Ijournal entry 103116 #45. October, Month or The Holy Rosary. Maxim by St. John of The Cross. Quotes by By exorcist Fr. Aldo Buonaiuto, Jennifer Gregory Miller, and Balthasar Gracian, SJ. "The Way of Union", by Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen.
"Commentaries on the Maxims on Love of St. John of the Cross", by Fr. Bruno Cocuzzi, ocd. Audio presentation: "Jesus the Barber of my thoughts", by Friar Fr. Antonio
"Commentaries on the Maxims on Love of St. John of the Cross", by Fr. Bruno Cocuzzi, ocd. Audio presentation: "Jesus the Barber of my thoughts", by Friar Fr. Antonio
“There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary.” By Sister Lucia dos Santos
By St. John of The Cross
"Frequent combing gives the hair more luster and makes it easier to comb. A soul that frequently examines its thought, words and deeds, which are its hair, doing all things for the love of God, will have lustrous hair. then the Spouse will look upon the neck of the bride and thereby be captivated, and will be wounded by one of her eyes, that is, by the purity of intention she has in all she does. If, in combing hair one wants it to have luster, one begins from the crown. All our works must begin from the crown (the love of God) if we wish them to be pure and lustrous"
MTA= Our efforts do pay off by the grace of God falling on fertile soil. Inspirations, courage and strength to see the task at hand and follow through for our good and God's glory is a given for those who abide in Christ. Love is the key that never fails to open to success.
"Frequent combing gives the hair more luster and makes it easier to comb. A soul that frequently examines its thought, words and deeds, which are its hair, doing all things for the love of God, will have lustrous hair. then the Spouse will look upon the neck of the bride and thereby be captivated, and will be wounded by one of her eyes, that is, by the purity of intention she has in all she does. If, in combing hair one wants it to have luster, one begins from the crown. All our works must begin from the crown (the love of God) if we wish them to be pure and lustrous"
MTA= Our efforts do pay off by the grace of God falling on fertile soil. Inspirations, courage and strength to see the task at hand and follow through for our good and God's glory is a given for those who abide in Christ. Love is the key that never fails to open to success.
GIG RIP 🕊🙏🏼Diane Benavids-Pichler🙏🏼🕊 GIG RIP
When the bell sounded, your mission was complete, now rest in peace good and faithful servant. Met Diane at the Holy Name of Jesus chapel. Something special could be seen in her, so couldn't resist approaching her about veiling. So glad to have met her, praise God for the blessing to encounter another soul in love with God.
⚫️"Halloween should be replaced by a celebration of Christian saints and renamed "Holyween. Too many people wrongly believe Halloween is a "simple carnival"; instead it masks "a subterranean world" based on the occult. For followers of the occult, Oct. 31 is the satanic new year. It's a time for attracting new converts. And it's also a time when exorcists have to work more. With Halloween there is an increase in black magic rites, cemetery desecrations, thefts of sacred bones and the adoration of Satan, as well as demonic possessions." By exorcist Fr. Aldo Buonaiuto
⚪️"There are many writings to help one explore the Christian roots of the Halloween festivities. There are ideas for an All Hallows' Eve Party to present a fun atmosphere for children. Other ideas from Florence Berger's Cooking for Christ and Mary Reed Newland's The Year and Our Children, use every opportunity as a moment of grace and teaching. One can use the opportunity to honor the saints, pray for the Poor Souls and prepare oneself spiritually for two great feastdays of the Catholic Church, All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day". MBy Jennifer Gregory Miller
🔵"What a misfortune for our age that it regards virtue as a stranger and vice as a matter of course! If you are wise, live as you can, if you cannot live as you would. Think more highly of what fate has given you than of what it has denied". By Balthasar Gracian, SJ
⚪️"There are many writings to help one explore the Christian roots of the Halloween festivities. There are ideas for an All Hallows' Eve Party to present a fun atmosphere for children. Other ideas from Florence Berger's Cooking for Christ and Mary Reed Newland's The Year and Our Children, use every opportunity as a moment of grace and teaching. One can use the opportunity to honor the saints, pray for the Poor Souls and prepare oneself spiritually for two great feastdays of the Catholic Church, All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day". MBy Jennifer Gregory Miller
🔵"What a misfortune for our age that it regards virtue as a stranger and vice as a matter of course! If you are wise, live as you can, if you cannot live as you would. Think more highly of what fate has given you than of what it has denied". By Balthasar Gracian, SJ
Dedicating these two scriptures to Diane Benavids-Pichler, another soldier assigned to a new regiment
Psalm 91:14-16 "Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With a long life I will satisfy him And let him see My salvation". |
~ Talkin Bout glad ~ In Creatin Claudia What a Good Idea God Had ~
💋Love U more girl, so glad
💋A great creation plan in mind God had
💋The creation of CM's beautiful spirit and face
💋This earth, in my lifetime she would gloriously grace
💋A blessing to many and to me, He knew
💋That's why He in great love created U
💋Under appreciated
💋No less highly rated
💋A unique design
💋Not being cliche, but factual, for sure you're one of a kind
💋Is there any other just like you?
