Ijournal entry 121916 # 52. Advent, Week 4. December, Month of The Divine Infancy of Jesus. Aphorism by Balthasar Gracian. Quotes by Max Picard, Bishop Robert Barron, and Simone Weil. Meditation: "Those who would receive Christ", by Sr. Aemiliana Löhr, O.S.B. YouTube video: Our Lady Queen of Advent, sermon by Fr. Gerard Hatton.
From "The Liturgical Year" by Dom Gueranger O.S.B. On Hearing Mass During The Time Of Advent
Info from this site: http://op54rosary.ning.com/profiles/blogs/december-the-month-dedicated-to-the-divine-infancy
"There is no exercise which is more pleasing to God, or more
meritorious, or which has greater influence in infusing solid piety
into the soul, than the assisting at the holy sacrifice of the Mass.
If this be true at all the various seasons of the Christian year, it
is so, in a very special manner, during the holy time of Advent. The
faithful, therefore, should make every effort in order to enjoy this
precious blessing, even on those days when they are not obliged to it
by the precept of the Church.
With what gratitude ought they to assist at that divine sacrifice,
for which the world had been longing for four thousand years! God has granted them to be born after the fulfilment of that stupendous and merciful oblation, and would not put them in the generations of men who died before they could partake of its reality and its riches!
This notwithstanding, they must earnestly unite with the Church in
praying for the coming of the Redeemer, so to pay their share of that
great debt which God had put upon all, whether living before or after
the fulfilment of the mystery of the Incarnation. Let them think of
this in assisting at the holy sacrifice.
Let them also remember that this great sacrifice, which perpetuates
on this earth even to the end of time, though in an unbloody manner,
the real oblation of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, has this for
its express aim: to prepare the souls of the faithful for the
mysterious coming of God, who redeemed our souls only that He might take possession of them. It not only prepares, it even effects this glorious advent.
Let them, in the third place, lovingly profit by the presence of,
and intimacy with, Jesus, to which this hidden yet saving mystery
admits them; that so, when He comes in that other way, whereby He
will judge the world in terrible majesty, He may recognize them as
His friends, and even then, when mercy shall give place to justice,
again save them."
Info from this site: http://op54rosary.ning.com/profiles/blogs/december-the-month-dedicated-to-the-divine-infancy
"There is no exercise which is more pleasing to God, or more
meritorious, or which has greater influence in infusing solid piety
into the soul, than the assisting at the holy sacrifice of the Mass.
If this be true at all the various seasons of the Christian year, it
is so, in a very special manner, during the holy time of Advent. The
faithful, therefore, should make every effort in order to enjoy this
precious blessing, even on those days when they are not obliged to it
by the precept of the Church.
With what gratitude ought they to assist at that divine sacrifice,
for which the world had been longing for four thousand years! God has granted them to be born after the fulfilment of that stupendous and merciful oblation, and would not put them in the generations of men who died before they could partake of its reality and its riches!
This notwithstanding, they must earnestly unite with the Church in
praying for the coming of the Redeemer, so to pay their share of that
great debt which God had put upon all, whether living before or after
the fulfilment of the mystery of the Incarnation. Let them think of
this in assisting at the holy sacrifice.
Let them also remember that this great sacrifice, which perpetuates
on this earth even to the end of time, though in an unbloody manner,
the real oblation of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, has this for
its express aim: to prepare the souls of the faithful for the
mysterious coming of God, who redeemed our souls only that He might take possession of them. It not only prepares, it even effects this glorious advent.
Let them, in the third place, lovingly profit by the presence of,
and intimacy with, Jesus, to which this hidden yet saving mystery
admits them; that so, when He comes in that other way, whereby He
will judge the world in terrible majesty, He may recognize them as
His friends, and even then, when mercy shall give place to justice,
again save them."
Prayer in Honour of the Divine Infancy
"Jesus Divine Infant, it is Your will that we honour all the mysteries of Your life so that we may learn to imitate Your virtues and make use of the graces which each mystery imparts for our sanctification. Accept the honour I wish to give You by my devotion to Your holy Infancy.
Jesus, You came to use as a child that You might win our love and confidence. I feel drawn to you as I would to a child, but a Child Who is also my God. I turn to You with the greatest confidence. You want to help me because you are goodness itself; You know how to help me because You know all things; You can help me because You are all powerful.
