Ijournal entry 102317 #42. October, Month of The Holy Rosary. The Rule of St. Benedict. Quotes Quotes by St. Augustine, St. Jerome, and St. Therese of Lisieux. "Which Kind of Soul Am I?" – Part I, by Saint Anthony Mary Claret. "WHAT IS THE IGNATIAN PRINCIPLE OF INDIFFERENCE AND WHY IS IT HELPFUL?", By Tom Mulcahy, M.A. Audio presentation: "Refurbishing the Soul", Episode 10, by Babsie Bleasdell.
The Rule of St. Benedict
"The prophet saith: Seven times a day have I given praise to thee. We shall observe this sacred number of seven, if we fulfil the duties of our service in the Hours of Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers and Compline; for it was of these day Hours that he said: Seven times a day have I given praise to thee. But of the Night Office the same prophet saith: I arose at midnight to give praise to thee. At these times, therefore, let us render praise to our Creator for the judgements of his justice: that is, at Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers and Compline; and let us rise in the night to praise him"
MC=My Comments -Remembering when this was in the forefront of my mind, and covering the bases of Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers and Compline was doable. Getting to bed after midnight, meant right on time for Matins. Getting up in the middle of the night took care of Lauds. Waking up with a contemplation or a though to think God for being alive covered Prime. Getting ready in the morning and listening to some spiritual presentation is checking in for Terse. Noon Mass was my Sext. None was evening Eucharistic Adoration. Vespers is spiritual reading, and Compline is saying the Rosary. The order of some things could be reversed as my schedule necessitated, by that was my informal way of attending to the formal. Now at times forgetting about Lauds. How easy we leak.
"The prophet saith: Seven times a day have I given praise to thee. We shall observe this sacred number of seven, if we fulfil the duties of our service in the Hours of Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers and Compline; for it was of these day Hours that he said: Seven times a day have I given praise to thee. But of the Night Office the same prophet saith: I arose at midnight to give praise to thee. At these times, therefore, let us render praise to our Creator for the judgements of his justice: that is, at Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers and Compline; and let us rise in the night to praise him"
MC=My Comments -Remembering when this was in the forefront of my mind, and covering the bases of Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers and Compline was doable. Getting to bed after midnight, meant right on time for Matins. Getting up in the middle of the night took care of Lauds. Waking up with a contemplation or a though to think God for being alive covered Prime. Getting ready in the morning and listening to some spiritual presentation is checking in for Terse. Noon Mass was my Sext. None was evening Eucharistic Adoration. Vespers is spiritual reading, and Compline is saying the Rosary. The order of some things could be reversed as my schedule necessitated, by that was my informal way of attending to the formal. Now at times forgetting about Lauds. How easy we leak.
Rosary Meditations by St. Maximillian Kolbe
Mary Visits Elizabeth. Luke 1:39-56 "During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord* should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed* that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” The Canticle of Mary.And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly.m The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home. |
By St. Maximilian Kolbe
Info from this site: http://missionimmaculata.com/images/Documents/Militia_of_the_Immaculata_ROSARY_MEDITATIONS_Brochure.pdf
Info from this site: http://missionimmaculata.com/images/Documents/Militia_of_the_Immaculata_ROSARY_MEDITATIONS_Brochure.pdf
🏐 "Mary was more blessed in accepting the faith of Christ than in conceiving the flesh of Christ. To someone who said, 'Blessed is the womb that bore you,' he replied, 'Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.' Finally, for his brothers, his relatives according to the flesh who did not believe in him, of what advantage was that relationship? Even her maternal relationship would have done Mary no good unless she had borne Christ more happily in her heart than in her flesh". St. Augustine
🍅 “As I follow no leader save Christ, so I communicate with none but your blessedness, that is, with the Chair of Peter. For this, I know, is the rock on which the Church is built. …This is the ark of Noah, and he who is not found in it shall perish when the flood prevails. …And as for heretics, I have never spared them; on the contrary, I have seen to it in every possible way that the Church’s enemies are also my enemies". By
St. Jerome