💋That said, now what can be more true?
💋Precious souls, God doesn't even repeat or duplicate
💋No need for any to try and even replicate
💋In the eyes of God, all are seen as exquisite
💋Wired to spiritually be in His plans a perfect fit
💋Not in the least an accident
💋Your presence in my life, a blessing for me that was emphatically meant
💋So very thankful & grateful
💋Get to encounter and enjoy a fellowship that's a delight & in no way taxing, phony or dull
💋That's one Marshall in town
💋Welcomed, and spiritual cool to hang around
💋May you my dear
💋Always feel the great love of God in your heart ever so near
💋Because from you others get to experience much love, quite a bit of Him
💋Trust me, He's alive within, no way all this is being said on a whim
💋Your truthfulness, keen spiritual sense, hunger for God, & spiritual thirst
💋Are attractive balloons given to you to carry, know you carry them well & by God's mercy they'll never ever burst
💋It's God's will that they be there for others to admire and see Him in at work in thee
💋Manifestations of your unknown mission, being fulfilled daily as you march closer towards your destiny
💋Graces will be like spiritual helium, little by little taking you higher & higher
💋The Holy Spirit will be there lighting up your life with more power, setting you on holy fire
💋All those with eyes to see, ears to hear, and a mind to understand
💋Will glorify God, celebrating & rejoicing that a soul like you are striving to be a pawn in God's all mighty right and left hand
💋Meeting you have in a good way touched my soul
💋Thanks be to God an experience He alone can ravel, knit, or weave into blessings untold
💋May you Claudia M forever find refuge in the Sacred Heart of Jesus as He blesses and blesses
💋Along with The Holy Spirit have on time kisses as long as you live, embraced by Father God with many tender caresses
💋To God be the glory
💋As with your life Claudia dear, know that He writes a fabulous story
💋Love U more girl, so glad
💋A great creation plan in mind God had
💋The creation of CM's beautiful spirit and face
💋This earth, in my lifetime she would gloriously grace
💋A blessing to many and to me, He knew
💋That's why He in great love created U
💋Under appreciated
💋No less highly rated
💋A unique design
💋Not being cliche, but factual, for sure you're one of a kind
💋Is there any other just like you?
💋That said, now what can be more true?
💋Precious souls, God doesn't even repeat or duplicate
💋No need for any to try and even replicate
💋In the eyes of God, all are seen as exquisite
💋Wired to spiritually be in His plans a perfect fit
💋Not in the least an accident
💋Your presence in my life, a blessing for me that was emphatically meant
💋So very thankful & grateful
💋Get to encounter and enjoy a fellowship that's a delight & in no way taxing, phony or dull
💋That's one Marshall in town
💋Welcomed, and spiritual cool to hang around
💋May you my dear
💋Always feel the great love of God in your heart ever so near
💋Because from you others get to experience much love, quite a bit of Him
💋Trust me, He's alive within, no way all this is being said on a whim
💋Your truthfulness, keen spiritual sense, hunger for God, & spiritual thirst
💋Are attractive balloons given to you to carry, know you carry them well & by God's mercy they'll never ever burst
💋It's God's will that they be there for others to admire and see Him in at work in thee
💋Manifestations of your unknown mission, being fulfilled daily as you march closer towards your destiny
💋Graces will be like spiritual helium, little by little taking you higher & higher
💋The Holy Spirit will be there lighting up your life with more power, setting you on holy fire
💋All those with eyes to see, ears to hear, and a mind to understand
💋Will glorify God, celebrating & rejoicing that a soul like you are striving to be a pawn in God's all mighty right and left hand
💋Meeting you have in a good way touched my soul
💋Thanks be to God an experience He alone can ravel, knit, or weave into blessings untold
💋May you Claudia M forever find refuge in the Sacred Heart of Jesus as He blesses and blesses
💋Along with The Holy Spirit have on time kisses as long as you live, embraced by Father God with many tender caresses
💋To God be the glory
💋As with your life Claudia dear, know that He writes a fabulous story
"The Way of Union", by Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen. Info from the book: Divine Intimacy
Presence of God – Lord, give me light and strength to root out of my heart all that hinders me from being united to You.
