9.16.2014
5.30.2014
Maternidad divina de María - San Cirilo de Alejandria
San Cirilo de Alejandría nos dejo el mas celebre elogio mariano de la antigüedad en el que se proclamo la Maternidad divina de María al final del Concilio de Efesio en el año 431.
.
Encomio a la Santa Madre de Dios
Dios te salve, María, Madre de Dios,tesoro veneradísimo de todo el orbe,antorcha inextinguible, corona de virginidad,cetro de recta doctrina,
templo indestructible,habitación de Aquél que es inabarcable,
Virgen y Madre, por quien nos ha sido dado
Aquél que es llamado bendito por excelencia,
y que ha venido en nombre del Padre.
templo indestructible,habitación de Aquél que es inabarcable,
Virgen y Madre, por quien nos ha sido dado
Aquél que es llamado bendito por excelencia,
y que ha venido en nombre del Padre.
Salve a ti, que en tu santo y
virginal seno has encerrado
al Inmenso e Incomprehensible.
virginal seno has encerrado
al Inmenso e Incomprehensible.
Por quien la Santísima Trinidad es
adorada y glorificada,
y la preciosa Cruz se venera y
festeja en toda la tierra.Por quien exulta el Cielo,
se alegran los ángeles y
arcángeles, huyen los demonios.
Por quien el tentador fue arrojado del Cielo y
la criatura caída es llevada al Paraíso.
Por quien todos los hombres, aprisionados por el engaño de los
ídolos, llegan al conocimiento de la verdad.
Por quien el santo Bautismo es regalado a los creyentes,
se obtiene el óleo de la alegría, es fundada la Iglesia en todo el mundo,
y las gentes son movidas a penitencia.
adorada y glorificada,
y la preciosa Cruz se venera y
festeja en toda la tierra.Por quien exulta el Cielo,
se alegran los ángeles y
arcángeles, huyen los demonios.
Por quien el tentador fue arrojado del Cielo y
la criatura caída es llevada al Paraíso.
Por quien todos los hombres, aprisionados por el engaño de los
ídolos, llegan al conocimiento de la verdad.
Por quien el santo Bautismo es regalado a los creyentes,
se obtiene el óleo de la alegría, es fundada la Iglesia en todo el mundo,
y las gentes son movidas a penitencia.
¿Y qué más puedo decir?
Por quien el Unigénito Hijo de Dios brilló como Luz
sobre los que yacían en las tinieblas y sombras de la muerte.
Por quien los Profetas preanunciaron las cosas futuras.
Por quien los Apóstoles predicaron la salvación a los gentiles.
Por quien los muertos resucitan y los reyes reinan, por la Santísima Trinidad.
sobre los que yacían en las tinieblas y sombras de la muerte.
Por quien los Profetas preanunciaron las cosas futuras.
Por quien los Apóstoles predicaron la salvación a los gentiles.
Por quien los muertos resucitan y los reyes reinan, por la Santísima Trinidad.
¿Quién de entre los hombres será capaz de alabar como semerece a María, que es digna de toda alabanza? Es Virgen
Madre, ¡oh cosa maravillosa! Este milagro me llena de estupor.
Madre, ¡oh cosa maravillosa! Este milagro me llena de estupor.
¿Quién ha oído decir que al constructor de un templo se le prohíba habitar en él?
¿Quién podrá ser tachado de ignominia
por el hecho de que tome a su propia Esclava por Madre?
Así, pues, todo el mundo se alegra (...);
¿Quién podrá ser tachado de ignominia
por el hecho de que tome a su propia Esclava por Madre?
Así, pues, todo el mundo se alegra (...);
También nosotros hemos de adorar y respetar la unión del Verbo con la carne,
temer y dar culto a la Santa Trinidad, celebrar con nuestros
himnos a María, siempre Virgen, templo santo de Dios, y a su
Hijo, el Esposo de la Iglesia, Jesucristo Nuestro Señor.
A Él sea la gloria por los siglos de los siglos.
temer y dar culto a la Santa Trinidad, celebrar con nuestros
himnos a María, siempre Virgen, templo santo de Dios, y a su
Hijo, el Esposo de la Iglesia, Jesucristo Nuestro Señor.
A Él sea la gloria por los siglos de los siglos.
Amén.
Fuente: Primeros Cristianos
4.08.2014
Oración Para Sanar La Tristeza
Señor Jesús, tú conoces mi tristeza que ahoga mi corazón y sabes el origen de ella.
Hoy me presento ante ti y te pido, Señor, que me ayudes, pues ya no puedo seguir así.
Sé que tú me llamas a vivir en paz, con serenidad, gozo y alegría, incluso en medio de las dificultades cotidianas.
Por eso hoy te pido que pongas tus benditas manos en las llagas de mi psiquis que me hacen tan sensible a los problemas y me liberes de la tendencia a la tristeza y a la melancolía que anida en mí.
Hoy te pido que tu gracia vaya restaurando mi historia, a fin de no vivir esclavizado por el recuerdo amargo de los acontecimientos dolorosos del pasado.
Como ellos han pasado, ya no existen, te entrego lo que pasé y lo que pasaron las personas amadas; lo vivido y lo sufrido por nosotros.
Quiero perdonarme y perdonar, a fin de que tu gozo comience a fluir en mí.
Te entrego las tristezas unidas a las preocupaciones o a los temores del mañana.
Ese mañana tampoco ha llegado, por lo tanto sólo existe en mi imaginación.
Sólo hoy debo vivir y sólo hoy debo caminar en tu alegría.
Aumenta mi confianza en ti, para que aumente en mi alma el regocijo.
Tú eres Dios y Señor de la historia y de la vida, de nuestras vidas.
Por eso toma mi existencia y la de las personas amadas, con todos nuestros quebrantos, con todas nuestras necesidades y que con la ayuda de tu poderoso amor se desarrolle en nosotros la virtud de la alegría. Amén.
P. Gustavo Jamut
3.25.2014
THE GRACE OF DEVOTION IS ACQUIRED THROUGH HUMILITY AND SELF-DENIAL
THE VOICE OF CHRIST
YOU must seek earnestly the grace of devotion, ask for it fervently, await it patiently and hopefully, receive it gratefully, guard it humbly, cooperate with it carefully and leave to God, when it comes, the length and manner of the heavenly visitation.
When you feel little or no inward devotion, you should especially humiliate yourself, but do not become too dejected or unreasonably sad. In one short moment God often gives what He has long denied. At times He grants at the end what He has denied from the beginning of prayer. If grace were always given at once, or were present at our beck and call, it would not be well taken by weak humankind. Therefore, with good hope and humble patience await the grace of devotion.
When it is not given, or for some unknown reason is taken away, blame yourself and your sins. Sometimes it is a small matter that hinders grace and hides it, if, indeed, that which prevents so great a good may be called little rather than great. But if you remove this hindrance, be it great or small, and if you conquer it perfectly, you shall have what you ask. As soon as you have given yourself to God with all your heart and seek neither this nor that for your own pleasure and purpose, but place yourself completely in His charge, you shall find yourself at peace, united with Him, because nothing will be so sweet, nothing will please you so much as the good pleasure of His will.
Anyone, therefore, who shall with simplicity of heart direct his intention to God and free himself from all inordinate love or dislike for any creature will be most fit to receive grace and will be worthy of the gift of devotion. For where the Lord finds the vessel empty He pours down His blessing.
