The catch is that our hearts will begin to become more as they should be: deeply moved by the suffering of others. She is in purgatory, surely because she had trusted too little in the mercy of the good Lord. Finally, it is not to become discouraged over ones faults, for little children fall often, but they arc too little to hurt themselves very much. But don't worry if this is your first group retreat from Hearts Afire and you haven't gone through Stages One and Two you can still do . 216 Ibid. 1074. It means being sorry for our sins, making a firm resolution not to sin again, and never making a truce with sin. When, on one occasion, instead of interior prayer, I took up a book of spir itual reading, I heard these words spoken distinctly and forcefully within my soul, You will prepare the world for My final coming. We also have to keep trying to grow' in holiness. Recall that our trust problem began with the fall of Adam and Eve. 178 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE And so I will accept with submission and gratitude everything that God sends me (1549). 67 Cited in The Power of Confidence, p. 221. Oh! About the Program. True greatness isnt based on the judgment and assessment of mortals. Now, ponder once again the words of the angel that Our Lady believed regarding her Son, Jesus: He will be great and the Lord God will give him the dirone of liis fadier David, and he will reign over die house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end (Lk 1:32-33). But what is trust? Jesus took me by the hand, and He made me enter a subterranean passage where it is neither cold nor hot, 104 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE where the sun does not shine, and which the rain or the wind does not visit, a subterranean passage where I see nothing but a half-veiled light, the light which was diffused by the lowered eyes of my Fiances Face! FINAL FIVE DAYS: Synthesis and Review 117 Grace Mary is not only a perfect model of faith and trust for us, but she obtains for us the grace to believe and to trust in God. Numbers to each paragraph added. 202 Pope Pius XI does use the term console in his encyclical letter, Miserentissimus Redemptor, when he describes how we can make reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus: Now if, because of our sins also which were as yet in the future, but were foreseen, the soul of Christ became sorrowful unto death, it cannot be doubted that then, too, already He derived somewhat of solace from our reparation, which was likewise foreseen, when there appeared to him an angel from heaven (Lk 22:13), in order that His Heart, oppressed with weariness and anguish, might find consolation. The Little Way is about the compassion of Jesus (heart), who sees rhe suffering of little souls who long to attain the heights of holiness but who are too little to climb the rough stairway of perfection. Its about the action of Jesus (arms), who reaches down out of pity and picks up trusting little souls to place them on the heights. My love discovers die charms Of your Face adorned with tears. Moreover, such holiness is not a human work but, rather, Gods work, a work of Divine Mercy rushing down to the lowest place. If you had understood the story of my little bird, you would not have asked me this question. since the happy day, it seems to me that Love penetrates and surrounds me, that at each moment this Merciful Love renews me.179 Now, my prayer for you is that you also will experience such joy on your consecration day. After all, its trust that opens the floodgates of Gods mercy, allowing it to come rushing down, down, down into little souls.72 What a revolution in Catholic spiritual theology! Although I imderstand that, being God, He is happy in Himself and has absolutely no need of any creature, still, His goodness compels Him to give Himself to the creature, and with a generosity which is beyond understanding.196 Ido not know' how' to live without God, but I also feel that God, absolutely self-sufficient though He is, cannot be happy without me.197 So, lets now' consider this generosity which is beyond understanding and how God, absolutely self-sufficient though He is, in a sense, cannot be happy without us. 173 Story ofa Soul, p. 259. Never before had I prayed with such inner power as I did then (474). 1. What should I fear then?116 Good question. 18 Ibid. After all, we just heard that Jesus told St. Faustina that shed die of terror if he showed her her wretchedness. Alright, so were weak, little, pitiful lovers. So, these rejected graces are free for the taking."' Why? Divine Mercy Consecration in General. Using the same 33-day preparation format, 33 Days to Merciful Love journeys with one of the most beloved saints of modern times, St. Thrse of Lisieux, and concludes with a consecration to Divine Mercy. 33 world a key to Marys innermost reality. In other words, people have already said through their words or actions that they dont want them. Knowing that we all have a distorted image of God as a result of original sin (see Day 1), Jesus wants to heal that distortion by giving us a true image of his mercy for our time. Michael Gaitley, MIC, this 33 Days to Merciful Love Retreat Companion goes even deeper than the book alone and explores new material on the heart of St. Thrse of Lisieuxs Little Way, uncovering the power of trust in the face of personal darkness, inspiring participants to become great saints amid ordinary circumstances, and laying the foundation for a personal consecration to Divine Mercy. Abraham stopped there, and because there werent 10 righteous people in the city, it was destroyed. Once were humbled, God lifts us up. 161 Story ofa Soul, p. 214. 