Devotion for today: It is your special privilege to take Christ’s part

Scripture for meditation: Philippians 1:27-30

Conduct yourselves, then, in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ. If you do, whether I come and see you myself, or hear about your behavior from a distance, it will be clear that you are standing firm in unity of spirit and exerting yourselves with one accord for the faith of the gospel. Do not be intimidated by your opponents in any situation. Their opposition foreshadows downfall for them, but salvation for you. All this is as God intends, for it is your special privilege to take Christ’s part, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him.

Prayer: Jesus, You suffered for love of me,

teach me to suffer for love of you,

for life is a journey in Your footprints,

 a special privilege to take Your part.

Not my will but Yours be done

no matter what the cost. Standing firm in my Catholic faith,

keep me obedient to Church teachings,

which are truths inspired by the Holy Spirit

 imparted in Love for man’s salvation.

By the power of Your Eucharistic Love,

Make me courageous, not afraid.

Instill Your words into my heart

“Fear is useless,

what is needed

 is trust.”

For my cross,

You, Yourself carry, Jesus,

With Your very own strength,

Strength given to us in abundance

In this Blessed Sacrament.

As you give Yourself completely to me,

I give myself completely to You.

Through the Immaculate Heart of Mary

I surrender to You my mind,

My body, my heart, my will and my liberty,

For true freedom

Is loving You without reservation.

(Come to Me in the Blessed Sacrament, Fr. Vincent Martin Lucia, Apostolate for Perpetual Adoration, Mt. Clemens, Michigan, 48046)

My thoughts: In God’s plan for life, there is no room for a culture of death. Be brave; stand up for all life affirming issues, and consider it a special privilege to take Jesus’ part in a world which mocks and scorns Him. Give yourself completely to Him, setting aside any prideful attitudes of knowing what is right more than God does, and let Him use you as He sees fit. Remember, the glory of heaven only comes to us after the pain of the Cross. Spend time this week in front of the Blessed Sacrament and recite this prayer to Jesus who is present there. Then experience true freedom.

Devotion for today: St. Francis, continued

Today we will meditate on yesterday’s reading.

“The humble servant of Christ, St. Francis, at the beginning of his conversion when he had already gathered many companions and received them in the Order, was placed in great agony of doubt as to what he should do: whether to give himself only to continual prayer or to preach sometimes. He wanted very much to know which of these would please our Lord Jesus Christ most. And as the holy humility that was in him did not allow him to trust in himself or in his own prayers, he humbly turned to others in order to know God’s will in this matter. So he called Brother Masseo and said to him, “Dear Brother, go to Sister Clare and tell her on my behalf to pray devoutly to God, with one of her more spiritual companions, that He may deign to show me what is best: either that I preach sometimes or that I devote myself only to prayer. And then go also to Brother Silvester, who is staying on Mount Subasio, and tell him the same thing.”
 

Scripture for meditation: Proverbs 16:22

Plans fail when there is no counsel, but they succeed when counselors are many.

My thoughts: There are two critical points in this first section. We learn that Francis had no hesitation in following Jesus’ call to serve Him. His indecision was, in fact, how to serve Him best. This is shown in another Bible section, where Zachariah doubts the angel’s message (really? Me? Can’t be. I’m too old to have a child) and Mary, who simply asked “How”.  St. Francis just wanted to know how to serve God, never “if” or with false humility, “God would never pick me.” His concern was how best to do it. His action – seeking the prayerful advice of wise and holy people – should guide us for life. It shows we are humble, that we know we don’t have all the answers, and that we believe God can work through others to help us. Never, ever, hesitate to ask others to pray for you, especially when you have a difficult decision to make.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++“Brother

 

Br.Masseo went and, as St. Francis had ordered him, gave the message first to St. Clare and then to Brother Silvester. When the latter received it, he immediately set himself to praying. And while praying, he quickly had God’s answer. He went out at once to Brother Masseo and said: “ The Lord says you are to tell Brother Francis this: that God has not called him to this state only on his own account, but that he may reap a harvest of souls and that many may be saved through him.” After this Brother Masseo went back to St. Clare to know what she had received from God. And, she answered that both she and her companion had had the very same answer from God as Brother Silvester.”

