All things considered, this manner of going forward, based on peace, liberty, confident abandonment to God, quiet acceptance of our shortcomings and even of our failures, why is this the way to counsel? Why is it more correct than seeking the will of God, which is done with preoccupation, scruples and a tense and restless desire for perfection?
Because the only true perfection is that of love and, in the first way of proceeding, there is more true love of God than in the second. Saint Faustina said: “When I do not know what to do, I question love, for love is the best counselor!”
The Lord calls us to perfection: Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. But still, according to the Bible, the one who is most perfect is not the one who behaves in an irreproachable manner, but the one who loves most.
The behavior that is most perfect is not that which corresponds to the image that we sometimes form for ourselves of perfection, such as a comportment that is impeccable, infallible and spotless.
Rather, it is one where there is the most disinterested love of God and the least prideful pursuit of oneself.
One who accepts to be weak, small and who fails often, who accepts to be nothing in his own eyes or in the eyes of others, but who, without being excessively preoccupied with his situation, because he is animated by a great confidence in God and knows that his love is infinitely more important and counts ever so much more than his own imperfection and faults, this person loves more than one who pushes the preoccupation of his own perfection to the point of anxiety.
Happy are the poor in spirit for the Kingdom of God is theirs. Happy are they, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, who have learned to no longer make a drama of their poverty, but who accept it joyously because they put all their hope, not in themselves, but in God.
God Himself will be their wealth, He will be their perfection, their sanctity, their virtues. Happy are those who know how to love their poverty, because it is a marvelous opportunity for God to manifest the immensity of His Love and His Mercy. We will be saints the day when our inabilities and our nothingness will no longer be for us a subject of sadness and anxiety, but a subject of peace and joy.
This road of poverty, which is also the way of love, is the most efficacious for making us grow, for making us progressively acquire all of the virtues, for purifying us of our faults. Love alone is the source of growth, it alone is fruitful, and love alone purifies sin in depth: “The fire of love purifies more than the fires of purgatory,” Saint Therese of Lisieux tells us.
This approach, based on the joyous acceptance of one’s poverty is in no way equivalent to a resignation to mediocrity or an abdication of aspiring to perfection. Rather, it is the quickest and surest road to perfection because it puts us in the position of smallness, confidence and abandonment by which we are placed entirely in the hands of God Who can act in us by His grace and carry us Himself by pure mercy to the perfection that we, in no way, could achieve by our own strength.
“How beautiful it would be if, during their evening prayer together, there could be a pause such as the one for the examination of conscience during which time a husband and wife would pray silently for the other, recommending to God all the other’s intentions sensed, guessed, and known as well as those that only God the Master of consciences could know. Even more beautiful would it be if they would receive Holy Communion together frequently so that each of them could speak more intimately to Our Lord about the needs of the other, begging not only temporal but spiritual favors for this cherished soul. ” – Fr. Raoul Plus, S.J., Christ in the Home
by Monseigneur Landriot, Archbishop of Rheims,
Translated from the French by Helena Lyons
“Long out of print, this rare jewel is destined to become the favored spiritual guide for Catholic wives and mothers. Msgr. Landriot gave these conferences over 100 years ago, but they are as relevant to us today as the Gospels. This book is a guide for women who want to achieve sanctity in the home. Reading this book is the best thing you could do for your husband and children, as well as for yourself. This book was published to help women to raise and keep their families Catholic.” – Loreto Publications
In the mind of God there is a principle that governs all things in the universe. This principle is called the eternal law. All other kinds of law have a part in the eternal law, and among these is natural law. “Natural law is nothing else than the rational creature’s participation in the eternal law.” (ST I-II, Q. 91, A.2, Resp.)
All men are born with reason, so all men are called to participate in the natural law. “The natural law is written and engraved in the soul of each and every man, because it is human reason ordaining him to do good and forbidding him to sin.” (CCC 1954)
God does not change, and the fact that eternal law does not change follows from that. Since natural law wholly participates in the eternal law, it is immutable as well. Therefore, natural law, being permanent and immutable, is an objective reality which can decide the morality of an action.
All men have the recognition of the natural law, which is called synderesis. Men may choose to obey the voice of their synderesis, but since man has freewill, he can also act against it. Then how does this apply to people who have their own morals, and what does this have to do with the moral teachings of the Church?
The moral teachings of the Church are based on the Divine Revelation of the moral (or natural) law. “To the Church belongs the right always and everywhere to announce moral principles, including those pertaining to the social order, and to make judgments on any human affairs to the extent that they are required by the fundamental rights of the human person or the salvation of souls.” (CCC 2032) These moral teachings are fundamentally unchangeable, for they come from the basis of the natural law.
The moral teachings of the Catholic Church cannot be wrong, for the Church’s infallibility “extends to all those elements of doctrine, including morals, without which the saving truths of the faith cannot be preserved, explained or observed” (CCC 2035). Those who are being taught by the Catholic Church must follow these elements of doctrine. They are the means by which Catholics will receive the truth.
There can only be one truth, which Christ testified to, and being that these moral teachings partake of this one truth, only these moral teachings are the correct ones.
Catholics who pick and choose what moral teachings they will follow are not justified in doing so, for, as Catholics, we believe in certain moral teachings laid down by Christ through the Church. If we do not follow these teachings, we stray from the path of heaven.
Yet even those who are partially ignorant of the Church’s teachings may not be held blameless in their actions. It is possible that they could have taken the time to find out more about the Church.
Since the moral teachings of the Church follow from the natural law, all men are taken into consideration. “The natural law, present in the heart of each man and established by reason, is universal in its precepts and its authority extends to all men.” (CCC 1956)
This does not mean that all men are responsible to know the teachings of the Church, for not all know of the Church, but they are responsible for leading a moral life in accordance with the natural law.
It is through the Church, though, that we learn natural law in its correct form. “The precepts of natural law are not perceived by everyone clearly and immediately. In the present situation, sinful man needs grace and revelation so moral and religious truths may be known by everyone with facility, with firm certainty and with no admixture of error.” (CCC 1960)
Therefore, all Catholics are obliged to find out the moral teachings of the Church at the times when they are not sure. They cannot just follow their own standards. It therefore depends a lot on what they know, and what they judge through their conscience.