So also the more perfectly a man renounces things of this world, and the more completely he dies to himself through contempt of self, the more quickly this great grace comes to him, the more plentifully it enters in, and the higher it uplifts the free heart.
Then shall he see and abound, then shall his heart marvel and be enlarged within him, because the Hand of the Lord is with him and in the hollow of that Hand he has placed himself forever. Thus shall the man be blessed who seeks God with all his heart and has not regarded his soul in vain. Such a one, receiving the Holy Eucharist, merits the grace of divine union because he looks not on his own thoughts, nor to his own comfort, but above all devotion and consolation to the glory and honor of God.
The Imitation of Christ
Thomas à Kempis
YOU must seek earnestly the grace of devotion, ask for it fervently, await it patiently and hopefully, receive it gratefully, guard it humbly, cooperate with it carefully and leave to God, when it comes, the length and manner of the heavenly visitation.
When you feel little or no inward devotion, you should especially humiliate yourself, but do not become too dejected or unreasonably sad. In one short moment God often gives what He has long denied. At times He grants at the end what He has denied from the beginning of prayer. If grace were always given at once, or were present at our beck and call, it would not be well taken by weak humankind. Therefore, with good hope and humble patience await the grace of devotion.
When it is not given, or for some unknown reason is taken away, blame yourself and your sins. Sometimes it is a small matter that hinders grace and hides it, if, indeed, that which prevents so great a good may be called little rather than great. But if you remove this hindrance, be it great or small, and if you conquer it perfectly, you shall have what you ask. As soon as you have given yourself to God with all your heart and seek neither this nor that for your own pleasure and purpose, but place yourself completely in His charge, you shall find yourself at peace, united with Him, because nothing will be so sweet, nothing will please you so much as the good pleasure of His will.
Anyone, therefore, who shall with simplicity of heart direct his intention to God and free himself from all inordinate love or dislike for any creature will be most fit to receive grace and will be worthy of the gift of devotion. For where the Lord finds the vessel empty He pours down His blessing.
So also the more perfectly a man renounces things of this world, and the more completely he dies to himself through contempt of self, the more quickly this great grace comes to him, the more plentifully it enters in, and the higher it uplifts the free heart.
Then shall he see and abound, then shall his heart marvel and be enlarged within him, because the Hand of the Lord is with him and in the hollow of that Hand he has placed himself forever. Thus shall the man be blessed who seeks God with all his heart and has not regarded his soul in vain. Such a one, receiving the Holy Eucharist, merits the grace of divine union because he looks not on his own thoughts, nor to his own comfort, but above all devotion and consolation to the glory and honor of God.
The Imitation of Christ
Thomas à Kempis
3.22.2014
Sicilian Nun Wows Audience On The Voice, Brings Judge To Tears
A Sicilian Nun, Auditioning on the Italian version on the show “The Voice”
25-year-old Sister Cristina Scuccia auditioned with Alicia Keys’ track
“No One” and wowed the audience, even bringing one of the judges to
tears.
When asked why she entered the competition, Sister Scuccia told the judges:
“I came here because I have a gift and I want to share that gift, I am here to evangelize.”
The four judges of the popular TV program are the Italian singers Raffaella Carra, J-Ax, Noemi, and Piero Pelu.
Sister Cristina Scuccia, a nun with the Ursuline Sisters of the Holy Family was accompanied to the show by 4 members of her order and her parents. The video already has over 17,000,000 on YouTube and “#suorcristina” is trending on Twitter.
Sister Cristina Scuccia 25 years old, is Sicilian but lives in Milan and is an Orsolina nun of the Holy Family.
Her childhood dream was to become a singer, in 2008 the Orsolina Sisters organize a music hall in which she finds herself by chance. A non-believer, and against the Church ... she instead finds Love.
Insecure in life, she is convinced by her Mother Superiors in participating to The Voice of Italy ... this is now her mission!
When asked why she entered the competition, Sister Scuccia told the judges:
“I came here because I have a gift and I want to share that gift, I am here to evangelize.”
The four judges of the popular TV program are the Italian singers Raffaella Carra, J-Ax, Noemi, and Piero Pelu.
Sister Cristina Scuccia, a nun with the Ursuline Sisters of the Holy Family was accompanied to the show by 4 members of her order and her parents. The video already has over 17,000,000 on YouTube and “#suorcristina” is trending on Twitter.
Sister Cristina Scuccia 25 years old, is Sicilian but lives in Milan and is an Orsolina nun of the Holy Family.
Her childhood dream was to become a singer, in 2008 the Orsolina Sisters organize a music hall in which she finds herself by chance. A non-believer, and against the Church ... she instead finds Love.
Insecure in life, she is convinced by her Mother Superiors in participating to The Voice of Italy ... this is now her mission!
THE BODY OF CHRIST AND SACRED SCRIPTURE ARE MOST NECESSARY TO A FAITHFUL SOUL
THE DISCIPLE
O MOST sweet Lord Jesus, how great is the happiness of the devout soul that feasts upon You at Your banquet, where there is set before her to be eaten no other food but Yourself alone, her only Lover, most desired of all that her heart can desire!
To me it would be happiness, indeed, to shed tears in Your presence from the innermost depths of love, and like the pious Magdalen to wash Your feet with them. But where now is this devotion, this copious shedding of holy tears? Certainly in Your sight, before Your holy angels, my whole heart ought to be inflamed and weep for joy. For, hidden though You are beneath another form, I have You truly present in the Sacrament.
My eyes could not bear to behold You in Your own divine brightness, nor could the whole world stand in the splendor of the glory of Your majesty. In veiling Yourself in the Sacrament, therefore, You have regard for my weakness.
In truth, I possess and adore Him Whom the angels adore in heaven -- I as yet by faith, they face to face unveiled. I must be content with the light of the true faith and walk in it until the day of eternal brightness dawns and the shadow of figures passes away. When, moreover, that which is perfect shall have come, the need of sacraments shall cease, for the blessed in heavenly glory need no healing sacrament. Rejoicing endlessly in the presence of God, beholding His glory face to face, transformed from their own brightness to the brightness of the ineffable Deity, they taste the Word of God made flesh, as He was in the beginning and will remain in eternity.
Though mindful of these wonderful things, every spiritual solace becomes wearisome to me because so long as I do not plainly see the Lord in His glory, I consider everything I hear and see on earth of little account.
You are my witness, O God, that nothing can comfort me, no creature give me rest but You, my God, Whom I desire to contemplate forever. But this is not possible while I remain in mortal life, and, therefore, I must be very patient and submit myself to You in every desire.
Even Your saints, O Lord, who now rejoice with You in the kingdom of heaven, awaited the coming of Your glory with faith and great patience while they lived. What they believed, I believe. What they hoped for, I hope for, and whither they arrived, I trust I shall come by Your grace. Meanwhile I will walk in faith, strengthened by the example of the saints. I shall have, besides, for comfort and for the guidance of my life, the holy Books, and above all these, Your most holy Body for my special haven and refuge.
I feel there are especially necessary for me in this life two things without which its miseries would be unbearable. Confined here in this prison of the body I confess I need these two, food and light. Therefore, You have given me in my weakness Your sacred Flesh to refresh my soul and body, and You have set Your word as the guiding light for my feet. Without them I could not live aright, for the word of God is the light of my soul and Your Sacrament is the Bread of Life.
