I say that because the word distrust reminds us that we have a trust problem. Marilyn Teichert and Madeleine Stebbins [Petersham, MA: St. Bedes Publications, 1974], P. 144). Alright, so how do we properly form our conscience? Also, its interesting to note that St. Therese once appeared to St. Faustina and encouraged her to trust in Jesus (see Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul [Stockbridge: Marian Press, 1987], 150. Remember that Gods Merciful Love is like water: It rushes to the lowest place and Therese knew this. O Jesus, it is not even necessary to say: When dra wing me, draw the souls whom I love! This simple statement: Draw me suffices; I understand, Lord, that when a soul allows herself to be captivated by the odor ofyour ointments, she cannot run alone, all the souls whom she loves follow in her train; this is done without constraint, without effort, it is a natural consequence of her attraction for You. Theyre spiritually blind. In fact, Ive often heard that when people first meet her in her writings, they think, I cant relate to her. They say, What do I have in common with a girl who grew up in a sheltered home, lived in a cloistered convent, and died at just 24-years-old? But then, as they get to know her more, theyll often say, I relate to her more than to any other saint. FINAL FIVE DAYS: Synthesis and Review 123 So, why do people relate so much to someone who, on the surface, seems difficult to relate to? But we have to be willing to accept the cross of an ordinary life and cat the bread of daily darkness. Inspire me to help save the world as a prayerful missionary of Divine Mercy. Fr. Now, regarding the teaching that unshakable trust purifies you and ensures that you will not have to go to purgatory, Therese is in good company. Thats why St. Therese, who never left the convent, was declared Patron Saint of Missionaries and the Missions, along with St. Francis Xavier. Then if this child asks his father to punish him with a kiss, I doubt that the heart of the happy father will be able to resist the childlike confidence of his son, of whose sin cerity he is sure. Its a longing that prepares us for the martyrdom of love. The martyrdom of love is rhe sweet martyrdom through which little souls can hope that God will come for us at the very 122 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE end of our lives and manifest his love for us in such a way that it will cause us to die of love. In fact, we get the sense that shes right down here in the grittiness of ordinary life with the rest of us. Jesus. What should I fear then?90 Clearly, Thereses path is one of mercy and not justice. 37-42. So, he can share with us not only his joys but also his needs, sorrows, and pains and we can console him. And also, In one instant the Lord gave me a knowledge of the sins committed throughout the whole world during these days. Because, again, as the Cate chism teaches, all sin involves a lack of trust in Gods goodness. In odier words, it doesn't focus on lots of vocal prayers each day of the retreat but, rather, on short spiritual readings that you can easily ponder in your heart throughout the day. Then, each member of your family should strive to accept diis rejected mercy and share it with others.214 Its that simple. 127 Thats not quite how the famous Carmelite and Doctor of die Church, St. John of the Cross, put it, but you get the idea. Our Father 4. If through weakness I sometimes fall, may Your Divine Glance cleanse my soul immediately, consuming all my imperfections like the fire that transforms everything into itself. Well, let me begin to answer that by first telling you an amazing secret: According to St. John Paul II, theres a kind of key which unlocks for us the innermost reality of Mary.12 Imagine that. Libraries. And so, I firmly intend to fight discouragement, do little things with great love, and be merciful to my neighbor in deed, word, and prayer. Its going to be on St. Therese of Lisieux and her Little Way. Still, to humor him, I replied, Oh, yeah, what book is that? For the second time, Mark changed my life. And thats really whats going on with the Little Way and its famous elevator. In fact, it was the unfathomable suffering of her motherly Heart at Calvary that makes her Heart an instrument of grace, a Mediatrix of grace.28 And its her suffering, more than that of any other creature, that makes up for what is lacking in the suffering of Christ. Todays Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, fire of mercy. So, we do have a lot of freedom regarding the way we choose to follow Christ and which truths of the Gospel will loom largest in our heart and conscience. 135 Story ofa Soul, pp. Again, when his Sacred Heart was pierced, it became the Fountain of Mercy, the source of mercy. I cant relate to her. Theres some trudi to this objection. I mean, look at who you are. After all, she lived in the same convent as Therese. For instance, while its true that we should always follow our conscience, sometimes thats all people ever hear about it. Alright, so how do we live that act of perfect love always as one act? An Age of Divine Mercy. *Groups can decide to go through the 33 Days to Merciful Love Retreat Companion and the Divine Mercy in the Second Greatest Story series without going through Stages One and Two of the Hearts Afire Program. It goes to the lowest place and raises up. And as we do, Therese tells us that God will be conquered by [our] futile efforts and will then descend the stairway, gather us into his arms, and take us to the heights.63 So, Thereses point seems to be that our efforts in the spiritual life are absolutely necessary but also absolutely useless. (More on this later.) 