Judges, Chapter 7,
Verse 3
So announce in the hearing of the soldiers,
“If anyone is afraid or fearful, let him leave! Let him depart from Mount Gilead!” Twenty-two
thousand of the soldiers left, but ten thousand remained.
Fear! Those who are
fearful are ruled by their emotions. Gideon knew this emotion well for he was a
man afraid. What changed him? It was God! God had changed his fear into hope
and love for the reign of God. God had changed his unbelief into resolute iron
will.
Saint John Paul II was a
sword of Gideon; he reminded us that we too must be unafraid that we must be
bold and remember that Gideon did not defeat the Midianites with the sword but
with fear.
Gideon needed to lead a night attack against the
Midianites and Amalekites. His plan was to have every soldier carry a trumpet
and a torch, the latter inside a clay pot, and blow the trumpet and reveal the
torch upon command. The racket and the sudden appearance of hundreds of torches
would doubtlessly panic the enemy troops, who would have no idea as to how many
enemies had come out of nowhere. A night attack, however, involves considerable
risk. Even today, only the most skilled soldiers are willing to undertake such
a mission. A lot of things can go wrong, and it is very easy to mistake friend
for foe in the darkness. There is a good chance of shooting or, in ancient
times, stabbing one’s own people unless the operation goes perfectly. Any
premature action or loud noise can allow the enemy to draw up his soldiers into
formations that can repel an attack. If, for example, one of Gideon’s men
dropped his pot by accident during the approach to the enemy camp, the exposed
torch would have told the enemy sentries that something was amiss. The job was
clearly not one for amateurs, or people who lacked commitment.
The first step was therefore to send away the more than
two-thirds of Gideon’s army that was hesitant to fight the enemy. This made
eminent sense because fear might easily result in the kind of false move—and it
would take only one—that would ruin the operation. Ten thousand soldiers were
still, however, ten thousand opportunities for something to go wrong. It wasn’t
enough that they were committed and willing to fight; they also had to have the
discipline and training necessary to participate in a night attack. As Judges
7.4 through 7.7 continues: “And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet
too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there:
and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the
same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go
with thee, the same shall not go.
“So he brought down the people unto the water: and the
Lord said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as
a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth
down upon his knees to drink.[1]
Now those who drank like dogs what
do you suppose they had in their hands. Their weapons! They were ready for the
battle at any moment. God needs stout hearted men and women. Are you ready?
Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary[2]
A special commemoration, one week
before Good Friday, of Mary's compassion for (literally, "suffering
with") Her innocent son.
Mary in her suffering leads us to
her son who gave his all for love of us. Below is an excerpt from my book “Divine
Mercy Hikes”.
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. While at the seven sacred pools:: Notice 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.
While meditating on the first pool ask our Lady to pray
to her son to fill us with the grace of Humility.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 and Love.
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.
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.
Daily Devotions/Prayers
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