These also may be called the two tables, one here, one there, in the treasure house of holy Church. One is the table of the holy altar, having the holy Bread that is the precious Body of Christ. The other is the table of divine law, containing holy doctrine that teaches all the true faith and firmly leads them within the veil, the Holy of holies.
Thanks to You, Lord Jesus, Light of eternal light, for the table of Your holy teaching which You have prepared for us by Your servants, the prophets and Apostles and other learned men.
Thanks to You, Creator and Redeemer of men, Who, to declare Your love to all the world, have prepared a great supper in which You have placed before us as food not the lamb, the type of Yourself, but Your own most precious Body and Blood, making all the faithful glad in Your sacred banquet, intoxicating them with the chalice of salvation in which are all the delights of paradise; and the holy angels feast with us but with more happiness and sweetness.
Oh, how great and honorable is the office of the priest, to whom is given the consecration of the Lord of majesty in sacred words, whose lips bless Him, whose hands hold Him, whose tongue receives Him, and whose ministry it is to bring Him to others!
Oh, how clean those hands should be, how pure the lips, how sanctified the body, how immaculate the heart of the priest to whom the Author of all purity so often comes. No word but what is holy, none but what is good and profitable ought to come from the lips of the priest who so often receives the Sacrament of Christ. Single and modest should be the eyes accustomed to looking upon the Body of Christ. Pure and lifted up to heaven the hands accustomed to handle the Creator of heaven and earth. To priests above all it is written in the law: "Be ye holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy."
Let Your grace, almighty God, assist us, that we who have undertaken the office of the priesthood may serve You worthily and devoutly in all purity and with a good conscience. And if we cannot live as innocently as we ought, grant us at least to lament duly the wrongs we have committed and in the spirit of humility and the purpose of a good will to serve You more fervently in the future.
The Imitation of Christ
Thomas à Kempis
O MOST sweet Lord Jesus, how great is the happiness of the devout soul that feasts upon You at Your banquet, where there is set before her to be eaten no other food but Yourself alone, her only Lover, most desired of all that her heart can desire!
To me it would be happiness, indeed, to shed tears in Your presence from the innermost depths of love, and like the pious Magdalen to wash Your feet with them. But where now is this devotion, this copious shedding of holy tears? Certainly in Your sight, before Your holy angels, my whole heart ought to be inflamed and weep for joy. For, hidden though You are beneath another form, I have You truly present in the Sacrament.
My eyes could not bear to behold You in Your own divine brightness, nor could the whole world stand in the splendor of the glory of Your majesty. In veiling Yourself in the Sacrament, therefore, You have regard for my weakness.
In truth, I possess and adore Him Whom the angels adore in heaven -- I as yet by faith, they face to face unveiled. I must be content with the light of the true faith and walk in it until the day of eternal brightness dawns and the shadow of figures passes away. When, moreover, that which is perfect shall have come, the need of sacraments shall cease, for the blessed in heavenly glory need no healing sacrament. Rejoicing endlessly in the presence of God, beholding His glory face to face, transformed from their own brightness to the brightness of the ineffable Deity, they taste the Word of God made flesh, as He was in the beginning and will remain in eternity.
Though mindful of these wonderful things, every spiritual solace becomes wearisome to me because so long as I do not plainly see the Lord in His glory, I consider everything I hear and see on earth of little account.
You are my witness, O God, that nothing can comfort me, no creature give me rest but You, my God, Whom I desire to contemplate forever. But this is not possible while I remain in mortal life, and, therefore, I must be very patient and submit myself to You in every desire.
Even Your saints, O Lord, who now rejoice with You in the kingdom of heaven, awaited the coming of Your glory with faith and great patience while they lived. What they believed, I believe. What they hoped for, I hope for, and whither they arrived, I trust I shall come by Your grace. Meanwhile I will walk in faith, strengthened by the example of the saints. I shall have, besides, for comfort and for the guidance of my life, the holy Books, and above all these, Your most holy Body for my special haven and refuge.
I feel there are especially necessary for me in this life two things without which its miseries would be unbearable. Confined here in this prison of the body I confess I need these two, food and light. Therefore, You have given me in my weakness Your sacred Flesh to refresh my soul and body, and You have set Your word as the guiding light for my feet. Without them I could not live aright, for the word of God is the light of my soul and Your Sacrament is the Bread of Life.
These also may be called the two tables, one here, one there, in the treasure house of holy Church. One is the table of the holy altar, having the holy Bread that is the precious Body of Christ. The other is the table of divine law, containing holy doctrine that teaches all the true faith and firmly leads them within the veil, the Holy of holies.
Thanks to You, Lord Jesus, Light of eternal light, for the table of Your holy teaching which You have prepared for us by Your servants, the prophets and Apostles and other learned men.
Thanks to You, Creator and Redeemer of men, Who, to declare Your love to all the world, have prepared a great supper in which You have placed before us as food not the lamb, the type of Yourself, but Your own most precious Body and Blood, making all the faithful glad in Your sacred banquet, intoxicating them with the chalice of salvation in which are all the delights of paradise; and the holy angels feast with us but with more happiness and sweetness.
Oh, how great and honorable is the office of the priest, to whom is given the consecration of the Lord of majesty in sacred words, whose lips bless Him, whose hands hold Him, whose tongue receives Him, and whose ministry it is to bring Him to others!
Oh, how clean those hands should be, how pure the lips, how sanctified the body, how immaculate the heart of the priest to whom the Author of all purity so often comes. No word but what is holy, none but what is good and profitable ought to come from the lips of the priest who so often receives the Sacrament of Christ. Single and modest should be the eyes accustomed to looking upon the Body of Christ. Pure and lifted up to heaven the hands accustomed to handle the Creator of heaven and earth. To priests above all it is written in the law: "Be ye holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy."
Let Your grace, almighty God, assist us, that we who have undertaken the office of the priesthood may serve You worthily and devoutly in all purity and with a good conscience. And if we cannot live as innocently as we ought, grant us at least to lament duly the wrongs we have committed and in the spirit of humility and the purpose of a good will to serve You more fervently in the future.
The Imitation of Christ
Thomas à Kempis
3.12.2014
ALL HOPE AND TRUST ARE TO BE FIXED IN GOD ALONE
THE DISCIPLE
WHAT, Lord, is the trust which I have in this life, or what is my greatest comfort among all the things that appear under heaven? Is it not You, O Lord, my God, Whose mercies are without number? Where have I ever fared well but for You? Or how could things go badly when You were present? I had rather be poor for Your sake than rich without You. I prefer rather to wander on the earth with You than to possess heavenwithout You. Where You are there is heaven, and where You are not are death and hell. You are my desire and therefore I must cry after You and sigh and pray. In none can I fully trust to help me in my necessities, but in You alone, my God. You are my hope. You are my confidence. You are my consoler, most faithful in every need.
All seek their own interests. You, however, place my salvation and my profit first, and turn all things to my good. Even though exposing me to various temptations and hardships, You Who are accustomed to prove Your loved ones in a thousand ways, order all this for my good. You ought not to be loved or praised less in this trial than if You had filled me with heavenly consolations.
In You, therefore, O Lord God, I place all my hope and my refuge. On You I cast all my troubles and anguish, because whatever I have outside of You I find to be weak and unstable. It will not serve me to have many friends, nor will powerful helpers be able to assist me, nor prudent advisers to give useful answers, nor the books of learned men to console, nor any precious substance to win my freedom, nor any place, secret and beautiful though it be, to shelter me, if You Yourself do not assist, comfort, console, instruct, and guard me. For all things which seem to be for our peace and happiness are nothing when You are absent, and truly confer no happiness.
