"...the echo of the Voice of God"

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Yesterday I quoted from the Consultor of the CDF in his Preface to Sr. Lucia’s book, “Calls” from the Message of Fatima, how our hearts expand reading it. This is true because Sister “roots” what she says in the Gospel Truth. She seeks to bring Jesus as Mary did. Sister Lucia wrote in her Introduction:

Please do not look upon this communication as something that comes from myself. Look upon it rather as the echo of the Voice of God, and let us all willingly endeavor to follow faithfully the path that He mapped out for us. Yes, because it was out of love that God sent us this pressing call from His Mercy, in order to help us along the way of our eternal salvation. (Underling is mine)

“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6), said the Lord to His Apostles, and also to us. Those who follow the Way of Truth, Who is the Word of God, follow Jesus Christ and have within them the Source of Life. Again it is the Lord who has told us, “It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail”. So it is with my eyes fixed on The Way of Truth that I shall endeavor to explain the Message to you exactly as God entrusted it to me, and gave me to understand what it means and to which souls it is addressed…

During this last week of Advent, let us hear the humility of Sister Lucia. She is truly like Jesus born in a poor place, unknown to many, born of a humble Mother, His lowly Handmaid, yet Jesus choses such little ones. Sister ends her Introduction with these encouraging words:

I would ask you, therefore, not to pay attention to the poverty and ignorance of the instrument which God chooses to use, because He is in the habit of choosing poor and useless instruments to accomplish the works of His power, knowledge and wisdom. This will be yet another proof that He is giving you that the work is His and not mine.

Our Lady of Fatima, help us to learn, as you and all the saints learned from Jesus Meek and Humble of Heart.

 

[GLam8833]

As my signature at the bottom of my
posts says, we ALL have an influence
on OUR world, no matter what we may
think, each word and deed, even those
unseen, like our prayers, make some
impact!!

 

[MariaChristi]

As my signature at the bottom of my
posts says, we ALL have an influence
on OUR world, no matter what we may
think, each word and deed, even those
unseen, like our prayers, make some
impact!!

Dear GLAM,

Thanks for your reply. Yes, indeed we do make an impact, and Sr. Lucia also knows this well. We can make an impact for good or for evil on others. Sister Lucia shares her humility in doing God’s Will which is always Good. She is conscious, it seems to me, of how human nature can “puff itself up” in pride, thinking too highly of itself, or go to the other extreme and think too poorly of one’s life here on earth. By God’s grace we need to see ourselves truly in God’s Light.

St. Francis if Assisi, perhaps said it best: “We are what we are before God – no more and no less.” Sister Lucia humbly speaks the truth in saying:

…I would ask you, therefore, not to pay attention to the poverty and ignorance of the instrument which God chooses to use, because He is in the habit of choosing poor and useless instruments to accomplish the works of His power, knowledge and wisdom. This will be yet another proof that He is giving you that the work is His and not mine.

I’ve read similar words from St. Teresa of Calcutta, that all she did for the poorest of the poor was His work not hers. May God give us all grace to be as willing as the saints to do God’s Will, lovingly, in all He may ask of us – as Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, “Father not My will but Thine be done.”

 

[EIF5A]

I often have to remind myself whatever I do, attending Mass, praying the Rosary (none of which I do well anyways), is by God’s grace alone.

Just as pressing a button on my computer doesn’t mean I created it or understand the intricate details of hardware and software engineering, all Good is indeed from God and revealed and granted to us. We’re just here to push the On button and do simple tasks as He requires us.

If I remember correctly, St. Catherine of Siena wrote that source of all sins is selfishness and ego. Oh how difficult it is to get rid of…

Almighty God humbled Himself to become one of us. To suffer for us as a testimony to Love.

It’s irrational for us to be prideful towards others, and yet, it comes so naturally often times…

 

[MariaChristi]

I often have to remind myself whatever I do, attending Mass, praying the Rosary (none of which I do well anyways), is by God’s grace alone.

Just as pressing a button on my computer doesn’t mean I created it or understand the intricate details of hardware and software engineering, all Good is indeed from God and revealed and granted to us. We’re just here to push the On button and do simple tasks as He requires us.

If I remember correctly, St. Catherine of Siena wrote that source of all sins is selfishness and ego. Oh how difficult it is to get rid of…

Almighty God humbled Himself to become one of us. To suffer for us as a testimony to Love.

It’s irrational for us to be prideful towards others, and yet, it comes so naturally often times…

Dear EIF5A,

Thanks so much for your reply. Yes, all the saints recognized by God’s grace that humility is the foundation for the Spiritual Life. If we do not see our own dependence on God we cannot begin seeking to know, love or serve Him as we ought. We simply continue seeking “our selves”.

Jesus from his conception in Mary’s womb shows us that the Will of His Father was His delight and All He did was what He saw the Father doing. Jesus is the Word Made Flesh, God Incarnate yet He tells us: “Learn of Me for I am Meek and Humble of Heart”. Jesus in His Human Nature learned obedience through suffering, as we read in Scripture, and He was obedient unto death. Jesus freed us from the slavery to sin, which the disobedience of Adam and Eve had brought.

Jesus is the “New Adam” bringing us freedom by giving us New Life in Him. In Baptism we are born again into Christ and out of Adam. We are cleansed from original sin and restored to friendship with God by Sanctifying Grace. Our human nature, however, is wounded by the consequences of the original sin we inherited from our first parents. We are inclined to sin but we are not to become enslaved by it any more, rather we are, by God’s Grace to fight the good fight and to grow more like Christ each day.

We are called to live a “Supernatural” life by cooperating with God Who lives within us. Let us be faithful to each grace God gives. Let us listen attentively to His Word to grow in our knowledge and love of Him as Mary did, by the power of His Holy Spirit. Please let us pray for one another, for the Church and for all those in most need of God’s Mercy. This 100th Anniversary of Fatima, offers us many opportunities to remember God’s love for “little ones”.