213 While Im using the word family here in the traditional sense, other groups of people who live together (without being in the state of sin) could also make this offering. Let me put it this way: Im a priest. Maybe we think Therese is being too indulgent. (Imperfect love of God would have to do with a desire for reward.) To do this, we need what St. John Paul II calls Marys wise capacity for remembering and embracing in a single gaze of faith. So, when we keep trying and keep trusting, God purifies [us] every moment in His love and He lets no sin remain. Okay, so that covers two of our three things for living the Little Way that we learned on Day 11: Keep trying and keep trusting. However, if you trust in Jesus for the purpose of consoling him, then trust becomes an act of love. Without me, you are nothing. How could the world be blessed through a dead son? And because he needs our love, because his Heart experiences both joys and sorrows, we can enter into true friendship with him. (See chart on pages 22-23 for other recommended feast days.) I always feel, however, the same bold confi dence of becoming a great saint because 1 dont count on my merits since I have none, but I trust in Him who is Virtue and Holiness. Open navigation menu As we also learned on Day 13, St. Therese is a prophet w ho teaches us that in the present time of mercy, God w ants to work some of the greatest miracles of his mercy in the history of the WEEK FOUR: Into the Darkness 105 world. So what did I find? (See Rom 5:5.) He basically said, Father, please give to me all the punishment due to sinners, and give to sinners all the blessings of my own divine Sonship. Thats really whats taking place there on the Cross: Jesus is paying the price of sin and bearing the harsh burden of Divine Justice so we dont have to and so we might enjoy the gift of salvation. Now, as our father in faith, Abraham is the complete opposite of our mother in doubt: Eve. Tomorrow, well actually delve into Thereses masterpiece, die crowning of her Litde Way: the text of her Offering to Merciful Love. As a Doctor of the Church, she teaches us a truth for today with authority, and that truth is this: God wants to work some of his greatest mira cles of mercy in the whole history of the Church today. Why not? Please forgive us our sins. 178 For group recitation, I recommend the Prayer of Consecration to Mer ciful Love. Were so beautiful to him just as we are. So, what can it tell us about trust? 144 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE Look at it like this: From our perspective, the great souls are, well, thegreat souls'. 154 Cited in Ahern, p. 52. Knowing that we all have a distorted image of God as a result of original sin (see Day 1), Jesus wants to heal that distortion by giving us a true image of his mercy for our time. What should I fear then?188 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE 146 Again, Therese chose to see everything through the lens of mercy. We have new and used copies available, in 0 edition - starting at . To choose the path of mercy means being merciful to others. (3) Get a Divine Mercy Image 134 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE to put up in your room as a reminder of your consecration or at least get a small prayercard to put in your wallet or purse. I hardly heard from Mark after college. Its basically an organiza tion for those w ho complete a thorough adult-faith formation program that goes through all aspects of a Divine Mercy spiritu ality. My first recommendation is to read books about mercy from people who have chosen the path of mercy, who have done the work of mercy, and who saw through the lens of mercy. 146 See Story ofa Soul, p. 158: [T]he more one advances, the more one sees the goal is still far off. It will be much easier for you to live the Little Way, become one of the greatest saints of all time, and help save the world. When she thought of his all-powerful love, she had no doubts about anything (By Those Who Knew Her, p. 46). See also The Context of Holiness, pp. Of course, a personal consecration to Divine Mercy is not the same as making vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Its really all about friendship. And why, as John Paul II put it, does doing so highly respect us and ennoble us? And so, she bore both of those temptations, and not just for a day but for more than a year. It is this: As an age, with a river of heinous sin overflowing the banks of humanity, we have quite simply exhausted our reparative capacity to sate the demands of Divine Justice. So, the light that illumines the darkness of our spiritual blindness to our sins is the fire of Gods love. So, if we object, then maybe were simply looking for justice. And thats the beauty of Thereses path. 218 Ibid., 454. For Kolbe, Marian consecration means to offer oneself to God through Mary for the specific purpose of becoming an instrument of mercy in Marys Immaculate hands as she is an instrument of mercy in Gods hands.2 In a sense, then, to make a Marian consecration according to the spirituality of St. Maximilian Kolbe Marian consecration Kolbe-style is already to make a consecration to Divine Mercy. 192 Regarding the Image of Divine Mercy, Jesus tells St. Faustina, Not in the beauty of the color, nor of the brush, lies the greatness of this image, but in My grace (Diary, 313). 