Why? Okay, but what does that mean? And so begins again that wonderful cycle of love and mercy: rccr/empty fiat/in magnificat/out ectf/emptyfiat/in magnificat/out. I will provide them with everything they need to attain sanctity. Also, keep in mind that the Offering is tar from selfish when we aim to do it, above all, to console Jesus. In short, she discovered her Little Way, and then her faith was tested, and then she passed the test every day, to the very end. But if you dont, I will. More on that tomorrow. 998-1000. Michael Browner Well, an exasperated St. Therese said to Sr. Febronie (and, perhaps, to us, too): My sister, ifyou look for the justice of God you will get it." Among other things, die book asserts that every Carmelite should offer herself as a victim soul to Gods justice, and several nuns from the Lisieux convent did just that.84 Alright, so what did that offering mean? Is Your disdained Love going to remain closed up within Your Heart? Its especially like receiving sacramental Communion if we imagine that the Merciful Love we inhale is coming down from the pierced side of Christ as blood and water. Also, in a Regina Caeli message for Divine Mercy' Sunday, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI stated, Indeed, mercy is the central nucleus of the Gospel message; it is the very name of God, the Face with which he revealed himself in the Old Covenant and fully in Jesus Christ, the incarnation of creative and redemptive Love. 57 Story ofa Soul, p. 208. and fill it to overflowing. So, what can it tell us about trust? We tell her shes forgiven but in vain. 111 Catechism of the Catholic Church, 144. And so, her faith is like that of Abraham, as John Paul points out: Just as Abraham / hope believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations (Rom 4:18), so Mary, at the Annunciation, having professed her virginity (How shall this be, since I have no hus band?) believed that through the power of the Most High, by the power of the Holy Spirit, she would be come the Mother of Gods Son in accordance with die angels revelation: The child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God (Lk 1:35).15 So, if we want to understand the mystery of Mary, we should reflect on the fact that she believed Gods Word, even when it seemed impossible. She says, Raise your litde foot to scale the stairway of holiness.62 Of course, we wont be successful, but Therese tiien adds, God requires you only to demonstrate 56 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE your good will. In other words, we just need to give it a try. During Mass, the young nun received the inspiration and burning desire to offer herself to Merciful Love. Without me, you are nothing. All that rejected mercy will soon be yours. DAY 22 The Darkness of Sin One difficulty people often have with embracing die Litde Way is that Therese wasnt much of a sinner. God put Abraham to the test. Well, lest we mistakenly diink we just need to luck back, eat ice cream, and wait for our canonizations, St. Therese shares with us an illuminating metaphor of a litde child at the bot tom of a staircase (probably the rough stairway of perfection). She was actually quite big. And then theyd go on about Thereses impressive virtues, desires, sacrifices, and sufferings such that Id think to myself: Well, maybe the Little Way is too big for me. 4.9 out of 5 stars . 48 Ibid., p. 27. Therese so strongly' wanted to make this point about Gods great mercy that, even after shed lost the strength to write, she basically pleaded with Mother Agnes to conclude the thought for her. Oh, how indifferent are souls to so much goodness, to so many proofs of love! He also stated: Man finds nothing so intolerable as to be in a state of complete rest without occupation, without diversion (622). Here's what I mean: If Family A rejects the mercy of God and Family B receives it and shows mercy to others, then Family B becomes a light to families who have rejected Gods mercy, like Family A. 2M Ibid. In fact, her sister Pauline (Mother Agnes) wrote: The fear of offending God poisoned Thereses existence at the beginning of her religious life.40 Jansenism poisoned Thereses early religious life not only by creating in her an excessive fear of offending God but also by causing her to develop an unhealthy preoccupation with WEEK TWO: The Little Way 49 suffering. Well, in a certain sense, yes, because it in creases our longing for God. Infinite justice? Moreover, such holiness is not a human work but, rather, Gods work, a work of Divine Mercy rushing down to the lowest place. On the first night of the journey, before even reaching the place of her retreat, the vehemence of her love and sorrow broke the ties binding her to earth, and at the same moment the holy man saw her soul carried by angels to Gods 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE 96 bosom. Edit Details. Yes, I know it may seem that Gods love would destroy