2023年8月24日 星期四

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 Prophecies of Our Lady of Good Success about our times.


During the 15th and 16th centuries, Our Lady of Good Success appeared in Quito, Ecuador, to a Spanish nun whose little-known but extraordinary life has a direct connection with our days. Below is part of Her message:


" Unbridled passions will give way to a total corruption of custom because Satan will reign through the Masonic sects, targeting the children in particular to ensure general corruption. 


In those times the atmosphere will be saturated with the spirit of impurity which, like a filthy sea, will engulf the streets and public places with incredible license...


Innocence will scarcely found in childen, or modesty in women...


He who should speak seasonably will remain silent...


There shall be scarcely any virgin souls in the world. The delicate flower of virginity will seek refuge in the cloisters ... without virginity , fire from heaven will be needed to purify these lands...


Sects, having permeated all social classes, will find ways of introducing themselves into the very heart of homes to corrupt the innocence of children. The children's hearts will be dainty morsels to regale the devil...


Religious communities will remain to sustain the Church and work with courage for the salvation of souls. The secular clergy will fall far short of what is expected of them because they will not pursue their sacred duty. Losing the divine compass, they will stray from the way of priestly ministry mapped out for them by God and will become devoted to money, seeking it too earnestly...


Pray constantly, implore tirelessly, and weep bitter tears in the seclusion of your heart, beseeching the Eucharistic Heart of my most holy Son to take pity on His ministers and to end as soon as possible these unhappy times by sending to His Church the prelate who shall restore the spirit of her priests."



Resolve: To live in the state of grace and preserve peace of heart, and combat evil with love of God.


2023年8月22日 星期二

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 To complete our remarks on active prayer and explain more fully what is the remote preparation for prayer it is necessary to deal with active purgation or purification. This means nothing more or less than the self -denial which ought to be practised by a soul which desires to advance in prayer , but especially by a contemplative soul. It is but striving to practise in a perfect degree that penance without which , our Saviour assures us , we must perish, that hatred of ourselves without which we cannot be His true disciples.


This purification is necessary to secure that peace of soul so necessary for the spirit of prayer. It means a detachment from all that is not God. It consists in the perfect mortification of all unruly desires or inclinations. It does not necessarily embrace austerities except in so far as some of these, like fasting and abstinence, may be prescribed by the law of the Church or by our rule, to help us in this purification. But the purification must extend to all the powers of our soul. The exterior senses must be brought under control. The sight and the hearing must be restrained not merely from what is sinful but from all that serves only to pander to curiosity. There is usually not so much difficulty about the smell , but in exercising it , as in using the taste and the touch we must endeavor to be led by the dictates of reason alone. In a word, the exercise of the exterior senses must be made subject to reason.


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 In regard to the interior senses, especially the imagination, we must be watchful. There are few who are not aware of the evils to which they may be led by an uncontrolled imagination. We must eliminate daydreaming, whims and idle or useless imagery , and not merely dangerous or bad images.


It is especially when the passions have been aroused that we must exercise vigilance. We control the senses, external and internal,mainly that we may be able to keep the passions in check. Our sensible feelings of love and desire must be directed towards what is truly good, our hatred and aversion retained for what is truly evil, our delight must be reserved for the accomplishment of good deeds, our sadness felt that good has been frustrated . We must keep up our hope to obtain all that is good , and never yield to despair except in regard to evil projects; we must use courage to make us surmount the difficulties we experience in attaining our good proposals and never yield to fear except in regard to what will estrange us from God. Finally our anger must be exercised only when , after the example of our Lord , it is reasonable to be angry.All are aware by experience how very necessary it is to control our passions if we are to retain that peace of soul so necessary for a life of prayer.

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 Divine Mercy Daily: Daily reflections from the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska

Recommend the Chaplet to Sinners

Meditation:

I heard these words in my soul: Say unceasingly the chaplet that I have taught you. Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy. I desire that the whole world know My infinite mercy. I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy (Diary, 687).


My Prayer Response:

Lord Jesus, teach priests to love and pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. May they recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation and to all at the hour of death so as to receive great mercy.


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 But loneliness (feeling alone) and solitude (being alone) are not the same thing. And lessons can be learned from those who have found solitude essential for inspiration.


In praise of solitude

Solitude – being alone – has long been praised as a necessary condition for creativity. Author Virginia Woolf, in her book “A Room of One’s Own,” offered an extended meditation on the writer’s need for solitude. So did many poets. In their writings, May Sarton (“alone one is never lonely”) and William Wordsworth (“the bliss of solitude”) were especially eloquent in their praise of solitude. Poet Marianne Moore has even argued that “the cure for loneliness is solitude.”


My research on the history of religious hermits shows that there have long been individuals who seek solitude in remote and silent places, and there are many lessons to be learned from them. The etymological history of the word “hermit” is itself telling: “Hermit” comes from an ancient Greek word, “eremos,” that means both a desolate and lonely place and a state of being alone.


Hermits exist in many of the world’s major religious traditions: They are individuals who choose temporary or permanent solitude in remote and isolated locations, such as mountains, caves and deserts. These locations are frequently depicted as sites for revelation and transformation.


Romantic longing of solitude

The emergence of hermits in early Christianity is particularly striking.


A common theme in stories about early Christian desert hermits is a desire to leave the distractions of urban life and live a precarious existence in isolation in order to achieve holiness.


The most famous Christian hermit was Antony, whose story was told by Athanasius, the fourth-century bishop of Alexandria. As Athanasius tells it, Antony one day heard a passage from the Gospel of Matthew in his church:


“If you want to be perfect, go, sell all your possessions and give to the poor, and come follow me, and you will have treasure in heaven.” (Matthew 19:21)


He felt the passage had spoken to him directly.


Antony sold his property and departed for the desert. The story of Antony’s withdrawal into the desert became an example for later Christians eager to pursue solitude and contemplation. Athanasius says that, in spite of his quest for solitude, the desert “was made a city” by visitors to Antony’s hermitage and by monks who wished to emulate him. Antony needed to move into more and more remote areas to find the isolation he was seeking.


The joy of loneliness

Eventually, forms of monasticism developed that embraced both the solitary and the communal: Monasteries developed around communities of monks in the mountains and canyons of Egypt, Sinai and Palestine. Nearby caves served as hermitages.


This way of life was in keeping with what many Christians believed – that suffering was necessary for salvation. They praised the hermits who rejected the comforts of city and adopted the communal life. To them, the hermits were models of holiness and, paradoxically, happiness.


Loneliness was transformed into joy. Athansius describes Antony’s face as “radiant” after a long period of isolation.


The lives of hermits may seem distant from our busy contemporary lives. But the romantic appeal of an unencumbered and undistracted life has not disappeared. Hermits in the 21st century come from all walks of life, religious and secular, but share with those from the past a longing for quiet solitude and simplicity.

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 All the saints would point to self-knowledge as a necessary ingredient to discover God as the source of our fulfillment and hope.


We can only come to know ourselves fully in the light of being, in the presence of the Lord, in silence and solitude. Loneliness is being alone and resisting it. Solitude is being alone and embracing it as the beautiful place of encountering God.


I have always been fascinated with the mystery of Jesus’ prayer life. The Scriptures narrate how often the Lord would spend the whole night, off in a deserted place or on a mountaintop, completely absorbed in prayer to the Father.


What happened when the Son of God prayed to His Father? What did He say and feel?


Clearly, Jesus needed to be wrapped in a silent solitude, which gave Him the time and space to simply rest in the heart of the Father.


Prayer was to Jesus what sleep is to us, deeply refreshing and absolutely needed.


Loneliness versus solitude

When I did formation work in the seminary, many young men preparing for the priesthood would share with me their deepest fear about embracing a life of celibacy — their dread of being lonely.


I would speak to them about the things I am sharing in this column — the difference between loneliness and solitude, the need for the Lord to be the center of our lives, including our affective and emotional aspects.


I also shared how I discovered in my parish ministry that many married people seemed more lonely than I was.


Our culture embraces two fallacies. Get married and never be lonely again. Be celibate and always be lonely. Neither one of those is true.


Until I come to realize that only the love of God can satisfy my deepest desires for love, acceptance, intimacy, and meaning, I will always be looking for some relationship, achievement, possession, or experience to fill the God-shaped hole at the center of my heart.


When I have grappled in the dark with my fears, inadequacies, temptations, and sins, and come to the point of surrendering all of my poverty to the Lord, trusting in His unconditional love for me, then I am able to love other people, not from a position of clinging neediness, but from a holy freedom which leaves a sacred space of distance for God to live and act in both of us.


We will always experience moments of loneliness. It is part of the human condition.


We are each individuated selves. We are born alone and we die alone. I uniquely bear both the blessing and the burden of being me. I can be no other.


Freedom comes when we stop running away from ourselves and allow the Lord to love, heal, bless, and forgive us. This unconditional embrace of the Good Shepherd leads us to a peace and joy this world cannot give.


When I am completely immersed in Christ, I can find solace, laughter, and grace in every moment, when I am alone or with others, when I am accepted and understood and when I am rejected or ignored, when I am on the top of the world, and when I am filled with sorrow and grief.


Prayer becomes the sacred place where I both discover God and my deepest self.


Prayer is the precious means by which the Lord transforms our fearfully dark loneliness into a richly joyful solitude.


Do not be afraid of being alone. God is waiting for you there, wanting to give you spiritual treasures which can only be perceived and received in the mystery of solitude.

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 Meditation


The Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of the world, of the universe, of the Angels, of Heaven, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, Virgins, all Saints, of Families, Queen conceived without original sin Queen assumed into Heaven, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, Queen of Mercy, Queen of Peace. Amen, Holy Queen and Mother. - Pope Pius XII


Sing Your Love


Jesus, I love You. Jesus, I love You.


Let every beat of my heart, and every breath I take


A thousand times repeat this act of love.


Give the Lord your best


There has never been in the history of the Church a time, where the sacrament of the Eucharist has been abused and outraged to such an alarming and grievous extent as in the past five decades, especially since the official introduction and Papal approval in 1969 of the practice of Communion in the hand. These abuses are aggravated, furthermore, by the widespread practice in many countries of faithful who, not having received the sacrament of Penance for many years, nevertheless regularly receive Holy Communion. The height of the abuses of the Holy Eucharist is seen in the admittance to Holy Communion of couples who are living in a public and objective state of adultery, violating thereby their indissoluble valid sacramental marriage bonds, as in the case of the so-called “divorced and remarried”, such admittance being in some regions officially legalized by specific norms, and, in the case of the Buenos Aires region in Argentina, norms even approved by the Pope. Additionally to these abuses comes the practice of an official admittance of Protestant spouses in mixed marriages to Holy Communion, e.g., in some dioceses in Germany. - Taken from the July 22, 2020 article- The Sins Against the Blessed Sacrament and the Need of a Crusade of Eucharistic Reparation By Bishop Athanasius Schneider.


