Ijournal entry 030617 #10. March, month of St. Joseph. The rule of St. Benedict. 1st Week of Lent. Quotes by Servant of God Fr. John Hardon, St. Colette, and St. Ignatius of Loyola. "What St. John Vianney Taught About the Value of Suffering", by Gretchen Filz. Senses Part 4 online Retreat: "Taste and See: Experiencing God with Our Sense of Touch", by Ginny Kubitz Moyer. YouTube video: "Living a Supernatural life", by Marino Resprepo.
Conformity to the Will of God"Great St. Joseph, to whose will the Savior subjected Himself, obtain for me the grace to subject myself in all things to the will of God. Through the merits you obtained when in the darkness of night you obeyed the angel's commands, ask for me this grace, that nothing may detain me from fulfilling the will of God with perfect conformity. In the stable of Bethlehem, on the flight to Egypt, you recommended yourself and those dear to you to divine Providence. Ask for me this same grace to conform myself to the will of God in discouragement and despondency, in health and sickness, in happiness and misfortune, in success and failure so that nothing may disturb the tranquility of my soul in obediently following the way of God for me. Amen."
Info from this site
http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/tp/Prayers_March.htm
Info from this site
http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/tp/Prayers_March.htm
lent week 1
St. Gregory the Great: "God scourges our faults with strokes of love, to cleanse us from our iniquities.” Strokes of love. Not lashes and paddles, but strokes of love"
Our Lenten response:What stroke of love can we offer the least of the brethren today, doing it for Christ Jesus Himself?
Our Lenten response:What stroke of love can we offer the least of the brethren today, doing it for Christ Jesus Himself?
The Rule of St. Benedict
"Let the abbot exercise all diligence in his care for erring brethren, for they that are in health need not a physician, but they that are sick. He ought, therefore, as a wise physician, to use every remedy in his power. Let him send senpectae, that is old and prudent brethren, who may as it were secretly comfort the troubled brother, inducing him to make humble satisfaction and consoling him lest he be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. As the apostle saith: Let charity be strengthened towards him; and let everyone pray for him. For the abbot is bound to use the greatest care, and to exercise all prudence and diligence, so that he may not lose any of the sheep entrusted to him. Let him know that what he has undertaken is the charge of weakly souls, and not a tyranny over the strong; and let him fear the threat of the prophet, wherein God saith: What you saw to be fat, that ye took to yourselves: and what was feeble, ye cast away. And let him imitate the merciful example of the Good Shepherd, who left the ninety and nine sheep in the mountains and went after the one sheep that had strayed; and had so great pity on its weakness, that he deigned to place it on his own sacred shoulders and so bring it back to the flock"
MC= We must model our behavior after the Good Shepherd and another proof that the Lord Lord sinners, the Holy is not carried on His shoulders, but the stray sinner sheep that gets the ride of his life. Let us take advantage and soak up all the graces we can as we ride high on the shoulder of the Good Shepherd, or may it be me taking advantage of such a loft position on the shoulders of Christ Jesus and not let it be in vain.
"Let the abbot exercise all diligence in his care for erring brethren, for they that are in health need not a physician, but they that are sick. He ought, therefore, as a wise physician, to use every remedy in his power. Let him send senpectae, that is old and prudent brethren, who may as it were secretly comfort the troubled brother, inducing him to make humble satisfaction and consoling him lest he be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. As the apostle saith: Let charity be strengthened towards him; and let everyone pray for him. For the abbot is bound to use the greatest care, and to exercise all prudence and diligence, so that he may not lose any of the sheep entrusted to him. Let him know that what he has undertaken is the charge of weakly souls, and not a tyranny over the strong; and let him fear the threat of the prophet, wherein God saith: What you saw to be fat, that ye took to yourselves: and what was feeble, ye cast away. And let him imitate the merciful example of the Good Shepherd, who left the ninety and nine sheep in the mountains and went after the one sheep that had strayed; and had so great pity on its weakness, that he deigned to place it on his own sacred shoulders and so bring it back to the flock"
MC= We must model our behavior after the Good Shepherd and another proof that the Lord Lord sinners, the Holy is not carried on His shoulders, but the stray sinner sheep that gets the ride of his life. Let us take advantage and soak up all the graces we can as we ride high on the shoulder of the Good Shepherd, or may it be me taking advantage of such a loft position on the shoulders of Christ Jesus and not let it be in vain.