us. Great hope. And so God uses another woman, a New Eve, to help heal the wound that the old Eve caused a New Eve, a woman, who was announced from die beginning, a woman who would be at enmity with Satan, a woman whose offspring would crush die serpents head (see Gen 3:15). Well, the Offering to Merciful love is all about helping us grow in compassion, and it begins with having compassion for Jesus. Of course, regarding that latter heaven, Im talking about the Mass, which is where we can love God the Father through, with, and in the Sons own perfect love (and even see that love in Sacrament). Filled with the Holy Spirit and with a loud cry, she proclaims two blessings, the last of which is the great key. It focuses on the twin and mutually complementary themes of love and luminosity- the core of Islamic mysticism. More precisely, we learned that its all about our lack of trust and that the wound of original sin causes us to tend to hide from God because we doubt his goodness. The Little Way is about the compassion of Jesus (heart), who sees rhe suffering of little souls who long to attain the heights of holiness but who are too little to climb the rough stairway of perfection. Its about the action of Jesus (arms), who reaches down out of pity and picks up trusting little souls to place them on the heights. Thankfully, he was overjoyed to hear of my change of heart and enthusias tically gave me the green light. He spoke about mortal sin, and he described a soul in the state of sin and how much God hated it. I say it has the potential, because its up to ns whether or not well let it. More specifically, I want us to see our present preparation for making an Offering to Mercifill Love not as an exercise in learning spiritual theology but, rather, as a response to Gods gift of mercy in this time of mercy. God promised Abram, who was now Abraham, that through that son, Isaac, he would establish an everlasting covenant with him and his descendants, blessing them with his saving presence and protection (see Gen 17:1-21). 71 Story ofa Soul, p. 256. 115 Story of a Soul, p. 195. Also, according the spiritual theologian, Jordan Aumann, OP, it is necessary to distinguish between venial sins committed out of weakness, surprise, or lack of advertence and deliberation, and those that are com mitted coldly and with complete awareness that one thereby displeases God (Spiritual Theology [Huntington, Ind. Copyright 2023 DOKUMEN.PUB. Susan Conroy (New York: Alba House, 1998), p. 12. Its these kinds of sinners who often find themselves slipping into discouragement and even despair. As the first drops of this blood and water touch your face, you take a deep breath in, fiat. 141 APPENDIX ONE: Living the Offering. 153 APPENDIX TWO: Family Offering and Divine Mercy Image Enthronement 169 Endnotes 177 Resource Pages .. 203 In Gratitude First off, Id like to thank Fr. Well, if you were to ask the philosophers, most of them w'ould probably say, Its reason thats w'hat separates us from the animals. Surely [we] know whether his father can love him as much as the other and treat him with the same indulgence (cited in ibid., pp. And the Father especially hears and answers such a perfect and moving prayer. She was die subpriorcss in the Lisieux convent who thought Therese was being presumptuous when she taught others to trust boldly in Gods mercy so as to avoid die punishment of purgatory. I created you and hold you in existence. on February 12, 2022, There are no reviews yet. 169 Diary, 367. And because of this blindness to their own sins, such people, even more than others, hear about Therese and say, I dont get her. Now, regarding this latter, more serious kind of darkness, die blindness to ones sins, well cover it tomorrow. Its like this: Is trust an act of love? 130 Ibid.,p. The moment in obviously refers to inhale and follows the moment of empty lungs. It is a long, slippery slope that cannot be iden tified simply as a series of sins. Living side by side with her Son under the same roof, and faithfully persevering in her union with her Son, she advanced in her pilgrimage offaith" And so it was during Christs public life too (cf. After all, the nature of love is to humble itself. And so, the Little Way is, in a certain sense, the best path for giving God the greatest glory. 134 Regarding mortal sin and venial sin, the Catechism teaches: Sins are rightly evaluated according to their gravity. I searched, then, in the Scriptures for some sign of this elevator, the object of my desires, and I read these words coming from the mouth of Eternal Wisdom: Whoever is a LITTLE ONE, let him come to me." In other words, were probably numbered 102 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE among the ordinary people. If that describes you, then thank the Lord. RIEST FRIEND: A CONSECRATION TO DIVINE MERCY. DAY OF CONSECRATION: 'The Happy Day' In the evening of this life, I shall appear before You with empty hands, for I do not ask You, Lord, to count my works. And such a gift leads the Church to rightly declare,Death through Eve, life through Mary.9 Todays Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, fire of mercy. For, indeed, the face is the window to the soul and, in a certain sense, most reveals the person. xl After my friend Mark called and told me that my next book needed to be on the Offering to Merciful Love, I knew what I had to do: Eat some humble pie. (Remember Sr. Marie of Jesus? 