Dedicated to promoting the Kingship of Jesus Christ, through True Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mother.
O most loving Jesus, deign to let me pour forth my gratitude before Thee, for the grace Thou hast bestowed upon me in giving me to Thy holy Mother through the devotion of Holy slavery, that she may be my advocate in the presence of Thy majesty and my support in my extreme misery. Alas, O Lord! I should be certainly lost. Yes, Mary is necessary for me at Thy side and everywhere: that she may appease Thy just wrath, because I have so often offended Thee; that she may save me from the eternal punishment of Thy justice, which I deserve; that she may contemplate Thee, speak to Thee, pray to Thee, approach Thee and please Thee; that she may help me to save my soul and the souls of others; in short, Mary is necessary for me that I may always to Thy holy will and seek Thy greater glory in all things. Ah, would that I could proclaim throughout the whole world the mercy that Thou hast shown to me! Would that everyone might know I should be already damned, were it not for Mary! Would that I might offer worthy thanksgiving for so great a blessing! Mary is in me. Oh, what a treasure! Oh, what a consolation! And shall I not be entirely hers? Oh, what ingratitude! My dear Savior, send me death rather than such calamity, for I would rather die than live without belonging entirely to Mary.
With St. John at the foot of the Cross, I have taken her a thousand times for my own and as many times have given myself to her; but if I have not yet done it as Thou, dear Jesus, dost wish, I now renew this offering as Thou desire me to renew it. And if Thou seest in my soul or my body anythng that does not belong to this august princess, I pray Thee to take it and cast it far from me, for whatever in me does not belong to Mary is unworth of Thee.
O Holy Spirit, grant me all these graces. Plant in my soul the Tree of true Life, which is Mary; cultivate it and tend it so that it may grow and blossom and bring forth the fruit of life in abundance. O Holy Spirit, give me great devotion to Mary, Thy faithful spouse; give me great confidence in her maternal heart and an abiding refuge in her mercy, so that by her Thou mayest truly form in me Jesus Christ, great and mighty, unto the fullness of His perfect age. Amen.+
10th Sunday after Pentecost Epistle: 1 Cor. 12:2-11 Gospel: Luke 18:9-14
This past Sunday, the 10th After Pentecost, Holy Mother Church* reminds us (*in the ancient liturgical rite based on the cycle of the Breviary) of the need for humility, in the fullness of the meaning of the word. As humility is seeing ourselves in light of Who God Is, then we see that we are nothing without His grace, and everything comes from Him to work for good. In the Gospel reading, we are reminded of the Pharisee and the Public, and how "Jesus spoke this parable to some who trusted inthemselves as just, and despised others."
Just as the Epistle of this day explains that we all who are in His grace, manifest the Holy Spirit by different works and paths.
This post are some thoughts on a particular path; that of the convert in the Roman Catholic church.
As you know, there are different types of graces, and among them, some of them are signal graces. Signal graces are graces that can be perceived by others. Whenever God permits a conversion, He bestows upon them number of signal graces. These signs usually stand out more in converts than in those that are already in His grace, or at least, have the habits that appear as grace cultivated by their environment and upbringing. When you see a rose grow in a garden of flowers, it is not as outstanding as when you see a rose grow where never any flowers thrived before. That is not a good example, though, because when we picture a rose in a plain environment, we think that the rose it somewhat out of place, and would prefer to see a rose in a garden. However, our Lord tells us that he came to live, suffer and die for the sinner, not for those that were already redeemed. Now, that is not to say that the person who was raised Catholic is necessarily living (and growing) in His grace, but from what I've learned and heard over and over again from those who have grown up Catholic, they often forget their "first charity" and fall into lukewarmness. They are tempted to think that that they are different because of their beliefs, when fundamentally, it was God's grace that they came to see and believe in them, and that everything in this life is given to us for to lead us to the Truth.
What I am really meaning to say is simply that God has given converts to the faith a special mission. This mission might be played out in many different ways, according to the path that God has chosen for each soul, but everyone is to be a sign of His Love who remains in His grace. The convert has a special role in the way that they are a reminder to all of one of the basic truths of the one, holy, Apostolic, true religion: that supernatural grace of God changes who we are to make us more into as he is.
Many times I've seen good Catholics fall in tiny steps into heresy. Frequently these are subtle but pervasive gnostic ideals, that they came to the Truth by knowledge, or Jansenism --- that they were preferred by Christ and were made more virtuous by their lineage. Each person is like a different type of flower, needing a different type of treatment for it to thrive. That is why we benefit from one another; because we are conduits of God's grace in different ways, as God intends to use us to help cultivate one another. Sometimes Catholics forget this. And I do not mean that some types, as I've described, necessarily have a higher purpose by this type, but their are lesser or greater signs according to His Will and the compliance of that soul.
