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Medjugorje
Message: March 25, 2015 Dear children! Also today the Most High permits me to be with
you and to lead you on the way of conversion. Many hearts have shut
themselves to grace and have become deaf to my call. You, little children,
pray and fight against temptation and all the evil plans which the devil
offers you through modernism. Be strong in prayer and with the cross in your
hands pray that evil may not use you and may not conquer in you. I am with
you and pray for you. Thank you for having responded to my call. |
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Published
by the Marian Center of San Antonio / A Catholic Evangelization Ministry This sobering message from Our Lady was given on the great Marian
feast of the Annunciation (exactly nine months before Christmas!), as we were
walking through the final days of Lent and entering Holy Week. She reminds us
that God has permitted her presence with us at Medjugorje
to “lead us on the way of conversion.” Lent is the Church’s annual period of intensely journeying on this
“way of conversion,” but in fact our entire life is meant to embrace
the transformational
path, one day at a time. Throughout Lent we’ve
verbally responded to the Psalmist’s plea: “If today you hear his voice, harden
not your hearts.” Yet Our Lady says, “Many
hearts have shut themselves to grace and have become deaf to my call.” Even as we speak the psalm’s words on cue during Mass, we need to
examine our inmost being to see if we are truly open
and receptive to God’s grace trying to
enter. As a nation and a world community, we seem profoundly hard-of-hearing
and hard-of-heart. As each day’s news unfolds with reports of human-made
tragedies more horrifying than the day before, it is, sadly, easy to
understand what Our Lady is saying. Indeed our world seems blind and deaf
to the reality of heaven, no longer having what Jesus calls the “ears to hear.” Our Lady continues: “You, little children,
pray and fight against temptation and all the evil plans which the devil
offers you through modernism.” Here we
might be reminded of the temptations Jesus faced in the desert where he
fasted and prayed for 40 days—our model for the Lenten journey. There he
confronted the threefold attempt of the devil to derail his mission through “evil plans” disguised as efficient and effective methods that the Lord could
use to assert his power. These were the “three short cuts from the cross” (as Fulton Sheen described them in Life of Christ). Jesus could: 1) become a “Bread King-Social Worker” feeding the starving mobs and
meeting their bodily needs through his power (but without spiritual
substance); 2) become a Stunt-Man performing marvels that defy the laws of nature
in a public spectacle that would convince even the worldly, materialistic,
and skeptical intelligentsia (but without shedding any blood); or 3) become the Owner and Ruler of all earthly (but unregenerated)
kingdoms for the mere price of serving and worshiping Satan. These three “short cuts from the cross” offered by the devil would
spare Our Lord of the one necessity of his mission: the
suffering of a sacrificial death for the sake of Divine Love. Christ’s response to these temptations was exactly what Our Lady
asks of us today: to “pray and fight against temptation and all the evil
plans” offered by the devil. His response in the desert was immediate,
resolute, determined, firm, and unequivocal. So must ours be in the face of all that would deafen us to the call of Heaven as our end. Our human temptations are the same as those endured by Jesus:
temptations of the flesh (lust and gluttony), the mind (pride
and envy), and the idolatrous love of material
things (greed). How are these offered to us, as Our Lady says, “through modernism”? “Modernism” is an interesting word. It has been used at different times in
history to describe various cultural movements affecting art, politics,
philosophy, economics, religion, social organization, and the sciences. Some
trace its roots to the French Revolution of the 18th century,
others to the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century, or to the
sweeping wide-scale changes in Western society of the 20th
century. As early as 1907, Pope Pius X wrote an encyclical “On the Doctrine of the Modernists” which called modernism “the synthesis of all the heresies.” (Some other “-ism’s” that have been associated with “modernism” include “secularism,”
