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 Jesus taught St Faustina a remarkable prayer, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. By that prayer, Faustina learned to unite her own little suffering to Jesus' " infinite sacrifice on the Cross and then to offer it to God the Father, " Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood... of Your dearly beloved Son..." Through the prayer, Faustina also learned to confidently and boldly ask for huge graces , " Have mercy on us and on the whole world." Even when her own sufferings were small, this combination of offering Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross and interceding with bold confidence made Faustina's prayers astonishingly powerful. How powerful? Consider Jesus' stunning words to her:" For your sake I will withhold the hand which punishes, for your sake I bless the earth."

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 God the father said to Saint Catherine of Siena:" Fully converted souls would rather delight in the cross with Christ , acquiring it with pain, than to obtain eternal life in any other way ."

Saint Catherine of Siena was instructed by God the Father about how blessed souls obtain mental peace by accepting God's will:" No one born passes this life without pain, bodily or mental. Bodily pain my servants bear, but their minds are free, that is , they do not feel the weariness of the pain, for their will is accorded with Mine, and it is the will that gives trouble to man...They bear everything with reverence, deeming themselves favored in having tribulation for my sake, and they desire nothing but what I desire...I permit these tribulations through love , and not through hatred .And they who love Me recognize this. Examining themselves,they see their sins, and understand by the light of faith that good must be rewarded and evil punished...The blessed deem themselves favored because I wish to chastise them in this life, and in this finite time. They drive away sin with contrition of heart... and their labors are rewarded with infinite good.

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 My Saviour grieves even now about my sins. My Saviour cannot rejoice as long as I remain in perversion. Why cannot He do this? Because He Himself is " an intercessor for our sins with the Father."...

How can He, who is an intercessor for my sins, drink the " wine" of joy, when I grieve Him with my sins? How can He ,who " approaches the altar" in order to atone for me a sinner, be joyful when the sadness of sin rises up to Him ceaselessly? " With you," He says, " I will drink in the Kingdom of my Father." As long as we do not act in such a way that we can mount up to the Kingdom , He cannot drink alone that wine which He promised to drink with us... Thus it is that He waits until we should be converted , in order that we may follow in his footsteps and He rejoice " with us " and " drink wine with us in the Kingdom of His Father."...We are the ones who delay His joy by our negligence toward our lives.

But the apostles too have not yet received their joy: they likewise are waiting for me to participate in their joy. So it is that the saints who depart from here do not immediately receive the full reward of their merits, but wait for us,even if we delay, even if we remain sluggish. They cannot know perfect joy as long as they grieve over our trangressions and weep for our sins.

You will have joy when you depart from this life if you are a saint. But your joy will be complete only when no member of your body is lacking to you. For you too will wait, just as you are awaited. But if you, who are a member, do not have perfect joy as long as a member is missing, how much more must our Lord and Saviour , who is the head and origin of this body, consider it an incomplete joy if He is still lacking certain of His members?...Thus He doesn't want to receive His perfect glory without you: that means, not without his people which is " His body " and " His members".

Love cannot , then, close itself against others or be without them so long as time, and with it suffering, is real. No one as formulated this insight more finely than St Therese of Lisieux with her idea of Heaven as the showering down of love towards all. But even in ordinary human terms we can say

" How could a mother be completely and unreservedly happy so long as one of her children is suffering?"

How could Jesus Christ, who loves us with an even greater love than that of a mother, be completely happy in heaven while the members of His body are 

suffering? It seems He can't be. He does suffer, he desires that we console Him.

Mary, whom we know is bodily in heaven, must also suffer with her Son on account of us. Mary revealed the deep sorrow her Immaculate Heart feels at seeing the suffering of her children on earth.

Jesus 's longing is not a sign of weakness. He is not emotionally needy or self-pitying as if He were some immature man. Christ chose to put into His Heart such a burning longing for our love and that He did so because He loves us.

Jesus is God. He does not need us.But he made himself vulnerable .He made Himself " need"our love. He allows Himself to be in need of mercy from us.

In Christ Jesus. God no longer calls us slaves but friends. Christ humbled Himself and accepted to feel a burning thirst need for our love, so we might enter into genuine friendship with Him. 

His need for our love comes from His own great love for us, a love that can't stand to see us perish, which is what will happen if we don't love Him.

The burning desire for us that He chose to have in His Heart is that we go to Him and love Him and thus receive His life and love and spread it to others.It is in this sense that we ought to understand Christ's need for our love.

Jesus 's need for our love is because He knows how deperately we need His love---- He knows that, for us, it is a matter of life and death.

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 Behold Jesus in the Monstrance . Look how much Jesus has loved you . He has created you, saved you from the pits of hell, and given you your faith, family, friends, and every good thing. 

" Behold this Heart which loves you so much." What a tremendous friend!

He whispers," Behold this Heart which loves so much yet is so little loved." See how painful He is. See how so few go to Him , love HIm, and want to be his true friends.

A person is simple if he has but one desire. Jesus is simple because he has only one desire, that is best described as a " thirst". He thirsts that all humanity be brought into his communion of love with the Father and the Holy Spirit. We have to come to love him. Jesus thirsts for our love. But because this one desire of the Lord is not satisfied, rejected, He becomes a man of sorrow. 

He says " Is there anyone who will console this Heart? Is there anyone who will be my friend?"

Yes, let's be his friends. Let's decide right now that we will console Him. We tell Him," Yes, I will console you, I will be your friend." " I choose to be your friend."

To speak of giving consolation to Jesus actually applies to giving consolation to the members of His body, for we are all members of the Mystical Body of Christ. We console Jesus when we alleviate the suffering of the poor, the sick, and the lonely, for they truly are Christ to us . 

" Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me."( Bible)

Jesus allowed Himself to be saddened by the vision of the sins of mankind, so did he also allow Himself to be consoled by all the human acts of compassionate consolation throughout history until the end of time.

Many artists have sought to communicate down through the ages by painting various saints from different time periods standing at the foot of the cross. Although separated by time, their great love for Christ did in fact console him in his agony, since our Lord forsaw all their acts of loving consolation.

The future consolers of our Lord were not personally present during the passion, the reparatory value of their foreknown actions did  in fact console Christ.

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 In 17 th century France, while Jansenism was scaring everyone away from the Eucharist and poisoning people's image of Jesus, there came a time when even Jesus --- capable of bearing seemingly infinite suffering----couldn't take it anymore. He was overwhelmed.