St. John writes to the church at Ephesus in the Book of Revelation (*Book of the Apocalypse), "I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them that are evil, and thou hast tried them, who say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And thou hast patience, and hast endured for my name, and hast not fainted. But I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first charity. Be mindful therefore from whence thou art fallen: and do penance, and do the first works." (Rev.2:4-5). All these things that he afore mentioned are apparently not the "first works" of charity! Therefore, it must be that we must follow the laws of charity as they pertain to God and neighbor, not just live in a bubble for the sake of our own salvation. Even if one is to go into the cloister, they must be engaged heavily in the ministry of spiritual works for their neighbor, both within the walls of the convent and out in the world via frequent, intimate prayer. The Holy Spirit, through St. John, ties penance to the first works because it helps us to remember in our first thoughts who we are in respect to Who God Is (a short definition of humility). It is easier to remain humble when your sins are always before you, and remorse for our own past sins is an anecdote for pride.
Post Communion: We beseech Thee, O Lord, our God, that in They goodness Thou wilt not deprive of Thine aid those whom Thou dost not cease to renew with Thy divine Sacraments. Through our Lord.+
+Many of the saints wished to be martyrs. St. Teresa of Avila ran off as a child to become martyred by the Moors. Her father, instead, ended up giving her the third degree. St. Augustine, St. Dominic, St. Thomas Aquinas, and countless other saints ... perhaps all at one time wished to become martyrs. God, however, chose for them a different path.
It's a simple thought, really, but consider how for the pious, those who truly endeavor to love our Lord as he should be loved, the most difficult thing about the cross in the beginning is that you don't get to pick it. Too often the pious mean well, and strive to pick a cross by their zeal, and out of zeal do not discern, or continue to discern whether or not it is God's Holy Will particularly for themselves.
+OFTEN when we say to ourselves, "What should I do?" we are really only asking, "What could I do?" Even if we mean to ask, 'should', we barely truly ask the question when we exclude discerning the Holy Will of God. When should we discern the Will of God? The answer is simply: always. Since we are not (yet) saints, and are not united to Christ, discerning the Holy Will of God does not come automatically, nor does it usually come to us easily even through prayer. When, then, is it appropriate to discern through prayer? The truth of the matter is, it is always appropriate to discern through prayer. "But if the matter is light, how then can I be in the world and yet pray always?" Remember that the Holy Spirit tells us to "pray always". But how is this possible? This is known as the habit of recollection, and like all good habits, it must be acquired (at least in part), by much repeated effort on our part.
Recollection by habit requires the consistent practice of the following:
1.) Daily discovery of who JESUS is through meditation on scripture. This understanding is revealed to us through the teachings of Holy Mother Church. Just as scripture, itself, is part of Sacred Tradition that comes from God, so is all the Church's understanding of this as it has been passed on to us from the Apostles. Any new understanding is not authentic, because God revealed all to us necessary for our salvation through the teachings handed down through the Apostles. Our understanding, therefore, must be truly catholica: True for all people, all places, throughout all times. What a wonderful patrimony on which to rest!
One of the best ways to choose your daily meditation is to follow the readings for that day, or at least for the Sunday of that week. This is because the more we engage in the liturgical year, the more we avail ourselves to the particular graces that come through deeper engagement of that liturgical time. The Holy Ghost then permits the liturgy to become a part of our lives not just externally, but interiorly, intimately guiding our very souls.
2.) We must ask daily, "Who am I to God?" We must examine our consciences by conducting both general and particular examinations. General examinations consist in thinking through the 10 Commandments (not "the 10 Suggestions"), and looking not only at mortal offenses, but any offenses, even the small worms of deception known as venial sins. Was the sin deliberate? Semi-deliberate? What fault of mine was behind it? Is it common to me? This brings us to the particular examinations along with firm resolution of ammendment. The particular examin can and should be done at least 3 times throughout the day, to make sure that you are keeping your resolution to avoid the sin or fault (which leads to sin). The resolution must be concisely predefined in such a manner, "When such-and-such occurs and I am tempted to ____, I will rather do ____ in order to maintain my friendship with God and grow in His grace and Love." Then, according to the times that you fall, you have a predetermined penance for that day, something small, unless the sin is mortal*. (*If one is yet in the position to commit mortal sins, greater care must by done to sever a near occasions and prompt and close attention must be kept by a good, well-trained Confessor.) Any person serious at all about their spiritual life should have a regular, well-trained Confessor that they see at least once every 2 weeks. Faults and resolutions should be discussed during this time, in addition to any and all sins committed since the previous Confession.
3.) Daily discoursive prayers are also important, and often either over-looked, or to the other extreme --- they are relied upon as an end and not merely a means to the more involved prayers of mediation and contemplation. If examination is akin to looking at a road map and considering where we are, and meditation is akin to considering where we should be heading, discoursive prayer is one of the ways in which we put 'the pedal to the metal'. It is part of the practice of virtue, and helps us to strengthen our virtue 'muscles', as it were. Discoursive prayer is part of our daily routine, and without a routine we will not grow in the virtues and therefore nor in our relationship with God.