⚫️ "Fruit of Patience: A form of the moral virtue of fortitude. It enables one to endure present evils without sadness or resentment in conformity with the will of God. Patience is mainly concerned with bearing the evils caused by another. The three grades of patience are: Lowest: to bear difficulties without interior complaint, Middle: to use hardships to make progress in virtue, Highest: to desire the cross and afflictions for Christ's love, to have something to offer up, and to accept them with spiritual joy." By Servant of God Fr. John Hardon
🎾 "If there be a true way that leads to the Everlasting Kingdom, it is most certainly that of suffering, patiently endured." By St. Colette
🔵 “Spiritual Exercises” is meant every method of examination of conscience, of meditation, of contemplation, of vocal and mental prayer, and of other spiritual activities. For just as taking a walk, journeying on foot, and running are bodily exercises, so we call Spiritual Exercises every way of preparing and disposing the soul to rid itself of all inordinate attachments, and, after their removal, of seeking and finding the will of God in the disposition of our life for the salvation of our soul.” By St. Ignatius of Loyola
🎾 "If there be a true way that leads to the Everlasting Kingdom, it is most certainly that of suffering, patiently endured." By St. Colette
🔵 “Spiritual Exercises” is meant every method of examination of conscience, of meditation, of contemplation, of vocal and mental prayer, and of other spiritual activities. For just as taking a walk, journeying on foot, and running are bodily exercises, so we call Spiritual Exercises every way of preparing and disposing the soul to rid itself of all inordinate attachments, and, after their removal, of seeking and finding the will of God in the disposition of our life for the salvation of our soul.” By St. Ignatius of Loyola
The veggie today is my response to a post titled: "All rind, no meat". It is from the site: "Neal Obstat Theological Opining", by Thomas J. Neal,Ph.D. It was the Holy Spirit's way of helping me launch into the deep. A little understanding here and there help us move from the shore into the water bit by bit. Such movements constitutes moving into the deep, because it is a step by step process that lasts a lifetime. Found that site and didn't even know it was a site by a professor at our own N.O. Seminary of Notre Dame. The website address is: https://nealobstat.wordpress.com.
The post came on the right day at just the right time for me. It seems the Holy Spirit is using recent events as stepping stones towards serious growth. Before the post arrived, the stage was set with my weekly Confession visit. One goal is to frequent the Sacrament of Reconciliation weekly, and praise God for the blessing to get cleansed and have an opportunity to receive graces to make further progress in the spiritual life. The priest spoke about the need to work on concrete changes. He said that we can ask God to change us, but we have work to do. We must do our part. Thankful to God for the graces given to make at least the first step. Step number one is moving in the right direction by asking Him to help me change. How this can be accomplished, and what is the fuel that will keep the fire burning? That is on a slow simmer, so the post came in handy to jump start the journey.
The portion of the post most touching was when Dr. TJN said he shared some lofty experiences and deep insights with His spiritual director, and the priest director responded:
“How are you doing with your sister?”.
For me reading that, it was like a gentle breeze to my soul. Then the question was repeated by the spiritual director, and Dr. TJN's response was:
“Well, as I told you last time, I’m not ready to re-connect with her yet. Still too raw. But with all due respect, what does that have to do with what I’m sharing with you, Father?”
This time his response served as a light touch of a feather to my soul. Now when the priest said to Dr. TJN:
“Well, when you’re ready to forgive her and reach out again for the umpteenth time and face the unpleasantness of love, then I’ll be impressed with your experiences in prayer. Until then, it’s all rind, no meat. Next time you get filled up by your prayer, be sure to spend it on your sister”.
Needless to say, that was the two by four coming down upon my head real hard and heavy.