Prayer


"Lord Jesus, in the Holy Eucharist, we believe You are with us in the Blessed Sacrament. We believe You are inviting us to join with You in conquering the world for Your Heavenly Father. But we are blind. Enlighten our minds. We are weak. Strengthen our hearts. Make us Disciples of Our Eucharistic Lord; make us Disciples of Life through the Eucharist. Help us to understand the Eucharist now on earth by faith - as a prelude to seeing You, our Incarnate God, face to face, for all eternity. Amen."


-Servant of God Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ (adapted to read "Disciples of Our Eucharistic Lord" instead of Fr. Hardon's "Apostles of the Eucharist")

2023年8月20日 星期日

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 In times of difficulties, the way of sanctity:

In that very obedience he should embrace patient suffering in hard and contrary things----- or even whatever wrongs are inflicted---- with a quiet conscience , and , enduring it, not grow weary or withdraw . As the Scripture says: He who shall have persevered to the end, he shall be saved , and , again: Make strong thine heart and endure the Lord.And to show that the faithful man ought also to endure all contrary things for the Lord, it says in the person of the suffering : For Thee we are afflicted with death all the day, we are counted among the sheep of the slaughter. Then , secure in the hope of divine reward, they continue , rejoicing and saying : But in all these we overcome because of Him who hath loved us; and, again, in another place, the Scripture : Thou has searched us, O God, with fire tried us as with fire is silver tried. Thou has led us into a trap. Thou hast placed tribulations on our back. Then, to show we ought to be under a superior, it continues, saying: Thou hast established men over our heads. Moreover, fulfilling the command of the Lord through  patience amid misfortunes and wrongs, they who, struck on one cheek , offer the other , and pressed into going a mile, go two; with Paul the Apostle, they endure false brothers , and those cursing them they will bless.


Through humble confession he hide not from his Abba all the bad thoughts entering his heart or the evils done by him in secret. Begging us to do this, the Scripture says:"Unveil thy way to the Lord and hope in Him. Confess to the Lord, because He is good, because His mercy is unto the age." And, again , the Prophet: "My offense I made known to Thee and my injustice I hid not." I have said: "Unto the Lord mine injustice shall I pronounce against myself---- and Thou hast forgiven the impiety of mine heart."

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 Keep away from the evil 


We are taught aright not to do our own will when we are wary of what Holy Scripture says: There are paths that seem right to men whose ending sinketh them even down to the depths of hell, and , again , when we tremble at what has been said of the negligent : They are corrupt and are made abominable in their wishes. Moreover, in the flesh 's desires let us believe God is thus ever present to us, when the Prophet says to the Lord: Before Thee is mine every desire.


So one must therefore be wary of evil desires, since death is positioned near the doorway of delight. Whence has Scripture commanded , saying: Go not after thy concupiscences. Therefore , if the eyes of the Lord watch the good and the evil, and the Lord from heaven looks ever upon the sons of men to see if one is understanding or seeking God, and if day and night the products of our deeds are announced to the Lord through angels deputed for us , we must thus beware at every hour , O brethren( as the Prophet says in a psalm), lest at any hour God sees us declining to evil and made unprofitable ; and lest, sparing us at this time( for He is tender and faithful and keeps watch for us to convert unto better), he say to us in the future: These things thou didst, and I held my peace.

2023年8月19日 星期六

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 Benedict rules:


The eleventh degree of humility consists in this, that the monk speak gently, seriously, humbly, gravely, with sober and prudent words, without raising his voice ,just as it is written:The wise man is recognized by his few words.



The word of the disciple of Jesus Christ should above all be meek, just like the Divine Master Himself. And all the more so since it is written: A mild speech breaks up wrath . The ancient masters especially abhorred laughter , because levity is most unbecoming to a religious person.


The very condition of the monk , that is , of the Servant of God, expresses humility , so much so that in the blessing of the monastic habit it is said of these black garments: the holy fathers decreed that they should be worn as a sign of innocence and of humility. Now, would it not be a contradiction to bear outwardly a habit of humility , and then to cultivate an arrogant and proud manner of speaking that is unbecoming even to men of the world? . St Bernard wrote," We , monks, wearing the cowl and full of pride , are horrified by fur , as if humility covered by fur were not far more valuable than pride covered by a cowl!"


One who is grasping for words chatters much, and still does not know what he wants to say, because he does not have clear ideas on the subject. On the other hand, a thinker, a clear mind, reveals even in his words someting of the geometrician: well-crafted ideas and words, and nothing more.

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 Benedict rules

humility:

Brethren, sacred scripture cries to us saying: everyone who elevates himself shall be humbled, and the one who would humble himself shall be elevated. As it says these things, it shows us that all elevation is a sort of  

overarching pride. The prophet indicates he is wary of this, saying : O Lord, mine heart is not elevated, nor mine eyes lifted up, nor have I walked in great things, nor in marvels over me. But why ? If I were not to sense humbly, if I elevated my soul on high, as one whom his mother denied milk, so wouldst Thou make retribution to my soul .


Whence , brethren, if we wish to touch the peak of highest humility, and we wish to arrive speedily to that heavenly elevation to which we climb up through the humility of this present life, by our scaling deeds, we must erect a ladder----that ladder that appeared to Jacob in a dream , on which were shown him angels scaling up and down. That scaling up and down should, doubtless, not to be understood otherwise than that we scale down by elevation and up by humility. Now, the ladder to erected is our life in this age, which is erected by the Lord even unto heaven in a humbled heart. For the sides of this ladder we say to be our body and soul. The divine summoning has inserted different steps for scaling into these sides, those of humility or discipline.


 If one, putting ever before the eyes the fear of the Lord, should flee forgetfulness completely, and always remember all things God has commanded, so that he ever turn over in his mind both the way Gehenna burns for their sins those disdaining God, and the eternal life that has been prepared for those fearing God.And, guarding himself at every hour from sins and vices----namely those of thoughts, tongue , hands, feet, or of his own will , as also the desires of the flesh---- a man think himself ever watched from heaven by God, at every hour, and his deeds seen everywhere by the divine gaze and reported by angels every hour. This the Prophet indicates to us when he shows that God is always present in our thoughts, saying: God who searcheth hearts and reins; and again: The Lord knoweth the thoughts of men. And again, He says: Thou hast understood my thoughts from afar, and: For the thoughts of man shall confess to Thee. For, in order to be careful of his own twisted thoughts, the profitable brother should always say in his heart: Then shall I be without blemish before Him, if I shall have kept myself from my iniquity.


Now we are indeed prohibited to do our own wills when the scripture says to us: And turn away from thy own wishes. And , again, we beseech God in the prayer that His will be done.















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 多告解, 多次顯現中耶穌已説過, 在告解中, 不是神父赦你罪, 在耶穌站在神父後面赦你的罪。

多次聖體奇蹟: 聖體聖血變成耶穌真正的身體。


天主教相信聖體是真耶穌身體聖血。 基督教不信。 話這是象徵, 不真是耶穌身體。 但很多聖體奇蹟中麵餅變成血和肉

若果你在Google play 能下載我靈讚頌主apps , 就不用買中文聖經。


懂英文的, type catholic bible , 有很多免費apps.


在Google book, 很多很便宜的聖書英文天主教的, 十元八塊已很多頁。 用支付宝就可付錢


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 活在純潔的愛內。 只有天主才是愛。 但一定很多困難, 令我們放棄。 要堅持。 有誘惑, 有痛苦, 這些東西克服了有功勞, 有天上光榮, 死後有很大賞報。 在天堂永享天福, 光榮無盡, 快樂到不得了。


 世界的愛總有污染。 跟魔鬼, 魔鬼給你榮華富貴, 但你內心是不快樂, 你覺得自己滿身罪, 無平安, 無喜樂, 魔鬼是不會愛你, 你無人愛你。 天主的路是狹窄, 是很多困難, 但祂保證, 只要克服它們, 就有無限功德, 在天堂永生永王, 歡樂無盡。 在世上跟魔鬼拜魔鬼, 有很多錢, 內心不平安, 不敢面對自己的罪, 空虛了就更犯罪, 死後受耶穌天主審判, 下地獄。 若生前仍有做好事, 但一生多數不悔改, 屢犯罪仍不悔改, 可能下煉獄, 受很長痛苦才上天堂。 若一生不肯做好事, 死做壞人, 犯罪賺錢邪淫邪惡, 死後大多下地獄了。 無人知自己是下地獄還是煉獄, 所以每天省察自己, 每晚臨睡前祈禱天主原諒, 第二天努力改善自己, 定期告解, 多領聖體, 天天看天主教聖經, 有閒瑕多做義工, 避免犯罪的機會, 遠離不好的人, 有愛心, 死前上等痛悔, 這樣大多上天堂


聖母已曾許諾: 戴棕色聖母聖衣的人一定不下地獄,但不可因此亂犯罪。

戴聖衣, 而一生守貞潔, 及每天唸玫瑰經一串( 五端) , 或, 每天唸日課, 或, 每天唸聖母小日課( 香港中國都無貨, 要買英文), 或, 週六和週三不吃肉, 這樣, 這些人即使死後入煉獄, 死後第一個星期六從煉獄入天堂


聖母是非常愛我們。

聖母曾說過, 有一天, 她藉聖衣和玫瑰經拯救世界

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 痛苦是一定有, 因為世界有罪惡。 惡人和好人都會痛苦, 但惡人的痛苦無價值, 善人的痛苦忍受了不犯罪會成聖自己, 立許多天國功勞。 在世上短短幾十年, 雖有苦受, 死後無限的光榮和快樂。 惡人在地上受苦, 死後也受苦。


因原祖父母的罪過, 痛苦進入這世界


聖母是無染原罪, 她一生也沒犯罪, 但她也受很多苦, 死後成最偉大的聖人


很多人受苦就看三世書, 話前世犯錯, 今世報應。

煉靈顯現說, 人只有一世。 人痛苦不是因上一世。 是因世界有罪惡, 痛苦來到 世界, 人也藉痛苦考驗出他是否是真聖人,在天國大享光榮。 失敗了做不到聖人, 只要真懺悔, 謙卑自己, 就一定可上天國。 聖母常顯現說: 悔改! 祈禱! 


最重要的是悔改, 跌倒後肯改過, 謙卑自己, 愛天主在萬有之上, 愛人如己。

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 要愛。 要寬恕。 福音的精神。 有顯現說, 人死後, 耶穌會問, 你要我原諒你, 你有否也原諒人, 為仇人祈禱? 希望他改過? 和你和好? 還是你心裏一直咒他死? 