82 St. Therese of Lisieux: By Those Who Knew Her ed. He was willing to prose to God that he loved him more than his own son. Smile Remember Thereses smile at her death. 18 Ibid. onscience. Its to hope against hope in our daily lives, when all is darkness and were tempted to disbe lieve in Gods loving presence in our lives, tempted to doubt that all things work together for good to those wrho love God (Rom 8:28). Because its words reveal the secret of Marys faith, which is this: She believed that what the Lord had spoken to her at the Annunciation would be ful filled. What a sweet joy it is to dtink that God is Just, i.e., dtat He takes into account our weakness, that He is perfectly aware of our fragile nature. So, what can it tell us about trust? As seen on EWTN. I say new heights, because she actually asks God to take posses sion of her soul120 and to sacramentally remain in her as in a tabernacle. Can we even ask for that? But true friendship is a two-way street. 85 Cited in The Power of Confidence, p. 167. He has anticipated the movements of the Holy Spirit and given us means by which to suck the marrow out of this year of Mercy. That work, which she began in obedience to her superior, Mother Agnes, helped her to see more clearly than ever Gods tender mercies enveloping her whole life. 152 For a powerful example of this sentiment, watch the YouTube video of Johnny Cashs rendition of Hurt by Nine Inch Nails. Let me explain. Therese is saying to us, Yes! DAY 20 The Offering (Part One) For the last two days of this week, well reflect on the actual text of St. Thereses Offering to Merciful Love, which consists of 11 paragraphs. 2 See The Kolbe Reader: The Writings ofSt. But maybe youre looking for something even more compact. So, whether you want to deepen your love of Divine Mercy or have a devotion to St. Therese, 33 Days to Merciful Love is the book for you. After all, we just heard that Jesus told St. Faustina that shed die of terror if he showed her her wretchedness. And once there, she lovingly encourages us not to eat forbidden fruit but to drink from the blessed fountain of eternal life, die Fountain of Mercy. 1 am Love and Mercy itself (1273). The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive. Father Michael masterfully summarizes their teaching, making it easy to grasp, and simple enough to put into . Its the way the Lord knows how he can come and get little souls at the end of their lives. 130 Ibid.,p. 138 Story ofa Soul, p. 259. 174 Letters of St. Therese ofLisieux, vol. Obviously, after we inhale, well need to blow the air back out (exhale). 151 The French philosopher Blaise Pascal said that the sole cause of mans unhappiness is that he does not know how to stay quiedy tn his own room (Pensees. And also: [E]ven if I were to be told of Gods justice and of how even the pure spirits tremble and cover their faces before Him, saying endlessly, Holy, which would seem to suggest that my familiarity with God would be to the detriment of His honor and majesty, [I would reply,] O no, no, and once again, no! (ibid, 947). Thats why even today, after all he has done for us, people still avoid Jesus. 163 For a fuller explanation of the dynamic between consolation and desolation and how to remain faith filled and joyful, see The Rules for the Discernment of Spirits for Little Souls in Appendix One of Consoling the Heart of Jesus: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat Inspired by the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola (Stockbridge: Marian Press, 2010). ISBN-13 : 9781596143456 And by now, how could we forget the blessing? In fact, their aim is to do little things withgreat love. 34 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE DAY 4 Mary's Pilgrimage of Faith Yesterday, we learned that theres a key to Marys innermost reality, a key to understanding her faith the blessing of Elizabeth: Blessed is she who believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled. Now, while those words firstly refer to the Annunciation and the moment when Mary believed the angels words that she would be the mother of the Son of God, they also refer to her whole life of faith or, as St. John Paul II puts it, her pilgrimage of faith. Now, contrary to overly pious belief, Mary didnt constantly have angels waiting on her at her home in Nazareth, helping with the housework and changing Jesus diapers. Todays Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, fire of mercy. Let me explain. From the Cross, he cries out for love of us, I thirst! and we mumble our prayers. 162 Ibid., p. 211. Week Two will then get into Thereses Little Way. 60 Cited in With Empty Hands, p. 104. Actually, a lot. Okay, so heres the second key question in Thereses ardent prayer: Is Your disdained Love going to remain closed up within Your Heart? That is the million-dollar question! 