“relativism,” “humanism,” “atheism,” “agnosticism,” and “historicism.”) By
the time of Pope Paul VI (1970’s), the term “modernism” had been dropped from papal writings in favor
of more precise terms. But in this month’s message, what might Our Lady mean
by the word “modernism” as the devil’s way of offering us “evil plans” and “temptation” now,
in the 21st century? The common element among the many interpretations of the term
“modernism” is an exaggerated love or infatuation
with modern ideas, a bias toward innovation, novelty, or the “spirit of the
age”—whatever is considered “the latest and greatest” in technological
progress—and a push to bring all “traditional” or “old/outdated” methods into
conformity with the current “realities of technology and science” (especially in the industrialized “First” world). Using this broad
definition of “modernism,” let us consider how, in our own environment of
2015, the devil offers us “evil
plans” and “temptation” in this way. In terms of temptations
of the flesh toward lust or gluttony, how
does our modern technological culture lure us away from the cross and
toward unbridled bodily pleasure? In terms of temptations of the mind, how does our modern technological culture promote an ideology luring
us to indulge in pride and envy? In terms of temptations toward materialistic
greed, how does our innovative
“spirit of the age” lure us into boundless consumerism? The computer,
internet, smart phone, social media, “reality television,” and 24-hour cable
news cycle have made our world a small global village in which mass
communication spreads facts, ideas and opinions everywhere instantaneously and indiscriminately, without the filters of time-delay that allowed people of bygone
eras to “think twice” before hitting “send” to share (text/tweet) their every thought and impulse—regardless of how petty,
inane, cruel, barbaric, dishonest, or irreverent it might be. In many ways these products of our modern civilization, designed to
make our lives easier,
more efficient and more effective (like the
devil’s ideas for Jesus in the desert) have become little “Frankensteins” that control rather than serve us.
They “use” us and “conquer” in us, as Our Lady says. We are at their beck and call every moment, slavishly serving them. Through this constant
bombardment of our psyche by nonstop digital and media input, we are deeply influenced, impressed, lured, seduced, and finally
brainwashed by the “modernism” of whatever is the cultural “fashion-du-jour” regarding everything
from clothing to politics and religion to morality. When does evil “use” us and “conquer” in us? When staring into the fantasy world of our smart phone seduces us away from the responsibilities of our vocation as parent
or spouse in moments of everyday household duties….when images and advertising on television
or radio seduce us into “keeping up”
with others competitively by buying and owning more of whatever
cultural symbols of the “Good Life” are currently in vogue.… when the twisted plots and perversity of
popular cinema and music seduce us toward selfish,
cutthroat, “anything goes” behavior in our interpersonal relationships or the
unhealthy indulgence of our fleshly desires for food, alcohol, drugs and sex.
Our Lady concludes her message with the perennial remedy for our
human condition of vulnerability to sin’s seduction: “Be
strong in prayer and with the cross in your hands pray that evil may not use
you and may not conquer in you.” Just as
Our Lord refused to be distracted or seduced away from the cross that awaited
him, we, too, must persevere in prayer “with the cross in our hands”—the crucifix on our rosary or any other cross or crucifix that we
keep close as a powerful sacramental reminder of our Savior’s sacrificial
love and the cruciform life we are called to live
as his followers. Praying always that “evil may not use us and may not
conquer in us,” we will become more
sensitive in discerning when the many accessories of our modern technology
and materialistic culture have become temptations of the devil toward “short cuts” away from the carrying of our cross for Jesus Christ. Thankfully, Our Lady says, “I am with you and I
pray for you.” This Easter, through
strength in prayer, fighting temptation, and clinging to the cross, may we
open ourselves to the grace of a new life and new creation in our Risen Lord, alleluia,
alleluia! April Musings . . . Songs of Spring . . .
