Day 3 - Nov. 24 - Continuing to prepare

  • Thread starter Thread starter MariaChristi
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
M

MariaChristi

Guest
Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In responding to someone yesterday, in a private e-mail, I mentioned that it may have been a picture of the Nativity which I saw recently that inspired me to prepare a “gift” for the Christ Child. See: HERE

The Baby Jesus is holding the face of a lamb which the shepherd is holding. Mary and Joseph are looking at the Christ Child, but how touching it was to me to see Jesus looking at His sheep! He came to be like us in all things: The Word became Flesh and dwelt among us. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of humble Mary and we see him in a humble birthplace in Bethlehem – be it a cave or a stable – it was a poor place and not a palace!

The Grace to make this 33 Day journey toward giving myself totally to Him came from Him as all graces do, through Mary. I am grateful for those who are beginning this preparation as described by St. Louis de Montfort in his treatise on “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin”:
…Those who desire to take up this special devotion,… should spend at least twelve days in emptying themselves of the spirit of the world, which is opposed to the spirit of Jesus…
Click to expand...
How is the “spirit of the world” opposed to the spirit of Jesus? Listening to the Apostle John in 1 Jn 2: 15-17 we heard what the world loves and it is not what Jesus taught. Another Scripture that came to me was from the Gospel of John:
…The Advocate, the Holy Spirit Whom the Father will send in my name — He will teach you everything and remind you of all tht I told you. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid…(Jn 14: 26 -27)
Click to expand...
Again, today, let us please continue to pray to the Holy Spirit and ask for our Mother Mary’s powerful intercession that we may “see by faith” what the spirit of the world is, so we may not be deceived by it, but rather that we may allow ourselves to be more and more led by the Spirit of Jesus. As the artist drew an image of the Newborn Jesus embracing the face of a lamb, may we also see by faith His desire to embrace us as well.

Come, Holy Spirit fill the hearts of Your faithful; kindle in us the Fire of Your Love.
Jesus we trust in You!
Mary, Mother and Model for the Church, pray for us.
 
Last edited:
That is a beautiful picture. Thank you for posting it, it is going to become the background of my computer so that I can remember during this season the birth of Christ is always the meaning of this time of year.

I am finding it somewhat hard to empty myself of the spirit of the world. I am trying with all that I think is needed and then something will come along and I realize I need to detach myself from that as well. I came to the realization (and this may be quite the simple one but it hit me hard) that one spirit of the world I need to detach from is certain TV shows. If it wouldn’t hurt my mother, I would give up TV all together except for EWTN (I have been binge watching Fr. Spitzer’s Universe 🙂 ). Certain TV shows of my past that my mom likes to watch with me are not conductive to my outlook now, but a part of me is scared to hurt my mother’s feelings. Like Blessed Mother Mary’s examples, I must ponder this situation in my heart.

Today’s reading came from the 7th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel. The verses about the beam in my own eye really hit deeply as before I became Catholic, I was quick to judge and I still have find times that I have to work on that.

I hope today finds you well, MariaChristi!
I ask for the grace to be humble and not judge rashly, Lord Jesus!
Blessed Virgin, Immaculate and Sorrowful Mother, pray for us.
 
Thanks so much for your reply, dear bastetsha,

That picture was so encouraging to me for It helps me to know how much Jesus loves His Flock! Even as a Newborn Babe in Bethlehem, Jesus is “the Good Shepherd”! 🙂

St. Louis de Montfort wrote that we should spend at least 12 days, seeking to empty ourselves of the spirit of the world, but he knew as we – by God’s grace eventually realize – we cannot possibly empty ourselves in 12 days, and in fact we can never do it at all without God’s Grace. The important thing is to begin the battle by learning to recognize the enemy!

TV can be a help or a hindrance to our spiritual growth. Pray to the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom on this situation, on how you can best love and honor your mother, as He commands, and also while living in the world, not to be “of the world”.

The “beam in our own eye” is something we will continue to pray about after these 12 days: in the first week when we’ll be seeking deeper knowledge of ourselves. This journey of 33 Days is a journey, by God’s Grace, I’ve made many times, and by His Grace I am grateful to learn more…one day at a time…really on day at a time is all we have… Jesus in teaching us the “Our Father” includes the petition: “Give us this day our daily bread” to remind us !

Please let us continue to pray for one another, for the Church, and all those who are on the journey, especially those in most need of God’s Mercy, through Mary.
 
Last edited:
That is a very interesting observation of that picture. Lord Jesus loves his flock so much, since forever!

Yes, I agree that we need to learn to recognize the spirit of the world because we can’t fully empty ourselves yet. I am trying to take the things most noticeable as the enemy and work on them and as life goes on work on the others. I pray for the grace to be able to recognize the dangers and if I don’t, to learn and not make the same mistakes again. 🙂

The TV thing is a hard one because I am Catholic and my mother is a Protestant. She already says too many rules about my faith and the TV thing might just push her to the edge. I really do need the Holy Spirit to guide me and Blessed Mother Mary’s intercession to figure out how to tell my mom that I don’t want to watch certain things. She can, if she wants, but I don’t think I can watch these shows. It reminds me of another thing that I had wanted since a little bit after I decided to become Catholic a while ago. The fact that I really wanted to go to a convent and become a cloistered nun but my illnesses would not let me be accepted. If only. 😦

I am learning so much on this journey and I am really enjoying your wisdom from your past journeys of this sort. I hope you continue to post these threads!

Lord Jesus, I trust in You!
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, Ora Pro Nobis Peccatoribus!
May you have a good day, MariaChristi and God Bless!
 
My dearest sister in Jesus and Mary,

Praying for God’s grace is so important! Jesus tells us in His Gospel, “Without Me you can do nothing”; yet somehow we can forget His words and often act without praying for grace to do His Will – at least that has been my experience. How grateful I am for His loving patience!

Jesus also tells us in Mt 7:7-11:
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asks for a fish? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.
Click to expand...
Let us remain in His Love as Mary did, and trust Him with everything! May you have a peaceful and restful night. The words of Mary to St. Juan Diego come to mind: “Am I not your Mother? Are you not in the crossing of my arms?” That is a good place to be - in Mary’s arms with Jesus. 🙂
 
Last edited:
Very wise words, MariaChristi. I know I needed them. I am also very grateful for His loving patience. It reminds me of my reading for today where Jesus says to ask Him and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and a door will be open to you. We must always ask and seek for His graces to pour forth upon us! He is waiting for us to ask. That is why I am so thankful for the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. The graces pour forth from those sacraments.

May you also have a good and peaceful night and get enough rest to continue this tomorrow. 🙂 May all of God’s children be in Mary’s loving arms.
 
Thanks, for your reply, dear sister! I’m ready to continue the journey this morning, thanks be to God through Mary! 🙂
 
Thanks, dear Donkey, for your reply.

Yes, it is a beautiful picture. I believe the artist was given a special grace to have the Baby Jesus reach for the lamb. It really helped me appreciate how much God loves us. As I think of it again this morning, I’m also mindful of the thirst of Christ on the Cross for us!

I’m ready to post Day 4 this morning; I hope you will continue the journey with us. 🙂
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top