🦚"See, my children, we must reflect that we have a soul to save, and an eternity that awaits us. The world, its riches, pleasures, and honors will pass away; heaven and hell will never pass away. Let us take care, then. The saints did not all begin well; but they all ended well. We have begun badly; let us end well, and we shall go one day and meet them in heaven." By St. John Vianney
🧶“Oh, my soul, how much longer do you wish to be so stingy with Jesus? Why so negligent towards Jesus who made You? Why so lazy towards Jesus who redeemed you? Who do you want to love, if you do not want to love Jesus?" By St. Gemma Galgani
“My daughter, do not omit Holy Communion unless you know well that your fall was serious; apart from this, no doubt must stop you from uniting yourself with Me in the mystery of My love. Your minor faults will disappear in My love like a piece of straw thrown into a great furnace. Know that you grieve Me much when you fail to receive Me in Holy Communion (Diary, 156).”
Reading that kind of reminded me of the concept of suffering. There is really no need to be afraid, because what seems extremely painful, will in the end manifest a joy to us. For there are some who might be skeptical about partaking of the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist with venial sims, but it is to know our faith and make a good act of contrition, repent sincerely in our hearts with true sorry, then get to the Holy Sacrament of Reconciliation as soon as we can. There we enjoy the Lord’s presence as we know He comes to set captives free and get the penance that comes from the priest as a form of reparation. With forgiven sins, there still lies the needed reparation for the debt we owe.
Recently viewing the video that it is dessert being served up about the Holy Mass reiterated the point to me about the Holy Mass taking care of venial sins. Viewed it was a perfect accompaniment for the Divine Mercy message. If we truly dive in and live our Holy Mass experience, we’ll understand the penitential rite at the beginning of the Holy Liturgy where our venial sins are wiped away. That’s why it is important not to rattle off words rapidly, but to pay attention to what one is saying, and mean the words falling from our lips at Holy Mass. Speak to the Father, speak to Jesus, attend wholeheartedly with, body, mind, soul, and spirit.
📖Isaiah 29:13 “The Lord said:Since this people draws near with words only and honors me with their lips alone, though their hearts are far from me, And fear of me has become mere precept of human teaching”
This is the way God is teaching some of us to attend and appreciate Hoy Mass. Now is the crucial time to make good of every opportunity, because in a twinkling of an eye, what “is” can turn into a what “was”.
The proof is in the pudding, yes it is
- I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,
And, striking their breast, they say:
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;
Then they continue:
therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.
The absolution by the Priest follows:
- May almighty God have mercy on us,
forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
- Amen.
Info from this site:
https://www.catholicsstrivingforholiness.org/pope-francis-on-the-beatitudes-complete-catecheses-download-pdf/#_Toc39659060
“We have started the journey of the Beatitudes and today, we will pause on the second one: Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. In the Greek in which the Gospel was written, this beatitude is expressed with a verb that is not in the passive form — in fact the Blessed do not endure this mourning — but in the active form: “they afflict themselves”: they cry but from within. It has to do with a teaching that has become central to Christian spirituality and which the Desert Fathers, namely the first monks in history, referred to as “penthos”, that is, an inner suffering that opens out to a relationship with the Lord and our neighbor; to a renewed relationship with the Lord and neighbor.
In the Scriptures, this weeping, can have two aspects: the first is for the death or suffering of someone. The other aspect is the tears for the sin — for one’s own sin —, when the heart bleeds for the suffering of having offended God and neighbor. It is therefore a case of loving the other in such a way as to be bonded to him/her to the point of sharing their suffering. There are many people who remain distant, one step behind. It is important instead that others enter our heart. I have often spoken about the gift of tears and of how precious this is. Can one love in a cold way? Can one love as a function, out of duty? Certainly not. There are some afflicted people who need comforting but sometimes there are also some comforted ones who need to be afflicted, reawakened, who have a heart of stone and have forgotten how to cry. There is also the need to reawaken those who do not know how to be moved by the suffering of others.