MEDITATION
“God communicates Himself most to that soul that has progressed farthest in love: namely, that has its will in closest conformity with the will of God” (John of the Cross, Ascent of Mount Carmel II, 5,4). In ordinary life, true love is manifested in willingness to do what pleases the person loved; in conforming oneself to his desires, tastes and will, not willing anything which could displease him. The soul unites itself to God in the measure in which it is truly conformed to His will. It is evident that this union cannot be perfect as long as the soul resists the divine will, be it only in very small things, or does not accept it readily, or as long as it retains desires and tastes which, even in a very slight way, are not in harmony with the will of God. The whole spiritual ascent to divine union consists in a double movement, very simple but essential: despoiling oneself of all that is displeasing to God, and renouncing all that is in opposition to His will, by conforming oneself to that will and fulfilling it with the greatest love.
It is an extremely simple movement, but at the same time an all-embracing one, because it extends to every circumstance of life, without exception, so that in all things, the greatest as in the least, the soul acts in a manner that is in perfect conformity with the divine will. It is also a very profound movement which must reach even to the most secret recesses of the spirit, in order to free it from the least residue, the last resistances of egoism and pride, not only eliminating their manifestations but undermining their very roots. As long as this work of total purgation is incomplete, the soul’s will cannot be totally conformed to that of God; its numerous imperfections and imperfect habits are still opposed to this entire conformity. Only “the soul that has attained complete conformity and likeness of will is totally united and transformed in God supernaturally. It needs, then, only to strip itself of these natural dissimilarities and contrarieties …” (John of the Cross, Ascent of Mount Carmel II, 5,4).
COLLOQUY
“As long as my will desires that which is alien to the divine will, has preferences for one thing or another, I remain like a child; I do not walk in love with giant strides. The fire has not yet burnt away all the dross, and the gold is not yet pure. I am still seeking myself. O Lord, You have not yet done away with all my resistance to You. But when the crucible has consumed all tainted love, all tainted pain, all tainted fear, the love is perfect, and the golden ring of our union is wider than heaven and earth.
“But in order to attain this, I must die daily to myself. O Jesus, I wish to die, to decrease, to deny myself daily more and more, in order that You may grow and be exalted in me. As a ‘little one’ I dwell in the depths of my poverty; I see my nothingness, my penury, my weakness; I see that I am incapable of progress, of perseverance; I appear to myself in all my destitution; I prostrate myself in my wretchedness, and recognizing my state of dire need, I spread it out before You, my divine Master…. As far as my will—not my feelings—is concerned, I set my joy in everything that can humble me, immolate me, destroy self in me, for I want to give place to You, O Lord…. I no longer wish to live by my own life, but to be transformed in You, so that my life may be more divine than human, and that, inclining unto me, the Father may recognize Your image, the image of His beloved Son, in whom He is well pleased” (cf. St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, First Retreat (Heaven on Earth), 2 – 3)."
Presence of God – Lord, give me light and strength to root out of my heart all that hinders me from being united to You.