One of the most difficult things to obtain in the spiritual life is a conscience fully developed in right judgment. When one eventually accomplishes this task, it is much easier to proceed in the moral life. “A good and pure conscience is enlightened by true faith, for charity proceeds at the same time from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith.” (CCC 1794)
For those who have not acquired a right conscience, and instead have an erroneous conscience, they will have a mistaken idea of what is right or wrong on many moral issues.
For example, a person with a right conscience knows that he must obey his superiors in all things as far as their authority reaches. On the other hand, a person with an erroneous conscience may not see a reason for a particular order, and so not obey it.
Most of the time, an erroneous conscience is the effect of selfishness, pride, or some other serious habitual sin. It leads one into a state of the soul that is difficult to overcome. So, keeping in mind these different states of conscience people can have, are Catholics who pick and choose which moral teachings they will follow in good conscience?
Before giving an answer on whether these Catholics are in good conscience or not, it would be good to elaborate on what is meant by “good conscience”.
Being in good conscience does not necessarily imply a right conscience; it simply means that one follows what his conscience tells him.
One must follow his conscience if he does not wish to sin, but this does not mean that his action is always morally good. It is possible for the action to be objectively wrong.
For example, if a father may give food to the poor, but his children go hungry, is he justified in giving away this food? No, but he may have thought that since the poor are hungrier than his children, he was right in doing so.
The fact that he is a father means that he must support his family, and this should be a higher priority to him than feeding the poor, even though this act of charity is still good theoretically.
The point, though, is that Catholics must be on their guard and be able to judge between what is right and wrong in a given situation. So, “good conscience being defined, it must be decided whether a Catholic who chooses his own moral standards is in good conscience or not.
A person judges by what they know, and Catholics are obliged to know their faith. A Catholic who picks and chooses which moral teachings he will follow is either going against his conscience by deliberately ignoring the fact that he must know his faith, or simply does not know that he must know his faith.
A man is able to make some judgments on moral issues by looking at natural law. A Catholic who follows his own moral standards goes against natural law, so he must know deep down in his heart that there is something wrong in the way he is practicing his faith.
Since he is “Catholic”, he must at some time in his life been introduced to some of the moral teachings of the Church. The ones who are least culpable are those who were taught so little about the faith that nothing morally concrete was ever formed in their minds.
Most Catholics, though, are informed enough to get this idea. Therefore, depending on their knowledge, the vast majority of those Catholics who do choose their own moral teachings to follow are not in good conscience.
“Life is too short to spend it doing things that don’t get you where you want to go. For instance, if it’s important to you to read aloud to your kids, but you find yourself rarely doing that, you’ll feel the disconnect and it will discourage you. You’ll feel off track and out of sorts, but might not be able to put your finger on why.
Spend some time thinking about what you DO want in your life. Then make those choices each day. When you live intentionally and with purpose, it will make a tremendous difference in your life and the lives of those you love.” – Charlotte Siems
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If we were to keep these tidbits ever before us our lives would change. Our feathers would get ruffled less, pettiness would vanish, each event that happens throughout the day would become meaningful. Let’s take them to heart…these loving and consoling thoughts!
Do not look forward to the changes and chances of this life with fear; rather look upon them with strong hope that, as they arise, God, Whose child you are, will deliver you from them.
He has kept you hitherto—do you but hold fast to His dear Hand, and He will lead you safely through all things; where you cannot walk He will bear you in His Arms.
Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow; the same Everlasting Father Who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow, and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.
Take courage, and turn troubles which you cannot remedy into material for spiritual progress.
Often turn to Our Lord, Who is watching you, poor frail little being that you are, amid your labors and distractions. He sends you help and blesses your afflictions. This thought should enable you to bear your troubles patiently and quietly, for love of Him Who only allows you to be tried for your own good.
Raise your heart continually to God, seek His aid, and let the foundation of your consolation be your happiness in being His.
All vexations and annoyances will be powerless to move you while you remember that you have such a Friend—such a Stay, such a Refuge.
Strive to see God in all things without exception, and acquiesce in His Will with absolute submission. Do everything for God, uniting yourself to Him by an upward glance, or by the overflowing of your heart towards Him.
Do not be eager for anything; do everything tranquilly and peacefully. Be comforted.
When the shore is gained, who will heed the toil and the storm? We shall steer safely through every storm, so long as our hearts are right, our intention fervent, our courage steadfast, and our trust fixed on God.
If at times we are somewhat stunned by the tempest, never fear; let us take breath and go on afresh. Do not be disconcerted by the fits of vexation and uneasiness which are sometimes produced by the multiplicity of your worries. No indeed, dearest child, all these are but opportunities of strengthening yourself in the loving forbearing graces which Our Lord sets before us.
Do not lose your inward peace for anything whatsoever; not even if your whole world seems upset. Recommend all things to God, and keep yourself tranquil and in repose on the bosom of His Paternal Providence.
Whatever happens, abide steadfastly in a determination to cling simply to God, trusting to His eternal love for you. If you find that you have wandered forth from this Shelter, recall your heart quietly and simply.
Maintain a holy simplicity of mind and do not burden yourself with a host of cares, wishes, or longings, under any pretext whatever.
I would have you invoke God often through the day, saying with St. Paul “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?”
“Wouldst Thou have me serve Thee in the lowest ministries of Thy house? Too happy, if I may but serve Thee in any way.”
When any special thing is hard for you, ask, “Wouldst Thou have me do it? Then, unworthy though I be, I will do it most willingly.” Oh, what treasures you will gain in this way—greater than you can conceive!
Every morning compose your soul for a tranquil day. All through it be careful often to recall your resolution, and bring yourself back to it, again and again.
If something discomposes you, do not be upset or troubled; but, having discovered the fact, humble yourself gently before God, and try to bring your mind into a quiet attitude. Say to yourself, “Well I have made a false step; now I must go more carefully and watchfully.”
Do this each time, however frequently you fall. Make constant acts of meekness; seek to be calm, even in the most trifling things. Above all, do not be discouraged; be patient; wait; strive to attain a calm, gentle spirit.
