JMJ
God is the creator and we are His creatures. Acknowledging this, the simplest of all truths, is what it means to be humble. So why does it seem at times like the most difficult thing in the world? Why do we like to BE God? Why do we want to be in control of everything and be the creator of our own world? When it is too hot, we want it to be cool. When it is too cold, we want it to be warm. When our head hurts, we want it to stop. We even go so far as to try and make deals with God so we can ‘pretend’ that it is Him in control and not us. “If you only take this suffering away now and get me through THIS moment, then you can give it to me later (at a more convenient time for me).” But when God takes us at our word, when the suffering does come, we’ve changed our minds. Now, we don’t want it at all. It is at this low moment that we are very tempted to fall right into false humility. I’m sooooo bad. I can’t do anything for God. I have noooo love. We must fight against this, beg for mercy, and get back up and begin again. In one of Mother Angelica’s books, she speaks about the three types of people who fall into sin which she likens to a mud puddle. The sinner stays right in and wallows about, the good person gets up, asks for pardon, but keeps brushing himself off, saying all the while, “I can’t believe I fell in,” and the saint gets up, brushes himself off, asks for pardon, and then moves forward and starts again on the way.
God never tires of teaching us that without Him we can do nothing. It is one of the ways He displays His infinite patience and love for us. It would be great if we could learn the lesson once and for all the first time we are given it. God would be able to work through us immediately and without our interference. Yet He knows it will take many lessons for us to be truly humble. We needn’t fear because He IS God and He is in total control. He will keep at it and, each time, the lesson will take deeper root. I think it increases His glory. We fall deeper in love with Him as we see the depths of His patience in regard to us….the depth of His love. Our resolve becomes stronger to please Him and our willingness to let Him save us from ourselves is increased. We become docile in His hands because we become convinced that those hands are good, gentle, and very strong…so strong that we know He will not let us go…strong enough to save. This is how true humility is born in us. Praise God! Let us all ask for the grace to be more aware that we need a savior and the grace to be grateful that we have the perfect savior in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Lord, Jesus, here I am again standing before your cross as you look upon me with the tenderest love. Heal me with your gaze. Help me to always see your gaze no matter what I’m doing or thinking. For when I’m looking at you, I see the truth of things. I see what love is and hope begins to blossom in me. Hope in you and in your promises. You really love me with the truest love. My repeated falls and imperfections are no obstacle at all for you; they actually become gifts as I offer them with love and beg you to transform them into something good. Forgive me for all the times I resist your plan for me and give me a greater trust in your infinite goodness. Sometimes, you invade my whole being with your presence and I lose all fear. In those moments, I can see that you are making me into your beautiful creation. It’s me, but more me than I could even hope to dream of. How can I thank you? I just look with awe and am overwhelmed and joy fills me to such an extent that it has to pour out of me somehow. Direct that joy, Lord, and use it for your purpose. Use it to draw souls to you…to show them how loving and gentle you are. Help me to die completely to myself and to let you be all in me. And please, Lord, keep filling my heart with desire for you and showing me what it is I truly want because you know more than I what will give me peace. You are my peace; may you always be my peace. Amen.
Recommended reading:
- Humility of Heart by Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo
- Victory over Vice by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
- The Way of the Cross by St. Josemaria Escriva
JMJ
"Well, done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your Master." (see Matthew 25:23) Which of us hasn't dreamed of hearing those words from the lips of our Lord at the hour of our death? We all like to imagine heaven and all the good contained therein. We imagine seeing Him face to face and entering into eternal bliss, which is the communion of Love between the Persons of the Holy Trinity. God created us for that...to share in His love. It is really overwhelming to think about being created to give and receive love. And we all know deep in our souls that love is what we want most, the love that only God can satisfy.
What is remarkable, and a great act of mercy on the part of God, is that He formed a Church so that we don't have to wait for the hour of death to begin participating in the joy of the Master; we can enter in right now! And that is, as our own Father says, "really, really, good news." The Holy Mass is the place where heaven and earth touch...where Mercy and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other (see Psalm 85). Already here on earth we can begin to "taste" the joys of heaven...to participate in the Divine life of God Himself! Double Wow! Just looking at the fact that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is happening continually all over the world, at every minute, is enough to give us a tiny glimmer of God's Eternal Nature. He is being given praise and thanksgiving always...the eternal now. Our human minds can't really grasp the mystery of God or the Church, but we can be open to receiving His light and the many gifts He wants to give us every day--the gifts of His love. We can prepare ourselves to enter in more fully to the joys of the Lord.