MEDITATION
“God communicates Himself most to that soul that has progressed farthest in love: namely, that has its will in closest conformity with the will of God” (John of the Cross, Ascent of Mount Carmel II, 5,4). In ordinary life, true love is manifested in willingness to do what pleases the person loved; in conforming oneself to his desires, tastes and will, not willing anything which could displease him. The soul unites itself to God in the measure in which it is truly conformed to His will. It is evident that this union cannot be perfect as long as the soul resists the divine will, be it only in very small things, or does not accept it readily, or as long as it retains desires and tastes which, even in a very slight way, are not in harmony with the will of God. The whole spiritual ascent to divine union consists in a double movement, very simple but essential: despoiling oneself of all that is displeasing to God, and renouncing all that is in opposition to His will, by conforming oneself to that will and fulfilling it with the greatest love.
It is an extremely simple movement, but at the same time an all-embracing one, because it extends to every circumstance of life, without exception, so that in all things, the greatest as in the least, the soul acts in a manner that is in perfect conformity with the divine will. It is also a very profound movement which must reach even to the most secret recesses of the spirit, in order to free it from the least residue, the last resistances of egoism and pride, not only eliminating their manifestations but undermining their very roots. As long as this work of total purgation is incomplete, the soul’s will cannot be totally conformed to that of God; its numerous imperfections and imperfect habits are still opposed to this entire conformity. Only “the soul that has attained complete conformity and likeness of will is totally united and transformed in God supernaturally. It needs, then, only to strip itself of these natural dissimilarities and contrarieties …” (John of the Cross, Ascent of Mount Carmel II, 5,4).
COLLOQUY
“As long as my will desires that which is alien to the divine will, has preferences for one thing or another, I remain like a child; I do not walk in love with giant strides. The fire has not yet burnt away all the dross, and the gold is not yet pure. I am still seeking myself. O Lord, You have not yet done away with all my resistance to You. But when the crucible has consumed all tainted love, all tainted pain, all tainted fear, the love is perfect, and the golden ring of our union is wider than heaven and earth.
“But in order to attain this, I must die daily to myself. O Jesus, I wish to die, to decrease, to deny myself daily more and more, in order that You may grow and be exalted in me. As a ‘little one’ I dwell in the depths of my poverty; I see my nothingness, my penury, my weakness; I see that I am incapable of progress, of perseverance; I appear to myself in all my destitution; I prostrate myself in my wretchedness, and recognizing my state of dire need, I spread it out before You, my divine Master…. As far as my will—not my feelings—is concerned, I set my joy in everything that can humble me, immolate me, destroy self in me, for I want to give place to You, O Lord…. I no longer wish to live by my own life, but to be transformed in You, so that my life may be more divine than human, and that, inclining unto me, the Father may recognize Your image, the image of His beloved Son, in whom He is well pleased” (cf. St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, First Retreat (Heaven on Earth), 2 – 3)."
"Commentaries on the Maxims on Love of St. John of the Cross", by Fr. Bruno Cocuzzi, ocd
Info from this site:
webpages.charter.net/carmel/Maxim%2025%20-%20He%20who%20is%20ashamed%20to%20confess%20Me%20before%20men,%20I%20shall%20be%20ashamed%20to%20confess.htm
Maxim 26 -
"Frequent combing gives the hair more luster and makes it easier to comb. A soul that frequently examines its thought, words and deeds, which are its hair, doing all things for the love of God, will have lustrous hair. then the Spouse will look upon the neck of the bride and thereby be captivated, and will be wounded by one of her eyes, that is, by the purity of intention she has in all she does. If, in combing hair one wants it to have luster, one begins from the crown. All our works must begin from the crown (the love of God) if we wish them to be pure and lustrous.
This maxim does not require much comment, because St. John+ himself explains its chief meaning. It is about motivation and intention. As he says, the combing is an inquiry into one's motives, or better, into the reason why one acts as he does, and thus, what one is trying to achieve by its words and deeds. An old saying in moral Theology is: The Last in execution is the First in intention.
St. John is telling us in this figurative language that our thoughts, words and deeds have various degrees of beauty and attractiveness in the sight of God. It is even possible that they have none at all, and thus are offensive in the sight of God. He makes it very clear, too, that that which pleases Him and makes our thoughts, words and deeds attractive to Him is purity of intention. He is also suggesting, I think that if we never examine our motives to correct them and keep them pure, they very easily lose their quality of purity. It is the same as with hair. If never attended to, it soon looks a mess. Thus, if we fail often to make deliberate efforts to keep our intentions pure by choosing to do all things for love of God, we lapse back into acting out of love for ourselves or for someone or something other than God.