Treat your boys as young men. You want them to grow up to be hardworking and confident. Is it not true, that the more productive we are, the better we feel? Then structure your children’s day to be active and busy—they will thrive under these conditions. -Finer Femininity
Coloring pages…
A sermon for your day! The Real Presence: He is Really There!
Do you need some inspiration? For some great book suggestions visit My Book List…
In these times of unrest, when we are inundated with the news of civil upheaval and the injustices that mankind reaps upon his fellow man, we can truly become anxious, worried and lose that calm that it takes to raise a family in joy and peace.
If it’s a mistake to add the burden of the past to the weight of the present, it’s a still worse mistake to burden the present with the future.
The remedy for that tendency is to meditate on the lesson contained in the Gospel about abandonment to God’s Providence and ask for God’s grace to practice it.
“Do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? … Therefore do not be anxious, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ”
Again, this does not mean being improvident and irresponsible. We are obliged to plan for the future and take thought for tomorrow. But we should do it without worrying, without the care that gnaws at the heart but doesn’t solve anything—and often prevents us from putting our hearts into what we have to do here and now.
Hearts anxious about tomorrow can’t be open to the grace of the present moment. Like the manna that fed the Hebrew people in the desert, grace can’t be stockpiled. We can’t build up reserves of grace but only receive it moment by moment, as part of the “daily bread” we pray for in the Our Father.
To be free of the burden of the future as well as the past, we need “re-education.”
Here are some commonsense points that can help.
Things seldom happen as we expect. Most of our fears and apprehensions turn out to be completely imaginary. Difficulties we anticipated become very simple in reality; and the real difficulties are things that didn’t occur to us.
It’s better to accept things as they come, one after another, trusting that we will have the grace to deal with them at the right time, than to invent a host of scenarios about what may happen—scenarios that normally turn out to be wrong.
The best way to prepare for the future is to put our hearts into the present. In the Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples they will be hauled before tribunals, and then he adds: “Settle it therefore in your minds, not to meditate beforehand how to answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.”
Projecting our fears into the future cuts us off from reality and prevents us from dealing with the present situation as we should. It saps our best energies.
In another passage of her journal, Etty Hillesum says: “If one burdens the future with one’s worries, it cannot grow organically. I am filled with confidence, not that I shall succeed in worldly things, but that even when things go badly for me I shall still find life good and worth living.”
Fear of suffering, as we’ve seen, causes more pain than suffering does. We need to live accordingly. We have to fight them daily, like fleas, those many small worries about the morrow, for they sap our energies.
We make mental provision for the days to come, and everything turns out differently, quite differently. Sufficient unto the day.
The things that have to be done must be done, and for the rest we must not allow ourselves to become infested with thousands of petty fears and worries, so many motions of no confidence in God. Everything will turn out all right …
Ultimately, we have just one moral duty: to reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves, more and more peace, and to reflect it towards others. And the more peace there is in us, the more peace there will also be in our troubled world.
“Many times God allows it to be hard to pray, simply to school us in applying our wills, to teach us that the value of prayer does not depend on the amount of emotion we can whip up. So when ‘Time for prayers’ is greeted with moans and groans, it’s time to explain that saying prayers when you least want to, simply because you love God and have a kind of dry respect and a sense of obedience, is to gain the greatest merit for them. Many times the saints had trouble getting excited about prayers, but they said them, because prayers were due and their value had nothing to do with how eagerly they went about saying them.” -Mary Reed Newland
This is so inspiring and makes us realize how important prayer is in our lives! It is the distinguishing mark of a person striving for holiness!
The Spirit Of Prayer
In promising the Messiah to the Jewish people, God describes his mission with these words, ”I will pour out upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace, and of prayers.”
Yet before the advent of Jesus Christ people prayed, and God bestowed His grace, without which the just would have been unable to attain holiness. But this grace of prayer was not eagerly sought after or appreciated.
The coming of Jesus was like a dew of grace falling over all the earth and spreading everywhere the spirit of prayer.
Prayer is this distinguishing characteristic of the Catholic religion; it is the sign of a soul’s holiness; indeed, it is its holiness. It both makes holy and is the first evidence of holiness.
When you see someone living a life of prayer, you may say: “There goes a saint!”
St. Paul, having heard the call of God, immediately began to pray. And what did he do for three days at Damascus? He prayed.
And when the priest Ananias, in spite of the Divine command, hesitated to go to this persecutor of the Christians to baptize him, the Lord said to him: “Go, you will find him praying.”
That is, he is already a saint, for he prays. The Lord did not say: “He is mortifying himself, he is fasting,” but, “he is praying.”
Every soul that prays will attain to holiness.
Prayer is a light, a power; it is the action of God himself.
When we pray, we make use of the power of God.
You will never see any one become a saint who does not pray.
Do not be deceived by beautiful sentiments and by appearances.
The devil can do wonders, too; he has great learning; he can assume the appearance of an angel of light. Do not rely on knowledge; it does not lead to holiness. Mere knowledge of the truth is powerless to sanctify.
There must be love, too. Between holiness and the perception of the truth a wide gulf yawns. How many a great genius has incurred the loss of his soul! I will go further and say that the good works of zeal and charity do not sanctify by themselves.
God did not make them the distinguishing mark of holiness.
The Pharisees observed the law, gave alms, and consecrated tithes to the Lord. Yet the Savior called them “whited sepulchers.”
We learn from the gospel that prudence, temperance, and devotion may be joined with an evil conscience; witness the Pharisees, who labored with zeal but whose works were devoid of the spirit of prayer.
Outward works, then, do not make a soul holy; nor does penance or mortification.
How much pride and hypocrisy may be hidden beneath shabby attire and a countenance emaciated by privation.
But when a soul lives by prayer, O, there is no mistaking that sign!
A person prays; consequently he has every virtue, is holy.
What is prayer but holiness in action? All the virtues find exercise in it.
Humility makes us acknowledge to God that we have nothing, can do nothing; it makes us confess our sins and, lifting our eyes to God, proclaim that He alone is holy and good.
