Devotion for today: the wound of ingratitude

As we come to the Third Sorrowful Mystery, we reflect on ingratitude to the Lord toward His gift of the Eucharist.

The Third Sorrowful Mystery: The Crowning of Thorns

“There was in Him no stately bearing to make us look at Him, nor appearance that would attract us to Him…spurned, and we held Him in no esteem.” (Is 53:2)

We meditate on the crown of thorns not only around the head of Jesus, but also around His Sacred Heart, for it is there that He suffers more now than He did during His entire Passion. The thorns around His Heart symbolize the pain He endures due to the ingratitude of the world toward His love in the Eucharist: “Behold this Heart which has loved so much, and yet which is so little loved in return.”

“Behold this man!”

Behold all the locked and empty churches where He dwells! Again in the Holy Eucharist, as before Pilate and in His Passion, Jesus, the sacrificial lamb, is not held in esteem, because there is in Him no majestic or stately bearing that would make men want to look at Him: “Nor appearance that would attract men to Him, one of those from whom men hide their faces.” Yet when we look upon the Blessed Sacrament we behold in faith the very beauty of Paradise, the most exciting reality in our life, for contained in the Holy Eucharist is Jesus’ personal love for you, which is all the love of heaven and earth combined.

The Eucharistic Heart of Jesus is infinitely appreciative of the love you have for Him in the Blessed Sacrament. This is why every holy hour you make changes the thorns in His Heart into many flowers of indescribable consolation. With Mary we offer to Him any suffering in our own life caused by the feeling of not being appreciated, in order that all humanity may come to truly appreciate Jesus in this most Blessed Sacrament.

Blessed Sacrament Prayer:

Jesus, awakened to Your great love for us, we offer You the perfect gratitude of Mary in reparation for the indifference and ingratitude of the world toward your love in the Holy Eucharist.

This selection is taken from Come to Me in the Blessed Sacrament, Fr. Vincent Martin Lucia, Apostolate for Perpetual Adoration, P.O. Box 46502, Mt. Clemens, Michigan 48046.

Devotion for today: meet Jesus with Mary

No journey through Lent would be complete without accompanying Mary. Here we join her on the Via Dolorosa, as Jesus stops to meet her.

Scripture for meditation: Lamentations 1:12

Come, all you who pass by the way, look and see whether there is any suffering like my suffering.

Scripture for reflection: Luke 2:34-35

Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother: 'This Child is destined to be the Downfall and the Rise of many in Israel, a sign that will be opposed — and you yourself shall be pierced with a sword — so that the thoughts of many hearts may be laid bare.'"

We enter into conversation with Mary: Be with me now as we pray and again walk to Calvary with my Son. Walk with me now. Hold my hand. Feel my pain…. I did not know to the extent I would endure pain for Him, from His love…. Walk with me now, see as I see, feel as I feel, love as I love, hurt as I did—that day and now—for now is when we walk. Place it now in your thoughts and actions. Be there now. It is today…. With me, see His love. With me, see His pain. He is here with us. It is now to Him child, always—for in this does eternity exist. Oh child, dear child, see my heart melt as my Son approaches. I have so much love for Him as His mother—so much love for Him as God. Be now my companion. See His face. It is stained with tears, with blood. It is draped in agony. It is lifted only by my heart touching His—my love reaching out to His love—my mind and spirit becoming one with His. He looks and sees my pain. My anguish for Him is beyond compare, but my love for His children, His beloved, is there. He has given me the grace to see redemption at hand—the gift of love in His Heart. He sees my heart. His eyes penetrate my soul to know its love for Him. He is my Son—sent to die in anguish on the Cross….His love is great. For only such a great love could sustain Him. He cries out in anguish and grief; He holds my hand. But for a brief moment we touch. “Hold me my Son!” But no, it is not to be—no consolation of heart for a mother burdened with grief. No love penetrates the heart that was pierced with a sword. Only His pain now do I feel—only His love rejected and trod down do I know…. Your heart, child, now place it with mine, as we place ours with His. He is here for us—for a moment—for eternity—but we do not see the future as thus just yet. We see the pain, we see the torn flesh. We tolerate all, knowing only that this is His wish and ordained by God above. Understanding? There is none. Hatred? It abounds all around. It is the evil that carries the crowd…. The good they do not see. They do not see redemption at hand. They do not realize that which they do in anger and hatred is that which is done in love, by Love. They do not see! Their eyes are blind. Their hearts are hardened and glossed over by any who would question the crime they are about to commit. Imagine your Lord so full of love, now pressed down by hate. The sores have been opened by each step. The thorns are now deeper as He walks. He is beaten still—pushed on by the mob who would kill and maim….  No one walks with my Son as His ally. They are frightened. As I meet my Son—we are one—for a moment. I love Him so. Know now my hurt as He continues on and I am left there in tears to God praying for His perseverance—the grace to now do what He has come to do. My tears child—they are yours. Feel them in your heart. Know they last forever—until my children are home safely. Then can we rejoice. www.stationscross.com.

