Discourse, Ezekiel 37:21-28, Jeremiah 31:10-13, John 11:45-57, Pope Frances Daily Activity, St Turibus of Mongrovejo , The Mystical City of God, The Divine History and Life of The Virgin Mother of God - Book 5:3 THE CONTINUED PRAYERS OF JESUS AND MARY FOR MANKIND, Catholic Catechism Part Two Section 1:1:3 The Holy Spirit and The Church in Liturgy
Good Day Bloggers! Wishing everyone a Blessed Week!
Year of Faith - October 11, 2012 - November 24, 2013
P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens). It has a remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience and tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.
The world begins and ends everyday for someone. We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have
flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge and free will,
make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in
Heaven. Its your choice whether to rise towards eternal light or lost to
eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and
survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes
from this earth to Purgatory and/or Heaven is our Soul, our Spirit...it's God's perpetual
gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...
"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill." ~ Zarya Parx 2012
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Prayers for Today: Saturday in Lent
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Papam Franciscus
(Pope Francis)
POPE FRANCIS ASKS JESUITS TO,
WITH COMPLETELY COMMITTED LIFE, BE LEAVEN TO WORLD
Saturday, 23 March 2013
ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER POPE FRANCIS
Saturday, 23 March 2013
(Accessed March 23, 2013)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Vatican City, 23 March 2013 (VIS) – Three days after beginning his pontificate, Pope Francis sent a letter to the Superior General of the Jesuits, Fr. Adolfo Nicolas Pachon. In it the Holy Father responded to the letter that the Superior General had sent to him on learning of the election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the first Jesuit in the history of the Society of Jesus to be elected Pope.
Following is the complete text of the Roman Pontiff Francis' letter, dated 16 March:
“Dear Fr. Nicolas, It is with great joy that I received the kind letter that you sent on behalf of yourself and of the Society of Jesus on the occasion of my election to the See of St. Peter, informing me of your prayers for me and my apostolic ministry along with your complete willingness to continue your unconditional service to the Church and to the Vicar of Christ, according to the precepts of St. Ignatius of Loyola.”
“I thank you cordially for this token of appreciation and closeness, which I reciprocate with pleasure, asking the Lord to enlighten and accompany all Jesuits so that—faithful to the charism received and the footsteps of the saints of our beloved Order, by their pastoral activity but above all through the witness of lives entirely devoted to the service of the Church, the Bride of Christ—they may be evangelical leaven to the world, tirelessly seeking the glory of God and the good of souls.”
“With these sentiments I ask all Jesuits to pray for me and entrust me to the loving protection of Mary, our Mother in Heaven, while, as a pledge of abundant heavenly favours, I impart with special fondness my Apostolic Blessing, which I also extend to all those who work with the Society of Jesus in their activities, benefit from their good works, and partake of their spirituality.”
Following is the complete text of the Roman Pontiff Francis' letter, dated 16 March:
“Dear Fr. Nicolas, It is with great joy that I received the kind letter that you sent on behalf of yourself and of the Society of Jesus on the occasion of my election to the See of St. Peter, informing me of your prayers for me and my apostolic ministry along with your complete willingness to continue your unconditional service to the Church and to the Vicar of Christ, according to the precepts of St. Ignatius of Loyola.”
“I thank you cordially for this token of appreciation and closeness, which I reciprocate with pleasure, asking the Lord to enlighten and accompany all Jesuits so that—faithful to the charism received and the footsteps of the saints of our beloved Order, by their pastoral activity but above all through the witness of lives entirely devoted to the service of the Church, the Bride of Christ—they may be evangelical leaven to the world, tirelessly seeking the glory of God and the good of souls.”
“With these sentiments I ask all Jesuits to pray for me and entrust me to the loving protection of Mary, our Mother in Heaven, while, as a pledge of abundant heavenly favours, I impart with special fondness my Apostolic Blessing, which I also extend to all those who work with the Society of Jesus in their activities, benefit from their good works, and partake of their spirituality.”
Reference:
- Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2013 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed 3/22/2013.
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March 18 2013 Message to the World via Annual Apparition to Mirjana:
"Dear children! I call you to, with complete trust and joy, bless the name of the Lord and, day by day, to give Him thanks from the heart for His great love. My Son, through that love which He showed by the Cross, gave you the possibility to be forgiven for everything; so that you do not have to be ashamed or to hide, and out of fear not to open the door of your heart to my Son. To the contrary, my children, reconcile with the Heavenly Father so that you may be able to come to love yourselves as my Son loves you. When you come to love yourselves, you will also love others; in them you will see my Son and recognize the greatness of His love. Live in faith! Through me, my Son is preparing you for the works which He desires to do through you – works through which He desires to be glorified. Give Him thanks. Especially thank Him for the shepherds - for your intercessors in the reconciliation with the Heavenly Father. I am thanking you, my children. Thank you."
