Prostrate, Psalms 71:1-17, Isaiah 49:1-6, John 13:21-38, Pope Frances Daily Activity, The Mystical City of God, The Divine History and Life of The Virgin Mother of God - BOOK 6:3 THE LAST SUPPER and Book 6:4 THE PRAYER IN GETHSEMANI AND HOW MARY JOINED THEREIN, Catholic Catechism Part Two Section 1:2:3 The Sacraments of Faith
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: Tuesday in Lent
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Papam Franciscus
(Pope Francis)
LITURGICAL CELEBRATIONS TO BE PRESIDED BY POPE DURING HOLY WEEK
Vatican City, 25 March 2013 (VIS) – The Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff has made public the calendar of celebrations that are due to be presided by Pope Francis during Holy Week: (Posted at Rome Time which six hours ahead of USA Central Time). View via Video on Vatican TV Live Stream or Audio Vatican Radio.
28 March, Holy Thursday: 9:30am, Chrism Mass in the Vatican Basilica
5:30pm, Mass of the Lord's Supper at the Casal del Marmo youth detention centre (NO live coverage)
29 March, Good Friday: 5:00pm, Celebration of the Lord's Passion in the Vatican Basilica
9:15pm, Via Crucis at the Colosseum
30 March, Holy Saturday: 8:30, Easter Vigil in the Vatican Basilica
31 March, Easter Sunday: 10:15am, Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square
12:00pm “Urbi et Orbi” Blessing
28 March, Holy Thursday: 9:30am, Chrism Mass in the Vatican Basilica
5:30pm, Mass of the Lord's Supper at the Casal del Marmo youth detention centre (NO live coverage)
29 March, Good Friday: 5:00pm, Celebration of the Lord's Passion in the Vatican Basilica
9:15pm, Via Crucis at the Colosseum
30 March, Holy Saturday: 8:30, Easter Vigil in the Vatican Basilica
31 March, Easter Sunday: 10:15am, Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square
12:00pm “Urbi et Orbi” Blessing
POPE FRANCIS MARCH 26TH HOMILY: HOW GOOD IT IS TO BE FORGIVEN
Chapel of Domus Sanctae Marthae
2013-03-26 L’Osservatore Romano
Pope Francis also celebrated Mass on Tuesday morning , 26 March
in the Chapel of Domus Sanctae Marthae. On this day he wanted with him
at the altar the priests who customarily live in this Vatican residence.
They came home yesterday, having left their rooms a few weeks ago to
the cardinals who had arrived in Rome for the conclave.
There were about 40, including officials of the Secretariat of State
and other bodies and dicasteries. Archbishop Angelo Acerbi, Archbishop
Peter Paul Prabhu and Archbishop Luigi Travaglino, apostolic nuncios,
were also with them. It was a priestly family, to which the Pope said he
felt that he belonged; and to which, before imparting the final
blessing, he expressed his thanks.Commenting briefly on the passage from the Gospel of John (13:21 – 33:36 – 38) in which Jesus speaks of Judas' betrayal and tells Peter that he would deny him three times, the Pope shared with those present his thoughts on two words: The night and the sweetness of Christ's forgiveness. It was night when Judas left the Upper Room. And the Holy Father stressed that it was night both inside him and outside him. However, he recalled, there is another night, a “temporary” night that everyone knows and in which beyond the darkness there is always hope. It is the night of the sinner who once again finds Jesus, his forgiveness, the “caress of the Lord”. Pope Francis asked that hearts be opened in order to taste the “sweetness” of this forgiveness. The same sweetness that is expressed in the look Christ turned on Peter, who had denied him. “How beautiful it is to be holy”, he concluded, “but also how beautiful to be forgiven”.
Several sisters of the Secular Institute of Schönstatt were present among the faithful. At the end of the celebration, after a few minutes of silent prayer, while remaining seated at the back of the chapel, Pope Francis greeted everyone there, one by one. And he also had delivered to the priests who live in Sanctae Marthae, a large chocolate Easter egg with the papal coat of arms.
Reference:
- Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2013 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed 3/26/2013.
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Message, 25. March 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World:
“Dear children! In this time of grace I call you to take the cross of my beloved Son Jesus in your hands and to meditate on His passion and death. May your suffering be united in His suffering and love will win, because He who is love gave Himself out of love to save each of you. Pray, pray, pray until love and peace begin to reign in your hearts. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
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.”
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Today's Word: prostrate pros·trate [pros-treyt]
Origin: 11175–1225; Middle English < Latin ministerium, equivalent to minister minister + -ium -ium
pros·trat·ing, adjective
verb (used with object)
1. to cast (oneself) face down on the ground in humility, submission, or adoration.
2. to lay flat, as on the ground.
3. to throw down level with the ground.
4. to overthrow, overcome, or reduce to helplessness.
5. to reduce to physical weakness or exhaustion.
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Today's Old Testament Reading - Psalms 71:1-6, 15, 17
1 In you, Yahweh, I take refuge, I shall never be put to shame.
2 In your saving justice rescue me, deliver me, listen to me and save me.
3 Be a sheltering rock for me, always accessible; you have determined to save me, for you are my rock, my fortress.
4 My God, rescue me from the clutches of the wicked, from the grasp of the rogue and the ruthless.
5 For you are my hope, Lord, my trust, Yahweh, since boyhood.
6 On you I have relied since my birth, since my mother's womb you have been my portion, the constant theme of my praise.
15 My lips shall proclaim your saving justice, your saving power all day long.
17 God, you have taught me from boyhood, and I am still proclaiming your marvels.
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Today's Epistle - Isaiah 49:1-6
1 Coasts and islands, listen to me, pay attention, distant peoples. Yahweh called me when I was in the womb, before my birth he had pronounced my name.
2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
he hid me in the shadow of his hand. He made me into a sharpened arrow
and concealed me in his quiver.
3 He said to me, 'Israel, you are my servant, through whom I shall manifest my glory.'
4 But I said, 'My toil has been futile, I have exhausted myself for nothing, to no purpose.' Yet all the while my cause was with Yahweh and my reward with my God.
5 And now Yahweh has spoken, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him and to re-unite Israel to him;-I shall be honoured in Yahweh's eyes, and my God has been my strength.-
6 He said, 'It is not enough for you to be my servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel; I shall make you a light to the nations so that my salvation may reach the remotest parts of earth.'