So how do we enter in more deeply? Our Mother, the Church, gives us direction in this regard so that we don't have to wonder or seek aimlessly trying to find a way in. We are blessed to have a very wise pastor; we need to listen to him! The Church is certainly not lacking in information or examples. There are loads of books on growing in holiness available today. There are books on every kind of subject that deal with the sanctification of the soul; I think for most of us, though, it is not our lack of knowledge that holds us back, it is our lack of effort. We must pray!...without ceasing as St. Paul tells us. We need to be always talking with Jesus and listening to Him and spending time with Him so that we can find out what He wants for us and so we can discover more about Him and love Him more every day. He is our best teacher, our best friend, our true love, our ALL. And He wants the very best for us. He has made it easy to talk to Him by becoming a man like us. Now, we can "see" and "touch" Him. He is interested in absolutely EVERYTHING in our lives. Nothing is too small for His attention. Praying with the Word is very helpful in discovering more about Him and more about ourselves. We need to be meditating every single day on the life of our Lord and whole new worlds of love and joy will begin to open up for us. He will satisfy us, and, at the same time, make us want more of Him. Much more! Short aspirations of love throughout the day help us keep in touch with Him when we are busy or in the middle of work. Pretty soon, with perseverance, those aspirations will become like your life's breath and you will realize He is ALWAYS with you. And of course, spending time with His Real Presence in the Eucharist is such a gift. He touches our very souls in His Eucharistic Presence. It is amazing to be near Him--Our God!
Another way of entering in is frequent confession, which fills us with supernatural joy and aids us in loving Him and prepares us for receiving His love in Holy Communion...receiving Him. Another way is praying with the prayers and readings of the Mass before Mass. The prayers of the liturgy are so beautiful, but how many of us ever sit down and pray with them and make them our own? They are one of the Church's treasures, full of poetry, petition, beauty and love. It is sometimes good to meditate on the Eucharistic prayers so that at Mass, we are more united as a body in our offering together, in our prayer together. Mortification is also good for preparing our hearts. Sometimes, the mortification of our imagination seems the most difficult. How the mind likes to roam about! But reigning it in before and during Mass will help us enter into our Master's joy. Maybe it is difficult to avoid glancing around to see who's at Church on a particular day--mortifying our curiosity will bring down blessings from the Lord at Mass. Coming early to Mass is another way to quiet our hearts from all the noise of the day and enter more deeply into His presence. Thanking Him after Mass for the gift of Himself and all the gifts of our lives and asking Him what He wants us to do with those gifts will draw even more graces upon our souls. God is so good; we only need to show up with the tiniest of desires for Him and He will take us in His Hand and teach us and love us and show us each our individual path to Him. He will ignite the spark within our hearts, and we will begin to be more effective instruments in His Hands for His greater glory and the good of souls. May we all make progress in entering in this week to the joy of the Lord!
Oh, my Jesus, I'm about to enter in to the church and, already, I feel your presence in the parking lot. I'm filling up with gratitude that you have called me again to come and be close to you, and I'm also wondering how I made it to church without getting in an accident because I don't remember the drive over here as I was thinking about you the whole time and singing you a song in the car. You must have guided my actions through the guardian angel you have given to me. Thank you. As I enter the church, I sign myself with the Holy water and thank you for making me part of you through the gift of my baptism. Continue to bless me, Lord. I enter the chapel and kneel down, praying, "Here I am Lord, I come to do your will." How can I ever thank you enough for giving me a home in your church, making me Catholic, giving me the gifts of faith, hope and love? Giving me your own Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Eucharist? Every time I open the church doors, I feel as if I am coming home, that I can breathe again, that I am safe and loved and that I belong here as nowhere else. You have made it this way for me to let me know that heaven is my true home--where you are is home. What a grace it is to love you because we both know I can't even think of you for a moment unless you help me, so thank you for helping me today and please never stop helping me. Oh, Lord, help others to think of you and to love you. Show them how sweet you are and how you love. If they knew how you love unconditionally, they would flock here. You only bring peace and joy and quiet to the soul...you are gentleness itself. You are my rest and my strength. How I love you, Lord! Give me the grace of recollection during this Mass and accept me, the whole of myself, as a gift to you. Never let us part. Amen.
Recommended Reading:
- How to Pray Always by Fr. Raoul Plus, S.J.
- Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis De Sales
JMJ
In my last post, I spoke of how assisting at Mass is the greatest thing we can ever do for God. We don't hear the word 'assist' regarding Holy Mass very much anymore. What does it mean exactly? As incredible as it sounds, God NEEDS our help in the redemption of the world and in the sanctification of our souls!! Now, our God, who is infinite perfection, doesn't "need" our help, but our God is a God of Love who knows WE need to help and somehow, mysteriously, His Glory is increased as we participate in the Holiest, most Sacred Work on earth: The Holy Mass. I once heard Rosalind Moss use the analogy of a mother and young child baking a cake together. The mother is perfectly capable on her own of making that cake and will probably do it more efficiently and more quickly on her own, but when her child asks, "Mommy, can I please help you?," the good mother looks into the beautiful eyes of her child and sees longing there and the desire to be close, the desire to help, and the desire for good things. She not only allows her child to help, but encourages her child and makes that child feel as if the success of the cake is due to his or her efforts. The child is probably going to make a mess of things and get eggshells in the batter and so on, but the mother is so full of love for her child that none of that will matter. What will matter is seeing the joy on her child's face and the sharing in the child's sense of accomplishment as they bond even closer...seeing the child develop more fully, to learn virtue, and to grow in love. God is far better than even the best of mothers and His love is infinite; He knows we are going to get eggshells everywhere and mess things up, but He loves us and wants us to grow into ourselves the way He designed us to be. His plan for us is perfect FOR US and He's planned it from all eternity that we were going to "help" Him. Wow!
So how to assist at Mass? We can bring everything to Him and unite it with Him. Nothing is lost. Even our many failings are sanctified through our union with Christ. The right dispositon on our part is the key to it all. God's limitless grace accomplishes all the work, but our desires to love Him with ALL our hearts, ALL our souls, ALL our strength and ALL our minds go a long way in disposing us for the Sacred Work of the Holy Mass. Just to have a recollected spirit and to know that God is present in our very own Church...in our very own hearts. He is REALLY there! Think about it! If Pope Benedict were going to come and visit us in our own local church, what wouldn't we do to prepare for such an honor!? Everyone would be preparing in some way for such a blessed arrival. Well, as beautiful as our Holy Father is, he only represents Christ to us...the "sweet Christ on Earth," as St. Catherine of Siena said. But we don't have a representative of Jesus at each Holy Mass, we have Jesus! Sometimes I don't think we are fully aware of what that means. Let us pray for the grace to be more aware of the gift that God has given us in enabling us to assist Him in the great work of redemption--the great gift He has given us in Himself.
Oh, Lord, who are we and who are You? When I woke up this morning, I thought to myself, "God is actually present right down the street," and I have not been able to stop thinking about it and about you. You, Lord, who created the heavens and the earth and all they contain...You, who come so close to your creation as to actually become a part of it! Thank you, my Lord, for all of the gifts you constantly pour out upon us. I'm going to assist at Mass today and receive you in Holy Communion. If I had a thousand lives, it would not be sufficient to prepare for such a favor and, sadly, how often I have gone up to receive you with other things on my mind...vanities and trifles no less! But today, with the help of your grace, I'm going to love you the whole of Mass and receive you with the most tender feelings of love and adoration at Holy Communion. I'm going to welcome you into the most secret places of my soul and share all of my thoughts and desires with you. And I'm going to console you and cover you with kisses and make you feel so welcomed. There will be no part of me that is off limits to your love tonight, only please, please, keep filling me with your grace and with your love so that I can love you rightly as you deserve. Have mercy on us all and keep us in your tender love. Amen.
Recommended Reading:
- The Mass and the Saints by Thomas Crean, O.P.
- Spiritual Excellence: How to Make Progress in Prayer and Love by Alban Goodier, S.J.
JMJ
There is nothing we will ever do in our lives that is as important as assisting at Holy Mass. Even if we could create a million worlds, cure every disease, end poverty, bring about total world peace, save the environment, and, please God, protect every single life from conception until natural death, it wouldn't add up to the value and importance of a Mass. Even if you were to only go to Mass once in your entire lifetime, the value and merit stemming from that one Mass would be worth more than every single prayer, fast, mortification, vigil, holy hour, or anything else you could do for God. Wow! Think of how amazing that is! What makes the Mass so valuable? The Mass is the total oblation of Jesus Himself for the redemption of the world re-presented on our altars as the highest act of love for the Father that is possible. Really, the only thing that can appease God is God. Jesus, because of His Divinity, is the only sacrifice acceptable to Him. And what an act of love for us, that He has taken on human flesh and made all of us His body so we can share in His gift to the Father and take part in the redemption of the world and the beautiful love of the Holy Trinity. Jesus is truly God and truly man. "For the Son of God became man so that we might become God" (CCC 460). And it all happens at the Holy Mass.
