🧀The Cheese & Crackers = Quotes by St. John of Kronstadt, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and St. Thomas Aquinas
🌽The Veggies = My 2💰
🍟The Potatoes = “Discerning discerning”, by Thomas J. Neal, PhD
🍗The Meat = “Mary Was Filled with Grace, Even in Sorrow”, by Fr. Raoul Plus, S.J.
🍰The Dessert = YouTube Video: “Spiritual Warfare and Communism, “Emotions“, by Fr. Chad Ripperger (Part 03 Segment 11)
📖James1:6 “But he should ask in faith, not doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind”
Our faith in Christ is ‘yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us”. By St. John of Kronstadt
📖 II Cor. 1:19-20 “For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed to you by us, Silvanus and Timothy and me, was not “yes” and “no,” but “yes” has been in him. For however many are the promises of God, their Yes is in him; therefore, the Amen from us also goes through him to God for glory”
🥪 “A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” By Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
🥯 “As mariners are guided into port by the shining of a star, so Christians are guided to heaven by Mary.” By St. Thomas Aquinas
My response to his post:
Checking my junk mail and voilà! What a great find, as God so wills for me. It’s impossible to go through hundreds of junk emails, so will have to inevitably hit “delete all” soon. Not sure why certain emails are now going to junk, but moving right along to your post, it can only be described as being a warehouse. A stellar store of treasures to enhance one’s spiritual life, or the experience of boarding a 787 for a non stop flight headed straight up, is what is being offered. Thank you so much for this, it’s timely because of the recent discussion with someone about discernment. It was to stress that this is a priority over just blindly acting and staggering through life. Informed the person about my sometimes quick method, which is not for everyone, if casting lots, and but how that works for me. Trying to live abiding in Christ and allowing Him to abide in me, so that’s the process that often leads me on.
My heart is set on really finding out what the Lord wants, and thus to respond accordingly. It’s the ‘do it” or ‘don’t do” that is the bottom line, allowing the Father’s will to surface and setting out to do it. The Holy Spirit brought this scripture to mind, illustrating to me that in sincerely asking, we can be assured that Jesus will respond:
📖John 13:23-26 “One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining at Jesus’ side. So Simon Peter nodded to him to find out whom he meant. He leaned back against Jesus’ chest and said to him, “Master, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it.” So he dipped the morsel and [took it and] handed it to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot”
Why might Jesus respond to us?
📖 Isaiah 42:3 “A bruised reed he will not break, he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench.He will faithfully bring forth justice”
All the nuggets in your post are valuable enhancements to navigate the discerning process, this will definitely be a potato dish in an Ijournal Entry Post for me to happily share. Indeed the Potato dish can be most valuable to anyone serious about their spiritual life. It’s to slowly ruminate, swallow, and digest thoroughly for optimal spiritual growth. This is the goal indeed:
📖 Colossians 1:9-13 “Therefore, from the day we heard this, we do not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding to live in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with every power, in accord with his glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light. He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins”
Info from this site: https://nealobstat.wordpress.com/2021/05/08/discerning-discerning/
“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet” by Frederick Buechner
“Whenever I get talking about discerning a vocation from God, it seems to quickly devolve into complications. God’s will, human freedom, deciphering signs, facing roadblocks. So many principles to be elucidated, too many subtle points to be made. And then, add combining all of those into the complexity of a real human being living in the real world? It can seem impossibly mystifying! However, beneath these complexities lies a profound simplicity. A vocation is simply the invitation from God to do his will, and his will is that we love. Beautifully simple! But as with all things, the devil is in the details. A distinction I have found useful is all of this comes from St. Bernard of Clairvaux. He says that doing God’s will means seeking his “signified will” and his “will of good pleasure.” God’s signified will is clear, referring primarily to the law of love embodied in the Ten Commandments, which direct us to do good and avoid evil. The famous Micah 6:8 gives us a poetic expression of God’s quite simple signified will:
📖Micah 6:8 “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to act justly, and to love tenderly,and to walk humbly with your God?”
For Christians, Jesus is God’s signified will incarnate. His own life and teaching becomes the golden standard for judging what love, justice and humility look like in practice, especially in the face of monstrous evil. %God’s will of good pleasure, on the other hand, refers to the unique and particular manner in which God desires for each of us to love in our own place, by maximizing goodness and minimizing evil. This is dramatically exemplified by the invitation offered to Mary at the Annunciation, when the Archangel Gabriel revealed the Father’s very personal will that she be the mother of his Son. Note here that Gabriel prefaced his request by affirming that she had already found favor with God, a Semitic way of honoring someone’s past fidelity to God’s will. Hence, fidelity to God’s surprising invitations always builds on the foundation of consistent fidelity to what one knows already to be his will.