March 2, 2013 Message From Our Lady of Medjugorje to World:
“Dear children; Anew, in a motherly way, I am calling you not to be of a hard heart. Do not shut your eyes to the warnings which the Heavenly Father sends to you out of love. Do you love Him above all else? Do you repent for having often forgotten that the Heavenly Father, out of His great love, sent His Son to redeem us by the Cross? Do you repent for not having accepted the message? My children, do not resist the love of my Son. Do not resist hope and peace. Along with your prayers and fasting, by His Cross, my Son will cast away the darkness that wants to surround you and come to rule over you. He will give you the strength for a new life. Living it according to my Son, you will be a blessing and a hope to all those sinners who wander in the darkness of sin. My children, keep vigil. I, as a mother, am keeping vigil with you. I am especially praying and watching over those whom my Son called to be light-bearers and carriers of hope for you – for your shepherds. Thank you.”
February 25, 2013 Message From Our Lady of Medjugorje to World:
“Dear children! Also today I call you to prayer. Sin is pulling you towards worldly things and I have come to lead you towards holiness and the things of God, but you are struggling and spending your energies in the battle with the good and the evil that are in you. Therefore, little children, pray, pray, pray until prayer becomes a joy for you and your life will become a simple walk towards God. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
“Dear children! Also today I call you to prayer. Sin is pulling you towards worldly things and I have come to lead you towards holiness and the things of God, but you are struggling and spending your energies in the battle with the good and the evil that are in you. Therefore, little children, pray, pray, pray until prayer becomes a joy for you and your life will become a simple walk towards God. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
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Today's Word: discourse dis·course [dis-kawrs]
Origin: 1325–75; Middle English discours < Medieval Latin discursus (spelling by influence of Middle English cours course), Late Latin: conversation, Latin: a running to and fro, equivalent to discur ( rere ) to run about ( dis- dis-1 + currere to run) + -sus for -tus suffix of v. action
noun
1. communication of thought by words; talk; conversation: earnest and intelligent discourse.
2. a formal discussion of a subject in speech or writing, as a dissertation, treatise, sermon, etc.
3. Linguistics . any unit of connected speech or writing longer than a sentence.
verb (used without object)
4. to communicate thoughts orally; talk; converse.
5. to treat of a subject formally in speech or writing.
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Today's Old Testament Reading - Jeremiah 31:10-13
10 Listen, nations, to the word of Yahweh. On the farthest coasts and islands proclaim it, say, 'He who scattered Israel is gathering him, will guard him as a shepherd guarding his flock.'
11 For Yahweh has ransomed Jacob, rescued him from a hand stronger than his own.
12 They will
come, shouting for joy on the heights of Zion, thronging towards
Yahweh's lavish gifts, for wheat, new wine and oil, sheep and cattle;
they will be like a well-watered garden, they will sorrow no more.
13 The young girl will
then take pleasure in the dance, and young men and old alike; I shall
change their mourning into gladness, comfort them, give them joy after
their troubles;
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Today's Epistle - Ezekiel 37:21-28
21 say, "The Lord Yahweh says this: I shall take the Israelites from the nations where they have gone. I shall gather them to- gether from everywhere and bring them home to their own soil.
22 I shall make them into one nation in the country, on the mountains of Israel, and one king is to be king of them all; they will no longer form two nations, nor be two separate kingdoms.
23 They will no longer defile themselves with their foul idols, their horrors and any of their crimes. I shall save them from the acts of infidelity which they have committed and shall cleanse them; they will be my people and I shall be their God.
24 My servant David will reign over them, one shepherd for all; they will follow my judgements, respect my laws and practise them.
25 They will live in the country which I gave to my servant Jacob, the country in which your ancestors lived. They will live in it, they, their children, their children's children, for ever. David my servant is to be their prince for ever.
26 I shall make a covenant of peace with
them, an eternal covenant with them. I shall resettle them and make
them grow; I shall set my sanctuary among them for ever.
27 I shall make my home above them; I shall be their God, and they will be my people.
28 And the nations will know that I am Yahweh the sanctifier of Israel, when my sanctuary is with them for ever." '
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Today's Gospel Reading – John 11:45-57
Many
of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what he did,
believed in him, but some of them went to the Pharisees to tell them
what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and Pharisees called a
meeting. 'Here is this man working all these signs,' they said, 'and
what action are we taking? If we let him go on in this way everybody
will believe in him, and the Romans will come and suppress the Holy
Place and our nation.'
One of them, Caiaphas, the high priest that
year, said, 'You do not seem to have grasped the situation at all; you
fail to see that it is to your advantage that one man should die for the
people, rather than that the whole nation should perish.' He did not
speak in his own person, but as high priest of that year he was
prophesying that Jesus was to die for the nation and not for the nation
only, but also to gather together into one the scattered children of
God. From that day onwards they were determined to kill him. So Jesus
no longer went about openly among the Jews, but left the district for a
town called Ephraim, in the country bordering on the desert, and stayed
there with his disciples. The Jewish Passover was drawing near, and
many of the country people who had gone up to Jerusalem before the
Passover to purify themselves were looking out for Jesus, saying to one
another as they stood about in the Temple, 'What do you think? Will he
come to the festival or not?'