Grief, for example, is a bitter path but it can serve to open our eyes to life and the sacred and irreplaceable value of each person, and at that moment, one realizes how short time is. There is a second meaning to this paradoxical Beatitude: crying for the sin. Here we have to distinguish: there are those who become angry because they made a mistake. But this is pride. Instead, there are those who cry for the wrong done, for the good omitted, for the betrayal of the relationship with God. This is crying for not having loved, that springs from caring about the life of others. Here one cries because one does not match the Lord who loves us so much, and the thought of the good not done makes one sad. This is the sense of the sin. These people say: “I have hurt the one I love” and this causes them to suffer to the point of tears. May God be blessed if these tears arrive!
This is the issue of one’s errors that need to be faced, difficult but vital. Let us think about the weeping of Saint Peter which takes him to a new and much truer love. It is weeping that purifies, renews. Peter looked at Jesus and cried: his heart had been renewed. Unlike Judas who would not accept that he had made a mistake and, poor wretch, killed himself. To understand sin is a gift from God, it is the work of the Holy Spirit. We cannot understand sin on our own. It is a grace that we have to ask. Lord may I understand the evil I have committed or might commit. This is a great gift and after understanding this, comes the weeping of repentance.
One of the first monks, Ephrem the Syrian said that a face streaming with tears is indescribably beautiful (cf. Sermo Asceticus). The beauty of repentance, the beauty of weeping, the beauty of contrition! As always Christian life has its best expression in mercy. Wise and blessed are those who welcome the suffering that is bound to love because they will receive the comfort of the Holy Spirit which is the tenderness of God who forgives and corrects. God always forgives. Let us not forget this. God always forgives, even the worst of sins, always. The problem is within us who grow tired of asking for forgiveness. We withdraw into ourselves and we do not ask for forgiveness. This is the problem. But he is there to forgive us. If we always remember that God “does not deal with us according to our sins, nor requite us according to our iniquities”, we will live in mercy and compassion, and love will appear within us.
📖Psalms 103:10 “He has not dealt with us as our sins merit, nor requited us as our wrongs deserve”
May the Lord grant us to love abundantly, to love with a smile, with closeness, with service and also with tears”
Info from this site:
http://www.nguyenvanthuan.com/ten-rules-of-life.html
"What is the new path shown to us by Pope John Paul II? It is the idea of New Evangelization. Every day, re-evangelize your mind and heart with reading and meditation; immerse yourself in the everlasting Word so that the gospel will gradually permeate and take deep root in every cell and every fiber of your body. That is renewal: the most enduring revolution. The most solid barrier is not a fortress; it is not a fence. It is indifference. When Jesus saw the fear of the apostles and the trembling of his disciples as they received the mission he entrusted to them, "Be my witness unto the ends of the earth", Jesus simply said, "Do not be afraid!
📖 Matthew 17:7 “But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.”
📖 Acts of the Apostles 1:8 “But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, g and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Prisoners held captive for very long periods, without trial and in oppressive conditions retain bitter memories and sentiments of hate and vengeance. That’s a normal reaction everywhere. I was in prison for 13 years, 9 of which in solitary confinement. Two guards watched me but never spoke to me; just yes and no. But I knew that after all, they were my brothers and I had to be kind to them. I had no gift to offer as a prisoner I had nothing at all, nothing to please them. What to do? One night, a thought came. "You are still very rich. You have the love of Christ in your heart. Love them as Jesus loves you". The next day I set to work, first, by showing gladness and by smiling. I began to tell stories about my journeys in countries where people live in freedom and enjoy their culture and great technical progress. That stimulated their curiosity and they asked many, many questions. Slowly, very slowly, we became friends. They wanted to learn foreign languages. My guards became my disciples! The atmosphere of the prison changed considerably. The quality of our relationship changed for the better.
At that time, in another part of the area, a group of twenty people were learning Latin to be able to read Church documents. Their teachers was a former catechist. One of my guards was in the Latin class and one day he asked me if I could teach him songs in Latin."There are so many ", I replied, "And they are all so beautiful". "You sing and I’ll choose " he retorted. And so I sang Salve Regina, Salve Mater, Lauda Sion, Veni Creator, Ave Maris Stella - You’ll never guess the song he chose. The Veni Creator! I can’t begin to tell you how moving it is to be in a Communist prison and hear your guard, coming down the stairs at 7 AM every morning on his way to the gymnastics yard for physical exercises, singing the Veni Creator. I will speak one language: Charity.
