🌹Monday's with Blessed Mary🌹= By Blessed Abbot Louis de Blois
🧀The Cheese & Crackers = Quotes by Lorenzo Scupoli, St. Margaret Mary, and St. Claude Colombière
🍆The Veggies = My 2💰
🍟The Potatoes = “Little chaplet of the Divine will”, by Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta
🌭The Meat = Article: "Mortal Sin, Its Consequences And Remedies", from Catholic city blog (part 2 of 2)
🍧The Dessert = Audio presentation: “God's instruments”, by The Community of Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
🍓 "We must keep control over all our senses by holy interior recollection, banishing all useless reflection and introspection; these only serve to disturb us and deprive our soul of that peace without which it will never be the sanctuary of God" by Saint Margaret Mary
🍚 “Self is satisfied and self is distracted by so much talk, but God is left alone, and it is with him alone that we ought to try and be united.” By St. Claude Colombière
"Well, it was amazing how God miraculously healed my brother-in-law. My sister called and told me that he was in the hospital and needed a heart pump to keep him going until he could have a heart transplant. The build up of fluid in his legs was so extensive, they were weeping and weeping, and 20 lbs of fluid were extracted from his legs. The priest arrived and proceeded to give him the last rites and apparently the great grace that was bestowed upon him was miraculous healing.
Previously, because his blood pressure had skyrocketed which in turn had acutely accelerated his heart rate, the situation became too risky for a heart transplant surgery to take place. But a day or so after the anointing, where he received the Sacrament of Extreme Unction, the physician informed them that he no longer needed the surgery. The medical plan would be that he could go home on blood pressure medications and must follow a strict cardiac diet.
As a result of all of this, my sister feels that she has found her ministry. All because of this ordeal, how true it is that all things work for good. She let all his doctors and nurses know that she was praying for them and thanked them all for their good works, day after day. She feels she can now be a witness by being an excellent Catholic. So PRAISE GOD from Whom all blessings flow!
The text message was read before going to Mass, so while driving to church the meditative juices began to churn in a furious manner within. The word "excellence", yes, the now Rhema word becoming clear. Thoughts about living our faith by being an excellent Catholic, how attractive. Striving to be an excellent Christian, that seems to be a solution that can help in the problematic situations plaguing us today. Irreverence, mediocrity, lukewarmness, weakness, etc. all are priorities that need much work, along with abuse scandal.
Excellence as a goal can be an answer, starting from the head proceeding to tail. The supreme pontiff cascading down to the last person in people in the pew, clergy and all, we need to strive for excellence. If we continue to strive, we will arrive, finding ourselves growing stronger and better,and not getting weaker and growing more sinful by the minute. By striving for excellence, we will not be resting on laurels, but seeing that what we are doing is not enough. That we need to grow holier and holier will become a priority. When it comes to the Lord can we ever be Holy enough? Aren't we talking about and Infinite Holy God Almighty? Can we satisfy and please Him with mediocrity? Is it not true that if we we are standing still and not moving nor growing, them we are falling behind? Yes, it is for one to day after day strive for holiness, the holiness without which no man will see God. Another way to look at it is this: If we care not to seek excellency by grace and with God's help while mercy is ours, then we will be perfected with the justice of Purgatory, God forbid Hell end up being the final destination.
Thanks be to God, the perfect scripture reading to support this meditation. Found myself at this point, on this very day in my scripture readings, beginning the book of Colossians. Chapter 1 was the reading of the day because the book of Ephesians was completed the day before.
Colossians 1:10-12 "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. |
Colossians 1:21-23 "And you who once were alienated and hostile in mind because of evil deedsl he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through his death, to present you holy, without blemish, and irreproachable before him, provided that you persevere in the faith, firmly grounded, stable, and not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, am a minister. |
Info from this site: http://bookofheaven.com/prayers/chaplet-of-the-divine-will/
Sirach 39:13-14 "Send forth flowers as the Lily, and yield a fragrance, And bring forth leaves in grace and praise with canticles, And bless the Lord in his works. Send up the sweet odor of incense, break forth in blossoms like the lily.Raise your voices in a chorus of praise; bless the Lord for all his works!”