Prayer: consoler Consecration to Mary (Consoling the Heart of Jesus, Fr. Michael Gaitley, pg.114) Mary, my Mother, I give you my whole being so you may lead me to console your Son with the perfect consolation you give to Him. From this day forward, dear Jesus, whenever I embrace You, may it be with the arms of Mary. Whenever I kiss you, may it be with the lips of Mary. Whenever I sing to you, praise you and thank you, may it be with the voice of Mary. Jesus, in short, every time I love you, may it be with the heart of Mary.

My thoughts:  I must admit that the thought of Mary seeing Jesus carrying His cross after His scourging and crowning with thorns, brings tears to my heart. Her plea in the above meditation is really her call to all of us: please do not let all of this be in vain; please turn your hearts of stone into hearts of love for my Son; His gift was so freely given; can you not freely accept it, along with your own cross?  Mary will always follow us along our journey, holding us up when we stumble, reaching out in love when we cry, and applauding us when we are doing well. Never forget that her “fiat” was a yes to suffering and pain, joined with her Son’s. So is ours.

Our prayer to God: In our week of alms giving, it is right to consider the many people who suffer alone. Mary asks us to remember her tears for all her children until they are safely home. Let us not be afraid to offer to say a prayer for someone who shares their hurt or suffering with us. No matter what religion or attitude toward religion a person may have, all appreciate a prayer. It just might be the doorway for their return to God.

Devotion for today: do ordinary things with extraordinary love

We are now with the sorrowing women on the Via Dolorosa. They couldn’t do anything more for Christ than show Him compassion and love, and for this He was grateful.

Scripture for meditation: Luke 23:27-28

A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him. Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children.”

Scripture for reflection: Colossians 2:6-7
Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta tells us: We must grow in love, and to do this we must go on loving and loving and giving and giving until it hurts – the way Jesus did. Do ordinary things with extraordinary love: little things like caring for the sick and the homeless, the lonely and the unwanted, washing and cleaning for them. You must give what will cost you something. This, then, is giving not just what you can live without but what you can’t live without or don’t want to live without, something you really like. Then your gift becomes a sacrifice, which will have value before God. Any sacrifice is useful if it is done out of love. This giving until it hurts – this sacrifice – is also what I call love in action. Every day I see this love – in children, men and women. I was once walking down the street and a beggar come to me and he said, “Mother Teresa, everybody’s giving to you. I also want to give to you. Today, for the whole day, I got only twenty-nine paise and I want to give it to you.” I thought for a moment: If I take it he will have nothing to eat tonight, and if I don’t take it I will hurt him. So I put out my hands and I took the money. I have never seen such joy on anybody’s face as I saw on his – that a beggar, he too, could give to Mother Teresa. It was a big sacrifice for that poor man who’d been sitting in the sun all day and had only received twenty-nine paise. It was beautiful: twenty-nine paise is such a small amount and I can get nothing with it, but as he gave it up and I took it, it became like thousands because it was given with so much love.” (Mother Teresa: A Simple Path, Lucinda Vardey, Ballentine Books, 1995)

Prayer: Lord, I Give You My Heart by Michael J. Smith

This is my desire: To honor You Lord with all my heart.  I worship You.  All I have within me, I give You praise.  All that I adore is in You Lord, I give You my heart. I give You my soul. I live for You alone. Every Breath I take. Every moment I'm awake, Lord, have Your way in me.
[ From: http://www.metrolyrics.com/lord-i-give-you-my-heart-lyrics-michael-w-smith.html ]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fugrqhRb_lc&feature=related.

My thoughts: I once stood outside of an abortion clinic and prayed the rosary with our Bishop, some priests and other lay people. I was scared: scared of the comments from passersby, scared of the man who watched our feet to be sure we didn’t cross the line, scared of what other people might think of me. I was right in my fears. Nasty comments were hurled from some car windows; some people made fun of us as they walked around us, yet I became stronger and stronger the longer I stayed. The peace and dedication of those brave people with me filled with me with courage and love for God and His children. The quiet witness of those in prayer, in solidarity with the will of God, had a profound, life-changing affect on me. So did the sight of a woman getting out of a car, seeing the prayerful witness to life, pausing and getting back in the car. Did we bring compassion and love to Jesus that day? I think we did. We let Him know He didn’t suffer and die in vain, that He left a following who would do what the weeping women were so brave to do, and place themselves with Jesus. That was so hard for them: the crowd was so mean, so full of hate, just like some people passing our little group. But they stayed and compassionated Our Lord, and He asks us to do the same today. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta tells us it must cost us something. That doesn’t necessarily mean money. It may just mean our pride.

Our prayer to God: What do we spend our time on that makes us feel good? TV? Video Games? Eating out? How about giving up some of our well-deserved pleasures and giving out some of our time and talents?  Maybe we could do something this Lent we always wanted to do but, for some reason, feared. Jesus will be with us. We do Him no service to weep for Him and not His children.