Prayer also gives exercise to faith, hope, and charity. Indeed, we make practice, in prayer, of every evangelical and moral virtue.
When we pray, we do penance, practice self mortification; we control our imagination, confine our will, enchain our heart, humble our pride.
Prayer is therefore holiness itself since it includes the exercise of all the virtues.
Some say prayer is nothing but laziness! Very well. Take those who work hardest and always use their energies most eagerly; they will find it much more difficult to pray than they did to devote themselves, sacrifice themselves to religious works.
Ah, the fact is that it is sweeter, more consoling to nature, and easier to give to God than to ask of Him!
Yes, prayer is, in itself alone, the practice of all the virtues. Without it nothing would be worth while or lasting.
Charity itself withers away like a plant without roots unless it be invigorated and made fruitful by prayer.
What then? Prayer, in God’s plan, is nothing else but grace. Have you noticed that your most violent temptations are against prayer?
The devil has so much fear of prayer that he would let us do any number of good works if he can only keep us from praying, or render our prayers ineffective.
For this reason we must be on our guard incessantly, must foster the spirit of prayer within us all the time, and make prayer our first duty.
The Gospel does not say we should prefer our neighbors salvation to our own; quite on the contrary: “For what doth it profit a man, if the gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul?”
The first law is to save oneself, and this can be accomplished only by means of prayer. Alas, we violate this law every day!
We willingly neglect ourselves for others, devoting ourselves to works of charity.
For charity is truly easy and consoling; it exults and honors us.
But we fly from prayer because we are slothful; we cannot bear to apply ourselves to a practice so humiliating to nature, because it raises no chorus of approbation in the outer world.
Just as the natural life depends on nourishment, so the supernatural life is absolutely dependent on prayer.
Though you should be obliged to give up everything else, penance, religious labors, even Communion, never give up prayer!
It belongs to every state in life and sanctifies them all.
“What!” you ask. “Give up Communion, in which we receive Jesus Himself, rather than give up prayer?”
Yes, for if you do not pray, the sacrament in which Jesus comes to you will not diffuse its divine remedy within your soul.
Without prayer we are powerless to do any great thing for Jesus.
Prayer invests us with His virtues; and if we do not pray, neither the saints nor God Himself will bring us forward on the road to sanctity.
So truly is prayer the condition of holiness that when God intends to ennoble a soul, He increases not its virtues but its spirit of prayer, that is to say, its sum total of power.
He draws it nearer to Himself, and that is the whole secret of sanctity.
Your own experience will bear this out. Always when you have felt transported to God, you have had recourse to prayer and retreat before hand.
And the saints, knowing the importance of prayer, loved it above all things. They always longed for the moment when they would be free to pray; they were drawn to prayer as iron is to a magnet.
Consequently, prayer was their recompense, and in heaven they praise still.
Ah, yes! The saints prayed all the time and everywhere! It was this grace that led them to holiness; it is the grace of all who desire to follow in their footsteps.
What is more, they knew how to move everything around them to prayer.
Hear David, who gives to all creatures, even the inanimate ones, a song of love for God: “ Bless the Lord, all his works!”
That is to say, all creatures praise God if we know how to be their voice; we must praise God through them.
With this divine breath of prayer we can animate all nature and join with all created things in a glorious chorus of praise to God.
Then let us pray, let us love prayer, let us increase day by day the spirit of prayer within us.
If you do not pray, you will be lost; if God abandons you, it will be only because you do not pray. You are like a hapless wretch about to drown who refuses the rope cast out to snatch him from death.
What can be done then? He is lost!
O, again I beg you, though you should abandon all else, never abandon prayer! However far you may stray from God, prayer will lead you back, prayer, and prayer alone!
If you devote yourself to prayer in the Christian life, it will guide you to holiness and happiness in this world and in the next.
“As a family, try to lead a hidden life with Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. Through holy Mass, offer yourselves through Mary’s hands as a sacrifice with Jesus; at Holy Communion, you will be changed into Jesus by divine grace so that you may live His life; by your visits to the tabernacle, you will enjoy His friendship in the midst of the many problems of life.” -Fr. Lawrence G. Lovasik. The Catholic Family Handbook
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We would like to come back for a few moments to this affirmation of the Bible, which is ultimately surprising, that God leaves us wanting for nothing.
This will serve to unmask a temptation, sometimes subtle, which is very common in the Christian life, one into which many fall and which greatly impedes spiritual progress.
It concerns precisely the temptation to believe that, in this situation which is ours (personal, family, etc.), we lack something essential and that because of this, our progress, and the possibility of blossoming spiritually, is denied us.
For example, I lack good health, therefore I am unable to pray as I believe it is indispensable to do. Or my immediate family prevents me from organizing my spiritual activities as I wish. Or, again, I don’t have the qualities, the strength, the virtue, the gifts that I believe necessary in order to accomplish something beautiful for God, according to the plan of the Christian life.
I am not satisfied with my life, with my person, with my circumstances and I live constantly with the feeling that as long as things are such, it will be impossible for me to live truly and intensely. I feel underprivileged compared to others and I carry in me the constant nostalgia of another life, more privileged, where, finally, I could do things that are worthwhile.
I have the feeling, according to Rimbaud’s expression, that “the real life is elsewhere,” elsewhere than in the life that is mine. And that the latter is not a real life, that it doesn’t offer me the conditions for real spiritual growth because of certain sufferances or limitations.
I am concentrated on the negatives in my situation, on that which I lack in order to be happy. This renders me unhappy, envious and discouraged and I am unable to go forward. The real life is elsewhere, I tell myself, and I simply forget to live.
Often times it would take so little for everything to be different and for me to progress with giant steps: a different outlook, a view of my situation which is one of confidence and hope (based on the certitude that I will lack nothing.) And then doors would open to me of unhoped-for possibilities for spiritual growth.
We often live with this illusion. With the impression that all would go better, we would like things around us to change, that the circumstances would change. But this is often an error. It is not the exterior circumstances that must change; it is above all our hearts that must change.
They must be purified of their withdrawal into themselves, of their sadness, of their lack of hope: Happy are the pure in heart; they shall see God (Matthew 5:8). Happy are those whose hearts are purified by faith and hope, who bring to their lives a view animated by the certitude that, beyond appearances to the contrary, God is present, providing for their essential needs and that they lack nothing.