33-Days-to-Morning-Glory-Companion-Bookpdf - Free download as PDF File pdf Text File txt or read online for free. And when people reject his mercy, when they reject his gift of salvation, it causes him pain. Notice how, having stated the goal (becoming a saint), Therese clearly realizes that she is helpless when it comes to attaining it. 205 Catechism, 478. Using the same 33-day preparation format, "33 Days to Merciful Love" journeys with one of the most beloved saints of modern times, St. Therese of Lisieux, and concludes with a consecration to Divine Mercy. And now, to confirm my resolve and to console you for so much rejection of your mercy, I OFFER MYSELF, THROUGH THE HANDS OF MARY IMMACULATE,176 AS A VICTIM OF HOLO CAUST TO YOUR MERCIFUL LOVE, asking you to consume me incessantly, allowing tire waves of infinite tenderness shut up within you to overflow into my soul, and that I may thus become a martyr FINAL FIVE DAYS: Synthesis and Review 127 of your love, O my God, and a gift of mercy to so many others. 170 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE Because Jesus was so moved by St. Thereses ardent love for him, he gave her a beautiful insight into the mystery of his Heart. By taking some of the littlest souls and making them into some of the greatest of saints. But then, one day earlier this year, he called me out of the blue. It is impossible for me to grow up, and so I must bear with myself such as I am with all my imperfections. I aim to keep before my eyes my poverty, weakness, brokenness, and sin, trusting that my littleness and contrite heart will attract your Merciful Love. Thats why even today, after all he has done for us, people still avoid Jesus. 207 Karol Wojtyla, cited by George Weigel in Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II ( New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1999), p. 102. The Apostles Creed 6. We need a prayer something we can frequently repeat, even every day, something that not only reminds us of die meaning of the Offering to Merciful Love but that also allows us to make it. In fact, others used to say to her, You cry so much during your childhood, you'll no longer have tears to shed later on!42 (Her oversensitivity' wouldnt be healed until she received the grace of her Christmas conversion at the age of 14.43) Because of Thereses deep emotional fragility' which led to a debilitating psychological breakdown at age 1044 her sis ters sheltered her and doted on her so much that she became a socially awkward outcast and loner when she finally started going to school. Help me to believe in God and bis love for me, even when life seems meaningless, routine, and empty. Therese so strongly' wanted to make this point about Gods great mercy that, even after shed lost the strength to write, she basically pleaded with Mother Agnes to conclude the thought for her. It goes to the lowest place and raises up. Therese simply realized that by recognizing her littleness and helplessness more and more, she would, thereby, be more and more ready for the cascading love pouring forth from the pierced Heart of Jesus. After all, to think such a thing (not to mention collecting relics of yourself) is certainly pride, right? For today, though, lets look at those who feel they cant relate to Therese or her teaching because they actually struggle with attachments, deliberate venial sins, and maybe even grave sins. Now, this doesnt mean we have to go on endless mission trips and pilgrimages. The word magnificat comes from Marys exclamation in Latin, Magnificat anima mea Dominant, My soul magnifies the Lord. This is Marys song of praise when she went to her cousin Elizabeth after giving her fiat to the Lord (see Lk 1:46-55). For instance, she tells us that God cannot desire useless sufferings for us124 and that he even shields his eyes whenever we must endure it, because he doesnt want to have to see us suffer.125 88 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE (6) After earths Exile, I hope to go and enjoy You in the Fatherland, but I do not want to lay up merits for heaven. When he was once criticized for doing too much, he responded, "If you have too much to do, with God's help you will find time to do it all.". Conrad de Meester explains Thereses teaching on this point: Therese knew how God's life could lie hidden below the sur face of a human psyche and temperament, and that some souls were much closer to God than might be apparent if they were judged merely by their struggles and inhibitions. Emphasis added. Now, some of us may have read it and thought that perhaps Therese is encouraging the sin of presumption by telling us to believe that we can bypass purgatory. 2 "My office duties were not onerous; I was able to spend many hours roaming in the magnificent hills. But that didnt bother her not in the least. For instance, its to hope against hope, like Abraham did when he was called to sacrifice Isaac, believing in the impossible, namely, that God could even raise Isaac from the dead. In other words, I diligently searched through nearly all of St. Thereses writings in order to discover once and for all whether or not the Little Way really could give hope of becoming a saint even to someone like me. Jesus needs little souls to receive his Merciful Love. Yet Abraham was ready to go through with it. For with God nothing will be impossible. And Mary said, Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her (Lk 1:26-38). Amazon. Its as if Jesus were saying to us, Would you please have mercy on my Heart by letting me save you, love you, and make you happy? Heres the full citation from John Paul on mercy as a bilateral reality' (which, again, applies even to God having mercy on us in Christ): We must also continually purify' all our actions and all our intentions in which mercy is understood and practiced in a unilateral way, as a good done to others. 