Reflection •
The Gospel today gives the last part of the long episode of the
resurrection of Lazarus in Bethany, in the house of Martha and Mary (Jn
11, 1-56). The resurrection of Lazarus is the seventh sign (miracle) of
Jesus in John’s Gospel and is also the high and decisive point of the
revelation which he made of God and of himself.
• The small community of Bethany, where Jesus liked to go, mirrors the situation and the life-style of the small community of the Beloved Disciple at the end of the first century in Asia Minor. Bethany means “The House of the poor”. They were poor communities, poor people, Martha means “”Lady” (coordinator): a woman coordinated the community. Lazarus means “God helps”: the community which was poor expected everything from God. Mary means “loved by Yahweh: she was the beloved disciple, image of the community. The episode of the resurrection of Lazarus communicated this certainty: Jesus is the source of life for the community of the poor. Jesus is the source of life for all those who believe in Him.
• John 11, 45-46: The repercussion of the Seventh Sign among the people. After the resurrection of Lazarus (Jn 11, 1-44), there is the description of the repercussion of this sign among the people. The people were divided; “many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what he did, believed in him”. But some of them went to the Pharisees to tell them what Jesus had done.
The latter denounced him. In order to be able to understand this reaction of one part of the population it is necessary to become aware that half of the population of Jerusalem depended completely on the Temple so as to be able to live and to survive. Because of this, it would have been difficult for them to support an unknown prophet from Galilee who criticized the Temple and the authority. This also explains why some even were ready to inform the authority.
• John 11, 47-53: The repercussion of the Seventh Sign among those in authority. The news of the resurrection of Lazarus increased the popularity of Jesus. This is why the religious leaders convoked a council meeting, the Synedrium, the maximum authority, to discern getting rid of him; because “this man works many signs. If we let him go on this way everybody will believe in him and the Romans will come and suppress the Holy Place and our nation”. They were afraid of the Romans. And this because in the past it had been shown many times by the Roman invasions in the year 64 before Christ until the time of Jesus, that the Romans repressed with great violence any attempt of popular rebellion. (Cf. Ac 5, 35-37). In the case of Jesus, the Roman reaction could have lead to the loss of everything, even of the Temple and of the privileged position of the priests. Because of this, Caiaphas, the High Priest, decides: “It is better that one man should die for the people, rather than that the whole nation should perish”. And the Evangelist comments: “He did not speak this in his own person, but as high priest of that year, he was prophesying that Jesus was to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather together into one the scattered children of God”. Thus, beginning at that moment, the chief priests concerned because Jesus’ authority was growing and motivated by the fear of the Romans, decided to kill Jesus.
• John 11, 54-56: The repercussion of the seventh sign in the life of Jesus. The final result is that Jesus had to live as a clandestine. “So Jesus no longer went about openly among the Jews; he left the district and went to a region near the desert, to a city called Ephraim and stayed there with his disciples”. The Jewish Passover was drawing near. At this time of the year, the population of Jerusalem tripled because of the great number of pilgrims. The conversation was all around Jesus: "What do you think, will he come to the festival or not?” In the same way, at the time that the Gospel was written at the end of the first century, the time of the persecution of the Emperor Domitian (from 81 to 96), the Christian communities who lived in the service of others were obliged to live as clandestine.
• A key to understand the seventh sign of the resurrection of Lazarus. Lazarus was sick. His sisters Martha and Mary sent someone to call Jesus: “The one whom you love is sick!” (Jn 11, 3. 5). Jesus responds to the request and explains to the disciples: “This sickness will not end in death, but it is for God’s glory so that through it the Son of God may be glorified” (Jn 11, 4) In John’s Gospel, the glorification of Jesus comes through his death (Jn 12, 23; 17, 1). One of the causes of his condemnation to death was the resurrection of Lazarus (Jn 11, 50; 12, 10). Many Jews were in the house of Martha and Mary to console them because of the loss of their brother. The Jews, representatives of the Ancient Covenant, only know how to console. They do not give new life.... Jesus is the one who brings new life! Thus, on one side, the threat of death against Jesus! On the other, Jesus who overcomes death! In this context of conflict between life and death the seventh sign of the resurrection of Lazarus takes place. Martha says that she believes in the resurrection. The Pharisees and the majority of the people say that they believe in the Resurrection (Ac 23, 6-10; Mk 12, 18). They believed, but they did not reveal it. It was only faith in the resurrection at the end of time and not in the present resurrection in history, here and now. This ancient faith did not renew life. It is not enough to believe in the resurrection which will come at the end of time, but it is necessary to believe in the Resurrection already present here and now in the person of Jesus and in those who believe in Jesus. On these people, death no longer has any power, because Jesus “is the resurrection and the life”. Even without seeing the concrete sign of the resurrection of Lazarus, Martha confesses her faith: “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God who was to come into the world” (Jn 11, 27).
