DAY 8 TOTAL CONSECRATION PREPARATION 2013

[Dawn Marie]

DAY 8

Pray to Know Thyself

They should then offer up all their prayers and pious actions to ask for knowledge of themselves and contrition for their sins; and they should do this in a spirit of humility.  For that end, they can, if they chose, meditate on what I have said before of our inward corruption. They can look upon themselves during this week as snails, crawling things, toads, swine, serpents and unclean animals; or they can reflect on these three considerations of St. Bernard: the vileness of our origin, the dishonors of our present state, and our ending as the food of worms. (True Devotion pp228)

They should pray Our Lord and the Holy Ghost enlighten them; and for that end they might use the ejaculations, “Lord that I may see!” (Lk. 18:41); or “May I know myself!” or “Come Holy Ghost”, together with the Litany of the Holy Ghost and the prayers which follows….They should have recourse to the Blessed Virgin and ask her to grant them this immense grace, which must be the foundation of all others; for this end, they should say the Ave Maris Stella and the Litany of the Blessed Virgin. (True devotion pp228)

 

 

 

We now enter the second week of preparation---a period dedicated to knowledge of self; something indispensable for our progress in the spiritual life.  Too often we have only a superficial knowledge of ourselves---imagining ourselves to be what we are not.  The purpose of this week is to see ourselves as we really are---to see ourselves as God sees us.  How shall we achieve this knowledge of ourselves?  By…

 

Prayer---asking God for the grace to see ourselves as we really are.  True knowledge of self, will only be achieved by the grace of God and this grace will only come if we ask it of God, through humble and sincere prayer.

 

Examining Our Life---to see how we have spent or misspent our lives.  To help you examine our life thoroughly, an extensive Examination of Conscience can be found by clicking the word examination of conscience for day 2 of this week.  This covers all the 10 Commandments and various sins based on different states in life.  It is also an ideal way to prepare for confession.  Father Vernoy recommends that you make a general confession of your whole life, or at least from the time of your last general confession.  However this is only recommended NOT obligatory and it suffices to make a regular confession in preparation for the consecration.  Realizing that it can be difficult to find both the priest and the time for a general confession, Father suggests that you make your confession at any time during the five week preparatory period---or in cases of impossibility, at any time before or after the consecration.

 

 

 

Reflection:

 

Reflection---on why we were created?  By Whom?  Where we came from?  Where we are going?  Everyone ends up in one of two places----heaven or hell.  Reflect upon the fact that we cannot serve God and the world.  Which one do we really put first?  Are we really committed to serving God?  Is it only on Sundays and in private?  Or only in those things which we find to our liking?

Today's Reading

Imitation of Christ: Book 1, Chapter 13

Of Resisting Temptations

As long as we live in this world, we cannot be without temptations and tribulations. Hence it is written in Job "Man's life on earth is a temptation." Everyone therefore should be solicitous about his temptations and watch in prayer lest the devil find an opportunity to catch him: who never sleeps, but goes about, seeking whom he can devour. No one is so perfect and holy as sometimes not to have temptations and we can never be wholly free from them. Nevertheless, temptations are very profitable to man, troublesome and grievous though they may be, for in them, a man is humbled, purified and instructed. All the Saints passed through many tribulations and temptations and were purified by them. And they that could not support temptations, became reprobate, and fell away.

Many seek to flee temptations, and fall worse into them. We cannot conquer by flight alone, but by patience and true humility we become stronger than all our enemies. He who only declines them outwardly, and does not pluck out their root, will profit little; nay, temptations will sooner return and he will find himself in a worse condition. By degrees and by patience you will, by God's grace, better overcome them than by harshness and your own importunity. Take council the oftener in temptation, and do not deal harshly with one who is tempted; but pour in consolation, as thou wouldst wish to be done unto yourself. Inconstancy of mind and little confidence in God, is the beginning of all temptations. For as a ship without a helm is driven to and fro by the waves, so the man who neglects and gives up his resolutions is tempted in many ways.