The most important daily, discoursive prayer is the Holy Rosary, or Our Lady's Psalter. This prayer, which was given to religious who could not either read the Psalms, or memorize them, was also given to the laity by Our Lady herself. She gave it to the laity by way of giving it to St. Dominic Guzman (whose feast is celebrated today, August 4).
Our Rosary is preparation of the other steps, so long as we are faithful to praying the Rosary daily. By this means, we enter daily into the mysteries of our Lord, both by mediation and discoursive devotion. Also, it aids in building the habit of virtue, both by invoking the aid of the Blessed Mother (asking through her for her Son's Divine aid), and daily proving our love and devotion through this simple prayer.
Faithful adherence to these practices will lead us to becoming more and more recollected in Christ, and lead us to detachment of created goods. Detachment from created goods leaves as we attach ourselves authentically to God will lead us to contemplative prayer --- where we received infused virtues and 'listen' to the Voice of God. The bottom line is the more we keep to these basics in greater devotion each day, the more readily we will be able to discern what we should do and not merely what we think we can.
St. Dominic, pray for us.+
"... heretics are more easily won over by examples of humility and virtue than by external display or a hail of words. Should we not rather arm ourselves with devout prayers and, carrying before us the standard of true humility, proceed in our bare feet against Goliath?" --- St. Dominic
Note: Please listen to Veni Creator on the first, top right video on this page. Invoke also St. Dominic to sing from Heaven with you, as he is especially likely to do, this having been one of his favorite songs which he often sang (along with the Ave Maris Stella). (The Veni Creator will be the first song played among the 2 others that follow also invoking the Holy Ghost.)
+Consider that no one --- whether friend or brother, father or mother, lover or spouse -- loves you more than your God. And Divine Grace is the inestimable treasure through which vile creatures and servants like ourselves become dear friends of our Creator. "For she is an infinite treasure to men, which they that use become friends of God." It was for the purpose of increasing our confidence that "He emptied Himself," so to speak, humbling Himself to the point of becoming man in order to live in familiar converse with us. "He conversed with us." He went so far as to become a little Babe and to live in poverty and die on a Cross for our sake. He even placed Himself under the species of bread so as to be with us always and in the most intimate union. "He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My Blood abideth in Me and I in Him."
In short, so great is God's love for you that He seems to love no one but you. And therefore you should love no one but Him. You should be able to say to Him: "My Beloved to me and I to Him." My God has given Himself entirely to me, and I give my whole self to Him; He has chosen me for His beloved, and I choose Him from among all for my only love. "My Beloved is white and ruddy, chosen out of thousands."
Often, therefore, speak to God in these words: O my Lord, why hast Thou loved me so much? What good dost Thou find in my poor self? Hast Thou forgotten the injuries I have done Thee? But since Thou hast treated me with so much love --- for instead of condemning me to Hell, Thou hast given me graces without number --- I will henceforth love no one but Thee, my God and my All. What grieves me most in my past offences, O my loving God, is not so much the punishment I have desired, as the displeasure I have given Thee, Who art worthy of infinite love. But Thou dost never reject a repentant and humble heart. "A contrite and humble heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise." Now indeed I wish for no one else but Thee alone in this life and in the next. "What have I in Heaven? And besides Thee, what do I desire upon earth? Thou art the God of my heart and the God that is my portion forever." Thou alone art and wilt always be the only Lord of my heart and will; Thou alone my only good, my Heaven, my hope, my all. "The God of my heart and the God that is my portion forever."
In short, so great is God's love for you that He seems to love no one but you. And therefore you should love no one but Him. You should be able to say to Him: "My Beloved to me and I to Him." My God has given Himself entirely to me, and I give my whole self to Him; He has chosen me for His beloved, and I choose Him from among all for my only love. "My Beloved is white and ruddy, chosen out of thousands."
Often, therefore, speak to God in these words: O my Lord, why hast Thou loved me so much? What good dost Thou find in my poor self? Hast Thou forgotten the injuries I have done Thee? But since Thou hast treated me with so much love --- for instead of condemning me to Hell, Thou hast given me graces without number --- I will henceforth love no one but Thee, my God and my All. What grives me most in my past offences, O my loving God, is not so much the punishment I have desered, as the displeasure I have given Thee, Who art worthy of infinite love. But Thou dost never reject a repentant and humble heart. "A contrite and humble heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise." Now indeed I wish for no one else but Thee alone in this life and in the next. "What have I in Heaven? And besides Thee, what do I desire upon earth? Thou art the God of my heart and the God that is my portion forever." Thou alone art and wilt always be the only Lord of my heart and will; Thou alone my only good, my Heaven, my hope, my all. "The God of my heart and the God that is my portion forever." +