Jesus who had been so neglected by the ones for whom he gave up his life, like a forgotten mother, napped. 

From his sorrow at being so misunderstood and abandoned, Jesus looked for someone who would take pity on his aching Heart. He cast his gaze out on all of France, searching for a true friend on whom he could unburden some of his heartache and through whom he might finally convince people to believe in his tender love and mercy. Eventually, he found a little nun named Margaret Mary.He released an ocean of anguish as he disclosed his divine Heart. He said to her in a voice full of sadness and grief:

There it is , that Heart so deeply in love with men, it spared no means of proof----wearing itself out until it was utterly spent! This meets with scant appreciation from most of them; all I get back is ingratitude----witness their irreverence, their sacrileges, their coldness and contempt for me in this Sacrament of Love.

On another occasion, the Lord appeared in front of the exposed Blessed Sacrament with a similar message. Margaret Mary describes the experience:

Jesus Christ, my kind Master, appeared to me. He was a blaze of glory---his five founds shining like five suns, flames issuing from all parts of his human form, especially from his divine breast which was like a furnace, and which he opened to disclose his utterly affectionate and loveable Heart, the living source of all those flames. It was at this moment that he revealed to me the indescrible wonders of his pure love for mankind: the extravagance to which he would been led for those who had nothing for him but ingratitude and indifference. " This hurts me more," He told me, " than everything I suffered in my passion. Even a little love from them in return--- and I should regard all that I have done for the, as next to nothing, and look for a way of doing still more. But no; all my eager efforts for their welfare meet with nothing but coldness and dislike. Do me kindness then--- you, at least---- of making up for all their ingratitude , as far as you can."

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 Have you ever had the experience where, when it came time to pray, you found yourself dragging your feet? Distractions in prayer are common, but have you ever gone through those times when you actually welcome distractions so as to avoid Jesus?

Those times when we are tempted to avoid the Lord seem to come up most often after we have sinned, especially after we have sinned more than usual. At such times, we may be ashamed and reluctant to go to Jesus. We may be afraid that He will be angry with us.We may be too full of pride to humble ourselves and look at what we have done. Thus when we are weighed down by sin, we would rather be distracted than face the Lord in prayer.Our own darkness can be a major obstacle that prevents us from going to the Lord. St Teresa reminds us that we should find the courage to go to the Lord when we feel the weight of our weaknesses, sinfulness and attachments.

It may happen that we do not go to the Lord because we have attachments and are afraid He will make us get rid of them. For instance, we may still be clinging to our coveted doughnuts. If the Lord sees us doing this, and he says," Come to me." One might reply," Lord, I am so attached to this or that ."

Jesus simply wants us to go to him.The attitude of going to the Lord as we are is a suprisingly effective way to console Jesus and progress in holiness.

Go to Jesus as you are. Open your heart to Him as it is.And know that Jesus loves sincerity , that He loves it when we are completely open with Him. The more open we are with Him, the more deeply He can heal us. This especially applies to his being able to heal us of our attachments. 

Remember that He knows we are little. He knows we are not big enough to climb the rough stairway of perfection. 

The steps He will ask us to take toward holiness will be steps that are appropriate to little soul---- " little steps". Such little steps have brought us much farther and higher than we ever expected to climb. 

One of the ways the Lord makes our progress relatively easy is by beginning to detach our hearts from something well before he asks it of us. One day, there is something we thought we could never live without, something that , on a bad day, we would be terrified even to mention to Him, because we would be afraid He would tell us to let go of it. Then, the next day, the day on which he asks us to give it over to Him, we find that we hardly want it anymore. This is one of God's great mercies to little souls who trust Him. He gently and impercetively changes their desires . In case we have not already given Him this degree of power over our lives, let us give it to Him now:

Jesus, behold, I give you my heart. If my desires are not in harmony with yours, then please change them according to your wisdom and love. Dear Jesus, you know that by myself, I am too weak to change my desires, but you can do it. Jesus, I trust you to do it. Jesus , I thank you in advance for doing it.

So if it happens that there is some deep attachment we really must get rid of now, we begin to hear the Lord beckoning," Come to me"

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 Living our principle and foundation begins when we focus on the Heart of Jesus and hear him say to us:" Behold this Heart which loves so much yet is so little loved. Is there anyone who will console me?" Our automatic response is ," I will console you, Jesus." Right , so we tell Jesus we want to console him, and then he says to us," Then that means you will perform acts of reparation."

For many of us, the word " reparation" is like a big, red stop sign that puts an end to our drawing close to the Lord's Heart. Some of us would say,"Lord, I do want to help you and be your friend and all, but reparation sounds like there's a lot of suffering and sacrifices involved and, remember I am one of the little ones." Thus, we come to the obstacle to living our principle and foundation: fear of suffering. 

To get past this obstacle, we need to know , Jesus knows that we are little. He knows we easily get scared. Now , if we are willing, he would like to begin teaching us to trust him. We should start the lesson in the Lord's " school of trust.".

Let us renew our decision to be his friends. There is no reason to be afraid. Reflect on Jesus's question to us: haven't I shown you how gentle I am with you? 

When we have not fled from the Lord's love, when we have given him a chance to show it, haven't we always found his embrace to be gentle?

" Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me,for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Fear of suffering tends to come up a lot for those strive to console Jesus.

Obstacle that prevent us from going to the Lord, namely, our weakness, sinfulness and attachments.

People often think they can escape suffering. They cannot instead. Suffering finds us all, no matter how much we strive to avoid it.

The best way to deal with suffering is to accept it , unite it to Christ in his suffering, and begin to find its hidden treasure.

By accepting suffering, I don't mean we should be completely passive such that we do not act to avoid the suffering such as illness, poverty , and the like.

There are two different Christian approaches to suffering. The first approach tends to be very active. It involves actively choosing lots of penances, mortifications, and sacrifices. Such an approach has helped produce a number of saint. They use the suffering to save souls in Purgatory and help relieve their pains ,and to save dying souls from hell.The saints use these sufferings as a means to gain merits.

A more passive approach to suffering is " letting Jesus do it". Jesus chooses for us the suffering that he nows will form us into saints( for he knows best) and we simply accept what he sends. You need not to worry the cross He sends you. Jesus knows what we can take and what we need. 

