Aug. 16 - Day 10 - "Do not love the world or the things of the world... 1 Jn 2: 15 "

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In our 33 Day journey, towards Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary, as explained by St. Louis de Montfort, his first direction is to spend 12 days “seeking to empty oneself of the spirit of the world” – repeating what he heard God say through His apostle John in his First Letter:

Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world. Yet the world and its enticement are passing away. But whoever does the will of God remains forever. (1 Jn 2: 15 - 17)

As I’ve written before, St Louis de Montfort was steeped in Scripture and we hear “echoes” of God’s Word in his writing. We need to listen and not merely read the words of his Treatise on True Devotion.. Just as indeed we need to listen to God’s Word and not merely read words and then forget them.

We are all called to holiness and therefore we need to be serious in our striving toward the Holy Will of God as Jesus and Mary show us in God’s Word, and also by our earnest prayer: “asking, seeking and knocking on the door” (cf Mt 7:7-11) that God may enable us to receive, and find and open the door to the Holiness He desires to give us, through Mary.

Come Holy Spirit, enable us to Listen and to Ponder in our hearts all God says, as Mary did. Jesus we trust in You. Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us. St. Louis de Montfort, pray for us.

 

[hazcompat]

Second reading
From a homily on Matthew by Saint John Chrysostum, bishop
Salt of the earth and light of the world

You are the salt of the earth. It is not for your own sake, he says, but for the world’s sake that the word is entrusted to you. I am not sending you into two cities only or ten or twenty, not to a single nation, as I sent the prophets of old, but across land and sea, to the whole world. And that world is in a miserable state. For when he says: You are the salt of the earth, he is indicating that all mankind had lost its savor and had been corrupted by sin. Therefore, he requires of these men those virtues which are especially useful and even necessary if they are to bear the burdens of many. For the man who is kindly, modest, merciful and just will not keep his good works to himself but will see to it that these admirable fountains send out their streams for the good of others. Again, the man who is clean of heart, a peacemaker and ardent for truth will order his life so as to contribute to the common good.

Do not think, he says, that you are destined for easy struggles or unimportant tasks. You are the salt of the earth. What do these words imply? Did the disciples restore what had already turned rotten? Not at all. Salt cannot help what is already corrupted. That is not what they did. But what had first been renewed and freed from corruption and then turned over to them, they salted and preserved in the newness the Lord had bestowed. It took the power of Christ to free men from the corruption caused by sin; it was the task of the apostles through strenuous labor to keep that corruption from returning.

Have you noticed how, bit by bit, Christ shows them to be superior to the prophets? He says they are to be teachers not simply for Palestine but for the whole world. Do not be surprised, then, he says, that I address you apart from the others and involve you in such a dangerous enterprise. Consider the numerous and extensive cities, peoples and nations I will be sending you to govern. For this reason I would have you make others prudent, as well as being prudent yourselves. For unless you can do that, you will not be able to sustain even yourselves.

If others lose their savor, then your ministry will help them regain it. But if you yourselves suffer that loss, you will drag others down with you. Therefore, the greater the undertakings put into your hands, the more zealous you must be. For this reason he says: But if the salt becomes tasteless, how can its flavor be restored? It is good for nothing now, but to be thrown out and trampled by men’s feet.

 

[hazcompat]

Continued…

When they hear the words: When they curse you and persecute you and accuse you of every evil, they may be afraid to come forward. Therefore he says; “Unless you are prepared for that sort of thing, it is in vain that I have chosen you. Curses shall necessarily be your lot but they shall not harm you and will simply be a testimony to your constancy. If through fear, however, you fail to show the forcefulness your mission demands, your lot will be much worse, for all will speak evil of you and despise you. That is what being trampled by men’s feet means.”

Then he passes on to a more exalted comparison: You are the light of the world. Once again, “of the world”: not of one nation or twenty cities, but of the whole world. The light he means is an intelligible light, far superior to the rays of the sun we see, just as the salt is a spiritual salt. First salt, then light, so that you may learn how profitable sharp words may be and how useful serious doctrine. Such teaching holds in check and prevents dissipation; it leads to virtue and sharpens the mind’s eye. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor do men light a lamp and put it under a basket. Here again he is urging them to a careful manner of life and teaching them to be watchful, for they live under the eyes of all and have the whole world for the arena of their struggles.

 

[MariaChristi]

Thanks, hazcompat,

Yes, the Wisdom God gives to His saints becomes obvious in men like St. John Chrysostum, especially when they are preaching from the Word of God. I believe St. Louis de Montfort was like St. John Chrysostom in his preaching as well as his writing.