Implicitly, St. John+ is telling us that in addition to losing their luster, the motives behind our thoughts, words and deeds can become entangled and knotted, so that it is extremely difficult to disentangle them, if not impossible. Then the process of doing so can be very painful, just as it would be for someone with entangled, knotted long hair to get all the strands separated and straightened. We can take that a step further by observing that it might require painful mortification or penance and other forms of self-denial and detachment from persons and things in order to accomplish it. Sometimes we are unable to do that by ourselves, at which times God in His Mercy has to send us trials and sufferings that purify our motives by destroying any disordered love we might have for persons and things.
I cannot help thinking that this maxim of St. John follows logically from the maxim that precedes it in this list. He must have had in mind the "human respect" we just finished talking about. He may be telling us in this way that we are all more afflicted by "human respect" (or respect of persons) than we tend to believe. So if we examine our thoughts, words and deeds to see whether we are trying to please others more than we are trying to please God, then perhaps that kind of inquiry is the most efficient way of accomplishing the "combing" that restores (or gives) luster to our conduct in the sight of God.
I think we can also say that there is a connection between this Maxim 26 and Maxim 24 as well. For Jesus to be captivated by the lustrous hair on the neck of the soul would correspond to "God being taken with love" for a soul. In maxim 24 St. John+ says that it is the greatness of the soul's humility that causes Him to be taken with (captivated by) love. Hence, another way of doing the "combing" Maxim 26 speaks of is to examine our thoughts, words and deeds in the light of the virtue of humility. Probably this examination as to the humility that does or does not form the basis of all our deeds in the best way to purify our thoughts, whereas making use of the concept of "human respect" is the best way to purify our deeds and words, i.e., give them the luster that pleases God.
This maxim also provides another meaning for the expression: "to be taken with love." It suggests that this means "God cannot take His eyes off the soul" that has such lustrous hair., i.e., thoughts, words and deeds springing from humility and from love of Himself. What is the effect of this constant "looking upon" the soul with the lustrous hair? St. John+ himself tells us in the Stanza 5 of the Spiritual Canticle. In response to the question of the soul having gone out in search of the Bridegroom, the woods, the thickets, the green meadows enameled with bright flowers tell her: "Pouring our a thousand graces He passed these groves in haste; and having looked at them, with His image alone, clothed them in beauty." One quick glance of the Bridegroom impressed enough of the image of Himself upon those things, that they became clothed in beauty. Imagine then, how much or Himself and His infinite beauty He infuses into the soul whose luster is such that He cannot take His eyes off her.
Before leaving this Maxim 26, I want to make two observations. First, what gives luster to long hair is the "grease" that the scalp produces. Combing that begins at the scalp, or crown picks up the grease by the bristles of the brush and distributes it along the entire length of each strand of hair. That grease, or better "oil" is the equivalent of the love of God that St. John identifies with the crown, or scalp itself. The second observation has to do with the many activities we engage in daily that are neutral in themselves. That is, they are neither inherently good, nor inherently evil. These can be transformed into morally good or morally evil by the intention with which they are performed. If we form the habit of making the express intention of doing them for love of God, they become not only good, but take on the luster that is so attractive to the eyes of Jesus, the Bridegroom."
Info from this site:
webpages.charter.net/carmel/Maxim%2025%20-%20He%20who%20is%20ashamed%20to%20confess%20Me%20before%20men,%20I%20shall%20be%20ashamed%20to%20confess.htm
Maxim 26 -
"Frequent combing gives the hair more luster and makes it easier to comb. A soul that frequently examines its thought, words and deeds, which are its hair, doing all things for the love of God, will have lustrous hair. then the Spouse will look upon the neck of the bride and thereby be captivated, and will be wounded by one of her eyes, that is, by the purity of intention she has in all she does. If, in combing hair one wants it to have luster, one begins from the crown. All our works must begin from the crown (the love of God) if we wish them to be pure and lustrous.
This maxim does not require much comment, because St. John+ himself explains its chief meaning. It is about motivation and intention. As he says, the combing is an inquiry into one's motives, or better, into the reason why one acts as he does, and thus, what one is trying to achieve by its words and deeds. An old saying in moral Theology is: The Last in execution is the First in intention.