52 Ibid., p. 105. Now, compassion means to suffer with, and such suffer ing, by its very nature, is other-directed. We give him what we can, and hes happy with that. M. Verda Clare, CSC (Chicago: Fides Publishers Association, 1953), p. 25. Its basically an organiza tion for those w ho complete a thorough adult-faith formation program that goes through all aspects of a Divine Mercy spiritu ality. In this way you will console My Heart.169 The Catch Alright, but if we offer ourselves to Merciful Love, whats the catch? But is she really that lowly? In fact, this young woman from the French town ofLisieux, who died in 1897, well before her twenty-fifth birth day, and who lived a quiet, sheltered childhood among doting sisters and then a quiet, sheltered adolescence as a cloistered Carmelite nun (with some of those very same sisters) that woman, after Abra ham and Mary,30 is perhaps the Churchsgreatest example of the faith that hopes against hope. Thus, St. Therese truly merits both blessings of Elizabeth: Blessed is she who believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled and Blessed are you among women of course, wed have to add, after Mary. Alright, so were weak, little, pitiful lovers. And guess what? But this provides perhaps the most important motivation for Thereses familiarity with Jesus, because his broken, beaten, sorrowful face invites her to console him. He kept pestering me. Why? Its basically where we turn to the Lord and, feeling sorry for him, invite him to come in. These words moved me deeply, and although I pretended not to hear them, I understood them very well and had no doubt about them (429). Were all sinners! In fact, w'e may even be congratulating ourselves: Oh, thank goodness Im not like those spiritually blind people. Yes, she rediscovered the very heart of the Gospel, the Good News that God lifts up the lowly: We are living now in an age of inventions, and we no longer have to take the trouble of climbing stairs, for, in the homes of the rich, an elevator has replaced these very successfully. Numbers to each paragraph added. 207-8. And Faustina even refers to the soul that receives this grace as the sinner. Certainly God can give this final grace even to someone who turns to Him from a state of mortal sin how great is the power of Gods mercy! 48 Ibid., p. 27. A less obvious one is Trinity Sunday, which is the anniversary of when St. Therese first received her inspiration to offer herself to Gods Merciful Love. Now, recall that Mary, after she believed in the word spoken to her by the angel, went to visit her cousin, St. Elizabeth. 157 See endnote 3 15S In his encyclical letter on Divine Mercy, Dives in Misericordia, Pope John Paul II spoke about the importance of making a plea to God for mercy in our time. I know that Jesus cannot desire useless sufferings for us, and that He would not inspire the longings I feel unless He wanted to grant them.102 Does this sound like someone who regrets having offered herself to Merciful Love? In this way you will console My Heart. Todays Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, fire of mercy. But I didnt feel that he was also speaking to my heart, asking me to write such a book. Today, Fr Gaitley, in "33 Days to Merciful Love", introduces Mary, the mother of faith. Includes more than 200 pages of bonus material. In other words, if we choose to treat others with strict justice, then God will be strict with us. Consoling the Heart of Jesus: Prayer Companion From the Do-It-Yourself Ignatian Retreat. Abrahams whole walk with God was a walk of faith. Well, let me put it this way: Im sure any mother who has had to watch her child suffer tlirough an agonizing illness will tell you she immediately would have switched places with her child if given the opportu nity. Distrust Of course, distrust is the opposite of trust. In view of all this, its not surprising that, in the Offering to Merciful Love, Therese highlights the contrast between what Im calling perfect love of God and imperfect love of God. For instance, she says, I do not wFant to lay up merits for heaven. Of course, a personal consecration to Divine Mercy is not the same as making vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Because she knew it was her littleness that at tracted Gods Merciful Love. Pope Francis calls this sinful situation corruption: Corruption is die sin which, rather than being recognised as such and rendering us humble, is elevated to a system; it becomes a mental habit, a way of living. Jesus also wants us to speak this word, fiat, after we present ourselves to him. And so God uses another woman, a New Eve, to help heal the wound that the old Eve caused a New Eve, a woman, who was announced from die beginning, a woman who would be at enmity with Satan, a woman whose offspring would crush die serpents head (see Gen 3:15). Now, before we begin looking at the text of die Offering itself (tomorrow), I'd like to cover three potential objections to it. I aim to keep before my eyes my poverty, weakness, brokenness, and sin, trusting that my littleness and contrite heart will attract your Merciful Love. I see that it is enough to realize ones nothingness, and to give oneself wholly, like a child, into the arms of God (cited in Gaucher, p. 167). "8 The first paragraph, in which Therese describes the goal of her Offering, contains one of the best definitions of what it means to be a saint: (1)0 My God! 61-62. And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. I fainted from fright, and even though I know the depth of Gods mercy, I was surprised that God allows humanity to exist. Or we at least need