If they have that faith, they will indeed see God: they will experience that presence of God which will accompany them and guide them. They will see that many of the circumstances that they thought negative and damaging to their spiritual life are, in fact, in God’s pedagogy, powerful means for helping them to progress and grow.
St. John of the Cross says that “it is very often the case that just when the soul believes itself lost that it gains and profits most.” This is very true.
Our minds are sometimes so clouded over by that which is not going well, by that which (according to our own particular criteria!) should be different in our situations, that we forget the positive.
Moreover, we are unable to profit from any aspect of our situations, even the aspects that only appear to be negative, in order for us to draw closer to God, to grow in faith, love and humility.
That which we lack is, above all, the conviction that “the love of God turns to profit all that He finds in me, the good as well as the bad” (St. Therese of the Child Jesus, inspired by St. John of the Cross). However many imperfections we may have, rather than lament them and try to rid ourselves of them at any price, they could be splendid opportunities to make progress – in humility as well as in confidence in God and His mercy-and thus in saintliness.
The fundamental problem is that we employ too much of our own criteria as to what is and what is not good and we don’t have enough confidence in the Wisdom and Power of God.
We don’t believe that He is capable of utilizing everything for our good and that never, under any circumstance, would He leave us lacking in the essentials – that is to say, lacking anything that would permit us to love more.
Because, to grow or to enrich one’s spiritual life is to learn to love. Many of the circumstances that I consider damaging could, in fact, be for me, if I had more faith, precious opportunities to love more: to be more patient, more humble, more gentle, more merciful and to abandon myself more into the Hands of God.
Let us then be convinced of this and it will be for us a source of immense strength: God may allow me to occasionally lack money, health, abilities and virtues, but He will never leave me in want of Himself, of His assistance and His mercy or of anything that would allow me to grow unceasingly ever closer to him, to love Him, to love Him more intensely, to better love my neighbor and to achieve holiness.
“The study of Religion should be a regular part of the curriculum and taught just as thoroughly as Reading, Writing, Arithmetic and other subjects.
The child gains a deep and reverent understanding of the principles of his faith, and practicing his religion becomes second nature to him.
Parents who believe that Sunday School instruction is adequate for a religious education would protest vigorously if their child were instructed only one hour each week in geography, history or some other subject of considerably less importance in the long view.” -Fr. George Kelly, Catholic Family Handbook https://amzn.to/2ovgHpU (afflink)
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Thus our purest inclinations, our holiest habits, our wisest rules of conduct, should yield without murmur or complaint to every manifestation of this divine will, in order that they may never become for us obstacles or impediments to good or the occasion of trouble and disquietude. By this means only can we perform all our actions with cheerful confidence and devout courage.
“I leave you the spirit of liberty; not that liberty which hinders obedience, for such is the liberty of the flesh, but that which excludes scruples and constraint…. We ask of God above all things that his name be hallowed, that His kingdom come, that His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
All this implies the spirit of liberty; for provided God’s name be sanctified, that His divine Majesty reign in you, that His will be done, the spirit desires nothing more.”(Imitation, B. III., Chap. XXVI.)*
St. Francis de Sales, speaking on this important subject, says: “He who possesses the spirit of liberty will on no account allow his affections to be mastered even by his spiritual exercises, and in this way he avoids feeling any regret if they are interfered with by sickness or accident. I do not say that he does not love his devotions but that he is not attached to them.”
A soul that is attached to meditation, if interrupted, will show chagrin and impatience: a soul that has true liberty will take the interruption in good part and show a gracious countenance to the person who was the cause of it. For it is all one to it whether it serve God by meditating or by bearing with its neighbor. Both duties are God’s will, but just at this time patience with others is the more essential.
The fruits of this holy liberty of spirit are prompt and tranquil submission and generous confidence. Saint Francis de Sales relates that Saint Ignatius ate flesh meat one day in Holy Week simply because his physician thought it expedient for him to do so on account of a slight illness.
A spirit of constraint would have made him allow the doctor to spend three days in persuading him, he adds, and would then very probably have refused to yield. I cite this example for the benefit of timid souls and not for those who seek to elude an obligation by unwarranted dispensations.
This matter is of such importance and a just medium so difficult to follow in practice, that it seems useful to transcribe the following passage from Saint Francis de Sales in its entirety, with the rules and examples it contains, in order that the proper occasions for the exercise of this virtue and its limitations may be well understood.
A heart possessed of this spirit of liberty is not attached to consolations, but receives afflictions with all the sweetness that is possible to human nature. I do not say that it does not love and desire consolations, but that its affections are not wedded to them…. It seldom loses its joy, for no privation saddens a heart that is not set upon any one thing. I do not say it never loses it, but if it does so it quickly regains it.
The effects of this virtue are sweetness of temper, gentleness, and forbearance towards everything that is not sin or occasion of sin, forming a disposition gently susceptible to the influences of charity and of every other virtue.
The occasions for exercising this holy freedom are found in all those things that happen contrary to our natural inclinations; for one whose affections are not engaged in his own will does not lose patience when his desires are thwarted.
There are two vices opposed to this liberty of spirit,—instability and constraint, or dissipation and servility. The former is a certain excess of freedom which causes us to change our devout exercises or state of life without reason and without knowing if it be God’s will. On the slightest pretext practices, plans and rules are altered and for every trivial obstacle our laudable customs are abandoned. In this way the heart is dissipated and spent and becomes like an orchard open on all sides, the fruit whereof is not for the owner but for the passers-by.
Constraint or servility is a certain lack of liberty owing to which the mind is overwhelmed with vexation or anger when we cannot carry out our designs, even though we might be doing something better. For example: I resolve to make a meditation every morning. Now if I have the spirit of instability or dissipation I am apt to defer it until evening for the most insignificant reason,—because I was kept awake by the barking of a dog, or because I have a letter to write, although it be not at all pressing.
If on the contrary I have the spirit of constraint or servility I will not give up my meditation even though a sick person has great need of my aid just then, or if I have an important and urgent dispatch to send which should not be deferred; and so on.