You, indeed, are the fountain of all good, the height of life, the depth of all that can be spoken. To trust in You above all things is the strongest comfort of Your servants.
My God, the Father of mercies, to You I look, in You I trust. Bless and sanctify my soul with heavenly benediction, so that it may become Your holy dwelling and the seat of Your eternal glory. And in this temple of Your dignity let nothing be found that might offend Your majesty. In Your great goodness, and in the multitude of Your mercies, look upon me and listen to the prayer of Your poor servant exiled from You in the region of the shadow of death. Protect and preserve the soul of Your poor servant among the many dangers of this corruptible life, and direct him by Your accompanying grace, through the ways of peace, to the land of everlasting light.
The Imitation of Christ
Thomas à Kempis
WHAT, Lord, is the trust which I have in this life, or what is my greatest comfort among all the things that appear under heaven? Is it not You, O Lord, my God, Whose mercies are without number? Where have I ever fared well but for You? Or how could things go badly when You were present? I had rather be poor for Your sake than rich without You. I prefer rather to wander on the earth with You than to possess heavenwithout You. Where You are there is heaven, and where You are not are death and hell. You are my desire and therefore I must cry after You and sigh and pray. In none can I fully trust to help me in my necessities, but in You alone, my God. You are my hope. You are my confidence. You are my consoler, most faithful in every need.
All seek their own interests. You, however, place my salvation and my profit first, and turn all things to my good. Even though exposing me to various temptations and hardships, You Who are accustomed to prove Your loved ones in a thousand ways, order all this for my good. You ought not to be loved or praised less in this trial than if You had filled me with heavenly consolations.
In You, therefore, O Lord God, I place all my hope and my refuge. On You I cast all my troubles and anguish, because whatever I have outside of You I find to be weak and unstable. It will not serve me to have many friends, nor will powerful helpers be able to assist me, nor prudent advisers to give useful answers, nor the books of learned men to console, nor any precious substance to win my freedom, nor any place, secret and beautiful though it be, to shelter me, if You Yourself do not assist, comfort, console, instruct, and guard me. For all things which seem to be for our peace and happiness are nothing when You are absent, and truly confer no happiness.
You, indeed, are the fountain of all good, the height of life, the depth of all that can be spoken. To trust in You above all things is the strongest comfort of Your servants.
My God, the Father of mercies, to You I look, in You I trust. Bless and sanctify my soul with heavenly benediction, so that it may become Your holy dwelling and the seat of Your eternal glory. And in this temple of Your dignity let nothing be found that might offend Your majesty. In Your great goodness, and in the multitude of Your mercies, look upon me and listen to the prayer of Your poor servant exiled from You in the region of the shadow of death. Protect and preserve the soul of Your poor servant among the many dangers of this corruptible life, and direct him by Your accompanying grace, through the ways of peace, to the land of everlasting light.
The Imitation of Christ
Thomas à Kempis
3.09.2014
WE OUGHT TO DENY OURSELVES AND IMITATE CHRIST THROUGH BEARING THE CROSS ...
WE OUGHT TO DENY OURSELVES AND IMITATE CHRIST THROUGH BEARING THE CROSS
THE VOICE OF CHRIST
MY CHILD, the more you depart from yourself, the more you will be able to enter into Me. As the giving up of exterior things brings interior peace, so the forsaking of self unites you to God. I will have you learn perfect surrender to My will, without contradiction or complaint.
Follow Me. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Without the Way, there is no going. Without the Truth, there is no knowing. Without the Life, there is no living. I am the Way which you must follow, the Truth which you must believe, the Life for which you must hope. I am the inviolable Way, the infallible Truth, the unending Life. I am the Way that is straight, the supreme Truth, the Life that is true, the blessed, the uncreated Life. If you abide in My Way you shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free, and you shall attain life everlasting.
If you wish to enter into life, keep My commandments. If you will know the truth, believe in Me. If you will be perfect, sell all. If you will be My disciple, deny yourself. If you will possess the blessed life, despise this present life. If you will be exalted in heaven, humble yourself on earth. If you wish to reign with Me, carry the Cross with Me. For only the servants of the Cross find the life of blessedness and of true light.
THE DISCIPLE
Lord Jesus, because Your way is narrow and despised by the world, grant that I may despise the world and imitate You. For the servant is not greater than his Lord, nor the disciple above the Master. Let Your servant be trained in Your life, for there is my salvation and true holiness. Whatever else I read or hear does not fully refresh or delight me.
THE VOICE OF CHRIST
My child, now that you know these things and have read them all, happy will you be if you do them. He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves Me. And I will love him and will show Myself to him, and will bring it about that he will sit down with Me in My Father's Kingdom.
THE DISCIPLE
Lord Jesus, as You have said, so be it, and what You have promised, let it be my lot to win. I have received the cross, from Your hand I have received it. I will carry it, carry it even unto death as You have laid it upon me. Truly, the life of a good religious man is a cross, but it leads to paradise. We have begun -- we may not go back, nor may we leave off.
Take courage, brethren, let us go forward together and Jesus will be with us. For Jesus' sake we have taken this cross. For Jesus' sake let us persevere with it. He will be our help as He is also our leader and guide. Behold, our King goes before us and will fight for us. Let us follow like men. Let no man fear any terrors. Let us be prepared to meet death valiantly in battle. Let us not suffer our glory to be blemished by fleeing from the Cross.
The Imitation of Christ
Thomas à Kempis
THE VOICE OF CHRIST
MY CHILD, the more you depart from yourself, the more you will be able to enter into Me. As the giving up of exterior things brings interior peace, so the forsaking of self unites you to God. I will have you learn perfect surrender to My will, without contradiction or complaint.
Follow Me. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Without the Way, there is no going. Without the Truth, there is no knowing. Without the Life, there is no living. I am the Way which you must follow, the Truth which you must believe, the Life for which you must hope. I am the inviolable Way, the infallible Truth, the unending Life. I am the Way that is straight, the supreme Truth, the Life that is true, the blessed, the uncreated Life. If you abide in My Way you shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free, and you shall attain life everlasting.
If you wish to enter into life, keep My commandments. If you will know the truth, believe in Me. If you will be perfect, sell all. If you will be My disciple, deny yourself. If you will possess the blessed life, despise this present life. If you will be exalted in heaven, humble yourself on earth. If you wish to reign with Me, carry the Cross with Me. For only the servants of the Cross find the life of blessedness and of true light.
THE DISCIPLE
Lord Jesus, because Your way is narrow and despised by the world, grant that I may despise the world and imitate You. For the servant is not greater than his Lord, nor the disciple above the Master. Let Your servant be trained in Your life, for there is my salvation and true holiness. Whatever else I read or hear does not fully refresh or delight me.
THE VOICE OF CHRIST
My child, now that you know these things and have read them all, happy will you be if you do them. He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves Me. And I will love him and will show Myself to him, and will bring it about that he will sit down with Me in My Father's Kingdom.
THE DISCIPLE
Lord Jesus, as You have said, so be it, and what You have promised, let it be my lot to win. I have received the cross, from Your hand I have received it. I will carry it, carry it even unto death as You have laid it upon me. Truly, the life of a good religious man is a cross, but it leads to paradise. We have begun -- we may not go back, nor may we leave off.