223 Ibid.' (Please use the above codes when ordering.) And thats okay because St. Therese is the master, the Doctor of the Church on these matters. In fact, if most of our moral education comes from Hollywood and CNN and not from Sacred Scripture and Church teaching, then weve not formed our consciences properly, and what our conscience tells us will likely be wrong. But is she really that lowly? 77 Saint Louis de Montfort also taught that God would raise up in our time, from among the weak and broken, great saints, who shall surpass most of the other saints. See 33 Days to Morning Glory, pp. She brings them to Jesus. 43 See endnote 126. We obtain it through Mary. On the other hand, I am sad when souls ask for little, when they narrow their hearts (1577 1578). FINAL FIVE DAYS: Synthesis and Review 117 Grace Mary is not only a perfect model of faith and trust for us, but she obtains for us the grace to believe and to trust in God. Blessed is she who believed in the impossible. Were too focused on the beloved who suffers. Just then I saw the Most Holy Trinity. Well, we have done something wrong and again, not just one thing, but lots of things. So, for Week One, well focus on the backstory to Thereses teaching, a backstory that goes way back to the Garden of Eden, to the patriarch Abraham, and to Mary, the Mother of God. When you get your hands on 33 Days To Merciful Love Pdf and go through it, you quickly realise you have a great book with deep knowledge about 33 Days To Merciful Love . 68 Cited in ibid., p. 222, 69 Cited in ibid., p. 93. I also promise victory over (its] enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. And so, the Lord sometimes permits that little souls remain in the dark ness of certain vices or sins so they wont fall into worse ones, like die sin of pride. The Church is a mother, and she must travel this path of mercy and find a form of mercy for all. Well, in that case, wed just be disagreeing widi Therese and siding with Sr. Febronie. Emphasis added. From Good Friday 1896 until her death on September 30, 1897, she was immersed in darkness. Specifically, her prayer of offering herself to Merciful Love caused Gods mercy to overflow from her little soul and out to the whole world. Immediately afterward, she went to her sister Pauline (Mother Agnes), who was prioress at the time, a nd asked permission to make the Offering. Whats the medication? Again, when his Sacred Heart was pierced, it became the Fountain of Mercy, the source of mercy. Also, keep in mind that the alternative is terrible: a cold, hard, and distant heart that resists suffering with others, that resists being part of the Christian life of love. His loving gaze is fixed on us night and day and we hardly look at him. Unveil for me the mystery at the heart of the Gospel, the mystery of the Heart of Christ: his tender mercy for sinners. I feel in my heart immense desires and it is with confidence I ask You to come and take possession of my soul. [S jhe is to be pitied she is like an old clock that has to be re wound every quarter of an hour. Consoling the Heart of Jesus Prayer Companion by Michael E. Gaitley, 33 Days to Merciful Love: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Divine Mercy Consecration, by Father Michael Gaitley, Murano Glass Bead Rosary Bracelet ZBLTMOSA, St. Michael Statue Cold-Cast Bronze Lightly Hand-Painted 10" SR-74997, 10" Cherry Holy Verse Cross, Our Father Prayer Pewter Plaque, 10" Cherry Holy Verse Cross, John 3:16 Pewter Plaque. JI jf'ARrs Three Words. Well, such an empty, faithless, cynical worldview dominated St. Thereses 19th-century France and helped make atheism and godlessness more popular than ever before. But this was not the kind of justice that Sr. Febronic sought. Well, if you were to ask the philosophers, most of them w'ould probably say, Its reason thats w'hat separates us from the animals. Emphasis added. The Lord said he would spare it for their sake. The flames of mercy are burning Me. Then, together, each in his own way, we offer Jesus infinite sacrifice of love to the Father WEEK FOUR: Into the Darkness 101 and ourselves along with it.150 Thats the moment when Jesus sacrifice becomes our sacrifice, when Jesus love becomes our love, when Jesus offering of himself becomes our offering of ourselves. His tender mercy comes rushing into our hardened hearts, purifying diem and, thereby, making them more compassionate, loving, and sensitive. The third friend is Therese of Lisieux, the saint I got to know while I was in the seminary. 23 Ibid., 19. All of us, at one time or another, have basked in the rays of Gods love (called by St. Ignatius of Loyola consolation). In fact, it made her so filled with confidence in God's love for her that she concluded the manuscript as follows: aHow will this story of a little white flower' come to an end? So whether you want to deepen your love of Divine Mercy or have a devotion to St . In fact, the other school kids bullied her and made fun of this girl who didnt know how to join in their games and couldnt even comb her own hair.45 In the midst of her extreme loneliness and sensitivity, Therese deeply longed to be loved. However, theres a deeply important truth here, and if we dont get it, well have a hard time living the Litde Way. I could say to Him like His aposdes: Master, I fished all night and caught nothing. More merciful to me than He was to His disciples, Jesus took the net Him self, cast it, and drew it in filled with fish (Story ofa Soul, pp. Mercy. Well experience times of excruciating darkness and even agony, and well wonder, Where is God? Well not understand his ways. (See also ibid.) Its the Good News that Gods love is like water, which always goes to the lowest place. As soon as you try to please Him in everything and have an unshakable trust He purifies you every moment in His love and He lets no sin remain. But before we begin, let me first connect the various dots that have come up as Ive introduced you to my three friends. Its the mercy of Jesus in action, the compassion of Jesus reaching out to lift up the lowly. Edit Details. 