While at prison in Vinh-Quang in the mountains of North Vietnam, I was sawing wood one afternoon. I asked my ever-present guard, who had become my friend, if I could ask him for a favor. "What is it? I’ll help you". "I want to saw off a small piece of wood in the form of a cross." "Don’t you know that’s strictly forbidden to have any sign of religion whatsoever?" "I promise to keep it hidden." "But it would be extremely dangerous for the both of us." "Close your eyes, I’ll do it right now and I’ll be very careful". He turned his back and left me alone. I sawed a small cross which I later hid in a piece of melted down soap. I have kept it always and had it mounted in a piece of metal and it has become my pectoral cross.
In another prison in Hanoi, I became friends with my guard and was able to request a piece of metal wire. He was terrified. "I studied in the University of Police that when someone wants electric wire he want is to kill himself!" he cried. I explained the Christians, and most of all priests, do not commit suicide. "And so what are you going to do with electric wire?" he asked." "I need a chain to wear my cross." "But how can you make a chain from wire?" "If you bring me two little pincers, I’ll show you." "Much too dangerous!" "But we’re friends!" He hesitated and finally said, "It’s too hard to refuse. Tonight at 7 PM we’ll do it. But we have to finish before 11. I’ll have my companion take the evening off. If he knew, he’d denounce the both of us.
That evening, with the tools he brought, we cut and shaped and worked together to make my chain and we finished it before 11 PM!
This cross and chain are not only my souvenir of captivity, as precious as that may seem. They are a constant reminder that only Christian charity can bring about a change of heart. Not arms, not threats, not the media. It was very hard for my guards to understand when I spoke about loving our enemies, reconciliation and forgiveness. "Do you really love us?" "Yes, I really love you." "Even when we cause you pain? When you suffer because you’re in prison without trial?" "Look at all the years we’ve spent together. Of course, I love you!" "And when you get out, will you tell your people to find us and beat us and hurt our families?" "I’ll continue to love you even if you wish to kill me" "But why?" "Because Jesus taught us to love always; if we don’t, we are no longer worthy to be called Christians."
"There is not enough time to tell you all the other moving stories which are proof of the liberating power of the love of Jesus. "You wear one uniform and speak one language - Charity. "Charity is the sign by which you will be recognized as one of our Lord’s disciples.
📖 John 10:10 “A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly”
It is a badge which costs little but is most difficult to find. Charity is the most important language. Saint Paul regarded it as far more important than being able "to speak the languages of men and even of angels"
📖 1 Corinthians 13:1 “If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal”
The harsh years in prison pass very slowly. While suffering humiliation and abandonment, my only support and hope was the love of Mary, Our Blessed Mother. The wonderful servants of Mary, Grignon de Montfort, Don Bosco, Maximilien Kolbe were my companions on the road of hope. They inspired me and gave me unwavering trust in the love of Mary, the Queen of the Apostles and Martyrs. I said this prayer to Mary. "Mary, my Mother, if you know that I cannot be of any more use to the Church, grant me the grace to die here in prison and consummate my sacrifice. If you know that I can still be of use to the church, grant me the grace of freedom on one of your feast days. In fact, on November 21, 1988, I was cooking my meal when I heard my guard being called to the phone. I had an idea it might be because of me. A few minutes after, the guard called to me. "Mr. Thuan, have you finished eating?" "No, not yet." "Right after your meal, go and see the chief... and good luck!" I was taken to meet the Minister of Police and after a brief conversation, he asked, "Do you wish to express any request?" "Yes, Mr. Minister, I wish to be let free!" "When?" "Today!"
The Minister feigned surprise but I knew the day had come. It was the Feast of the Presentation of Mary in the Temple and she was answering my prayer.
To counter the Minister’s surprise I replied, "You see, Mr. Minister, I have been in prison for three pontificates: Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II. I have been here during the offices of four Secretary Generals of the Communist Party, Bhreznev, Andropov, Tchernenko and Gorbachev." His eyes opened wide. "Yes" that’s right. All right. Your request is granted. You are free.
Video link: https://youtu.be/1IgRvHRlYy0