Take courage, brethren, let us go forward together and Jesus will be with us. For Jesus' sake we have taken this cross. For Jesus' sake let us persevere with it. He will be our help as He is also our leader and guide. Behold, our King goes before us and will fight for us. Let us follow like men. Let no man fear any terrors. Let us be prepared to meet death valiantly in battle. Let us not suffer our glory to be blemished by fleeing from the Cross.
The Imitation of Christ
Thomas à Kempis
DEVOUT MEDITATIONS FOR LENT-FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT.
DEVOUT MEDITATIONS FOR LENT.
FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT.
THE GOSPEL. Matt. 4. 1-11.
"At that time, Jesus was led by the spirit into the desert, to be tempted by the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterwards hungry. And the tempter coming, said to him : If thou be the Son' of God, command that these stones be made bread. Who answered and said : It is written : Not in bread alone cloth man live, but in every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil took him into the holy city, and set him upon a pinnacle of the temple, and said to him : If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down ; for it is written : He hath given his angels charge over thee ; and in their hands shall they bear thee up, lest perhaps thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said to him : It is written again : Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again the devil took him up into a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, and said to him : All these will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and adore me. Then Jesus said to him : Begone, Satan ; for it is written : The Lord thy God shalt thou adore, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil left him ; and, behold, angels came and ministered to him."
MEDITATION - ON THE CAUSES OF TEMPTATION.
1st Point - Why did our Lord suffer himself to be tempted ? It was in order to vanquish our enemy, to teach us how to combat, to inspire us with courage, to animate us by his example, to humiliate the devil, who triumphed over Adam, to repair the sin of our first parents, and to raise them from their fallen condition, by giving their children power to triumph over the devil.
2nd Point - Why am I tempted ? It is because you are proud, because you do not guard your senses, especially your eyes and ears, because you are under the dominion of bad habits, which hold correspondence with the devil; it is, perhaps, because you are not in the order, or state, in which God desires you to be, and have not followed your vocation ; it is that your heart is attached to creatures, or that you are not sufficiently occupied ; it is that you are a man, a sinful man and a Christian, and that you desire only happiness and consolation. For a man, being free, is not always determined to do good ; but the sinner, being a slave, is under the dominion of him who has conquered. The Christian, being a soldier, should never relax his warfare, or slumber at his post. If the righteous wish to be crowned, they must first be proved by temptation.
3rd Point - Why has the devil tempted me ? Because he hates the image of God, which you bear in you ; because he is envious of man, and wishes him to be in his own place ; because he seeks to make you his slave and the companion of his pains. It is for this end that he desires to enter into your heart, which is the throne of God, to be adored therein ; strives to profane his temple and sanctuary ; wishes to drive Jesus Christ from his kingdom, which is in you ; wishes to crucify him anew, in your soul, and renew the ignominies of his passion. Do you not assist him in his malicious designs ? Do you not satisfy his ambitious schemes ? You do this as often as you yield assent to his temptations.
4th Point - Why does God suffer me to be tempted ? For his glory and your good. He wishes to know if you truly love him ; he wishes you to know yourself, and to make you sensible of your infirmities, and constrain you to have recourse to him ; he wishes to prove your virtue, to hold you in dependence on him, to prepare you for combat, detach you from creatures, and render you worthy of eternal life.
Oh, Jesus, Saviour of my soul ! since thou hast been tempted, I am no longer astonished that I also suffer temptations. It is good for me to know thee and know myself. Temptation is necessary and salutary for me, because it renders me humble, and prevents me from being presumptuous. Let me be tempted, then, my God, and prove me to see if there is any iniquity in me. Oh, no, my God, do not tempt me ; I know my miseries too well ! Deliver me speedily from temptation, at least strengthen me against its assaults, and give me courage to vanquish it. Satan aims at thee as well as at thy servant. Defend thyself and thy interests, therefore, in me, against thy enemy and mine.
WORDS OF SCRIPTURE.
"God tempted Abraham."—Genesis, xxii.
" Fear not ; for God is come to prove you." —Exodus, xx.
" Ananias, why bath Satan tempted thy heart ?"—Acts, v.
" God hath tried them, and found them worthy of himself."— Wisdom, iii.
" As gold in the furnace he bath proved them." - Ibid.
Written by an 'Anonymous' Jesuit Priest in England in the 19th century...
FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT.
THE GOSPEL. Matt. 4. 1-11.
"At that time, Jesus was led by the spirit into the desert, to be tempted by the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterwards hungry. And the tempter coming, said to him : If thou be the Son' of God, command that these stones be made bread. Who answered and said : It is written : Not in bread alone cloth man live, but in every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil took him into the holy city, and set him upon a pinnacle of the temple, and said to him : If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down ; for it is written : He hath given his angels charge over thee ; and in their hands shall they bear thee up, lest perhaps thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said to him : It is written again : Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again the devil took him up into a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, and said to him : All these will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and adore me. Then Jesus said to him : Begone, Satan ; for it is written : The Lord thy God shalt thou adore, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil left him ; and, behold, angels came and ministered to him."
MEDITATION - ON THE CAUSES OF TEMPTATION.
1st Point - Why did our Lord suffer himself to be tempted ? It was in order to vanquish our enemy, to teach us how to combat, to inspire us with courage, to animate us by his example, to humiliate the devil, who triumphed over Adam, to repair the sin of our first parents, and to raise them from their fallen condition, by giving their children power to triumph over the devil.
2nd Point - Why am I tempted ? It is because you are proud, because you do not guard your senses, especially your eyes and ears, because you are under the dominion of bad habits, which hold correspondence with the devil; it is, perhaps, because you are not in the order, or state, in which God desires you to be, and have not followed your vocation ; it is that your heart is attached to creatures, or that you are not sufficiently occupied ; it is that you are a man, a sinful man and a Christian, and that you desire only happiness and consolation. For a man, being free, is not always determined to do good ; but the sinner, being a slave, is under the dominion of him who has conquered. The Christian, being a soldier, should never relax his warfare, or slumber at his post. If the righteous wish to be crowned, they must first be proved by temptation.
3rd Point - Why has the devil tempted me ? Because he hates the image of God, which you bear in you ; because he is envious of man, and wishes him to be in his own place ; because he seeks to make you his slave and the companion of his pains. It is for this end that he desires to enter into your heart, which is the throne of God, to be adored therein ; strives to profane his temple and sanctuary ; wishes to drive Jesus Christ from his kingdom, which is in you ; wishes to crucify him anew, in your soul, and renew the ignominies of his passion. Do you not assist him in his malicious designs ? Do you not satisfy his ambitious schemes ? You do this as often as you yield assent to his temptations.
4th Point - Why does God suffer me to be tempted ? For his glory and your good. He wishes to know if you truly love him ; he wishes you to know yourself, and to make you sensible of your infirmities, and constrain you to have recourse to him ; he wishes to prove your virtue, to hold you in dependence on him, to prepare you for combat, detach you from creatures, and render you worthy of eternal life.
Oh, Jesus, Saviour of my soul ! since thou hast been tempted, I am no longer astonished that I also suffer temptations. It is good for me to know thee and know myself. Temptation is necessary and salutary for me, because it renders me humble, and prevents me from being presumptuous. Let me be tempted, then, my God, and prove me to see if there is any iniquity in me. Oh, no, my God, do not tempt me ; I know my miseries too well ! Deliver me speedily from temptation, at least strengthen me against its assaults, and give me courage to vanquish it. Satan aims at thee as well as at thy servant. Defend thyself and thy interests, therefore, in me, against thy enemy and mine.