to be properly taught from diem. For instance, diey say, How can I relate to a nun who died at the age of 24 and whose confessor solemnly declared that she never committed a mortal sin?133 Sure, she describes herself as full of weakness, imper fections, and faults, but those dont seem to include deliberate venial sins and certainly not mortal sins.134 So, she doesnt really know die darkness of sin. This blind hope in your mercy, O Lord, is my only treasure. But is he giving such a gift? Customers who read this book also read. Alright, well, now its time for a personal story. DAY 10 Discovery of Divine Mercy Thereses discovery of the Little Way a straight, short, and totally new way to die heights of holiness for litde souls is really a discovery of Divine Mercy. I hear confessions. Well, its when God doesnt pass us like the priest and Levite but, rather, like the Samaritan, comes to us where we are, sees our weakness, brokenness, and misery, and then acts to heal us and bring us to a place of comfort and rest. Created Date: 3/5/2020 4:26:45 PM Abraham stopped there, and because there werent 10 righteous people in the city, it was destroyed. Doesnt the inflow of air feel great? 67 Cited in The Power of Confidence, p. 221. . Alright, so we acknowledge that God is completely selfsufficient and content. Were too focused on the beloved who suffers. Let me explain. It is then that He particularly deserves mercy from the people to whom He has done good, and He does not receive it . 1,6 Georgina Molyneux, Cure D'Ars: A Memoir ofJean-Baptiste-Marie Vtanney{London: Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street, 1869), p. 157. Its the Good News that God doesnt love us because were so good but because hes so good, that he loves us not because we deserve it but because we desperately need it. From the cloud, bolts of thunder and flashes of lightning were springing into his hands; and from his hand they were going forth, and only then were they striking the earth. The catch is that our hearts will begin to become more as they should be: deeply moved by the suffering of others. She realized that she couldnt compete with Gods love. So, imagine if at least three more of us lived the Offering to Merciful Love to the full! On the wood of the Cross her Son hangs in agony as one condemned. Now, St. Therese knew all this, so she tried to perfectly fulfill the commandment of love but she couldnt do it. 20 Ibid. This book has all the updated information about 33 Days To Morning Glory Pdf Download and you will be satisfied reading all about 33 Days To Morning Glory Pdf Download. 14 day loan required to access PDF files. 220 Regardless of the day on which this offering is first made, its a good idea to renew it on Divine Mercy Sunday, which is a day of great grace and the preeminent feast for the devotion to Divine Mercy. (Please use the above codes when ordering.) We need Marys help to obtain the gift of faith, that is, the grace to believe. As a Doctor of the Church, she teaches us a truth for today with authority, and that truth is this: God wants to work some of his greatest mira cles of mercy in the whole history of the Church today. He permitted my soul to be invaded by the thickest darkness, and that the thought of heaven, up until then so sweet to me, be no longer anything but the cause of struggle and torment.162 Clearly, Therese was dealing with a night offaith, a trial of faith. Fill us with your mercy, Lord. But its a beautiful wound the wound of love! In short, she discovered her Little Way, and then her faith was tested, and then she passed the test every day, to the very end. Because Marys suffering at Cavalry was the suffering of compassion. For more information on the spirituality of offering ourselves with Christ to the Father at the Mass, see my book The One Thing Is Three: How the Most Holy Trinity Explains Everything (Stockbridge: Marian Press, 2012), pp. If this happens, we need not . Jesus Contents In Gratitude.. 11 Acknowledgements . 13 INTRODUCTION Meet Three Friends.. 15 Connecting the Dots 18 WEEK ONE: What Is Trust? Now, of course, it doesnt give us freedom to choose when it comes to something like the Ten Command ments. Although the reality' of Gods mercy for sinners is beyond the power of words to express, St. Faustina does try to lift the veil of the mystery in the following passages from her Diary. In fact, its a beautiful longing of love, a longing that purifies us at every moment and deepens our life of prayer. I dont know. His answer changed my life: T&r way you live trust is by praise and thanksgiving, to praise and thank God in all things, Thats what the Lord said to St. Faustina. He basically said, Father, please give to me all the punishment due to sinners, and give to sinners all the blessings of my own divine Sonship. Thats really whats taking place there on the Cross: Jesus is paying the price of sin and bearing the harsh burden of Divine Justice so we dont have to and so we might enjoy the gift of salvation. The Lord Jesus himself 200 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE tells us this in Sacred Scripture, Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me (Mt 20:25). It might be helpful to think of our fiat in the following way. All of us will go through times when our faith is severely tested. You dont have to read 33 Days to Morning Glory before reading this book but I