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Today's Gospel Reading - John 13: 21-33.36-38
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| Altarpiece, Last Supper , Bouts 1466 |
Having said this, Jesus was deeply disturbed and declared, 'In all
truth I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.' The disciples
looked at each other, wondering whom he meant. The disciple Jesus loved
was reclining next to Jesus; Simon Peter signed to him and said, 'Ask
who it is he means,' so leaning back close to Jesus' chest he said, 'Who
is it, Lord?' Jesus answered, 'It is the one to whom I give the piece
of bread that I dip in the dish.' And when he had dipped the piece of
bread he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. At that instant, after
Judas had taken the bread, Satan entered him. Jesus then said, 'What you
are going to do, do quickly.'
None of the others at table understood why he said this. Since Judas had charge of the common fund, some of them thought Jesus was telling him, 'Buy what we need for the festival,' or telling him to give something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the piece of bread he went out. It was night. When he had gone, Jesus said: Now has the Son of man been glorified, and in him God has been glorified. If God has been glorified in him, God will in turn glorify him in himself, and will glorify him very soon. Little children, I shall be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and, as I told the Jews, where I am going, you cannot come.
Simon Peter said, 'Lord, where are you going?' Jesus replied, 'Now you cannot follow me where I am going, but later you shall follow me.' Peter said to him, 'Why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.' 'Lay down your life for me?' answered Jesus. 'In all truth I tell you, before the cock crows you will have disowned me three times.'
Reflection
• This is the third day of Holy Week. The texts of the Gospel of
these days place before us the terrible facts which will lead to the
imprisonment and condemnation of Jesus. The texts not only present the
decisions of the religious and civil authority against Jesus, but also
the betrayal and the negotiations of the disciples which rendered
possible for the authority to arrest Jesus and contributed enormously to
increase the suffering of Jesus.
• John 13, 21: The announcement of the betrayal. After having washed the feet of the disciples (Jn 13, 2-11) and having spoken about the obligation that we have of washing each other’s feet (Jn 13, 12-16), Jesus is profoundly touched. And it is no wonder. He was fulfilling that gesture of service and total gift of self, while at his side one of the disciples was planning how to betray him that same night. Jesus expresses his emotion saying: “In all truth I tell you one of you is going to betray me!” He does not say: “Judas will betray me”, but “one of you”. It is one of his group who will betray him.
• John 13, 22-25: The reaction of the disciples. The disciples are frightened. They did not expect that declaration, that is, that one of them would be the traitor. Peter makes a sign to John to ask Jesus which of the twelve would be the traitor. This is a sign that they did not know one another well, they could not succeed in understanding who could be the traitor. A sign, that is, that the friendship among them had not as yet reached the same transparency that Jesus had with them (cf. Jn 15, 15). John reclined near Jesus and asked him: “Who is it?”
• John 13, 26-30: Jesus indicates Judas. Jesus says: It is the one to whom I give the piece of bread that I dip in the dish. He took a piece of bread, dips it in the cup and hands it over to Judas. This was a common and normal gesture which the participants at a supper used to do among themselves. And Jesus tells Judas: “What you are going to do, do quickly!” Judas had charge of the common fund. He was in charge of buying things and of giving the alms to the poor. This is why no one perceived anything special in the gesture and in the words of Jesus. In this description of the announcement of the betrayal is evoked the Psalm in which the psalmist complains about the friend who betrays him: “Even my trusted friend on whom I relied, who shared my table takes advantage of me” (Ps 41, 10; cf. Ps 55, 13-15). Judas becomes aware that Jesus knew everything (cf. Jn 13, 18). But even knowing it, he does not change his mind but keeps the decision to betray Jesus. This is the moment in which the separation between Judas and Jesus takes place. John says at this moment Satan entered him. Judas rises and leaves. He places himself at the side of the enemy (Satan). John comments: “”It was night”. It was dark.
• John 13, 31-33: The glorification of Jesus begins. It is as if history had waited for this moment of separation between light and darkness. Satan (the enemy) and darkness entered into Judas when he decides to carry out what he was planning. In that moment the light was made in Jesus who declares: “Now the son of man has been glorified, and in him God has been glorified also. 32 If God has been glorified in him, God will in turn glorify him in himself, and will glorify him very soon!” Everything which will happen from now on will be in the regressive way. The decisions had already been taken by Jesus (Jn 12, 27-28) and now by Judas. The facts follow one another hastily. And, Jesus announces it: “Little children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and, as I told the Jews, where I am going you cannot come”. There is little time left before the Passover.
• John 13, 34-35: The new commandment. Today’s Gospel omits these two verses on the new commandment of love, and begins to speak about the announcement of the denial of Peter.
• John 13, 36-38: Announcement of the denial of Peter. Together with the betrayal of Judas, the Gospel also speaks of the denial of Peter. These are the two facts which contribute the most to Jesus suffering and pain. Peter says that he is ready to give his life for Jesus. Jesus recalls and reminds him of reality: “You are ready to lay down your life for me? In all truth I tell you, before the cock crows you will have disowned me three times”. Mark had written: “Before the cock crows twice, you will have disowned me three times” (Mk 14, 30). Everybody knows that the cock crows rapidly. When in the morning the first cock begins to sing, almost at the same time all the cocks crow together. Peter is more rapid in his denial than the cock in crowing.
Personal questions
• Judas, the friend, becomes the traitor. Peter, the friend, denies Jesus. And I?
• I place myself in Jesus’ situation and I think: how does he face the denial and the betrayal, the contempt and the exclusion?
• I place myself in Jesus’ situation and I think: how does he face the denial and the betrayal, the contempt and the exclusion?
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Featured Item of the Day from Litany Lane
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Saint of the Day: Feria
Feast Day: March 26
Patron Saint: n/a
Attributes: n/a
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Today's Snippet I: Book 6, Chapter 3
The Mystical City of God,
The Divine History and
Life of The Virgin Mother of God
THE LAST SUPPER.
Christ had partaken of the prescribed supper with his
disciples reclining on the floor around a table, which was elevated from it
little more than the distance of six or seven fingers; for such was the custom
of the Jews. But after the washing of the feet He ordered another, higher table
to be prepared, such as we now use for our meals. By this arrangement He wished
to put an end to the legal suppers and to the lower and figurative law and
establish the new Supper of the law of grace. From that time on He wished the
sacred mysteries to be performed on the tables or altars, which are in use in
the Catholic Church. The table was covered with a very rich cloth and upon it
was placed a plate or salver and a large cup in the form of a chalice, capacious
enough to hold the wine. All this was done in pursuance of the will of Christ
our Savior, who by his divine power and wisdom directed all these particulars.
