Day 9 - Preparation for Consecration

[Dawn Marie]

PREPARATION FOR CONSECRATION DAY 9

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

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

Imitation of Christ

Fire tries iron, and temptation a just man. We often know not what we are able to do, but temptations discover what we are. Still, we must watch, especially in the beginning of temptation; for then the enemy is more easily overcome, if he be not suffered to enter the door of the mind, but is withstood upon the threshold the very moment he knocks. Whence a certain one has said "Resist beginnings; all too late the cure." When ills have gathered strength, by long delay, first there comes from the mind a simple thought; then a strong imagination, afterwards delight, and the evil motion and consent and so, little by little the fiend does gain entrance, when he is not resisted in the beginning. The longer anyone has been slothful in resisting, so much the weaker he becomes, daily in himself, and the enemy, so much the stronger in him. Some suffer grievous temptations in the beginning of their conversion, others in the end and others are troubled nearly their whole life. Some are very lightly tempted, according to the wisdom and the equity of the ordinance of God who weighs man's condition and merits, and pre-ordaineth all things for the salvation of His elect. We must not, therefore, despair when we are tempted, but the more fervently pray to God to help us in every tribulation: Who, of a truth, according to the sayings of St. Paul, will make such issue with the temptation, that we are able to sustain it.

 

Let us then humble our souls under the hand of God in every temptation and tribulation, for the humble in spirit, He will save and exalt. In temptation and tribulations, it is proved what progress man has made; and there also is great merit, and virtue is made more manifest.

 

Meditations to Help Us Grow in the Knowledge of Ourselves

Meditation: 1

 

Knowledge of self is the foundation of sanctity

The first thing we must impress upon ourselves is that we are creatures.  There is a great deal more in this thought then may at first appear.  We were created by a Holy God and for a holy purpose. In his book, The Secret of Mary, St. Louis de Montfort says quite bluntly:

“Chosen soul, living image of God and redeemed by the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, God wants you to become holy like Him in this life, and glorious like Him in the next…It is certain that growth in holiness of God is your vocation.  All your thoughts, word, actions, everything you suffer or undertake, must lead you towards that end.  Otherwise you are resisting God, in not doing the work for which He created you, and for which He is even now keeping you in being(Secret of Mary pp3).

This is nothing other then what Our Lord meant when He said: “Be ye perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48)

We therefore belong entirely to Him: and it is our duty to fulfill His desire that we become perfect-for, after all, it is only saints that go to Heaven. That sanctity is achieved here below, or in the fires of Purgatory.  Ask yourself candidly: “Have I always looked upon myself in that light”? When you have performed any great act of self-sacrifice, etc. have you regarded it as a small thing and nothing more than your duty?  If this is how you approach the things you do for God, well and good.  It is the right light in which to view what you do, because it is a truthful light.

Many people-and they are well intentioned people- endeavor to hide what they do; they trouble themselves a great deal for fear of giving way to vanity; they think they are bound not to know what they have done. To these good people I would say: pray for the grace to know yourself, and then you will not fear vanity; God, Who is Truth itself, does not wish you to be untruthful.  He wishes you to know yourself, as far as it is possible.

This self-knowledge will go on increasing until the day of your death. Nevertheless if you earnestly strive to spend this week, in the endeavor to know yourself, you will have made a great step in laying the foundation-stone of all sanctity, which is self-knowledge, the lowly sentiment of yourself as a creature, or in other words the virtue of humility. Perhaps until now you, have not been aware how much you needed this virtue.

 

 

Meditation: 2 

Slaves of Christ-Unprofitable Servants

 

We were made by God, therefore we belong to Him, with all that we do, all our thoughts, words and works.  You are obliged to devote yourself to His service and seek His will in all things.  You belong by right to God. You are---I will not say a servant, for a servant has rights---but I will say clearly that you are a slave of God.  If there was any other word, any more forcible word, by which I could express more strongly, the absolute dominion God has over you I would use it.

Consider well the truth of this and you will acknowledge that God has greater rights over you than a master, in former times, had over his slaves. Yet, you may object, that Our Lord Himself says: “I will not now call you servants (more correctly translated, slaves), but I will call you friends.”  That is true indeed, but we are not to forget that our true position is evident from His words: “When you have done all these things that are commanded, say that you are unprofitable servants”.

If Our Lord in His great love and goodness raises us up and calls us friends, He does not mean, on that account, that we should forget our true position and say: “We are slaves to no one!”  Yet how often this is said, even by those whose knowledge of theology should not hinder the truth!  Mancipia Christi-slaves of Christ-are the words used in the Council of Trent concerning Christians.  Let this truth, though perhaps unpalatable to you at first, sink into your mind.  Put yourself in the presence of God in your true position as His creature and His slave.  Remember your past rebelliousness, through sin, and regret that disobedience.  He will love you with a special love, because you place yourself before Him, without any pretense, in your true position.