recommend you do. Yet she hoped against hope, trusting that God does exist and that he would make her into a great saint. DAY 29 What Is Trust? For instance, she tells us that God cannot desire useless sufferings for us124 and that he even shields his eyes whenever we must endure it, because he doesnt want to have to see us suffer.125 88 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE (6) After earths Exile, I hope to go and enjoy You in the Fatherland, but I do not want to lay up merits for heaven. With You, Jesus, Igo through life, amid stormsand rainbows, with a cry ofjoy, singing the song of Your mercy. Bur dont be afraid, for as well now see, this ocean is a wonderful thing to experience. Another way that die Divine Mercy' Image goes perfecdy with the Family Offering is that it serves as a reminder of our invitation to Jesus to come into our homes with his mercy. So whether you want to deepen your . But then, one day earlier this year, he called me out of the blue. Of course, the joy hasnt always bubbled over, and sometimes Ive w avered from the Little Way and lost my peace, but for the most part, its been a deep and growing peace and joy for 15 years. But while Mary far surpasses Abraham as an example of faith, she also provides somediing that Abraham cannot: the grace to believe, the grace to trust. Were saying, Behold, Lord, here I am without your mercy, Ill collapse and die. Of course, when we present ourselves to the Lord like that, he rushes to us with his mercy, and we take a deep breath in. Faith, hope, and love in the midst of the daily darkness: That was Marys greatness, and that can be our greatness, too. Were sinners who would die of terror if we fully realized our selfishness and sin. But for that very reason, in a sense, God is giving us unprecedented grace. Well learn the reasons for diat during Week One of this retreat which brings me to die structure of this book and how it works. . Moreover, she explains, God who is all gentle ness would moderate to excess the temporal punishment due to sin, because of our love.104 So, love carries us along the way, making everything, in a certain sense, raw.105 Its the way our loving and merciful God intended for us. According to St. Therese, such a remarkable gift of sanctity' is relatively easy to obtain, even for very imperfect souls. And now, Therese has just announced to you the good news that theres a new invention, a spiritual elevator, that provides a way to the heights for little souls. Todays Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, fire of mercy. Naturally, notes of tolerance and 'Suleh-e-kul' (equal respect and peace for . 116 Regarding rejected mercy being free for the taking, consider the following words of Jesus to St. Faustina recorded in her Diary: I desire to bestow My graces upon souls but they do not want to accept them. Finally, I offer You, O Blessed Trinity! Lowest prices Gallery wrap Framing options FREE SHIPPING on Divine Mercy Prints and Prayercards Y26-PIM10GW Y26-PB10GW (See below) Prayercards (1000) 2 %"x 3" cards $14.95 8" x 10" Prints (50) 8" x 10" prints $14.95 (400) 8" x W prints $64.95 Print. I will also pray this prayer for you, and I hope you enjoyed your retreat. But there arc other days that have a special connection to Divine Mercy diat would also be appropriate as 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE 22 consecration days. And the Father especially hears and answers such a perfect and moving prayer. 207 Karol Wojtyla, cited by George Weigel in Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II ( New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1999), p. 102. In other words, Febronie was perhaps like die sons of thunder in die Gospel, who wanted punishment and strict justice for sinners (see Lk 9:54). The Divine Mercy Image goes perfectly with the Family Offering to Merciful Love. This most blessed among women lived a hidden life in an unknown little town while bearing the same burdens of countless ordinary people. It was June 9, 1895 Trinity Sunday. And the key lines that reveal its essence are actually' two questions. 5 Emphasis added. I was walking to class, minding my own business, when Mark came up to me, basically shoved a book in my face, and said, Gaitley, youve gotta read this! With my heavy class load, I didnt have time for any extra reading, and I told him as much. She knows that he himself will be her Sanctity and that God the Father will look upon her only in the Face of Jesus and in His heart burning with Love. Shes confident that Gods love will take possession of her and remain in her that she might be clothed in Gods own Justice and filled with an overflow of the infinite tenderness of his love. Elsewhere in her writings, she makes this point clear: If the good God were to say to me: Ifyou die imme diately, you will obtain great glory; if you die at the age of eighty, your glory will be far less, but it will please me much more, then I would not hesitate to answer: My God, I want to die at eighty for I am not seeking my own glory, but only to please You.123 WEEK THREE: The Offering to Merciful Love 87 Now, having made that clarification, I suggest we go back and reread just the first four paragraphs of the Offering itself, pondering them in our hearts for the remainder of today.
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33 days to merciful love retreat companion pdf