were the lives the holy hermits led in the desert! What long and grave temptations they suffered! How often were they beset by the enemy! What frequent and ardent prayers they offered to God! What rigorous fasts they observed! How great their zeal and their love for spiritual perfection! How brave the fight they waged to master their evil habits! What pure and straightforward purpose they showed toward God! By day they labored and by night they spent themselves in long prayers. Even at work they did not cease from mental prayer. They used all their time profitably; every hour seemed too short for serving God, and in the great sweetness of contemplation, they forgot even their bodily needs.
They renounced all riches, dignities, honors, friends, and associates. They desired nothing of the world. They scarcely allowed themselves the necessities of life, and the service of the body, even when necessary, was irksome to them. They were poor in earthly things but rich in grace and virtue.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Nov. 9, 2010 Tuesday: Imitation of Christ, 33 Day Total Consecration
Click to hear audio homily
The following is the reading for Day 5 of Total Consecration according to St Marie Louis de Montfort
Imitation Book 3: Ch 40
Folly of Vainglory
Hence, if I knew well how to cast aside all earthly consolation, either to attain devotion or because of the necessity which, in the absence of human solace, compels me to seek You alone, then I could deservedly hope for Your grace and rejoice in the gift of new consolation.
Thanks be to You from Whom all things come, whenever it is well with me. In Your sight I am vanity and nothingness, a weak, unstable man. In what, therefore, can I glory, and how can I wish to be highly regarded? Is it because I am nothing? This, too, is utterly vain. Indeed, the greatest vanity is the evil plague of empty self-glory, because it draws one away from true glory and robs one of heavenly grace. For when a man is pleased with himself he displeases You, when he pants after human praise he is deprived of true virtue. But it is true glory and holy exultation to glory in You and not in self, to rejoice in Your name rather than in oneʼs own virtue, and not to delight in any creature except for Your sake.
Let Your name, not mine, be praised. Let Your work, not mine, be magnified. Let Your holy name be blessed, but let no human praise be given to me. You are my glory. You are the joy of my heart. In You I will glory and rejoice all the day, and for myself I will glory in nothing but my infirmities.
The following is the reading for Day 5 of Total Consecration according to St Marie Louis de Montfort
Imitation Book 3: Ch 40
Folly of Vainglory
Hence, if I knew well how to cast aside all earthly consolation, either to attain devotion or because of the necessity which, in the absence of human solace, compels me to seek You alone, then I could deservedly hope for Your grace and rejoice in the gift of new consolation.
Thanks be to You from Whom all things come, whenever it is well with me. In Your sight I am vanity and nothingness, a weak, unstable man. In what, therefore, can I glory, and how can I wish to be highly regarded? Is it because I am nothing? This, too, is utterly vain. Indeed, the greatest vanity is the evil plague of empty self-glory, because it draws one away from true glory and robs one of heavenly grace. For when a man is pleased with himself he displeases You, when he pants after human praise he is deprived of true virtue. But it is true glory and holy exultation to glory in You and not in self, to rejoice in Your name rather than in oneʼs own virtue, and not to delight in any creature except for Your sake.
Let Your name, not mine, be praised. Let Your work, not mine, be magnified. Let Your holy name be blessed, but let no human praise be given to me. You are my glory. You are the joy of my heart. In You I will glory and rejoice all the day, and for myself I will glory in nothing but my infirmities.
Nov. 8, 2010 Monday: Imitation of Christ, 33day Total Consecration Day 4
The following is an excerpt of The Imitation of Christ for Day 4 of the 33 Day Preparation of the Total Consecration according to St. Marie Louis de Montfort. The consecration day is Dec. 8
Day 4: Imitation III, Ch 3, 40
God's Goodness Overcomes our Misery
LORD, what is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You visit him? What has man deserved that You should give him Your grace? What cause have I, Lord, to complain if You desert me, or what objection can I have if You do not do what I ask? This I may think and say in all truth: “Lord, I am nothing, of myself I have nothing that is good; I am lacking in all things, and I am ever tending toward nothing. And unless I have Your help and am inwardly strengthened by You, I become quite lukewarm and lax.”
But You, Lord, are always the same. You remain forever, always good, just, and holy; doing all things rightly, justly, and holily, disposing them wisely. I, however, who am more ready to go backward than forward, do not remain always in one state, for I change with the seasons. Yet my condition quickly improves when it pleases You and when You reach forth Your helping hand. For You alone, without human aid, can help me and strengthen me so greatly that my heart shall no more change but be converted and rest solely in You. He who wishes to be too secure in time of peace will often become too dejected and fearful in time of trial.
If you were wise enough to remain always humble and small in your own eyes, and to restrain and rule your spirit well, you would not fall so quickly into danger and offense.
When a spirit of fervor is enkindled within you, you may well meditate on how you will feel when the fervor leaves.