The master of the house was inspired to offer these rich vessels, which were
made of what seemed a precious stone like emerald. The Apostles often used it
afterwards in consecrating, whenever the occasion permitted it. The Lord seated
himself at this table with the Apostles and some of the other disciples, and
then ordered some unleavened bread to be placed on the table and some wine to be
brought, of which He took sufficient to prepare the chalice.
Then the Master of life spoke words of most endearing love to
his Apostles, and, though his sayings were wont to penetrate to the inmost heart
at all times, yet on this occasion they were like the flames of a great fire of
charity, which consumed the souls of his hearers. He manifested to them anew the
most exalted mysteries of his Divinity, humanity and of the works of the
Redemption. He enjoined upon them peace and charity, of which He was now to
leave a pledge in the mysteries about to be celebrated. He reminded them, that
in loving one another, they would be loved by the eternal Father with the same
love in which He was beloved. He gave them an understanding of the fulfillment
of this promise having chosen them to found the new Church and the law of grace.
He renewed in them the light concerning the supreme dignity, excellence and
prerogatives of his most pure Virgin Mother.
Thereupon Christ our Lord took into his venerable hands the
bread, which lay upon the plate, and interiorly asked the permission and
co-operation of the eternal Father, that now and ever afterwards in virtue of
the words about to be uttered by Him, and later to be repeated in his holy
Church, He should really and truly become present in the host, Himself to yield
obedience to these sacred words. While making this petition He raised his eyes
toward heaven with an expression of such sublime majesty, that He inspired the
Apostles, the angels and his Virgin Mother with new and deepest reverence. Then
He pronounced the words of consecration over the bread, changing its substance
into the substance of his true body and immediately thereupon He uttered the
words of consecration also over the wine, changing it into his true blood. As an
answer to the these words of consecration was heard the voice of the eternal
Father, saying: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I delight, and shall take
my delight to the end of the world; and He shall be with men during all the time
of their banishment." In like manner was this confirmed by the Holy Ghost.
The most sacred humanity of Christ, in the Person of the Word, gave tokens of
profoundest veneration to the Divinity contained in the Sacrament of his body
and blood. The Virgin Mother, in her retreat prostrated Herself on the ground
and adored her Son in the blessed Sacrament with incomparable reverence. Then
also the angels of her guard, all the angels of heaven, and among them likewise
the souls of Enoch and Elias, in their own name and in the name of the
Patriarchs and Prophets of the old law, fell down in adoration of their Lord in
the holy Sacrament.
All the Apostles and disciples, who, with the exception of
the traitor, believed in this holy Sacrament, adored it with great humility and
reverence according to each one's disposition. The great high priest Christ
raised up his own consecrated body and blood in order that all who were present
at this first Mass might adore it in a special manner, as they also did. During
this elevation his most pure Mother, saint John, Enoch and Elias, were favored
with an especial insight into the mystery of his presence in the sacred species.
They understood more profoundly, how, in the species of the bread, was contained
his body and in those of the wine, his blood; how in both, on account of the
inseparable union of his soul with his body and blood, was present the living
and true Christ; how with the Person of the Word, was also therein united the
Person of the Father and of the Holy Ghost; and how therefore, on account of the
inseparable existence and union of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, the holy
Eucharist contained the perfect humanity of the Lord with the three divine
Persons of the Godhead. All this was understood most profoundly by the heavenly
Lady and by the others according to their degree. They understood also the
efficacy of the words of the consecration, now endowed with such divine virtue,
that as soon as they are pronounced with the intention of doing what Christ did
at that time, by any priest since that time over the proper material, they would
change the bread into his body and the wine into his blood, leaving the
accidents to subsist in a new way and without their proper subject. They saw,
that this change would take place so certainly and infallibly that heaven and
earth would sooner fall to pieces, than that the effect of these words of
consecration, when pronounced in the proper manner by the sacerdotal minister of
Christ, should ever fail.
The heavenly Queen understood also by a special vision how
the most sacred body of Christ is hidden beneath the accidents of bread and wine
without change in them or alteration of the sacred humanity; for neither can the
Body be the subject of the accidents, nor can the accidents be the form of the
body. The accidents retain the same extension and qualities as before, and each
of their parts retain the same position after the host has been consecrated; and
the sacred body is present in an invisible form, also retaining the same size
without intermingling of parts. It remains in the whole host, and all of it in
every particle of the host, without being strained by the host, or the host by
the body. For neither is the extension of his body correlative with the
accidental species, nor do they depend upon the sacred body for their existence.
They therefore have a totally different mode of existence and the body
interpenetrates the accidents without hindrance.
Still greater was my admiration when Jesus our God, having
raised the most holy Sacrament, as I said before, for their adoration, divided
it by his own sacred hands, first partook of it himself as being the First and
chief of all the priests. Recognizing himself, as man, inferior to the Divinity,
which He was now to receive in this his own consecrated body and blood. He
humiliated and, as it were, with a trembling of the inferior part of his being,
shrank within Himself before that Divinity, thereby not only teaching us the
reverence with which holy Communion is to be received ; but also showing us what
was his sorrow at the temerity and presumption of many men during the reception
and handling of this exalted and sublime Sacrament. The effects of holy
Communion in the body of Christ were altogether miraculous and divine; for
during a short space of time the gifts of glory flowed over in his body just as
on mount Tabor, though the effects of this transfiguration were manifest only to
his blessed Mother, and partly also to John, Enoch and Elias. This was the last
consolation He permitted his humanity to enjoy as to its inferior part during
his earthly life, and from that moment until his Death He rejected all such
alleviation. The Virgin Mother, by a special vision, also understood how Christ
her divine Son received Himself in the blessed Sacrament and what was the manner
of its presence in his divine Heart. All this caused inestimable affection in
our Queen and Lady.
While receiving his own body and blood Christ our Lord
composed a canticle of praise to the eternal Father and offered Himself in the
blessed Sacrament as a sacrifice for the salvation of man. He took another
particle of the consecrated bread and handed it to the archangel Gabriel who
brought and communicated it to the most holy Mary. By having such a privilege
conferred on one of their number, the holy angels considered themselves
sufficiently recompensed for being excluded from the sacerdotal dignity and for
yielding it to man. The privilege of merely having even one of their number hold
the sacramental body of their Lord and true God filled them with a new and
immense joy. In abundant tears of consolation the great Queen awaited holy
Communion. When saint Gabriel with innumerable other angels approached, She
received it, the first after her Son, imitating his self-abasement, reverence
and holy fear. The most blessed Sacrament was deposited in the breast and above
the heart of the most holy Virgin Mother, as in the most legitimate shrine and
tabernacle of the Most High. There the ineffable sacrament of the holy Eucharist
remained deposited from that hour until after the Resurrection, when saint Peter
said the first Mass and consecrated anew, as I shall relate in its place.
