Day 14 Total Consecration Preparation 2013

[Dawn Marie]

DAY 14

How Burdens must be Borne to win Eternal Life

CHRIST. My son, do not let the work that you have undertaken for My sake break your spirit, nor any hardships discourage you. Let My promise be always your strength and comfort; I can give you a boundless reward. You will not labor here for long, nor will sorrow always be your lot. Wait but a short while, and you will see a speedy end to your troubles. The time will come when all toil and trouble will cease. Everything temporal is short lived and of little consequence.

 

Labor with all your might. Work faithfully in My vineyard ;(Matt. 20:7) I myself will be your reward. (Gen. 15:1) Write, study, worship, be penitent, keep silence and pray. Meet all your troubles like a man: eternal life is worth all this and yet greater conflicts. Peace will come at a time known only to the Lord. It iwll not be day or night as we know it, (Rev. 22:5) but everlasting light, boundless glory, abiding peace and sure rest. You will not say then, 'Who will free me from this mortal body?';(Rom 7:4) nor cry, 'Alas, how long is my exile!'(Ps. 120:5) for the power of death will be utterly broken,(Isa.25:8) and full salvation assured. No anxiety will remain, but only blessed joy in the fair and lovely fellowship of the Saints.

 

If you could but see the Saints crowned in endless glory,(Wids.3:1 ;6:16) you would at once humble yourself to the dust, and would rather be the servant of all than lord it over a single person; for the Saints are now as high exalted as they were formerly accounted by this world low, despicable, and unfit to live. You would not hanker after a pleasant time in this life, but rather be glad to suffer for God's sake, and account it the greatest gain to be considered of small importance among men. If the things of God were your true delight and pierced your inmost heart, you would never complain. Is not all labour to be endured for the sake of eternal life? It is no small matter to win or lose the Kingdom of God. Raise your eyes to Heaven. See, here am I, and with Me are all My Saints, who in this world fought a great fight (Heb.10:32; 11:34) They are now filled with joy and consolation; they are now safe and at rest ;(John 14:3) and they shall remain with Me forever in the Kingdom of My Father.

Today's Reading

Imitation of Christ: Book 3, Chapter 13

Of the Obedience of One in Humble Subjection,

After the Example of Jesus Christ

My son, he that endeavoreth to withdraw himself from obedience, withdraweth himself from grace; and he who seeketh for himself private benefit (Matt. 16:24), loseth those which are common. He that doth not cheerfully and freely submit himself to his superior, it is a sign that his flesh is not as yet perfectly obedient unto him, but oftentimes kicketh and murmureth against him. Learn thou therefore quickly to submit thyself to thy superior, if thou desire to keep thine own flesh under the yoke. For more speedily is the outward enemy overcome, if the inward man be not laid waste. There is no worse nor more troublesome enemy to the soul than thou art unto thyself, if thou be not well in harmony with the Spirit. It is altogether necessary that thou take up a true contempt for thyself, if thou desire to prevail against flesh and blood. Because as yet thou lovest thyself too inordinately, therefore thou art afraid to resign thyself wholly to the will of others. And yet, what great matter is it, if thou, who art but dust and nothing, subject thyself to a man for God's sake, when I, the Almighty and the Most Highest who created all things of nothing, humbly subjected Myself to man for thy sake?

I became of all men the most humble and the most abject (Luke 2:7; John 13:14), that thou mightest overcome thy pride with My humility. O dust! learn to be obedient. Learn to humble thyself, thou earth and clay, and to bow thyself down under the feet of all men. Learn to break thine own wishes, and to yield thyself to all subjection.

Meditation:

Taken from The Glories of Mary

Our Confidence Should Be Still Greater, Because She Is Our Mother

WHEN Mary's clients call her Mother , they are not using empty words, or just speaking at random. In fact, they seem incapable of using any other name and never tire of calling her Mother.

She is our Mother --- not by the flesh, of course, but spiritually; the Mother of our souls, of our salvation.

Whenever sin strips the soul of Divine grace, it deprives it of life. Our Blessed Redeemer, out of an excess of mercy and love, came among us to win back this life by His own Death on the Cross. I have come that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly (Jn. 10: 10).

He says "more abundantly," for theologians tell us that the benefit of the Redemption far exceeded the injury done by Adam's sin. Thus, by reconciling us with God, He made Himself the Father of our souls in the new law of grace.  But if Jesus is the Father, Mary is the Mother of our souls. She gave us Jesus and, with that gift, gave us supernatural life. Later, when she offered the life of her Son on Calvary for our redemption, she gave us birth in the life of grace.

On two occasions, then, according to the Fathers of the Church, Mary became our spiritual Mother .

The first is mentioned by St. Albert the Great. It occurred when Mary merited to conceive the Son of God in her virginal womb. St. Bernardine of Siena says the same thing even more distinctly. At the time of the Annunciation, our Blessed Lady gave the consent which the Eternal Word was waiting for before He would become her Son. At the same time, she asked with all her heart [and obtained] the salvation of all the elect.

Along with her consent, Mary gave herself so completely to the matter of the salvation of all human beings that there and then she began to carry us all in her womb. And she did so with far greater love than any other mother could ever feel for the child within her.  In the second chapter of St. Luke, the Evangelist tells us that Mary "brought forth her first-born Son." Must we suppose that she had other children afterward? No, because it is an article of Faith that Mary had no other child than Jesus. But she did have other children --- spiritual ones; and we are those children.

