Day 3 - Feb. 23 - Continuing the journey

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

How Good God is, giving us the “Bread of His Word and the Bread become Eucharist” today at our Sunday Mass! The liturgy for this 7th Sunday in Ordinary time is so encouraging for us who are seeking to empty ourselves of the spirit of the world which is opposed to the Spirit of Jesus.

Entrance antiphon:

O Lord, I trust in your merciful love
My heart will rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord who has been bountiful with me. – Ps 13 (12) 6

Opening Prayer:

Grant, we pray, almighty God, that always pondering spiritual things, we may carry out in both word and deed that which is pleasing to You. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, One God forever and ever. Amen

First and Second Readings: Leviticus 19: 1-2, 17 18 and 1 Cor. 3:16 - 23 as well as the Responsorial Psalm all point us toward the goal of our 33 Day Journey of Preparation for Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary.

In Leviticus, we hear:

Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy….

In 1 Corinthians, we hear:

Let no one deceive himself…For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God…God catches the wise in their own ruses…The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain

Gospel Alleluia:

Whoever keeps the word of Christ, the love of God is truly perfected in him.

In the Gospel we hear again the goal of our Journey:

So be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect

St. Louis de Montfort encourages us, in “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin”. In paragraph 82, he wrote:

…we must choose among all the devotions to the Blessed Virgin the one which will lead us more surely to this dying to self. This devotion will be the best and the most sanctifying for us. For we must not believe that all that glitters is gold, all that is sweet is honey, or all that is easy to do and is done by the majority of people is the most sanctifying. Just as in nature there are secrets enabling us to do certain natural things quickly, easily and at little cost, so in the spiritual life there are secrets which enable us to perform works rapidly, smoothly and with facility. Such works are, for example, emptying ourselves of self-love, filling ourselves with God, and attaining perfection.

We are all called to holiness and our holiness is in the Perfection of Divine Charity! Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful; kindle in us, the Fire of Your Love. Mary, Mother and Model for the Church, pray for us. Jesus we trust in You!

 

[hazcompat]

Beginning to Pray​

The Mother of God and Holy Humanity
Posted: 22 Feb 2020 11:37 AM PST

 

[patricius79]

Just as in nature there are secrets enabling us to do certain natural things quickly, easily and at little cost, so in the spiritual life there are secrets which enable us to perform works rapidly, smoothly and with facility. Such works are, for example, emptying ourselves of self-love, filling ourselves with God, and attaining perfection.

Praise be to God for His Mercy!

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear KBS. patricius and Stephie,

Thank you all for your “hearts”. It is always good to know there are some who are appreciating graces God gives us, as we travel the “narrow” way:

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few. (Mt 7:13-14)

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear hazcompat,

Thanks so much for the link. I began to read and want to go back to the several good articles I saw. Hope to read them all. Time is short right now, but I wanted to let you know I appreciated your posting them. Hopefully others will make time to read them also.

 

[hazcompat]

From the article.

This is a hidden secret - and only those who enter the hiddenness of faith in the Son of God can find it. So it was that Mary heard the angel’s greeting and by granting God permission to accomplish his plan in her, the Word gained a small, quiet foothold on humanity’s shore. In Mary’s humble “yes”, the Word made flesh found solid rock from which to resound.

The Word unveiled the desire of the Father through the “yes” of a woman. Her humble prayer and quiet faith opened the pathway to salvation for the whole world. The Woman welcomed Word into her heart. Her spirit surrendered to God’s plan and her body conceived a new Adam under the shadow of the Most High.

Whoever enters under this same shadow still finds this wonderful woman - for the Mother of God follows her Son and yearns that everyone might discover the freedom to “go and do whatever He tells you.” Blessed are those who freely chose to share such holy desires, the desire of this Holy Mother who believed - for it gives the Word space to turn water into wine, to transform human limits with divine freedom.

What a beautiful work in all creation humanity is! When filled with grace, the human creature can say “yes” to God and in this “yes” what Christ has joined in his Divine Person is made fruitful anew. In this yes, all the glory and power of Christian prayer is unleashed. The Word of the Father asks to dwell in this particular heart, at this particular time and place, under what particular circumstances He has yearned to make part of his saving mystery. All of this when anyone freely chooses to live in obedient love under the shadow of the most High.

 

[MariaChristi]

Thanks again, hazcompat for quoting words words from the article. I wondered after reading this quote last night if the author had read St. Louis de Montfort’s treatise on “True Devotion”. I suspect he did, since his words were much like the words patricius posted in his reply after yours, and other words of St. Louis.

I still intend to read more from the link you posted to this author’s work, but yesterday left little time for me to work on the computer so I decided that I’d rest and begin by God’s grace, if He gave me another day, to do more today.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear patricius,

Thanks for posting this quote from St. Louis de Montfort. Yes, let us Praise God now and forever. Let us earnestly continue our journey today to “empty ourselves of the spirit of the world, and our own selfishness” in order to fill ourselves with God and atain perfection by His Grace.