So very glad for the insight, for how superior insight is to hindsight. It became very clear to me that what is working well in our spiritual lives, the delectable spiritual morsels coming our way, should not be the main focus of our delight. To become perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect and to continue to operate in His most Holy Will at every present moment should be the delight that one thirsts for. Forgiving, loving, repenting, etc. should be our delight. To get it right, day in and day out for our good and God's glory is the right focus. As the Holy Spirit would have it, watching the YouTube video of the opening night celebration of the 50th year anniversary of the Charismatic Renewal Movement, a few days before the post was right on time and necessary to get me to now be able to reflect on the word “thirst”. The reason being, the word “thirst” would have an important role to play in the inspired insight from the post.
If we thirst to change our behavior, we will then be open to drink. For people who are not thirsty, there is no need for them to drink. When we truly thirst, our desire is great and it will be strong enough to motivate us to do whatever is necessary to quench that thirst for "change". We do not change, rather it’s me O Lord not changing, because of a lack of thirst. We may be already satiated on wonderful prayer experiences, on our own will being accomplished, on obstinacy, on stubbornness, etc, etc, etc. Listening to another YouTube video (video listening time is usually in the morning while getting ready in the morning), think it was one by Friar Antonio (Poor Friars and Poor Nuns nuke.poorfriars.net), the connection was made how salt can make us thirsty. So for me that is to let my desire become as salt, then there will be in operation at every present moment, a thirst to provoke change, a change that is working to transform errant ways that are displeasing to God.
The post illustrated to me how the grand and glorious experiences that grants us graces and strength, are to serve as fuel to help one labor at the task at hand. It’s hard labor to bend a stubborn will to cooperate with grace in order to make the necessary changes that will allow Jesus to live and abide in us to the extent where He can do the work of perfection within.
The post came on the right day at just the right time for me. It seems the Holy Spirit is using recent events as stepping stones towards serious growth. Before the post arrived, the stage was set with my weekly Confession visit. One goal is to frequent the Sacrament of Reconciliation weekly, and praise God for the blessing to get cleansed and have an opportunity to receive graces to make further progress in the spiritual life. The priest spoke about the need to work on concrete changes. He said that we can ask God to change us, but we have work to do. We must do our part. Thankful to God for the graces given to make at least the first step. Step number one is moving in the right direction by asking Him to help me change. How this can be accomplished, and what is the fuel that will keep the fire burning? That is on a slow simmer, so the post came in handy to jump start the journey.
The portion of the post most touching was when Dr. TJN said he shared some lofty experiences and deep insights with His spiritual director, and the priest director responded:
“How are you doing with your sister?”.
For me reading that, it was like a gentle breeze to my soul. Then the question was repeated by the spiritual director, and Dr. TJN's response was:
“Well, as I told you last time, I’m not ready to re-connect with her yet. Still too raw. But with all due respect, what does that have to do with what I’m sharing with you, Father?”
This time his response served as a light touch of a feather to my soul. Now when the priest said to Dr. TJN:
“Well, when you’re ready to forgive her and reach out again for the umpteenth time and face the unpleasantness of love, then I’ll be impressed with your experiences in prayer. Until then, it’s all rind, no meat. Next time you get filled up by your prayer, be sure to spend it on your sister”.
Needless to say, that was the two by four coming down upon my head real hard and heavy.
So very glad for the insight, for how superior insight is to hindsight. It became very clear to me that what is working well in our spiritual lives, the delectable spiritual morsels coming our way, should not be the main focus of our delight. To become perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect and to continue to operate in His most Holy Will at every present moment should be the delight that one thirsts for. Forgiving, loving, repenting, etc. should be our delight. To get it right, day in and day out for our good and God's glory is the right focus. As the Holy Spirit would have it, watching the YouTube video of the opening night celebration of the 50th year anniversary of the Charismatic Renewal Movement, a few days before the post was right on time and necessary to get me to now be able to reflect on the word “thirst”. The reason being, the word “thirst” would have an important role to play in the inspired insight from the post.