33-Days-to-Morning-Glory-Companion-Bookpdf - Free download as PDF File pdf Text File txt or read online for free. I thirst. Those words express it best.201 Indeed, Jesus feels not just a desire but a burning thirst for love from those for whom he gave up his life. Kazimierz Chwalek, MIC' Provincial Superior The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy Province January 1, 2016 Library of Congress Catalog Number: 2016930904 ISBN: 978-1-59614-345-6 Layout and page design: Kathy Szpak St.Therese of Lisieux (1873-97) 1928 (w/c on paper), Maxence, Edgar (1871-1954) 2015 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York ZADAGP, Paris; Private Collection/Archives Charmet/Bridgcman Images. And when we dont fully believe that God is good, then we dont fully trust in him and thats a problem. My mortifications consisted in breaking my will, always so ready to impose itself on others, in holding back a reply, in rendering little services without any recognition, in not leaning my back against a support when Endnotes 195 seated, etc., etc. Most of all I imitate the conduct of Magdalene; her astonishing or rather her loving audacity which charms the Heart of Jesus also attracts my own. (The Poetry of Saint Therese ofLisieux, trans. Sometimes we may be tempted to avoid going to Jesus because of our weaknesses, sinfulness, and attachments. One expert on Carmelite spirituality contrasted these two paths (that of merit and that of mercy) as follows: [God] brings about [our sanctification] by the diffusion of grace which He gives according to our merits, or simply to satisfy the need ofhis mercy.91 I dont know about you, but I choose the latter path! DAY 6 Mary's Song of Faith Yesterday was a bit heavy and dark. 14 day loan required to access PDF files. Actually, according to Therese, God doesnt just want us to bypass purgatory; he wants us to stop talking about it as if it were nearly impossible to avoid. Rather, the focus in this para graph is not on seeking out suffering but, rather, on accepting the suffering that God will choose for her. It helps us appreciate that, by consecrating ourselves to Divine Mercy were letting ourselves be carried into a greater work of the Spirit thats going on right now, in our day. Therefore, there must be such a path! And, again, shes not worried. 183 Story ofa Soul, pp. 155 Actually, according to the testimony of St. Faustina, in this time of great mercy, the Lord wants to make us saints not just to save the world but also to prepare it for bis final coming. WEEK ONE: What Is Trust? Numbers to each paragraph added. In sum, through the Offering, we console Jesus by letting him love us. So, behold, O Lord, I come here to console you, even as you are about to die. This humble confidence consoles Jesus right at the moment he breathes his last. More specifically, what is Divine Mercy? Actually, a lot. 190 See, for example, Diary, 611, 651. Indeed, she was absolutely confident that God would allow her to bor row lais own divine love. Download Free PDF. What? And through the grace of her suffering at the foot of the Cross, our gende mother opens our hearts to receive the gift of salvation that comes to us in the love and mercy' that flows from Christs pierced side. I hardly heard from Mark after college. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. So, let me repeat: To live the Little Way, we must be merciful to others. In fact, I believe that it is in the context of the offering of the Mass that we can best understand the following words of St. Therese (especially draw me, we shall run) that reveal how she found a simple way of inter ceding for others: Since I have two brothers and my little Sisters, the novices, if I wanted to ask for each soul what each one needed and go into detail about it, the days would not be long enough and I fear I would forget something important. "y> Thankfully, Therese could confide in her dear sister Marie whenever she was tempted to think that God had rejected her but Maries words only brought temporary comfort, and Thereses scruples followed her even into the Carmelite con vent (also called Carmel). Maybe youre saying to yourself, That sounds wonderful, but whats the catch? In other words, Whats it going to cost me? Great question. 60-65. It means trying to remember and keep before our eyes the infinite mercy of God who never tires of forgiving. 