這是福音的精神


愛, 謙卑, 寬恕, 愛主愛人, 純潔, 為愛人而作犧牲


例如


為救煉靈, 為臨終者悔改, 我今天不吃肉, 不化妝, 也是很好的克己, 可以幫助罪人悔改和煉靈得救


福音的精神是要我們肯為愛人而奉上小小的犧牲, 付出。 愛主愛人


所以天主教強調星期五為煉靈和罪人悔改得救守齋, 不吃肉。 身體太差可吃海鮮魚, 但熱血動物不吃

2023年8月18日 星期五

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 Heart of Jesus, I adore Thee! Heart of Mary, I implore thee! Heart of Joseph, pure and just! In these three Hearts I place my trust! 


TRIDUUM OF HEARTS 


Though not liturgically venerated in the Church, private devotion to the Chaste / Pure Heart of St. Joseph has been around for centuries, as was the case with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary before their own approval.


Private devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, an offshoot of the Holy Wounds devotion, began as early as the 11th century, but was not granted a liturgical feast day until 1670, for select seminaries. Over time, and little by little, the Church allowed for more places to celebrate this private feast day of the Sacred Heart. It was not until 1856 that Pope Pius IX established the Feast of the Sacred Heart as obligatory for the whole Church.


As with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Immaculate Heart of Mary was being venerated as early as the 11th century. It was not until 1855 that the Congregation of Rites approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church. After centuries of private devotion, the Immaculate Heart of Mary finally received its official feast day in 1944, granted by Pope Pius XII.


It is natural, and worthy, that devotion to the Heart of St. Joseph follow the same path as those Hearts which were entrusted to his care. Taking from the example of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, it is acceptable to also practice a private devotion to the Heart of St. Joseph.


Though modern-day apparitions (alleged or approved) support devotion to the Chaste Heart of St. Joseph, one may be confident in this devotion by reflecting on the closeness of the marital and virginal hearts of Joseph and Mary. As given to us in the Book of Genesis and in the Gospel of St. Matthew, when a man and wife are brought together in marriage, their hearts become one:

Wherefore a man shall leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife: and they shall be two in one flesh (Genesis 2:24).


Therefore, now they are not two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder (St. Matthew 19:6). Throughout their holy and virginal marriage, the hearts of Joseph and Mary were ever united in the life they shared. Since these hearts became as one, it is right that we should honour them both, neither excluding one or the other, as they both loved, nurtured, upheld, and suffered for, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in unison.


Though private devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary began long before, it was in the late 1600’s that the Heart of Joseph, united to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, began to emerge in the piety of the faithful and in works of art.


In 1668, Fr. Bartolomeu do Quental, founder of the Oratorians in Portugal, began propagating devotion to the three Sacred Hearts of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, after he settled in Minas Gerais, Brazil.


In 1744, a brotherhood was formed in Seville, Spain, under the banner: “Slaves of the Heart of St. Joseph”. Their emblem featured the Heart of Joseph with flames issuing from its top and encircled with lilies. The heart is crossed with his flowering staff and a sword, while the monogram of St. Joseph is seen in the center. The brotherhood was permitted to privately celebrate the feast of the Heart of Joseph on September 18.


In 1843 a certain Carmelite Father, Elia of the Three Hearts, is said to have actively promoted devotion to the Hearts of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, with the approval of Pope Gregory XVI throughout Italy and France. Traces of this devotion are found in the form of medals and prayer cards depicting the three Hearts, which began to surface.


In 1846, Fr. Michele Rocco, an Oblate of the Virgin Mary, established the Pious Union of the Most Pure Heart of St. Joseph in Italy.


Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, there have been alleged apparitions of St. Joseph, notably in the United States and in Brazil, in which he implores the faithful to have recourse to his Heart.

In 2021, the Year of St. Joseph as declared by Rome, devotion to St. Joseph has finally begun to flourish on a global scale, and, as a result, there has been a renaissance in Josephite art – including depictions of his most Chaste Heart.


Aside from St. Joseph’s liturgical feast days, Wednesday is the traditional day of the week on which we are to honour St. Joseph in some way (Benedict XV, Bonum Sane 1920). Because of this, it would be pious for us to celebrate (privately) a feast day of the Chaste Heart of St. Joseph on the Wednesday after the Sacred Heart of Jesus.


By José Rodrigues

2023年8月17日 星期四

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St Benedict is ruthless against murmuring.God Himself was revealed as fearsome against the murmurers, especially during the 40 years of the desert crossing. The experience of community life teaches that sometimes even the good and simple end up suffering the unhappy influence of these murmurers. It should further be pointed out that one can also murmur with the heart or with the simple frown of one's face, without opening one's mouth. These hidden murmurers, too , in no way escape the judment of Him who searches hearts.


Here the murmurers are those who spread rumour, destroy the peace of the community, spread division in the convent.


( Advice from my confessor: if we are insulted unreasonably by others, and we want an outlet to express our anger, we can talk to our closest friend or relatives. But the grumble should not be repeated again and again. We should forgive. The best way to express your anger is to talk to God in your own cell, where nobody can hear you. You can write diary. Ask God to guide you in your writing. Forgive, improve ,be more mature and grow up, learn from a lesson, from your anger and pains)

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 Also for those who are not nuns and monk. Can be applied to every lay catholics:


The habit of regular observance sometimes runs up against a danger: namely that of carrying out the prescribed exercises almost mechanically, through habit and without the fervor of devotion. Woe to a religious house when, in place of the fervor of charity, there prevails only the iron discipline of the rules!


A broad and open heart is required. In order that such narrowness may never oppress the heart, it is necessary to feed in it the fire of divine charity with daily exercises and holy meditations.The abbot will feed this flame by means of ---- the daily exercise of mental prayer.


Very simple for everyday mental prayer: read a paragraph from the Bible or Gospel, meditate, reflect, write on diary. Act of contrition. Resolution to improve in certain aspects. Talk to God by your own words. Develop affection to God by your own conversation with Him.


Medjugorje atheist prayer

 At the apparition site of Medjugorje, Our Lady gave five wonderful promises, on September 2, 2012, for those who pray for atheists (the ones "who have not come to know the love of the Heavenly Father").


The promises:


1. "I will strengthen you."

2. "I will fill you with my graces."

3. "With my love, I will protect you from the evil spirit."

4. "I will be with you."

5. "With my presence, I will console you in difficult moments."


The prayer:


"In the Name of Jesus, Who said that anything we ask in His Name will be given to those who believe, I ask that those who have not come to know the love of the Heavenly Father will be blessed with the knowledge that they are loved by Him beyond all human reasoning and understanding. Please grant them the gift to feel His love as it enfolds them to such an extent that they will be unable to resist or deny it. May the knowledge of the Heavenly Father's infinite love stir within their hearts the desire to return that love to Him, and to reflect it to all others. May their lives be a pure reflection of His resplendent love. I ask this in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Amen"


Dramatic Photo that is on the cover of Wayne Wieble’s famous book is an actual photo of the Virgin Mary


“According to the story behind it, a nun from the Vatican on pilgrimage to Medjugorje, had been invited to be present in the room during the time of an apparition. She had taken a picture of a crucifix on the wall, above where the young visionaries appeared to be looking during the apparition. When the photograph was developed a close-up of a beautiful young woman’s face appeared on the film. One of the visionaries later stated that it looked very much like Our Lady, “But” he had added, “she is even more beautiful!”

st bosco dream part 3

 A Glimpse of Heaven given to Saint John Bosco:(part 3)

  continue...


Summoning my courage, I replied , " I am shaking because I don't know where I am ."


" You are in the abode of happiness," Savio answered," where one experiences every joy, every delight."


" Is this the reward of the just?"


"Not at all! Here we do not enjoy supernatural happiness but only a natural one, though greatly magnified."


" Might I be allowed to see a little supernatural light?"


"No one can see it until he has come to see God as He is. The faintest ray of that light would instantly strike one dead, because the human senses are not sturdy enough to endure it."


Here ends the narrative of Saint John Bosco's dream.


In this vision , the saint was only shown natural aspects of heavenly happiness. He was not able to contemplate the essence of heavenly happiness, which is the beatific vision. It is written that no man can see it until he has come to see God as He is. 


Prayer:

I love You , O my God, and my only desire is to love you until the last breath of my life.

I love You, O my infinitely lovable God, I would rather die loving You, than live without loving You.

I love You, Lord and the only grace I ask is to love you eternally.


My God, if my tongue cannot say in every moment that I love You,

I want my heart to repeat it to You as often as I draw breath."

St John Vianney.


Resolve: Pray the prayer Our Lady taught the children of Fatima to pray : Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy ."


st bosco dream part2

 A Glimpse of Heaven given to Saint John Bosco:(part 2)


continue...


One could tell from the expression of those happy faces that the singers not only took the deepest pleasure in singing, but also received vast joy in listening to the others. The more they sang, the more pressing became their desire to sing. The more they listened the more vibrant became their yearning to hear more....


As I listened enthralled to that heavenly choir, I saw an endless multitude of boys ( St. Bosco's students) approaching me. Many I recognized as having been at the Oratory and in our other schools, but by far the majority of them were total strangers to me. Their endless ranks drew closer, headed by Dominic Savio, who was followed immediately by Father Alasonatti, Father Chiali, Father Guilitto and many other clerics and priests, each leading a squad of boys...


Once that host of boys got some eight or ten paces from me, they halted. There was a flash of light far brighter than before, the music stopped, and a hushed silence fell over all. A most radiant joy aglow with happiness. They looked and smiled at me very pleasantly , as though to speak, but no one said a word.


Dominic Savio stepped forward a pace or two, standing so close to me that, had I stretched out my hand, I would surely have touched him. He too was silent and gazed upon me with a smile... 


At last Dominic Savio spoke, " Why do you stand there silent, as though you were most devitalized?" he asked. " Are not you the one who once feared nothing, holding your ground against slander, persecution, hostility, hardships and dangers of all sorts? Where is courage? Say something!"


I forced myself to reply in a stammer," I do not know what to say , Are you Dominic Savio?"

"Yes, I am . Don't you know me anymore?"


"How come you are here?"I asked still bewildered.

Savio spoke affectionately," I came to talk with you . We spoke together so often on earth! Do you not recall how much you loved me, or how many tokens of friendship you gave me and how kind you were to me? And did I not return the warmth of your love? How much trust I placed in you! So why are you tongue -tied?" Why are you shaking? Come ask me a question or two !"