After having thus favored the heavenly Princess, our Savior
distributed the sacramental bread to the Apostles (Luke 22, 17), commanding them
to divide it among themselves and partake of it. By this commandment He
conferred upon them the sacerdotal dignity and they began to exercise it by
giving Communion each to Himself. This they did with the greatest reverence,
shedding copious tears and adoring the body and blood of our Lord, whom they
were receiving. They were established in the power of the priesthood, as being
founders of the holy Church and enjoying the distinction of priority over all
others (Ephes. 2, 20). Then saint Peter, at the command of Christ the Lord,
administered two of the particles of holy Communion to the two patriarchs, Enoch
and Elias. This holy Communion so rejoiced these two holy men, that they were
encouraged anew in their hope of the beatific vision, which for them was to be
deferred for so many ages, and they were strengthened to live on in this hope
until the end of the world. Having given most fervent and humble thanks to the
Almighty for this blessing, they were brought back to their abiding-place by the
hands of the holy angels. The Lord desired to work this miracle in order to
pledge Himself to include the ancient natural and written laws in the benefits
of the Incarnation, Redemption and general resurrection; since all these
mysteries were contained in the most holy Eucharist. By thus communicating
Himself to the two men, Enoch and Elias, who were still in their mortal flesh,
these blessings were extended over the human race such as it existed under the
natural and the written laws, while all the succeeding generations were to be
included in the new law of grace, the Apostles at the head. This was all well
understood by Enoch and Elias, and, returning to the midst of their
contemporaries, they gave thanks their and our Redeemer for this mysterious
blessing.
WORDS OF THE QUEEN. (The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of
Agreda, Spain.)
O my daughter! Would that the believers in the Catholic faith
opened their hardened and stony hearts in order to attain to a true
understanding of the sacred and mysterious blessing of the Holy Eucharist! If
they would only detach themselves, root out and reject their earthly
inclinations, and, restraining their passions, apply themselves with living
faith to study by the divine light their great happiness in thus possessing
their eternal God in the holy Sacrament and in being able, by its reception and
constant interaction, to participate in the effects of this heavenly manna! If
they would only worthily esteem this precious gift, begin to taste its
sweetness, and share in the hidden power of their omnipotent God! Then nothing
would ever be wanting to them in their exile. In this, the happy age of the law
of grace, mortals have no reason to complain of their weakness and their
passions; since in this bread of heaven they have at hand strength and health.
It matters not that they are tempted and persecuted by the demon; for by receiving
this Sacrament frequently they are enabled to overcome him gloriously.
The faithful are themselves to blame for all their poverty and labors, since
they pay no attention to this divine mystery, nor avail themselves of the divine
powers, thus placed at their disposal by my most holy Son. I tell thee truly, my
dearest, that Lucifer and his demons have such a fear of the most holy
Eucharist, that to approach it, causes them more torments than to remain in hell
itself. Although they do enter churches in order to tempt souls, they enter them
with aversion, forcing themselves to endure cruel pains in the hope of
destroying a soul and drawing it into sin, especially in the holy places and in
the presence of the holy Eucharist. Their wrath against the Lord and against the
souls alone could induce them to expose themselves to the torment of his real
sacramental presence.
Whenever He is carried through the streets they usually fly
and disperse in all haste; and they would not dare to approach those that
accompany Him, if by their long experience they did not know, that they will
induce some to forget the reverence due to their Lord. Therefore they make
special efforts to tempt the faithful in the churches; for they know what great
injury they can thereby do to the Lord himself, who in his
sacramental love is there waiting to sanctify men and to receive the return of
his sweetest and untiring love. Hence thou canst also understand the strength of
those who prepare themselves to partake of this bread of the angels and how the
demons fear the souls, who receive the Lord worthily and devoutly and who strive
to preserve themselves in this purity until the next Communion. But there are
few who live with this intention, and the enemy is ceaselessly alert in striving
to throw them back into their forgetfulness, distraction and indifference, so
that he may not be obliged to encounter such powerful weapons in the hands of
men. Write this admonition in thy heart; and since without thy merit the
Almighty has ordained, that thou receive holy Communion daily, seek by all
possible means to preserve thyself in the good dispositions from one Communion
to the other. It is the will of the Lord and my own, that with this sword thou
fight the battles of the Almighty in the name of the holy Church against the
invisible enemies. For in our days they are heaping affliction and sorrow upon
the mistress of nations, while there is none to console her or to take it to
heart (Thren. 1, 10). Do thou thyself weep for the same reason and let thy heart
be torn in sorrow. But while the omnipotent and just Judge who is so greatly
incensed against the Catholics for having outraged his justice by their
unmeasurable and continual transgressions even under the aegis of their grand
faith, none are found to consider and weigh the fearful damage, nor to
approach the easy remedy of receiving the holy Eucharist with a contrite and
humble heart; nor does any one ask for my intercession.
Though all the children of the Church largely incur this
fault, yet more to be blamed are the unworthy and wicked priests; for by the
irreverence with which they treat the blessed Sacrament the other Catholics have
been drawn to undervalue it. If the people see their priests approach the divine
mysteries with holy fear and trembling, they learn to treat and receive their
God in like manner. Those that so honor Him shall shine in heaven like the sun
among the stars; for the glory of my divine Son's humanity will redound in a
special measure in those who have behaved well toward Him in the blessed
Sacrament and have received Him with all reverence; whereas this
will not happen to those who have not frequented this holy table with devotion.
Moreover the devout will bear on their breast, where they have so often harbored
the holy Eucharist, most beautiful and resplendent inscriptions, showing that
they were most worthy tabernacles of the holy Sacrament. This will be a great
accidental reward for them and a source of jubilation and admiration for the
holy angels and the rest of the blessed. They will also enjoy the special favor
of being able to penetrate deeper into the mystery of the presence of the Lord
in the sacrament and to understand all the rest of the wonders hidden therein.
This will be such a privilege, that it alone would suffice for their eternal
happiness, even if there were no other enjoyment in heaven. Moreover the
essential glory of those, who have worthily and devoutly received the holy
Eucharist, will in several respects exceed the glory of many martyrs who have
not received the body and blood of the Lord.