During the Holy Mass the fruits of our redemption are applied to us, the Word takes root in our hearts, grace is poured out upon us, venial sins are forgiven, sinners are converted, the souls in purgatory are released, the Church is strengthened, vocations are born, and, according to our dispositions, we are made more like Jesus as He increases our faith, hope and love. The more we are like Him, the more that we are able to die to ourselves and offer ourselves as a gift to the Father in union with Christ, the more we will let Jesus live through us. Truly, He will expand our hearts and make us share in His divine life. With God, ALL things are possible! We are adopted sons and daughters of the Father and the more like Jesus we become, the more He delights in us. There is a freedom in being a child of the Father that cannot be taken away by anyone or anything. The Holy Mass is such a great gift...let us all ask for the grace to appreciate this gift more and to be ever more devoted to these sacred mysteries.
My Lord, thank you for calling me to Mass, for loving me so much to share so intimately in your life of love. During the consecration today, when Father held the sacred Host and pronounced your words, ("This is my body, given up for you"), it seemed to me I saw your body born in a stable, held by your loving mother and St. Joseph, presented in the temple, learning to read at the side of your parents, being lost in the temple, and holding St. Joseph's hand as he died. I felt your pain and shared your sorrow. I imagined your body baptized in the Jordan, walking everywhere to seek out the lost...to seek me out. I saw your body as you grew weary with fasts and long nights in prayer...you were praying for me. I saw your body as you sat down at the side of the well to speak to the Samaritan woman and felt your thirst for her love. Your feet were tired and you did not complain once. I saw your body as you taught in the synagogues, shared meals with your friends, healed the sick, forgave sinners, raised the dead and tenderly showed your love to all without exception. When Father held the chalice and you said through his mouth, "This is the cup of my blood. It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven," I saw your impending death. I saw the whole of your passion as you were arrested, cruelly treated, forced to go here and there while your own people mocked you and condemned you; even your friends abandoned you. I felt your patience as they spit upon you and scourged you and chose Barabbas over you. You could have stopped it all at any moment except that you embraced it all for love of me. You embraced cold, hunger, loneliness, rejection, loss, weariness, and every kind of suffering imaginable for love of me. And then you embraced the torture of the crucifixion for me. In your own body, you have taken the punishment that my sins deserve. I see the Holy Cross raised and you gaze upon me with love. Oh, Jesus, have mercy on me! Forgive me all! Help me to return such an incomprehensible love. As Father holds the paten and chalice before the great Amen, I want to jump onto it every time. Present me with you to the Father. Cover me with your precious blood, make my soul white as snow, and let your mother, who is also my mother, assist me in making my "yes" really true today. Yes, Lord, if you want me to live long, yes, if you want me to die young, yes, if you want me to go to die as a martyr, yes, if I'm locked away in prison for loving you, yes, if my life is boring, yes, if I have many inconveniences every day, yes, if I have a hundred friends, yes, if I have no friends, yes, if I have joy, yes, if I have sorrow, yes... Every little part of your plan revealed for me in the present moment, I say yes to. Yes, yes, yes...your will be done in ALL things. I don't want to place a single condition on my yes...I keep nothing back for myself, all will be for you. Only let us love forever...let me try to console you in my little way for all you have given to and for me. Your body and blood...your life and death...your love. I thank you. Take my body and my blood, Lord, and all my love, and do with it what you will. Let us always be one in love. Amen.
Recommended Reading:
- The Incredible Catholic Mass: An Explanation of the Mass by Fr. Martin von Cochem
- The Hidden Treasure: Holy Mass by Saint Leonard of Port Maurice
JMJ
Everything in our lives is a blessing from God whether we recognize it or not. We tend to think of positive things when we think of blessings like good health, prosperity, happy families, faith, hope, and love. Our adversities are also blessings...the most severe trials are blessings in disguise bringing the Cross of Christ very near to us. We are blessed with opportunities to grow in holiness, to be purified of our self-love, to learn patience, to unite ourselves more closely with Jesus and to help Him to save souls. All things DO work together for good for those who love God (see Romans 8:28). But there is one Blessing that stands out among the rest and that is the blessing that Jesus gives us Himself during the service that we call Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
Benediction, which means blessing, typically comes after a period of adoration of Jesus exposed in the Blessed Sacrament. It is a wonderfully special time where we can look upon Jesus face to face. His face is hidden in the Sacred Host, but with the eyes of faith, we can see Him quite clearly. And He sees us. He spends hour upon hour as a prisoner of love for us in our tabernacles just waiting for His friends to come and keep Him company, to adore Him, to talk to Him, to love Him. He asks, "Could you not spend one hour with me?" He so hungers for our love and He has so few lovers to come and receive all the blessings He wants to pour out upon us. His hands are filled with graces for us, true blessings, and often times they go unwanted.