Part 2 ends. continue....


st bosco dream part 1

 A Glimpse of Heaven given to Saint John Bosco:(part 1)

It suddenly seemed to me that I was standing on a small mound or hillock , on the rim of a broad plain so far-reaching that the eye could not compass its boundaries lost in vastness.


All was blue , blue as the calmest sea, though what I saw was not water. It resembled a highly polished , sparkling sea of glass. Stretching out beneath , behind and on either side of me was an expanse of what looked like seashore.


Broad, imposing avenues divided the plain into grand gardens of indescribable beauty , each broken up by thickets , lawns, and flower beds of varied shapes and colors.


None of the plants we know could ever give you an idea of those flowers , although there was a resemblance of sorts. The very grass, the flowers, the trees, and the fruit-----all were of singular and magnificent beauty. Leaves were of gold, trunks and boughs were of diamonds, and every tiny detail was in keeping with this wealth. The various kinds of plants were beyond counting.


Each species and each single plant sparkled with a brilliance of its own. Scattered throughout those gardens and spread over the entire plain I could see countless buildings whose architecture , magnificence, harmony , grandeur and size were so unique that one could say all the treasures of earth could not suffice to build a single one. If only my boys ( St. Bosco's students) had one such house, I said to myself, how they would love it, how happy they would be, and how much they would enjoy being there! Thus ran my thoughts as I gazed upon the exterior of those buildings , but how much greater must their inner splendor have been!


As I stood there basking in the splendor of those gardens, I suddenly heard music most sweet---- so delightful and enchanting a melody that I could never adequately describe it...A hundred thousand instruments played, each with its own sound, uniquely different from all others, and every possible sound set the air alive with its resonant waves.


I suddenly heard music most sweet.

Blended with them were the songs of choristers. In those gardens I looked upon a multitude of people enjoying themselves happily , some singing, others playing, but every note had the effect of a thousand different instruments playing together. At one and the same time if you can imagine such a thing, one could hear all the notes of the chromatic scale, from the deepest to the highest , yet all in perfect harmony. Ah yes, we have nothing on earth to compare with that symphony....


part 1 ends, continue...


2023年8月16日 星期三

聖女大德蘭選篇

 #聖師大德蘭收心灌注默觀祈禱 36

#收心祈禱-以天主經收心3

#上主的祝福19


收斂心神。

由口禱天主經開始

1先做良心省察。

2告罪

3畫十字聖號


4 #找到一個伴侶

盡力的找到一個伴侶

還有比教我們念祈禱文的老師更好的伴侶嗎?

耶穌親自和我們在一起

祂懷著何等的愛情和謙虛教導我們。


要相信我

我們要盡所能的

和這麼好的朋友相守不離


如果我們習慣

有耶穌在身旁。

而祂也看到我們滿懷愛情

盡力取悅他祂

我們就會離不開祂

祂也絕不會辜負我們


在我們所有的磨難中

祂會幫助我們。


我們到處都有祂

(時時刻刻 分分秒秒注視祂)

我們要習慣耶穌在身旁。

我們要習慣這麼做

(時時刻刻 分分秒秒注視祂)


瞧、我知道你們能做到

這是因為我好多年忍受著磨難

思想無法專注在一件事上

上主不會把我們遺留在如此孤獨中。


如果過了一年,我們得不到所求的。

那就需要多年。

(時時刻刻 分分秒秒注視祂)

不要後悔,把時間耗費在這美好的事上

要習慣注視祂

努力的走,在這位真正老師的身旁。


用靈魂關注祂

用我們的靈魂注視祂

誰能移轉我們靈魂的雙眼?

誰能轉移我看這位上主呢?


我們可以看,非常醜陋的東西。

難道不能看這世間最美的事物嗎?

耶穌的雙眼從不離開我們。

祂忍受成千次,反對祂的事物

要我們注視祂這算過分嗎?


(時時刻刻 分分秒秒注視祂 習慣祂在身旁)


誠如耶穌像新娘所說的。

你們這樣渴望他、也會怎樣找到他。


#祂是那麼看重我們轉身注視祂


祂在那方面,絕對不疏於回應


5 #消除內心陰影

如果我們有磨難。

或是悲傷。

請看走在山園路上的祂

祂的靈魂承受多麼大的折磨。

因為祂已成為痛苦本身。

祂深愛著我們。

祂全身傷痕累累。

有人迫害祂

有人向他吐唾沫

祂的朋友否認祂

拋棄祂

沒有人回到祂身邊

置身於如此的孤獨中

請看揹負十字架的祂

而祂會以這麼美麗的慈愛

淚水滿面的雙眼注視我們


只因為我們以前去向祂求安慰

並回頭看祂

祂會為了安慰

而忘卻自己的悲傷


我們背起十字架吧

既使有踐踏我們。

我們也不要拿,它當一回事。

無論他們對我們說什麼,一概置之不理。


對於流言蜚語,我們要做聾子

我們要和耶穌一起被絆倒在地

也不要離開自己十字架。


耶穌走路的疲憊和磨難

遠超過我們

無論我們現在的磨難有多麼大


我們現在的感受,多麼強烈和多麼痛苦。

我們都會感到安慰。

因為和上主的磨難相比

那是令人嘲笑的


我們跟瑪麗蓮德一同站在十字架下。

看著耶穌死亡

我們跟聖母在十字架下看著耶穌死亡


祂會以這麼美麗的慈愛

淚水滿面的雙眼注視我們


只因為我們以前去向祂求安慰

並回頭看祂

祂會為了安慰

而忘卻自己的悲傷


6. #帶一張我們喜歡的上主聖像


(時時刻刻 分分秒秒注視祂)

用靈魂注視他。

常常跟他說話。


7收斂心神心禱天主經


之前步驟是收斂心神

消除陰影

注視耶穌

習慣耶穌在身旁

這時靈魂注視耶穌

念天主經

口禱就提升境界到心禱了


聖女大德蘭全德之路 26章


聖衣天使善會

加爾默羅平信徒團體

Ignacio Lin 其

https://scapular.carmelangel.org/2023book/

St Michael 's lent

 SAINT MICHAEL'S LENT was begun by St. Francis of Assisi in 1224, and it involves doing or giving up something in honor of St. Michael the Archangel for 40 days (Like the regular Lent, St. Michael's Lent doesn't include Sundays).  


The traditional and ancient 40 Day Consecration Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel from the Basilica Sanctuary of St. Michael in Gargano, Italy may be prayed daily from Aug.15 thru Sept.29 to honor St. Michael as a type of Lent offering to St. Michael the Archangel, or you can also offer some kind of fasting/abstinence, prayer (The Chaplet of St. Michael the Archangel), and/or penance.


40 DAY CONSECRATION PRAYER TO ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL (Aug. 15th – Sept. 29th). St. Francis of Assisi did a yearly 40 day Lent in honor of St. Michael the Archangel, and it was during this time that he received the stigmata. 


CONSECRATION PRAYER: "Oh, most noble Prince of the Angelic Hierarchies, valorous warrior of Almighty God, and zealous lover of His glory, terror of the rebellious angels, and love and delight of all the just, my beloved Archangel Saint Michael, desiring to be numbered among your devoted servants, I, today offer and CONSECRATE myself to you, and place myself, my family, and all I possess under your most powerful protection.


I entreat you not to look at how little I, as your servant have to offer, being only a wretched sinner, but to gaze, rather, with favorable eye at the heartfelt affection with which this offering is made, and remember that if from this day onward I am under your patronage, you must during all my life assist me, and procure for me the pardon of my many grievous offenses and sins, the grace to love with all my heart my God, my dear Savior Jesus, and my Sweet Mother Mary, and to obtain for me all the help necessary to arrive to my crown of glory.


Defend me always from my spiritual enemies, particularly in the last moments of my life.


Come then, oh Glorious Prince and succor me in my last struggle, and with your powerful weapon cast far from me into the infernal abysses that prevaricator and proud angel that one day you prostrated in the celestial battle.


Accompany me then to the throne of God to sing with you, Archangel Saint Michael and all the angels, praise, honor and glory to the One who reigns for all eternity. AMEN."


(An indulgence of two-hundred days is granted to everyone who devoutly says this 40 DAY CONSECRATION PRAYER TO ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL once a day, praying for the needs of the holy Church and the Supreme Pontiff.)

Medjugorje and exorcism

 Our Lady of Medjugorje’s Stones & Exorcism 


By Italian Exorcist Msgr. Ferruccio Sutto


I had received a gift from a friend who was on pilgrimage in Medjugorje. It was a piece of rock from Mount Podobro where it is said Our Lady has been appearing and giving messages to alleged visionaries for more than 25 years. Whether that is a blessed place like Lourdes, Fatima, and Guadalupe, there is no definitive judgment on the part of the Church. I thought that if it were, the reactions of a person possessed by a demon should be the same for a relic that comes from Medjugorje as for those that came from the aforementioned sanctuaries. I wanted to do a test. At the appointment with Lorena, I brought the secret in my little sac. Nobody knew of it, not even my collaborators. One could only see paper through the transparent cellophane. At a certain moment during the exorcism, when the woman was already in a trance, I moved towards her. She was lying on a little bed. I started to insert the little plastic bag under her sweater. It contained, enveloped in paper, the piece of rock from Mount Podobro. As soon as the sac touched the hem of the skirt of Lorena and the little package was in contact with her blouse, she jumped. It was as if she wanted to get away from the hands of the four men who were holding her. She cried, "Take it away!"


The exorcist asked why he should take it away. The demon, in a convulsion of reactions that manifested his great suffering, then exclaimed several times, "It hurts me! It burns me! It is crushing me. It is crushing me! Take it away! Take it away!" The priest explicitly asked the demon what was in the little sac. And he expressed his refusal to remove it, if the demon would not tell him what it was. At a certain point when the demon could not stand it anymore, he let out a cry with one word: "Gospa!" Monsignor Sutto concludes, "Gospa" is the Croatian term with which one indicates the beautiful lady that appears to the alleged visionaries of Medjugorje and that they affirm to be Our Lady. Even before he said the word "Gospa", though, the response was evident to me in the immediate and violent reactions of Lorena when she was touched by that simple package containing the modest piece of rock from the mountain of the apparitions. ~ Italian Exorcist Msgr. Ferruccio Sutto (The Virgin Mary and the Devil in Exorcism, page 179 -180)

2023年8月15日 星期二

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 Because of the inheritance of original sin, true natural virtue is nearly impossible to attain, though some people who inherit a good disposition and felicitous circumstances might make some show of it . There is , however , another level of dignity , which belongs to the order of grace: the dignity of the children of God. Here there is the dignity of baptismal character, the dignity of sanctifying grace ( received in baptism) , and the dignity of a life of actual faith , hope , and charity, a life of holiness.