If we thirst to change our behavior, we will then be open to drink. For people who are not thirsty, there is no need for them to drink. When we truly thirst, our desire is great and it will be strong enough to motivate us to do whatever is necessary to quench that thirst for "change". We do not change, rather it’s me O Lord not changing, because of a lack of thirst. We may be already satiated on wonderful prayer experiences, on our own will being accomplished, on obstinacy, on stubbornness, etc, etc, etc. Listening to another YouTube video (video listening time is usually in the morning while getting ready in the morning), think it was one by Friar Antonio (Poor Friars and Poor Nuns nuke.poorfriars.net), the connection was made how salt can make us thirsty. So for me that is to let my desire become as salt, then there will be in operation at every present moment, a thirst to provoke change, a change that is working to transform errant ways that are displeasing to God.
The post illustrated to me how the grand and glorious experiences that grants us graces and strength, are to serve as fuel to help one labor at the task at hand. It’s hard labor to bend a stubborn will to cooperate with grace in order to make the necessary changes that will allow Jesus to live and abide in us to the extent where He can do the work of perfection within.
For as much real estate as Jesus gets to buy up in our soul, as the owner, He will be able to do as He pleases. And what pleases Him?
What is the great command?
At the beginning of the post this quote by St. Silouan was a “rock my world” quote, setting the bar real high so we can go for the gold and win !!! To me my response was unconventional so wasn't very comfortable sharing. It was like a "hold your breath" moment, exhale, and let it be since that was the way the Holy Spirit was “workin it” for me.
Well to my surprise, surprise, surprise, Dr. TJN's response was shocking:
Thomas J. Neal, Ph.D. says:
Astonishing.
I run out of superlatives with you, tmm.
I pray your comments through.
So honest, real, passionate, rhythmic.
Please remain here as you can and share when you feel so moved.
May all your aspirations and divine face-slams bear fruit in your life!
Peace and all good,
tn
My response to his response is Holy Spirit, continue to come, come, come. When you are at work, the morsel is not tasteless and insipid. The proof is in the pudding as the Holy Spirit never fails to deliver if He is indeed the one at work.
Thomas J. Neal, Ph.D. says:
Astonishing.
I run out of superlatives with you, tmm.
I pray your comments through.
So honest, real, passionate, rhythmic.
Please remain here as you can and share when you feel so moved.
May all your aspirations and divine face-slams bear fruit in your life!
Peace and all good,
tn
My response to his response is Holy Spirit, continue to come, come, come. When you are at work, the morsel is not tasteless and insipid. The proof is in the pudding as the Holy Spirit never fails to deliver if He is indeed the one at work.
Part 1
"What St. John Vianney Taught About the Value of Suffering", by Gretchen Filz
Info from this site
www.catholiccompany.com/getfed/st-john-vianney-catechism-suffering/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CatholicCompanyBlog+%28Catholic+Company+Blog%29
"One of the more meaningful and fulfilling parts of Catholic doctrine, that is not as well-developed in other Christian denominations, is the incredible value of suffering; “offer it up” habitually rolls off the Catholic tongue in response to the troubles that enter our lives. Unfortunately, many Christians believe that Jesus suffered and died for us so that we will not have to suffer at all. But that is only partially true.
While Jesus did suffer and die to save us, and those in heaven will have every tear wiped from their eyes
"What St. John Vianney Taught About the Value of Suffering", by Gretchen Filz
Info from this site
www.catholiccompany.com/getfed/st-john-vianney-catechism-suffering/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CatholicCompanyBlog+%28Catholic+Company+Blog%29
"One of the more meaningful and fulfilling parts of Catholic doctrine, that is not as well-developed in other Christian denominations, is the incredible value of suffering; “offer it up” habitually rolls off the Catholic tongue in response to the troubles that enter our lives. Unfortunately, many Christians believe that Jesus suffered and died for us so that we will not have to suffer at all. But that is only partially true.
While Jesus did suffer and die to save us, and those in heaven will have every tear wiped from their eyes
our path of salvation in this life to that eternal reward is to follow in his footsteps; and Jesus promised us that if we are truly his disciples, we will suffer just as he did
And this suffering is never meaningless; it is always meant for the sanctification of our souls to prepare us for heaven, no matter what form it comes in: sickness, loss of a loved one, relationship trouble, financial hardship, emotional turmoil, family strife, religious persecution, natural disasters, career difficulties, government oppression, etc. Suffering always teaches us about God, about ourselves, and about our relationship with him. If we “offer it up” we surrender all the pain to the redeeming power of the cross of Christ. And those who have done this well, the saints, tell us that their suffering was always worth it.