It remains for me to give you some examples of true liberty of spirit which will make you understand it better than I can explain it. But, before doing so, it is well that I should say there are two rules which it is necessary to observe in order not to make any mistake on the subject.
The first is that a person must never abandon his pious practices and the common rules of virtue unless it is plainly evident that God wills that he do so. Now this will is manifested in two ways,—through necessity and through charity.
I desire to preach this Lent in some little corner of my diocese; however, if I get sick or break my leg I need not give way to regret or inquietude because I cannot do as I intended, for it is evident that it is the will of God that I serve Him by suffering and not by preaching.
Or, even if I am not ill or crippled, but an occasion presents itself of going to some other place which if I do not avail myself of the people there may become Huguenots, the will of God is sufficiently manifest to make me amiably change my plans.
The second rule is that when it is necessary to make use of this liberty of spirit from motives of charity, care should be taken that it is done without scandal or injustice.
For instance: I may know that I should be more useful in some distant place not within my own diocese: I should have no freedom of choice in this matter for my obligations are here and I should give scandal and do an injustice by abandoning my charge.
Thus it is a false idea of the spirit of liberty that would induce married women to keep aloof from their husbands without legitimate reason under pretext of devotion and charity…. This spirit rightly understood never interferes with the duties of one’s vocation nor prejudices them in any way. On the contrary, it makes every one contented in his state of life, as each should know it is God’s will that he remain in it.
Saint Charles Borromeo was one of the most austere, exact and determined of men; bread was his only food, water his only drink; he was so strict, that during the twenty-four years he was an Archbishop he went into his garden but twice, and visited his brothers only on two occasions and then because they were ill.
Yet this austere priest when dining with his Swiss neighbors, which he often did in order to move them to amend their lives, did not hesitate to join them in drinking toasts and healths on every occasion and in doing so to take more than was necessary to quench his thirst.
Here is true liberty of spirit exemplified in the most mortified man of his time. An unstable spirit would have gone too far, a spirit of constraint would have thought it was committing a mortal sin, a spirit of liberty would act in this way from a motive of charity.
Saint Spiridion, a bishop of olden times, once gave shelter to a pilgrim who was almost dying of hunger. It was the season of Lent and in a place where nothing was to be had but salt meat. This Spiridion ordered to be cooked and then gave it to the pilgrim. Seeing that the latter, notwithstanding his great need, hesitated to eat it, the Saint, although he did not require it, ate some first in order to remove the poor man’s scruples. That was a true spirit of liberty born of charity.—Saint Francis de Sales.
Again, it is this Christian spirit of freedom that excludes fear and uneasiness in regard to all those things which God has not permitted us to know. It gives us a sweet and tender confidence as to the pardon of our past sins, the present condition of our souls and our eternal destiny.
It reminds us continually that although we have deserved hell, our divine Lord has merited heaven for us, and that it would be doing a great injury to His goodness not to hope for pardon for the past, assistance of divine grace for the present, and salvation after death. Finally, it teaches us to drown our remorse for sin in the ocean of the divine mercy.
I earnestly exhort you never to make indiscreet vows in the hope of thus increasing the merit of your ordinary works. One can attain the same end by many ways that are easier and less dangerous. Those who are guilty of this imprudence often run the risk of breaking their vows and of thus sinning gravely. And if they avoid this misfortune it is only at the expense of their peace of soul, sacrificed to a craven and unquiet servitude which is totally incompatible with the tranquility and confidence required in the great work of our spiritual perfection.
Many pious persons are too prone to advise obligations of this kind. If they do so to you, humbly excuse yourself by saying that you do not possess the extraordinary virtue requisite in order to fulfill them without disquietude.
Saint Francis de Sales disapproved of all the particular vows made by Saint Jane Frances de Chantal and declared them null. I have almost invariably found persons bound by such solemn obligations restless and agitated, and have frequently seen them exposed to the gravest falls.
Do not allow yourself to be misled by the example of some of the saints who made vows. Rarely is the desire to imitate certain extraordinary practices of theirs an inspiration of divine grace: rather is it a temptation from the devil inciting us to pride and temerity.
Saint Francis de Sales exclaimed: “Give me the spirit that animated Saint Bernard and I shall do what Saint Bernard did.” Let us apply ourselves, I repeat, to the imitation of those simple and solid virtues by which the saints attained sanctity, and be content to admire those supernatural acts that suppose it already acquired.
To bind one’s self by arbitrary vows without compromising salvation, three things are necessary: 1st. supernatural inspiration urging one to make them; 2d. extraordinary virtue so as never to violate them; 3d. unalterable tranquillity in order to preserve peace of soul in keeping them.
It is wrong to strip our altars and our Churches of all the splendid display due to Our Lord. “The saints have always shown wholehearted zeal and resourcefulness in seeing to the beauty and tidiness of the house of God, because, as St. Thomas Aquinas teaches, it is necessary to take care first of the real Body of Jesus, then of His Mystical Body.” -Jesus, Our Eucharistic Love, http://amzn.to/2fS4n1R (afflink)
What does it take to be a holy family especially in today’s world where everything is anti-family? Dating? Courting? How do you prepare for marriage?
The first thing, after “Dear Blessed Jesus,” or whatever children like to call Him best, is their examination of conscience, because it’s easier to settle down to a really good talk with God after we get our sins out of the way.
This is why the Mass starts with the penitential rite. The important thing about a child’s examination of conscience is that he be assured that his parents will not scold him if he reveals some carefully concealed guilt of the day.
His sins are sins against God, not his parents, and he will not hesitate to drag out the most jealously guarded secrets if he’s certain his parents understand that he’s confessing to God, not to them, and that they will resist the temptation to lecture.
For instance, in the summertime we have a problem called “dirt in the hair.” Every night the children turn up at bedtime with their heads gritty with topsoil. The culprit is conspicuous, if at all, only by his silence — until he examines his conscience.
“I poured dirt on everybody’s head because I felt like it.” The immediate reaction of any normally weary mother facing a lineup of shampoos is at least mild rage, but in the face of such a confession freely made, the only permissible comment is, “Are you really sorry?” to lead the self-accused to a sincere act of contrition.