“Little chaplet of the Divine will. Excerpt from Letter 14 of Saint Hannibal di Francia to the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta: Messina, February 23, 1927: Dearest one in Jesus Christ, our Highest Good – blessed daughter, Your letter has been of great comfort for me. I feel I have become a nothing before the great Mercy of the Lord, and the great deposit of the Revelations about the Divine Will! Last night, unexpectedly, I had a tranquil sleep, as in the times of my good health, and I was able to celebrate Holy Mass at 6 in the morning. This is why I sent you the second telegram – that you might be tranquil, though you always are, by the grace of the Lord, as the Firstborn Daughter of the Divine Will(…). With the help of the Lord we will print thousands of Cards on which there will be the recitation of the little chaplet of the Divine Will, formed of an ejaculatory prayer taken from the Our Father, in two parts: Fiat, Domine, Voluntas tua, Sicut in Coelo et in Terra. Amen. Fiat, God, Your Will be done on earth as It is in Heaven. Amen)
Little chaplet of the Divine will
🗣1. It begins with the Our Father, Hail Mary and the Glory Be
🗣2. Then 10 repetitions prayer: Fiat, God, Your Will be done on earth as It is in Heaven. Amen
🗣3. There is the Glory Be
🗣4. Then end by praying: Lord Jesus, we praise You, we love You, we bless You and we thank You, with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, in your Holy and Eternal Divine Will. Amen. Fiat!
Repeat for 5 decades; or for as many as one wants.
(Part 2 of 2)
Info from this site:
www.catholicityblog.com/2015/12/mortal-sin-its-consequences-and-remedies.html
“Man is obliged to preserve his supernatural life and to live in God’s grace at all costs even if the world collapses. Here are the main effects that a single mortal sin intentionally perpetrated causes to the soul:
😥1) Loss of sanctifying grace, which turns the soul pure, saint, adoptive daughter of God and heiress of eternal life. Without it no one can be saved.
😥2) Loss of the infused virtues (charity, prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance) and of the gifts of the Holy Ghost, which constitute a divine treasure infinitely superior to all the material wealth of the creation.
😥3) Loss of the Holy Trinity’s loving presence in the soul, which then becomes a temple of Satan.
😢4) Loss of all the merits acquired (through good deeds) in previous life, regardless of how saintly it was.
😢5) Hideous stain in the soul that renders it dark and horrible in the eyes of God. St. John Chrysostom says: “Sin leaves the soul so stained and full of leprosy that there is not water enough to cleanse it”.
😢6) Slavery to Satan. He who is in the state of mortal sin is a slave to Satan, who in words of St. Augustine is “the prince of all sinners”.
😢7) Increase of the evil tendencies. The sinner is weakened and is unable to resist evil and finds it very hard to practice good.
😢8) Remorse and uneasiness of conscience. When living in a state of mortal sin it is impossible to experience peace of mind and soul nor peace in the family or work.
😢9) Worthy of eternal punishment. Mortal sin is a would-be Hell, this is to say that whoever is in a state of mortal sin can go to Hell for all eternity at any time.
As can be seen, mortal sin is an immediate collapse of our supernatural life and a suicide of the soul to the life of grace. And to think that so many sinners commit it with such ease and lightness, and not for preventing a catastrophe to the world but for an instant of bestial pleasure, for a small amount of money that will have to be left in this world, for a hatred or resentment that they do not wish to let go, and thousands of other infantile things. Saint Alphonsus de Liguori was right when he said that the world seemed to him as a huge asylum in which poor sinners had completely lost their minds. And, with reason, the pious queen Blanche of Castile said to her son, Saint Louis, future king of France: “My son, I would rather see you dead than commit a single mortal sin.” The depiction that St. Teresa of Avila makes of the state of a soul that has committed a mortal sin is striking, too. (She saw it thanks to a miraculous vision granted by Our Lord).
How to Prevent Mortal Sin. If you want to ensure the eternal salvation of your soul you must avoid at all costs the catastrophe of mortal sin.