Easter-Resurrection Truth . . . Revering LIFE The world is charged with the
grandeur of God. It will flame out, like shining from
shook foil; It gathers to a greatness, like the
ooze of oil Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod? Generations have trod, have trod,
have trod . . . And for all this, nature is never
spent; There lives the dearest freshness deep down
things . . . Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and
ah! bright wings. –
Gerard Manley Hopkins + + +
+ + +
+ + +
+ + +
+ The force that through the green fuse drives the flower Drives my green age –
Dylan Thomas + +
+ + +
+ + +
+ + +
+ As Jesus rises from the dead, our
hopelessness, fatalism, and despair drop away. We leave in the wake of
Christ’s rising all that weighs us down: our
self-absorption, insolence, and indignation. The higher we rise with Jesus,
the smaller every enslaving thing becomes. What once seemed impossible is
now likely. The Resurrection of Christ is the salvation of all the
factors of what is human…of the whole man. The elevation of the
Host at the Mass is a symbol of our elevation in the resurrected Christ. – Fr.
Peter J. Cameron, OP + + +
+ + +
+ + +
+ + +
+ + Faith in the resurrection of Jesus
says that there is a future for every human being. The cry for unending life which is
a part of the person is indeed answered. Through Jesus we do know “the room
where exiled love lays down its victory.” He himself is this place, and he
calls us to be with him and in dependence on him. He calls us to keep this
place open within the world so that he, the exiled love, may reappear over
and over in the world. God exists: that is the real message of
Easter. Anyone who even begins to grasp what this means also knows
what it means to be redeemed. –
Pope Benedict XVI +
+ + +
+ + +
+ + +
+ + +
+ + + Truth is tolerant because the Spirit is forgiving
love. It allows the untrue to survive for the time being as a loving parent
allows a child to make mistakes. Truth embraces rather than excommunicates
its enemies.…When
there is no ego through which the truth has to pass, communication dilates
into communion. The Spirit is the egolessness,
the boundless emptiness, of God. It therefore fills everything with
its emptiness and contains “all the truth.” Only emptiness can contain
everything. In St. John’s gospel, the
Resurrection and the sending of the Spirit are seen as a single event. On the
evening of Easter Day, Jesus came and stood among the disciples where they
were huddled fearfully in a locked room. His first word to them was “Shalom.”
Shalom flows directly from the Divine harmony which is the Spirit.
“And then he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” This breath,
which carried Jesus’ words into their minds and hearts, is a medium of the
Spirit. And then he gave them the power to
forgive sins. This power to forgive is a charism of the Spirit because forgiveness
removes the greatest of all obstacles to communication. It heals
wounds, confesses the truth that sets us free, consoles pain, calms anger,
dissolves resentment, achieves the reconciliation of
enemies. Whoever knows the truth has the power to forgive. We learn
through its effect on ourselves what the Spirit is: a friend who has no
favorites and who liberates the power to love, to forgive endlessly. – Fr.
Laurence Freeman, OSB + +
+ + +
+ + +
+ + +
+ + + To live content with small means; to
seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be
worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to listen to stars and birds,
babes and sages, with open heart; to study hard; to think quietly, act
frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never; in a word, to let the
spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common—this
is my symphony. –
William Henry Channing + + +
+ + +
+ + +
+ + +
+ + God the Father: “The faithful disciple of my Son
holds all things in reverence, the left hand as well as the right;
trouble as well as consolation; hunger and thirst as well as eating and
drinking; cold and heat and nakedness as well as clothing; life as well as
death; honor as well as disgrace; distress as well as comfort. In all things
he remains solid, firm and stable, because his foundation is the living
rock.” – St. Catherine of Siena, The Dialogue + + +
+ + +
+ + +
+ + +
+ + The seeds of this sublime life are
planted in every Christian at Baptism. But seeds must grow and develop before
you reap the harvest.
There are thousands of Christians walking about the face of the earth bearing
in their bodies the infinite God of whom they know practically nothing.