“I am sorry, and please help me not to do it again.”
Here they learn to guard against presumption. The inclination is to vow solemnly that they will never do it again (O happy day!), but sanctity does not come that easily. Unless they beg for the grace to reform, they are apt to do it again and again.
Some days are quite good, and they will charge into night prayers loudly with, “I was very good today, God!”
With presumption again in mind, it is better to say something like, “I tried to be good today, but if I did anything to offend You, I am sorry. Please help me never to offend You again.”
Not all children are shouters at prayers, but we have had some who were, and their attempts to make themselves heard way off in Heaven certainly robbed their prayers, while not of sincerity, at least of privacy.
Learning that God is near, is here, is everywhere, and can hear even the whispered prayers and secret thoughts, is a wonderful discovery for shouters and non-shouters alike and, incidentally, covers one whole lesson in the catechism: Where is God? If God is everywhere, why don’t we see Him? Does God see us? Does God know all things? Can God do all things? Is God just, holy, and merciful?
The answers to all these questions can be learned in the course of the many interruptions to night prayers. “How can He hear me if I don’t even see Him? When did He come in? Did He come in the door? Can He come through the wall? Could He see a mouse in the wall? A mosquito on the ceiling? If I just think my prayers, can He hear them?”
If the question about God’s being just, holy, and merciful seems a bit difficult, it fits in when we explain that confessing the sins of the day is something entirely between them and God, and is the reason — when correction and punishment are a mother’s and father’s concern elsewhere — they do not belong at night prayers. One sins against God, who can already see the sin, and see the sorrow for it, and will reward a sincere confession with forgiveness and the grace to do better next time.
“Religious have no need of particular friendships, but those living in the world need them as a mutual strength and aid in the many difficult passages that have to be crossed.
For those who live in the midst of the world and yet strive for true virtue, it is necessary to ally themselves to one another by a holy and sacred friendship through which they stimulate, assist and encourage each other toward good.Those who walk on level ground do not need to hold hands, but those who climb steep and slippery roads need to hold on to each other in order to progress more securely.” -St. Francis de Sales
Come and visit Meadows of Grace for some good book suggestions…..
Save
Sa
A masterpiece that combines the visions of four great Catholic mystics into one coherent story on the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Based primarily on the famous revelations of Ven. Anne Catherine Emmerich and Ven. Mary of Agreda, it also includes many episodes described in the writings of St. Bridget of Sweden and St. Elizabeth of Schenau. To read this book, therefore, is to share in the magnificent visions granted to four of the most priviledged souls in the history of the Church.
In complete harmony with the Gospel story, this book reads like a masterfully written novel. It includes such fascinating details as the birth and infancy of Mary, her espousal to St. Joseph and her Assumption into Heaven where she was crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth.
For young and old alike, The Life of Mary As Seen by the Mystics will forever impress the reader with an inspiring and truly unforgettable understanding of the otherwise unknown facts concerning Mary and the Holy Family. Imprimatur.
He was called the man of his age, the voice of his century. His influence towered above that of his contemporaries, and his sanctity moved God himself. Men flocked to him–some in wonder, others in curiosity, but all drawn by the magnetism of his spiritual gianthood. Bernard of Clairvaux–who or what fashioned him to be suitable for his role of counseling Popes, healing schisms, battling errors and filling the world with holy religious and profound spiritual doctrine? Undoubtedly, Bernard is the product of God’s grace. But it is hard to say whether this grace is more evident in Bernard himself or in the extraordinary family in which God choose to situate this dynamic personality. This book is the fascinating account of a family that took seriously the challenge to follow Christ… and to overtake Him. With warmth and realism, Venerable Tescelin, Blesseds Alice, Guy, Gerard, Humbeline, Andrew, Bartholomew, Nivard and St. Bernard step off these pages with the engaging naturalness that atttacks imitation. Here is a book that makes centuries disappear, as each member of this unique family becomes an inspiration in our own quest of overtaking Christ. This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support.
The most common reason for which we could lose our sense of peace is a fear caused by certain situations which touch us personally and in which we feel threatened, apprehensions in the face of present or future difficulties, fear of lacking something important, of not succeeding in such and such a project, and so forth. The examples are infinite and touch all sectors of our lives; health, family and professional life, moral life and the spiritual life itself.
In fact, in each instance, it concerns a good of an extremely variable nature, material goods (money, health, power) or a of a moral nature (human capabilities, esteem, the affection of certain people) or of a spiritual nature; goods that we desire or consider necessary and are afraid to lose or not acquire, or which we in fact lack. And the restlessness generated by this lack, or the fear of lacking, causes us to lose our peace.
Faced with such a situation, what, then, could allow us to remain always at peace? Human resources and wisdom, with their precautions, their expectations, their reservations and assurances of all sorts certainly will not suffice.
Who can guarantee himself the assured possession of any kind of good, whatever its nature? It is not by making certain calculations and preoccupations that one is going to find a solution. But who of you can add any time to your life by all his worrying? (Matthew 6:27).
Man is never assured of obtaining anything, and everything which he hold in his hands can easily slip from his grasp from one day to the next; there is no guarantee on which he can count absolutely.
And this is certainly not the way that Jesus teaches us. He says, on the contrary, whoever would save his life will lose it (Matthew 16:25).
One could even say that the surest way to lose one’s peace is precisely to try to assure one’s own life solely with the aid of human industry, with personal projects and decisions or by relying on someone else.
In what state of anxiety and torment does one place himself who thus seeks to save himself, given our powerlessness, our limited forces, the impossibility of foreseeing so many things and the deceptions that can come from those we count on.
To preserve peace in the midst of the hazards of human existence, we have only one solution; We must rely on God alone, with total trust in Him, as Your heavenly Father knows what you need (Matthew 6:32).
That is why I am telling you not to worry about your life and what you are to eat, not about your body and how you are to clothe it. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds of the sky. they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not worth much more than they are? But which of you can add any time to your life by worrying?
And why do you worry about clothing? Look how the lilies of the field grow; they neither work nor spin; yet I assure you that not even Solomon in all his glory was robed like one of these.