When I read the concluding paragraph you posted I was especially mindful of the many criticisms I’ve heard from people who found St. Louis de Montfort’s words to be “too hard” yet Jesus spoke “hard words” for the good of the crowd who did not want to listen because they did not want to be criticized – they walked away from Jesus. Ah, but priests like St. Louis De Montfort and Bishops like St. John Chrysostum did not walk away from speaking Truth:

"Then he passes on to a more exalted comparison: You are the light of the world. Once again, “of the world”: not of one nation or twenty cities, but of the whole world. The light he means is an intelligible light, far superior to the rays of the sun we see, just as the salt is a spiritual salt. First salt, then light, so that you may learn how profitable sharp words may be and how useful serious doctrine. Such teaching holds in check and prevents dissipation; it leads to virtue and sharpens the mind’s eye. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor do men light a lamp and put it under a basket. Here again He is urging them to a careful manner of life and teaching them to be watchful, for they live under the eyes of all and have the whole world for the arena of their struggles.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Stephie,

Thanks so much for your “ever Faith -Full and Loving” heart! I missed seeing your heart on this thread before today. Sorry to be late!

 

[StephieNorthCo]

We are getting some work done at the house, so I’ve been very busy. Sometimes I don’t get to the Forum 'til late. I appreciate your daily entries. Keeps me centered.

Blessings,
Stephie

 

[MariaChristi]

How could I ever “forget” you, dear Stephie, most faithful to Jesus and Mary?

Of course, you realize it is Mary our Mother, who keeps me “Centered with my eyes on Jesus” just as her eyes were fixed on Him on Calvary especially, but throughout the years of her life with Him – from His Conception in her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit, until He died commending His Spirit into the Hands of His Father.

Like the Good Mother she is, Mary keeps repeating to us her words to the servants at Cana: “Do whatever He tells you”. Thanks again for your sweet reply and your ever-Faith-Full heart and Loving heart.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Toddy,

Thanks also for your “heart” on this thread. May we all take the Words of Scripture seriously as St. Louis de Montfort and all the Saints have done, seeking to Follow Jesus as our Mother Mary did. Jesus told us from His Cross on Calvary:

Behold your Mother

It was not just to His Apostle John that He said those words but to all of us. And we need to listen to His words, letting them sink down deeply in our hearts, that we may do the Truth we hear – even as John did, when he took Mary not merely into his home but into his life!

 

[toddy]

Best topic on inspiration to me. Our job is to digest the flesh of the world, our own, and the devil.

Holy Spirit taught me three words “Flesh is sin” a decade ago and changed my life from the darkness.

The course of this world” (v. 2) ungodly trends — materialism, naturalism, desire for instant gratification, and more — that once ruled all of our passions but are defeated in Christ ([John 16:33]; [1 John 5:5], no longer our ruler, but the world still appeals to our remaining sin.

The old testimony conflicts with the new testimony about the flesh of the world at least through King David. God Almighty awarded King David everything.

It is God’s gift. Cannot say God’s gift as abundance life is the sin.

So, what is the limit?

I think the virtue of fidelity [moderation and economy].

How do I determine it is the flesh of the world or not?

“I do not need it”, but the inner demand keeps on thoughts of positive reasons why I must have it. That is the flesh of the world.

Next is the Passions of our flesh and the voices of our flesh and demons.

 

[MariaChristi]

Thanks again, for your reply to this thread, Toddy.

At the end of your reply you ask:

How do I determine it is the flesh of the world or not?

It is a very important question that some may never have asked in regard to themselves or regarding the spirit of the world which opposes the Spirit of Christ. You are answering your question, in your own words, as you have discerned it.

I wonder, however, if you have pondered this question with others – for not everyone thinks in the same way; certainly some would say they need far more than others, and some may say they need less. Have you ever pondered the Gospels or the Treatise of St. Louis de Montfort on “True Devotion”?

If you read the Scriptures and also St. Louis de Montfort’s treatise on “True Devotion”, you may come to “see by faith”, even more of what God has revealed to us in His Word and through the wisdom He shares with His saints, about our human condition as a result of the consequences of original sin.

One of the verses in John’s Gospel that echoes in my own heart is the Truth that Jesus speaks to His disciples the night before He died: “Without Me, you can do nothing”.

Thanks again for your reply. Hope you will continue this 33 Day journey with those who have begun or are making the journey again to renew their Total Consecration of themselves to Jesus through Mary.