Our Lord said this very thing to St. Gertrude one day when she was reading the text from St. Luke and was puzzled by it. God explained it to her. Jesus was Mary's first-born according to the flesh, but all humankind was her second-born according to the spirit.

The second occasion when Mary became our spiritual Mother was on Calvary. Here she offered to the Eternal Father --- with such bitter sorrow and suffering --- the life of her beloved Son.  In that hour, declares St. Augustine, she cooperated through her love in the supernatural birth of the faithful. She became the spiritual Mother of all who are members of the one Head, Christ Jesus.  Mary exposed her own soul to death to save many other souls.

That is to say, to save us she sacrificed the life of her Son --- because Jesus was the soul of Mary; He was her life and her love.  Simeon prophesied that a sword of sorrow would one day pierce her own most blessed soul. And this was precisely the lance which pierced the side of Jesus, Who was her very soul.  It was then that this most Blessed Virgin brought us forth to eternal life by her own sorrows. We can call ourselves the children of the sorrows of Mary. Our most loving Mother was always, and in all things, united to the will of God.

Listen to St. Bonaventure: "Mary saw that the love of the Eternal Father for human beings was so great that He willed the Death of His Son to save them. She also saw that the Divine Son loved human beings so much that He freely submitted to this Death. "Therefore, she joined her own heart to this excessive love of Father and Son for the human race. With all her will she offered, and submitted to, the Death of her Son for our salvation."

True, Jesus chose to be alone in dying for the redemption of human beings, as Isaiah foretold: "The wine press I have trodden alone" (Is. 63:3). But when He saw Mary's burning desire to help in human redemption, He so arranged matters that she should cooperate in our redemption by the offering and sacrifice of her Son's life, and in this way become the Mother of our souls.

Our Lord manifested this intention when He looked down from the Cross at His Mother and St. John and said to Mary: "There is your son" (Jn. 19:26). This amounted to saying: "There is the whole human race, which right now is being born to the life of grace because you are offering My life for the salvation of all."  Then He turned toward the disciple with the words: "There is your mother" (Jn. 19:27). With those words (says St. Bernardine of Siena) Mary became the Mother of all human beings, and not only of St. John, because she loved all of them so much.

How fortunate is everyone who lives under the protection of a Mother so loving and so powerful! David the prophet sought salvation from God by calling himself a son of Mary, even though she was not yet born: "Save the son of Your handmaid" (Ps. 86:16). "Of what handmaid?" asks St. Augustine. "Of her who said: 'I am the handmaid of the Lord' (Lk. 1:26)."

How good it is for us to be in the keeping of such a Mother! Who would dare to snatch us from her bosom? What temptation or tribulation can master us, when we trust in the patronage of one who is God's Mother and ours? ₆

Mother most loving! O most compassionate Mother! Thanks to you forever! And may God too be thanked, Who gave you to us for a Mother and a perfect refuge in all the dangers of this life!

Be of good heart, then, all you children of Mary. Remember that she accepts all those who want to be her children. Why be afraid of losing your soul, when such a Mother defends and protects you? "I will rejoice," says St. Bernard, "for whatever judgment is pronounced on me, it depends on, and must come from, my Brother and my Mother."

The same feeling makes St. Anselm cry out with joy: "O happy confidence! O perfect refuge! The Mother of God is my Mother. What firm trust we should have, then, since our salvation depends on the judgment of a good Brother and a tender Mother!"  So it is our Mother who calls us in these words of Sacred Scripture: "Let whoever is simple come to me" (Prv. 9:4). Children always have their mother's name on their lips, and when they are frightened, or in danger, they cry out immediately, Mother! Mother!

O most tender Mary, most loving Mother! This is just what you desire. You want us to become children and call out to you in every danger. For you long to help and save us, as you have saved all your children who had recourse to you.

Our Blessed Lady herself in a vision addressed these words to St. Bridget" As a mother, on seeing her son in the midst of the swords of his enemies, would use every effort to save him, so do I, and will do for all sinners who seek my mercy." Thus it is that in every engagement with the infernal powers, we shall always certainly conquer by having recourse to the Mother of God, who is also our Mother, saying and repeating again and again:" We fly to thy patronage, O Holy Mother of God."

Prayers

Litany of the Holy Ghost

Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary

[bernadette szczepkowski]

Let whoever is simple come to me! O Most Tender Mother, O Most Loving Mother Mary never leave us!

[Alley]

With love!

[Dawn Marie]

CHRIST. My son, do not let the work that you have undertaken for My sake break your spirit, nor any hardships discourage you...

Sigh, if I can only keep this in heart and mind always!

[Alan]

Everything temporal is short lived and of little consequence.

[Cathleen]

+Amen

"O Mother of God, although unworthy, we shall never cease to proclaim thy power.  Should thou no longer intercede for us with thy prayers, who would ever have delivered us from so numerous afflictions?  Who would ever have preserved us free from them until this very day?  Wherefore, O Lady, we shall never abandon thee; O Thou Blessed One, thou always saves thy servants from all misfortunes."