10. It doesnt seem to make any sense, right? Therese believed that she was the weakest and littlest of souls (humility) and therefore she felt confident of becoming one of the greatest of saints (magnanimity). I do not examine with fear Your plans regarding me; my task is to accept everything from Your hand. May the binding promise of the Lord Jesus be fulfilled: from here there must go forth the spark which wall prepare the world for his final coming (see Diary, 1732). Were you to say that, shed probably look you in the eye and respond in all seriousness, My friend, theres none more lowly than I. Todays Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, fire of mercy. efore Consecration. you know, your sweet Face Is for me Heaven on earth. 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE Most important for me, de Montfort basically claimed that such a consecration is the quickest and easiest way to become a saint. 10? Now, according to Therese, we dont fully borrow the Lords perfect love until we get to heaven by heaven, I mean both heaven-heaven (where we go when we die) and heaven-on-earth (where we go on Sundays). My power is made perfect in weakness. DAY 24 Liturgical Darkness Yesterday, we learned the secret to overcoming our blindness to our own personal sins, the secret to being little: the fire of Gods love. 1,6 Georgina Molyneux, Cure D'Ars: A Memoir ofJean-Baptiste-Marie Vtanney{London: Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street, 1869), p. 157. These exercises and routines will help you shape yourself the, Acclaim for 33 Days to Merciful Love Within the pages of 33 Days to Merciful Love lies an earthshattering insight, certifying its place among the most important books of our generation. By taking some of the littlest souls and making them into some of the greatest of saints. We entered the nine-domed Temple of Kali, where the figures of the Divine Mother and Shiva rest on a burnished silver lotus, its thousand petals meticulously chiseled. The Latin word fiat comes from Fiat mihi, Let it be done to me. At the Annunciation, Mary spoke this word after she presented herself to the Lord (ecce). Gods mercy some times touches the sinner at die last moment in a wondrous and mysterious way. The Good Samaritan, as it says later, is the one who showed mercy (v. 37). Now, before we begin looking at the text of die Offering itself (tomorrow), I'd like to cover three potential objections to it. web pages Still, from the time of her youth, she had bold desires: She wanted to become a saint, and not just any saint, but great saint. Console The essence of the Offering to Merciful Love is to console the Heart of Jesus by accepting all the Merciful Love that other souls dont want. Their extraordinary faith and hope is to believe in Gods promise of mercy and to hope that he will bring them to the heights of holiness, even if neither they nor anyone else sees it in this life. Don't forget!] Maybe youre not quite ready. You will ask your questions in words, and get answers in words.. Workbook pages your students will complete: Divine Mercy (page 8) The Church: A Sign of Salvation (page 9) Signs and Symbols Scavenge Maybe its just the big way wrapped in a sugar-coated crust and a flowery rhetoric. And with that, Id get discouraged. I mean, what am Igetting myself into? If we can do that, then well be living in one single act of perfect love, like St. Therese and St. Faustina. After all, by consecrating yourself to Divine Mercy, youll be consol ing Jesus and making him happy. Oh, dear Sister, I beg you, understand your little girl, understand that to love Jesus, to be His victim of love, the weaker one is, without desires or virtues, the more suited one is for the workings of this consuming and transforming Love [B]ut we must consent to remain always poor and without strength, and this is the difficulty Ah! Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of Gods law; it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and his beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to him. Fourth, my thanks go out to all those who prayed for this work, particularly Sr. Mary John Paul Asemota, O. Again, its about consoling Jesus. Theyre spiritually blind. But St. Therese of Lisicux, Doctor of the Church, has brought such devotional prayer to new and amazing heights. Alright, so when we pray the Chaplet, the intention of this supercharged moment of the Mass becomes very focused. For example, we console Jesus when we alleviate the suffering of the poor, the sick, and die lonely, for they truly are Christ to us. Anyway, diat covers three potential objections diat may' be coming to mind as we prepare to make the Offering. For, again, we have mercy on Jesus by letting him have mercy on us. Thus, Adam and Eve, and we ourselves, are afraid of the God of whom [we | have conceived a distorted image ,168 The key to overcoming our trust problem has to do with undistorting our image of God. Finally, I offer You, O Blessed Trinity! 