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE BOOK. o o CD O o O o o o S. O o O o o O CD O p O 2. o O o o Cfq p O O O CJq o . But what does all this have to do with becoming a great saint? Also, the fact that, on the Cross, Jesus is a victim to divine Justice certainly does not exclude him from being a spiritual victim in other ways. 181. 60-65. But it does involve real pain. In sum, through the Offering, we console Jesus by letting him love us. Then, tomorrow, well reflect on the rest of the Offering. I can assure you that He is grieved over this. 14 day loan required to access PDF files. And so even now, in a wondrous yet true manner, we can and ought to console that Most Sacred Heart which is continually wounded by the sins of thankless men, since as we also read in the sacred liturgy Christ Himself, by die mouth of die Psalmist complains that He is forsaken by His friends: My Heart hath expected reproach and misery, and I looked for one that would grieve together with me, but there was none: and for one that would comfort me, and I found none (Ps 68:21) (13, emphasis added). Because of lais faith. 188 Story ofa Sottl, p. 180. ! I read things that totally demolished the arguments of the thieves of hope, and those discoveries completely changed my life. But despite this, try to be faithful, so that He does not have to wait in vain for your love.172 Todays Prayer: Spend the day pondering the Offering to Merciful Love as it is summarized in these three words: Console, the Catch, and Purgatory. Hes been told something, and he knows he must respect Jesus. In heaven she would not be like the Seraphim who cover themselves with their wings before God. (Gaucher, pp. The catch for him, as a victim to Divine Justice, is the terrible pain of his Passion, culminating in his three-hour long agony on the Cross. 12 Pope John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris Mater [Mother of the Redeemer), March 25,1987, 12. Also, die image itself becomes a concrete realization of the invitation. My nature was such that fear made me recoil; with love not only did I advance, I actually flew" (Ibid., p. 174). It means forgiving those who have hurt us. (2) Due to die wound of original sin, we already tend to distrust God, so when he draws close to us, we often run and hide. She kept trying. 33 Days to Merciful Love. 112-13. Washington, DC 20002 U.S.A. wTvw.icspublications.org From General Correspondence Volume Two translated by John Clarke, O.C.D. I say that because you can 160 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE trust your doctor without loving him. Furthermore, the act of receiving Gods Merciful Love (fiat) is also an act of trust, and both these acts of trust (ecce and fiat) tend to lead to a further act of trust, namely, praise and thanks (magnificat). (See also The Power of Confidence, p. 60 Cited in With Empty Hands, p. 104. We tend to distrust God. Finally, it is not to become discouraged over ones faults, for little children fall often, but they arc too little to hurt themselves very much. WEEK ONE: What Is Trust? After all, Jesus said, The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to My mercy.215 Well, these words also apply to families, so one could say, The more sinful the family, the more right it has to Gods mercy. So, no matter how much a family struggles with sin, the members can still make the Family Offering to Merciful Love. God put Abraham to the test. 142 Cited in Story of a Soul, p. 259. Its supposed to pull back great desires for holiness, like reining in a horse. On the wood of the Cross her Son hangs in agony as one condemned. Michael E. Gaitley, MIC Marian Joi presS STOCKBRIDGE MA 01263 2016 Copyright 2016 Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M. Purify my intentions that I may do everything solely to please and glorify God. During Mass, it hit me like a ton of bricks that we need a consecration to Divine Mercy7, and I think you should write it. I desire to accomplish Your will perfectly and to reach the degree of glory You have prepared for me in Your Kingdom. After the angel departs, Mary goes in haste to visit her cousin, St. Elizabeth (the Visitation), and when Elizabeth hears Marys greeting, the child in her womb leaps for joy. Language : ISBN-10 : 1596143452. I will not stop singing my song of love until the choir ofAngels picks it up. So, if youre feeling maybe too weak to make the Offering, thats a good thing. Fill my heart with a faith-filled song ofpraise and thanksgiving to God for his tender love and mercy! She wanted to tell her Father immediately, and you would have pitied her to see her anxiety. You, at least, come to Me as often as possible and take these graces they do not want to accept. Right again. Confidendy, I stated my conclusion, And so 40 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE the best way to remove that thorn and console him is to fra# him. Michael, youre absolutely right. Great! I said to myself, Its all about trusting Jesus in order to console him. At that point, 1 thought I was all set.
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