Scripture for meditation: Daniel 5:16-17

But I personally have heard about you, that you are able to give interpretations and solve difficult problems. Now if you are able to read the inscription and make its interpretation known to me, you will be clothed with purple and wear a necklace of gold around your neck, and you will have authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.”
Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Keep your gifts for yourself or give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription to the king and make the interpretation known to him.”

My thoughts: When someone is lead to come to you, and asks you to pray for them, please do it. So many times we say we will and then promptly forget about our promise. It is important to know that we can serve as intercessors for our fellow man. Maybe God will give us an answer to pass on – then do so – and maybe He won’t. Our prayers, however, will always lead the person in the right direction.  Daniel, Brother Silvester, and St. Claire all responded quickly to requests, and all made a difference.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

And then the hand of the Lord came over St. Francis. As soon as he heard this answer and thereby knew the will of Christ, he got to his feet, all aflame with divine power and said to Brother Masseo with great fervor, “So let’s go – in the name of the Lord!” And he took as companions Brother Masseo and Brother Angelo, holy men. And he set out like a bolt of lightning in this spiritual ardor, not paying any attention to the road or path. (taken from the book “Devotional Classics, selected readings for individuals and groups, edited by Richard J. Foster and James Bryan Smith, HarperSanFrancisco, 1993)

Scripture for reflection: Matthew 4:18-22

Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

My thoughts: Here is the difference between a dreamer and a doer: the dreamer wonders what he can do, always wondering what he can do…and the doer does it. Jesus calls each and every one of us to be His witnesses in this world. Our faith is a gift from Him, and it was given to be shared. We must pray and seek wise counsel to find out how best to serve God…not if, but how. St. Francis joyfully jumps up and begins his mission. The apostles dropped their nets and followed Christ. When you have prayed for guidance, or when opportunity comes to you and you know it is from Christ, just drop your life and give into God’s request. You will be sharing in the Cross of Christ, for sure, but your gift to the world will be priceless. St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us.

Prayer; Almighty, eternal, just and merciful God, grant us in our misery that we may do for your sake alone what we know you want us to do, and always want what pleases you; so that, cleansed and enlightened interiorly and fired with the ardor of the Holy Spirit, we may be able to follow in the footsteps of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and so make our way to you.
—St. Francis of Assisi

Devotion for today: To pray or to preach…that is the question (Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, October 4)

Born Giovanni Francesco di Pietro di Bernardone, St. Francis of Assisi actually wrote very little, but others wrote a great deal about him, recording many wonderful events in his life as well as many of his teachings. The following selection is taken from “The Little Flowers of St. Francis”. Although it is a bit long, it is a wonderful read. Tomorrow we will reflect on scripture verses which pertain to the many themes in this story.

The humble servant of Christ, St. Francis, at the beginning of his conversion when he had already gathered many companions and received them in the Order, was placed in great agony of doubt as to what he should do: whether to give himself only to continual prayer or to preach sometimes. He wanted very much to know which of these would please our Lord Jesus Christ most. And as the holy humility that was in him did not allow him to trust in himself or in his own prayers, he humbly turned to others in order to know God’s will in this matter.

So he called Brother Masseo and said to him, “Dear Brother, go to Sister Clare and tell her on my behalf to pray devoutly to God, with one of her more spiritual companions, that He may deign to show me what is best: either that I preach sometimes or that I devote myself only to prayer. And then go also to Brother Silvester, who is staying on Mount Subasio, and tell him the same thing.” This was the Lord Silvester who had seen a cross of gold issuing from the mouth of St. Francis which extended in length to heaven and in width to the ends of the world. And this Brother Silvester was so devout and holy that God immediately granted or revealed to him whatever he asked in prayer. The Holy Spirit had made him remarkably deserving of divine communications, and he had conversed with God many times. And, therefore, St. Francis was very devoted to him and had great faith in him.

Brother Masseo went and, as St. Francis had ordered him, gave the message first to St. Clare and then to Brother Silvester. When the latter received it, he immediately set himself to praying. And while praying, he quickly had God’s answer. He went out at once to Brother Masseo and said: “The Lord says you are to tell Brother Francis this: that God has not called him to this state only on his own account, but that he may reap a harvest of souls and that many may be saved through him.” After this Brother Masseo went back to St. Clare to know what she had received from God. And, she answered that both she and her companion had had the very same answer from God as Brother Silvester.

