"O humdrum days, ..." (St. Faustina)

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Besides Sacred Scripture, I took 3 other books when we evacuated from Hurricane Matthew on Wednesday, Oct. 5: “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary” by St. Louis de Montfort, the “Diary – Divine Mercy in My Soul” by St. Faustina, and the “Handbook of the Legion of Mary”, by the Servant of God Frank Duff. Since I needed to trust in God more than anything, I think I read more from the Diary, than the other two books, although I did read from both of them, as well. As I read the Diary, I jotted down the entry numbers to post when we returned home. We were allowed re-entry on Monday, Oct. 10, and thank God our home was in tact. No flooding and no trees on our roof. God truly is Merciful!

Here is an entry I thought all of us could be blessed by:

1. O humdrum days, filled with darkness, I look upon you with a solemn and festive eye. How great and solemn the time that gives us the chance to gather merits for eternal heaven! I understand how the saints made use of it.
   Time is a gift, and I grow more aware of how important it is to use the time God gives us, well. By God’s Grace also, I hope I am beginning to be more prayerful in each task I take up, uniting myself with Jesus and Mary as they took up their “ordinary” tasks in Nazareth – making them extraordinary by their great love!

Holy Family of Nazareth, intercede for us.
St. Faustina, and all you heavenly saints and angles, pray for us.
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your Faithful. Kindle in us the fire of Your Love.

 

[DesertSister62]

Posted by MariaChristi

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Besides Sacred Scripture, I took 3 other books when we evacuated from Hurricane Matthew on Wednesday, Oct. 5: “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary” by St. Louis de Montfort, the “Diary – Divine Mercy in My Soul” by St. Faustina, and the “Handbook of the Legion of Mary”, by the Servant of God Frank Duff. Since I needed to trust in God more than anything, I think I read more from the Diary, than the other two books, although I did read from both of them, as well.

**MariaChristi,

I have not had to leave my home yet for any evacuations but I have wondered what handful of books I would take with me in the event that it should happen. Thank you for reminding me! I would make the suggestion that others should do the same, as during these times of great stress it is good to have the words of the saints and other faith filled people where we can be blessed by what they have had to say!

My chosen books would be;**

1. Scriptures (The Holy Bible)
2. “Diary – Divine Mercy in My Soul,” by St. Faustina
3. The Spiritual Diary of Elizabeth Kindelmann, concerning the Flame of Love devotion.’
4. Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence

I would also be sure to remember my rosary!

 

[DesertSister62]

Posted by MariaChristi:

Here is an entry I thought all of us could be blessed by:
Quote:
1373. O humdrum days, filled with darkness, I look upon you with a solemn and festive eye. How great and solemn the time that gives us the chance to gather merits for eternal heaven! I understand how the saints made use of it.
Time is a gift, and I grow more aware of how important it is to use the time God gives us, well. By God’s Grace also, I hope I am beginning to be more prayerful in each task I take up, uniting myself with Jesus and Mary as they took up their “ordinary” tasks in Nazareth – making them extraordinary by their great love!

**
MariaChristi,

I remember the scene in the movie on St.Faustina where she quotes those very words, and I remembered how profound that I felt that they were.

Many of us are just not prayerful enough, nor do we lift our hearts to heaven regularly, as we should. I am trying to be more and more mindful of the time as it slips by but there is so much around us that drowns out the ticking of the clock that great quantities of it simply slide by without our really being aware of it.

The only thing I have thought to do when trying to be aware of each moment, is to pray the Jesus Prayer as the Orthodox do. It is such a simple, yet profound prayer, that we can keep it flowing through our mind with very little effort. It also doesn’t need to be said out loud but may be repeated in our minds or under our breaths. I feel it is a way to treat time as a sacrament given to us to pray unceasingly as we have been asked in the Scriptures.