Day 4: Imitation III, Ch 3, 40
God's Goodness Overcomes our Misery
LORD, what is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You visit him? What has man deserved that You should give him Your grace? What cause have I, Lord, to complain if You desert me, or what objection can I have if You do not do what I ask? This I may think and say in all truth: “Lord, I am nothing, of myself I have nothing that is good; I am lacking in all things, and I am ever tending toward nothing. And unless I have Your help and am inwardly strengthened by You, I become quite lukewarm and lax.”
But You, Lord, are always the same. You remain forever, always good, just, and holy; doing all things rightly, justly, and holily, disposing them wisely. I, however, who am more ready to go backward than forward, do not remain always in one state, for I change with the seasons. Yet my condition quickly improves when it pleases You and when You reach forth Your helping hand. For You alone, without human aid, can help me and strengthen me so greatly that my heart shall no more change but be converted and rest solely in You. He who wishes to be too secure in time of peace will often become too dejected and fearful in time of trial.
If you were wise enough to remain always humble and small in your own eyes, and to restrain and rule your spirit well, you would not fall so quickly into danger and offense.
When a spirit of fervor is enkindled within you, you may well meditate on how you will feel when the fervor leaves.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Nov. 7, 2010: 32nd Sunday Ordinary (C)
In my hospital visits to parishioners, the most painful procedure that people complain about is knee replacement. Some ladies I have anointed have said, "This pain is worse than the pain during child birth." Those of you who have had this procedure also know how painful the recovery process is, including months of physical therapy. Why do people decide to undergo such painful procedure? Is the procedure worth the pain? They reply, 'yes'. It is better to suffer a few months from the procedure rather than suffer years of grinding pain.
When we read the First Reading today, we are puzzled as to why seven brothers and their mother were arrested, tortured, and beaten. If we read the whole passage, we learn that they refused to give in to violating God's law--eating pork. Was it worth it to go through torture and death for that? Could they not just fudge a little, in the presence of their executioners, so that they would be let go? They could practice their faith in their private home after that, couldn't they? Why give up a precious life? Why die a martyr? One of the seven brothers said to the executioners, "It is my choice to die at the hands of men with the hope God gives of being raised up by him." These seven brothers and their mother must have been convinced of something; they were convinced of their life after death with God, and thus accepted temporary suffering of earth.
I often tell people, "If we know what happens at the end of our life, we would live today very differently." I often give people a tour of the end of their life which involves telling people what happens after death. Based on reported near death experiences and my own experience dealing with dying parishioners, at death we are given a tour of our life where we view the good and bad behaviors of our lifetime. Although we know that all our sins are forgiven, we will then know the cost of our own sin. We will ask the Lord for an opportunity to make reparations or to help heal any hurts we have caused. And we will make these reparations in Purgatory. But why go through Purgatory at the end when we can go through the purgatory now? Why not offer to God now the daily sufferings we experience, knowing that we will be with Him forever in Heaven.
- Sr. Vazous: What do you know about suffering?
- Bernadette: Nothing
- Sr. Vazous: In all of our sacred history, the chosen ones
are always those who suffered. Why then did God choose you? Why not me?
-Bernadette: I cannot
answer that.
- Sr. Vazous: I know
what it is to suffer. Look at my eyes. They burn, and they need rest and sleep,
but I do not give them the rest. My throat is
parched from constant prayer. My body wrecked in pain from stone floors. Yes,
I have suffered because it is the true road to heaven. And if I who have
tortured myself cannot glimpse the Blessed Virgin, how can you who have never
felt pain, dare to say that you have seen her?
- Bernadette: I don’t
know why I was chosen. You are a hundred times more worthy.
- Sr. Vazous: If I could only find evidence, if only you
could give some proof, maybe then I could believe.
- Bernadette: I wish
I could help you…may be I could help you. (Bernadette lifts her habit to show
her knee)
- ….(Sr. Vauzous’ eyes become horrified at the sight of her
knee)
After doctors examine Bernadette, he comes out and questions
the mother superior and Sr. Vazous.
- Doctor: In addition to the large tumor on the knee,
she has tuberculosis of the bone. She has never complained of pain?
- Mother Superior: No, never.
- Sr. Vazous: No. She never mentioned it.
- Doctor: I can’t understand
it. She had this affliction for a long time. The constant pain and suffering that is
characteristic of this disease is too horrible to describe.
- Sr. Vazous: …(Her eyes speak of conviction of her heart
of guilt and shame. She heads toward the chapel to beg for God’s forgiveness
for judging Bernadette and for jealousy against her)
When the sisters offered to take Bernadette to Lourdes to obtain miraculous cure from the spring which Bernadette discovered, Bernadette refused. She said, "Our Lady said the spring is not for me. She said, 'I cannot promise you happiness in this world, but in the next.'"