It would be a great temerity and lightness to continue sinning peacefully hoping to convert and return definitely to God later. Death can take a soul by surprise in the most unexpected moment and, in addition, the soul exposes to be punished by God through subtraction of the effectual grace of repentance. Without this grace, it will be absolutely impossible for him to come out of his terrible situation. If the sinner could realize the appalling risk at which he exposes himself, he would not be able to sleep anymore (unless he had lost his mind).
Down below there is a list of only a few of the most effective ways to come out of mortal sin and never to fall again into it:
😇1) Attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. “It obtains us the grace of repentance, it facilitates the forgiveness of sins. A great number of sinners have received the grace of repentance and inspiration for making a good lifelong confession by attending to the Holy Mass.” (R. Garrigou-Lagrange, Christ, the Saviour).
😇2) Frequent Confession and Communion, as often as necessary to maintain and increase the strength of the soul against the assaults of temptation. If our body were sick we would gladly take all the necessary remedies that the doctor would prescribe. The health of our soul is worth much more.
😇3) Reflect every day, for a little time, about the great interests of our soul and our eternal salvation. Meditative daily reading of the lives of the saints is of great help. (Some essential books: Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis of Sales, Preparation for Death and The Great Means of Prayer by St. Alphonsus de Liguori).
😇4) Prayer of petition: asking God that He keeps us by His side, holding our hand and not letting us stray. To properly pray and live the Our Father helps a lot, too.
😇5) Fly from occasions of sin. The sinner is lost if he does not do that. There is no purpose so firm or will so unbreakable that will not yield with ease before an alluring occasion. It is necessary to renounce without contemplation from immoral spectacles (in addition, one commits sin of scandal and cooperation in evil by supporting them financially), worldly and frivolous friendships, impure conversations, obscene magazines/photographs/movies/ tv shows and Internet, etc. It is impossible to remain standing if one does not renounce from all these things. The eternal and inexplicable joy that awaits us in Heaven is well worth the effort of renouncing from the things that we find so enticing now, especially when considering that for a momentary pleasure they would lead us to our eternal ruin.
😇6) A strong and affectionate devotion to the Virgin Mary, our Sweet Mother, intercessor and refuge of sinners. Ideally, one should pray the Holy Rosary every day, which is the most excellent Marian devotion and a great sign of predestination for those who say it regularly. At the very least, we must never forget to say three Hail Marys on waking and again before going to bed and whenever we experience a temptation, so that Our Lady help us to conquer sin.
😇7) Make the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius. There is death, a judgment and an eternity whether happy or miserable for every soul. There is no dispute with sin. We must save our souls come what may.”
Link to audio presentation:
cf-media.sndcdn.com/y4fN3zDMsoro?Policy=eyJTdGF0ZW1lbnQiOlt7IlJlc291cmNlIjoiKjovL2NmLW1lZGlhLnNuZGNkbi5jb20veTRmTjN6RE1zb3JvIiwiQ29uZGl0aW9uIjp7IkRhdGVMZXNzVGhhbiI6eyJBV1M6RXBvY2hUaW1lIjoxNTQyNjc4ODM2fX19XX0_&Signature=nWn1RwaQQPP69abdMb9KqUGcEEEjimB-gDrsywWLF-8qzOPlKYNMfPHYaH0GOwIGVaRByfmTzB2NqS5rTK2IU6Y9u~bNNGTxUVEmnNMcP~1U8tCxxsLnY~6rAM9ThWFW6iZ7yuPDIXb878~TS~F~Dv-iZXcOEYPhmwpaoLGFn37WJT6fuOcQ9dmbtSDjz10YpMzIz1cis~felJvrSaqzozSKt25npSNyNmAZt68KGbqs~HuoXdOUFzGIvO7z-fOyPTb~8X~~kgZMUbMvi451iJ0LboQAQ30K6PPoLN3IfmZho6vm-D2hLnHGKJXl5YG5nvyAnedCr4elAF5yl6fryg__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJAGZ7VMH2PFPW6UQ