PRAY WHEN IN DOUBT

“Whenever you are in doubt about anything -whether it regards yourself or others - act like good friends do who always consult one another in their difficulties. Show the same mark of confidence to God; consult Him; ask Him to enlighten you, that you may decide on that which is most pleasing to Him.

 

“Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” – Matthew 16:16

REFLECTION – “Peter did not say “Thou are a Christ” or “a son of God” but “the Christ, the Son of God.” For there are many christs by grace, who have attained the rank of adoption [as sons] but, [there is] only One ,Who is by nature the Son of God. Thus, using the definite article, he said, THE Christ, THE Son of God. And in calling Him, Son of the LIVING God, Peter indicates that Christ Himself is Life and that death has no authority over Him. And even if the flesh, for a short while, was weak and died, nevertheless, it rose again, since the Word, Who dwelled in it, could not be held under the bonds of death.” – St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Known as “The Pillar of Faith” Archbishop of Alexandria, Father and Doctor Incarnationis (Doctor of the Incarnation) (Fragment 190).

A CONFORTING LETTER FROM JESUS

 

 HOW TO SPEAK TO GOD

Never, then, forget His sweet Presence, as do the greater part of men. Speak to Him as often as you can, for He does not grow weary of this, nor disdains it …

If you love Him, you will not be at a loss of what to say to Him. Tell Him all that occurs to you, about yourself and your affairs, as you would tell it to a dear friend.

Do not look upon Him as a haughty King Who will converse only with the superior and on great matters. He, your God, is pleased to lower Himself to you and to hear you communicate to Him, your smallest and most ordinary concerns.

… Say not: Why disclose all my wants to God, since He already sees and knows them better than I do?

Yes, He knows them but, He acts as if He did not know the needs about which you do not speak to Him and for which, you do not seek His aid.

Our Saviour knew that Lazarus was dead and yet, He acted as if He did not know until Martha told Him of it. It was only then, He comforted her by bringing her brother back to life.”

 

GOD WATCHES OVER YOU, DAY AND NIGHT

You may sleep but God will place Himself at your side and watch over you continually: I will rest with Him and He will be a comfort in my cares and grief (Cf Wis 8:9,16). When you take your rest He does not leave your bedside. He remains there, always thinking of you, that if you awake in the night He may speak to you by His inspirations and, receive from you in return, some act of love, of oblation, of thanksgiving. Thus, He desires to continue, even in the hours of the night, His sweet and gracious converse with you.

Sometimes too, He will speak to you while you sleep and make you hear His Voice, so that, in waking, you may put into practice that which He has spoken: I will speak to Him in a dream (Num 12:6).

He is there also in the morning, to hear from you some word of affection, of confidence; to be the depository of your first thoughts and of all the actions which you promise to perform that day, to please Him; of all the griefs, too, which you offer to willingly endure for His glory and love.

But as He fails not to present Himself to you at the moment of your waking, do not fail, on your part, to immediately give Him a look of love and, to rejoice, when your God announces to you the glad tidings that He is not far from you (as once He may have been, by reason of your sins) but that, He loves you and would be beloved by you.”

 

GOD LOVES ME, SO MUST I

Bear well in mind, you have neither friend, nor brother, nor father, nor mother, nor spouse, nor lover, who loves you more than God.

He loves us so much that He went as far as to become an Infant, to become poor, to die publicly on a cross; He went as far as to hide Himself under the appearance of bread, in order to become our constant Companion and to unite Himself intimately to us: He who eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood, abideth in Me and I in him (John 6:57).

He loves you as though He had no-one else to love but you alone.

You, too, should love Him alone and all others for His Sake.

Of Him you may say and, indeed, you should say: My Beloved to me and I to Him (Cant, 2:16). 

My God has given Himself all to me and I give myself all to Him; He has chosen me for His beloved and I choose Him, above all others, for my only Love.

 

GOD LOVES ME

CONSIDER, in the first place, God deserves to be loved by you, since He loved you first, that you might love Him and He, has been the first of all to love you.

“I have loved thee with an everlasting love.” (Jer xxxi: 3).

The first to love you on earth, were your parents but they did not love you before they knew you but God, loved you before you had any being. When neither your father nor your mother were in the world, God loved you when the world was not even created, God loved you. And how long before the creation of the world did God love you? Perhaps a thousand years or ages. There is no need to reckon years and ages. Know, that God has loved you from eternity!

“ I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore, with loving kindness have I drawn Thee.” (Jer xxxi: 3)'

In short, God has loved you since He has been God; as long as He has loved Himself, He has loved you. Therefore, St Agnes had good reason to say: “I am prevented by another love.” When the world and the creature demanded her love, she answered: “No, O world, no, O creature, I cannot love you. My God has been the first to love me and it is, therefore, right that I should consecrate my love to God alone.”

PERSEVERANCE

 “IT is of the many to begin, of the few to persevere,” writes St Jerome.

