Piety

The divine power of Christ has freely bestowed on us everything necessary for a life of genuine piety...----St. Peter, from his second letter, chapter 1:3-4

 

This raises the question, are we genuinely pious? Pious means devout. A true pious person cares about the things of God. They are not prideful or full of themselves, they are like little children, and they sincerely care for others. 

 

wkm

 

St. Peter crucified in Rome, upside down.

Mary

Remember, O Most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided.--The Memorare

 

Sadly, from the late 16th century on, much of the "reformed" Christian world slowly lost the long held devotion to Mary. Before the reformation, for 1500 years, the Mother of God was vital to all who called upon Jesus. Even the reformers themselves had deep devotions to Mary. But because of heresy, horrible teaching, wrong ideas, and ignorance...a large percentage of believers today do not know their Mother in the faith. No one who truly understands Mary's role in Salvation History does anything with this knowledge except strive to love Jesus with more passion and sincerity. Her role is to bring people to Jesus, to help us all love Him with a perfect and humble love, like children. It is that simple. Any other idea or opinion is not the true teaching of the catechism of the Church. Catholics do not worship Mary, we honor her, and we ask her help in saying yes to the Father in all things, just as she did. She has always held this high place and filled this role in the Church of her Son. The very first Church communities in the east and west honored the Mother Of God by naming their churches after her. In honoring her, they were humbly pleasing the Son. To seek the mother's help in knowing the Son is the best way to know Him. Any mother will tell you this. The early Church Fathers saw Mary as the symbol of the Church. The Virgin who births the family of God in Christ Jesus, the Mother of all the faithful. To understand her and to love her is to better know Jesus.  I must say this, my relationship with Jesus has grown immensely, and with great depth and beauty, since I began to know and understand Mary. It is all about Jesus. She exists to bring Him to us all. Even in saying this, we realize this is why we all exist as His "brothers and sisters", to bring Him to those around us.

 

wkm

 

 

Virgin and Child. Wall painting from the catacombs, Rome (4th century).

A Big Smile

Let us accept whatever He gives and gives whatever He takes with a big smile.---Mother Teresa

 

This is sounds so simple. The early Church Fathers explained a Saint this way, "a friend of God". Sounds so easy. Mother Teresa's smile became one of the most talked about aspects of her life. And now, as we read her letters about her struggle with a never ending "Dark night of the Soul", we have a new appreciation for her smile. She was a friend of God. Even though her desire to feel His presence and know His nearness were taken from her by Jesus, she learned to smile at Him for it. She willed herself, by grace, to never say no to Jesus. A friend is defined by Jesus as  someone who, "lays down their life for others." The poor became to Mother Teresa Jesus personified. She ministered to Him in every soul she cared for. She is only one example of this great journey of friendship. Starting all the way back to Augustine, we see these smiles at God in the face of confusion, loneliness, dark nights, fear, and silence. There is so much we will face this year that will confuse us. We will be tempted to look to things to give us assurance when God hides from us. He hides so that we might cry out more for Him. We learn to die to self in these dungeons. This is so important to growing our friendship with Him. Our desire for Him must grow to a fever pitch that even seems strange to our own way of thinking. He must become to us a Lover Whom we desire more than life itself, even though He wounds us.( Song of Solomon) Our souls won't rest until they rest in Him, whether we feel Him, get the answer we want, or understand a dang thing we are going through. So let us ask Mother Teresa to teach us to smile at Jesus today.

 

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Called

"This is my only comfort, that of being associated with Jesus in the Divine Sacrifice and in the redemption of souls." - St. Pio of Pietrelcina

 

We must always pray for those appointed to serve us in this journey. They are human just like us, but they have heard and obeyed the call of Jesus to serve Him in a very unique way. Their faults will be magnified. We must pray for them often, and encourage them when we can. If we disagree with them, we must do so in love. We must be patient and trust the Lord, for they have been called to the wondrous service of administering His Sacraments.

 

wkm

 

A Roman Catholic priest, Saint Josemaría Escrivá,

 

 

 

 

Heaven is full of slum people...

Now heaven is full of slum people. Jesus must be very happy to have those thousands coming to Him, with love from Calcutta---Please pray for me that I be only all for Jesus through Mary.---Mother Teresa, from "Come Be My Light"

 

God's desire for the souls of men is relentless. Jesus, Who is the second Person in the Trinity, Who is God from God, Light from Light, Who is the Word by which all things are made, took on flesh through the Virgin Mary. We could meditate on this alone for eternity and never truly understand its depth. She was chosen long before that moment Gabriel appeared to her. She was "full of grace" from her conception, long before Gabriel said, "Hail, Full of Grace!" We must see and try to grasp as much as we can of this Truth. It had never happened before and it will never happen again! All for your soul and mine, He left His Father's side to come here to walk this earth, feel hunger, thirst, weariness, temptation...  He came to suffer, die, and rise again. He comes gently, with simple humility. Satan, in his pride, tempted the woman and she grasped, and then Adam grasped with her. Jesus comes to us through a woman who says "fiat", "let it be done unto me according to Your will", she did not grasp. And Paul tells us that Jesus did not grasp, instead, He emptied Himself.  We must bring this message to those around us, we must make sure we have done all we can to help those we meet know this incredible news. Mother Teresa did this, and she teaches us still to see Him in the lonely. Lord, have mercy on us!

 

wkm

 

 

Graititude!

...for unless in humility He had come down to us, none of us by our own merits could ever go up to Him.---St. Leo the Great, pope, 5th century

 

Thank You Jesus! Thank You Father! Thank You Holy Spirit!! What an amazing plan of love our God is working out in us daily! Baptism begins our journey, we are to quote Jesus, "born again of water and Spirit", we begin anew by the Holy Spirit's regenerating power, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead! Think of it, we are no longer slaves to ego and sin, and as "new creatures", we must battle ego and sin until the end. It is by His grace that we battle.  This is why we need His Sacraments for they affect the actual grace they represent in our little lives when we join them to our faith. We need His Body and Blood, for this is how He said to abide in Him, and to know Life! We need His forgiveness, we need the penance and humility these Sacraments bring. The Holy Spirit of love is the One working in these gifts given through the Church. It is His work in man. He came down to us in humility so that we could go up to Him in humility. Diablo hates humility. Praise You Jesus, our Beloved!

 

wkm

 

Resolution

Rejoice! -----St. Peter

 

Nothing changes on New Year's Day.---Bono

 

The new year begins. What is new about it? We still have the same bills to pay, the same weight to lose, the same car to drive, the same ailments and challenges as before. So what is new about this day? Actually very little. But a new year is not why we rejoice. We rejoice for we are known fully, and loved madly by the Triune God. Each new day is His gift to all. This is reason enough to rejoice. But no, there is more, each new day is full of mercy, and grace, and help for our weary souls as we fight the good fight. Father doesn't take a day off, not even a moment does He forget us. The "new year" is symbolic of a new beginning. So, let's use this day, when the 8 became 9, to turn our hearts and minds more passionately to our Lord. Let's decide, with His help, to give Him the next 365 days, from dawn till dusk. Let us say to Him, " This is our resolution Lord, to move closer to Your Sacred Heart of love, to take up our crosses and follow in Your steps, and by Your grace, to be like Mary, the Mother of God, who always says yes to Your will. This is our resolution sweet Lord, please help us, for apart from You we can do nothing."

 

wkm