The main thing Jesus wants from us is not that we suffer but simply that he be with us in his suffering. This is what Jesus wants to tell us:" All I want is for you to be my friend, All I want is for you not to be afraid of me and to come to me." When we simply follow the Lord, it is enough. The Lord does not necessarily want from us great suffering but great love. Do we see the tremendous value there is to simply being with the Lord?

Amazingly , even our littlest sufferings take on great value when we UNITE THEM TO JESUS'S PASSION. 

Sometimes we may not be as bold in our prayers as we could be simply because we know that souls are bought only at the price of suffering.On our own we can merit nothing. If, however, with confident love, we unite our own little sufferings to Jesus 's passion, they take on infinite merit. Let's boldly ask for conversions, graces, and all that is truly good, knowing that such prayer brings great delight to the Lord.

We should have confidence in God that the sufferings sent by God must not go beyond our ability and strength. We should first trust in God like what St. Faustina taught us," Divine mercy of Jesus I trust in you."

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 Pardon crucifix 

Whoever carries the pardon crucifix will have the privilege to gain 300 day's indulgence, daily.

In kissing it devotedly, one gains each time 100 day's indulgence

He who pronounces before this crucifix one of the two following invocations gains each time an indulgence of seven years and seven quarantines: Our Father Who art in heaven, forgive us our offences as we forgive those who have offended us.—I beg the Blessed Virgin Mary to pray for me to the Lord our God.

Whoever, in danger of death, receives the sacraments of the Church, or contrite of Heart if it is impossible to receive them, shall kiss this crucifix and ask pardon of God for his sins and forgives whoever has offended him, gains a plenary indulgence.

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 When you have the intention to please God in all your actions as the happiest and best thing in the world, you will find yourself disliking everything that is vain and inappropriate in common life, whether of business or pleasure. You will be as fearful of living in any foolish way,either of spending your time or your money, as you are now fearful of not attending church or not saying prayers.A Christian businessman will no longer drink or swear or laugh at dirty jokes simply because others do . A Christian secretary or athlete will no longer dress immodestly simply because others do. If it is your goal to please God in everything, you will be different from most professing Christians, and certainly different from the world.

If a clergyman intends to please God in everything, he will not love the music and entertainment of the world that distracts his heart from Jesus Christ. Instead, he will set an example for the congregation by his holy living.

Let a worker have the intention to please God in all things,and it will make him a saint in his shop. His everyday business will be a course of wise and reasonable actions, made holy to God by being done in obedience to His will and pleasure. He will buy and sell and labor and travel because by so doing he can do some good to himself and others. But then, as nothing can please God but what is wise and reasonable and holy, so he will neither buy or sell nor labor in any other manner or to any other goal except that which may be shown to be wise and reasonable and holy.

He will not therefore consider what skills or methods or machines will soonest make him richer and greater than others or allow him to most quickly retire to a life of ease and pleasure, but he will consider what skills and methods and machines can make worldly business most acceptable to God and make his work a life of holiness,devotion, and piety. This will be the intent and spirit of every worker. He cannot stop short of these degrees of piety whenever it is his intention to please God in all his actions as the best and happiest thing in the world. He should not live in idleness and indulgence, in excessive sports , entertainment and pleasures, in drunkenness, in wasteful  expenses and high living, because these things cannot be turned into means of piety and holiness or made part of a wise and godly life.He will not waste his time and resources in vain sports and theater and expensive hobbies, because an inspired apostle has said, For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

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 A great reason for devoting all our belongings to appropriate use is because they are capable of being used for most excellent purpose and can be a great means of doing good. If we waste it , we do not just waste what appears to be a little bit, but we waste that which might be made as eyes to the blind , as a husband to the widow, and as a father to the orphan. We waste that which not only enables us to minister worldly comforts to those who are in distress, but that which might purchase for ourselves everlasting treasures in heaven. What we spend on our impulses and worldliness is gone forever, but that which we spend to help others lasts forever. Consider how much money Christians spend on worldly entertainment such as sports , movies and concerts. Consider how much money Christians waste on clothing , cars , and much more. If Christians were to spend that money in buying evangelistic books for the unsaved or in helping the poor, think how much eternal good could be done for others that we now waste on our own pleasures.

If there is nothing so glorious as doing good, if in this we imitate Christ, then nothing can be so glorious in the use of our money as to use it all in works of love and goodness, making ourselves friends and fathers and benefactors to all our fellow human beings , imitating the divine love and turning all our power into acts of generosity , care, and kindness to those who are in need of it.     

contemplation part 9

 Contemplation and passive prayer part 9:

Misunderstandings, detractions, calumny, insult and abuse of every kind, and in a very intense form, are among the trials the contemplative soul may experience. These are not, of course, due to the direct action of God, but God in His providence permits them in order that she may endure suffering that in a special manner will increase her faith in the wondrous Providence of God and at the same time intensify her love for her neighbour . That the trials may produce these effects, the soul must look beyond the human agency in these occurrences and be persuaded that the permission of God has the very definite purpose of advancing the soul. Had God not permitted wicked men to crucify His Son, the world would not have been redeemed , so God permits us to suffer severely at the hands of others. Besides, unlike the Son of God, we have to satisfy for our own sins and be purified by these very sufferings. These trials are very suitable for the purpose as we have insulted God by our sins and we are asked to make reparation by enduring insults in union with the contumely Christ suffered for our sakes. For carrying out the Gospel precepts on the forgiveness of injury and on charity in general we have the truly noble example of St. Teresa of Jesus. When told of a serious calumny uttered against her, she would laugh and remark that were it not for the grace of God she would have done worse. She regretted if God were offended, but as for herself she only saw in insult an occasion of merit, and begged God to forgive the offender. We must bear similar trials in th same spirit if we desire to have fulfilled in us the designs of God on our souls. Thus we are firmly and perfectly established in the great virtue of fraternal charity which is the best guarantee of our possessing the love of God, as Our Lord and His Apostles assures us. 

It is not merely against the theological virtues that the soul can be tempted but against any of the moral virtues. Thus St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi , a most innocent and pure soul, suffered for five years from the most diabolical attacks on her purity. But she came forth from the attack unspotted with a greatly enhanced spirit of purity, and by her sufferings made reparation for the many sins committed against this holy virtue, This is God's intention in all the trials to which He permits contemplative souls to be subjected.