With this in mind, here is a golden rule of discernment. Fidelity to what you do know God is asking of you in the present moment greatly enhances your ability to discern the more fluid and future aspects of his will. So, imagine you are presently in a job that you don’t like, and because of that you don’t give your best as you are able. You cut corners, complain to others and undermine morale, gossip about supervisors or other employees, and use work time to surf social media. You rationalize all this because, you say, this work sucks. Imagine also that you genuinely want to seek God’s will in your career decisions. How could you, for example, be open to the possibility that God might wish for you to remain where you are, to bring a goodness, honesty, integrity, zeal that are missing in that work environment? How could you possibly be genuinely open to that possibility if you have already checked out? In other words, if you have already ceased doing the obvious elements of God’s will.
A number of years ago, I faced a challenging decision about a major career change. Without going into the many details surrounding that decision, I will share one core aspect of my discernment that seems a useful way to illustrate my point here. The career change in question, which was within the same organization I worked for, was something that, at face value, I did not find at all attractive…to say the least. However, at the encouragement of close confidantes, I did recognize that I had at least the basic skill sets/gifts required to do the job. But my first response to the job offer from my employer was a firm negative. But I promised him I would “give it a go” through a basic discernment process. Immediately after that first conversation about this new position, I took time to go to a Chapel to pray in front of the Tabernacle. I knelt and told Jesus I was not interested, but added that of course I wanted to know his thoughts on the matter. At least in theory. In that moment, in a way that is extremely unusual for me, I “heard” these three words very forcefully and distinctly present themselves in my mind: Carry my cross. I was so jolted by this, and by the sudden realization of what it implied, that I said out loud: “Oh no.”
From that moment on, while I certainly went through a thoughtful decision-making process, with lots of prayer, I was quite convinced in that moment the decision was clear. I felt I had been reminded quite forcefully by Jesus that my vocation is never for me, because it’s a mission entrusted to me for those to whom I am sent. It cut to the heart of my natural self-centeredness. Those three words did not reveal to me secret mystical knowledge, but were simply a memory jog regarding God’s “signified will” to all Christians, i.e. we are all to carry our crosses. However, what was unique in that moment was the way that this particular experience, with its timing and intensity, applied this universal teaching to my very specific set of circumstances, shedding light on my life with God’s will of good pleasure. Now, I am very much averse to relying on extraordinary spiritual experiences — “God told me” — to make a decision. But this one, which corroborated with other known facts, seemed to me almost too obvious to ignore. And though I am very far from being docile to God’s will at all times, I do have a desire to carry my cross, and have tried to do so over the years since I came back to the faith. Of course, only on Judgment Day will I know the real truth of the matter, as to whether I discerned and cooperated faithfully with God’s will or not. Kyrie Eleison.
A number of years ago, I created a journal “discernment” checklist for myself to review (and add to!) periodically, as the work of discerning God’s ever-unfolding will is always in season. So I thought I would share that list here today, for what it’s worth. While certainly not any way complete, or maybe even that clear, it has served me quite well.
👉🏼Who is God, who am I, and who has God made me to be? Explore that.
👉🏼What does God ask of all people that I already know clearly? Do that.
👉🏼What duties already bind me in my present commitments? Be faithful to that.
👉🏼What gifts has the Spirit given me? Discover that (and once discovered try spending what you discover on others whenever possible, pay attention to the effects).
👉🏼What virtues are especially needed for the path I am presently walking? Practice that.
👉🏼What are the desires of my heart? Learn that, reverence what you learn, and align your desires with #1-5.
👉🏼What opportunities maximize my ability to practice Christlike love? Prefer that.
👉🏼What brings enduring joy into my life? Heed that.
👉🏼What do wise counselors think of me and of my path ahead? Attend closely to that
👉🏼What weaknesses do I have? Acknowledge that, gratefully welcome assistance and invite Jesus into them.
👉🏼What limits hem me in? Test that, accept what can’t be changed, change what can.
👉🏼What possibilities for action exist? Identify that and deliberate.
👉🏼What obstacles stand in the way to my seeing clearly, deliberating freely, choosing decisively and committing consistently? Understand that and seek to remove them.
👉🏼What hardships and failures will likely befall me as I go forward? Ready yourself for that and embrace it as the redemptive heart of your calling.
👉🏼What do I do when the decision must be made? The best you can.
