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Medjugorje
Message: October 25, 2014 Dear children! Pray in this time of grace and seek the
intercession of all the saints who are already in the light. From day to day
may they be an example and encouragement to you on the way of your
conversion. Little children, be aware that your life is short and passing.
Therefore, yearn for eternity and keep preparing your hearts in prayer. I am
with you and intercede before my Son for each of you, especially for those
who have consecrated themselves to me and to my Son. Thank you for having
responded to my call. |
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Published
by the Marian Center of San Antonio / A Catholic Evangelization Ministry As always, Our Lady’s message is in perfect keeping with the liturgical
year, focusing our attention upon the Communion of Saints and the formation
of our souls at this season when human mortality, death, and the afterlife
figure large in our celebrations of Halloween, Dia
de los Muertos, All Saints, and All Souls. Mary
gives us specific instructions in this message, using verbal imperatives to call
us to particular actions. She begins with the words “Pray” and “seek”: “Pray in this time of grace and seek
the intercession of all the saints who are already in the light. From day to
day may they be an example and encouragement to you on the way of your
conversion.” Notice that Our Lady refers
to “this time
of grace.” With all the horrible
violence and sub-human behavior we are witnessing in the world, how can this
be a “time of
grace”? The answer comes later in her message when she says, “Little
children, be
aware that your life is short and passing. Therefore, yearn
for eternity and keep preparing your hearts in prayer.” Grace means “gift,” something “given.” Regardless of the terrible conditions
in our world, each day that we awaken and are given breath is another day
in which we can “prepare our hearts” for eternity and further our spiritual
journey toward heaven, and so each moment—whether carefree
and easy or troubled and traumatic—is a “time of grace” in the context of our “short and passing” life. Thus each day is a day for which we should give
thanks. Our Lady’s command to “be aware” is vitally important; to the extent that we keep our own mortality
before our eyes with awareness of how “short and passing” our life is—how brief
and transitory our time here is—we will be led to “yearn
for eternity” and “keep
preparing our hearts [for it] in prayer.” Unfortunately, our entire culture conspires to keep our minds OFF of our preparations for eternal life by feeding the illusion that earthly
life is all there is and can be prolonged indefinitely. Only a
daily spiritual practice of prayer can
cultivate the vital awareness to which Our Lady is calling us. Our Lady’s reference to “the saints who are
already in the light” is an echo of St. Paul’s
letter to the Colossians, where he prays for continuing spiritual progress, “asking that you may be filled with
the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding to
live in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every
good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God, strengthened
with every power, in accord with his glorious might, for all endurance and
patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to
share in the inheritance of the
saints in light.” (Col 1:9-12) The “light” the saints enjoy is the eternal illumination of Divine Love in heaven,
brighter than any earthly light we can imagine in our current state of
relative darkness. The saints lived their earthly life with an inner illumination of Love that shined outward, creating a glow of sanctity that others
could perceive, bringing light to the world’s darkness. Thus they are often
depicted with a “halo” or “aura” of Love-light around them. While we might have our own personal favorites (St. Anthony, Jude,
Therese, Francis, etc.), Our Lady urges us to “seek the intercession of all
the saints who are already in the light.”
This can surely include many holy souls we’ve actually known who are
not canonized saints on the Church’s calendar, but whose sanctity of life
exuded Divine Love in an inspiring way. In them we see what Our Lady
describes as the function of a saint: “From day to day may they be an example and encouragement to you on
the way of your conversion.” Let us
not forget these important people who have touched our lives and who now live
in the eternal light of heaven, ready and waiting to intercede for us when we
ask them. On November 1st we celebrate “All
Saints” day, while throughout the
year hundreds of individual saints are honored on their particular feast
days. This practice of invoking the “saints in light” by asking for their
intercession, just as we ask our earthly friends and relatives to pray for
us, is a recognition of the seamless
interconnectedness that exists between the living
and the dead—between those who live on earth and those who live in heaven.
This is the Communion of Saints that the Church affirms as our eternal “family” in the Mystical Body
of Christ. We honor them in 3 ways: by recalling their inspiring lives through study (or our own living memories of them); by invoking their prayers of
intercession for us in our needs; and especially by imitating
their virtues in our own daily life. Our Lady concludes by assuring us of her maternal presence and
intercession for us, “especially
for those who have consecrated themselves to me and to my Son.” How do we “consecrate ourselves” to Jesus and Mary? This is not
something reserved only for clergy and religious; all of us can
consecrate ourselves to Our Lady and Our Lord on a daily basis. To “consecrate” is to set something aside for an exclusively holy and sacred use or
purpose. To consecrate ourselves to Jesus and
Mary is to offer our whole being—body, mind, and spirit—to them for their own
purposes and disposal, to be used as they see fit. We offer them our will, emotions, plans, hopes, dreams, desires, abilities
and preferences, relinquishing our own agenda for our life and giving it
all to Jesus through Mary. Far from diminishing our own personal happiness,
this consecration will open the door to unimaginable freedom and joy in our
life. (Please
see sample acts of consecration below.) November Musings . . . Month of Saints, Souls & Thankfulness . . . Living in
Anxious Times . . . Consecrating Ourselves It
is a good and noble practice to think often of our death, and during this
November month when the year is “dying” and we celebrate those who have
already “crossed over,” let us consider these words of Scripture commonly
read in the Mass for Christian Burial, the Funeral Liturgy: The souls of the
just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in
the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an
affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace. For if before
man, indeed, they be punished, yet is their hope full of immortality;
chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and
found them worthy of himself. As gold
in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to
himself. In the time of their visitation they shall shine, and shall dart
about as sparks through stubble; they shall judge nations and rule over
peoples and the LORD shall be their King forever. Those who trust in him
shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love;
because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with his
elect. – Wisdom 3:19 + + +
+ + +
+ + +
+ + +
+ + The Cure for Death Man’s resistance
to death is evident: somewhere—people have constantly thought—there must
be some cure for death. Sooner or later it should be possible to find the
remedy not only for illness, but for our ultimate destiny—for death itself. Surely the medicine of immortality must
exist….What would it be like if we were to succeed…in postponing death
indefinitely, in reaching an age of several hundred years? Would that be a
good thing? Humanity would become extraordinarily old; there would be no more
room for youth. Capacity for innovation would die, and endless life would be
no paradise; if anything a condemnation. The true cure for
death must be different….It would have to transform our lives from within. It would need to create a new life within us, truly fit for eternity:
it would need to transform us in such a way as not to come to an end with
death, but only then to begin in fullness.