Jesus orders that the stone be removed. Martha reacts: "Lord, by now he will smell!” This is the fourth day since he died!” (Jn 11, 39). Once again Jesus presents the challenge asking to believe in the resurrection, here and now, as a sign of the glory of God: "Have I not told you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?” (Jn 11, 40). They removed the stone. Before the open tomb and before the unbelief of the persons, Jesus addresses himself to the Father. In his prayer, first of all, he gives thanks: “Father, I thank you for hearing my prayer. I myself knew that you hear me always!” (Jn 11, 41-42). Jesus knows the Father and trusts him. But now he asks for a sign because of the multitude which is around him, so that the people can believe that he, Jesus, has been sent by the Father. Then he cried out in a loud voice: “Lazarus, come out!” Lazarus came out (Jn 11, 43-44). This is the triumph of life over death, of faith over unbelief. A farmer commented: "It is up to us to remove the stone. And it is up to God to resurrect the community. There are people who do not know how to remove the stone, and because of this their community has no life!”
Personal questions• What does it mean concretely, for me to believe in the resurrection?
• Part of the people accepted Jesus, and part did not. Today part of the people accept the renewal of the Church and part do not. And you?
• Part of the people accepted Jesus, and part did not. Today part of the people accept the renewal of the Church and part do not. And you?
Reference: Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.
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Featured Item of the Day from Litany Lane
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Saint of the Day: Saint Turibius
Feast Day: March 23
Patron Saint: n/a
Attributes: n/a
Born in Mayorga de Campos, Valladolid, Spain, of noble family and highly educated, Turibius was named after another Spanish saint, Turibius of Astorga. He became professor of law at the highly reputed University of Salamanca. His learning and virtuous reputation led to his appointment as Grand Inquisitor of Spain by King Philip II on the Court of the Inquisition at Granada. During this time, he was ordained priest in 1578 and sent to Peru. He was named Archbishop of Lima, Peru, in May 1579.
He arrived at Paita, Peru, 600 miles (970 km) from Lima, on 24 May 1581. He began his mission work by travelling to Lima on foot, baptizing and teaching the natives. His favourite topic was: "Time is not our own, and we must give a strict account of it." Three times he traversed the 450,000 square kilometers (170,000 sq mi) of his diocese, generally on foot, frequently defenceless and often alone; exposed to tempests, torrents, deserts, wild beasts, tropical heat, fevers and sometimes threats from hostile tribes; baptizing and confirming nearly one half million souls, among them St. Rose of Lima and St. Martin de Porres.
He built roads, schoolhouses and chapels, many hospitals and convents, and at Lima, in 1591, founded the first seminary in the western hemisphere. He inaugurated the first part of the third Lima Cathedral on 2 February 1604.
Turibius assembled thirteen diocesan synods and three provincial councils. He was seen as a champion of the rights of the natives against the Spanish masters. "There was great opposition to Turibius from the governors of Peru whose authority he challenged," Elizabeth Hallam has written. "He learned local dialects so that he could communicate with–-and convert–-the native peoples, and he was a strong and effective champion of their rights."[1]
Years before he died, he predicted the day and hour of his death. At Pacasmayo he contracted fever, but continued labouring to the last, arriving at Sana (or Saña) in a dying condition. Dragging himself to the sanctuary he received the Viaticum, expiring shortly after on 23 March 1606.
Veneration
Turibius de Mogrovejo was beatified by Pope Innocent XI in the year 1679 and was later canonized by Pope Benedict XIII in the year 1726. His liturgical feast was once celebrated on April 27, but currently on March 23. His cult was once confined mainly to South America, but now more widespread because of his pioneering reforms.Turibius is honored together with Martin de Porres and Rosa de Lima with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church (USA) on August 23.
References
- Elizabeth Hallam (ed.), Saints: Who They Are and How They Help You (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994), 27
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Today's Snippet I: Book 5, Chapter 3
The Mystical City of God,
The Divine History and
Life of The Virgin Mother of God
THE CONTINUED PRAYERS OF JESUS AND MARY FOR
MANKIND.
The more our limited discourse seeks to make clear and extol
the mysterious works of Christ, our Redeemer, and of his most holy Mother, the
more evident it becomes, that mere human words are far from being able to
compass the greatness of these sacraments; for, as Ecelesiasticus says, they
surpass all our words of praise (Ecclus. 4, 33). Nor can we ever fathom or
compass them, and there will always remain many greater secrets than those we
have sought to explain. For those which we do explain are very insignificant,
and we do not deserve to comprehend, nor to speak about the few, which we
attempt to fathom. Inadequate is the intellect of the highest seraphim to weigh
and pierce the secrets that passed between Jesus and Mary during the years in
which They lived together.
