December 7 Fast

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JMJ

"The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, 'Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted and you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.'” (Lk 2:25-35) 

As one matures in the spiritual life, he comes to accept and understand the efficacy of the crosses allowed by God.  But finality still brings relief and a definitive conclusion engenders more willing acceptance.  

What becomes difficult is not necessarily the intensity of the burden but its unknown duration. Indeterminacy tempts the soul to despondency, leaving it to think of hope as a romantic notion rather than the indispensable gift from God it must cling to.

In those times when weariness of heart sinks in, when one thinks-"When will it be enough that I have suffered?" - it would do well to recall that He never asks anything of us that He did not ask of His Mother and Joseph. For it was not enough that they had to leave their home so close to the birth; not enough that Mary could not deliver in a warm room; not enough that their shivering Babe had to be laid on rough straw; not enough that they had to leave Bethlehem on a moment's notice after Joseph finally secured a house; not enough that they had to be aliens on a foreign soil. 

For then again, it was not enough that Our Lord should betrayed and abandoned; not enough to be mocked and ruthlessly scourged; not enough to fall multiple times. . .couldn't He have just died there? No, only when He had suffered all His strength could endure was it enough to satisfy the infinite love Christ has for us.

God asks a great trust of those who carry the cross of slow, silent suffering. Do not grow weary, but recall the thrice repeated question of Our Lord to St. Peter:"Do you love me?" And answer with certitude and hope:"Yes, Lord, you know that I do."

"I forget the past and take good care not to anticipate the future. If we grow disheartened, if sometimes we despair, it is because we have been dwelling on the past or the future." (St. Therese)

November 2nd Fast

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JMJ

"It is my desire to be worthy of you, that has made me so severe on myself.  If I am constantly preserved from the excesses common to my age, and which the world so readily excuses, it is not because I have not had the chance to sin; but rather, it is that the thought of you constantly perseveres me. Thus, I have kept myself intact, thanks to you, the sole treasures I can offer you on the day of marriage; a pure body and virginal heart."

(Victor Hugo, writing to his fiancee)

One who has found his beloved is driven to demonstrate his devotion by numerous acts of thoughtfulness.  Yet even more so,  he is motivated to slough off old habits in order to be more deserving of his noble love.  His desire for reform emanates from intense admiration and an understanding that his worthiness depends on a true conversion. As Fulton Sheen once wrote:

"A passion dethroned is not a virtue enthroned. . . Something must be loved; it is not enough to hate evil."

It is not enough to detach from the temporal forces that drag one down or to recognize but simply shrug at the situations/amusements that perhaps polite society "readily excuses." Rather, it is imperative to actively and zealously pursue the virtues that will prevent former vices from returning.  Spouses, friends, and family members can encourage one another in this striving for nobility of character by their patient and selfless example. A peaceful home with an atmosphere of joyful service is a fertile ground for the cultivation of ardent spirits, eager to labor industriously, and so be found worthy of the one they so dearly love and cherish.

October 5th Fast

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JMJ

"It is to God alone that all value must be attributed; there's nothing of value in my little nothingness." (St. Therese) 

When reading a beautiful novel it is natural that one is drawn to the more noble characters portrayed.  Perhaps comical or insidious personalities may amuse but the heroic ones often leave the most indelible impression.  It is not so much the courageous deeds themselves that inspire; rather, it is the inconspicuous manner in which they are performed that gives pause for reflection.  So too, when one studies the living nobility, i.e. the saints, he discovers the great paradox that their most salient attribute is the very hiddenness their hearts embraced. 

They not only eschewed worldly honors but legitimate praises from peers as well.  They fought the temptation to enumerate the day's accomplishments to others, and were satisfied to serve unpretentiously.  Certainly, they did not feign false humility by disavowing a deed done, but the saints also did not cleverly lead others to the discovery of their labors either.  Truly, to be detached from accolades, even trifling ones, is an arduous discipline for few do not crave the attention of others. Yet, it is imperative to pray for the desire for- not simply humility- but hiddenness.  And in accepting the sacrifice of silence, one can more easily draw near to the hidden Christ, learning, like St. Therese, that "love lives only by sacrifice."

September 7 Fast

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JMJ

When Lucia dos Santos, the eldest of the 3 Fatima children, asked her cousin, St. Francisco Marto, whether he preferred to console the Lord or convert sinners, he replied:

“ I prefer to console the Lord. Did you not see how sad Our Lady was when she said to us that men should no longer offend the Lord, who is so much offended?” I would like to console the Lord and then convert sinners so they will no longer offend the Lord. Soon I will be in heaven, and when I get there I will console very much Our Lord and Our Lady." 

After one wounds someone he loves, he is usually quick to beg forgiveness; yet, knowing that an apology is insufficient to remove the pang caused by his thoughtless words or actions, he immediately proceeds to prove his contrition in word and deed; his mea culpa acknowledges the hurt, but his subsequent acts repairs the offense.

But what of the injuries of others, whom we did not sin against? A mother does not simply pity her child when he is mistreated; instead, she strives to do all she can to console the tender heart so poorly treated.  When hearing of evil perpetrated on the innocent, one's immediate reactions may run the emotional gauntlet resulting in the feeling of helplessness that threatens to trap him in a spiritual inertia.   He must repel the temptation to stew in the froth of his frustration and pour his energies into offering reparation to the Sacred Heart so cruelly abused.  Sacrifices can be the salve that soothes the smarting sores of the Body of Christ.

August 3rd Fast

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JMJ

"There has to be another source of power outside our will.  We do not nourish ourselves; we are dependent upon the plant and animal world outside. . . our spirits, too, are continuous with a larger spiritual world.  We are not cisterns, but wells; we grow less by our own power than by assimilating with outside forces. . . As we establish contact with the atmosphere, which cannot be seen or tasted by breathing, so we establish commerce with the Divine Source of Power by prayer and the sevenfold channels which the Good Lord Himself offers to our depleted human forces."

(Life is Worth Living, Venerable Fulton Sheen)

St. Katherine Drexel was well known for her generosity, freely choosing to share her immense inheritance in order to build the Church through her missionary activities in America.  But behind her zeal for the Gospel, was a great love of prayer, especially Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, a devotion she practiced continuously for the last twenty years of her life.  In this she was profoundly influenced by the example of her father.  Upon returning home from work each day, Francis Drexel, a wealthy Philadelphia banker, would retreat to his study where he would spend time in prayer until his soul was sufficiently refreshed, and then he would rejoin his family, eager to share in their joys.

Just as our bodies require nourishment so too our souls demand the spiritual nourishment that flows from prayer and the Sacraments. Unfortunately, one can confuse the two needs, and satisfy the senses when really it is the soul that is longing for comfort.  And so one turns to food or to a screen or perhaps he indulges his emotions in gossip or an angry outburst; anything to momentarily provide relief to the unsettled spirit.  It is the quick and easy remedy that attracts, but sadly, the consequences that follow only dull and deafen the soul to the quiet entreaties of Our dear Lord:

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." (Mt 11:28)

How He desires us! He wants us to spend time with Him, in prayer, in Adoration, in receiving Him in the Holy Eucharist.  Can one be surprised if he has a difficult time maintaining his peace when he fails to communicate with the Prince of Peace?  Katherine Drexel had recourse to vast material wealth, but she recognized her greater asset was her recourse to the infinite wealth that poured out from the "Divine Source of Power by prayer and the sevenfold channels which the Good Lord Himself offers. . ."

"Unite a dedicated will with this Divine Energy and a character is transformed into inner peace and outer service. 'I can do all things in Him Who strengthens me.' " (Ven. Fulton Sheen)