The heart of a child is kind and generous. Your Sacred Heart, O Divine Infant, is infinitely kind and generous, because it is the Heart of my God and my dearest Friend. You loved me so much as to want to become human like me.
You wanted to become an Infant not only that You might be an example to us, but also that You might be able to suffer for us, atone for our sins, and merit graces for our souls. I thank You for this.
Trusting in the infinite love and mercy of Your Sacred Heart, and relying on Your words: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you", I humbly place my request before You:
(Say your request)
Loving Infant Jesus, accept the honour I wish to show Your Divine Infancy and have pity on me. I ask favour in the name of Your Blessed Mother who so tenderly cared for you in your childhood. I ask it in honour of St. Joseph who carried You in his arms and protected You.
But if you should not grant my request, I humbly resign myself to Your holy will, for You know what is best for me, and I know that You love as only a God can love. Give me instead the grace to know and love You more, to serve You better, and to save my soul.
Amen."
Info from this site: http://www.praytherosaryapostolate.com/apps/forums/topics/show/3832310
"Jesus Divine Infant, it is Your will that we honour all the mysteries of Your life so that we may learn to imitate Your virtues and make use of the graces which each mystery imparts for our sanctification. Accept the honour I wish to give You by my devotion to Your holy Infancy.
Jesus, You came to use as a child that You might win our love and confidence. I feel drawn to you as I would to a child, but a Child Who is also my God. I turn to You with the greatest confidence. You want to help me because you are goodness itself; You know how to help me because You know all things; You can help me because You are all powerful.
The heart of a child is kind and generous. Your Sacred Heart, O Divine Infant, is infinitely kind and generous, because it is the Heart of my God and my dearest Friend. You loved me so much as to want to become human like me.
You wanted to become an Infant not only that You might be an example to us, but also that You might be able to suffer for us, atone for our sins, and merit graces for our souls. I thank You for this.
Trusting in the infinite love and mercy of Your Sacred Heart, and relying on Your words: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you", I humbly place my request before You:
(Say your request)
Loving Infant Jesus, accept the honour I wish to show Your Divine Infancy and have pity on me. I ask favour in the name of Your Blessed Mother who so tenderly cared for you in your childhood. I ask it in honour of St. Joseph who carried You in his arms and protected You.
But if you should not grant my request, I humbly resign myself to Your holy will, for You know what is best for me, and I know that You love as only a God can love. Give me instead the grace to know and love You more, to serve You better, and to save my soul.
Amen."
Info from this site: http://www.praytherosaryapostolate.com/apps/forums/topics/show/3832310
Last Aphorism of the year
By Balthasar Gracian
"Every one holds views according to his interest, and imagines he has abundant grounds for them. For with most men judgment has to give way to inclination. It may occur that two may meet with exactly opposite views and yet each thinks to have reason on his side, yet reason is always true to itself and never has two faces. In such a difficulty a prudent man will go to work with care, for his decision of his opponent's view may cast doubt on his own. Place yourself in such a case in the other man's place and then investigate the reasons for his opinion. You will not then condemn him or justify yourself in such a confusing way"
MTA = My Take Away is straight up from scripture:
By Balthasar Gracian
"Every one holds views according to his interest, and imagines he has abundant grounds for them. For with most men judgment has to give way to inclination. It may occur that two may meet with exactly opposite views and yet each thinks to have reason on his side, yet reason is always true to itself and never has two faces. In such a difficulty a prudent man will go to work with care, for his decision of his opponent's view may cast doubt on his own. Place yourself in such a case in the other man's place and then investigate the reasons for his opinion. You will not then condemn him or justify yourself in such a confusing way"
MTA = My Take Away is straight up from scripture:
🔴 “Not until one man speaks to another, does he learn that speech no longer belongs to silence but to man. He learns it through the Thou of the other person, for through the Thou the word first belongs to man and no longer to silence. When two people are conversing with one another, however, a third is always present: Silence is listening. That is what gives breadth to a conversation: when the words are not moving merely within the narrow space occupied by the two speakers, but come from afar, from the place where silence is listening. That gives the words a new fullness. But not only that: the words are spoken as it were from the silence, from that third person, and the listener receives more than the speaker alone is able to give. Silence is the third speaker in such a conversation. At the end of the Platonic dialogues it is always as though silence itself were speaking. The persons who were speaking seem to have become listeners to silence.” By Max Picard
🎾 "Simone Weil, that wonderful and mysterious twentieth-century French mystic whose entire spirituality is predicated upon the power of waiting, or, in her language, of expectation. In prayer, Weil taught, we open our souls, expecting God to act even when the content of that expectation remains unclear". By Bishop Robert Barron
🔵"We do not walk vertically. We can only turn our eyes toward God. We do not have to search for God, we only have to change the direction in which we are looking. It is for him to search for us.” By Simone Weil
🎾 "Simone Weil, that wonderful and mysterious twentieth-century French mystic whose entire spirituality is predicated upon the power of waiting, or, in her language, of expectation. In prayer, Weil taught, we open our souls, expecting God to act even when the content of that expectation remains unclear". By Bishop Robert Barron
🔵"We do not walk vertically. We can only turn our eyes toward God. We do not have to search for God, we only have to change the direction in which we are looking. It is for him to search for us.” By Simone Weil
Spending Advent this year under the wings of the Holy Spirit, and sharing here the thoughts that came one day: Thoughts centered about the appropriate vessel, molded and impeccably shaped, along with being of the right size, accommodates God to perfection in our hearts. This is of utmost importance in regards to the Divine pleasure of God and the successful production of the final results of perfection in our souls. The goal is the reproduction of Christ Jesus in our hearts. It's like as if one is attempting to bake a cake, then using a cup or a roasting pan would be most inappropriate, producing disastrous results. Like so, no one other than the Holy Spirit can help us be prepared to perfectly welcome and give birth to Jesus in our hearts. The Mediatrix of graces, as the mother of God, is the assistant at hand. The same day this surfaced, the meditation reading in the Magnificat was by Sr. Aemiliana, and a quote from St. Ambrose, to me, supported the thought that came to me. He said the following: "How shall Christ be born into the depths of our understanding if not within us, within our very souls".
Then Sr. Aemiliana says that it will happen to us when our souls are as Mary's was, and we all know that she was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit.'
Then Sr. Aemiliana says that it will happen to us when our souls are as Mary's was, and we all know that she was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit.'
When reading the lines about "when our souls are as Blessed Mary's", and the sentence which states that "The Virgin shall conceive", it was made clear how we become virginal in bearing certain thoughts, words, and deeds, as the Holy Spirit enters our temple. We will then in our souls imitate our Blessed Lady when we say yes to God, offering to be His handmaiden as He so wills. For each was created for a certain mission, that replicating into missions.
Our souls must be melted,molded, and filled by the Holy Spirit, then we will be perfectly shaped to possess The Lord. For the Father is looking for the image of His Beloved Son to be fully imprinted on our souls. A sin sick soul is incapable of being pliable. If is already filled to capacity, and super inflated due to pride, it is therefore, the wrong size, abnormal and in a bad shape, and certainly unmalleable. Christ will not be able to be born into the depths of our understanding within our souls.
He who is, the Holy and Mighty One, is coming, so let us allow the Holy Spirit to help optimize His reception, and prepare us to receive wholeheartedly the Newborn King.
Our souls must be melted,molded, and filled by the Holy Spirit, then we will be perfectly shaped to possess The Lord. For the Father is looking for the image of His Beloved Son to be fully imprinted on our souls. A sin sick soul is incapable of being pliable. If is already filled to capacity, and super inflated due to pride, it is therefore, the wrong size, abnormal and in a bad shape, and certainly unmalleable. Christ will not be able to be born into the depths of our understanding within our souls.
He who is, the Holy and Mighty One, is coming, so let us allow the Holy Spirit to help optimize His reception, and prepare us to receive wholeheartedly the Newborn King.
"Those who would receive Christ", by Sr. Aemiliana Löhr, O.S.B. Pic.
Magnificat
Magnificat
We are in the homestretch, fast from something and add something as a penance this week.