7. But he created the child who knows only how to make his feeble cries heard; He has created the poor savage et ho has nothing but the natural law to guide him. But how can we have a true friendship with Jesus if its just a one-way street? Its like this. Since You deigned to give me a share in this very precious Cross, I hope in heaven to resemble You and to see shining in my glorified body the sacred stigmata of Your Passion. I beg You to choose a legion of little Victims worthy of Your LOVE!74 So, in view of Thereses prayer for little souls, I repeat: If you live the Little Way, that is, if you recognize die darkness of your litdeness, keep trying to grow in holiness, and trust in the Lords promise of mercy, you will become a saint. 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). So, when we keep trying and keep trusting, God purifies [us] every moment in His love and He lets no sin remain. Okay, so that covers two of our three things for living the Little Way that we learned on Day 11: Keep trying and keep trusting. They are, to tell the truth, the spiritual riches that render one unjust, when one rests in them with complacence and WEEK TWO: The Little Way when one believes they are something great Ah! (1698). Really. aint Friend: A Source of Hope. We give it back to God as an exhaled magnificat. (Washington, DC: ICS Publications, 1982), pp. 255-283. That sounds scary! For now, we can reflect on the refreshing perspective from which the saint of Lisieux approached the idea of offering herself as a spiritual victim: How GOOD is the Lord, his MERCT endures forever! As I mentioned yesterday, you have two choices (or three choices if youre making the consecration as a family see Appendix Two). APPENDIX ONE: Living the Offering 159 To understand what I mean by perfection on our side, it will be helpful to look at what the Church means by perfect contrition. Perfect contrition is when were sorry for our sins not because we fear hell and punishment but, rather, because our sins offend God, whom we love. Also, recall that Thereses words here are similar to something else she said, which we read on Day 15: What sweet joy it is to think that God is Just, i.e., that He takes into account our weakness, that He is perfecdy aware of our fragile nature. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end. And Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I have no husband? And the angel said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. (3) Keep trusting and believing that God will satisfy your desires for holiness. WEEK ONE: What Is Trust? Savor it for a moment before you let it go. With You, Jesus, Igo through life, amid stormsand rainbows, with a cry ofjoy, singing the song of Your mercy. More specifically, its to believe that God is faithful to his promises, to believe that God is faithful even when it seems impossible. We, too, will want to sing out, Magnificat! In the last section on one act of perfect love, I pointed out that the best way to console the Heart of Jesus is to trust him. Well, because magnificat basically means the same as praise and thanksgiving, when we give our magnificat to the Lord, were consoling him in the best possible way. Of course, sometimes its easier to praise and thank the Lord than at other times. So why not just aim to be a little saint who simply makes it into heaven widiout spending time in purgatory? 1,6 Georgina Molyneux, Cure D'Ars: A Memoir ofJean-Baptiste-Marie Vtanney{London: Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street, 1869), p. 157. I desire to pour them out upon human souls. And, finally, be happy that despite your little fervor and lack of fidelity, the Lord know's [your] weakness and will eventually come down for you and raise you to the heights of his love. So, behold, O Lord, I come here to console you, even as you are about to die. This humble confidence consoles Jesus right at the moment he breathes his last. I dont hasten to the first place but to the last; rather than advance like the Pharisee, I repeat, filled with confidence, the publicans humble prayer. 276-77. Holy Face ofJesus by Sr. Genevieve of the Holy Face Office Central de Lisieux Photographs of St. Therese of Lisieux Office Central de Lisieux Printed in the United States of America To the Marian Missionaries of Divine Mercy May we trust in Jesus even more. 28 See 33 Days to Morning Glory: A Do-It-YourselfRetreat In Preparation for Marian Consecration (Stockbridge: Marian Press, 2011), pp. That is literally the deepest holiness! And he goes on to make God look jealous, selfish, and conniving: For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God . In short, Satan casts doubt on Gods goodness, making him look evil and untrustworthy. So, over the next four days, well reflect on three words each day, pondering their meaningfor our Divine Mercy consecration. 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. Why care about mercy if we dont feel were in need of it? Again, when his Sacred Heart was pierced, it became the Fountain of Mercy, the source of mercy. Fill my heart with a deeper and deeper longingfor God, even unto the martyrdom of love. Libraries. For instance, after years of not going to Confession, people say things like, Look, Father, Im a good person. Journey with St. Therese of Lisieux and discover 33 Days to Merciful Love: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Consecration to Divine Mercy, the stirring sequel to the Fr. Maybe we think Therese is being too indulgent. 2M Ibid. faithful by numerous Popes. Take St. Francis of Assisi. (See also ibid.) The awareness of this plunges me into deep recollection, without the slightest effort on my part. Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of Gods law; it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and his beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to him. In order to live in one single act of perfect Love, 1 OFFER MYSELF AS A VICTIM OF HOLO CAUST TO YOUR MERCIFUL LOVE, asking You to consume me incessantly, allowing the waves of infinite tenderness shut up within You to overflow into my soul, and that thus I may become a martyr of Your Love, O my God! the Love and merits of the Blessed Virgin, my dear Mother. to be Yourself my Sanctity! Alright, so heres a most important question: Do you want to help save the world? /.os/xc, C Merciful Father, in the name of our lovable Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and all the Saints, I ask You to set the Marian Fathers and the Marian Missionaries of Divine Mercy on fire with Your Spirit of Love and to grant them the grace of making You deeply loved.193 Thank you for your prayers. Well, we have done something wrong and again, not just one thing, but lots of things. Especially bless those who visit our home may they experience your mercy here. Well feel as if all is lost, that God no longer loves us, that he has abandoned us. This book, like 33 Days to Morning Glory, is a 33-day do-it-yourself retreat in preparation for consecration thats based on heart-pondering prayer. First, Thereses Offering to Merciful Love is based on her profound insight into the love of the Heart of Jesus. I would also encourage such a person to still do the Divine Mercy Image Enthronement, which Ill explain in the next section. 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. Alright, so do you want to know what it is? It seems that it did, and the reason should become clear as we proceed. And yet, through the Mass, we truly and fully participate in that mystery. Today, Fr Gaitley, in "33 Days to Merciful Love", introduces Mary, the mother of faith. 8 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE RETREAT COORDINATOR'S GUIDE PART ONE OVERVIEW THE HEARTS AFIRE PROGRAM The 33 Days to Merciful Love Group Retreat falls within Stage Three of the Hearts Afire program. 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. Think of it! Instead of becoming discour aged, I said to myself: God cannot inspire unrealizable desires. But despite this, try to be faithful, so that He does not have to wait in vain for your love.109 Yes, God is so good to little souls who recognize their weakness. To offer ourselves to Mercifiil Love is to let our hearts be more deeply moved by the suffering of others. 186 Ibid. Mary's Gift of Mercy. I discov ered hidden treasures in Thereses teaching that made me say over and over, Why havent I heard this before? Copyright 2023 DOKUMEN.PUB. Shes telling you not to be afraid. The Letter to the Hebrews expresses it best: By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only-begotten son, of whom it was said, Through Isaac shall your descendants be named. He considered that God was able to raise men even from the dead (Heb 11:17-19). Its that moment at Mass when, in spiritual union with the priest at the altar, all the baptized can hold up Christs perfect sacrifice of love to the Father as their own sacrifice. Now, yes, we w'ould still be obligated to follow our conscience under such circumstances. You, at least, come to Me as often as possible and take these graces they do not want to accept. May your Offering to Merciful Love (your consecration to Divine Mercy) bring you great gifts of happiness, peace, and joy. And how could one renew the Offering with each beat of his or her heart! But I also shared that Id then run into thieves of hope. Remember them? However, if you trust in Jesus for the purpose of consoling him, then trust becomes an act of love. WEEK TWO: The Little Way 59 Thats certainly reasonable, but Therese would have none of it. The Spiritual Communion of Merciful Love is a special communion with a particular emphasis. 21-23. Make the Sign of the Cross 2. Michael E. Gaitley, MIC, author of the popular book Consoling the Heart of Jesus, comes an extraordinary 33-day journey to Marian consecration with four giants of Marian spirituality: St. Louis de Montfort, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Teresa of Calcutta, and St. John Paul II. One of the best examples of a personal consecration to Introduction 19 Divine Mercy is actually a form of Marian consecration, a form thats taught by St. Maximilian Kolbe. Its to trust die prophetic word of St. Therese of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church, FINAL FIVE DAYS: Synthesis and Review 119 that God will satisfy our desires for holiness and raise us to the heights of sanctity. ! I read things that totally demolished the arguments of the thieves of hope, and those discoveries completely changed my life. It is to their hearts that God deigns to lower Himself. 193 See Ahern, p. 84. To one degree or another, as sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, we all have a trust prob lem. Now, lets turn to the third word spoken by Mary. Well, not in Thereses case. So, if we object, then maybe were simply looking for justice. In fact, if most of our moral education comes from Hollywood and CNN and not from Sacred Scripture and Church teaching, then weve not formed our consciences properly, and what our conscience tells us will likely be wrong. DAY 3 Our Mother in Faith Yesterday, we learned that Abraham is our father in faith but theres a greater than Abraham here. Their extraordi nary love consists in their efforts to keep trying, to keep striving to love God and neighbor in the little things. Of course, most of us, especially in this social media age, long to be known, well liked, and praised for being important or attractive. 113 Cited in The Power of Confidence, p. 347. 1. So, not wanting to gather merits with downward facing, grasping hands, Therese wants to appear before the Lord with upward facing, poor, and empty' hands that are ready to receive Gods gift of himself. For instance, in the Church, the consecrated life refers to those who make vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience for the purpose of serving God according to the charism of a religious community. 222 Diary, 327. Shop now. We tell her shes forgiven but in vain. And then, it wouldnt take long before the thieves of hope were getting me discouraged again. David Came, Marian Press 'You Did It to Me:' Putting Mercy into Action 5-part DVD series. 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