173 Story ofa Soul, p. 259. Once were humbled, God lifts us up. (See endnote 159 for instructions on how to pray it.) That is the greatest light of faidi, which shines amid die deepest darkness. I can assure you that He is grieved over this. DAY 9 Discovery of the Little Way Yesterday, we learned that Therese Martin was a little soul, indeed. 196 Diary, 244. Well, everything. Perhaps we didnt stop long enough to get a good grasp on what the worlds darkness is all about. 1 aim to keep before my eyes my poverty, weakness, brokenness, and sin, trusting DAY OF CONSECRATION: 'The Happy Day' that my littleness and contrite heart will attract your Merciful Love. Week Two will then get into Thereses Little Way. The year of mercy was declared by Pope Francis as "The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy" starting on . Alright, so when it came time for me to write my licentiate thesis (a big research paper for a degree in theology that most people have never heard of), I decided to take it as an opportunity to get off the roller coaster. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows he was despised, and we esteemed him not: as one destroyed (cf. Were saying, Behold, Lord, here I am without your mercy, Ill collapse and die. Of course, when we present ourselves to the Lord like that, he rushes to us with his mercy, and we take a deep breath in. What's Different from Morning Glory. 215 Dtfrry, 723. ' And I can say in all sincerity that my house is at rest. (I have always remained litde, therefore, having no other occupation but that of gathering flowers, the flowers of love and sacrifice, and of offering them to God in order to please Him. DAY 23 The Blindness to Sin Living the Little Way requires that we recognize our littleness. In order to live in one single act of perfect Love, 1 OFFER MYSELF AS A VICTIM OF HOLO CAUST TO YOUR MERCIFUL LOVE, asking You to consume me incessantly, allowing the waves of infinite tenderness shut up within You to overflow into my soul, and that thus I may become a martyr of Your Love, O my God! In fact, the other school kids bullied her and made fun of this girl who didnt know how to join in their games and couldnt even comb her own hair.45 In the midst of her extreme loneliness and sensitivity, Therese deeply longed to be loved. In times of darkness, when youre tempted to think that God and heaven do not exist remember that smile. I mean, it seems that Jesus is the one who needs to console me, not the other way around. And can you make out the other main ideas in the middle paragraphs? For instance, she tells us that God cannot desire useless sufferings for us124 and that he even shields his eyes whenever we must endure it, because he doesnt want to have to see us suffer.125 88 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE (6) After earths Exile, I hope to go and enjoy You in the Fatherland, but I do not want to lay up merits for heaven. Michael Gaitley, MIC, this 33 Days to Merciful Love Retreat Companion goes even deeper than the book alone and explores new material on the heart of St. Thrse of Lisieuxs Little Way, uncovering the power of trust in the face of personal darkness, inspiring participants to become great saints amid ordinary circumstances, and laying the foundation for a personal consecration to Divine Mercy. 2 See The Kolbe Reader: The Writings ofSt. Why dont you just leave great holiness to the great souls? Now, recall that Mary, after she believed in the word spoken to her by the angel, went to visit her cousin, St. Elizabeth. Michael E. Gaitley, MIC, author of the popular book Consoling the Heart of Jesus, comes an extraordinary 33-day journey to Marian consecration with four giants of Marian spirituality: St. Louis de Montfort, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Teresa of Calcutta, and St. John Paul II. First, the Image of Divine Mercy' speaks directly to the main purpose of the Offering, which is to console or have mercy on the Heart of Jesus. This is a striking illustration of what I want to say, but the reality itself is beyond the power of words to express.142 Well now let these last words of Thereses autobiography be the last words of this days meditation. Help me better to know the great and unsurpassable goodness of God. Whats its concrete expression in your daily living? I was stumped. Even though she writes like one of the thieves of hope, I thank God for Marie. 3: Christ dwells in men through faith . 212 See endnote 191. And shes effective not only because shes such a tender mother, but also because, as the Church teaches, shes a Mediatrix of grace.27 By a Mediatrix of grace, I dont mean that Mary is the source of grace. We get washed in the wonderful flood of his Merciful Love. Whats going to hap pen to us? Its to hope against hope, like Mary did at the Cross, believing in the impossible, namely, that God could even raise Jesus from the dead.
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