In fact, thats really the most amazing part: Jesus need is to show mercy and to save us. And why not be joyful? Problem is, not everyone accepts, receives, and draws from such a superabundant source. T)reathing Meditation. Endnotes 199 182 Again, for group recitation, I recommend the Prayer of Consecration to Merciful Love. They all replied in unison, [L]onging for God. She told me that, beginning with her perpetual rows, she would practice trust. (See also ibid.) Seraphim, Father, its all about consoling the Heart of Jesus, isnt it?24 He looked pleased with my question and answered with an enthusiastic, Yes, it is! Encouraged by lais response, I continued, And we want to console Jesus in the best possible way, right? Right, he said. Seraphim, that the concrete expression of that trust is praise and thanksgiving. And she also said something else thats familiar: Keep trusting ( and have an unshakable trust). She goes on crying just the same {Letters of St. Therese of Lisieux, trans. That program is called Hearts Afire: Parish-based Programs from the Marian Fathers ofthe Immaculate Conception (HAPP), and you can learn more about it in the Resource Pages. Consoling the Heart of Jesus, and the new book 33 Days to Merciful Love. Jesus. 179 Story ofa Soul, p. 181. 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. We give him what we can, and hes happy with that. Now, that may sound silly, at least until we realize that the idea for it comes from an important Divine Mercy saint and Doctor of die Church, St. Therese of Lisieux. In other words, she presented herself to the Lord just as she was. 404-8). Ah, the Lord is so good to me it is quite impossible for me to fear him (Ibid., p. 250). And yet, through the Mass, we truly and fully participate in that mystery. Notice here that God gives such souls forgiveness of sin and pun ishment. That means no purgatory! Chris Alar, MIC, a priest in my community, die Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. DAY 12 You Will Become a Saint If you truly live the Little Way if you recognize the darkness of your littleness, keep trying to grow in holiness, and trust in the Lords promise of mercy then you will become a saint. on the Internet. Help me to believe that with God nothing will be impossible. Yesterday, not meaning to do so, she tore off a small piece of wallpaper. They simply need to try sincerely to turn away from sin, invite the Lord into their home, and receive and share his Merciful Love. ivine Mercy Image Enthronement. Emphasis added. 17-18. Its the Good News that Gods ways are not our ways, that God isnt attracted to our gifts, virtues, and talents, but rather, to our weakness, brokenness, and sin. And he came to her and said, Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you! But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. So Mary can win hearts in a way that even Jesus Christ cant. Describing diis grace, she writes: The work I had been unable to do in ten years was done by Jesus in one instant, contenting himself with my good will which was never lacking. (Or maybe it was die other way around.) It is confidence and nothing but confidence that must lead us to Love.81 Todays Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, fire of mercy. Well, if we can discover the secret to her littleness, then well discover the secret to her sanctity. Spiral-bound, 130 pages. Specifically, she recognized that Jesus Heart is full of mercy and that he longs to pour out his Merciful Love, especially on sinners. You can, then, in one instant prepare me to appear before You. Okay, but why? But theres more to the story. Jesus doesn't just want good people he wants saints. 41 Cited in ibid., p. 42. Like Therese, Faustina also chose to see everything through the lens of mercy.190 In fact, the two saints are amazingly similar in their message and, in my opinion, are the best guides for helping people to see everything through a lens of mercy. So, every day, she saw her sisters impressive desires, sacrifices, and sufferings right up close, and she concluded that the future saint was no little bird at all. That is what mercy is. 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. She describes this reality in a passage we read earlier, a passage that now deserves a second read: he T How GOOD is the Lord, his MERCY enduresforever! Outwardly, it seems as if everything were lost, but it is not so. You will ask your questions in words, and get answers in words.. Workbook pages your students will complete: Divine Mercy (page 8) The Church: A Sign of Salvation (page 9) Signs and Symbols Scavenge He says, In my flesh, I complete what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ (Col 1:24). Well, not in Thereses case. One of my teachers felt sorry for me and graciously invited me to spend Christmas with her and her family a true act of mercy! And this firm belief stemmed from her insight into Gods amazing mercy. Through the Mass, we perfecdy love God with borrowed, infinite love the divine love of the Son for the Father. Its a masterpiece, especially the later chapters. Why did God make himself vulnerable in diat way? We wonder if the sun is still up there. As Abraham had the stars and Mary had the words of Elizabeth, you have Thereses smile. I WEEK THREE: The Offering to Merciful Love 79 know that of myself I would not merit even to enter that place of expiation since only holy souls can have entrance there, but I also know that the Fire of Love is more sanctifying than is the fire of purgatory. (By the way, I'm going to be using the words trust and faith pretty much interchangeably because in Thereses teaching, theyre more or less the same.) Yes, well simply need to embrace the promise that God will clothe us with his own divine love in his own time and in his own manner, even if we have to wait until the very end. When Mary said, Let it be done to me, she was allowing the Incar nation of the Word to take place in her immaculate soul. It is a long, slippery slope that cannot be iden tified simply as a series of sins. With her prayers, shes preparing your heart to accept the gift of the Offering to Merciful Love. Your Face is my only Homeland Its rhe Lily of the Valley Whose mysterious perfume Consoles my exiled soul, Making it taste the peace of Heaven. An act of merciful love is only really such when we are deeply convinced at the moment that we perform it that we are at the same time receiving mercy from the people who are accepting it from us. Here I am, Lord. You continue: Here I am, Lord, with all my sinfulness, weaknesses, and attachments. But her pilgrimage of faith had not yet met its ultimate test. I also promise victory over (its] enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. Its to begin to recognize the trudi of Gods goodness. (This is probably why we dont see in our churches statues of the Sacred Brain of Jesus but, rather, statues of his Sacred Heart.) You have too much fear before the good God. Well, thats when Fr. After making her Offering to Merciful Love, St. Therese wasfilled with consolation. Once were humbled, God lifts us up. Such saving faith truly is a gift of Christ through Mary. 1. The third and final objection is one that may have arisen in response to the idea that the Offering to Merciful Love is a way of taking the rejected mercy that other people dont want. Now, today, were going to reflect on how the love that fills up the abyss of our nothingness also overflows. To get to that point, a unifying statement to summarize die main points of what weve learned may be helpful. 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. That sounds scary! After all, shes the greatest example of faith, its perfect embodiment,10 and its purest realization.11 And while Jesus, as true God, is the ob ject of our faith (the one we believe in), Mary is the supreme model of faith (the one who best shows us what it means to believe in God). Bless us with your mercy when we leave our home and bless us again when we return. Now, before I explain APPENDIX ONE: Living the Offering 161 what it is, 1 should first say something about spiritual commun ions in general. Even if, along with her empty hands, she's full of weaknesses and imper fections, she does not fear. Week Two will then get into Thereses Little Way. DAY 25 The Daily Darkness Yesterday, we looked at our daily bread of the Mass, our way of entering heaven while still on earth, though in a veiled way. 2, p. 999. For now, lets just consider that if we want to live the Little Way, we must do three tilings: (1) Recognize the darkness: Recognize the darkness of our littleness and brokenness. Actually, if youre making the consecration at home with your family, theres one more option. (Actually, I did put it myself because I just para phrased her thoughts, but you get the idea.) She provides powerful testimony to how good and truly merciful God is. Not necessarily. (See endnote 159 for instructions on how to pray it.) 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. In the above quote, Therese even says, This is die difficulty. And why is it difficult? How We Can Console Jesus Saint Therese frequently wrote about her desire to console Jesus, and as we learned on Day 20, that was her main motivation in making the Offering to Merciful Love. 181 Story ofa Soul, p. 165. Of course not. Help us to be grateful for Gods mercy with your own joyfulness of heart at the Visitation. 33 Days to Merciful Love Retreat Companion is a six-week retreat and falls within Stage Three* of the Hearts Afire Program. In sum, through the Offering, we console Jesus by letting him love us. As St. Therese put it, describing her own day of consecration, Alt! Infinite harshness? Read 4 reviews from the worlds largest community for readers. I will not stop singing my song of love until the choir ofAngels picks it up. The waters of the heavenly ocean burst through and pour down into our souls like a great cascading waterfall. But perhaps we moved on too quickly from the worlds darkness to the light of mercy. Saint Therese herself points this out in a remarkable passage at the end of her autobiography, a passage that weaves together her favorite truths of the Gospel the truths that she has rediscovered:58 I have only to cast a glance in the Gospels and immediately I breathe in the perfumes of Jesus life, and I know on which side to run. 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. 33 Days to Merciful Love (Retreat Coordinator's Guide) - Read online for free. 22 Redemptoris Mater, 18. 