🌑"We often think we receive graces and are divinely illuminated by means of brilliant candles. But from whence comes their light? From prayers, perhaps, of some humble, hidden soul, whose inward shining is not apparent to human eyes". By St. Therese of Lisieux
🍅 “As I follow no leader save Christ, so I communicate with none but your blessedness, that is, with the Chair of Peter. For this, I know, is the rock on which the Church is built. …This is the ark of Noah, and he who is not found in it shall perish when the flood prevails. …And as for heretics, I have never spared them; on the contrary, I have seen to it in every possible way that the Church’s enemies are also my enemies". By
St. Jerome
🌑"We often think we receive graces and are divinely illuminated by means of brilliant candles. But from whence comes their light? From prayers, perhaps, of some humble, hidden soul, whose inward shining is not apparent to human eyes". By St. Therese of Lisieux
Hitting the jackpot by coming away with a text mess and a veggie for the GIG Apostolate with a C.S. Lewis quote:”The tuning up of an orchestra can be itself delightful, but only to those who can in some measure, however little, anticipate the symphony”. Had to say thank you to Dr. Tom Neal for the post on his website: Neal Obstat Theological Opining. It provided one day's text mess that was shared with others. My response to that quote may be a bit unconventional but it seems that during stressful times of trials, if we can envision those moments as God’s way of tuning up the orchestra, that is, our lives, we would be better off than wallowing in misery. Placing our complete trust in Him will secure the graces we need to bring about serenity and strength beyond measure. Grace can gift us with the faith to somewhat sense the spiritual marvels which are occurring below the monster iceberg that is causing so much pain. Fueled in excess, would be our resolve to press on, press on, press on.
The more the Holy Spirit lives in us, the better we’ll understand, not necessarily the nitty gritty details, because how can the finite perfectly process the infinite? But, for whatever is necessary to keep standing, we'll find clarity in our hearts to keep on keeping on if they are open and surrendered to the Lord. This can trigger a thankful gratefulness, due to the realization that the love of God is working a greater "EVERLASTING" Good. It's about more than what meets the eye, or what we can ever imagine. What can help tweak our level of understanding are the following: silence, prayer from the heart, guarding all five senses from garbage, and an intense sacramental life where we frequently utilize ALL of the Sacraments available to us in our current state of life. A "must" is reverencing God, and not man or ourselves. One also needs to study, incorporate a daily diet of Lectio Divina, and of course settle comfortably into Eucharistic Adoration. The focus must be strictly Christ centered and an prevailing unmindfulness of the people around and about. The degree to which we allow the Holy Spirit to purify our actions, is the degree to which we ascend to sweeter higher grounds. Maybe someone have a string of "wisdom and knowledge pearls" that can spiritually adorn and enhance the suggestions above.
The more the Holy Spirit lives in us, the better we’ll understand, not necessarily the nitty gritty details, because how can the finite perfectly process the infinite? But, for whatever is necessary to keep standing, we'll find clarity in our hearts to keep on keeping on if they are open and surrendered to the Lord. This can trigger a thankful gratefulness, due to the realization that the love of God is working a greater "EVERLASTING" Good. It's about more than what meets the eye, or what we can ever imagine. What can help tweak our level of understanding are the following: silence, prayer from the heart, guarding all five senses from garbage, and an intense sacramental life where we frequently utilize ALL of the Sacraments available to us in our current state of life. A "must" is reverencing God, and not man or ourselves. One also needs to study, incorporate a daily diet of Lectio Divina, and of course settle comfortably into Eucharistic Adoration. The focus must be strictly Christ centered and an prevailing unmindfulness of the people around and about. The degree to which we allow the Holy Spirit to purify our actions, is the degree to which we ascend to sweeter higher grounds. Maybe someone have a string of "wisdom and knowledge pearls" that can spiritually adorn and enhance the suggestions above.
"Which Kind of Soul Am I?" – Part I, by Saint Anthony Mary Claret
Info fro. This site:
https://harvestingthefruitsofcontemplation.blogspot.com/2017/10/monday-musings-which-kind-of-soul-am-i.html
[Saint Anthony Mary Claret lived in the nineteenth century, was Archbishop of Santiago Cuba, a great writer and preacher. He founded three religious orders and had the gift of prophecy and the discernment of hearts.]