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To be continued....

contemplation part 8

 Contemplation and passive prayer part 8 :

St Teresa of the Child Jesus had very fierce attacks made on her belief in heaven, and she speaks of the thick wall of darkness that seemed to separate her from God. God permits the evil spirit thus to attack souls so that while purifiying them He at the same time gains great victories in weak mortals over the proud spirits of darkness. St Teresa of the child Jesus , moreover , stated that her interior sufferings were so intense that no one in this life could imagine their intensity. Thus was she made a victim of love.

A very usual form of suffering is a keen sense of unworthiness in God's sight.The soul feels, as it were, all sin and rejected. The reason she feels so sinful is that she is obtaining a deep appreciation of the all- Holiness and Majesty of God and is , as it were, unable to appear in His sight.Yet that very appreciation draws her to an intense love of God, and thus drawn between these two feelings the soul suffers a veritable martyrdom . Moreover, in spite of all her spiritual director may say or do to assure her that all is well with her, she can never be fully persuaded of this, or if she is satisfied for a time, a deeper darkness often succeeds, till at length, in God's good time, the soul is prepared to bask in the sunshine of a more perfect realization of the intensity of God's love for her and her union with Him. St Francis de Sales at one time experienced this trial of dereliction to such an extent that he earnestly begged that he would be allowed to love God even in hell, for which he felt himself destined . But from these trials which, as it were, lead to the brink of despair, the contemplative soul emerges purified and fixed in an unshakeable confidence in the mercy and goodness of God.

Similar to this trial is that of extreme aridity or dryness in which the soul appears utterly incapable of prayer or of doing anything for God. Sometimes persons can pray and keep recollected during the course of the day, but when they attempt formal prayer, every effort they make appears absolutely vain. The explanation is that God desires to keep these souls in continuous union with Himself and so they can be attentive to the Presence of God while at their work, but when they come to formal prayer God takes the work completely into His own hands and unites them intimately to Himself, while their own faculties appear completely inert. The soul may suffer much at this apparent idleness, but must be patient and perfectly submissive to God's ways. This apparent absence of God increases very much their longing for Him. This trial of aridity has already been explained , but the sufferng it causes in the passive Dark night of the Spirit is of far greater intensity because the soul has already felt the touch of God. The soul must be carefully instructed, and no matter how long the trial may last, she must be encouraged to perserverance with the assurance that God will surely bring her to close union with Himself ......

To be continued...

Contemplation part 7

 Contemplation and passive prayer ( part 7):

Though all the value of our sufferings is derived from the merits of Christ,yet in his condescension He awaits our cooperation in such a way that we also merit our own salvation and that of others. Christ suffers again in us, His members. Thus we " fill up those things   that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ". It is important too to realize that we deal with all suffering without any reservation ,even such as may come to us by human agency or may be the result of our own follies. To their own detriment , through want of knowledge or lack of faith, many make such reservations, forgetting that " to them that love God, all things work together unto good" even sin, as Augustine assures us.

At any stage of the spiritual life suffering borne in this spirit will have a very beneficial effect, and God does send or permit it in order that the soul may be freed from imperfections and attachments. But in a special way God permits a soul to be afflicted, and very grievously to accomplish the active purification .Since the soul finds herself powerless to perform this purification in a perfect degree, God intervenes and by a process of suffering, often of the severest kind, only be realized by those who experience them. These sufferings are known as Passive purgation or purification . Those who desire a deep knowlege of the subject must read and re-read very carefully the Dark Night of the Soul by St . John of the Cross.

Certain observations and references to examples may be made here. The precise nature, the intensity and the duration of these sufferings depend on the state of the soul and the designs of God on it. They are usually of long duration but are intermittent, and God thus keeps the soul from being crushed. They are called by St. John a Purgatory of Love, and he makes no secret that the sufferings are comparable to those of the Purgatory of Fire and gives the consoling assurance that those who suffer this Purgatory of Love ecape the other.

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To be continued....

Contemplation part 6

 Contemplation and passive prayer ( part 6):

Passive purgation or purification, or the Passive dark night of the spirit:

It is important for every religious soul, indeed for every Christian , to understand well what attitude should be held with regard to suffering. It is but a natural feeling to shrink from it, and how very many Catholic there are who are puzzled at the attitude of the saints in regard to suffering. But this is the correct attitude and it is well to undertand it. We read in the Acts of the Apostles that " They went from the presence of the council rejoicing , that they were accounted worthy to suffer reproach for the name of Jesus." And St. Paul exclaimed :" I exceedingly abound with joy in all our tribulation." We have similar expressions used by the saints." To die or to suffer" was the desire of St. Teresa of Jesus. " To suffer and to be despised for Christ", that of St. John of the Cross. " To suffer, not to die," that of St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi. St. Teresa of the Child Jesus, in a sublime outburst of love, desired the sufferings of all martyrs. The saints were flesh and blood like ourselves and naturally recoiled from suffering just as we do. But supernaturally enlightened, they wished to follow in the footsteps of Christ. St Paul assures us that we must suffer with Christ if we would be glorified with Him and at the same time consoles us that these sufferings are as nothing compared to the glory we are to receive.He likewise tells us that we are to be made conformable to the image of the Son of God. Moreover, to help ourselves further in this very difficult matter we must recall once again the assurance of the same Apostle that we will never be tempted beyond what we are able to bear.

Suffering has quite opposite effects according to the spirit with which it is taken. It merely sours the disposition of those who will not recognize the purpose of God in permitting it. It disturbs their peace, makes them irritable and gloomy and ever ready to put the worst construction on things and make their outlook very pessimistic. Just otherwise with the soul which humbles itself under the Hand of God. Its disposition is chastened and sweetened , it preserves undisturbed peace, its outlook is always cheerful and its endurance of suffering enables it to advance rapidly in virtue.Now this is precisely God's intention in permitting us to suffer. Religious souls will, therefore, bear sufferings not merely with resignation but with perfect conformity to God's Holy Will, recognizing that it is a privilege and an honour to be thus associated with the sufferings of Christ, co-operating with Him in working out our own purification and the salvation of souls....

To be continued. 