In the beginning God created man in his image and likeness. This sharing in the life and nature of God is called sanctifying grace, which was lost to the human race through the sin of Adam,won back for us by the death of Christ on the Cross, and given to us personally through faith and baptism.


Sanctifying grace can be lost again through sin and regained through confession , but the baptismal character , which marks us as belonging to Christ , can never be lost and , so long as we remain in this life, is a perpetual call to remember the height from which we have fallen and so return to God.


The dignity of creation in the image of God is a pure gift received that can never be lost; the dignity of sanctifying grace is an incomparably greater gift, but it can be lost. Vice diminishes the natural dignity of human nature , and mortal sin loses the supernatural dignity of grace . Mortal sin merit punishment , whether in this life or in the next , whether by the judgment of man or of God.


Prayer :

The dignity of being created in the image of God is a pure gift. Lord , help us to live always in the state of grace. And if we should fall , help us to repent and go quickly to Confession and regain our union with God .



" The future belongs to those who worship God in silence ".( Pope St John Paul 2)


Resolve : Pray for the grace to always remain faithful to Jesus and His Church, to spread the truth by word and example.

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 The supernatural motives of monastic obedience can be of varying kinds, more or less elevated . Here are the principal ones:

1. Perfect love for Jesus Christ, Who is the example of obedience to the Father even unto death . He has become the cause of eternal salvation to all that obey Him.

2. Fidelity to one's own vocation and to the holy (monastic) vows.

3. Fear of hell.

4. Desire for the eternal reward.


St John Climacus , the fourth step of his ladder, has a long treatise on obedience . It would be interesting to compare it with that of St Benedict. The spirit is the same.


" Obedience," says the Abbot of Sinai, " means blind faith in God, no fear of death; crossing the ocean of life without anxieties ( My opinion: is to put all hope in God, in both times of desolation and consolation. Not to waver in the storms of life). Obedience buries one's own will ( My opinion: to live the will of God, even if this is harsh. To live a life of poverty in spirit , chastity and obedience to the ten commandments. There is adversary in life. We feel frustrated. We do not want to pursue virtues. Burying one's own will is important in such case). Obedience raises humility ( to God's will) to life. The arms of obedience are psalmody, prayer , and confession." St John Climacus appeals to his experience and recalls monks who, thanks to simple obedience, had taken on the bright appearance of angels, having returned to the absolute simplicity and innocence of little children.


Obedience:

My opinion:

Obey the Ten commandments and the Catholic Catechism attentively.

For the advice of confessor, take them prudently.

2023年8月12日 星期六

聖女大德蘭

 #傾心靜聽  Lectio Divina 聖言頌禱 

#虔敬是富源

#上主的祝福 17


弟前6:6  的確,虔敬是一個獲利的富源,但應有知足的心,

6:7  因為我們沒有帶什麼到世界上,同樣也不能帶走什麼


1.   閱讀(READ)#感動的字詞

選出你要用來做祈禱的聖經章節,開始慢慢地閱讀,直到某個字,某段話或者某個章節打動你,在你的內心產生共鳴•然後濃縮成一個字或詞,當你達到這一狀態的時候,停止閱讀。            


2.默想 REFLECT #停留在感動的字詞上聖神推動

不拘泥文字、讓聖神帶領、不拘泥神學與上下文、讓這個字漣漪、讓聖神推動想像力、重複這個字詞,打動你內心的字,讓這個字詞慢慢地進入你的內心。這樣做的目的不是去思考它們,而是讓它們在你的內心迴蕩一讓它們與你的內心對話,當你這樣做的時候,慢慢地品味和享受你不斷重複的字詞。


3.祈禱(RESPOND) #與聖神同在 

在這個時候,你也許會渴望進入與天主的對話,向他傾訴這段祈禱如何打動了你的內心。或許,你的願望可能是在天主前保持安靜。當你的心靈被天主的愛有所觸動時,祈禱是你的心靈獨特和即席的回應。

繼續保持在天主的臨在中,直到你開始發現要繼續對話有些困難,或者對於祈禱中愛的臨在有所分心時。在這個時候,再次閱讀聖經的章節直到你發現其他的字或者章節打動你的內心、然後不斷地重複。


4. #寧靜正觀 

語言妨礙更深的溝通。這種靜默時刻是另一種語言,另一種說話。愛與靜默之間的共同點超過語言。

祈禱也是一樣。在默想中,我們超越思想和情緒,只是在天主面前「休息」。此時,我們唯一的渴望就是獨自地留存在一種對天主單純的愛的醒覺中。


敏悟主言為叡智

聖三聖愛為極至

聖父聖子聖神事

正視默觀奧蹟實

敏察聖經藏奧妙

聖言經句之聖道

深蘊德能心富饒

正言正行宣世曉


傾心靜聽為啟蒙

LECTIO DIVINA


歸心祈禱棄感官

Centering Prayer


默觀靈悅主灌注Contemplation

infused prayer


凝心釋形悅同冥 

(sleep of the faculties)

聖女大德蘭

 #聖師大德蘭收心灌注默觀祈禱 17

上主的祝福19

我有超過14年的時間

不閱讀善書就無法做默想祈禱

像我這樣沒有被灌注的人還有很多

也有人既使閱讀

仍然無法默想

他們只能念口禱

而且大多數的時間都停留在口禱

有些人的思想漂浮不定

無法專注於眼前

而且常常騷擾不安

擾亂不安

甚至這麼極端

如果他們想停下來想天主

成千的謬論顧慮和疑惑

全部都湧上來

理智 意志 記憶像發瘋一樣

天馬行空


我認識一位老奶奶

生活非常聖善

刻苦修行是天主忠僕

多年以來他長時間只能做口禱

至於心禱則毫無辦法

頂多就只能緩慢地頌念口禱

就是很平常的經文

其他還有許多人也是這樣

但如果有謙德

我不認為到了末了他們會很糟

反而會和那些得到許多愉悅感官上的神慰

靈魂上的靈悅的人

幾乎平等

但如果有謙德他們更加的安全

因為初學的時候我們無法分辨愉悅是來自於天主

或是出自魔鬼的介入

如果不是來自天主

那要經歷更大的危險

魔鬼的工作就是要挑唆我們的驕傲

如果來自天主就無需害怕

隨之而來的是謙遜

捨棄愛近人

沒有得到靈悅的人

懷著謙虛行走


省察懷疑自己的過失所致沒有成就

常常牽掛著向前進步

見到別人流下一滴淚就想起自己留不出淚來

既使在服事天主的世上落後很多

但是很可能他們前進的更多

因為雖然眼淚很好

卻不是所有的眼淚都是成全的

謙虛的

刻苦的

超脫的

成全包括還其他許多美好的德行

只有口禱往往更為穩妥

沒有什麼好怕的

也不用怕達不到深度默觀者那樣的成全

聖女大德蘭全德之路第17章


聖衣天使

Ignacio Lin 其

https://scapular.carmelangel.org/2023book/

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 St. Jane Frances de Chantal spent most of her life plagued by anxiety, doubts, depression, and anger.


After her husband was killed in a hunting accident (when 28-year-old Jane had 4 young children and had already buried 2), Jane was overcome with grief and anxiety and began her lifelong struggle against “suggestions of blasphemy, infidelity, and unbelief.” 


 

In the midst of this, Jane heard St. Francis de Sales preach and was finally able to forgive her husband's killer after 3 years. De Sales counseled her as she dealt with single motherhood, an over-zealous suitor, the pain of living with a cruel father-in-law, the decision to delay entering religious life to care for her children (and then the decision to enter in spite of their opposition), and the anguish of scrupulosity.


Jane also lived through the Bubonic Plague, through calumny and opposition, all while experiencing chronic depression and constant doubts. Late in life, she wrote, “I’ve had these temptations for 41 years now—do you think I’m going to give up after all this time? Absolutely not. I’ll never stop hoping in God.... Most often, there is a confused sort of strife in my soul. Between feelings of being plunged into impenetrable darkness that I am powerless to do anything about, I have a kind of spiritual nausea that tempts me to give up trying." 


 Her friend St. Vincent de Paul wrote, "She was full of faith, and yet all her life long she had been tormented by thoughts against it. Nor did she once relax in the fidelity God asked of her. And so I regard her as one of the holiest souls I have ever met on this earth." 


 This is so important: Jane Frances de Chantal was a Saint not *in spite of* her struggles and temptations and doubts and fears, but BECAUSE OF THEM.


Your struggles do not disqualify you. You are being called to be a saint in your doubts, fears, anxieties, and darkness, in this time of sorrow and confusion and turmoil and anger. This is your path to holiness, and when (by God's grace) you persevere, you will become a far greater saint because of these struggles than you ever would have been without them.


St. Jane Frances de Chantal, pray that our suffering would make us saints!

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 August 12 Feast day

St. Jane Frances de Chantal

(1562-1641)

Jane Frances was wife, mother, nun and founder of a religious community. Her mother died when Jane was 18 months old, and her father, head of parliament at Dijon, France, became the main influence on her education. She developed into a woman of beauty and refinement, lively and cheerful in temperament. At 21 she married Baron de Chantal, by whom she had six children, three of whom died in infancy. At her castle she restored the custom of daily Mass, and was seriously engaged in various charitable works.

Jane's husband was killed after seven years of marriage, and she sank into deep dejection for four months at her family home. Her father-in-law threatened to disinherit her children if she did not return to his home. He was then 75, vain, fierce and extravagant. Jane Frances managed to remain cheerful in spite of him and his insolent housekeeper.

When she was 32, she met St. Francis de Sales who became her spiritual director, softening some of the severities imposed by her former director. She wanted to become a nun but he persuaded her to defer this decision. She took a vow to remain unmarried and to obey her director.

After three years Francis told her of his plan to found an institute of women which would be a haven for those whose health, age or other considerations barred them from entering the already established communities. There would be no cloister, and they would be free to undertake spiritual and corporal works of mercy. They were primarily intended to exemplify the virtues of Mary at the Visitation (hence their name, the Visitation nuns): humility and meekness.

The usual opposition to women in active ministry arose and Francis de Sales was obliged to make it a cloistered community following the Rule of St. Augustine. Francis wrote his famous Treatise on the Love of God for them. The congregation (three women) began when Jane Frances was 45. She underwent great sufferings: Francis de Sales died; her son was killed; a plague ravaged France; her daughter-in-law and son-in-law died. She encouraged the local authorities to make great efforts for the victims of the plague and she put all her convent’s resources at the disposal of the sick.

During a part of her religious life, she had to undergo great trials of the spirit—interior anguish, darkness and spiritual dryness. She died while on a visitation of convents of the community.