The Golden Key to Heaven – An Explanation of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.
“The first class…consists of those who want to aspire to perfection and follow Jesus Christ, but only in speech and not in their heart. If you would know about this class of souls, come with me to a sick man’s house. See there a man half consumed with the heat of a fever. His ailment is getting worse by the moment and he is near death. A physician comes to him in this condition. After examining him the physician says, 'The sickness is very dangerous, but if the patient will make use of the medications I will prescribe, he can still recover his health.' Now this is just what the sick man does not like. 'With all my heart I want to recover,' he says, 'but do not oblige me to take medications; for by no means can I nor will I take them. Now tell me, does this sick man have a true desire to get well?
From this man who is sick in his body, let us pass on the house of someone sick in his soul. See a person stretched out, as it were, in the abandoned throes of habitual lukewarmness. He is told that his ailment can still be remedied, that it requires no more than that he resolve to make his prayers with fervor, that he conduct himself in a spirit of love and with the pure intention of pleasing God, that he walk in God’s presence, uniting himself to Him frequently by means of holy affection, that he zealously mortify himself, that every day he offer God this sacrifice, which is so acceptable to Him; that by doing this, the road that leads to sanctity is still open to him. But oh! This is just what the man does not want. 'With all my heart I want to gain perfection,' he says, 'but to put these means of reaching it into practice is something too hard and difficult for me.' Now tell me, does this soul have a serious will to attain perfection?”
[An Act of Repentance]…Have still a little patience with me, O Jesus! With all my heart I detest and hate all my negligence, and the abuse I have made of all the graces and means which in Thy kindness Thou hast given me. Until now I have spent my life without having any care for the glory of Thy Holy Name, or for the salvation of my soul. Thou, by a feat of Thy Mercy, have this day enlightened me to know my sinfulness. Again, I detest it, I hate it, and I earnestly resolve to endeavor henceforth to be upright and perfect, as Thou are asking me to be…"
Info fro. This site:
https://harvestingthefruitsofcontemplation.blogspot.com/2017/10/monday-musings-which-kind-of-soul-am-i.html
[Saint Anthony Mary Claret lived in the nineteenth century, was Archbishop of Santiago Cuba, a great writer and preacher. He founded three religious orders and had the gift of prophecy and the discernment of hearts.]
The Golden Key to Heaven – An Explanation of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.
“The first class…consists of those who want to aspire to perfection and follow Jesus Christ, but only in speech and not in their heart. If you would know about this class of souls, come with me to a sick man’s house. See there a man half consumed with the heat of a fever. His ailment is getting worse by the moment and he is near death. A physician comes to him in this condition. After examining him the physician says, 'The sickness is very dangerous, but if the patient will make use of the medications I will prescribe, he can still recover his health.' Now this is just what the sick man does not like. 'With all my heart I want to recover,' he says, 'but do not oblige me to take medications; for by no means can I nor will I take them. Now tell me, does this sick man have a true desire to get well?
From this man who is sick in his body, let us pass on the house of someone sick in his soul. See a person stretched out, as it were, in the abandoned throes of habitual lukewarmness. He is told that his ailment can still be remedied, that it requires no more than that he resolve to make his prayers with fervor, that he conduct himself in a spirit of love and with the pure intention of pleasing God, that he walk in God’s presence, uniting himself to Him frequently by means of holy affection, that he zealously mortify himself, that every day he offer God this sacrifice, which is so acceptable to Him; that by doing this, the road that leads to sanctity is still open to him. But oh! This is just what the man does not want. 'With all my heart I want to gain perfection,' he says, 'but to put these means of reaching it into practice is something too hard and difficult for me.' Now tell me, does this soul have a serious will to attain perfection?”