Brother Masseo therefore returned to St. Francis. And the saint received him with great charity; he washed his feet and prepared a meal for him. And after he had eaten, St. Francis called Brother Masseo into the woods. And there he knelt down before Brother Masseo, and baring his head and crossing his arms, St. Francis asked him: “What does my Lord Jesus Christ order me to do?” Brother Masseo replied that Christ had answered both Brother Silvester and Sister Clare and her companion and revealed that “He wants you to go about the world preaching, because God did not call you for yourself alone, but also for the salvation of others.”

And then the hand of the Lord came over St. Francis. As soon as he heard this answer and thereby knew the will of Christ, he got to his feet, all aflame with divine power and said to Brother Masseo with great fervor, “So let’s go – in the name of the Lord!” And he took as companions Brother Masseo and Brother Angelo, holy men. And he set out like a bolt of lightning in this spiritual ardor, not paying any attention to the road or path. (taken from the book “Devotional Classics, selected readings for individuals and groups, edited by Richard J. Foster and James Bryan Smith, HarperSanFrancisco, 1993)

Prayer: The Prayer, by St. Ignatius of Loyola

Teach us, good Lord,

to serve you as you deserve,
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labour and not to ask for any reward,
save that of knowing that we do your will.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Devotion for today: Believe in a second chance

Life can only be understood by looking backward, but it must be lived by looking forward. (God’s Little Devotional Book)

Scripture for meditation: Luke 9:62

And Jesus said to him, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Scripture for reflection: John 8:7-11

When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

 

Never give up: On New Year’s Day, 1929, Georgia Tech played the University of California in the Rose Bowl. In the first half, Roy Riegels recovered a fumble for California, but he became confused about direction and ran the wrong way. One of his teammates tackled him just yards before he scored for the opposing team. When California tried to punt, Tech blocked the kick and scored a safety, which became the winning margin.
During halftime, the Cal players sat quietly, waiting to hear what the coach had to say. He was uncharacteristically quiet. Riegles put his blanket around his shoulders, stayed in a corner, put his face in his hands, and cried like a baby. Three minutes before playing time, Coach Price looked at the team and said simply, “Men, the same team that played the first half will start the second.”
The players filed onto the field, but Riegels did not budge. “Roy, didn’t you hear me?” the coach asked.
Riegels responded, “I couldn’t face that crowd in the stadium to save my life.” Coach Price put his hand on Roy’s shoulder and said, “Roy, get up and go on back; the game is only half over.” Tech men to this day will tell you they have never seen a man play football as Roy Riegels played that second half. (God’s Little Devotional Book, Honor Publishing, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1995)

Prayer: Psalm 119:49-52

Remember your word to your servant since you have given me hope. My comfort in my affliction is that your promise gives me life. Though the proud scoff bitterly at me, I turn not away from your law. I remember your ordinances of old, O Lord, and I am comforted.
 

My thoughts: Like many people, I enjoy watching a variety of sports. Although the technicalities of the games usually escape me, the power behind the desire to win never ceases to amaze me. People play injured, sick, and in sadness; they fight for a goal or a run or a basket as if their lives depended on it. Sometimes, because they are in the public eye, they are humiliated in their mistakes. Winning must still trump that humiliation. That is the point in the above story. Our man Roy wanted to quit and cry. His coach wouldn’t let him. Sometimes we just want to quit. The effort to live a good and holy life in today’s world may seem to be a bigger challenge than we care to face. The voice in our ear tells us to give up; the world wins; why be humiliated any longer for standing up for unpopular beliefs, for looking like a failure when judged by the world’s standards? If we work for the Lord, and we make some big mistakes, why not just quit? Maybe we were never “good enough” anyway. Maybe we just wanted to believe God could use us to advance His kingdom on earth. Well, if any of those thoughts try to take hold of your heart and mind, look to Roy and his coach. Roy would have loved to stay off the field that day. His coach gave him a second chance, and Roy played the game of his life. The prostitute in our Bible passage was humiliated and scorned by others for her mistakes, yet Jesus gives her another chance. I am fairly certain Coach Price told Roy, as Jesus told the prostitute, “Just don’t do it again.” It is good to remember that quitting is never an option in the game of life. We play to win. Our coach, Jesus Christ, will give us all the strength and grace necessary to cross the finish line and join Him in paradise. We just have to remember to ask for it. We also must remember to be the good coach ourselves and always give our fellow man another chance. How we treat others must always reflect how God treats us.