“Once this prayer has taken root within us, our heart is illumined by a deep confidence, in which we are spared of the former blindness that allowed us to pray only with the lips.”

tserkovnyjevekhi.blogspot.com/2010/06/from-prayer-of-jesus-to-prayer-of-heart.html

As you said, “Time is a gift that God gives to us!”
**

 

[MariaChristi]

Posted by MariaChristi:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LaBnKY3Tl...ADYM/bqL26JoShOA/s320/1-aaaOldBelieverNun.jpg
**
MariaChristi,

I remember the scene in the movie on St.Faustina where she quotes those very words, and I remembered how profound that I felt that they were.

Many of us are just not prayerful enough, nor do we lift our hearts to heaven regularly, as we should. I am trying to be more and more mindful of the time as it slips by but there is so much around us that drowns out the ticking of the clock that great quantities of it simply slide by without our really being aware of it.

The only thing I have thought to do when trying to be aware of each moment, is to pray the Jesus Prayer as the Orthodox do. It is such a simple, yet profound prayer, that we can keep it flowing through our mind with very little effort. It also doesn’t need to be said out loud but may be repeated in our minds or under our breaths. I feel it is a way to treat time as a sacrament given to us to pray unceasingly as we have been asked in the Scriptures.

“Once this prayer has taken root within us, our heart is illumined by a deep confidence, in which we are spared of the former blindness that allowed us to pray only with the lips.”**

tserkovnyjevekhi.blogspot.com/2010/06/from-prayer-of-jesus-to-prayer-of-heart.html

As you said, “Time is a gift that God gives to us!”

Dear Desert Sister,

Thanks so much for your reply and for the link. I read several of the paragraphs related to the “Jesus Prayer” and our need to accept trials as a means to grow in humility. It is in that “gift” of time and by the power of His Holy Spirit, that we learn as Our Blessed Mother, St. Faustina and all the saints, learned from Jesus to become Meek and Humble of Heart.

 

[MariaChristi]

Posted by MariaChristi

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/f2/53/6b/f2536b51eccee05ab1103268987b0c15.jpg

**MariaChristi,

I have not had to leave my home yet for any evacuations but I have wondered what handful of books I would take with me in the event that it should happen. Thank you for reminding me! I would make the suggestion that others should do the same, as during these times of great stress it is good to have the words of the saints and other faith filled people where we can be blessed by what they have had to say!

My chosen books would be;**

1. Scriptures (The Holy Bible)
2. “Diary – Divine Mercy in My Soul,” by St. Faustina
3. The Spiritual Diary of Elizabeth Kindelmann, concerning the Flame of Love devotion.’
4. Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence

I would also be sure to remember my rosary!

Yes, dear Desert Sister, I try never to be without my Rosary, awake or asleep!

In recent threads on St. Louis De Montfort’s method of preparing 33 days for Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary, I was especially struck by his encouragement to pray to the Holy Spirit for the Grace to understand Mary, and also to pray the Holy Rosary for greater understanding of Mary:

1. Each day of the second week they should endeavour in all their prayers and works to acquire an understanding of the Blessed Virgin and ask the Holy Spirit for this grace. They may read and meditate upon what we have already said about her. They should recite daily the Litany of the Holy Spirit and the Ave Maris Stella as during the first week. In addition they will say at least five decades of the Rosary for greater understanding of Mary.

I’ve made this journey of 33 Days many times before and read his treatise on “True Devotion” to the Blessed Virgin Mary many times, but it never struck me so forcibly before this week, to pray specifically for greater understanding of Mary.

It seems very important to me as I realize more and more that Mary is both Mother and Model for the Church. We are called, as Mary was, to bring Jesus to the world, by the power of the Holy Spirit. She brought Him physically into the world but each member of the Church now must bring Him spiritually into the world – we are sent and empowered by our Baptism and Confirmation.

Come Holy Spirit, Sanctifier and Giver of Life, fill us with your Love and enable us to bring Jesus as Mary did into this world so in need of Him.
Mary, Mother of the Church pray for us.
St. Faustina, humble secretary of His Divine Mercy, pray for us.