[An Act of Repentance]…Have still a little patience with me, O Jesus! With all my heart I detest and hate all my negligence, and the abuse I have made of all the graces and means which in Thy kindness Thou hast given me. Until now I have spent my life without having any care for the glory of Thy Holy Name, or for the salvation of my soul. Thou, by a feat of Thy Mercy, have this day enlightened me to know my sinfulness. Again, I detest it, I hate it, and I earnestly resolve to endeavor henceforth to be upright and perfect, as Thou are asking me to be…"
"WHAT IS THE IGNATIAN PRINCIPLE OF INDIFFERENCE AND WHY IS IT HELPFUL?", By Tom Mulcahy, M.A.
Info from this site: https://catholicstrength.com/2017/08/16/what-is-the-ignatian-principle-of-indifference-and-why-is-it-helpful/
“We must make ourselves indifferent to all created things, as far as we are allowed… Consequently…we should not prefer health to sickness, riches to poverty, honor to dishonor, a long life to a short life. The same holds for all other things. Our one desire and choice should be what is more conducive to the end for which we were created” (#23 of The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola)."This is the famous Ignatian principle of indifference (of being dispassionate about what happens to us as long as it is for the glory of God). It is a foundational principle of The Spiritual Exercises. Since the battle for our souls is won in the mind, Ignatius is training us to think with apostolic wisdom and fortitude, namely, to train our pattern of thinking to be “indifferent to all created things.” This principle is not always easy to grasp, but I will try to explain it in the following manner (relying heavily on Father Hardon’s book, Retreat With the Lord, and an essay by Karl Rahner, S.J.):
🕸1. Because of our fallen nature we have very strong attachments to persons and things that are not necessarily conducive to our salvation.
🕸2. The main purpose of our life is to know, love and serve God and thus to attain eternal life: next to this goal everything else amounts to practically nothing (unless it is used in service of this goal).
🕸3. People on earth tend to act in this manner: they are indifferent to God and very attentive to creatures and things. Ignatius advises that this situation should be exactly the opposite: we should be very attentive to God and indifferent to all created things except to the extent that these created things help us to serve and give glory to God. Thus, detachment from and mortification of our inordinate desire for earthly things is necessary. Therefore, we should make use of created things only insofar as they help us to attain our eternal destiny.
🕸4. Thus, the main purpose of created things is to help us reach heaven. To the extent created things hinder me from reaching my eternal destiny, they are to be discarded. Everything in our lives is to be brought under the Lordship of Christ.
🕸5. And yet this principle of indifference goes deeper. If we are to develop apostolic strength of mind, and thus avoid or minimize disabling anxiety, we need to become indifferent to what happens to us – provided we are trying to accomplish the will of God and lead a holy life. Thus, as an extreme example, if you were kidnapped tomorrow and forced to live in a small dungeon away from your loved ones, you would accept this unfortunate turn of events as God’s permissive will and do your best under the circumstances. This state of mind trains us to understand that nothing happens to us except by God’s permission. He knows every hair on our heads. If misfortune comes, despite our good efforts, we are to accept it as God’s will and to make the best of the circumstances. This apostolic strength of mind makes us less hostile to the crosses that God will call us to carry – as we will see them as part of His amazing plan for our salvation. Developing this state of mind leads to peace of soul under trying circumstances. Ignatius is basically teaching us to trust God no matter what happens because we are always under the Father’s providential care. Boldly ask the Holy Spirit for apostolic strength of mind. This is the type of strength St. Maximilian Kolbe demonstrated when he ministered the gospel at the Auschwitz extermination camp – he having achieved such a high degree of apostolic strength of mind that he even volunteered to take the place of a man who had been sentenced to death by starvation. Kolbe was placed in a small cell to endure the slow and painful death of starvation.
🕸6. By exercising this principle of indifference, we do not become dispassionate stoics, but rather we seek God’s will whether in pain or pleasure, health or sickness, success or failure, etc., knowing that whatever God allows to happen to us is ultimately, in His mysterious providence, for our ultimate welfare.
🕸7. This indifference does not make us “aloof to the world,” but reaffirms the fact that all of history is rooted in the “eschatological goal of salvation.”
I hope this may be of some help to you, since this principle of indifference is a foundational principle of Ignatian spirituality. It helps us to order our lives for the glory of God and is of immense value when strong winds or even hurricanes come into our lives."