"What Ever Became of Advent Fasting and Penance?", by Msgr. Charles Pope
Info from this site:
blog.adw.org/2016/12/what-ever-became-of-advent-fasting/
"I was explaining to a new Catholic recently that the reason the color purple (violet) is used during Advent is that Advent, like Lent, is considered a penitential season. During these times we are to give special attention to our sins and our need for salvation. Traditionally, Advent was a time when would take part in penitential practices such as fasting and abstinence, just as is done during Lent.
In recent times, though, Advent has become almost devoid of any real penitential practices. Neither fasting nor abstinence is required; they are not really even mentioned. There is nothing in the Missal or other liturgical sources that refers to Advent as a penitential season. While confession is encouraged and the readings of early Advent still retain a focus on repentance and the Last Judgment, the era of the forty-day fast beginning on November 12th is long gone. During the Middle Ages, Advent observances were every bit as strict as those of Lent. St. Martin’s Feast Day was a day of carnival (meaning “farewell to meat” (carnis + vale)). In those days, the rose vestments of Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday were a real indication of something to celebrate: the fast was relaxed for a day. Then it was back to fasting until Christmas. Lent began with Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), when the last of the fat was used up before the Lenten fast would begin the next day.
The fasting and abstinence practiced in those days were far more strict than the token observances we have today. There were regional differences in the details. In many places all meat was strictly forbidden during both Advent and Lent, but some areas permitted fowl. Most regions allowed the consumption of fish. Some areas prohibited fruit and eggs. In monasteries, little more than bread was consumed. On the Fridays of Lent and Advent, some believers abstained from food for the entire day; others ate only one meal. In most places, however, the Friday practice was to refrain from eating until the evening, when a small meal without vegetables or alcohol was eaten.
Yes, those were the days of the giants, when fasting and abstinence were real sacrifices. Today’s token fast (required only on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday) isn’t much of a burden: one full meal and two smaller meals. Is that really a fast at all? And we are only obligated to abstain from meat on the Fridays of Lent rather than the entire forty days.
What is most remarkable to me is that such fasts of old were undertaken by people who had a lot less to eat than we do today. Not only was there less food overall, but is was far more seasonal and its supply less predictable. Further, famines and food shortages were relatively common. Yet despite all this, they were able to fast twice a year for forty days at a stretch, eighty days in total. There were also “ember days” sporadically throughout the year at the change of seasons, when a daylong fast was enjoined.
Frankly, I doubt that we moderns could pull off the fast of the ancients, or even the elders of more recent centuries. Can you imagine all the belly-aching (pun intended) that would ensue if the Church called us to follow the strict norms of even 200 years ago? We would hear complaints that such demands were unrealistic and even unhealthy. Perhaps this is a good illustration of how enslaved we are by our abundance. The more we have, the more we want; and the more we want, the more we think we can’t survive without. We are so easily owned by what we claim to own, enslaved by our abundance.
When I ponder the Catholics of 100+ years ago, they seem like giants compared to us. They had so much less that we do today, yet they seem to have been so much freer. They were able to fast. Though poor, they built grand Churches and had large families. They fit so many more people into their homes. They lived and worked in conditions few of us would be able to tolerate. Sacrifice seemed more “normal” to them. I have not read that there were any huge outcries during those times, complaints that the “mean, nasty Church” imposed fasting and abstinence during Advent and Lent. (There have always been exceptions for the very young, the elderly, the sick, and pregnant women.) Neither have I read that fasting from midnight until receiving Communion the next day was considered too onerous. Somehow they accepted these sacrifices and were able to undertake them. They had a freedom that I think many of us lack.
Imagine the joy when, for a brief time, the fast was lifted: the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Gaudete Sunday, the Feast of the Annunciation, the Feast of St. Joseph, and Laetare Sunday. For us, Gaudete Sunday just means a pink candle, and wondering what we are rejoicing about. For Catholics of old, these were literally feast days. I fully admit to being a modern man. I find the fasting and abstinence described above nearly “impossible.” I did give up wine this Advent, and during Lent, I swore off radio and television. But something makes me look back to the giants of old, who, though having far less than I, did such things as a matter of course."