Especially is this true of the years, of which I am
now speaking, during which the Teacher of life instructed Her in everything that
was to happen in the law of grace; namely, how much this new law was to
accomplish in this the sixth age of the world, which includes these sixteen
hundred and fifty-seven years and all the unknown future until the end of the
World. In all this the most blessed Lady was instructed in the school of her
divine Son; for He foretold Her all by word of mouth, pointing out the time and
place of each event, the kingdoms and provinces of their history during the
existence of the Church.
All these hidden sacraments ordinarily transpired in that
humble oratory of the Queen, where the greatest of all mysteries, the
Incarnation of the divine Word in her virginal womb, had taken place. Though it
was such a narrow and poorly furnished room, consisting merely of the bare and
rude walls, yet it enclosed the grandeur of Him who is immense and shed forth
all the majesty and sacredness, which since then is attached to the rich temples
and innumerable sanctuaries of the world. In this holy of holies the Highpriest
of the new Law ordinarily performed his prayers, which always concluded with
fervent intercessions for men. At these times also He spoke to his Virgin Mother
about all the works of Redemption and communicated to Her the rich gifts and
treasures of grace, which He had come to shower upon the children of light in
the new Testament and in his holy Church. Many times did He beseech his eternal
Father not to allow the sins and the ingratitude of men to hinder their
Redemption. As Christ in his foreknowledge was always conscious of the sins of
the human race and of the damnation of so many thankless souls, the thought of
dying for them caused Him to sweat blood many times on these occasions. Although
the Evangelists because they never intended to relate all the events of his
life, mention this sweating of blood but once before his Passion, it is certain
that this happened many times and in the presence of his most holy Mother; and
has been intimated to me several times.
During prayer our blessed Master sometimes assumed a kneeling
posture, sometimes He was prostrate in the form of a cross or at other times
raised in the air in this same position which He loved so much. In the presence
of his Mother He was wont to pray: "O most blessed Cross! When shall thy
arms receive mine, when shall I rest on thee and when shall my arms, nailed to
thine, be spread to welcome all sinners? (Matth. 9, 13). But as I came from
heaven for no other purpose than to invite them to imitate Me and associate with
Me, they are even now and forever open to embrace and enrich all men. Come then,
all ye that are blind, to the light. Come ye poor, to the treasures of my grace.
Come, ye little ones, to the caresses and delights of your true Father. Come, ye
afflicted and worn out ones, for I will relieve and refresh you (Matth. 11, 28).
Come, ye just, since you are my possession and inheritance. Come all ye children
of Adam, for I call upon you all. I am the way, the truth and the life (13, 6),
and I will deny nothing that you desire to receive. My eternal Father, they are
the works of thy hands, do not despise them; for I will offer Myself as a
sacrifice on the Cross, in order to restore them to justice and freedom. If they
be but willing I will lead them back to the bosom of thy elect and to their
heavenly kingdom, where thy name shall be glorified."
At all these prayers the beloved Mother was present, and in
her purest soul, as in the purest crystal, the light of the Onlybegotten was
reflected. His interior and exterior prayers re-echoed in Her, causing Her to
imitate his petitions and prayers in the same postures. When the great Lady for
the first time saw Him sweat blood, her maternal heart was transfixed with
sorrow and filled with astonishment at the effects caused in Christ, our Lord,
by the sins and ingratitudes committed by men, foreseen by the Lord and known to
Her. In the anguish of her heart She turned to her fellow mortals and exclaimed:
"O children of men! Little do ye understand how highly the Lord esteems his
image and likeness in you! For, as the price of your salvation, He offers his
own blood and deems it little to shed all of it for you. O could I but unite
your wills with mine, in order that I might bring you to love and obey Him!
Blessed by his right hand be the grateful and the just among men, who will be
faithful children of their Father! Let those be filled with light and with the
treasures of grace, who will respond to the ardent desires of my Lord in regard
to their salvation. Would that I could be the insignificant slave of the
children of Adam and thereby induce and assist them to put an end to their sins
and their own damnation! Lord and Master! Life and light of my soul! Who can be
so hard of heart and hostile to himself, that he should not feel himself urged
on by thy blessings? Who can be so ungrateful and so unheedful, as to ignore thy
most burning love? How can my heart bear with men, who, being so favored by thy
bounty, are so coarse and rebellious? O children of Adam! Turn your inhuman
cruelty upon me. Afflict me and insult me as much as you will, only pay my
beloved Lord the reverence and love which you owe to his endearments. Thou, my
Son and Lord, art Light of light, Son of the eternal Father (Heb. 1, 3), as
everlasting, as immense, as infinite as He, equal to Him in essence and
attributes, being with Him one God and one supreme Majesty (John 10, 30). Thou
art chosen among thousands (Cant. 5, 10), beautiful above all the sons of men,
holy, innocent and without defect of any kind. How then, eternal God, can
mortals ignore the object of their most noble love? The Principle, which gives
them existence? The End wherein consists their eternal true happiness? O that I
could give my life in order that all might escape their error!"