St. John is telling us in this figurative language that our thoughts, words and deeds have various degrees of beauty and attractiveness in the sight of God. It is even possible that they have none at all, and thus are offensive in the sight of God. He makes it very clear, too, that that which pleases Him and makes our thoughts, words and deeds attractive to Him is purity of intention. He is also suggesting, I think that if we never examine our motives to correct them and keep them pure, they very easily lose their quality of purity. It is the same as with hair. If never attended to, it soon looks a mess. Thus, if we fail often to make deliberate efforts to keep our intentions pure by choosing to do all things for love of God, we lapse back into acting out of love for ourselves or for someone or something other than God.
Implicitly, St. John+ is telling us that in addition to losing their luster, the motives behind our thoughts, words and deeds can become entangled and knotted, so that it is extremely difficult to disentangle them, if not impossible. Then the process of doing so can be very painful, just as it would be for someone with entangled, knotted long hair to get all the strands separated and straightened. We can take that a step further by observing that it might require painful mortification or penance and other forms of self-denial and detachment from persons and things in order to accomplish it. Sometimes we are unable to do that by ourselves, at which times God in His Mercy has to send us trials and sufferings that purify our motives by destroying any disordered love we might have for persons and things.
I cannot help thinking that this maxim of St. John follows logically from the maxim that precedes it in this list. He must have had in mind the "human respect" we just finished talking about. He may be telling us in this way that we are all more afflicted by "human respect" (or respect of persons) than we tend to believe. So if we examine our thoughts, words and deeds to see whether we are trying to please others more than we are trying to please God, then perhaps that kind of inquiry is the most efficient way of accomplishing the "combing" that restores (or gives) luster to our conduct in the sight of God.
I think we can also say that there is a connection between this Maxim 26 and Maxim 24 as well. For Jesus to be captivated by the lustrous hair on the neck of the soul would correspond to "God being taken with love" for a soul. In maxim 24 St. John+ says that it is the greatness of the soul's humility that causes Him to be taken with (captivated by) love. Hence, another way of doing the "combing" Maxim 26 speaks of is to examine our thoughts, words and deeds in the light of the virtue of humility. Probably this examination as to the humility that does or does not form the basis of all our deeds in the best way to purify our thoughts, whereas making use of the concept of "human respect" is the best way to purify our deeds and words, i.e., give them the luster that pleases God.
This maxim also provides another meaning for the expression: "to be taken with love." It suggests that this means "God cannot take His eyes off the soul" that has such lustrous hair., i.e., thoughts, words and deeds springing from humility and from love of Himself. What is the effect of this constant "looking upon" the soul with the lustrous hair? St. John+ himself tells us in the Stanza 5 of the Spiritual Canticle. In response to the question of the soul having gone out in search of the Bridegroom, the woods, the thickets, the green meadows enameled with bright flowers tell her: "Pouring our a thousand graces He passed these groves in haste; and having looked at them, with His image alone, clothed them in beauty." One quick glance of the Bridegroom impressed enough of the image of Himself upon those things, that they became clothed in beauty. Imagine then, how much or Himself and His infinite beauty He infuses into the soul whose luster is such that He cannot take His eyes off her.
Before leaving this Maxim 26, I want to make two observations. First, what gives luster to long hair is the "grease" that the scalp produces. Combing that begins at the scalp, or crown picks up the grease by the bristles of the brush and distributes it along the entire length of each strand of hair. That grease, or better "oil" is the equivalent of the love of God that St. John identifies with the crown, or scalp itself. The second observation has to do with the many activities we engage in daily that are neutral in themselves. That is, they are neither inherently good, nor inherently evil. These can be transformed into morally good or morally evil by the intention with which they are performed. If we form the habit of making the express intention of doing them for love of God, they become not only good, but take on the luster that is so attractive to the eyes of Jesus, the Bridegroom."
Audio homily: "Jesus the Barber of my thoughts", by Friar Fr. Antonio
Audio link:
https://m.mixcloud.com/Friar_Antonio/need-a-hair-cut-go-to-confession/
Audio link:
https://m.mixcloud.com/Friar_Antonio/need-a-hair-cut-go-to-confession/