"What Ever Became of Advent Fasting and Penance?", by Msgr. Charles Pope
Info from this site:
blog.adw.org/2016/12/what-ever-became-of-advent-fasting/
"I was explaining to a new Catholic recently that the reason the color purple (violet) is used during Advent is that Advent, like Lent, is considered a penitential season. During these times we are to give special attention to our sins and our need for salvation. Traditionally, Advent was a time when would take part in penitential practices such as fasting and abstinence, just as is done during Lent.
In recent times, though, Advent has become almost devoid of any real penitential practices. Neither fasting nor abstinence is required; they are not really even mentioned. There is nothing in the Missal or other liturgical sources that refers to Advent as a penitential season. While confession is encouraged and the readings of early Advent still retain a focus on repentance and the Last Judgment, the era of the forty-day fast beginning on November 12th is long gone. During the Middle Ages, Advent observances were every bit as strict as those of Lent. St. Martin’s Feast Day was a day of carnival (meaning “farewell to meat” (carnis + vale)). In those days, the rose vestments of Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday were a real indication of something to celebrate: the fast was relaxed for a day. Then it was back to fasting until Christmas. Lent began with Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), when the last of the fat was used up before the Lenten fast would begin the next day.
The fasting and abstinence practiced in those days were far more strict than the token observances we have today. There were regional differences in the details. In many places all meat was strictly forbidden during both Advent and Lent, but some areas permitted fowl. Most regions allowed the consumption of fish. Some areas prohibited fruit and eggs. In monasteries, little more than bread was consumed. On the Fridays of Lent and Advent, some believers abstained from food for the entire day; others ate only one meal. In most places, however, the Friday practice was to refrain from eating until the evening, when a small meal without vegetables or alcohol was eaten.
Yes, those were the days of the giants, when fasting and abstinence were real sacrifices. Today’s token fast (required only on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday) isn’t much of a burden: one full meal and two smaller meals. Is that really a fast at all? And we are only obligated to abstain from meat on the Fridays of Lent rather than the entire forty days.
What is most remarkable to me is that such fasts of old were undertaken by people who had a lot less to eat than we do today. Not only was there less food overall, but is was far more seasonal and its supply less predictable. Further, famines and food shortages were relatively common. Yet despite all this, they were able to fast twice a year for forty days at a stretch, eighty days in total. There were also “ember days” sporadically throughout the year at the change of seasons, when a daylong fast was enjoined.
Frankly, I doubt that we moderns could pull off the fast of the ancients, or even the elders of more recent centuries. Can you imagine all the belly-aching (pun intended) that would ensue if the Church called us to follow the strict norms of even 200 years ago? We would hear complaints that such demands were unrealistic and even unhealthy. Perhaps this is a good illustration of how enslaved we are by our abundance. The more we have, the more we want; and the more we want, the more we think we can’t survive without. We are so easily owned by what we claim to own, enslaved by our abundance.
When I ponder the Catholics of 100+ years ago, they seem like giants compared to us. They had so much less that we do today, yet they seem to have been so much freer. They were able to fast. Though poor, they built grand Churches and had large families. They fit so many more people into their homes. They lived and worked in conditions few of us would be able to tolerate. Sacrifice seemed more “normal” to them. I have not read that there were any huge outcries during those times, complaints that the “mean, nasty Church” imposed fasting and abstinence during Advent and Lent. (There have always been exceptions for the very young, the elderly, the sick, and pregnant women.) Neither have I read that fasting from midnight until receiving Communion the next day was considered too onerous. Somehow they accepted these sacrifices and were able to undertake them. They had a freedom that I think many of us lack.
Imagine the joy when, for a brief time, the fast was lifted: the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Gaudete Sunday, the Feast of the Annunciation, the Feast of St. Joseph, and Laetare Sunday. For us, Gaudete Sunday just means a pink candle, and wondering what we are rejoicing about. For Catholics of old, these were literally feast days. I fully admit to being a modern man. I find the fasting and abstinence described above nearly “impossible.” I did give up wine this Advent, and during Lent, I swore off radio and television. But something makes me look back to the giants of old, who, though having far less than I, did such things as a matter of course."
Video Presentation: Our Lady Queen of Advent, sermon by Fr. Gerard Hatton
link to video:
www.gloria.tv/video/udoEc1i2UXpm39w84mopahsKe
link to video:
www.gloria.tv/video/udoEc1i2UXpm39w84mopahsKe