Dec. 12 - Wk 1 - Day 3 - seeking humility

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today on this Memorial of Our Lady of Guadalupe, how can we not rejoice in the beauty of our humble Mother and see also the tenderness in the humility of her servant St. Juan Diego, to whom she said those beautiful words:

Am I not your Mother? Are you not in the crossing of my arms?

St. Juan Diego was not a child like the 3 shepherd children of Fatima, but he was a 'Childlike" man and a convert to the Catholic Faith among many who did not know God and were sacrificing their babies to a pagan god.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Patroness of the Americas and how we need her intercession today! Perhaps we, in our world of confusion and grave sins against the Hearts of Jesus and Mary and outright denial of God and His Church, need her intercession even more than St. Louis de Montfort and other saints like Maximillian Kolbe who suffered in terrible times. By God’s Grace let us seek to know ourselves in truth. Jesus, Meek and Humble of Heart, show us Your Way of humility! Make us meek and humble of heart. In the tumultuous times of France in the 1700’s, St. Louis wrote:

1. Is it any wonder then that our Lord laid down that anyone who aspires to be His follower must deny himself and hate his very life? He makes it clear that anyone who loves his life shall lose it and anyone who hates his life shall save it. Now, our Lord, who is infinite Wisdom, and does not give commandments without a reason, bids us hate ourselves only because we richly deserve to be hated. Nothing is more worthy of love than God and nothing is more deserving of hatred than self.
2. Secondly, in order to empty ourselves of self, we must die daily to ourselves… – from: “True Devotion”

Come Holy Spirit, fill us with the Fire of Your Love. Jesus we trust in You. Mary our Mother, intercede for us, that we may see what needs to be hated in our corrupted nature, and help us to be truly humble and contrite of heart.

Links to Prayers to be offered each day this week:
Litany of the Holy Spirit
Ave Maris Stella
Litany of the Blessed Virgin

 

[hazcompat]

Luke 13:1—5​

Examples Inviting Repentance

And there were present, at that very time, some that told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answering, said to them: Think you that these Galileans were sinners above all the men of Galilee, because they suffered such things? No, I say to you: but unless you shall do penance, you shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen upon whom the tower fell in Siloe, and slew them: think you, that they also were debtors above all the men that dwelt in Jerusalem? No, I say to you; but except you do penance, you shall all likewise perish.

True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary , Nos. 81 and 82​

We Need Mary in order to Die to Ourselves

Secondly, in order to empty ourselves of self, we must die daily to ourselves. This involves our renouncing what the powers of the soul and the senses of the body incline us to do. We must see as if we did not see, hear as if we did not hear and use the things of this world as if we did not use them. This is what St. Paul calls “dying daily”. Unless the grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain and does not bear any good fruit. If we do not die to self and if our holiest devotions do not lead us to this necessary and fruitful death, we shall not bear fruit of any worth and our devotions will cease to be profitable. All our good works will be tainted by self-love and self-will so that our greatest sacrifices and our best actions will be unacceptable to God. Consequently when we come to die we shall find ourselves devoid of virtue and merit and discover that we do not possess even one spark of that pure love which God shares only with those who have died to themselves and whose life is hidden with Jesus Christ in him.

Thirdly, 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.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear hazcompat,

Thanks for your reply, the excerpt from Luke’s Gospel is particularly appropriate for this First week of seeking to know ourselves truly – Jesus Who is our Way, our Truth, and our Life, speaks His truth so clearly. How many listened to Him then, and how many listen now.

I had intended to finish posting paragraph # 81 today – and repeating it may help those who didn’t read it in our reply. May the Lord open the ears of our hearts, more and more!