In all of this,
🎤endlessly converse with Jesus;
🎤relentlessly beg for grace;
🎤trust in Providence and let go;
🎤believe absolutely nothing is wasted;
🎤give thanks you have options at all;
🎤seek all known channels of grace;
🎤make the best judgments you can;
🎤stop second-guessing yourself;
🎤relax;
🎤use common sense;
🎤own your responsibility;
🎤don’t chronically complain;
🎤deal with ambiguity;
🎤admit you can be mistaken;
🎤seek help when needed;
🎤never discern alone;
🎤keep no dark secrets;
🎤courageously risk-fail-risk again;
🎤learn from your mistakes;
🎤remain willing to be corrected;
🎤seek justice for others;
🎤love like hell mostly in the small things;
🎤learn your balance;
🎤keep perspective;
🎤maintain realistic expectations;
🎤seek freedom from unhealthy attachments;
🎤forgive lavishly;
🎤repent whenever called for;
🎤take the next best step every day;
🎤rejoice always in God’s mercy and sleep the sleep of the forgiven;
🎤remember perseverance is the crown of all good;
🎤try not to be a sign to others that faith makes you neurotic, angry or miserable;
🎤err on the side of love”
Info from this site: https://catholicexchange.com/mary-was-filled-with-grace-even-in-sorrow?mc_cid=43b9e2aa01&mc_eid=18b89dd2ad
“From the Purification to Calvary, Mary was at each moment of her existence a prey to limitless sorrow; but she was never crushed, never without animation or spirit. A profound joy accompanied her at every instant; an invincible serenity suffused her personality. What was the source of this joy and serenity if not her absolute and radiant acceptance of the Father’s every wish? Like Jesus, she could say, “My meat is to do the will of the Father who is in Heaven,” that is to say, “The divine will is the marrow of my existence, its very essence.” Crucifying though this will might be for Mary, the happiness experienced in accomplishing it outstripped the sufferings involved; the breathing of Mary was like that of Jesus, a perpetual Amen, an unfailing Yes, Father. This complete conformity to all the wishes of God imparted to her a foretaste of beatitude against which nothing could prevail.
With what unparalleled joy, moreover, did not the thought of being the Mother of such a Son flood her soul. If every woman who brings a child into the world is transported with joy at the thought of her motherhood, what ecstasy must Mary have experienced in her privilege of being the Mother of God! But this consideration of the perfect serenity of Mary, Mother of All Joy, Our Lady of Gladness, should not permit us to forget the agony of suffering ever present in her life. St. Alphonsus Liguori, commenting on the sorrows of Mary, explains that hers was a martyrdom without consolation. On the other hand, the English Oratorian Faber, stressing, rather, the serenity of Mary, affirms that at each instant, the Virgin was consoled in her sorrow. Both are right, but, instead of considering their views as contradictory, we must unite them.
The Savior, from the first moment of His entrance into human existence, had before His eyes the perspective of His Calvary. His divine knowledge unfolded for Him all the dreadful aspects of the agony: the odious conduct of the tribunals, the condemnation, the elevation on the Cross. At every instant, a horrible vision rose before Him, but at the same time He experienced, of necessity, the Beatific Vision. When we see our Lord appearing transfigured in the Gospel, we must not conclude that only then did the Son of God benefit by that radiant life. Absolute happiness was His habitual state. Therefore, although it pleased Him to
manifest His glory only partially, as in the Transfiguration, nevertheless, the glory invisible to us, but effective for Him in reality, never left Him.
Similarly, when our Lord appears as a crushed victim in the agony, we must not conclude that only then was the Son of God broken by sorrow. Our Lord was in agony always, since, at each instant, His divine knowledge showed Him completely the future toward which He was advancing. Present to Him always were the Mount of Olives and the Mount of Tabor: at each instant, heartbreak and joy, agony and the splendor of beatitude. In this consists one of the aspects, and not the least surprising, of Christ’s two natures: the human and the divine in the unity of a single person. The hypostatic union, of course, did not apply to the Blessed Virgin; that is self-evident. We can, nevertheless, compare the state of her soul with that of her Son. Perfectly enlightened about the future, she lived in a continual agony; perfectly submissive to God and profoundly happy in being the Mother of the Savior, she experienced ineffable joy. Mary, like her Son, lived Gethsemane and Tabor simultaneously. We must never let the thought of her Tabor make us forget her perpetual Gethsemane!
The Church keeps the memory of it for us. Although she does not give the feast commemorating Mary’s sorrows the solemn rank of the Assumption or the Immaculate Conception, she has, by way of compensation, set aside two feasts in the liturgical year to honor our Lady’s dolors. The Feast of the Compassion of the Blessed Virgin, the Friday of Passion Week, dates from the beginning of the fifteenth century. It was inaugurated by the Archbishop of Cologne in 1423, as an honorable reparation for the outrages of the Hussites against the images of the Mother of God, particularly as the Pietà. At the end of the same century, in 1482, Pope Sixtus IV, the Franciscan and a brother in religion to Jacopone de Todi, the author of the Stabat Mater, extended it to the whole Church; and in 1725, Benedict XII raised it to the rank of a double major, giving it a fixed place in the liturgical calendar.
The second Feast of the Sorrows of Mary is solemnized in September. Pope Pius VII, in gratitude to our Lady for having consoled him during the captivity to which the emperor Napoleon had subjected him, established it on the occasion of his deliverance, September 18, 1814. The Legend of the Eighth Sword is an appealing story that we might well recall in considering Our Lady of Seven Dolors. A young man, accustomed to visit the Madonna each day, fell into sin. When he returned to the feet of the Virgin, he was surprised to find that one sword more than usual pierced the heart of the Pietà. He understood its significance immediately. Then and there, he sought a priest and made his confession, which snatched from the heart of his mother the newly thrust sword. Back again he went to the Madonna; the eighth sword had disappeared. This was indeed a touching symbol, expressive of a great idea” ✠
Video link: https://youtu.be/kFcPVmMvb_Q