They are themselves children of God, and are not aware of their identity. Instead
of seeking to know themselves and their true
dignity, they struggle miserably to impersonate the alienated characters
whose “greatness” rests on violence, craftiness, lust and greed….God
does not manifest Himself to these souls because they do not seek Him with
any real desire. But desire is the most important thing in the
contemplative life. Without desire we will never receive the great
gifts of God. – Thomas Merton + + +
+ + +
+ + +
+ + +
+ + My name is Egoic
Pride. I am a cheater. I cheat you of your God-given
destiny . . . because you demand your
own way. I cheat you of contentment . . .
because you “deserve better than this.” I cheat you of knowledge . . .
because you already know it all. I cheat you of healing . . . because
you’re too full of me to forgive. I cheat you of holiness . . .
because you refuse to admit when you’re
wrong. I cheat you of vision . . . because you’d rather look in a mirror than out a
window. I cheat you of genuine friendship .
. . because nobody’s going to know the
real you. I cheat you of love . . . because real romance demands sacrifice. I cheat you of greatness in heaven .
. . because you refuse to serve others
on earth. I cheat you of God’s glory . . .
because I convince you to seek your own. My name is Egoic
Pride. I am a cheater. You like me because you think I’m
always looking out for you. Untrue. I’m looking to make a fool of you.
God has so much for you, I admit, but don’t worry: If
you stick with me you’ll never know.
— Beth Moore
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Mark Your Calendar!
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April 3 |
Good
Friday of the
Lord’s Passion |
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4 |
Holy
Saturday |
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5 |
Easter
Sunday of the
Resurrection of the Lord |
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7
& 14 |
Class: Thriving Spiritually through Social Justice Work with Rev. Kelly
Allen; 2 Tuesdays, 7-9 pm; SoL Center, 300 Bushnell
Ave; $25; call (210) 732-9927 |
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8 15, 22,& 29 |
Lecture Series: Gender—The Agony & the Ecstasy of
Living in a World and a Church with Two Different Voices with Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI; 4 Wednesdays, 7-9 pm; OST Whitley
Theological Center; 285 Oblate Dr.; $60; call (210) 341-1366 x 212 |
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10
& 11 |
Live Dramatic Performance: Therese—The Story of a Soul by Audrey
Ahern; 7 pm, House of Mercy-St. Paul Community Center; 1201 Donaldson Ave.;
$15/$10 youth; call (210) 736-0055 |
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11 |
Fiesta Franciscana
Arts & Music at Mission Espada; 9:30 am-3:30
pm; no charge; musicians and artwork in many mediums; call (210) 599-4975 |
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12 |
Divine
Mercy Sunday |
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18 |
Sankofa Lecture Series: Ethical Issues—Ethical Choices in Perilous
Times with Fr. Bryan Massingale, Theology
Professor, Marquette U.; 9 am-12 pm OST Whitley Theological Center, 285
Oblate Dr., $40; call (210) 341-1366 |
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20 |
Portraits
of World Mysticism: Nature Mysticism with Dr. Steven Chase; 7-9 pm, OST Whitley Theological
Center, 285 Oblate Dr., $40, call (210) 341-1366 x 212 |
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25 |
St. Mark the Evangelist PEACE
MASS: 12 pm, St. Mary’s Church, 202 N. St. Mary’s; Rosary at 11:30 am |
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26 |
Rosary-making:
2-5:30 pm, St. Mary’s Church, 202 N. St. Mary’s (free parking &
materials) |
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To reject the contemplative
dimension of any religion is to reject the religion itself,
however loyal one may be to its externals and rituals. This is because the contemplative dimension
is the heart and soul of every religion. It initiates the movement into higher states of
consciousness. The great wisdom teachings of the Vedas, Upanishads, Buddhist
Sutras, Old and New Testaments, and the Koran bear witness to this truth.
Right now there are about two billion Christians on the planet. If a
significant portion of them were to embrace the contemplative dimension of
the gospel, the emerging global society would experience a powerful surge
toward enduring peace. If this contemplative dimension of the
Christian religion is not presented, the Gospel is not being adequately
preached. – Fr.
Thomas Keating, OCSO |
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Copyright, Marian Center of San Antonio. All
rights reserved. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced without
permission. |