Info from this site: https://catholicstrength.com/2017/08/16/what-is-the-ignatian-principle-of-indifference-and-why-is-it-helpful/
“We must make ourselves indifferent to all created things, as far as we are allowed… Consequently…we should not prefer health to sickness, riches to poverty, honor to dishonor, a long life to a short life. The same holds for all other things. Our one desire and choice should be what is more conducive to the end for which we were created” (#23 of The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola)."This is the famous Ignatian principle of indifference (of being dispassionate about what happens to us as long as it is for the glory of God). It is a foundational principle of The Spiritual Exercises. Since the battle for our souls is won in the mind, Ignatius is training us to think with apostolic wisdom and fortitude, namely, to train our pattern of thinking to be “indifferent to all created things.” This principle is not always easy to grasp, but I will try to explain it in the following manner (relying heavily on Father Hardon’s book, Retreat With the Lord, and an essay by Karl Rahner, S.J.):
🕸1. Because of our fallen nature we have very strong attachments to persons and things that are not necessarily conducive to our salvation.
🕸2. The main purpose of our life is to know, love and serve God and thus to attain eternal life: next to this goal everything else amounts to practically nothing (unless it is used in service of this goal).
🕸3. People on earth tend to act in this manner: they are indifferent to God and very attentive to creatures and things. Ignatius advises that this situation should be exactly the opposite: we should be very attentive to God and indifferent to all created things except to the extent that these created things help us to serve and give glory to God. Thus, detachment from and mortification of our inordinate desire for earthly things is necessary. Therefore, we should make use of created things only insofar as they help us to attain our eternal destiny.
🕸4. Thus, the main purpose of created things is to help us reach heaven. To the extent created things hinder me from reaching my eternal destiny, they are to be discarded. Everything in our lives is to be brought under the Lordship of Christ.
🕸5. And yet this principle of indifference goes deeper. If we are to develop apostolic strength of mind, and thus avoid or minimize disabling anxiety, we need to become indifferent to what happens to us – provided we are trying to accomplish the will of God and lead a holy life. Thus, as an extreme example, if you were kidnapped tomorrow and forced to live in a small dungeon away from your loved ones, you would accept this unfortunate turn of events as God’s permissive will and do your best under the circumstances. This state of mind trains us to understand that nothing happens to us except by God’s permission. He knows every hair on our heads. If misfortune comes, despite our good efforts, we are to accept it as God’s will and to make the best of the circumstances. This apostolic strength of mind makes us less hostile to the crosses that God will call us to carry – as we will see them as part of His amazing plan for our salvation. Developing this state of mind leads to peace of soul under trying circumstances. Ignatius is basically teaching us to trust God no matter what happens because we are always under the Father’s providential care. Boldly ask the Holy Spirit for apostolic strength of mind. This is the type of strength St. Maximilian Kolbe demonstrated when he ministered the gospel at the Auschwitz extermination camp – he having achieved such a high degree of apostolic strength of mind that he even volunteered to take the place of a man who had been sentenced to death by starvation. Kolbe was placed in a small cell to endure the slow and painful death of starvation.
🕸6. By exercising this principle of indifference, we do not become dispassionate stoics, but rather we seek God’s will whether in pain or pleasure, health or sickness, success or failure, etc., knowing that whatever God allows to happen to us is ultimately, in His mysterious providence, for our ultimate welfare.
🕸7. This indifference does not make us “aloof to the world,” but reaffirms the fact that all of history is rooted in the “eschatological goal of salvation.”
I hope this may be of some help to you, since this principle of indifference is a foundational principle of Ignatian spirituality. It helps us to order our lives for the glory of God and is of immense value when strong winds or even hurricanes come into our lives."
Audio presentation: "Refurbishing the Soul", Episode 10 by Babsie Bleasdell
Link to audio presentation:
http://listen.ewtn.com/~IJ/~IJ000002.mp3
Link to audio presentation:
http://listen.ewtn.com/~IJ/~IJ000002.mp3