WORDS OF SCRIPTURE.
"God tempted Abraham."—Genesis, xxii.
" Fear not ; for God is come to prove you." —Exodus, xx.
" Ananias, why bath Satan tempted thy heart ?"—Acts, v.
" God hath tried them, and found them worthy of himself."— Wisdom, iii.
" As gold in the furnace he bath proved them." - Ibid.
Written by an 'Anonymous' Jesuit Priest in England in the 19th century...
3.08.2014
THE CORRUPTION OF NATURE AND THE EFFICACY OF DIVINE GRACE
THE CORRUPTION OF NATURE AND THE EFFICACY OF DIVINE GRACE
THE DISCIPLE
O LORD, my God, Who created me to Your own image and likeness, grant me this grace which You have shown to be so great and necessary for salvation, that I may overcome my very evil nature that is drawing me to sin and perdition. For I feel in my flesh the law of sin contradicting the law of my mind and leading me captive to serve sensuality in many things. I cannot resist the passions thereof unless Your most holy grace warmly infused into my heart assist me.
There is need of Your grace, and of great grace, in order to overcome a nature prone to evil from youth. For through the first man, Adam, nature is fallen and weakened by sin, and the punishment of that stain has fallen upon all mankind. Thus nature itself, which You created good and right, is considered a symbol of vice and the weakness of corrupted nature, because when left to itself it tends toward evil and to baser things. The little strength remaining in it is like a spark hidden in ashes. That strength is natural reason which, surrounded by thick darkness, still has the power of judging good and evil, of seeing the difference between true and false, though it is not able to fulfill all that it approves and does not enjoy the full light of truth or soundness of affection.
Hence it is, my God, that according to the inward man I delight in Your law, knowing that Your command is good, just, and holy, and that it proves the necessity of shunning all evil and sin. But in the flesh I keep the law of sin, obeying sensuality rather than reason. Hence, also, it is that the will to good is present in me, but how to accomplish it I know not. Hence, too, I often propose many good things, but because the grace to help my weakness is lacking, I recoil and give up at the slightest resistance. Thus it is that I know the way of perfection and see clearly enough how I ought to act, but because I am pressed down by the weight of my own corruption I do not rise to more perfect things.
How extremely necessary to me, O Lord, Your grace is to begin any good deed, to carry it on and bring it to completion! For without grace I can do nothing, but with its strength I can do all things in You. O Grace truly heavenly, without which our merits are nothing and no gifts of nature are to be esteemed!
Before You, O Lord, no arts or riches, no beauty or strength, no wit or intelligence avail without grace. For the gifts of nature are common to good and bad alike, but the peculiar gift of Your elect is grace or love, and those who are signed with it are held worthy of everlasting life. So excellent is this grace that without it no gift of prophecy or of miracles, no meditation be it ever so exalted, can be considered anything. Not even faith or hope or other virtues are acceptable to You without charity and grace.
O most blessed grace, which makes the poor in spirit rich in virtues, which renders him who is rich in many good things humble of heart, come, descend upon me, fill me quickly with your consolation lest my soul faint with weariness and dryness of mind.
Let me find grace in Your sight, I beg, Lord, for Your grace is enough for me, even though I obtain none of the things which nature desires. If I am tempted and afflicted with many tribulations, I will fear no evils while Your grace is with me. This is my strength. This will give me counsel and help. This is more powerful than all my enemies and wiser than all the wise. This is the mistress of truth, the teacher of discipline, the light of the heart, the consoler in anguish, the banisher of sorrow, the expeller of fear, the nourisher of devotion, the producer of tears. What am I without grace, but dead wood, a useless branch, fit only to be cast away?
Let Your grace, therefore, go before me and follow me, O Lord, and make me always intent upon good works, through Jesus Christ, Your Son.
The Imitation of Christ
Thomas à Kempis
THE DISCIPLE
O LORD, my God, Who created me to Your own image and likeness, grant me this grace which You have shown to be so great and necessary for salvation, that I may overcome my very evil nature that is drawing me to sin and perdition. For I feel in my flesh the law of sin contradicting the law of my mind and leading me captive to serve sensuality in many things. I cannot resist the passions thereof unless Your most holy grace warmly infused into my heart assist me.
There is need of Your grace, and of great grace, in order to overcome a nature prone to evil from youth. For through the first man, Adam, nature is fallen and weakened by sin, and the punishment of that stain has fallen upon all mankind. Thus nature itself, which You created good and right, is considered a symbol of vice and the weakness of corrupted nature, because when left to itself it tends toward evil and to baser things. The little strength remaining in it is like a spark hidden in ashes. That strength is natural reason which, surrounded by thick darkness, still has the power of judging good and evil, of seeing the difference between true and false, though it is not able to fulfill all that it approves and does not enjoy the full light of truth or soundness of affection.
Hence it is, my God, that according to the inward man I delight in Your law, knowing that Your command is good, just, and holy, and that it proves the necessity of shunning all evil and sin. But in the flesh I keep the law of sin, obeying sensuality rather than reason. Hence, also, it is that the will to good is present in me, but how to accomplish it I know not. Hence, too, I often propose many good things, but because the grace to help my weakness is lacking, I recoil and give up at the slightest resistance. Thus it is that I know the way of perfection and see clearly enough how I ought to act, but because I am pressed down by the weight of my own corruption I do not rise to more perfect things.
How extremely necessary to me, O Lord, Your grace is to begin any good deed, to carry it on and bring it to completion! For without grace I can do nothing, but with its strength I can do all things in You. O Grace truly heavenly, without which our merits are nothing and no gifts of nature are to be esteemed!
Before You, O Lord, no arts or riches, no beauty or strength, no wit or intelligence avail without grace. For the gifts of nature are common to good and bad alike, but the peculiar gift of Your elect is grace or love, and those who are signed with it are held worthy of everlasting life. So excellent is this grace that without it no gift of prophecy or of miracles, no meditation be it ever so exalted, can be considered anything. Not even faith or hope or other virtues are acceptable to You without charity and grace.
O most blessed grace, which makes the poor in spirit rich in virtues, which renders him who is rich in many good things humble of heart, come, descend upon me, fill me quickly with your consolation lest my soul faint with weariness and dryness of mind.
Let me find grace in Your sight, I beg, Lord, for Your grace is enough for me, even though I obtain none of the things which nature desires. If I am tempted and afflicted with many tribulations, I will fear no evils while Your grace is with me. This is my strength. This will give me counsel and help. This is more powerful than all my enemies and wiser than all the wise. This is the mistress of truth, the teacher of discipline, the light of the heart, the consoler in anguish, the banisher of sorrow, the expeller of fear, the nourisher of devotion, the producer of tears. What am I without grace, but dead wood, a useless branch, fit only to be cast away?
Let Your grace, therefore, go before me and follow me, O Lord, and make me always intent upon good works, through Jesus Christ, Your Son.
The Imitation of Christ
Thomas à Kempis
3.07.2014
MEDITATION FOR FRIDAY AFTER ASH-WEDNESDAY- ON THE EXCELLENCE OF MORTIFICATION.
DEVOUT MEDITATIONS FOR LENT.
MEDITATION FOR FRIDAY AFTER ASH-WEDNESDAY.
ON THE EXCELLENCE OF MORTIFICATION.
1st Point - What is mortification? It is a death of love, which destroys the criminal life, detaches the mind from the senses, separates the soul from the body, and makes it live in the spirit.
