DAY 1 -PREPARATION FOR CONSECRATION

[Dawn Marie]

PREPARATION FOR CONSECRATION DAY 1

Prayers for the Preparatory Period (Days 1-33) to be said daily.

To see the prayers in their entirety click the links below...

 

 

 

 First Reading: Matthew 5:1-19

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain, and when he was set down, his disciples came unto him. And opening his mouth, he taught them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake: Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets that were before you. You are the salt of the earth.

But if the salt lose its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is good for nothing any more but to be cast out, and to be trodden on by men. You are the light of the world. A city seated on a mountain cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but upon a candlestick, that it may shine to all that are in the house. So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For amen I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot, or one tittle shall not pass of the law, till all be fulfilled. He therefore that shall break one of these least commandments, and shall so teach men, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But he that shall do and teach, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

 

Examine your conscience, pray, practice renouncement of your own will; mortification, purity of heart. This purity is the indispensable condition for contemplating God in heaven, to see Him on earth and to know Him by the light of faith. The first part of the preparation should be employed in casting off the spirit of the world which is contrary to that of Jesus Christ. The spirit of the world consists essentially in the denial of the supreme dominion of God; a denial which is manifested in practice by sin and disobedience; thus it is principally opposed to the spirit of Christ, which is also that of Mary.

It manifests itself by the concupiscence of the flesh, by the concupiscence of the eyes and by the pride of life. By disobedience to God's laws and the abuse of created things. Its works are: sin in all forms, then all else by which the devil leads to sin; works which bring error and darkness to the mind, and seduction and corruption to the will. Its pomps are the splendor and the charms employed by the devil to render sin alluring in persons, places and things.

 

 

 

Meditation to help us reject the spirit of the world and acquire the spirit of Christ.

The Sermon on the Mount is a wonderful summary of Christian Doctrine and is, thus, an excellent indcation and reflection of the Spirit of Christ.  Yet within it's 3 chapters Matthew 5, 6 and 7 we also see the ugly head of the spirit of the world. appear-either, explicitly, in the condemnations made by Our Lord, or implicitly, as the vices opposed to the virtues that Our Lord extols. He directly attacks pride, covetousness, gluttony, anger, lust, revenge, and hypocrisy.  He recommends humility, meekness, compassion, justice, mercy, and purity.

 

He calls us "the salt of the earth" and "the light of the world", so as to encourage us to enlighten the world and prevent it's corruption. He proposes the revolutionary idea of not only bearing with one's enemies, but He also says that we must turn the other cheek and even pray for them!

 

He then teaches us how to pray, and how to abandon ourselves to Divine Providence.[...] Let us read them often and reflect upon them

 

 

Reflection:

The kingdom of God is within you, saith the Lord.  Turn thee

with all thine heart to the Lord and forsake this miserable

world, and thou shalt find rest unto thy soul.  Learn to despise

outward things and to give thyself to things inward, and thou

shalt see the kingdom of God come within thee.  For the kingdom

of God is peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, and it is not given to

the wicked.  Christ will come to thee, and show thee His

consolation, if thou prepare a worthy mansion for Him within

thee.  All His glory and beauty is from within, and there it

pleaseth Him to dwell.  He often visiteth the inward man and

holdeth with him sweet discourse, giving him soothing

consolation, much peace, friendship exceeding wonderful.

 

Go to, faithful soul, prepare thy heart for this bridegroom

that he may vouchsafe to come to thee and dwell within thee, for

so He saith, if any man loveth me he will keep my words: and my

Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our

abode with him.(2)  Give, therefore, place to Christ and refuse

entrance to all others.  When thou hast Christ, thou art rich,

and hast sufficient.  He shall be thy provider and faithful

watchman in all things, so that thou hast no need to trust in

men, for men soon change and swiftly pass away, but Christ

remaineth for ever and standeth by us firmly even to the end.

 

Why dost thou cast thine eyes hither and thither, since this

is not the place of thy rest?  In heaven ought thy habitation to

be, and all earthly things should be looked upon as it were in

the passing by.  All things pass away and thou equally with them.

Look that thou cleave not to them lest thou be taken with them

and perish.  Let thy contemplation be on the Most High, and let

thy supplication be directed unto Christ without ceasing.  If

thou canst not behold high and heavenly things, rest thou in the

passion of Christ and dwell willingly in His sacred wounds.  For

if thou devoutly fly to the wounds of Jesus, and the precious

marks of the nails and the spear, thou shalt find great comfort

in tribulation…

MEDITATION- The Vanity of the World.

Taken from: The Way of Salvation and Perfection

By Saint Alphonsus

Only the grave, saith holy Job, remaineth for me.

Days and years pass away, pleasures, honours, and riches pass away, and what will be the end? Death will come and strip us of all, and we shall be buried in the grave to corrupt and moulder into dust, deserted and forgotten by all. Alas! how, in the end of our lives, will the remembrance of all we have acquired in this world serve for nothing but to increase our anguish and our uncertainty of salvation! O death, O death, never depart from before my eyes. O God, do Thou enlighten me.  My life is cut off as by a weaver.

How many, in the midst of executing their long-contemplated designs, are overtaken by death and deprived of all things! Ah, with what pain and remorse will the goods of this world be regarded, on the bed of death, by those who have been unduly attached to them! To worldlings who are spiritually blind the goods of this present life appear great; but death will discover what they really are. dust smoke, and vanity. Before the light of this last lamp all the dazzling grandeur of this world will vanish and disappear. The greatest fortunes, the highest honours, when considered on the bed of death, will lose all their value and splendour. The shade of death will obscure even crowns and scepters.

Grant me, O God! Thy holy grace, for this alone is all I desire. I am grieved for having ever despised such a treasure. Jesus, have pity on me.

Of what avail then will riches be at the hour of death, when nothing will remain for us but a wooden coffin and a winding-sheet? Of what avail will be the honours which we have acquired, when no others will remain for us but a funeral procession and a tomb, which will not be able to afford us the least satisfaction, if our souls should be lost? And of what avail will the beauty of the body be, when the body itself will become a mass of worms, infect the air with its stench, and excite horror in all who behold it?

My dear Redeemer, although I knew that by sinning I should forfeit Thy friendship, yet did I sin; but I hope for pardon from Thee who hast died to purchase pardon for me. Oh that I had never offended Thee, my good God! I behold the love which Thou hast shown me; and this increases my grief for having displeased Thee who art so good a Father. I love Thee, O Lord! and will never live without loving Thee; give me perseverance. Mary, my mother, pray to Jesus for me.

[bernadette szczepkowski]

Amen +

[Susan Grace]

Amen

[Flavia Talladen Schott]

Amen 

[Margie]

Amen.

[Anne-Marie]

Amen 

[Michael]

Amen.

[Karen Kim]

Amen 

[Joseph]

Amen.

[bernadette szczepkowski]

O that I had never offended Thee, my Good God!

[Sarah Louise Rita Armstrong]

I love Thee, O Lord! and will never live without loving Thee; give me perseverance. Mary, my mother, pray to Jesus for me.