I wish thee also to hear, my dearest daughter from my own
mouth, what were my sentiments when in mortal life I was about to receive
holy Communion. In order that thou mayest better understand what I say, reflect
on all I have commanded thee to write about my gifts, merits and labors in life.
I was preserved from original sin and, at the instant of my Conception, received
the knowledge and vision of the Divinity, as thou hast often recorded. I knew
more than all saints; I surpassed the highest seraphim in love; I never
committed any fault; I constantly practiced all the virtues in a heroic degree
and in the least of them I was greater than all the saints in their highest
perfection; the intention and object of my actions were most exalted and my
habits and gifts were noble without measure; I imitated my most holy Son most
closely; I labored faithfully; I suffered with eagerness and co-operated with
the doings of the Lord exactly as was becoming to me; I ceased not to exercise
my love and gain new supereminent merits of grace. Yet I thought myself to have
been fully repaid by being allowed to receive Him even once in the holy
Eucharist; yea, I did not consider myself worthy of this one favor. Reflect then
what should be thy sentiments, and those of the rest of the children of Adam, on
being admitted to the reception of this admirable Sacrament. And if for the
greatest of saints one holy Communion is a superabundant reward, what must the
priests and the faithful think, when they are allowed to receive it so
frequently? Open thy eyes in the deep darkness and blindness which overwhelm men
around thee, and raise them up to the divine brightness in order to understand
these mysteries. Look upon all thy works as insufficient, all thy sufferings as
most insignificant, all thy thanksgiving as falling far short of what thou owest
for such an exquisite blessing as that of possessing in the holy Church, Christ
my divine Son, present in the holy Sacrament in order to enrich all the
faithful. If thou hast not wherewith to show thy thanks for this and the other
blessings which thou receivest, at least humiliate thyself to the dust and
remain prostrate upon it; confess thyself unworthy in all the sincerity of thy
heart. Magnify the Most High, bless and praise Him, preserving thyself at all
times worthy to receive Him and to suffer many martyrdoms in return for such a
favor.
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Today's Snippet II: Book 6, Chapter 4
The Mystical City of God,
The Divine History and
Life of The Virgin Mother of God
THE PRAYER IN GETHSEMANI AND HOW MARY JOINED
THEREIN.
By the wonderful mysteries, which our Savior Jesus had
celebrated in the Cenacle, the reign which according to his inscrutable decree,
his eternal Father had consigned to Him, was well established; and the Thursday
night of his last Supper having already advanced some hours, He chose to go
forth to that dreadful battle of his suffering and death by which the Redemption
was to be accomplished. The Lord then rose to depart from the hall of the
miraculous feast and also most holy Mary left her retreat in order to meet Him
on the way. At this face to face meeting of the Prince of eternity and of the
Queen, a sword of sorrow pierced the heart of Son and Mother, inflicting a pang
of grief beyond all human and angelic thought. The sorrowful Mother threw
Herself at the feet of Jesus, adoring Him as her true God and Redeemer. The
Lord, looking upon Her with a majesty divine and at the same time with the
overflowing love of a Son, spoke to Her only these words: "My Mother, I
shall be with thee in tribulation; let Us accomplish the will of the eternal
Father and the salvation of men." The great Queen offered herself as a
sacrifice with her whole heart and asked his blessing. Having received this She
returned to her retirement, where, by a special favor of the Lord, she was
enabled to see all that passed in connection with her divine Son. Thus She was
enabled to accompany Him and co-operate with Him in his activity as far as
devolved upon Her. The owner of the house, who was present at this meeting,
moved by a divine impulse, offered his house and all that it contained to the
Mistress of heaven, asking her to make use of all that was his during her stay
in Jerusalem; and the Queen accepted his offer with humble thanks. The thousand
angels of her guard, in forms visible to Her, together with some of the pious
women of her company, remained with the Lady.
Our Redeemer and Master left the house of the Cenacle with
all the men, who had been present at the ration of the mysterious Supper;
and soon many of them dispersed in the different streets in order to attend to
their own affairs. Followed by his twelve Apostles, the Lord directed his steps
toward mount Olivet outside and close to the eastern walls of Jerusalem. Judas,
alert in his treacherous solicitude for the betrayal of his divine Master,
conjectured that Jesus intended to pass the night in prayer as was his custom.
This appeared to him a most opportune occasion for delivering his Master into
the hands of his confederates, the scribes and the pharisees. Having taken this
dire resolve, he lagged behind and permitted the Master and his Apostles to
proceed. Unnoticed by the latter he lost them from view and departed in all
haste to his own ruin and destruction. Within him was the turmoil of sudden fear
and anxiety, interior witnesses of the wicked deed he was about to commit.
Driven on in the stormy hurricane of thoughts raised by his bad conscience, he
arrived breathless at the house of the high priests. On the way it happened,
that Lucifer, perceiving the haste of Judas in procuring the death of Jesus
Christ, and (as I have related in chapter the tenth), fearing that after all
Jesus might be the true Messias, came toward him in the shape of a very wicked
man, a friend of Judas acquainted with the intended betrayal. In this shape
Lucifer could speak to Judas without being recognized. He tried to persuade him
that this project of selling his Master did at first seem advisable on account
of the wicked deeds attributed to Jesus; but that, having more naturally
considered the matter, he did not now deem it advisable to deliver Him over to
the priests and pharisees; for Jesus was not so bad as Judas might imagine; nor
did He deserve death; and besides He might free Himself by some miracles and
involve his betrayer into great difficulties.
In the meanwhile our divine Lord with the eleven Apostles was
engaged in the work of our salvation and the salvation of those who were
scheming his death. Unheard of and wonderful contest between the deepest malice
of man and the unmeasurable goodness and charity of God! If this stupendous
struggle between good and evil began with the first man, it certainly reached
its highest point in the death of the Repairer; for then good and evil stood
face to face and exerted their highest powers: human malice in taking away the
life and honor of the Creator and Redeemer, and his immense charity freely
sacrificing both for men. According to our way of reasoning, it was as it were
necessary that the most holy soul of Christ, yea that even his Divinity, should
revert to his blessed Mother, in order that He might find some object in
creation, in which his love should be recompensed and some excuse for
disregarding the dictates of his justice. For in this Creature alone could He
expect to see his Passion and Death bring forth full fruit; in her immeasurable
holiness did his justice find some compensation for human malice; and in the
humility and constant charity of this great Lady could be deposited the
treasures of his merits, so that afterwards, as the New Phoenix from the
rekindled ashes, his Church might arise from his sacrifice. The consolation
which the humanity of Christ drew from the certainty of his blessed Mother's
holiness gave Him strength and, as it were, new courage to conquer the malice of
mortals; and He counted Himself well recompensed for suffering such atrocious
pains by the fact that to mankind belonged also his most beloved Mother.