Many other sentiments of burning love, far beyond the powers
of my heart and tongue, this heavenly Lady uttered in her dove-like sincerity;
and in this love, and in profoundest reverence, She wiped the sweat from the
face of her sweetest Son. At other times She found Him in quite a different
condition, shining with glory and transfigured as afterwards on mount Tabor
(Matth. 17, 2), in the midst of a great multitude of angels, who adored Him and
in the sweet harmony of their voices gave praise and thanksgiving to the
Onlybegotten of the Father made man. These celestial voices our blessed Lady
heard and She joined hers with them. At other times this happened while He was
not transfigured; for the divine will ordained that the sensitive part of the
divine humanity of the Word should sometimes have this solace, while at other
times it should enjoy also the transfiguring overflow of the glory of the soul
into the body; yet this only at great intervals. But whenever the heavenly
Mother found Him in this state and beheld his glorified body, or when She heard
the hymns of the angels, She participated in these delights to such an extent,
that, if her spirit had not been so strong, and if her Lord and Son had not
fortified Her, She would have lost all her natural powers; and even as it was,
the holy angels had to support the failing strength of her body on those
occasions.
Many times, when her divine Son was in one of these states of
suffering or joy, and was praying to the eternal Father or, as it
were, conferring with Him concerning the highest mysteries of the Redemption,
the Person of the Father approved or conceded his petitions for the relief of
men, or showed to the most holy humanity of Christ the secret decrees of
predestination, reprobation or condemnation of some souls. All this our blessed
Lady heard, humbling Herself to the dust. With unequaled reverence and fear She
adored the Omnipotent, and accompanied her Son in his prayers, petitions and
thanksgivings, offered up to the eternal Father for mankind in praise of all his
inscrutable judgments. Such secrets and mysteries the most prudent Virgin
conferred in her heart, and stored them up in her memory, converting them into
the material and nourishment of her fiery love. None of these blessings and
secret favors were in her unprofitable or fruitless. To all of them She
corresponded according to the inmost desires of her Lord. In all of them She
fulfilled the highest intentions of the Almighty, and all his works found due
response from Her as far as was possible from a mere creature.
WORDS OF THE QUEEN. (The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of
Agreda, Spain.)
My daughter, one of the reasons why men should call me Mother
of mercy, is the knowledge of my loving desire that all be satiated with the
flood of grace and taste the sweetness of the Lord as I myself. I call and
invite all to come with me to the fountain of the Divinity. Let the most poor
and afflicted approach, for if they respond and follow me, I will offer
them my protection and help, and I will intercede for them with my Son and
obtain for them the hidden manna, which will give to them nourishment and life
(Apoc. 2, 27). Deny thyself and put off all the works of human weakness,
and, by the true light, which thou hast received concerning the works of my Son
and my own, contemplate and study thyself in this mirror, in order to arrive at
that beauty, which the highest King seeks in thee.
Since this is the most powerful means for perfection in thy
works, I wish that thou write this advice into thy heart. Whenever thou must
perform interior or exterior work, consider beforehand whether what thou art
going to say or do corresponds with the doings of thy Lord, and whether thou
hast the intention thereby to honor thy Lord and benefit thy neighbor. As soon
as thou art sure that this is thy motive, execute thy undertaking in union with
Him and in imitation of Him; but if thou findest not this motive let the
undertaking rest. This was my invariable course in pursuing the imitation of my
Lord and Teacher though in me there was no reluctance toward the good but only
the desire of imitating Him perfectly. In this imitation consists the fruit of
his holy teaching, in which He urges us to do, what is most pleasing and
acceptable to the eternal God.
Moreover from this day on be mindful not to
undertake any work, not to speak or even think any of anything, without first
asking my permission and consulting with me as thy Mother and Teacher. And as
soon as I answer thee give thanks to the Lord; if I do not answer after
continued inquiry, I promise and assure thee on the part of the Lord, that He
will, nevertheless, give thee light as to what will be according to his most
perfect will. In all things, however, subject thyself to the guidance of thy
spiritual director, and never forget this practice!
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Catechism of the Catholic Church
Part Two: The Celebration of the Christian Mystery, Sect 1:1:3
CHAPTER ONE THE PASCHAL MYSTERY IN THE AGE OF THE CHURCH
Article 1
THE LITURGY - WORK OF THE HOLY TRINITY
III. The Holy Spirit and the Church in the
Liturgy
1091
In the liturgy the Holy Spirit is teacher of the faith of the People of God and
artisan of "God's masterpieces," the sacraments of the New Covenant.
the desire and work of the Spirit in the heart of the Church is that we may
live from the life of the risen Christ. When the Spirit encounters in us the
response of faith which he has aroused in us, he brings about genuine
cooperation. Through it, the liturgy becomes the common work of the Holy Spirit
and the Church.