Sometimes I think people are afraid to come and receive His blessing because there is singing involved at Benediction. And in Latin, a so-called dead language! Most people are not born with good singing voices, and it is human nature to feel self-conscious about sounding bad. I used to feel the same myself (and sometimes still do) as I have a weak voice and a bad ear. Thankfully, I have been blessed to know a young altar server who was not really the greatest singer, but who would sing with such zeal and gusto to our Lord Jesus that I was always inspired. He would take the greatest care to see that the sacred ceremonies were performed with attention and love and it really helped me to remember that I was there to adore and love my Lord, not hear myself sing! If God wanted me to be a better singer, He would have given me a voice like an angel. If I'm focused on my singing, I'm not focused on Jesus. Our own priest is not a Pavarotti either, but when he sings, my heart becomes so enflamed with love for God because I see that the Lord is making saints all around me. What a lovely sound it is! It takes a manly man to sing alone in front of people and I see in it the Holy Spirit pouring out His gifts of courage, fortitude, and piety. Jesus so delights in our little offerings of love. Our songs bring Him much honor, glory, and pleasure. I can use the example of my little neices who are 3 and 4. We were practicing singing Happy Birthday not long ago. The absolute look of joy on their faces as they thought of singing on the day of the birthday was so beautiful. Can you imagine if I would have said, "Mommy and Daddy won't like it because you sound bad...better just pretend to sing, but don't make noise?" Truly, God wants us to be like those innocent children with faces full of every good thing, with hearts full of purity, with voices full of love. And He wants us for Himself.
Oh, Jesus, Benediction is about to begin. They are getting the thurible ready and the Holy Angels are gathered about You. My heart begins to beat a little faster when I realize that You, my God, are going to personally bless me. Who am I, Lord, that You love so much to be right before me, giving me all Your attention. I, who am so often distracted in your presence...in the presence of my God and Savior? Have mercy, sweet Jesus, because You are Mercy. There is almost nobody left, Lord, to receive Your blessing. Where have they gone when You are about to distribute Your gifts? Your arms are full of treasure, but Your face looks sad that there are so few to receive Your presents. I will take them, my King, all that You wish to give me if You will be consoled. It's time; we kneel down and begin to sing Tantum Ergo Sacramentum... The incense wafts up to heaven...and Your love invades my heart. Thank You, my Lord, for not letting me leave You alone. How often do You make me wait hungering for Your peace, for Your presence, and then all of a sudden fill me with it at the end? You know how to teach perseverance. Thank You. It is time for You to bless us. Father lifts the monstrance high and makes the sign of the Cross over us. As we bend low in adoration, we sign ourselves: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Oh God, how good you are! I love you, Jesus! Your blessing is a true kiss from heaven. You have written Your name into my soul never to be erased. How grateful I feel at this moment! And now we pray the Divine Praises together. How beautiful they are! Blessed be God...who can bless You enough? And Mary and St. Joseph...in Your angels and in Your saints...my family, my life. Next is the Heart of Jesus prayer...Your heart, Lord, Your love...oh that You would be praised and adored everywhere, my Jesus. Help me to love You more and more. Give me Your heart so I can love You; let this moment never end! Jesus! Father is going to place You back in the tabernacle. He gently takes You out of the monstrance. To hold Love in one's hands--what a mystery! I never tire of trying to understand it all. Who can fathom a God so full of Love as to be God with us? And now I'm sad Lord, that You are back in the tabernacle...I want to come in there, too, and keep You company forever. I console myself with the thought that I can take You home with me because You also live in my heart. You are always with me. Stay with me forever. Holy God, we praise Thy name...
Recommended Reading:
- Visits to the Blessed Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin Mary by St. Alphonsus Liguori
- Jesus, Present Before Me: Meditations for Eucharistic Adoration by Fr. Peter John Cameron, O.P.