St. John Vianney, the famous Cure of Ars and patron saint of priests, wrote catechetical instructions on various topics for the many souls he directed. Here is his teaching on the topic of suffering and the great worth it has in the life of the Christian. It is an especially poignant teaching for Lent, this season when the Church calls us to penance and self-denial, which is a kind of voluntary suffering.
📗CATECHISM ON SUFFERING BY ST. JOHN VIANNEY
Whether we will or not, we must suffer. There are some who suffer like the good thief, and others like the bad thief. They both suffered equally. But one knew how to make his sufferings meritorious, he accepted them in the spirit of reparation, and turning towards Jesus crucified, he received from His mouth these beautiful words: “This day thou shalt be with Me in Paradise. ” The other, on the contrary, cried out, uttered imprecations and blasphemies, and expired in the most frightful despair.
📍There are two ways of suffering –
✒️to suffer with love,
✒️and to suffer without love.
The saints suffered everything with joy, patience, and perseverance, because they loved. As for us, we suffer with anger, vexation, and weariness, because we do not love. If we loved God, we should love crosses, we should wish for them, we should take pleasure in them. . . . We should be happy to be able to suffer for the love of Him who lovingly suffered for us. Of what do we complain? Alas! the poor infidels, who have not the happiness of knowing God and His infinite loveliness, have the same crosses that we have; but they have not the same consolations. You say it is hard? No, it is easy, it is consoling, it is sweet; it is happiness. Only we must love while we suffer, and suffer while we love.
📍On the Way of the Cross, you see, my children, only the first step is painful.
✒️Our greatest cross is the fear of crosses. . . . We have not the courage to carry our cross, and we are very much mistaken; for, whatever we do, the cross holds us tight – we cannot escape from it. What, then, have we to lose? Why not love our crosses and make use of them to take us to Heaven?
✒️But, on the contrary, most men turn their backs upon crosses, and fly before them. The more they run, the more the cross pursues them, the more it strikes and crushes them with burdens. . . . If you were wise, you would go to meet it like St. Andrew, who said, when he saw the cross prepared for him and raised up into the air, “Hail O good cross! O admirable cross! O desirable cross! Receive me into thine arms, withdraw me from among men, and restore me to my Master, who redeemed me through thee.”
📍Listen attentively to this, my children: He who goes to meet the cross, goes in the opposite direction to crosses; he meets them, perhaps, but he is pleased to meet them; he loves them; he carries them courageously. They unite him to Our Lord; they purify him; they detach him from this world; they remove all obstacles from his heart; they help him to pass through life, as a bridge helps us to pass over water. . . . Look at the saints; when they were not persecuted, they persecuted themselves. A good religious complained one day to Our Lord that he was persecuted. He said, “O Lord, what have I done to be treated thus?” Our Lord answered him, “And I, what had I done when I was led to Calvary?” Then the religious understood; he wept, he asked pardon, and dared not complain any more. Worldly people are miserable when they have crosses, and good Christians are miserable when they have none. The Christian lives in the midst of crosses, as the fish lives in the sea.
📍Look at St. Catherine; she has two crowns, that of purity and that of martyrdom: how happy she is, that dear little saint, to have chosen to suffer rather than to consent to sin! There was once a religious who loved suffering so much that he had fastened the rope from a well round his body; this cord had rubbed off the skin, and had by degrees buried itself in the flesh, out of which worms came. His brethren asked that he should be sent out of the community. He went away happy and pleased, to hide himself in a rocky cavern. But the same night the superior heard Our Lord saying to him: “Thou hast lost the treasure of thy house.” Then they went to fetch back this good saint, and they wanted to see from whence these worms came. The superior had the cord taken off, which was done by turning back the flesh. At last he got well.
