Tuesday, September 15, 2015

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Deuteronomy, Chapter 11, Verse 25
None shall stand up against you; the LORD, your God, will spread the fear and dread of you through any land where you set foot, as he promised you.

What have you to fear with God at your back?

We as the heirs of God’s promises to the Hebrews must have the courage to support and defend Israel at each threshold of change that God brings about. Yes, there will be suffering and we must be up to the challenge; to carry our cross, as God wills it.

We must follow the example of Our Lady of Sorrows and bring our savior to others and undergo the joys with sorrows. Today would be a good day to contemplate the seven sorrows of our Lady and to pray.
St. Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373), Our Lady directly revealed the amazing graces granted by her Son for all those who daily pray seven Hail Mary’s while meditating on her seven dolors and tears:
1. “I will grant peace to their families.”

2. “They will be enlightened about the Divine Mysteries.”

3. “I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work.”

4. “I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my Divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.”

5. “I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.”

6. “I will visibly help them at the moment of their death—they will see the face of their mother.”

7. “I have obtained this grace from my divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness, since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son will be their eternal consolation and joy.”

Today might also be a good day to take a hike or walk and pray along the way; going out to an isolated place was the original way to pray. It was practiced by Abraham in the desert, and Mary on her way to visit her aunt during her pregnancy with St. John the Baptist and by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Below is an excerpt taken from my book, Divine Mercy Hikes for your review and use if you can make it to Sedona, Arizona; however, all hike meditations are adaptable to any other location. The secret is to talk to God during the walk and He will talk to you.
Soldiers Pass Trail[1]
During this hike, if you are doing the Divine Mercy Novena, you will be reflecting on the souls of the souls who are detained in purgatory.  This trail will take you by the devils kitchen (sinkhole) and the seven sacred pools which are great geological features to reflect on the grace of purgatory and the seven sacraments. 

Length: 1.4 miles one way
Rating: Moderate
Use: Medium
Season: Year round
Hiking time:  2.5 hours
USGS Map: Wilson Mountain

Location:  From the junction of Routes 89A and 179, take 89A west 1.2 miles to Soldier Pass Road on the right. Go 1.5 miles to Rim Shadows Drive, then right 0.2 miles (keep straight ahead where Rim Shadows branches left) to a gated entry road to trailhead parking on the left.

Also I would like to share with you some new material that I am going to add as a revision to the book: Notice for the meditation that the water must flow from the first pool fill it and then in succession the second pool is filled. Similarly grace fills our life where one virtue will complete us enough to overflow to the next. With this concept in mind we will review the seven sorrows of the Mother of God and emulate the virtue she had in them; seeing that we must be filled with grace from one pool to the other in secession.
O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.[1]
As we meditate on the first pool asking our Lady to ask her son to fill us with the grace of Humility.
1.      I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the affliction of your tender heart at the prophecy of the holy and aged Simeon. Dear Mother, by your heart so afflicted, obtain for me the virtue of humility and the gift of the holy fear of God. Hail Mary…
After we have filled our spirit with the grace of humility now let us ask our Lady to pray that her son fill us with the grace of Generosity.
2. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the anguish of your most affectionate heart during the flight into Egypt and your sojourn there. Dear Mother, by your heart so troubled, obtain for me the virtue of generosity, especially toward the poor, and the gift of piety. Hail Mary…
Moving to the third pool let us ask our Lady to ask her son to fill us with the grace of the Gift of Chastity.
3.      I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in those anxieties which tried your troubled heart at the loss of your dear Jesus. Dear Mother, by your heart so full of anguish, obtain for me the virtue of chastity and the gift of knowledge. Hail Mary…
Moving to the fourth pool let us ask our Lady to ask her son to fill us with the grace of Patience.
4.      I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the consternation of your heart at meeting Jesus as He carried His Cross. Dear Mother, by your heart so troubled, obtain for me the virtue of patience and the gift of fortitude. Hail Mary…
Moving to the fifth pool let us ask our Lady to ask her son to fill us with the grace of Temperance.
5.      I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the martyrdom which your generous heart endured in standing near Jesus in His agony. Dear Mother, by your afflicted heart obtain for me the virtue of temperance and the gift of counsel. Hail Mary…
Moving to the sixth pool let us ask our Lady to ask her son to fill us with the grace of Understanding.
6. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the wounding of your compassionate heart, when the side of Jesus was struck by the lance before His Body was removed from the Cross. Dear Mother, by your heart thus transfixed, obtain for me the virtue of fraternal charity and the gift of understanding. Hail Mary…
Moving to the seventh pool let us ask our Lady to ask her son to fill us with the grace of Wisdom and Love.
7. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, for the pangs that wrenched your most loving heart at the burial of Jesus. Dear Mother, by your heart sunk in the bitterness of desolation, obtain for me the virtue of diligence and the gift of wisdom. Hail Mary…
Let Us Pray:
Let intercession be made for us, we beseech You, O Lord Jesus Christ, now and at the hour of our death, before the throne of Your mercy, by the Blessed Virgin Mary, Your Mother, whose most holy soul was pierced by a sword of sorrow in the hour of Your bitter Passion. Through You, O Jesus Christ, Savior of the world, Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns world without end. Amen.




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