🌼 “Know then, proud man, what a paradox you are to yourself. Humble yourself, weak reason; be silent, foolish nature; learn that man infinitely transcends man, and learn from your Master your true condition, of which you are ignorant. Hear God" By Blaise Pascal
🍳“Christian hope is a vessel in which faith lives; love carries it.“. By Adrienne von Speyr
1️⃣. Reading just this one sentence started the ball rolling: “As we continue to live in the difficult times of our lives due to Covid19, conflicts, wars, injustices, and many other challenges...”. The first thing that quickly popped into my mind was this the old adage: “It’s the best of times, it’s the worst of times”. Of course, that was the catalyst that resulted in me diving into the pool of Scripture, for what can speak to us as eloquently as Scripture:
📖Romans 8:28 “And we know that to them that love God all things work together unto good: to such as, according to his purpose, are called to be saints”
It was perfect timing for an email from St. Pauline Books & Media to arrive that framed well the above Scripture passage. Sr. Kathryn wrote the following: “The poet Rumi once described the patient person as someone who has the vision to trust the end result of a process. To look at the night and see the dawn, to look at the thorn and see the rose. To walk through the storm and believe in the rainbow”
Yes, The Corona virus, conflicts, wars, injustices, and many other challenges, have usbtruly walking through the storm to arrive at the rainbow, exclusively for those who travel the path with the Good Shepherd and who keep the words, “Jesus I Trust in You”, on their lips and embedded in their hearts. How great it is to have our heavenly Blessed Mother’s comfort and care. She points us in the right direction. A Medugorge message from two months ago, October 25th, directs us to journey with our heavenly friends the saints, invaluable aids as we press on.
“Dear children, At this time, I am calling you to return to God and to prayer. Invoke the help of all the saints, for them to be an example and a help to you. satan is strong and is fighting to draw all the more hearts to himself. he wants war and hatred. That is why I am with you for this long, to lead you to the way of salvation, to Him who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Little children, return to the love for God and He will be your strength and refuge. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
2️⃣Reading this: “God promises to prepare a banquet of rich food and wine and save his people”
Well, can ✔️ dat one off the list, for what can be greater food or wine for us, than the Eucharist. The Savior of the world gives Himself up to us that we might live forever.
📖John 6:54-55 “He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed: and my blood is drink indeed”
Reading something that crossed my path that biblically the garment symbolizes the heart of a person, and the feast, a life of love, joy, and grace, led me to think about this: For me it’s seeing that to be without a wedding garment in practicality is being dressed according to our own standard and wishes. This falls so short of what God wishes to see and approve of. This falls short of passing muster. It really is a dangerous state, because thinking one is well dressed for the upcoming banquet and actually being so, that’s two different things for sure. The lukewarm, so not a good state. Someone running cold, know that they are not properly dressed, they stand a chance to get things right.
📖Revelation 3:15-16 “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot. I would thou wert cold or hot. But because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth.
Thank God for the feast, a life of love, joy, and grace, this scripture takes that thought to a new level:
📖 1 Corinthians 2:9 “But, as it is written: That eye hath not seen, nor ear heard: neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him”
Think it was in a video that king Cyrus was mentioned. The point was being made that even though he was not the optimal person to be king, the Lord used him, just as President Trump have his flaws, but God is using him, and can continue to use him in a powerful way.
3️⃣ Fr.L “Giver of the gifts and the receiver of the gifts”: God should be on both ends, as the giver and the receiver”
This is making me think that every gift given to me by God and utilized properly, should return back as a gift to Him. What can be better? The gift of priesthood resulting in winning many
souls for Christ and becoming a saint in the process. Being given the gift of life and living in a manner that fulfill the Father’s will in a way that is pleasing in his sight. For tonight, thinking
about the gift of sight, spending time reading Scripture and a book by a saint. What is processed and practiced to bear fruit, is my gift back to God. A good exercise for me to practice is to attempt to gift the Lord more frequently, blessing Him as He is so often blessing me. A thimble can’t compare with a pitcher, but if it’s full, it is full.