1092
In this sacramental dispensation of Christ's mystery the Holy Spirit acts in
the same way as at other times in the economy of salvation: he prepares the
Church to encounter her Lord; he recalls and makes Christ manifest to the faith
of the assembly. By his transforming power, he makes the mystery of Christ
present here and now. Finally the Spirit of communion unites the Church to the
life and mission of Christ.
The Holy Spirit prepares for the reception of Christ
1093
In the sacramental economy the Holy Spirit fulfills what was prefigured in the
Old Covenant. Since Christ's Church was "prepared in marvellous fashion in
the history of the people of Israel and in the Old Covenant,"LG 2
The Church's liturgy has retained certain elements of the worship of the Old
Covenant as integral and irreplaceable, adopting them as her own:
-notably, reading the Old Testament;
-praying the Psalms;
-above all, recalling the saving events and significant realities which have found their fulfillment in the mystery of Christ (promise and covenant, Exodus and Passover, kingdom and temple, exile and return).
1094
It is on this harmony of the two Testaments that the Paschal catechesis of the
Lord is built,DV 14-16; ⇒ Lk 24:13-49 and then, that of the Apostles and the Fathers of the
Church. This catechesis unveils what lay hidden under the letter of the Old
Testament: the mystery of Christ. It is called "typological" because
it reveals the newness of Christ on the basis of the "figures"
(types) which announce him in the deeds, words, and symbols of the first
covenant. By this re-reading in the Spirit of Truth, starting from Christ, the
figures are unveiled.2 Cor 3:14-16 Thus the flood and Noah's ark prefigured
salvation by Baptism,1
Pet 3:21 as did the cloud and the crossing of the Red
Sea. Water from the rock was the figure of the spiritual gifts of Christ, and
manna in the desert prefigured the Eucharist, "the true bread from heaven."Jn 6:32; cf. ⇒ 1
Cor 10:1-6
1095
For this reason the Church, especially during Advent and Lent and above all at
the Easter Vigil, re-reads and re-lives the great events of salvation history
in the "today" of her liturgy. But this also demands that catechesis
help the faithful to open themselves to this spiritual understanding of the
economy of salvation as the Church's liturgy reveals it and enables us to live
it.
1096
Jewish
liturgy and Christian liturgy. A better knowledge of the Jewish people's faith
and religious life as professed and lived even now can help our better
understanding of certain aspects of Christian liturgy. For both Jews and
Christians Sacred Scripture is an essential part of their respective liturgies:
in the proclamation of the Word of God, the response to this word, prayer of
praise and intercession for the living and the dead, invocation of God's mercy.
In its characteristic structure the Liturgy of the Word originates in Jewish
prayer. the Liturgy of the Hours and other liturgical texts and formularies, as
well as those of our most venerable prayers, including the Lord's Prayer, have
parallels in Jewish prayer. the Eucharistic Prayers also draw their inspiration
from the Jewish tradition. the relationship between Jewish liturgy and
Christian liturgy, but also their differences in content, are particularly
evident in the great feasts of the liturgical year, such as Passover.
Christians and Jews both celebrate the Passover. For Jews, it is the Passover
of history, tending toward the future; for Christians, it is the Passover
fulfilled in the death and Resurrection of Christ, though always in expectation
of its definitive consummation.
1097
In the liturgy of the New Covenant every liturgical action, especially the
celebration of the Eucharist and the sacraments, is an encounter between Christ
and the Church. the liturgical assembly derives its unity from the
"communion of the Holy Spirit" who gathers the children of God into
the one Body of Christ. This assembly transcends racial, cultural, social -
indeed, all human affinities.
1098
The assembly should prepare itself to encounter its Lord and to become "a
people well disposed." the preparation of hearts is the joint work of the
Holy Spirit and the assembly, especially of its ministers. the grace of the
Holy Spirit seeks to awaken faith, conversion of heart, and adherence to the
Father's will. These dispositions are the precondition both for the reception
of other graces conferred in the celebration itself and the fruits of new life
which the celebration is intended to produce afterward.
The Holy
Spirit recalls the mystery of Christ
1099
The Spirit and the Church cooperate to manifest Christ and his work of
salvation in the liturgy. Primarily in the Eucharist, and by analogy in the
other sacraments, the liturgy is the memorial of the mystery of salvation. the
Holy Spirit is the Church's living memory.Jn 14:26
1100
The Word of God. the Holy Spirit first recalls the meaning of the salvation
event to the liturgical assembly by giving life to the Word of God, which is
proclaimed so that it may be received and lived:
In the celebration of the
liturgy, Sacred Scripture is extremely important. From it come the lessons that
are read and explained in the homily and the psalms that are sung. It is from
the Scriptures that the prayers, collects, and hymns draw their inspiration and
their force, and that actions and signs derive their meaning.SC 24
1101
The Holy Spirit gives a spiritual understanding of the Word of God to those who
read or hear it, according to the dispositions of their hearts. By means of the
words, actions, and symbols that form the structure of a celebration, the
Spirit puts both the faithful and the ministers into a living relationship with
Christ, the Word and Image of the Father, so that they can live out the meaning
of what they hear, contemplate, and do in the celebration.