Contemplation part 5

 Contemplation and passive prayer ( part 5):

From mystic prayer proper must be carefully distinguished certain experiences which though taking place in mystic souls, are not required for mystic union, such as revelations, certain locutions, visions and ecstasies ( i.e, levitations) .Though when properly used these experiences can profit the person who receives them, they are given rather for the benefit of others. St. Teresa of Jesus had many experiences of this kind, but she besought Our Lord to take them from her. At one time of her life they ceased and in her familaritiy with Our Lord she asked Him the reason. He replied that at the time He manifested Himself thus no one was inclined to give her credence, but now that she was in general favour there was no longer any reason for these signs. There is a singular absence of such phenomenon in the life of St . Teresa of the Child Jesus, though she reached the deepest Mystic union. It is quite clear consequently that experiences of this kind are not necessary for the greatest holiness. Moreover , there are many spiritual dangers attached to them and so they should not be desired. Those who have such experiences should study very closely what St . John of the Cross remarks about them in the Ascent of Mount Carmel and put it in practice under the guidance of an experienced director, if such can be had. The soul must be very detached from them.

The desire for mystic union:

It is quite otherwise with the desire for mystic prayer and union, since the direct effect is to unite the soul to God. It is true that absolutely speaking, the soul can by ordinary grace and great generosity reach perfection by the active purification, of which we have already written. But the weakness of human nature is such that very few seem to reach perfection merely by this means. All the canonized saints appear to have been favoured with mystic prayer. For those who have any right notion of the meaning of this desire there is no longer of self- complacency. They will soon understand that to advance far in this union a very severe process of passive purification or purgation must take place. There will be no danger of self- complacency for anyone who read the opening chapters of the Dark Night of the Soul by St .John of the Cross. The saint there explains the defects which passive purification helps to eliminate , and even persons of advanced holiness will be compelled to recognize in themselves very many of these defects. Moreover, the soul admitted to passive union becomes so conscious that the work being done is accomplished by God alone that she acknowledges with Mary that " He that is mighty hath done great things to me ". The soul thus favoured advances above all in true humility, and if she does not, her prayer cannot be mystic prayer at all. From these considerations there does not appear much sense in a director trying to hide the truth from a person who is clearly favoured with mystic union. The sufferings there endured develop in the soul the greatest humility as well as all other virtues.....

to be continued......

Contemplation part 4

 Contemplation and passive prayer ( part 4):

Besides the trial of aridity which , as we have said , is sometimes very severe in this stage of prayer, other trials , crosses or sufferings have to be endured. Indeed it is possible that the soul may experience even now some of the trials of the Passive Dark Night of the Spirit , though usually they are not so severe. It is important to realize that all these trial are sent or permitted for our purification . A long combat with distractions is sometimes one of the severest of these trials. Moreover for our consolation and as a help to our perseverance we must ever bear in mind the assurance of St. Paul that we are never tested beyond what we are able to bear. We are so weak that it is necessary to keep these truths ever fresh in our minds. Yet in the Passive Dark Night of the Senses so many souls get uneasy and require confirmation from a competent judge that they are on the right track and also need to be encouraged to bear their trials with patience and fortitude that in most cases the help of a sympathetic and experienced director is almost indispensable.Where such a director cannot be obtained ( St. John of the Cross laments there are so few) we can trust that God will give special light and help to a soul sincerely desirous of being faithful. But as God respects the social nature of man, the service of a spiritual director should be utilized where available. The spiritual director has, moreover, to judge the value of the prayer. While encourging he has to be firm and see if the soul is developing delicacy of conscience in practising all the virtues. This will always be the acid test in deciding if the soul is really being led by the Spirit of God. 

To answer this quesion it is necessary to distinguish between mystic prayer and certain extraordinary experiences of persons favoured with passive prayer. Those who are thus favoured and who have any difficulties concerning their prayer must consult an experienced director. St John of the Cross uses the very striking expression that in mystic prayer " the substance of God is joined to the substance of the soul." How this is to be understood is known only by those who have experience. Mystic souls understand the analogies used by the saints, and the analogy of touch appears most satisfactory to express the deep union that takes place. There are four principal stages with various subdivisions. The first stage is the Prayer of Quiet when the soul is first introduced to this mystic union and the activity of the intellect and will is suspended, but though the touch of God is felt, it is transient. When the union becomes more habitual and the activity of all the interior faculties is suspended , it is known as the prayer of Union. A further stage is Ecstatic Union when the union becomes so intense as to suspend the activity of the exterior senses. The final stage is Spiritual Marriage when the union is made as complete as it can be made in this mortal life...

To be continued...

Contemplation part 3

 Contemplation and passive prayer ( part 3):

It would appear that sometimes this obscure contemplation is accompanied by a certain sweetness, but frequently, perhaps ordinarily, in spite of a sense of peace and interior joy there is dryness. Naturally if this obscure contemplation is the state of prayer for a considerable time, and it often extends over many years, this dryness, which is sometimes very extreme, is difficult to bear. The soul is thus severely tested in regard to her fidelity and generosity towards God. Unfortunately only too many have not the courage to persevere, and instead of allowing the action of God in this obscure contemplation to wean their hearts from all created things in order to attain the deepest union with God, they refuse to submit and fall back into very mediocre ways, if nothing worse happens.St . John of the Cross deeply deplores the loss sustained by such souls who, through lack of patience, fail to reach the great union God had intended for them.

The duration of this obscure contemplation depends on two elements, the special design of God on the soul and the degree of generosity of the soul itself. If the soul is very generous , she may pass quickly from obscure contemplation and be led to mystic prayer. On the other hand when God intends to raise a soul very high, He may deepen her humility and the other virtues necessary for mystic union by retaining her longer in this dark night of aridity. God, however, being the absolute Master of His own gifts, appears , in some cases, to hasten in an extraordinary way of special purification the admission of the soul to deep mystic prayer.But again St . John of the Cross expresses great regret that so many, through want of sufficient generosity, are held so long in this stage of obscure contemplation, and only attain to mystic union very late, and even then with the work not at all so well accomplished.....

To continued...

Contemplation part 2

 Contemplation and passive prayer 

( Part 2):

St . John of the Cross lays down three signs by which an interior person may know when to leave aside active prayer ( which he calls meditation) and follow the call of God to passive prayer.

1. When a state of complete aridity of mind and heart during mental prayer is experienced.

2. This total aridity must not occur except at the time of prayer 

3. The soul is conscious of being filled with a sense of God's presence, a strong desire to think of Him and a wish to be united to Him and rest in Him.

Especially when the third sign is present, the soul is to be careful not to disturb itself and consider that it is wasting time even though its loving attention to God appears very vague. On the other hand whenever the soul has not this obscure contemplation and finds she can return to any of the stages of active prayer, she must not hesitate to do so . She must, however, turn to whatever suits her disposition best and freely leave aside any practice that she finds no longer of advantage. 