”Dear friends, I have been feeling the call to more fervently promote Our Lord’s teachings on the “Gift of Living in the Divine Will”, which He gave to us through Luisa Piccarreta. God has reserved this extraordinary grace, this “Gift of all gifts” for our time as a remedy—and more than a remedy—for the unprecedented ills of the world. I have listed below resources which will explain clearly the distinction between doing the Divine Will and living in the Divine Will. Believe me it makes all the difference in the world. God is not playing a defensive game, He’s playing offense all the way to His unstoppable victory.
Luisa Piccarreta was a very saintly soul (1865-1947), unimaginably humble, with a singular mystical life, whose holiness has been recognized, not just by those who knew her (including St. Padre Pio), but at the highest levels of the Church. She has been declared Servant of God and her cause for beatification has been submitted to the Vatican. Her diary, over 8000 pages, has been studied by Vatican theologians in the Italian translation and has been found to contain no errors in faith or morals. In 2015, the Vatican Press published her biography, with preface by Cardinal José Saraiva Martins. The book quickly sold out and as of this writing a second printing is not yet available. However, Professor Daniel O’Connor has posted a couple of short videos in which he summarizes key themes of the book, a 9-minute video and a 27-minute video. See also Proclaimthekingdom.com or Sunofmywill.com.
The censor liborum of Luisa’s writings was (now Saint) Rev. Annibale (or Hannibale) di Francia. A holy man and the Founder of two religious orders, he was the first and most rigorous promoter of Luisa’s writings. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2004, and in 2010 Pope Benedict XVI installed a large statue of the saint outside the Vatican Basilica.
Jesus tells Luisa that the Holy Spirit is ready to descend in His fullness on the earth, to usher in the Era of Sanctification through this Gift, as Fr. Joseph Iannuzzi explains in his 13-minute video, Divine Will in a Nutshell. Fr. Iannuzzi has been tasked by the Vatican to work on the English translation of Luisa’s 36-volume diary which Jesus titled, “The Book of Heaven” (sometimes referred to as, “The Volumes”). His Doctoral Dissertation on the subject was given Ecclesiastical Approbation by the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome, authorized by the Holy See. He also has a weekly podcast on Radio Maria, titled, Learning to Live in God’s Divine Will. Fr. Robert Young (may he rest in peace) has an excellent series of podcasts on the Divine Will, found at https://divinewilllife.org/, including a 12 part Introduction to the Divine Will. He also has this one hour talk as a shorter introduction. Fr. B. Thomas Celso BDV (Benedictines of the Divine Will) teaches regularly at The School of Mary’s Hill Cenacle. His talks may be found here: https://www.queenofthedivinewill.org/ Frances Hogan has some stellar teachings on the Volumes. She includes numerous scripture references, which is most helpful. If you don’t have time to listen to all the talks, Fr. Robert has often said that Volume 12 has many key teachings on how to live in the Divine Will. Frances has some excellent teachings on Volume 12. However, none of the volumes are superfluous. As Fr. Young says, his favorite volume is always the one he happens to be reading at the time.
The Gift of Living in the Divine Will is meant for everyone. It is not meant to replace other Catholic spiritualities, but embraces and enhances them. We continue to do all our good and holy practices, but learn to do them in a new way by grace. This includes all the ordinary acts of daily living, from the smallest to the greatest. The more people there are that desire this gift and learn about it, the sooner the Immaculate Heart will triumph, and the Kingdom of the Divine Will come to reign. This is not the Second Coming of Christ, but a restoration of life on earth as God meant it to be from the beginning, where his laws are written on our hearts, where we can be his people and he can be our God. It is the fulfillment of the prayer Jesus taught us and that we have been praying for 2000 years, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. It is a return to the purpose, the place, and the order for which we were created. There is much, much more information in the videos, and a little more from me in this post. If you feel a stirring in your heart, know and believe that God is calling you to be part of this Great Work of His. May God guide us all deeper into His holy and adorable Will. Fiat!”