📍Very near this, in a neighboring parish, there was a little boy in bed, covered with sores, very ill, and very miserable; I said to him, “My poor little child, you are suffering very much!” He answered me, “No, sir; today I do not feel the pain I had yesterday, and tomorrow I shall not suffer from the pain I have now.” “You would like to get well?” “No; I was naughty before I was ill, and I might be so again. I am very well as I am.” We do not understand that, because we are too earthly. Children in whom the Holy Ghost dwells put us to shame.
📍If the good God sends us crosses, we resist, we complain, we murmur; we are so averse to whatever contradicts us, that we want to be always in a box of cotton: but we ought to be put into a box of thorns. It is by the Cross that we go to Heaven. Illnesses, temptations, troubles, are so many crosses which take us to Heaven. All this will soon be over. . . . Look at the saints, who have arrived there before us. . . . The good God does not require of us the martyrdom of the body; He requires only the martyrdom of the heart, and of the will. . . . Our Lord is our model; let us take up our cross, and follow Him. Let us do like the soldiers of Napoleon. They had to cross a bridge under the fire of grapeshot; no one dared to pass it. Napoleon took the colors, marched over first, and they all followed. Let us do the same; let us follow Our Lord, who has gone before us"
St. John Vianney, the famous Cure of Ars and patron saint of priests, wrote catechetical instructions on various topics for the many souls he directed. Here is his teaching on the topic of suffering and the great worth it has in the life of the Christian. It is an especially poignant teaching for Lent, this season when the Church calls us to penance and self-denial, which is a kind of voluntary suffering.
📗CATECHISM ON SUFFERING BY ST. JOHN VIANNEY
Whether we will or not, we must suffer. There are some who suffer like the good thief, and others like the bad thief. They both suffered equally. But one knew how to make his sufferings meritorious, he accepted them in the spirit of reparation, and turning towards Jesus crucified, he received from His mouth these beautiful words: “This day thou shalt be with Me in Paradise. ” The other, on the contrary, cried out, uttered imprecations and blasphemies, and expired in the most frightful despair.
📍There are two ways of suffering –
✒️to suffer with love,
✒️and to suffer without love.
The saints suffered everything with joy, patience, and perseverance, because they loved. As for us, we suffer with anger, vexation, and weariness, because we do not love. If we loved God, we should love crosses, we should wish for them, we should take pleasure in them. . . . We should be happy to be able to suffer for the love of Him who lovingly suffered for us. Of what do we complain? Alas! the poor infidels, who have not the happiness of knowing God and His infinite loveliness, have the same crosses that we have; but they have not the same consolations. You say it is hard? No, it is easy, it is consoling, it is sweet; it is happiness. Only we must love while we suffer, and suffer while we love.
📍On the Way of the Cross, you see, my children, only the first step is painful.
✒️Our greatest cross is the fear of crosses. . . . We have not the courage to carry our cross, and we are very much mistaken; for, whatever we do, the cross holds us tight – we cannot escape from it. What, then, have we to lose? Why not love our crosses and make use of them to take us to Heaven?
✒️But, on the contrary, most men turn their backs upon crosses, and fly before them. The more they run, the more the cross pursues them, the more it strikes and crushes them with burdens. . . . If you were wise, you would go to meet it like St. Andrew, who said, when he saw the cross prepared for him and raised up into the air, “Hail O good cross! O admirable cross! O desirable cross! Receive me into thine arms, withdraw me from among men, and restore me to my Master, who redeemed me through thee.”
📍Listen attentively to this, my children: He who goes to meet the cross, goes in the opposite direction to crosses; he meets them, perhaps, but he is pleased to meet them; he loves them; he carries them courageously. They unite him to Our Lord; they purify him; they detach him from this world; they remove all obstacles from his heart; they help him to pass through life, as a bridge helps us to pass over water. . . . Look at the saints; when they were not persecuted, they persecuted themselves. A good religious complained one day to Our Lord that he was persecuted. He said, “O Lord, what have I done to be treated thus?” Our Lord answered him, “And I, what had I done when I was led to Calvary?” Then the religious understood; he wept, he asked pardon, and dared not complain any more. Worldly people are miserable when they have crosses, and good Christians are miserable when they have none. The Christian lives in the midst of crosses, as the fish lives in the sea.