Comment:

It may strike some as unusual that a saint should be subject to spiritual dryness, darkness, interior anguish. We tend to think that such things are the usual condition of “ordinary” sinful people. Some of our lack of spiritual liveliness may indeed be our fault. But the life of faith is still one that is lived in trust, and sometimes the darkness is so great that trust is pressed to its limit.

Quote:

St. Vincent de Paul said of Jane Frances: “She was full of faith, yet all her life had been tormented by thoughts against it. While apparently enjoying the peace and easiness of mind of souls who have reached a high state of virtue, she suffered such interior trials that she often told me her mind was so filled with all sorts of temptations and abominations that she had to strive not to look within herself...But for all that suffering her face never lost its serenity, nor did she once relax in the fidelity God asked of her. And so I regard her as one of the holiest souls I have ever met on this earth” (Butler’s Lives of the Saints).

Source: American Catholic..

Fivefold scapular

 Blue scapular 


The Blessed Mother spoke to Ursula with these words: “Cease weeping, Ursula, and turn your sighs into heartfelt joy. Listen closely to what Jesus, whom I am holding in my lap, will say to you.”


Then Jesus revealed to Ursula that she would found a convent where 33 nuns, dressed in the same attire as the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of her vision, would live a life of solitude and seclusion. The Savior promised special graces and many spiritual gifts to those who would zealously follow this way of life.


The Venerable Servant of God besought the Lord to extend these favors also to such people who, living in the world, would have a special devotion to the mystery of the Immaculate Conception, observe chastity according to their station in life, and wear a small blue scapular. As a sign that her prayer had been heard, Jesus showed Ursula in a vision a multitude of angels distributing scapulars over the earth. This scene is artistically captured in a fresco at the Theatine Sisters’ Convent in Naples.



https://padrimariani.org/en/the-blue-scapular/



Red Scapular:


Sister Apolline reported that from 26 July 1846 to 14 September 1846 visions of Jesus and Mary appeared to her in the convent in Troyes, France and promised her that those who wear the scapular faithfully and contemplated the Passion of Jesus Christ would be granted a great increase of faith, hope and charity every Friday.[5]


She described the apparition of July 26, 1846:


Being in the chapel in the evening of the octave day of our Holy Father (St. Vincent de Paul), I saw, or thought I saw, Our Lord dressed in a flowing robe of a red color with a blue mantle hanging from his shoulders...He had in his hand a red scapular on which he was represented on the cross..."[6]


She further said that in a subsequent vision on September 14 (the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross) that Jesus told her that


The priests of the Mission alone are to give this scapular, and those who wear it when blessed by them will receive every Friday a full remission of their sins, and a great increase of faith, hope, and charity."[6]


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Scapular_of_the_Passion


Black scapular


The second black scapular is called "The Black Scapular of Our Lady of Dolors" or "The Black Scapular of the Seven Dolors of Mary." It is related to the Marian devotion of the Servites. Our Lady appeared to seven young Florentine noblemen, inviting them to follow Christ through the evangelical counsels. She gave them a black habit, telling them that "these garments shall be to you a perpetual memory of the sufferings of my heart." This is the beginning of the more common black scapular. The scapular witnesses a special dedication to Mary, and indicates her protection for the order. In turn, the members honor Mary in the Seven Dolors of her life:


https://udayton.edu/imri/mary/b/black-scapular.php


White scapular


white scapular with a red and blue cross. It is the badge of the confraternity of the Most Blessed Trinity, said to have originated in a vision given to Pope Innocent III in 1198, when an angel in this garb told him to approve the Trinitarian Order for the redemption of captives among the Moslems.


https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/dictionary/index.cfm?id=32197

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 During the Holy Mass celebrated at the parish church of St Anthoy in Sokolka , a consecrated host fell from the hands of one of the priests during the distribution of Communion. The priest picked up the Host, and , in accordance with liturgical norms, placed it in a small container of water. The Host was expected to dissolve in the water. Knowing that the consecrated host would take some time to dissolve, the container was placed in the safe located in the parish sacristy.


A week later, when the pastor was checking on the Host, when the door was opened there was a delicate aroma of unleavened bread. Opening the container , he found in the middle of the Host---- which was still largely intact----- a curved, bright red stain , like a blood stain: a living particle of a body. The water was untainted by the color. The priest brought in the other priests at the parish and the visiting missionary , Fr. Ryszard Gorowski . They were all amazed and left speechless by what they saw.


On March 30,2009, the archbishop created an ecclesial commission to study the phenomenon.


A piece of the altered Host was taken and analyzed independently by two experts. Prof. Maria Sobaniec -Lotowska , MD, an Pro. Stanislaw Sulkowski , MD, in order to ensure the credibility of the results. Both are histopathologists at the Medical University of Bialystok. The studies were carried out at the university 's Department of Pathomorphology.


The results of both independent studies were in perfect agreement. They concluded that the structure of the transformed fragment of the Host is identical to the myocardial( heart) tissue of a living person who is nearing death.


" It is our duty to adore the Blessed Sacrament . No one receives the Blessed Sacrament unless he adores it ... and not only do we not sin by adoring. we do sin by not adoring."


St Augustine writes.


Resolve: I will go to daily Mass as often as I possibly can and receive Jesus in Holy Communion , giving Him many acts of love!

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 If everyone only knew that God's plan for every human person is to raise each one of us to a higher level--- higher than anything humans could accomplish ! His plan is to share with us His divine nature. 

Almighty God, the creator of all things visible and invisible , raises His creatures , those who obey Him , to a supernatural state: it is called living in the state of grace, supernatural grace, above our human nature.


Every earthly affection, even that which seems to be the deepest, is superficial . Our hearts were not made for created things, although these things attract us inasmuch as they are reflections of the divine. But they neither satisfy nor pacify human hearts, nor produce in them the interior movement proper to profound love, the love of God.

If people knew that after years spent in devoting to creatures what they think is a deep and wonderful love, they are still ignorant of the first rudiments of the divine science.They have not even begun to taste the holy , the immense love of God, so ardent that it carries us out of ourselves, so sweet that it enraptures us.

Divine Love comes to us at Baptism. When we are baptized, the immediate result is the indwelling of the Holy Trinity. God dwells in our soul.The virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity are infused into the soul. Our human condition is elevated and we share in the Divine nautre of God.

Read the lives of the saints. Some were quiet and hidden. Others performed great miracles, like healing the sick, and some even raising the dead to life. Share this with your children and grandchildren. This will protect them fom being deceivd by the evil one.


Prayer to be Transformed:

Loving Father, Here I am.

I trust that You have an incredible plan for me.

Transform me. Transform my life.

Everything is on the table.

Take what you want to take and give what you want to give.

Transform me into the person You created me to be,

So I can live the life You envision for me.

I hold nothing back; I am 100 percent available.

How can I help? Amen.


" Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier."

( St Mother Teresa of Calcutta)


Resolve: Look up information or watch video about St Josph Cupertino, whose life was filled with superhuman miracles, and pray the prayer to be Transformed as a novena for 9 days.

2023年8月11日 星期五

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 Confession: after confession still remains the punishment


Plenary indulgence: very important for the dying , total remission of punishment of one 's sins.


Reminder: God is fair. If one abuses the use of plenary indulgence, and randomly sin against God in his life. The plenary indulgence at his death may not help that person but rather, this indulgence is beneficial to another soul who is also in need of it.


Therefore, lead a good life. Do not think that before death i can sin randomly and gain a lot of indulgences so i will not be punished in this life and the next . No . We must be sincere in every act of contrition. 


Follow ten commandments. Also frequent the sacraments. 


According to the catholic books, purgatory is divided into three levels. The first one is without fire, a place to be tortured by " an ardent longing for God , still awaiting to get into heaven ".

The souls say it is also very painful


The second is with fire. Fire more intense than any fire on the earth.


The third is nearest to hell. The fire and tortures are very similar to hell. But it is not hell, it is purgatory.


The saints asked the suffering soul what is their most painful torture.

They say it is " separation from God and the ardent longing to see Him but not available to " . Not able to see God is their greatest torture.


The nuns and monks : do confession once a week.

Do the same as for your own benefit.


Repent and convert


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 All people are called to be spouse of Jesus, my priest said, even the married. It depends on whether that person is willing to accept the call . Jesus will not force anyone to accept this offer. Everyone is called to be pure and chaste, especially the Carmelite. Sabbatine privilege: those who wear the brown scapular, observe chastity all their lives, lead a just life, pray five decades of rosary everyday or recite the little office of mary everyday or abstain from meat on wed and sat all their lives, will be released from purgatory on the first Saturday after death. Carmelite emphasizes purity and chastity. I wear a brown scapular everyday. I also pray rosary and lead a good life.



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 Every Saint of the Catholic church has been deeply devoted to the Blessed Sacrament.In fact , there is no sanctity without the Eucharist. From the dawn of Christian history, faith in the Holy Eucharist as the living Christ has been continuous.

Our focus should be on growing in our understanding of the Holy Eucharist.

we receive Him no less than the Apostles did at the Last Supper.


He is present, He offers , He comes.


He is present in order to be near us, with us, next to us, present to us. He wants to show us how much He loves us. He wants to teach us:

- Humility, Patience, Obedience, Silence, Selfless Charity.


He wants us to come to Him. He offers Himself in the Mass in order to give us the graces we need to surrender our wills to His. These are the distinctive graces of the Sacrament of the Mass:


The graces are :


- Self-surrender, Self -abandonment, Self-immolation.


He comes to us in Holy Communion in order to give us the graces of selfless charity. It is not coincidental that Christ did two things at the Last Supper:

1. He gave us the New Commandment: Love one another as He loves us , even unto death.

2. he instituted the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.


These two go together. We cannot practice selfless charity without receiving Holy Commuion. ( Servant of God Fr. John . A. Hardon. SJ)


" The love of God and neighbour , the greatest commandment is expressed in, and the fruit of , Eucharistic worship." St John Paul 2


" You will never be happy if your happiness depends on getting solely what you want. Change the focus. Get a new center. Will what God wills, and your joy no man shall take from you ." ( Venerable Fulton Sheen)


Our Eucharistic Lord gives us grace to surrender our lives to Him ----to seek not our own will , but only His will, no matter what the cost.



Resolve: Pray for the grace to thank God for whatever He sends, for He sends only what is best for our souls.


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 For those who do not love God, either out of pride , apathy , or a disdain for Him and His commandments, the desire to live forever is today being manifested in an evil , demonic way. Transhumanism is a refusal to submit to God, imagining that man's abilities are not derived from God, but rather from our power . Some believe they can construct a creature superior to man by their efforts to combine human beings with technology. It is a great rebellion against God, with an end goal of being able to control humans. Much time and money are being spent on developing what seems like science fiction.