Devotion for today: angel of God, my guardian dear

Today, October 2, is the Feast of the Guardian Angels

Scripture for meditation: Psalm 91:11
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

Scripture for reflection: Matthew 18:10

See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.

Rev. Hugo Hoever, S.O.Cist., Ph.D. tells us: The angels are pure spirits endowed with a natural intelligence, will, power and beauty, far surpassing the nature, faculties and powers of man. The angels number millions and thousands of millions around the throne of God; praising Him and serving Him as messengers and ministers, and as guardians of men on earth. They are divided into three hierarchies: Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones; Dominations, Principalities and Powers; Virtues, Archangels and Angels. Those blessed spirits who are appointed by God to be protectors and defenders of men are called Guardian Angels. Faith teaches us that each individual has a Guardian Angel who watches over him during the whole course of his life. It is also a generally accepted doctrine that communities, the Church, dioceses, and nations also have their tutelary angels. The Guardian Angels defend those of whom they have charge against the assaults of the devils of soul or body, particularly from sin and the occasions of sin; they endeavor to keep us in the right path. If we fall, they help us to rise again, encourage us to become more and more virtuous, suggest good thoughts and holy desires, offer our prayers and good actions to God; and, above all, assist us at the hour of death. (Lives of the Saints, Catholic Book Publishing Co. NY, 1955)

Prayer: Guardian Angel Prayer:

Angel of God, My Guardian Dear
to whom God's love commits me here.
Ever this day be at my side
to light and guard and rule and guide.
Amen.

My thoughts: Angels are perhaps the most misunderstood beings in all of God’s heaven. St. Thomas Aquinas tells us  God created angels when He created the heavens. Nowhere in the entire Bible does it say they are deceased humans who somehow have to “get their wings” (remember what happens when a bell rings). We do know they are powerful- like Michael; messengers – like Gabriel; protectors – like Raphael, and guardians, like our very own angels. God is such a loving Father that He has assigned each and every one of us our own body guards to protect us against the forces of evil in the world. It is a wonderful idea to name your guardian angel, and pray to him. It is a mistake to picture him as some soft airy creature that couldn’t hurt a fly – angels are God’s armies, and they are here to protect and defend us. Pray to your Guardian Angel when tempted to sin, when in harm’s way, or when you need a companion. Your angel is always there, watching over you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUKcUxnvHEw

Devotion for today: Feast of St. Therese of Lisieux (October 1)

On the feast of this great saint, patroness of the missions, doctor of the Church and inspired writer, I offer for your meditation a letter she wrote offering her life to God. May we all consider consecrating our own lives in such a manner. St. Therese, pray for us.

Oh My God! Most Blessed Trinity, I desire to Love You and make You Loved, to work for the glory of Holy Church by saving souls on earth and liberating those suffering in purgatory. I desire to accomplish Your will perfectly and to reach the degree of glory You have prepared for me in Your kingdom. I desire, in a word, to be a saint, but I feel my helplessness and I beg You, O my God! to be Yourself my Sanctity!

Since You loved me so much as to give me Your only Son as my Savior and my Spouse, the infinite treasures of His merits are mine. I offer them to You with gladness, begging You to look upon me only in the Face of Jesus and in His heart burning with Love.

I offer You, too, all the merits of the saints (in heaven and on earth), their acts of Love, and those of the holy angels. Finally, I offer You, O Blessed Trinity! the Love and merits of the Blessed Virgin, my dear Mother. It is to her I abandon my offering, begging her to present it to You. Her Divine Son, my Beloved Spouse, told us in the days of His mortal life: “Whatsoever you ask the Father in my name he will give it to you!” I am certain, then, that You will grant my desires: I know, O my God! that the more You want to give, the more You make us desire. I feel in my heart immense desires and it is with confidence I ask You to come and take possession of my soul. Ah! I cannot receive Holy Communion as often as I desire, but, Lord, are you not all-powerful? Remain in me as in a tabernacle and never separate Yourself from Your little victim.

I want to console You for the ingratitude of the wicked, and I beg of You to take away my freedom to displease You. If through weakness I sometimes fall, may Your Divine Glance cleanse my soul immediately, consuming all my imperfections like the fire that transforms everything into itself.