📍Look at St. Catherine; she has two crowns, that of purity and that of martyrdom: how happy she is, that dear little saint, to have chosen to suffer rather than to consent to sin! There was once a religious who loved suffering so much that he had fastened the rope from a well round his body; this cord had rubbed off the skin, and had by degrees buried itself in the flesh, out of which worms came. His brethren asked that he should be sent out of the community. He went away happy and pleased, to hide himself in a rocky cavern. But the same night the superior heard Our Lord saying to him: “Thou hast lost the treasure of thy house.” Then they went to fetch back this good saint, and they wanted to see from whence these worms came. The superior had the cord taken off, which was done by turning back the flesh. At last he got well.
📍Very near this, in a neighboring parish, there was a little boy in bed, covered with sores, very ill, and very miserable; I said to him, “My poor little child, you are suffering very much!” He answered me, “No, sir; today I do not feel the pain I had yesterday, and tomorrow I shall not suffer from the pain I have now.” “You would like to get well?” “No; I was naughty before I was ill, and I might be so again. I am very well as I am.” We do not understand that, because we are too earthly. Children in whom the Holy Ghost dwells put us to shame.
📍If the good God sends us crosses, we resist, we complain, we murmur; we are so averse to whatever contradicts us, that we want to be always in a box of cotton: but we ought to be put into a box of thorns. It is by the Cross that we go to Heaven. Illnesses, temptations, troubles, are so many crosses which take us to Heaven. All this will soon be over. . . . Look at the saints, who have arrived there before us. . . . The good God does not require of us the martyrdom of the body; He requires only the martyrdom of the heart, and of the will. . . . Our Lord is our model; let us take up our cross, and follow Him. Let us do like the soldiers of Napoleon. They had to cross a bridge under the fire of grapeshot; no one dared to pass it. Napoleon took the colors, marched over first, and they all followed. Let us do the same; let us follow Our Lord, who has gone before us"
The Seafood
Senses Part 4 online Retreat: "Taste and See: Experiencing God with Our Sense of Touch", by Ginny Kubitz Moyer
Info from this site:
www.ignatianspirituality.com/24740/taste-and-see-experiencing-god-with-sense-of-touch
"Unlike some of the other senses, touch requires proximity. You can see, smell, or hear a person from a distance, but to touch someone or something, you need to be up close. 'Maybe that’s why touch is so often taken as proof of an experience. Our eyes may deceive us, but to reach out and touch something is inconvertible evidence that it’s solid, that it actually exists and shares our space. In a concert, you often see fans in the front row reaching up eagerly to touch the singer, as if doing so makes the experience that much more real for them. For me, anytime I’m on an airplane, I reach for my husband’s hand during takeoff (my least favorite part of a flight). I see him sitting in the next seat, but when I can actually touch him, it gives me even more reassurance that I’m not alone in those few anxiety-provoking minutes.
We see something similar in the Gospel of John, when Mary Magdalene realizes the man she’s speaking to is not the gardener, but the risen Jesus. She grabs onto him as if for proof, apparently so tightly that Jesus tells her, “Don’t hold onto me.” Later, when Jesus appears to doubting Thomas, he invites Thomas not just to look at him but to touch his side. There is something about touch; it grounds us. It can help us believe that what we are seeing is in fact real. MThat’s why there is so much power in the fact that God the Creator became man and walked around among us. Jesus had a body that could be touched, as his mother Mary touched him, as the people in the crowds touched him, as the disciples touched him. God seems to know that we humans always find it easier to believe in the things we can touch. The Incarnation honors that, in a very simple but profound way.
And though we can’t touch the incarnate God as they did two thousand years ago, we can offer witness to his existence through the things we do with our own bodies. The kind touches we give to others—a bear hug, an arm to lean on, a squeeze of the hand during takeoff—are more than just little gestures. They add to the sum of goodness in the world, making it that much easier for others to believe in the loving God who brought it all into being.
🙏🏾Prayer
Begin. Center yourself. Take three deep breaths and open yourself to God’s presence.