 

Meditation: 3

Catholic Sinners are worse Than Pagan Sinners

 

[…]a soul in the state of mortal sin is in the eyes of God and His holy angels, a very ugly being.  Yet, how much worse is the mortal sin of a Catholic?  We sometimes call ourselves great sinners, but have we realized what an abomination a Catholic sinner is?

 

Many sinners in the world may have never been baptized; never taught the Faith; never received the extra graces and inspirations of God as we have; never had the many helps and structures that the Church gives us and surrounds us with.  Yet we are temples of the Holy Ghost, temples of an all-pure and all-holy God! We were consecrated to the service of God at our baptism and we have desecrated that temple by sin! We have committed a sacrilege of sorts! I doubt if there are very many Catholics who have sufficiently considered this truth.  Very few Catholics have considered their sins to be more serious than those of non-Catholics-people who have never been taught the Faith, nor received the Sacraments or their graces. We often read of fearful crimes that strike terror in our hearts.  Yet, never for an instant do we stop to weigh our sins alongside those crimes.  Yet, perhaps, in the sight of God, some of our sins are worse than many terrible crimes we read about.

 

Saint Thomas Aquinas states that:

 

A sin is deemed so much the more grievous as the sinner is held to be a more excellent person…Firstly, because the more excellent the person, e.g. one who excels in knowledge and virtue, can more easily resist sin; hence Our Lord said (Lk. 12:47) that the servant who knew the will of his lord…and did it not…shall be beaten with many stripes.”  Secondly on account of ingratitude, because every good in which man excels is a gift of God to Whom man is ungrateful when he sins, and in this respect any excellence even in temporal goods aggravates a sin, according to Wisdom 6:7 : “The mighty shall be mightily tormented.” Thirdly on account of the sinful act being specially inconsistent with the excellence of the person sinning for instance, if a prince were to violate justice, or if a priest were to be a fornicator, whereas he has taken the vow of chastity.  Fourthly on account of the example or scandal; because, as St. Gregory says ( pastor, i, 2): “ Sin becomes much more scandalous, when the sinner is honored for his position” (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, la,llae, Q.73, a-10).

MEDITATION - Temptations to Relapse.

 

Taken from: The Way of Salvation and Perfection

By Saint Alphonsus

 

O Christian! When the devil again tempts you to sin, telling you that "God is merciful, “remember that the Lord “showeth mercy towards them that fear him,"and not to them that despise him. “God is merciful," it is true; yet how many does he daily condemn to the torments of hell! “God is merciful," but he is also just. He is merciful to those who repent of their sins, but not to those who abuse his mercy to offend him the more freely. O God, how often have I done this! How often have I offended Thee because Thou wast good and merciful!

 

 

The devil will say to you, "As he has pardoned you many past sins, so will he pardon you the sin which you are now about to commit. “No, you must reply; because he has so often forgiven me, I ought to be the more afraid, that, if I should again offend him, he will no more pardon me, but punish me for all the crimes I have ever committed against him. Attend to the admonition of the Holy Ghost: Say not, I have sinned and what harm hath befallen me? For the most High is a patient rewarder.

 

O God! How basely have I corresponded with Thy favours! Thou hast bestowed graces upon me, and I have requited them with injuries; Thou hast loaded me with blessings, and I have insulted and dishonoured Thee. But for the future it shall not be so. The more Thou hast borne with me, so much the more will I love Thee. Do Thou assist my weakness.

 

The devil will say to you: “But do you not see that you cannot now resist this temptation?" Answer him: But if I do not resist now, how shall I be able to resist afterwards, when I shall have become weaker, and the divine assistance will fail me? Am I to be told that in proportion as I multiply the number of my sins, God will multiply the number of his graces towards me?

 

Finally, he will say to you: “But although you were to commit this sin, you may still be saved." Say to him in reply: I may be saved; but is this a reason why I should write my own sentence of condemnation to hell? I may be saved; but I may also be lost, and this is more probable. This is not an affair to be left to the chance of a “may be." But, O Lord! How much hast Thou done for me? I have multiplied my faults, and Thou hast increased Thy graces! The thought of this embitters my sorrow for having so heinously offended Thee. My good God, why have I offended Thee? Oh that I could die of grief! Help me, O Jesus! For I desire to be wholly Thine. Holy Mary, obtain for me perseverance in virtue, and suffer me not any more to live ungrateful to God who has so much loved me.

[Sarah Louise Rita Armstrong]

When you have performed any great act of self-sacrifice, etc. have you regarded it as a small thing and nothing more than your duty?  If this is how you approach the things you do for God, well and good.  It is the right light in which to view what you do, because it is a truthful light...Help me, O Jesus! For I desire to be wholly Thine.

[Michael]

Amen.

[Dawn Marie]

Holy Mary, obtain for me perseverance in virtue, and suffer me not any more to live ungrateful to God who has so much loved me.

[bernadette szczepkowski]

O My God, do Thou assist my weakness.

[Lisa Patrick]

Amen.

[Gloria]

Holy Mary, obtain for me preseverance in virtue and suffer me not any more to live ungrateful to God who has so much loved me.