I thank You, O my God! for all the graces You have granted me, especially the grace of making me pass through the crucible of suffering. It is with joy I shall contemplate You on the Last Day carrying the scepter of Your Cross. Since You deigned to give me a share in this very precious Cross, I hope in heaven to resemble You and to see shining in my glorified body the sacred stigmata of Your Passion.

After earth’s Exile, I hope to go and enjoy You in the Fatherland, but I do not want to lay up merits for heaven. I want to work for Your Love alone with the one purpose of pleasing You, consoling Your Sacred Heart, and saving souls who will love You eternally.

In the evening of this life, I shall appear before You with empty hands, for I do not ask You, Lord, to count my works. All our justice is stained in Your eyes. I wish, then, to be clothed in Your own Justice and to receive from Your Love the eternal possession of Yourself. I want no other Throne, no other Crown but You, my Beloved!

Time is nothing Your eyes, and a single day is like a thousand years. You can, then, in one instant prepare me to appear before You.

In order to live in one single act of perfect Love, I OFFER MYSELF AS A VICTIM OF HOLOCAUST TO YOUR MERCIFUL LOVE, asking You to consume me incessantly, allowing the waves of infinite tenderness shut up within you to overflow into my soul, and that thus I may become a martyr of Your Love, O my God!

May this martyrdom, after having prepared me to appear before You, finally cause me to die and may my soul take its flight without any delay into the eternal embrace of Your Merciful Love.

I want, O my Beloved, at each beat of my heart, to renew this offering to You an infinite number of times, until the shadows having disappeared, I may be able to tell You of my Love in an Eternal Face to Face! (emphasis in original, Story of a Soul, the Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux).

Devotion for today: thoughts on a moon shell

Today’s thoughts are taken from the book “Gift From the Sea” by Anne Morrow Lindberg, Pantheon Books, 1955).

This is a snail shell, round, full and glossy as a horse chestnut. Comfortable and compact, it sits curled up like a cat in the hollow of my hand. Milky and opaque, it has the pinkish bloom of the sky on a summer evening, ripening to rain. On its smooth symmetrical face is penciled with precision a perfect spiral, winding inward to the pinpoint center of the shell, the tiny dark core of the apex, the pupil of the eye. It stares at me, this mysterious single eye – and I stare back. Now it is the moon, solitary in the sky, full and round, replete with power. Now it is the eye of a cat that brushes noiselessly through long grass at night. Now it is an island, set in ever-widening circles of waves, alone, self-contained, serene.

…How one hates to think of oneself as alone. How one avoids it. It seems to imply rejection or unpopularity…. We seem so frightened today of being alone that we never let it happen. Even if family, friends, and movies should fail, there is still the radio or television to fill up the void….. Even day-dreaming was more creative than this; it demanded something of oneself and it fed the inner life. Now, instead of planting our solitude with our own dream blossoms, we choke the space with continuous music, chatter, and companionship to which we do not even listen. It is simply there to fill the vacuum When the noise stops there is no inner music to take its place. We must re-learn to be alone…

For a full day and two nights I have been alone. I lay on the beach under the stars at night alone. I made my breakfast alone. Alone I watched the gulls at the end of the pier, dip and wheel and dive for the scraps I threw them… Beauty of earth and sea and air meant more to me. I was in harmony with it, melted into the universe, lost in it, as one is lost in a canticle of praise, swelling from an unknown crowd in a cathedral. “Praise ye the Lord, all ye fishes of the sea – all ye birds of the air – all ye children of men – Praise ye the Lord!”

Moon shell, who named you? Some intuitive woman I like to think. I shall give you another name – Island Shell. I cannot live forever on my island. But I can take you back to my desk in Connecticut. You will sit there and fasten your single eye upon me. You will make me think, with your smooth circles winding inward to the tiny core, of the island I lived on for a few weeks. You will say to me “solitude.” You will remind me that I must try to be alone for part of each year, even a week or a few days; and for part of each day, even for an hour or a few minutes in order to keep my core, my center, my island-quality. You will remind me that unless I keep the island-quality intact somewhere within me, I will have little to give my husband, my children, my friends or the world at large.

You will remind me that woman must be still as the axis of a wheel in the midst of her activities; that she must be the pioneer in achieving this stillness, not only for her own salvation, but for the salvation of family life, of society, perhaps even of our civilization.