🙏Give thanks. Thank God for the ability to communicate through touch, for those whose touches heal and nurture us, and for the incarnate God who chose to relate to us in such a tangible way.
👉🏼Review.
Think of times that you have used touch in order to verify something’s existence or to make the experience more real for you. Choose one experience and imagine yourself there again.
👉🏼How did touch help strengthen your belief or give you reassurance?
👉🏼Who are people in your life who have touched you lovingly and tenderly? Think of a few names. Remember them and reflect on their role in making you feel safe and valued.
👀Look ahead.
Tomorrow, pay attention to the touches you give other people.
👀How do you use touch to comfort, nurture, and bring God’s goodness to the world?
👀How do others do the same to you?
🐾Action
Every day, find a few moments to center yourself.
🐾Imagine Jesus there with you. Imagine him giving you a hug, or squeezing your hand, or putting his hands on your head.
🐾Let yourself rest in the loving touch of Christ.
Senses Part 4 online Retreat: "Taste and See: Experiencing God with Our Sense of Touch", by Ginny Kubitz Moyer
Info from this site:
www.ignatianspirituality.com/24740/taste-and-see-experiencing-god-with-sense-of-touch
"Unlike some of the other senses, touch requires proximity. You can see, smell, or hear a person from a distance, but to touch someone or something, you need to be up close. 'Maybe that’s why touch is so often taken as proof of an experience. Our eyes may deceive us, but to reach out and touch something is inconvertible evidence that it’s solid, that it actually exists and shares our space. In a concert, you often see fans in the front row reaching up eagerly to touch the singer, as if doing so makes the experience that much more real for them. For me, anytime I’m on an airplane, I reach for my husband’s hand during takeoff (my least favorite part of a flight). I see him sitting in the next seat, but when I can actually touch him, it gives me even more reassurance that I’m not alone in those few anxiety-provoking minutes.
We see something similar in the Gospel of John, when Mary Magdalene realizes the man she’s speaking to is not the gardener, but the risen Jesus. She grabs onto him as if for proof, apparently so tightly that Jesus tells her, “Don’t hold onto me.” Later, when Jesus appears to doubting Thomas, he invites Thomas not just to look at him but to touch his side. There is something about touch; it grounds us. It can help us believe that what we are seeing is in fact real. MThat’s why there is so much power in the fact that God the Creator became man and walked around among us. Jesus had a body that could be touched, as his mother Mary touched him, as the people in the crowds touched him, as the disciples touched him. God seems to know that we humans always find it easier to believe in the things we can touch. The Incarnation honors that, in a very simple but profound way.
And though we can’t touch the incarnate God as they did two thousand years ago, we can offer witness to his existence through the things we do with our own bodies. The kind touches we give to others—a bear hug, an arm to lean on, a squeeze of the hand during takeoff—are more than just little gestures. They add to the sum of goodness in the world, making it that much easier for others to believe in the loving God who brought it all into being.
🙏🏾Prayer
Begin. Center yourself. Take three deep breaths and open yourself to God’s presence.
🙏Give thanks. Thank God for the ability to communicate through touch, for those whose touches heal and nurture us, and for the incarnate God who chose to relate to us in such a tangible way.
👉🏼Review.
Think of times that you have used touch in order to verify something’s existence or to make the experience more real for you. Choose one experience and imagine yourself there again.
👉🏼How did touch help strengthen your belief or give you reassurance?
👉🏼Who are people in your life who have touched you lovingly and tenderly? Think of a few names. Remember them and reflect on their role in making you feel safe and valued.
👀Look ahead.
Tomorrow, pay attention to the touches you give other people.
👀How do you use touch to comfort, nurture, and bring God’s goodness to the world?
👀How do others do the same to you?
🐾Action
Every day, find a few moments to center yourself.
🐾Imagine Jesus there with you. Imagine him giving you a hug, or squeezing your hand, or putting his hands on your head.
🐾Let yourself rest in the loving touch of Christ.
YouTube video: "Living a Supernatural life", by Marino Resprepo
Link to video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyI8oY12uhI&sns=em
Link to video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyI8oY12uhI&sns=em