 

Meditation:

Taken from Abandonment to Divine Providence

Chapter 1

SECTION IV.—In what Perfection Consists.

 

Perfection consists in doing the will of God, not in understanding His designs

 

 

The designs of God, the good pleasure of God, the will of God, the operation of God and the gift of His grace are all one and the same thing in the spiritual life. It is God working in the soul to make it like unto Himself. Perfection is neither more nor less than the faithful co-operation of the soul with this work of God, and is begun, grows, and is consummated in the soul unperceived and in secret. The science of theology is full of theories and explanations of the wonders of this state in each soul according to its capacity.

One may be conversant with all these speculations, speak and write about them admirably, instruct others and guide souls; yet, if these theories are only in the mind, one is, compared with those who, without any knowledge of these theories, receive the meaning of the designs of God and do His holy will, like a sick physician compared to simple people in perfect health. The designs of God and his divine will accepted by a faithful soul with simplicity produces this divine state in it without its knowledge, just as a medicine taken obediently will produce health, although the sick person neither knows nor wishes to know anything about medicine. As fire gives out heat, and not philosophical discussions about it, nor knowledge of its effects, so the designs of God and His holy will work in the soul for its sanctification, and not speculations of curiosity as to this principal and this state. 

When one is thirsty one quenches one’s thirst by drinking, not by reading books which treat of this condition. The desire to know does but increase this thirst. Therefore when one thirsts after sanctity, the desire to know about it only drives it further away.

Speculation must be laid aside, and everything arranged by God as regards actions and sufferings must be accepted with simplicity, for those things that happen at each moment by the divine command or permission are always the most holy, the best and the most divine for us.

Prayers

Veni Creator Spiritus

Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest,
and in our souls take up Thy rest;
come with Thy grace and heavenly aid
to fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

O comforter, to Thee we cry,
O heavenly gift of God Most High,
O fount of life and fire of love,
and sweet anointing from above.

Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known;
Thou, finger of God's hand we own;
Thou, promise of the Father,
Thou Who dost the tongue with power imbue.

Kindle our sense from above,
and make our hearts o'erflow with love;
with patience firm and virtue high
the weakness of our flesh supply.

Far from us drive the foe we dread,
and grant us Thy peace instead;
so shall we not, with Thee for guide,
turn from the path of life aside.

Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow
the Father and the Son to know;
and Thee, through endless times confessed,
of both the eternal Spirit blest.

Now to the Father and the Son,
Who rose from death, be glory given,
with Thou, O Holy Comforter,
henceforth by all in earth and heaven. Amen.

Ave Maris Stella

Hail, O Star of the ocean,
God's own Mother blest,
ever sinless Virgin,
gate of heav'nly rest.

Taking that sweet Ave,
which from Gabriel came,
peace confirm within us,
changing Eve's name.

Break the sinners' fetters,
make our blindness day,
Chase all evils from us,
for all blessings pray.

Show thyself a Mother,
may the Word divine
born for us thine Infant
hear our prayers through thine.

Virgin all excelling,
mildest of the mild,
free from guilt preserve us
meek and undefiled.

Keep our life all spotless,
make our way secure
till we find in Jesus,
joy for evermore.

Praise to God the Father,
honor to the Son,
in the Holy Spirit,
be the glory one. Amen.

Magnificat

My soul doth magnify the Lord.
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name.
And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him.
He hath shewed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He hath received Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy:
As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever.

Glory Be

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

[bernadette szczepkowski]

Inconstancy of mind and little confidence in God, is the beginning of all temptations.

[Alan]

Amen

[Dawn Marie]

Speculation must be laid aside, and everything arranged by God as regards actions and sufferings must be accepted with simplicity, for those things that happen at each moment by the divine command or permission are always the most holy, the best and the most divine for us.