111 Cited in ibid. Hes well aware that the child wdll often fall back into the these same faults, but hes always ready to forgive him, provided the boy always grasps him by the heart. Remain in me as in a tabernacle All our justice is stained in Your eyes. (Dublin: Veritas Publications, 1995), p. 49. Of course, we know that at the Annunciation she believed Gods Word, hoping against hope that she w'ould become the mother of the Son of God through a virginal conception. It will be much easier for you to live the Little Way, become one of the greatest saints of all time, and help save the world. And I will make of you a great nation, and 1 will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing (Gen 12:1-2). And if youre very litde and your trust is great, you may even become a great saint, like St. Therese just please dont keep your nail clippings. I feel in my heart immense desires and it is with confidence I ask You to come and take possession of my soul. To obtain a certificate (MLC) or prayercard (33PC) that include the image on the cover ofthis book and the Prayer of Consecration to Merciful Love, call 800-462-7426 or visit ShopMercy.org. : TAN Books and Publishers, 1997), p. 80. Indeed He gives more than what we ask of Him (Diary, 291) 186 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE 106 Cited in The Power of Confidence, p. 348. 80 Story of a Soul, p. 174. 210 Diary, 761. My grace is not lost; if the soul for whom it was intended does not accept it, another soul takes it (1017). 3 Sec The Second Greatest Story Ever Told: Now Is the Time ofMercy (Stockbridge: Marian Press, 2015), pp. There, we read that its all about consoling Jesus. In other words, its all about loving Jesus with perfect love, the kind of love where we dont seek to console ourselves but, rather, seek to console him. Help me to recognize my own lowliness and to rejoice in Gods mercy. 2. It remains only for us not to oppose Gods action (Diary, 283). DAY 1 1 Do Three Things As we learned yesterday, the Litde Way is all about the heart of the Gospel: Divine Mercy. 31 4:18) and considered that God was able to raise up Isaac even from the dead. Todays Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, fire of mercy. It means forgiving those who have hurt us. This retreat is based on the popular book by Fr. 154 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE Now, on this topic of God not needing us, Id say that Exodus 3:14 puts it best. I always feel, however, the same bold confi dence of becoming a great saint because 1 dont count on my merits since I have none, but I trust in Him who is Virtue and Holiness. Will Your Justice alone find souls willing to immolate themselves as victims? Lets let Therese herself explain this amazing point. (After all, how could someone be fully human without desiring to be loved?) 74 Story of a Soul, p. 200. When I became aware of Gods great plans for me, I was frightened at their greatness and felt myself quite incapable of fulfilling them, and I began to avoid interior conversations with Him, filling up the time with vocal prayer. Well, its not. Specifically, would you pray the following prayer of St. Therese for us? Thus, he simply (and eagerly) awaits our fiat. 52 Ibid., p. 105. and trans. She chose mercy, and so, even Gods Justice seemed to her clothed in love." Its called the Family Offering to Merciful Love, and Appendix Two will tell you all about that. Well learn more about that tomorrow. However, please consider consecrating yourself to Jesus through Mary soon. Why? For instance, we read the following in the introduction to her autobiography: T [Jesus] set before me the book of nature; I under stood how all the flowers He has created are beautiful, how t he splendor of the rose and die whiteness of the Lily do not take away the perfume of the little violet or the delightfill simplicity of the daisy. If we can do that, then well be living in one single act of perfect love, like St. Therese and St. Faustina. Rather, its a self-offering to God (a setting of oneself apart for God) dtat anyone can make whether the person is a member of die clergy, consecrated religious, or laity and they do it for the specific purpose ofglorifying Gods mercy. Address: Be the first to receive exclusive offers and the latest news on our products and services directly in your inbox. There is no power that can stop me in my flight toward God.210 How to Renew the Offering with Every Breath: The Spiritual Communion of Merciful Love I toll h .u.Ur-Cil :i> -ill ( uliM. 121 In answer to the question of whether Thereses words about Holy Communion remaining in her were to be taken literally or metaphorically, Thereses sister Pauline (Mother Agnes) replied: She often enlarged on these ideas when speaking to me, and I am certain she meant them literally. It seems to me that if You were to find souls offering themselves as victims of holocaust to Your Love, You would consume them rapidly; it seems to me, too, that You would be happy not to hold back the waves of infinite tenderness within You. But thats why I called. I asked him what he meant. What? When he returned four hours later and everybody had forgotten about it, she ran at once to Marie, saying: Mane, hurry and tell Papa I tore the paper. 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