When the soul has reached this stage of obscure contemplation, it is important that she should have the guidance of an experienced spiritual director. For the soul might easily be led to believe that in practising this obscure contemplation she is really idle. St . John of the Cross has much to say in The Ascent of Mount Carmel and The Living Flame of Love against inexperienced and ignorant spiritual directors who refuse to allow souls under their guidance to advance beyond meditation.

It is true that in this obscure contemplation the sense and the imagination are deprived of the forms and the images which are so necessary for their activity ( e.g prayer ). Even such activity of the intellect and the will as is dependent on the use of these forms and images is suspended. There is then, as it were, an uneasiness on the part of the powers of the soul in being deprived of their activity. This privation is called the Passive Dark Night of the Senses. It is true that even in this prayer distractions are possible and may be frequent .

At this stage we can realize the great necessity there is for detachment and faith, the two virtues on which St. John of the Cross is so insistent for souls called to passive prayer. In active purification( the Active Dark Night ), we stated we must be detached from all that is not God. 

Many feel it hard to part with the sublime spiritual supernatural thoughts of God which in the past have stirred up such intense emotions of love and given strength for great zeal in the service of God. Grand and sublime as these thoughts and emotions may be, they must be willingly left aside when God so desires, for the obscure contemplation which He substitues gives a much truer knowlege of Him and leads to a deeper union with Him, though all sensible sweetness and fervour disappear. The soul will thus cling to God in naked faith, unassisted by any reflections of the reason. The soul must do so with unbounded confidence , as this faith must be the medium of her union with God....

To be continued...

Contemplation part 1

 Contemplation and passive prayer

( Part 1):

The work to be done may appear to be formidable, but it will not be so for the generous soul. Grace is given in abundance to all who answer the call to perfection. St Paul assures us that we are not tempted beyond what we are able to bear. ( 1 Cor . 10:13) . We have the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Sacraments from which , as well as in many other ways, we can obtain abundant help and strength. We shall see that God Himself usually takes part in a special way in the work and hastens and completes it by passive purgations.

In active prayer we are conscious of our own efforts, in passive prayer we feel we are but yielding to an influence acting on us. This yielding is indeed an act of our will, but it is the only act of ours of which we are conscious in passive prayer. St John of the Cross shows that without passive purifications perfection is not attained , it would follow that passive union is necessary for perfection. There is a good deal of speculation as to the number of souls enjoying mystic graces. The number may be relatively small, yet they are to be found in every walk of life and often in the most unexpected circumstances. One point seems certain from the doctrine of St. John of the Cross, that there would be far more souls endowed with these graces if the ignorance of many could be dispelled who do not undertand the leading of God, and if a number of those who do understand could have the courage to submit to the action of God on their souls. There are two great mistakes commonly made in regard to passive contemplation. The first is that this contemplation is such an extraordinary state that it can only be practised by a very few placed in particularly favourable circumstances . 

But contemplation, and in the highest degree, is attained by many who have to engage in the ordinary routine of daily life and who pass quite undistinguished from other people except that their virtues have greater influence on them. The second mistake is that contemplation is a state where those favoured with it are rapt in almost continuous ecstasies or experienc other marvels.  In the meantime  we give a quotation :" There is nothing more sublime beautiful or grander than passive prayer in theory. But in practice there is nothing more humiliating , more crucifying ."

To be continued .....

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 THE STIGMATA OF ST. GEMMA GALGANI 

" I found myself in the presence of my heavenly Mother, with my guardian angel on her right. He commanded me to make an act of contrition, and when I had done so my Mom said to me: 

'Daughter, in the name of Jesus I forgive you all your sins,' and added, 'Jesus, my Son, loves you very much, and wishes to give you a grace. Would you know how to become worthy of it?'

In my misery I knew not what to answer. Then She continued: 

'I will be a mother to you; will you show yourself a true daughter?' And after saying this She opened her mantle and covered me with it. 

At that instant Jesus appeared with all His wounds open; but blood no longer issued from those wounds, but flames of fire.

In an instant those flames came and touched my hands, feet and heart. I felt I was dying and should have fallen had not my Mom held me up, I remaining all the while covered with her mantle, and thus I remained for several hours. 

Afterwards my Mom kissed me on the forehead, then everything vanished and I found myself kneeling on the ground, but still feeling intense pain in my hands, feet and heart.

 I got up to go to bed and saw blood flowing from those places where I felt the pain. I covered them up as best I could and then, with the help of my guardian angel, got into bed." 

[From the "Autobiography of St Gemma Galgani"]

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 The Fewness of Being Saved

Saint Vincent Ferrer relates that an archdeacon in Lyons gave up his charge and retreated into a desert place to do penance, and that he died the same day and hour as Saint Bernard. After his death, he appeared to his Bishop and said to him, 

"Know, Monsignor, that at the very hour I passed away, 33,000 people also died. Out of this number, Bernard and myself went up to Heaven without delay, 3 went to Purgatory, and all the others fell into Hell."

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 Pope hears a conversation between Jesus and satan...

On September 25, 1888, following his morning Mass, Pope Leo XIII became traumatized to the point that he collapsed. Those in attendance thought that he was dead. After coming to consciousness, the Pope described a frightful conversation that he had heard coming from near the tabernacle. The conversation consisted of two voices – voices which Pope Leo XIII clearly understood to be the voices of Jesus Christ and the Devil. The Devil boasted that he could destroy the Church, if he were granted 75 years to carry out his -plan (or 100 years, according to some accounts). The Devil also asked permission for “a greater influence over those who will give themselves to my service.” To the Devil’s requests, Our Lord reportedly replied: “you will be given the time and the power.”

Shaken deeply by what he had heard, Pope Leo XIII composed the Prayer to St. Michael and ordered it to be recited after all Masses as a protection for the Church against the attacks from Hell. 

- Prayer to St. Michael 

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in this day of battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and may Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host - by the Power of God - cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits, who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.  Amen

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 SHE WAS TORMENTED WITH TERRIBLE TEMPTATIONS 

“Ellen, you have already offended my Son and me so much. From now on, change your life and I will grant you a large share of graces.”

There was once a woman named Ellen who led a life of scandalous sin.