It is a sacrifice of love, in which the Holy Ghost is the priest, the body is the victim, the heart is the altar, pain the knife, love the fire, glory the fruit.
2nd Point - What is mortification? It is a martyrdom of love, less bloody than a martyrdom of faith, but longer and more wearisome, more free, and (in one sense) more voluntary.
What is mortification? t is a continuation of the sacrifice of the passion of Jesus, which supplies all that is wanting in his sufferings; which transforms our bodies into members of his, and animates them with his divine spirit; which makes us participate in his sorrows, merit his graces, and finally exalts us to the throne of his glory.
3rd Point - Why is it that I mortify myself so little ? Alas ! it is because I do not love Jesus Christ, and am not one of his members animated by his spirit; it is because I lead a sensual and carnal life, and despise and shrink from his sufferings; it is that I am the slave of my body, and seek only the pleasures of the flesh, and relish not those of the spirit, being worldly, sensual, voluptuous, and the enemy of God. Oh! in order that I may die the death of the just, I will henceforth live the life of the just; I will, from this moment, become a victim of love, that I may die in the arms of divine love.
WORDS OF SCRIPTURE.
" I beseech you, brethren, by the mercy of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing unto God."—Romans, 12.
" I die daily."—1 Corinthians, 15.
" With Christ I am nailed to the cross."— Galatians, 2
" Who now rejoice in my sufferings, and fill up those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ, in my flesh for his body, which is the Church."—Colossians, 1.
" Unhappy man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? The grace of God, by Jesus Christ our Lord."—Romans, 7.
Written by an 'Anonymous' Jesuit Priest in England in the 19th century.
MEDITATION FOR FRIDAY AFTER ASH-WEDNESDAY.
ON THE EXCELLENCE OF MORTIFICATION.
1st Point - What is mortification? It is a death of love, which destroys the criminal life, detaches the mind from the senses, separates the soul from the body, and makes it live in the spirit.
It is a sacrifice of love, in which the Holy Ghost is the priest, the body is the victim, the heart is the altar, pain the knife, love the fire, glory the fruit.
2nd Point - What is mortification? It is a martyrdom of love, less bloody than a martyrdom of faith, but longer and more wearisome, more free, and (in one sense) more voluntary.
What is mortification? t is a continuation of the sacrifice of the passion of Jesus, which supplies all that is wanting in his sufferings; which transforms our bodies into members of his, and animates them with his divine spirit; which makes us participate in his sorrows, merit his graces, and finally exalts us to the throne of his glory.
3rd Point - Why is it that I mortify myself so little ? Alas ! it is because I do not love Jesus Christ, and am not one of his members animated by his spirit; it is because I lead a sensual and carnal life, and despise and shrink from his sufferings; it is that I am the slave of my body, and seek only the pleasures of the flesh, and relish not those of the spirit, being worldly, sensual, voluptuous, and the enemy of God. Oh! in order that I may die the death of the just, I will henceforth live the life of the just; I will, from this moment, become a victim of love, that I may die in the arms of divine love.
WORDS OF SCRIPTURE.
" I beseech you, brethren, by the mercy of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing unto God."—Romans, 12.
" I die daily."—1 Corinthians, 15.
" With Christ I am nailed to the cross."— Galatians, 2
" Who now rejoice in my sufferings, and fill up those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ, in my flesh for his body, which is the Church."—Colossians, 1.
" Unhappy man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? The grace of God, by Jesus Christ our Lord."—Romans, 7.
Written by an 'Anonymous' Jesuit Priest in England in the 19th century.
3.06.2014
GOD'S GRACE IS NOT GIVEN TO THE EARTHLY MINDED....
GOD'S GRACE IS NOT GIVEN TO THE EARTHLY MINDED
THE VOICE OF CHRIST
MY CHILD, my grace is precious. It does not allow itself to be mixed with external things or with earthly consolations. Cast away all obstacles to grace, therefore, if you wish to receive its infusion.
Seek to retire within yourself. Love to dwell alone with yourself. Seek no man's conversation, but rather pour forth devout prayer to God that you may keep your mind contrite and your heart pure.
Consider the whole world as nothing. Prefer attendance upon God to all outward occupation, for you cannot attend upon Me and at the same time take delight in external things. You must remove yourself from acquaintances and from dear friends, and keep your mind free of all temporal consolation. Thus the blessed Apostle St. Peter begs the faithful of Christ to keep themselves as strangers and pilgrims in the world.
What great confidence at the hour of death shall be his who is not attached to this world by any affection. But the sickly soul does not know what it is to have a heart thus separated from all things, nor does the natural man know the liberty of the spiritual man. Yet, if he truly wishes to be spiritual, he must renounce both strangers and friends, and must beware of no one more than himself.
If you completely conquer yourself, you will more easily subdue all other things. The perfect victory is to triumph over self. For he who holds himself in such subjection that sensuality obeys reason and reason obeys Me in all matters, is truly his own conqueror and master of the world.
Now, if you wish to climb to this high position you must begin like a man, and lay the ax to the root, in order to tear out and destroy any hidden unruly love of self or of earthly goods. From this vice of too much self-love comes almost every other vice that must be uprooted. And when this evil is vanquished, and brought under control, great peace and quiet will follow at once.
But because few labor to die entirely to self, or tend completely away from self, therefore they remain entangled in self, and cannot be lifted in spirit above themselves. But he who desires to walk freely with Me must mortify all his low and inordinate affections, and must not cling with selfish love or desire to any creature.
The Imitation of Christ
Thomas à Kempis
THE VOICE OF CHRIST
MY CHILD, my grace is precious. It does not allow itself to be mixed with external things or with earthly consolations. Cast away all obstacles to grace, therefore, if you wish to receive its infusion.
Seek to retire within yourself. Love to dwell alone with yourself. Seek no man's conversation, but rather pour forth devout prayer to God that you may keep your mind contrite and your heart pure.
Consider the whole world as nothing. Prefer attendance upon God to all outward occupation, for you cannot attend upon Me and at the same time take delight in external things. You must remove yourself from acquaintances and from dear friends, and keep your mind free of all temporal consolation. Thus the blessed Apostle St. Peter begs the faithful of Christ to keep themselves as strangers and pilgrims in the world.
What great confidence at the hour of death shall be his who is not attached to this world by any affection. But the sickly soul does not know what it is to have a heart thus separated from all things, nor does the natural man know the liberty of the spiritual man. Yet, if he truly wishes to be spiritual, he must renounce both strangers and friends, and must beware of no one more than himself.
If you completely conquer yourself, you will more easily subdue all other things. The perfect victory is to triumph over self. For he who holds himself in such subjection that sensuality obeys reason and reason obeys Me in all matters, is truly his own conqueror and master of the world.
Now, if you wish to climb to this high position you must begin like a man, and lay the ax to the root, in order to tear out and destroy any hidden unruly love of self or of earthly goods. From this vice of too much self-love comes almost every other vice that must be uprooted. And when this evil is vanquished, and brought under control, great peace and quiet will follow at once.
But because few labor to die entirely to self, or tend completely away from self, therefore they remain entangled in self, and cannot be lifted in spirit above themselves. But he who desires to walk freely with Me must mortify all his low and inordinate affections, and must not cling with selfish love or desire to any creature.
The Imitation of Christ
Thomas à Kempis
3.05.2014
DEVOUT MEDITATIONS FOR LENT - ON EXTERIOR PENANCE AND MORTIFICATION.