Our Savior pursued his way across the torrent of Cedron (John
18, 1) to mount Olivet and entered the garden of Gethsemani. Then He said to all
the Apostles: "Wait for Me, and seat yourselves here while I go a short
distance from here to pray (Matth. 26, 36); do you also pray, in order that you
may not enter into temptation" (Luke 22, 40). The divine Master gave them
advice, in order that they might be firm in the temptations, of which He had
spoken to them at the Supper: that all of them should be scandalized on account
of what they should see Him suffer that night, that Satan would assail them to
sift and stir them up by his false suggestions; for the Pastor (as prophesied)
was to be illtreated and wounded and the sheep were to be dispersed (Zach. 13,
7). Then the Master of life, leaving the band of eight Apostles at that place
and taking with Him saint Peter, saint John, and saint James, retired to another
place, where they could neither be seen nor heard by the rest (Mark 14, 33).
Being with the three Apostles He raised his eyes up to the eternal Father
confessing and praising Him as was his custom; while interiorly He prayed in
fulfillment of the prophecy of Zacharias, permitting death to approach the most
innocent of men and commanding the sword of divine justice to be unsheathed over
the Shepherd and descend upon the Godman with all its deathly force. In this
prayer Christ our Lord offered Himself anew to the eternal Father in
satisfaction of his justice for the rescue of the human race; and He gave
consent, that all the torments of his Passion and Death be let loose over that
part of his human being, which was capable of suffering. From that moment He
suspended and strained whatever consolation or relief would otherwise overflow
from the impassable to the passable part of his being, so that in this
dereliction his passion and sufferings might reach the highest degree possible.
The eternal Father granted these petitions and approved this total sacrifice of
the sacred humanity.
This prayer was as it were the floodgate through which the
rivers of his suffering were to find entrance like the resistless onslaught of
the ocean, as was foretold by David (Ps. 68, 2). And immediately He began to be
sorrowful and feel the anguish of his soul and therefore said to the Apostles:
"My soul is sorrowful unto death" (Mark 14, 34).
He threw himself with his divine face upon the ground and
prayed to the eternal Father: "Father, if it is possible, let this chalice
pass from Me" (Matth. 24, 38). This prayer Christ our Lord uttered, though
He had come down from heaven with the express purpose of really suffering and
dying for men; though He had counted as naught the shame of his Passion, had
willingly embraced it and rejected all human consolation; though He was
hastening with most ardent love into the jaws of death, to affronts, sorrows and
afflictions; though He had set such a high price upon men, that He determined to
redeem them at the shedding of his life-blood. Since by virtue of his divine and
human wisdom and his inextinguishable love He had shown Himself so superior to
the natural fear of death, that it seems this petition did not arise from any
motive solely coming from Himself. That this was so in fact, was made known to
me in the light which was vouchsafed me concerning the mysteries contained in
this prayer of the Savior.
This agony of Christ our Savior grew in proportion to
the greatness of his charity and the certainty of his knowledge, that men would
persist in neglecting to profit by his Passion and Death (Luke 22, 44). His
agony increased to such an extent, that great drops of bloody sweat were pressed
from Him, which flowed to the very earth. Although this prayer was
uttered subject to a condition and failed in regard to the reprobate who fell
under this condition; yet He gained thereby a greater abundance and secured a
greater frequency of favors for mortals. Through it the blessings were
multiplied for those who placed no obstacles, the fruits of the Redemption were
applied to the saints and to the just more abundantly, and many gifts and
graces, of which the reprobates made themselves unworthy, were diverted to the
elect. The human will of Christ, conforming itself to that of the Divinity, then
accepted suffering for each respectively: for the reprobate, as sufficient to
procure them the necessary help, if they would make use of its merits, and for
the predestined, as an efficacious means, of which they would avail themselves
to secure their salvation by co-operating with grace. Thus was set in order, and
as it were realized, the salvation of the mystical body of his holy Church, of
which Christ the Lord was the Creator and Head.
As a ratification of this divine decree, while yet our Master
was in his agony, the eternal Father for the third time sent the
archangel Michael to the earth in order to comfort Him by a sensible message and
confirmation of what He already knew by the infused science of his most holy
soul; for the angel could not tell our Lord anything He did not know, nor could
he produce any additional effect on his interior consciousness for this purpose.
Let us now return to the Cenacle, where the Queen of heaven
had retired with the holy women of her company. From her retreat, by divine
enlightenment, She saw most clearly all the mysteries and doings of her most
holy Son in the garden. At the moment when the Savior separated Himself with the
three Apostles Peter, John and James, the heavenly Queen separated Herself from
the other women and went into another room. Upon leaving them She exhorted them
pray and watch lest they enter into temptation, but She took with Her the three
Marys, treating Mary Magdalen as the superior of the rest. Secluding Herself
with these three as her more intimate companions, She begged the eternal Father
to suspend in Her all human alleviation and comfort, both in the sensitive and
in the spiritual part of her being, so that nothing might hinder Her from
suffering to the highest degree in union with her divine Son. She prayed that
She might be permitted to feel and participate in her virginal body all the
pains of the wounds and tortures about to be undergone by Jesus. This petition
was granted by the blessed Trinity and the Mother in consequence suffered all
the torments of her most holy Son in exact duplication, as I shall relate later.
Although they were such, that, if the right hand of the Almighty had not
preserved Her, they would have caused her death many times over; yet, on the
other hand, these sufferings, inflicted by God himself were like a pledge and a
new lease of life. For in her most ardent love She would have considered it
incomparably more painful to see her divine Son suffer and die without being
allowed to share in his torments.
The three Marys were instructed by the Queen to accompany and
assist Her in her affliction, and for this purpose they were endowed with
greater light and grace than the other women. In retiring with them the most
pure Mother began to feel unwonted sorrow and anguish and She said to them:
"My soul is sorrowful, because my beloved Son is about to suffer and die,
and it is not permitted me to suffer and die of his torments. Pray my friends,
in order that you may not be overcome by temptation." Having said this She
went apart a short distance from them, and following the Lord in his
supplications. She, as far as was possible to Her and as far as She knew it to
be conformable to the human will of her Son, continued her prayers and
petitions, feeling the same agony as that of the Savior in the garden. She also
returned at the same intervals to her companions to exhort them, because She
knew of the wrath of the demon against them. She wept at the perdition of the
foreknown; for She was highly enlightened in the mysteries of eternal
predestination and reprobation. In order to imitate and co-operate in all things
with the Redeemer of the world, the great Lady also suffered a bloody sweat,
similar to that of Jesus in the garden, and by divine intervention She was
visited by the archangel saint Gabriel, as Christ her Son was visited by the
archangel Michael. The holy prince expounded to Her the will of the Most High in
the same manner as saint Michael had expounded it to Christ the Lord. In both of
them the prayer offered and the cause of sorrow was the same; and therefore They
were also proportionally alike to one another in their actions and in their
knowledge.