They will market it so that people will come to believe that doing what they propose will make them much more intelligent , will bring great well-being, happiness, security, and anything else that may lure people into the trap that will make them lose their freedom--- and even their free will. Woe to those who consent. Their lot will be misery.

( e.g : believe in reincarnation , tarot)


On the contrary, what wonderful things God has planned for those who love him. For those who persevere, who are faithful to the end, they will be taken into the Kingdom of God, will see Him as He is , and will be like Him , like Almighty God !


" Trust all things to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and to Mary Help of Christians and you will see what miracles are ." St John Bosco.



Resolve: Make a holy hour and pray the rosary for the conversion of sinners.


2023年8月9日 星期三

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 Distractions in prayer:


The imagination is not easily controlled and the devil can assail us with all kinds of representations and may try to allure us even to sin. But we are never to be alarmed when we know our distractions are not voluntary. When we avert to distractions we should turn away from them gently without violence. We are not to conclude that our prayer has been bereft of all value because during most or all of the time we have been subject to distractions . Since we have done our best we must be convinced that God is satisfied with us and our prayer, poor as it may appear to be , will be very profitable. After all , it is a more unselfish act to be content to persevere at our prayer in spite of a weary struggle with distractions than to spend our time in prayer made with sensible sweetness and fervour.It is consequently more meritorious , and we can be certain that perseverance in prayer in spite of distractions, when we are applying the means already indicated to eliminate them, will lead to a prayer free from distractions and to closer union with God. So we must resolve that, no matter how long or weary our struggle with distractions may be, we will persevere in our prayer.


Voluntary distractions are at least serious imperfections, and so every person any way anxious for union with Go will seek to eliminate them.


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 Aridities in prayer:


Another source of difficulty in prayer are aridities. Ariditiy or dryness may test a person devoted to prayer at any stage. But usually with beginners it only lasts for a brief period, and it is especially at the stage that we have reached in our explanations of prayer that aridity of long duration comes to test the fidelity of a soul wishing to love God.Aridity is the incapacity of having any feeling about God or heavenly things. The soul in an arid state has no pleasure or satisfaction in the things of God and will not, or rather, finds she cannot have satisfaction in the things of earth. In a severe state of aridity the soul feels as if she were abandoned by Go or not wanted by God. According to the designs of God on the soul this state is usually accompanied by other trials more or less severe, such as sickness of body , troubles of mind, and misunderstandings with friends or persecutions.



In reality, the soul is not bereft of thought or feeling; there is beneath all a thought and loving longing for God. The thought may be obscure, indeterminate and anxious, the longing frequently painful.The important point is that God is nearer to the soul than ever, and the soul is very dear to God. The explanation of the state is simply that God is detaching the soul from all earthly things to attach it completely to Himself, and is purifying it from its many stains and imperfections to make it purer and more worthy of being completely filled by Himself and of being admitted to the deepest knowledge and sublimest union with Him. The soul is being detached from conceptions and feelings of God which can stand in the way of a truer knowledge and more intimate union.


It is of the utmost importance that the soul will understand the explanation of those severe trials permitted by God and not make the mistake of being discouraged and tempted to give up prayer altogether.

玫瑰經多厲害

 玫塊經:


( From : The secret of the rosary , by st montfort .)


聖母曾說:  我們每唸一遍聖母經, 我們就向她呈上一朵美麗的玫瑰花, 每唸完一串玫瑰經, 就是向她呈上一個花冠. 這花冠是永垂不朽, 直到永遠, 也為我們立下天上的功勞


( 取錄自小冊子: 玫瑰經非常有力的祈禱)


每一遍聖母經就像敲打魔鬼的頭一次


梵蒂岡首席驅魔師加俾厄爾阿莫爾特神父Father Gabriel Amorth寫道:


有一天, 我有一位同事在驅魔時聽到魔鬼說:


“ 每一遍聖母經就像敲打我的頭一次, 如果基督徒知道玫瑰經是如何強而有力, 這會是我的終結者! “


聖母曾對一位聖人說過: “ 你每唸一遍聖母經, 就是加強我所傾注的力量 “


 


玫瑰經是天主給予我們用以摧毀罪惡的特殊強大武器


 


聖母於葡萄牙花地瑪顯現


聖母於花地瑪向其顯現的三位小童之一的聖路濟亞於1957 年的面談中指出:


“ 我們活在末世之中, 聖母對於誦唸玫瑰經賦予新功效.


她賦予的這項功效就是, 無論問題有多困難, 無論是世俗還是靈性上的問題, 無論家庭問題, 世俗中的家庭問題, 教會大家庭問題, 甚至是關乎人命及國家的問題, 沒有問題是玫瑰經解決不到的.


讓我告訴你, 無論問題有多困難, 沒有問題是玫瑰經解決不到的. 透過玫瑰經, 我們將使自己得救, 我們將聖化自己, 使天主感到安慰,並且使許多靈魂得到救贖 ”


Jesus passion 3

 Passion of Jesus 3


Jesus had once said, as a test:


"Come after me

And I will make you fishers of men."


This could only be another such test, a trial of his courage, and at that moment Peter thought he had courage for anything. He would show his Lord that now, as ever, he was constant. He would ask, he would offer himself, be the consequences what they might:


" Peter saith to him

Why cannot I follow thee?

I will lay down my life for thee Lord

I am ready to go with thee

Both into prison and to death."


Poor, brave Peter ! How easy is it to be brave when no danger is near us! How easy to be faithful when there is no temptation to desert, but only sweet attraction to draw us! But not in such a way may those be trained who are destined to guide others. For that end Peter must be allowed his lesson, which only a heavy fall would teach him. In the answer which Jesus gave him there is irony, there is resignation ,there is even hope, there is no less affection;indeed love is the more expressed by the repetition of the name:


" Jesus answered and said to him

Wilt thou lay down your life for me?

Amen Amen I say to thee

Peter

Today even in this night

Before the cock crow twice

Thou shalt deny me thrice."


" Peter!" Before He had said:" Simon , Simon", now it was " Peter!"Then , his ordinary name, now, when his fall is prophesied , he is called " The Rock!" Such is the affectionate irony of Jesus Christ.


There is another thing to be noticed. That night Jesus had to deal with two offenders, Judas and Simon Peter.Judas that night would betray Him but once, Peter would deny Him thrice. Judas had made no special protest of allegiance, Peter had declared his loyalty again and again . Judas had been entrusted merely with the common purse; to Peter had been given the keys , the care of the Universal Church. And yet, after their fall, how differently they were treated ! 


The one repented out of despair, the other , with all his weakness, had never  

ceased to love; and Jesus knew the value of them both.

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 Personal causes for a polluted mind include:

1. a lack of serious thinking and study

2. a love for fads, a desire to remain mainstream and socially acceptable.

3. the darkening effects of sin, which clouds the mind

4. submission to political-commercial propaganda

5.ignorance of truths necessary for developing good habits

6.contempt of truths of the faith

7. distraction, especially a lack of attention to spiritual things.


Christ explains the foundational cause :" Out of the heart come evil thoughts."(Mt 15:19; emphasis added). That is , disordered desires of the heart lead to evil thoughts; evil thoughts likewise produce and strengthen evil desires . Thought and desire are like body and soul, closer than twins, affecting each other in inextricable ways


Evagruis wisely notes that to overcome disordered passions, and memories that stir up our passions, we must tame our bodily desiring and assertive appetites ( concupiscible and irascible ) by means of bodily asceticism, such as fasting, vigils, and sleeping on the ground. However, to overcome bad thoughts, one must cultivate good thoughts:

" Evil thoughts cut off good ones, and in turn evil ones are cut off by good ones."Christian thoughts, derived from faith and enlivened by charity, are remedies for disordered interior thoughts that dwell in our intellects. If they are not cultivated , then evil words will eventually spill from our lips.

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 St Anthony Mary Claret had a particular love for the saints. In his autobiography , he described how the saints powerfully intensified his own good habits, especially the abiding desire he had to be another apostle:


I frequently read the lives of those saints who were distinguished for their zeal in saving souls, and I felt the good effect of it...In the course of meditating on the lives and works of these saints, I used to feel such a burning within me that I could not sit still. I had to get up and run from one place to another, preaching continually. I cannot describe what I felt inside me. Nothing tired me; I was not terrified at the awful calumnies being leveled against me, or afraid of the greatest persecutions . Everything was sweet to me, as long as I could win souls for Jesus Christ and heaven and save them from hell.


2023年8月8日 星期二

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 We see that the God-focused fire of charity is crucial for heroic habits. By uniting us to God as our highest good and best love, charity focuses on everything in our life on God, including our habits, dispositions, and skills. In the words of St. Paul, it is the " bond of perfection". ( Col 3:15). Charity sets our habits aflame with divine love, acting as a furnace in which they are gradually perfected. As charity becomes more perfect, it also comes to take command of all our acts and habits. The gradual perfection of all habits therefore corresponds to the stages of the perfection of charity. Following ancient tradition, Aquinas describes the growth of charity as belonging to three stages: beginners, the proficient, and " the perfect". Here, then , I will merely summarize the stages, which can be compared to the way fire gradually burns wood.


First, fire acts upon green wood by heating it up and expelling all interior moisture. Through this " purgative" process, wood is " purified" of interior moisture. In this process, the wood becomes black with charcoal , similar to how a person sometimes seems worse in the first stages of the spiritual life as he realizes his imperfections. During this stage, it is important for a person to carefully consider his habits in the light of faith , to pray that they be purified by charity,and to let go of any habits by asceticism if they are contrary to holiness. The person might sigh at the pain of being detached from a disordered love for worldly things.


Second, fire sets the wood alight. In this "illuminative" stage, the soul both receives greater light from God and it begins faintly to shine forth to others. Once some of the obstacles of charity have been cleared away by purification, a person will want to focus more on growth in the virtues, actively cultivating them in a way that helps him accomplish the duties of his state of life. One will avoid lukewarmness by feeding his soul with the sacraments and the prayer of contemplation, as well as with works of charity. He will also avoid burdening himself with excessive spiritual activities, for which his love and energy may not be adequate.


Third, fire transforms wood entirely into flame so that only a blaze remains in this " unitive " stage. Those who have been transformed by charity desire " to be dissolved and to be with Christ". In this stage, purifications and illuminations continue but in a higher register as the soul ascends closer and closer to the state which it will enjoy for eternity. Here , human nature remains, though in an elevated state, such that the person radiates the heat and light of God's love and seems to be another Christ. In this stage, as the developing saint experiences greater transforming union with God , the Gifts of the Holy Spirit become more predominant in his life. A person in this stage spends longer hours in prayer, achieves greater apostolic works, and becomes transformd into a sort of divine fire.