But if God so clothes the grass of the field which is here today and thrown into the oven tomorrow will He not clothe you much better, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying,’What will we eat?’ or, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘What will we wear?’ It is the Gentiles who set their hearts on all these things. Your heavenly Father knows you need them. (Matthew 6:25-32).
Evidently, Jesus does not want to forbid us to do whatever is necessary to earn our food, to clothe ourselves and to provide for all our other needs. But He wants to deliver us from the worry that gnaws away at us and causes us to lose our peace.
Nevertheless, many are shocked by these words and do not fully welcome them; they are even scandalized by this manner of viewing things. Still, what useless suffering and torment they would save themselves, if they would only take seriously these words which are God’s, and words of love, of consolation and of an extraordinary tenderness.
Our great drama is this: Man does not have confidence in God. Hence he looks in every possible place to extricate himself by his own resources and renders himself terribly unhappy in the process rather than abandon himself into the tender and saving hands of his Father in heaven. Yet, how unjustified this lack of confidence is!
Isn’t it absurd that a child would thus doubt his Father, when this Father is the best and most powerful Who could exist, when He is the Father in heaven? In spite of that, it is in this absurdity that we most frequently live.
Listen to the gentle reproach that the Lord addressed to us through the mouth of Saint Catherine of Siena:
Why don’t you have confidence in me, your Creator? Why do you rely on yourself? Am I not faithful and loyal to you?
Redeemed and restored to grace by virtue of the blood of my only Son, man can then say that he has experienced my fidelity.
And, nevertheless, he still doubts, it would appear, that I am sufficiently powerful to help him, sufficiently strong to help and defend him against his enemies, sufficiently wise to illuminate the eyes of his intelligence or that I have sufficient clemency to want to give him whatever is necessary for his salvation.
It would appear that I am not sufficiently rich to make his fortune, not beautiful enough to make him beautiful; one might say that he is afraid not to find enough bread in my home to nourish himself, nor clothing with which to cover himself.” (The Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena)
How many young people, for example, hesitate to give their lives entirely to God because they do not have confidence that God is capable of making them completely happy. And they seek to assure their own happiness by themselves and they make themselves sad and unhappy in the process.
This is precisely the great victory of the Father of Lies, of the Accuser: succeeding in putting into the heart of a child of God distrust vis-a-vis his Father!
It is, however, marked with this distrust that we come into this world. This is the original sin. And all our spiritual life consists precisely in a long process of reeducation , with a view to regaining that lost confidence, by the grace of the Holy Spirit Who makes us say anew to God: Abba, Father!
“Painful trials strengthen our faith and make it purer, more supernatural; the soul believes, not because of the consolation that faith gives it, not because it trusts in its feelings or enthusiasm, not even in the little it does understand of the divine mysteries, but it believes only because God has spoken. When the Lord wishes to lead souls to a more intimate union with Himself, He almost always makes them undergo such trials; then is the moment to give Him testimony of our faith by throwing ourselves, with our eyes closed, into His arms.” – Divine Intimacy
The saints have often praised the humility of Our Lady… unsurpassed by any saint. A Benedictine monk wrote in the 700’s: “Oh, truly blessed is Mary’s glorious humility! Blessed, I say, because she became the gate of paradise and was made the stairway to heaven! Surely, the humility of Mary is the heavenly stairway by which God came down to earth” (Ambrose Autpert in Mary in the Middle Ages, Gambero, p. 47). The saints have often noted that it was Blessed Mary’s humility that drew the Lord down from heaven to enter her womb. God finds humility irresistible and He will not be outdone in humility…
Do you need some good reading suggestions. Visit My Book List.
Painting by Alan Murray
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Happy Month of May! What an incredible blessing to have a Mother like Mary…a powerful advocate for our needs! Let’s remember throughout the day to think of her, to take her hand and have her lead us through each seemingly unimportant happening….she cares very much!
The heart of every Christian turns spontaneously toward his heavenly Mother, with a desire to live in closer intimacy with her and to strengthen the sweet ties which bind him to her. It is a great comfort on our spiritual way, which is often fatiguing and bristling with difficulties, to meet the gentle presence of a mother.
One is so at ease near one’s mother. With her, everything becomes easier; the weary, discouraged heart, disturbed by storms, finds new hope and strength, and continues the journey with fresh courage.
“If the winds of temptation arise,” sings St. Bernard, “if you run into the reefs of trials, look to the star, call upon Mary. In danger, sorrow or perplexity, think of Mary, call upon Mary.”
There are times when the hard road of the “nothing” frightens us, miserable as we are; and then, more then ever, we need her help, the help of our Mother. The Blessed Virgin Mary has, before us, trodden the straight and narrow path which leads to sanctity; before us she has carried the cross, before us she has known the ascents of the spirit through suffering.
Sometimes, perhaps, we do not dare to look at Jesus the God-Man, who because of His divinity seems too far above us; but near Him is Mary, His Mother and our Mother, a privileged creature surely, yet a creature like ourselves, and therefore a model more accessible for our weakness.
Mary comes to meet us during this month, to take us by the hand, to initiate us into the secret of her interior life, which must become the model and norm of our own.
We must consider Mary in the concrete picture of her earthly life. It is a simple, humble picture, which never leaves the framework of the ordinary life common to all mothers; under this aspect, Mary is truly imitable.
Our programme for the month of May, then, will be to contemplate the grandeurs of Mary, that we may be stimulated to imitate her virtues.
The mother who holds the Blessed Virgin as her model develops the love and patience which nurture the spiritual and emotional growth of her children. – Fr. George Kelly, The Catholic Family Handbook
The month of May is a great month of devotion to the Blessed Mother. In this Fr. goes over the Motherhood of God & examines the heresy of Nestorianism that attacked this truth….
Visit My Book List for some great reading suggestions!
Blessed Mother Aprons! Feminine and Beautiful! Fully lined, quality material, made with care and detail.
In these times of unrest, when we are inundated with the news of civil upheaval and the injustices that mankind reaps upon his fellow man, we can truly become anxious, worried and lose that calm that it takes to raise a family in joy and peace.
