March 2 - Day 11 on our journey

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

These 12 days in St. Louis de Montfort’s 33 day Preparation for Total Consecration are so important, if we are to give ourselves totally to Jesus through Mary! Again, it is a “beginning”, for we are in a spiritual battle with the forces of evil for our whole lives. Today is the First Friday of March - a day of Reparation to the Sacred Heart. Looking at the Crucifix before Mass, I thought of God’s Word revealing to us: Jesus “emptied Himself” as St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians in Chapter 2: 1 - 8:

If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but [also] everyone for those of others. Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, He emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, He humbled Himself,becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.

If we want to know how the spirit of the world opposes the spirit of Christ, we need only look at how prideful and selfish the spirit of the world is! We take the term “me generation” pretty lightly in the world today instead of really examining ourselves on how much we can “love and serve ourselves”! We cannot serve two masters, so we need to look into our hearts and see how much of the spirit of the world is still there…who is truly on the throne of our hearts? Whose will are we seeking? Whom do we love more? God or this world?

Jesus did the Will of His Father, and in Mt 11:28 - 31 He tells us:

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy, and My burden light.”

Jesus gave His ALL in love for His Father and for us. His yoke was the Father’s Will and He invites us to take up His Father’s Will also, for it is only in Jesus we can know and do the Father’s Will; remaining in Him, we humbly can take up our cross, deny ourselves and follow Jesus. In the Father’s Will we find the Peace of Christ, and in Christ we find the yoke easy and the burden light.

Yes, St. Louis de Montfort pondered the Scriptures and learned how important it is to “empty ourselves of the spirit of the world which opposes Christ.”. Please let us continue to pray for one another as we continue the journey.