While they were approaching, the Lord returned third time to
his Apostles and finding them asleep spoke to them: "Sleep ye now, and take
your rest. It is enough: the hour is come ; behold the Son of man shall be
betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise up, let us go. Behold he that will
betray Me is at hand (Mark 14, 41). Such were the words of the Master of
holiness to the three most privileged Apostles; He was unwilling to reprehend
them more severely than in this most meek and loving manner. Being oppressed,
they did not know what to answer their Lord, as Scripture says (Mark 14, 40).
They arose and Jesus went with them to join the other eight disciples. He found
them likewise overcome and oppressed by their great sorrow and fallen asleep.
The Master then gave orders, that all of them together, mystically forming one
body with Him their Head, should advance toward the enemies, thereby
teaching them the power of mutual and perfect unity for overcoming the demons
and their followers and for avoiding defeat by them. For a triple cord is
hard to tear, as says Ecclesiastes (4, 12), and he that is mighty against one,
may be overcome by two, that being the effect of union. The Lord again exhorted
all the Apostles and forewarned them of what was to happen. Already the confused
noise of the advancing band of soldiers and their helpmates began to be heard.
Our Savior then proceeded to meet them on the way, and, with incomparable love,
magnanimous courage and tender piety prayed interiorly: "O sufferings
longingly desired from my inmost soul, ye pains, wounds, affronts, labors,
afflictions and ignominious death, come, come, come quickly, for the fire of
love, which burns for the salvation of men, is anxious to see you meet the
Innocent one of all creatures. Well do I know your value, I have sought,
desired, and solicited you and I meet you joyously of my own free will; I have
purchased you by my anxiety in searching for you and I esteem you for your
merits. I desire to remedy and enhance your value and raise you to highest
dignity. Let death come, in order that by my accepting it without having
deserved it I may triumph over it and gain life for those who have been punished
by death for their sins (Osee 13, 14). I give permission to my friends to
forsake Me; for I alone desire and am able to enter into this battle and gain
for them triumph and victory" (Is. 53, 3).
During these words and prayers of the Author of life Judas
advanced in order to give the signal upon which he had agreed with his
companions (Matth. 26, 48), namely the customary, but now feigned kiss of peace,
by which they were to distinguish Jesus as the One whom they should single out
from the rest and immediately seize. These precautions the unhappy disciple had
taken, not only out of avarice for the money and hatred against his Master, but
also, on account of the fear with which he was filled. For he dreaded the
inevitable necessity of meeting Him and encountering Him in the future, if
Christ was not put to death on this occasion. Such a confusion he feared more
than the death of his soul, or the death of his divine Master, and, in order to
forestall it, he hastened to complete his treachery and desired to see the
Author of life die at the hands of his enemies. The traitor then ran up to the
meekest Lord, and, as a consummate hypocrite hiding his hatred, he imprinted on
his countenance the kiss of peace, saying: "God save Thee, Master." By
this so treacherous act the perdition of Judas was matured and God was justified
in withholding his grace and help. On the part of the unfaithful
disciple, malice and temerity reached their highest degree; for,
interiorly denying or disbelieving the uncreated and created wisdom by which
Christ must know of his treason, and ignoring his power to destroy him, he
sought to hide his malice under the cloak of the friendship of a true disciple;
and all this for the purpose of delivering over to such a frightful and
cruel death his Creator and Master, to whom he was bound by so many obligations.
In this one act of treason he committed so many and such formidable sins, that
it is impossible to fathom their immensity; for he was treacherous, murderous,
sacrilegious, ungrateful, inhuman, disobedient, false, lying, impious and
unequalled in hypocrisy; and all this was included in one and the same crime
perpetrated against the person of God made man.
The most pure Mother of Christ our Lord was most attentive to
all that passed in his capture, and by means of her clear visions saw it more
clearly than if She had been present in person; for by means of supernatural
visions She penetrated into all the mysteries of his words and actions. When She
beheld the band of soldiers and servants issuing from the house of the high
priest, the prudent Lady foresaw the irreverence and insults with which they
would treat their Creator and Redeemer; and in order to do what was within her
power, She invited the holy angels and many others in union with Her to render
adoration and praise to the Lord of creation as an offset to the injuries and
affronts He would sustain at the hands of those ministers of darkness. The same
request She made to the holy women who were praying with Her. She told them,
that her most holy Son had now given permission to his enemies to take him
prisoner and illtreat him, and that they were about to make use of this
permission in a most impious and cruel manner. Assisted by the holy angels and
the pious women the faithful Queen engaged in interior and exterior acts of
devoted faith and love, confessing, adoring, praising and magnifying the
infinite Deity and the most holy humanity of her Creator and Lord. The
holy women imitated Her in the genuflections and prostrations, and the angelic
princes responded to the canticles with which She magnified, celebrated and
glorified the Divinity and humanity of Christ. In the measure in which the
children of malice increased their irreverence and injuries, She sought to
compensate them by her praise and veneration. Thus She continued to placate the
divine justice, lest it be roused against his persecutors and destroy them; for
only most holy Mary was capable of staying the punishment of such great
offenses.
And the great Lady not only placated the just Judge, but even
obtained favors and blessings from the divine clemency for the very persons who
irritated Him and thus secured a return of good for those who were heaping
wrongs upon Christ the Lord for his doctrine and benefits. This mercy attained
its highest point in the disloyal and obstinate Judas; for the tender Mother,
seeing him deliver Jesus by the kiss of feigned friendship and considering how
shortly before his mouth had contained the sacramental body of the Lord, with
whose sacred countenance so soon after those same foul lips were permitted to
come in contact, was transfixed with sorrow and entranced by charity. She asked
the Lord to grant new graces, whereby this man, who had enjoyed the privilege of
touching the face whereon angels desire to look, might, if he chose to use them,
save himself from perdition. In response to this prayer of most holy Mary, her
Son and Lord granted Judas powerful graces in the very consummation of
his treacherous delivery. If the unfortunate man had given heed and had
commenced to respond to them, the Mother of mercy would have obtained for him
many others and at last also pardon for his sin. She has done so with
many other great sinners, who were willing to give that glory to Her and thus
obtain eternal glory for themselves. But Judas failed to realize this and thus
lost all chance of salvation, as I shall relate in the next chapter.