One day, in a tired, depressed moment, when the glamour seemed to have gone out of life, Ellen entered a church. By chance, the sermon being preached was about the beauty and power of the Rosary. Ellen was impressed.

On leaving the church, she bought a set of beads, but concealed them so no one in her circle would know. As she prayed her beads, something wonderful began to happen. She felt such sweetness, and consolation that she could not stop reciting the Hail Marys.

By and by her wicked life loomed before her in all its horror, and, one day, she could not help but look for a priest to hear her full confession. She confessed her sins with so much feeling and contrition that the confessor was amazed.

After her confession, feeling the lightest she had ever felt, Ellen knelt before the altar of the Blessed Virgin, and recited her Rosary. Lo, and behold she heard a voice coming from the statue: “Ellen, you have already offended my Son and me so much. From now on, change your life and I will grant you a large share of graces.”

“O, Most Holy Virgin, my lady,” cried the poor sinner, “it is true that until now I have been wickedly sinful, but you can do all; help me! On my part, I abandon myself to you, and I will spend the rest of my life doing penance for my sins.”

True to her word, Ellen distributed all her goods among the poor, and began a rigorous life of mortification. Habit dies hard, so she was tormented with terrible temptations, but she always had recourse to the Blessed Mother and her Rosary, and with her help, was always victorious.

As time went on, Ellen was favored with many graces, with visions and revelations and even the gift of prophecy. Finally sickening and near death, she received visits of the Blessed Virgin and her divine Son who came to cheer and console her. And as Ellen breathed her last, her soul was seen flying toward heaven in the form of a beautiful dove.

THE ROSARY WAS HER LADDER TO HEAVEN.

–Adapted from The Glories of Mary by Saint Alphonsus Liguori

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 A GIRL WHO DIED IN THE STATE OF MORTAL SIN 

"Alexandra answered that when she was beheaded, SHE WAS IN THE STATE OF MORTAL SIN AND WOULD DAMNED TO HELL But on account of the rosary which she was in the habit of reciting, Most Holy Mary appeared and PRESERVED HER SOUL FROM UNENDING TORMENTS."

From the "Glories of Mary" by St. Alphonsus Liguori

Father Eusebius Nierembergh relates, that there lived in the city of Aragona, Sicily, a girl named Alexandra. Being both noble and very beautiful, Alexandra was greatly loved by two young men.

Driven by jealousy, these young men fought one day and killed each other. Their enraged relatives, in return, killed the poor young girl as the cause of so much trouble. They cut off her head and threw her remains into a well.

A few days later, Saint Dominic of Guzman was passing through that place and inspired by Our Lord, approached the well and said: “Alexandra, come forth.” Immediately the head of the deceased came forth, perched on the edge of the well, and asked the saint to hear her confession.

Perhaps accustomed to bizarre phenomena, Saint Dominic heard its confession and also gave it communion, in the presence of a great concourse of curious persons who had assembled to witness the miracle.

Then the saint asked her to tell why she had received such a grace. Alexandra answered that when she was beheaded, she was in a state of mortal sin and would have been damned to hell. But on account of the rosary which she was in the habit of reciting, Most Holy Mary appeared and preserved her soul from unending torments.

So it happened that for two days the head of Alexandra retained life and when summoned was set upon the edge of the well, in the presence of all, and then the soul went to purgatory.

Fifteen days later, Alexandra’s soul appeared to Saint Dominic, beautiful and radiant as a star. She then told him that one of the principal sources of relief to the souls in purgatory is the rosary which is recited for them; and that, as soon as they arrive in paradise, they pray for those who apply to them these powerful prayers.

Having said this, Saint Dominic saw that happy soul ascending in triumph to the kingdom of the blessed.

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OUR LADY OF SORROWS
The Seven Sorrows That Pierced Our Lady’s Heart.

1. The Prophecy of Saint Simeon.
(Luke 2:34–35)

2. The escape and Flight into Egypt.
(Matthew 2:13)

3. The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:43–45)

4. The Meeting of Mary and Jesus on the Via Dolorosa.

5. The Crucifixion of Jesus on Mount Calvary. (John 19:25)

6. The Piercing of the Side of Jesus, and His Descent from the Cross.
(Matthew 27:57–59)

7. The Burial of Jesus by Joseph of Arimathea. (John 19:40–42)

Not only do we get to unite our sufferings and sorrows to Our Lady of Sorrows, we are also promised 7 Graces:

The Seven Graces of this Devotion
According to St Bridge of Sweden (1303-1373), there are Seven Graces of this devotion.

1. I will grant peace to their families.
2.They will be enlightened about the Divine mysteries.

3. I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work.

4. I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my Divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.

5. I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.

6. I will visibly help them at the moment of their death, they will see the face of their Mother.

7. I have obtained this Grace from my Divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors, will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son and I will be their eternal consolation and joy.

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Our Morning Offering – 1 September – “Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross”

To Our Lady of Sorrows
By St Bonaventure (1217-1274)
Seraphic Doctor of the Church

O most holy Virgin,
Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
by the overwhelming grief thou experienced
when thou witnessed the Martyrdom,
the Crucifixion and the Death,
of Thy Divine Son,
look upon me, with eyes of compassion
and awaken in my heart,
a tender commiseration for those sufferings
and a sincere detestation of my sins,
in order that,
being disengaged from all undue affection
for the passing joys of this earth,
I may sigh after the eternal Jerusalem
and that, henceforward, all my thoughts
and all my actions may be directed
towards this one most desirable object,
the honour, glory and love
of our divine Lord Jesus,
and to thee,
the Holy and Immaculate
Mother of God.
Amen.

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 My child, you complain because I Will to keep you in the dark; but remember that after darkness comes light, and then you shall have light indeed. 

I put you to this test for My greater glory, to give joy to the Angels, for your greater gain and also for example to others. 

If you do really love Me, you should love Me even in the midst of darkness. 

I delight in and play with souls. I play through love. 

Be not afflicted if I begin to abandon you.

Do not think it chastisement. 

It is truly My own Will in order to detach from creatures and unite you to Myself. 

When I appear to be far away then I am near at hand. 

Take courage, for after the battle comes peace. 

Fidelity and love must be thy necessary weapons. 

For the present, therefore, be patient if I leave you alone. 

Suffer, be resigned and be consoled. 

I am leading you by rough and sorrowful ways, and you should consider yourself honoured when I treat you thus and when by a daily and hidden martyrdom I allow your soul to be tried and purified. 