Saul, Judas, Tertullian, began well but they ended badly, since they did not persevere in good.

“In Christians, the beginnings are not sought for but the end,” continues St. Jerome and St Bonaventure confirms this by saying: “Perseverance alone is crowned.”

Hence, St Laurence Justinian calls perseverance “the door of Heaven.”

So that he cannot enter into Heaven who cannot find the gate of entrance. My brother, you have at this present time abandoned sin and may justly hope that you have been pardoned, in this case, you are the friend of God but know that you are still, not saved. And when will you be saved? When you have persevered even to the end!

“He who shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

Have you begun the good life? thank the Lord but St Bernard warns you: “The reward is promised to those beginning, it is given to those who persevere.” It is not enough to run for the prize but we must run until we obtain it, or, as the Apostle says: “So run that ye may obtain.” (i Cor ix: 24).

Pray for the grace of the Lord, frequent Holy Communion, make a daily meditation. Blessed are you if you have progressed to do thus and if, so doing, Jesus Christ shall find you, when He comes to judge you.

“Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord, when He cometh, shall find so doing.” (Matt xxiv:46)

 

How devotion to the Sacred Heart opens our heart to God

 written by Philip Kosloski - published on 10/22/24

Pope Benedict XVI believed devotion to the Sacred Heart was very beneficial and could open our own hearts to God's never failing love.

Many popes in the last 100 years have had a special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, frequently encouraging it and writing about it in their homilies, speeches and letters.

Pope Benedict XVI wove it into a number of his writings and speeches, such as a letter he wrote on the 50th anniversary of the encyclical, Haurietis Aquas.

Opening us to the love of God

He reflected on devotion to the Sacred Heart and explained how it can open our own hearts to God:

When we practice this devotion, not only do we recognize God's love with gratitude but we continue to open ourselves to this love so that our lives are ever more closely patterned upon it. God, who poured out his love "into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (cf. Rom 5:5), invites us tirelessly to accept his love. The main aim of the invitation to give ourselves entirely to the saving love of Christ and to consecrate ourselves to it (cf. Haurietis Aquas, n. 4) is, consequently, to bring about our relationship with God.

Pope Benedict XVI went so far as to say that the devotion, "has an irreplaceable importance for our faith and for our life in love."

Furthermore, the love we experience from Jesus' Sacred Heart can help us love our neighbor:

Whoever inwardly accepts God is moulded by him. The experience of God's love should be lived by men and women as a "calling" to which they must respond. Fixing our gaze on the Lord, who "took our infirmities and bore our diseases" (Mt 8:17), helps us to become more attentive to the suffering and need of others.

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus remains a beautiful devotion, one that helps to form our heart and open it to God and our neighbor.

 THE POWER OF PRAYER

Do you believe that prayer has the power to make a difference? 

Yes, if it is done in the spirit that God expects from us.

Father Matthew describes how a family started praying when their son was in a car crash. That was the first time they prayed as a family. As they waited, word spread to countless people who started praying, begging God to save him. 

Prayer is now a daily part of this family's life. It's never too late to begin prayer life. Jesus' message to us is to pray always, and to never lose heart.

 If we don't receive what we ask for in prayer, does that mean we should stop praying altogether?

Of course not. We should exercise patience and be humble before God to shower upon us his graces, when He wants and how He wants and in the abandance He wants. Do not expect that the moment we prayer, God accede to our request there and then. God wants to see our perseverance in prayer and would want to test our faith in Him.

 If we do not receive what we ask for, it means that what we requested from God is detrimental to us. 

Does a father give a knife to his small son just because he was fascinated by the glittering object in the sun?

He gives him son something else which glitters but is not harmful

God our Father is not going to give us that which harms us. But rest assured that God will give us something else instead, which is beneficial to us.

 

THOUGHTS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Consider the shortness of time, the length of eternity and reflect, how everything here below comes to an end and passes by. Of what use is it then, to lean upon that which cannot give support?”

St Gerard Majella (1726-1755)

Good, better, best. Never let it rest. 'Til your good is better and your better is best. 

St. Jerome

A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love. 

Saint Basil

Be gentle to all and stern with yourself. 

Saint Teresa of Avila

The friendship that can cease has never been real. 

St. Jerome

 THE MORE GENEROUS WE ARE THE MORE WE GET IN RETURN

Whoever sows sparringly, will also reap sparringly. 

Whoever sows abundantly, will also reap undoubtedly. 

The level of our dedication will be comparable to what we get out of it. 

Think of an athlete wanting to compete at a high level. Think of students doing their homework. It applies to our friendships, and it applies to our faith. 

Our faith will either dwindle or blossom depending on the measure that we give.

 In the Our Father prayer, we think of the measure of mercy our Father gives to us being comparable to the mercy we show to those who trespass against us. 

Let us give gratitude and thanks to our Lord for His generosity towards us.