When the servants of the high priest laid hands on and bound
the Savior, the most blessed Mother felt on her own hands the pains caused by
the ropes and chains, as if She Herself was being bound and fettered; in the
same manner She felt in her body the blows and torments further inflicted upon
the Lord, for, I have already said, this favor was granted to his Mother, as we
shall see in the course of the Passion. This her sensible participation in his
sufferings was some kind of relief of the pain, which She would have suffered in
her loving soul at the thought of not being with Him in his torments.
WORDS OF THE QUEEN. (The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of
Agreda, Spain.)
My daughter, in all that thou art made to understand and
write concerning these mysteries, thou drawest upon thyself (and upon mortals) a
severe judgment, if thou dost not overcome thy pusillanimity, ingratitude and
baseness by meditating day and night on the Passion and Death of Jesus
crucified. This is the great science of the saints, so little heeded by the
worldly; it is the bread of life and the spiritual food of the little ones,
which gives wisdom to them and the want of which starves the lovers of this
proud world (Wis. 15, 3). In this science I wish thee to be studious and wise,
for with it thou canst buy thyself all good things (Wis. 7, 11). My Son and Lord
taught us this science when He said: "I am the way, the truth and the life:
no one cometh to my Father except through Me" (John 14, 6). Tell me
then, my daughter: if my Lord and Master has made Himself the life and the way
for men through his Passion and Death, is it not evident that in order to go that
way and live up to this truth, they must follow Christ crucified, afflicted,
scourged and affronted? Consider the ignorance of men who wish to come to the
Father without following Christ, since they expect to reign with God without
suffering or imitating his Passion, yea without even a thought of accepting any
part of his suffering and Death, or of thanking him for it. They want it to
procure for them the pleasures of this life as well as of eternal life, while
Christ their Creator has suffered the most bitter pains and torments in order to
enter heaven and to show them by his example how they are to find the way of
light.
Eternal rest is incompatible with the shame of not having
duly labored for its attainment. He is not a true son of his father, who does
not imitate him, nor he a good disciple, who does not follow his Master,
nor he a good servant, who does not accompany his lord; nor do I count
him a devoted child, who does not suffer with me and my divine Son. But our love
for the eternal salvation of men obliges us, who see them forgetful of this
truth and so adverse to suffering, to send them labors and punishments, so that
if they do not freely welcome them, they may at least be forced to undergo them
and so be enabled to enter upon the way of salvation. And yet even all this is
insufficient, since their inclinations and their blind love of visible things
detains them and makes them hard and heavy of heart: they rob them of
remembrance and affection toward these higher things, which might raise them
above themselves and above created things. Hence it comes, that men do not find
joy in their tribulations, nor rest in their labors, nor consolation in their
sorrows, nor any peace in adversities. For, altogether different from the saints
who glory in tribulation as the fulfillment of their most earnest desires, they
desire none of it and abhor all that is painful. In many of the faithful
ignorance goes still farther; for some of them expect to be distinguished by
God's most intimate love, others, to be pardoned without penance, others, to be
highly favored. Nothing of all this will they attain, because do not ask in the
name of Christ the Lord and because they do not wish to imitate Him and follow
Him in his Passion.
Therefore, my daughter, embrace the Cross and do not admit
any consolation outside of it in this mortal life. By contemplating and feeling
within thyself the sacred Passion thou wilt attain the summit of perfection and
attain the love of a spouse. Bless and magnify my most holy Son for the love
with which He delivered Himself up for the salvation of mankind. Little do
mortals heed this mystery; but I, as an Eyewitness, assure thee, next to
ascending to the right hand of his eternal Father, nothing was so highly
estimated and earnestly desired by Him, as to offer Himself for suffering and
death and to deliver Himself up entirely to his enemies. I wish also that thou
lament with great sorrow the fact that Judas, in his malice and treachery, has
many more followers than Christ. Many are the infidels, many the bad Catholics,
many the hypocrites, who under the name of a Christian, sell and deliver Him and
wish to crucify Him anew. Bewail all these evils, which thou understandest and
knowest, in order that thou mayest imitate and follow me in this matter.
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Catechism of the Catholic Church
Part Two: The Celebration of the Christian Mystery, Sect 1:2:3
CHAPTER ONE THE PASCHAL MYSTERY IN THE AGE OF THE CHURCH
Article 2 THE PASCHAL MYSTERY IN THE CHURCH'S SACRAMENTS
III. The Sacraments of Faith
1122
Christ sent his apostles so that "repentance and forgiveness of sins
should be preached in his name to all nations."Lk 24:47 "Go
therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."Mt 28:19 The mission to
baptize, and so the sacramental mission, is implied in the mission to
evangelize, because the sacrament is prepared for by the word of God and by the
faith which is assent to this word:
The People of God is formed
into one in the first place by the Word of the living God.... the preaching of
the Word is required for the sacramental ministry itself, since the sacraments
are sacraments of faith, drawing their origin and nourishment from the
Word.PO 4 ## 1, 2
1123
"The purpose of the sacraments is to sanctify men, to build up the Body of
Christ and, finally, to give worship to God. Because they are signs they also
instruct. They not only presuppose faith, but by words and objects they also
nourish, strengthen, and express it. That is why they are called 'sacraments of
faith."'SC 59
1124
The Church's faith precedes the faith of the believer who is invited to adhere
to it. When the Church celebrates the sacraments, she confesses the faith
received from the apostles - whence the ancient saying: lex orandi, lex
credendi (or: legem credendi lex statuat supplicandi according to Prosper of
Aquitaine [5th cent.]).Ep. 8 The law of prayer is the law of faith: the
Church believes as she prays. Liturgy is a constitutive element of the holy and
living Tradition.Cf. DV 8
1125
For this reason no sacramental rite may be modified or manipulated at the will
of the minister or the community. Even the supreme authority in the Church may
not change the liturgy arbitrarily, but only in the obedience of faith and with
religious respect for the mystery of the liturgy.
1126
Likewise, since the sacraments express and develop the communion of faith in
the Church, the lex orandi is one of the essential criteria of the dialogue
that seeks to restore the unity of Christians.Cf. UR 2; 15
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