What is exciting in the Christian message is that we are told: yes indeed, this cure for death, this true medicine of
immortality, does exist. It has been found. It is within our reach. In
baptism, this medicine is given to us. A new life begins in us, a life that matures in faith and is not extinguished
by the death of the old life, but is only then fully revealed. Indeed, the cure for death does exist. – Pope Benedict
XVI + + +
+ + +
+ + +
+ + +
+ + Thanksgiving Day
Proclamation of 1863 I, Abraham
Lincoln, President of the United States, do hereby appoint and set apart the last
Thursday in November as a day which I desire to be observed by all my
fellow-citizens, wherever they may be then, as a day of thanksgiving and praise to Almighty God, the beneficent
Creator and Ruler of the Universe. And I do further recommend to my
fellow-citizens, that on that occasion they do reverently humble themselves in the dust, and from thence offer up
penitent and fervent prayers and supplications to the great Disposer of
events for a return of the inestimable blessings of peace, union, and harmony
throughout the land which it has pleased him to assign as a dwelling-place
for ourselves and for our posterity throughout all generations. +
+ + +
+ + +
+ + +
+ + +
The Antidote to Our
High Anxiety How
are we to deal with the many fears and worries of our scary world? We can let go of
our worries and anxieties as Jesus advises us in his teaching on prayer. These anxieties are manifold:
the daily glitches that pass with a good night’s sleep, the losses that are
still awfully present when we awaken, the deeper patterns of our character
with their roots in pre-conscious memory. Wisdom and forgiveness begin their
work as soon as we step back and stop
blaming the world or our parents or our enemies and realize that we are
the problem. This first step on a mature spiritual path may take
years. Once taken, however, we are able to discern the different levels of
suffering and dissatisfaction we have to work through: those we can
handle ourselves, those we have to seek help for, and those we simply have to
transcend. Meditation sharpens and accelerates this discernment. In all traditions deep, silent, non-conceptual prayer
is seen to occupy the heart of faith and to open the door to union with God.
The Sufis speak of “dhikr”
or the remembrance of God which is
arrived at through the repetition of the name of God. In its simplicity it is
said to contain all forms of prayer and “frees us from all confusion and
discomfort.” The Qu’ran reminds us that “no object is worthy of worship except God,”
and therefore there is no other ultimate goal or real existence. Jesus’
commandment of love—God,
neighbor, and self—similarly translates into the mindfulness with which we pay absolute attention to God. Still, the cares
of life easily overwhelm us. They can make us self-fixated, forgetful, insensitive,
ignorant and stupid. We forget that God
exists. We ignore the needs of our neighbors. We lose the capacity for
wonder. We sleepwalk to the grace. Spiritual work is the cure for the
careworn. It teaches us to handle problems and to live in freedom despite
them. It dissolves hardness of heart as we become more sensitive and
responsive. Spiritual practice transforms the energy blocked in our ego and
negative patterns of thought and behavior. Wisely we come to accept that we will not, in this life of cares, ever
have everything we want. But then liberation dawns as we accept that the real problem lies not in the
not-having but in the wanting itself.
– Fr. Lawrence
Freeman, OSB +
+ + +
+ + +
+ + +
+ + + Acts of Consecration to Jesus and Mary O my beloved Lord Jesus Christ, I consecrate
myself completely to You and offer You all my prayers, works, joys and
sufferings in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass—Your own saving act
on Calvary—for the intentions of Your Most Sacred Heart, in a communion of
Love with all creation. Amen. O Blessed Mother Mary, I consecrate
myself entirely to you and to your Immaculate Heart. Please use me as you
wish to accomplish your designs upon our world. I am all yours and all that I
have is yours, my Mother and my Queen. Amen. + +
+ +
+ + +
+ + +
+ + +
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Mark Your
Calendar!
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November 1 |
All
Saints First Saturday of Month
Class: Portraits of World Mysticism:
Zen with Colin Gipson of SA Zen Center; 9 am-12 pm; OST Whitley
Theological Center, 285 Oblate Dr., $40, call (210) 341-1366 x 212 |
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2 |
All
Souls |
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21
|
The Presentation of the Blessed
Virgin Mary |
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27 |
Thanksgiving Day |
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29 |
PEACE
MASS: 12 pm, St. Mary’s Church, 202 N. St. Mary’s; Rosary at 11:30 am |
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30 |
Rosary-making:
2:00-5:30 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. |