If we know what happens at the end of our life, we will live our life today very differently, even bearing the suffering in this world for the sake of happiness in the next. If Our Lord showed the Way of the Cross as the narrow way to Heaven, we should not be surprised that we are invited to follow that same way; sacrifice is the life of the saints, and Our Lord wants us to be one.
To watch the beginning of the movie "Song of Bernadette", click HERE
Friday, November 5, 2010
Nov. 5, 2010 Friday: Daily Homily
The following is an excerpt from I AM: Eucharistic Meditations on the Gospel by Venerable Concepcion Cabrera de Armida (Conchita) She was a wife, mother, foundress, and a lay apostle whose cause for beatification is under way.
Chapter 24
When you lift up the Son of Man, you will come to realize that I AM. (Jn 8:28)
Is it not true that nailed to the Cross is where you have known Me best?
Is it not true that looking at Me there, you have not been able to doubt My love?
Is it not true that a crucifix is a consolation in your life and that a glance towards it gives you fortitude, confidence, contrition and purity?
I knew all that, and in order that you would come to know Me, I embraced humiliations, suffering, and martyrdom so that the voice of My Blood would resound in you and bring you to understand My love.
With the weapon of the Cross, I conquered the world. This is the only thing that secures the triumph and the victory. Love this holy weapon, kiss it with gratitude, for it is the seal of My chosen ones. By it I will know them as Mine on the last day. The Cross is a treasure by which you will merit heaven.
Do not be surprised that virtue costs. Think only that "My yoke is easy and My burden light." Be not afraid. If you want to know Me and follow Me, "take up your cross," because sacrifice is the life of the saints and I want you to be one.
Does the road to Calvary make you tremble? I am with you in the midst of tribulations and united to Me, nothing is hard; rather, all is easy and agreeable.
Conquer yourself; I shall be your fortitude. Remember that only the one who struggles obtains the reward, because there is no victory without a battle, nor virtue without sacrifice. The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the measure of your love will be that of your sacrifices, because only those and not words are proofs of love.
As an example, look at Me lifted high on Calvary and learn the extent of My affection. I never refused any suffering and with all generosity I gave My Blood and Life for you. If I let Myself be nailed to a hard piece of wood, I did so thinking of you, so that, seeing Me perpetuate My life on the altar, you would not doubt that I am.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Oct. 4, 2010 Thursday: Imitation of Christ
Imitation of Christ
Book 2: Ch 7
Loving Jesus Above All Things
BLESSED is he who appreciates what it is to love Jesus and who despises himself for the sake of Jesus. Give up all other love for His, since He wishes to be loved alone above all things.
Affection for creatures is deceitful and inconstant, but the love of Jesus is true and enduring. He who clings to a creature will fall with its frailty, but he who gives himself to Jesus will ever be strengthened.
Love Him, then; keep Him as a friend. He will not leave you as others do, or let you suffer lasting death. Sometime, whether you will or not, you will have to part with everything. Cling, therefore, to Jesus in life and death; trust yourself to the glory of Him who alone can help you when all others fail.
Your Beloved is such that He will not accept what belongs to another -- He wants your heart for Himself alone, to be enthroned therein as King in His own right. If you but knew how to free yourself entirely from all creatures, Jesus would gladly dwell within you.
You will find, apart from Him, that nearly all the trust you place in men is a total loss. Therefore, neither confide in nor depend upon a wind-shaken reed, for "all flesh is grass"[12] and all its glory, like the flower of grass, will fade away.
You will quickly be deceived if you look only to the outward appearance of men, and you will often be disappointed if you seek comfort and gain in them. If, however, you seek Jesus in all things, you will surely find Him. Likewise, if you seek yourself, you will find yourself -- to your own ruin. For the man who does not seek Jesus does himself much greater harm than the whole world and all his enemies could ever do.
Book 2: Ch 7
Loving Jesus Above All Things
BLESSED is he who appreciates what it is to love Jesus and who despises himself for the sake of Jesus. Give up all other love for His, since He wishes to be loved alone above all things.
Affection for creatures is deceitful and inconstant, but the love of Jesus is true and enduring. He who clings to a creature will fall with its frailty, but he who gives himself to Jesus will ever be strengthened.
Love Him, then; keep Him as a friend. He will not leave you as others do, or let you suffer lasting death. Sometime, whether you will or not, you will have to part with everything. Cling, therefore, to Jesus in life and death; trust yourself to the glory of Him who alone can help you when all others fail.
You will find, apart from Him, that nearly all the trust you place in men is a total loss. Therefore, neither confide in nor depend upon a wind-shaken reed, for "all flesh is grass"[12] and all its glory, like the flower of grass, will fade away.
You will quickly be deceived if you look only to the outward appearance of men, and you will often be disappointed if you seek comfort and gain in them. If, however, you seek Jesus in all things, you will surely find Him. Likewise, if you seek yourself, you will find yourself -- to your own ruin. For the man who does not seek Jesus does himself much greater harm than the whole world and all his enemies could ever do.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)