SALT AND LIGHT

 These are the two images that Jesus uses to teach us about who we are, and how we should live. 

What does salt do? 

It brings out the best flavours, it preserves food, and wherever there is hard ice, it melts it. The disciples, and you and I, are compared to salt as we are called to bring out the best in each other, to preserve and share the Gospel message, and to spread the love of Christ and melt the cold hardened hearts of unbelievers. 

Light should be put up on high on a lampstand to bring light and clarity to our homes. We shouldn't be shy about our faith. It should be like a light to fill our homes and our work places. The light also allows us to see where we are going, and to see the obstacles in our life,  to avoid them. You and I are called to share the light with others so that they too can see clearly, and see where God is leading us to. Light makes life better. Jesus, who is the light of the world, makes everyone's life better! God's light allows us to see clearly and to make it to our destination, to heaven. Let us try to be a light to others, and not hide our light under a bushel basket.

 WE CANNOT DO AWAY WITH THE VIRTUE OF PATIENCE

In plain language, patience is a grace that allows us to remain peaceful, calm, even joyful when people or things don’t go our way. It prevents us from getting angry, annoyed, and frustrated at people, places, or circumstances. 

We must exercise patience with others. We do not live by ourselves on some deserted island but share our daily lives with different communities of people. Not everyone acknowledges our thoughts and actions and more often than not, this is the time when we get annoyed and perhaps go a step forward and retaliate spitefully.  We must not let ourselves be carried by our emotions, but diligently we are obliged to act with patience, which ultimately is a sign of strength and self-control.

A second area where we need to practice patience is with ourselves.

 There are occasions when we get discouraged because we failed with ourselves. For example we get discouraged because during prayer we find ourselves distracted all along the way. It would be a grave mistake were we to give up thinking that we cannot move on through the path of holiness. We are wrong to think so. 

However, we are right that we cannot do this by ourselves. We need the gift of God, his grace. Coupled with this gift of God we must be patient and struggle against this false inclination of surrendering to the devil’s advice.

Place your trust in God and let Him direct you on your journey of Faith. And to do this you must practice the virtue of Patience and we can become a better person because God helps him who helps himself.

HOW DO CHRISTIANS LOOK AT THEIR ETERNAL SALVATION?

 THE “business” of eternal salvation is assuredly an affair which is to us more important than any other and yet, it is the most neglected by Christians. They spare neither time nor diligence to attain that post. 

And yet, to secure eternal salvation, what do they do? how do they live? They do nothing, nay, they do all things to lose it! and the larger number of Christians so live, as if death, judgement, hell, Heaven and eternity could not be an article of faith but fables invented by the poets. If their money account is in the red,  what great concern do they not feel? What pains do they not take to repair the loss? If they lose a horse or a dog, what diligence do they not exercise to find it?

They lose the grace of God; they sleep, they jest and they laugh.

Wonderful fact! All are ashamed to be called negligent in the affairs of the world and yet, how many are not ashamed to neglect the affairs of eternity which is all-important! 

St Paul enphasis the fact that eternal salvation is the only important affair during our life on earth.

It is the most important concern : yes, since it is an affair of the greatest consequence; it concerns the soul which, if lost, all is lost!

St Chrysostom tells us that the soul ought to be more precious to us than all the goods of the world. It is sufficient to know, in order to understand this, God Himself has given His Son to die to save our souls: “God so loved the world, that He gave His Only-Begotten Son.” (St John iii: 16).

And the Eternal Word did not refuse to purchase them with His own Blood. “Ye are bought with a price.” (i Cor vi: 20).

So that, as a holy Father observes: “The redemption of man was effected at so precious a price, man seemed to be of equal value to God.”

St Philip Neri had reason to call him mad, who does not attend to the salvation of his soul. 

But no, since we are all immortal, how is it that so many endanger the soul for the miserable pleasures of this world? How is it, says Salvian, Christians believe there is a judgement, a hell, an eternity and yet live without fearing them?

 

A GOOD DEED DESERVES ANOTHER

There was once a priest who had a special devotion to the sorrows of Mary. He would often remain alone in the chapel to commiserate the sorrows of his Lady.

So intently did he meditate on the sorrows endured by Mary Most Holy that, moved by compassion, he was accustomed to wipe the face of a statue of the sorrowful Virgin with a little cloth, as though real tears flowed there.

Now this good priest became quite ill. When he was given up by his physicians, and was going to breathe his last, he saw a beautiful Lady by his side. She consoled him with her words, and with a handkerchief gently wiped the sweat from his brow.

With this, the priest was miraculously cured.

When he found himself well, he said: "But, my Lady, who are you who practice such charity towards me?"

"I am she," answered Mary, "whose tears you have so often dried,” and she disappeared.

From the Glories of Mary, by St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

it is recommended to meditate about the sorrows of Mary, the Mother of Christ every Friday. ( St Gabiriel of our Lady of Sorrows)