DEVOUT MEDITATIONS FOR LENT.
MEDITATION FOR ASH-WEDNESDAY.
ON EXTERIOR PENANCE AND MORTIFICATION.
1st Point - There is nothing more united and less united than the soul and body. When one advances, the other recoils ; when one rises, the other descends; when one is in health, the other is sick; when one is strong, the other is weak. It is necessary, then, in order to strengthen and give health to the soul, to bring the body under subjection, and weaken its evil propensities by penance and mortification.
I am not a man if I obey my passions; I am not a Christian if I do not combat with and overcome my passions; I am not a true penitent if I do not mortify my passions. Since my body is polluted by sin, it ought to be purified by pain; and since it has part in the pleasures of the soul, it ought to glory in sharing its sorrows.
2nd Point - How do I know that my sins are forgiven? How do I know that the pain which my offences merit is remitted? How do I know that God will not punish me in my body? How do I know that he will not chastise me in my soul? How do I know that he will not regard me with coldness, and permit me to fall into some grievous sin? How do I know that I shall be able to rise after falling therein?
3rd Point - If I spare myself, God will not spare me; if I love myself, God will not love me; if I hate myself, God will not hate me; if I punish myself, God will not punish me ; if I excuse nothing in myself, God will pardon all; if I excuse all things in myself, God will pardon nothing; if I am indulgent to myself, God will be severe; if I am austere and harsh with myself, God will be merciful.
Oh, Christian soul ! Make your body a living and dying victim; mortify your passions, your senses, and your desires; mortify yourself at all times, and in all places; mortify yourself with zeal, mortify yourself with discretion.
Written by an 'Anonymous' Jesuit Priest in England in the 19th century... Please share with friends..
MEDITATION FOR ASH-WEDNESDAY.
ON EXTERIOR PENANCE AND MORTIFICATION.
1st Point - There is nothing more united and less united than the soul and body. When one advances, the other recoils ; when one rises, the other descends; when one is in health, the other is sick; when one is strong, the other is weak. It is necessary, then, in order to strengthen and give health to the soul, to bring the body under subjection, and weaken its evil propensities by penance and mortification.
I am not a man if I obey my passions; I am not a Christian if I do not combat with and overcome my passions; I am not a true penitent if I do not mortify my passions. Since my body is polluted by sin, it ought to be purified by pain; and since it has part in the pleasures of the soul, it ought to glory in sharing its sorrows.
2nd Point - How do I know that my sins are forgiven? How do I know that the pain which my offences merit is remitted? How do I know that God will not punish me in my body? How do I know that he will not chastise me in my soul? How do I know that he will not regard me with coldness, and permit me to fall into some grievous sin? How do I know that I shall be able to rise after falling therein?
3rd Point - If I spare myself, God will not spare me; if I love myself, God will not love me; if I hate myself, God will not hate me; if I punish myself, God will not punish me ; if I excuse nothing in myself, God will pardon all; if I excuse all things in myself, God will pardon nothing; if I am indulgent to myself, God will be severe; if I am austere and harsh with myself, God will be merciful.
Oh, Christian soul ! Make your body a living and dying victim; mortify your passions, your senses, and your desires; mortify yourself at all times, and in all places; mortify yourself with zeal, mortify yourself with discretion.
Written by an 'Anonymous' Jesuit Priest in England in the 19th century... Please share with friends..
3.03.2014
Silent Suffering When Following The Lord
SILENT SUFFERING
A saintly monk was leading a life of meditation near a village. The villagers used to give him food and respect his words of wisdom. One day the villagers rushed into his hermitage in a rage. They pushed a girl to his front and accused him of raping the girl as she had confessed before them that the monk was responsible for her pregnancy. He was innocent, but did not try to defend himself. He calmly asked them, "Is it so?" He readily agreed to support the girl in his hermitage. The villagers stopped feeding the sage and they started to ridicule him. To support him and the girl, the monk went to the forest and cut firewood. By selling the firewood, he could earn food for them. The girl delivered a baby and he supported them whole-heartedly. Twelve years passed. Then, one day, the villagers came tearfully to the monk and begged his pardon for suspecting his sanctity. They had identified the culprit who had made the girl pregnant. He was now ready to accept the girl and child. The girl who was afraid of the miscreant had then told the name of the monk instead. The monk, without any excitement, repeated his earlier question "Is it so?" Then he entrusted the girl and the child to the villagers and silently resumed his meditation.
Silence is more powerful than argument. Jesus did not defend himself before the Priests, Pilate and Herod when the Jews accused him falsely. He silently suffered the Passion to redeem us from the clutches of sin.
Isaiah foretold the Passion of Christ in the words: "He was treated harshly, but endured it humbly; he never said a word. Like a lamb about to be slaughtered, like a sheep about to be sheared, he never said a word" {Isaiah 53:7}.
"When He was insulted, he did not answer back with an insult; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but placed His hopes in God, the righteous Judge" {1 Peter 2:23}.
Jesus taught us, "Happy are you when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of evil lies against you because you are my followers. Be happy and glad, for a great reward is kept for you in heaven" {Matthew 4: 11, 12}.
Author: Unknown.
A saintly monk was leading a life of meditation near a village. The villagers used to give him food and respect his words of wisdom. One day the villagers rushed into his hermitage in a rage. They pushed a girl to his front and accused him of raping the girl as she had confessed before them that the monk was responsible for her pregnancy. He was innocent, but did not try to defend himself. He calmly asked them, "Is it so?" He readily agreed to support the girl in his hermitage. The villagers stopped feeding the sage and they started to ridicule him. To support him and the girl, the monk went to the forest and cut firewood. By selling the firewood, he could earn food for them. The girl delivered a baby and he supported them whole-heartedly. Twelve years passed. Then, one day, the villagers came tearfully to the monk and begged his pardon for suspecting his sanctity. They had identified the culprit who had made the girl pregnant. He was now ready to accept the girl and child. The girl who was afraid of the miscreant had then told the name of the monk instead. The monk, without any excitement, repeated his earlier question "Is it so?" Then he entrusted the girl and the child to the villagers and silently resumed his meditation.
Silence is more powerful than argument. Jesus did not defend himself before the Priests, Pilate and Herod when the Jews accused him falsely. He silently suffered the Passion to redeem us from the clutches of sin.
Isaiah foretold the Passion of Christ in the words: "He was treated harshly, but endured it humbly; he never said a word. Like a lamb about to be slaughtered, like a sheep about to be sheared, he never said a word" {Isaiah 53:7}.
"When He was insulted, he did not answer back with an insult; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but placed His hopes in God, the righteous Judge" {1 Peter 2:23}.
Jesus taught us, "Happy are you when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of evil lies against you because you are my followers. Be happy and glad, for a great reward is kept for you in heaven" {Matthew 4: 11, 12}.
Author: Unknown.
3.02.2014
Martin Luther : A Saint or Satanic Scoundrel?
Martin Luther : A Saint or Satanic Scoundrel?
Dr. Peter Chojnowski, professor at Gonzaga University, is interviewed by Joe Bagnoli on 1370AM in Long Island, NY. Dr. Chojnowski goes into the details of the troubled life and writings of Martin Luther, the infamous father of the Protestant revolt. This is a must listen to interview for those who are seeking the facts regarding this man, and this period that dramatically changed the future of the world. A dark period of revolution against Christ and his One, Holy Catholic Church.
Source: the voice of catholic radio
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