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.