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 Exterior corporal works of mercy , such as feeding the poor, caring for the sick, visiting those in prison, and so on are less manifestly enlivened by love for Christ than the spiritual works of mercy , such as counselling the doubtful, teaching the ignorant, correcting those in error, and so on---- acts that more directly stem from faith. Thus, St Teresa of Calcutta insisted that the merciful charity of her religious order was to be well-ordered by the light of faith. The Missionaries of Charity truly exercise charity, she said. They are more than social workers; they bring the love of Christ to the world and see the face of Christ in those they serve.


The greatness of the saints was not in their miracles. It was in their souls , which achieved a heroism appropriate for their condition, time and place.


It bears repeating that the most heroic heroism is heroism of the soul. The battleground of the soul, a person can find true heroism by conquering the warring hordes of evil within himself, overcoming sin, vice, and even the demons who try to overpower his strength and make him their eternal slave. Each person is a microcosm, a little universe, and a person who conquers himself conquers a world: " he who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city."( Proverb 16:32)


2023年8月2日 星期三

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 When the intellect regularly grasps its proper object---- truth --- it becomes habituated to beholding the truth. The mind becomes stamped by the truth, much like the metal of a coin is stamped with the head of a sovereign. This quality of being formed by the truth is good for the intellect. When the intellect has this quality , it is all the stronger for it: a truth-shaped mind can more easily sift through rumor, reject falsehood , discover reality, and so on. Accordingly , the habit of grasping the truth quickly, easily, skillfully, and joyfully is the perfection of the intellect. Seen from the other end of things, when the intellect is properly habituated, it grasps the truth so quickly, easily,etc. that knowledge, insight, understanding , and the rest seem natural to it. The contrary also holds. Falsehood and fantasy weaken the mind, preparing it to wander , darkened, lost in a maze of misshapen mirrors. Gazing into the black hole of unreality destabilizes the intellect and deprives it of the light of truth.


A similar dynamic exists with the will. Its proper object is the authentic good. When the will continually chooses what is truly good, it becomes stronger,more energetic, more stable, more excellent in its choices and loves. Likewise, when the will rejects what is evil and shuns the corruption of immorality, it comes to love and appreciate the good even more.


Fake goods disguised as real goods are to the will as drugs are to the body: at first, they might bring pleasure, but in the long run they destroy the power from within, fostering addiction, weakness, pettiness, and, eventually , hatred of what is truly beneficial.


Our habits take us either downward or upward. When a person's intellect is habituated to what is false, and his will to what is evil, his soul is corrupted.


On the other hand, when a person develops good habits to an extraordinary degree, the soul is perfected.


If by grace one's habits exceed the usual human mode, the soul becomes heroic or even divine by participation in God's own perfection.

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 Gregory the Great argues that " the movements of the flesh" are like beasts, for , " while they gall the mind by prompting conduct contrary to reason, they rise up against us like beasts. But when the heart is bowed down under the Divine Law, even the incitements of the flesh are reduced , so that, though in tempting us they give a low growl, yet they never mount so high as to the execution of the deeds, as to the madness of open biting."He then points to the great apostle to show how everyone is beset by these beasts in some way. St Paul admitted that he suffered from an inner tension as part of himself warred with another part. He said, " I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do ... For I delight in the law of God, in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members.."( Rom 7:19.22-23)


St Paul lamented that his will delighted in God through charity, as his mind was ruled by faith, whereas his animal appetites, which dwelt in his body, were still moved by the law of sin.


St Thomas: 

The inclination to sin is a punishment for the fault of sins... which has taken mastery over the sinner and imposed its law on him, namely , the inclination to sin. 



He notes that a person who turns his back on God falls under the influence of his sensual impulses similar to those of animals. In humans, that inclination-law is often a deviation and insubordination to the law of reason, and thus fights against his nature, strips him of his proper dignity, and makes him a slave of his lower cravings. Adam and Eve gave us the habitual inclination toward selfishness and away from God, which we call original sin. Our personal sins add further bad habits that turn us in on self and away from the highest good.No wonder that we all fell as if we are at war with ourselves. 

2023年7月31日 星期一

La salette Mary : do not work on Sunday

  

La salette Mary about the sabbatical obligation, should rest 


From

Marian shrine of France

By

Francican friars of the immaculate


La Salette Mary said,

" Come to me , my children, "

" Do not be afraid. I am here to tell you something of the greatest importance." She spoke in French, not in their patois.

"If my people will not obey, I shall be compelled to loose my son's arm. It is so heavy,so pressing that I can no longer restrain it . How long I have suffered for you! If my son is not to cast you off , I am obliged to entreat him without ceasing. But you take not the least notice of that. No matter how well you pray in the future, no matter how well you act, you will never be able to make up to me what I have endured for your sake."


"I have appointed six days for your working.The  seventh I have reserved for myself.And no one will give it to me .This is which causes the weight of my son's arm to be so crushing. The cart drivers cannot sweat without bringing in my son's name. These are the two things which make my son's arm so burdensome."


" If the harvest is spoiled, it is your own fault. I warned you last year by means of the potatoes. You paid no heed. Quite the reverse, when you discovered that the potatoes had rotted, you swore, you abused my son's name.They will continue to rot, and by Christmas this year there will be none left . If you have grain , it will do no good to sow it , for what you sow the beasts will devour, and any part of it that springs up will crumble into dust when you thresh it. "


"A great famine is coming. But before that happens, the children under seven years of age will be seized with trembling and die in their parents' arms.The grownups will pay for their sins by hunger. The grapes will rot, and the walnuts will turn bad ."


"If people are converted, the rocks will become piles of wheat , and it will be found that the potatoes have sown themselves."


A pause, and then, with a searching look , " Do you say your prayers well , my children?"


" No , " they ( Melanie and Maximin) murmured, shamefaced. " We say them hardly at all ".


" Ah, my children, it is very important to say them, at night and in the morning. When you don't have time, at least say an Our Father and Hail Mary. And when you can , say more."


" Only a few rather old women go to Mass in the summer. All the rest work every sunday throughout the summer. And in winter, when they don't know what to do with themselves, they go to mass only to poke fun at religion. During Lent they flock to the butcher shops , like dogs."


Another question," My children, haven't you ever seen spoiled grain?"


Maximin answered,. " No , never."


" But my child, you must have seen it once , near Coin , with your papa. The owner of a field said to your papa : come and see my spoiled grain. 

The two of you went. You took two or three ears of grain in your fingers. You rubbed them , and they crumbled to dust. Then you came back from Coin. When you were but a half hour away from Corps, your papa gave you a piece of bread and said: well , my son, eat some bread this year, anyhow. I don't know who will be eating any next year , if the grain goes on spoiling like that ."


La Salette Mary looked earnestly at them . 

" My children, " 

she charged them,

" You will make this known to all my people."


Slowly she turned away,glided along the ravine, paused, and , without facing them , repeated the command,

" You will make this known to all my people."


--------------------------------------------------

https://www.lasalette.org/about-la-salette/apparition/the-story/705-the-message-of-la-salette.html


The unknown Lady now spoke to the children. “We were drinking her words”, they would say later, adding, “she wept all the time she spoke to us”.

 

“Come near, my children, be not afraid; I am here to tell you great news.

 

“If my people will not submit, I shall be forced to let fall the arm of my Son. It is so strong, so heavy, that I can no longer withhold it.

 

“For how long a time do I suffer for you! If I would not have my Son abandon you, I am compelled to pray to him without ceasing; and as to you, you take not heed of it.

 

“However much you pray, however much you do, you will never recompense the pains I have taken for you.

 

“Six days I have given you to labor, the seventh I have kept for myself; and they will not give it to me. It is this which makes the arm of my Son so heavy.

 

“Those who drive the carts cannot swear without introducing the name of my Son. These are the two things which make the arm of my Son so heavy.

 

“If the harvest is spoilt, it is all on your account. I gave you warning last year with the potatoes (‘pommes de terre’) but you did not heed it. On the contrary, when you found the potatoes spoilt, you swore, you took the name of my Son in vain. They will continue to decay, so that by Christmas there will be none left.”


If you have wheat, it is no good to sow it; all you sow the insects will eat, and what comes up will fall into dust when you thresh it.”

 

“There will come a great famine. Before the famine comes, the children under seven years of age will be seized with trembling and will die in the hands of those who hold them; the others will do penance by the famine. The walnuts will become bad, and the grapes will rot.”

 

Here the Beautiful Lady addressed the children separately, confiding to each a secret. She spoke first to Maximin, and though the little shepherd did not perceive that her tone of voice had changed, Melanie at his side could not hear a word, though she still saw the Beautiful Lady's lips moving. Then came Melanie's turn to receive her secret under like conditions. Both secrets were given in French.

 

Again addressing the two children in the idiom familiar to them, the Lady continued: “If they are converted, the stones and rocks will change into mounds of wheat, and the potatoes will be self-sown in the land.

 

“Do you say your prayers well, my children?”, she asked the shepherds. Both answered with complete frankness: “Not very well, Madam”. “Ah, my children”, she exhorted them, “you must be sure to say them well morning and evening. When you cannot do better, say at least an Our Father and a Hail Mary; but when you have time, say more.”

 

“There are none who go to Mass except a few aged women. The rest work on Sunday all summer; then in the winter, when they know not what to do, they go to Mass only to mock at religion. During Lent, they go to the meat-market like dogs.”

 

“Have you never seen wheat that is spoilt, my children?”, the Beautiful Lady then asked them. “No, Madam”, they replied.

 

“But you, my child”, she insisted, addressing the little boy in particular, “you must surely have seen some once when you were at the farm of Coin with your father. (Coin was a hamlet near the town of Corps). The owner of the field told your father to go and see his ruined wheat. You went together. You took two or three ears of wheat into your hands and rubbed them, and they fell into dust. Then you continued home. When you were still half an hour's distance from Corps, your father gave you a piece of bread and said to you: ‘Here, my child, eat some bread this year at least; I don't know who will eat any next year, if the wheat goes on like that’”.

聖神七恩在俗會會規

聖神七恩會規:( 暫訂) 每天必須唸玫瑰經至少四串, 用5 分鐘默想玫瑰經奧跡, 用聖經和聖書默想 每天必須唸 st bridget 15 prayers聖婦碧瑾十五篇禱文, 苦路經 十四處, 用十分鐘默想耶穌苦難。 每天看聖書和聖經共不可少於十五分鐘, 每天必須看 吃飯前唸經,...