"It is important, while practicing prayer in this way, not to give the body free rein. A prayer in which the body is not distressed and the heart grieved is like an incompletely developed fetus, says St. Isaac the Syrian, for such a prayer has no soul. And it carries within it the seed of self-sufficiency and pride that makes the heart consider itself not only among the called but even among the chosen few:
📖 Matthew 22:14 “Many are invited, but few are chosen.”
Beware of this kind of prayer; it is the root of many errors. For if the heart is bound to the carnal, your treasure also remains in the carnal, while you think, even so, that you hold heaven in your carnal embrace. Your joy becomes impure and expresses itself in lack of control and the urge to prattle and instruct and convert others without being appointed by the Church to the calling of teacher. You interpret Scripture according to your carnal mind and cannot bear to be contradicted, and engage in hot arguments for the sake of your opinion, all because you have neglected to discipline your body and thereby humble your heart. True joy is quiet and constant, wherefore the apostle urges us to rejoice evermore
📖I Thessalonians 5:16”Rejoice always”
It proceeds from a heart that weeps over the world's (and its own) turning from the Light; true joy is to be found in grief. For it is said: Blessed are they that mourn
📖Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are they who mourn, b Blessed are they who mourn, bfor they will be comforted”
and Blessed are ye that weep now with your carnal self for ye shall laugh with your spiritual joy.
📖 Luke 6:21 “Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied.Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh”
True joy is the joy of consolation, the joy that wells up in the knowledge of one's own weakness and the Lord's mercy, and that does not need the bared teeth of laughter to express itself. Think also of this: the person who is bound to earthly things may rejoice but may also be upset or disturbed or grieved over earthly things: his mind is exposed to continual changes. But the joy of your master is enduring, for God is unchangeable.
📖 Matthew 25:21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy”
Thus control your tongue at the same time as you discipline your body with fasting and strictness. Talkativeness is a great enemy of prayer. A spate of fluttering words stands in the way of the words of prayer. This is the reason that we shall render account for every careless word we utter
📖 Matthew 12:36 “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will render an account for every careless word they speak”
One does not bring the dust of the road into a room that one wishes to keep clean; thus keep your heart free from gossip and chatter about the events of the day that is past. The tongue is a fire, and consider how great a matter a little fire kindleth
📖 James 3:5-6 “In the same way the tongue is a small member and yet has great pretensions. The tongue is also a fire. It exists among our members as a world of malice, defiling the whole body and setting the entire course of our lives on fire, itself set on fire by Gehenna”
But if one gives a blaze no air, it dies out: if you do not give air to your passions they are gradually quenched. If you are kindled to anger, be silent and do not let it be noticed outwardly. Only the Lord may hear your confession. Thus you extinguish the burning brand at the beginning. If you are disturbed over the mistakes of another, follow the example of Shem and Japheth: cover them with the mantle of silence
📖 Genesis 9:23 “Shem and Japheth, however, took a robe, and holding it on their shoulders, they walked backward and covered their father’s nakedness; since their faces were turned the other way, they did not see their father’s nakedness”
and thus you quench your desire to judge before it bursts into flame. Silence can be filled with watchful prayer as a bowl holds water. But it is not only the tongue that the person who practices the art of watchfulness must control. He must look to himself in every detail, and his care must extend to the depths of his being.
📖 Galatians 6:1 “Brothers, even if a person is caught in some transgression, you who are spiritual should correct that one in a gentle spirit, looking to yourself, so that you also may not be tempted”
Deep within he finds immeasurable store-rooms, where memories and thoughts and fantasies stir about and must be restrained. Do not stir up a memory that will cover your prayer with mud, do not root around in the soil of your old sins. Do not be like the dog that returneth to his vomit
📖 Proverbs 26:11 “As dogs return to their vomit, so fools repeat their folly”
Do not let your memory linger on private matters that can reawaken your desire or set your imagination going. The devil's favourite wrestling-place is precisely our imagination; through it he draws us to further intercourse with him, to consent and action. In your thought-world he sows doubt and worry, attempts at logical reasoning and proof, fruitless questions and self-found answers. Meet all such things with the words of the Psalm: Away from me ye wicked
📖Psalms 119:115 “Depart from me, you wicked, that I may keep the commandments of my God”