Think only for the present of how you art to practice great virtue. 

Make haste in the ways of Divine Love, humble yourself and rest assured that if I keep you on the Cross, I love you.

Be not like some who, being attached to consolations and spiritual satisfactions, care but little for the Cross. 

Finding themselves in desolation of spirit, they shorten by degrees the time of prayer because they no longer find in it the consolations they had before experienced.

– Jesus: to St. Gemma Galgani

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JESUS APPEALS TO THE WORLD

The Unceasing Act of Love Revealed to the Capuchin Nun, Sister Mary Consolata
(1903-1946)

Jesus and Mary, I love You, save souls! 🙏❤️

On their behalf and for those of the coming centuries, Sister Consolata's spiritual director requested a letter from her in which she would expound her own thoughts on how to practice the unceasing act of love and offer some practical advice. We reproduce this letter almost in its entirety, and every Littlest One may consider it to have been written expressly for her or for him. Its content is all the more valuable since it has found confirmation in Sister Consolata's own life which will hardly ever be surpassed in continuity and virginity of love.

DEAREST LITTLEST ONE OF THE HEART OF JESUS

“When you go to rest in the evening, you should ask your good guardian angel to love Jesus on your behalf while you are asleep, to awaken you in the morning, and to inspire you to the act of love. If you will be faithful in asking this of him each evening, he will be faithful in awakening you every morning with a 'Jesus, Mary, I love You! Save souls!’
"Begin your day in this way, and continue to love until you meet Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. That does not mean that you should neglect all other prayers. No! Carry on your usual practices of piety, but do not add any others. Let your act of love absorb your every spare moment, and in the future even some of your vocal prayers if Jesus so inspires you.
"In Holy Communion entrust and abandon yourself to Jesus, your troubles, projects, desires, and sorrows, and then think no more about them. For the whole life of a Littlest One is based upon this
Divine promise: - “I will think of everything, even to the least detail; you must think only of loving Me!” - Copy these words out under an image of the Sacred Heart, and do it in such a way that they will be always in sight. They will be a great help to you in freeing your spirit from all preoccupation, and you will experience in yourself how faithfully Jesus keeps His promise.

"After having abandoned everything to Jesus during Holy Communion, renew to Him your promise of the unceasing act oflove, your 'yes' to everything He will demand of you throughout the day, and determine to see Him, to speak with Him, and to serve Him lovingly in all His creatures with whom you will come in contact.
"Form your intention once and for all that your every act of love may ascend to heaven as a supplication, to implore fidelity for yourself in persevering uninterruptedly until your next Communion, and that it be in reparation for your every infidelity.

"As you leave the church, begin with your act of love, and continue it on your way, at home, and while carrying out each of your duties. Remember that Jesus has given His promise that while you are writing, or praying, or meditating, or while you must speak out of necessity or charity, your act of love will continue just the same.
"Arrange to have before you, if possible, while you work an image or a card with the words: 'Jesus, Mary, I love You!
Save souls!' This will serve as a reminder to you.
*Among the obstacles which prevent you from offering
Jesus the unceasing virginal act of love, Our Lord teaches us to combat three: useless thoughts, useless talk, and outside inter-ests. As for thoughts and preoccupations, everything becomes useless from the moment that Jesus promises His Littlest One that He Himself will think of everything, even to the smallest details. As for useless talk, if you speak when you are not obliged to do so out of necessity, charity or propriety, then it is a waste of time; you steal time from Love. As for extraneous interests, curiosity, etc., all these detach your spirit from the one thing to which you have vowed yourself: to love Jesus unceasingly and with a virginal love.
"It is necessary, however, for you to realize that, to carry out the divine wishes, never to lose one act of love or one act of charity from one Communion to another, will require arduous work from your soul (sustained by grace), no small amount of time, and a generous, constant effort; above all, never let yourself become discouraged.

*At every more or less voluntary infidelity, renew your determination of virginal love, and start afresh. If your fault causes you suffering, you should offer it to Jesus... as an act of love!
You will see and will be able to experience with what tenderness Jesus raises you up again after each fall or infidelity, how He hastens to put you on your feet again, so that you may continue your canticle of love.

"What will aid you most in offering Jesus the unceasing act of love, is to renew your resolution at every hour and to make a particular examen of your conscience concerning it.
Keep in mind that in this particular examen about the unceasing act of love you are to note as faults only the time which you have wasted in useless talk or in following your imagination, vain thoughts, etc...
.. Make good your shortcomings, and
then take up your loving again with tranquillity.
The resolution, however, to which you must consecrate all your energies should always concern the unceasing act of love. Have no fear! Jesus will aid you. He has said: I ask only one thing of you: an unceasing act of love..
Love Me, for I thirst
for your love.... Love Me, and you will be happy; the more you will love Me, the happier you will be!... Jesus keeps His word!
"So, have courage! Jesus and Mary will aid you! Never have any fear, but trust and believe in the love which He has for you!"

Affectionately,
SISTER CONSOLATA, R.C.

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 HOW DO YOU KNOW GOD IS CALLING YOU? 

If one day, you are called to become a sister, what will you do? Deny, ignore, or pursue what you believe is a call. BUT FIRST HOW DO YOU KNOW GOD IS CALLING YOU? 

God’s invitations can come in many different ways. A call is unique for each person in each circumstance.  This invitation may start within you when:

–a voice within you keeps calling you to be a sister.

–you experience a hunger for intimacy with God.

–an inspiring quote, a sister’s story, or the works of a religious community touches you deeply and leads you to consider becoming a sister.

–you dream of working with the poor or working for justice and peace.

you experience something missing in your life and you want to work for something bigger than yourself.

In some cases, the invitation can be unexpected:

–a thunderbolt hitting your ears when someone says: “Have you ever thought of becoming a sister?”

–a joke you may really hate; “You act or look like a nun, why don’t you be one of them?”

–a bet between you and someone encouraging you to contact a religious community.

God’s invitation can also seem confusing or unsettling. For example:

Your fiancé hands you a retreat registration; “I registered you for a retreat. You should explore your call before we get married.” Don’t feel resentful towards him.

You often don’t feel peaceful, but have a sense of emptiness while dating, or even one or two weeks before getting married. Pay attention to that sign.

Remember

 “For humans, it is impossible; but for God, all is possible.” (Matthew 19:26).

–Blog by Sr. Mai Dung Nguyen