1102
"By the saving word of God, faith . . . is nourished in the hearts of
believers. By this faith then the congregation of the faithful begins and
grows."PO 4 The proclamation does not stop with a teaching; it
elicits the response of faith as consent and commitment, directed at the covenant
between God and his people. Once again it is the Holy Spirit who gives the
grace of faith, strengthens it and makes it grow in the community. the
liturgical assembly is first of all a communion in faith.
1103
Anamnesis. the liturgical celebration always refers to God's saving
interventions in history. "The economy of Revelation is realized by deeds
and words which are intrinsically bound up with each other.... (The) words for
their part proclaim the works and bring to light the mystery they
contain."DV 2 In the Liturgy of the Word the Holy Spirit
"recalls" to the assembly all that Christ has done for us. In keeping
with the nature of liturgical actions and the ritual traditions of the
churches, the celebration "makes a remembrance" of the marvelous
works of God in an anamnesis which may be more or less developed. the Holy
Spirit who thus awakens the memory of the Church then inspires thanksgiving and
praise (doxology).
The Holy
Spirit makes present the mystery of Christ
1104
Christian liturgy not only recalls the events that saved us but actualizes
them, makes them present. the Paschal mystery of Christ is celebrated, not
repeated. It is the celebrations that are repeated, and in each celebration
there is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that makes the unique mystery
present.
1105
The Epiclesis ("invocation upon") is the intercession in which the
priest begs the Father to send the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, so that the
offerings may become the body and blood of Christ and that the faithful by
receiving them, may themselves become a living offering to God.Rom 12:1
1106
Together with the anamnesis, the epiclesis is at the heart of each sacramental
celebration, most especially of the Eucharist:
You ask how the bread becomes the Body of Christ, and the wine . . . the
Blood of Christ I shall tell you: the Holy Spirit comes upon them and
accomplishes what surpasses every word and thought . . . Let it be enough for you
to understand that it is by the Holy Spirit, just as it was of the Holy Virgin
and by the Holy Spirit that the Lord, through and in himself, took
flesh.St. John
Damascene, De fide orth 4, 13: PG 94, 1145A
1107
The Holy Spirit's transforming power in the liturgy hastens the coming of the
kingdom and the consummation of the mystery of salvation. While we wait in hope
he causes us really to anticipate the fullness of communion with the Holy
Trinity. Sent by the Father who hears the epiclesis of the Church, the Spirit
gives life to those who accept him and is, even now, the "guarantee"
of their inheritance.Eph 1:14;
⇒ 2 Cor 1:22
The
communion of the Holy Spirit
1108
In every liturgical action the Holy Spirit is sent in order to bring us into
communion with Christ and so to form his Body. the Holy Spirit is like the sap
of the Father's vine which bears fruit on its branches.Jn 15:1-17;
⇒ Gal 5:22 The most
intimate cooperation of the Holy Spirit and the Church is achieved in the
liturgy. the Spirit who is the Spirit of communion, abides indefectibly in the
Church. For this reason the Church is the great sacrament of divine communion
which gathers God's scattered children together. Communion with the Holy
Trinity and fraternal communion are inseparably the fruit of the Spirit in the
liturgy.Jn 1:3-7
1109
The epiclesis is also a prayer for the full effect of the assembly's communion
with the mystery of Christ. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the
love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit"2 Cor 13:13 have to
remain with us always and bear fruit beyond the Eucharistic celebration. the
Church therefore asks the Father to send the Holy Spirit to make the lives of
the faithful a living sacrifice to God by their spiritual transformation into
the image of Christ, by concern for the Church's unity, and by taking part in
her mission through the witness and service of charity.
IN BRIEF
1110 In the liturgy of the Church,
God the Father is blessed and adored as the source of all the blessings of
creation and salvation with which he has blessed us in his Son, in order to
give us the Spirit of filial adoption.
1111 Christ's work in the
liturgy is sacramental: because his mystery of salvation is made present there
by the power of his Holy Spirit; because his Body, which is the Church, is like
a sacrament (sign and instrument) in which the Holy Spirit dispenses the
mystery of salvation; and because through her liturgical actions the pilgrim
Church already participates, as by a foretaste, in the heavenly liturgy.
1112 The mission of the Holy
Spirit in the liturgy of the Church is to prepare the assembly to encounter
Christ; to recall and manifest Christ to the faith of the assembly; to make the
saving work of Christ present and active by his transforming power; and to make
the gift of communion bear fruit in the Church.
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