Monday, March 5, 2018

- March 04, 2018

Isaiah, Chapter 66, Verse 4-5

⁴ I in turn will choose affliction for them and bring upon them what they fear. Because when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, no one listened. Because they did what was evil in my sight, and things I do not delight in they chose, ⁵ hear the word of the LORD, you who tremble at his word! Your kin who hate you and cast you out because of my name say, “May the LORD show his glory, that we may see your joy”; but they shall be put to shame.

We are in a battle with the forces of darkness. Our priest the Pope of our church is saying to us “Do not be afraid”. He is reminding us that the love of God is like a pebble that is dropped on the smooth surface of a pond. When God’s love truly pierces our hearts, as the pebble on the pond, our own love will ripple outward perfectly in symmetry with the universe, embracing everything in its path with His reflected glory. When God’s love truly pierces our hearts we reflect with sorrow on our sins and transgressions. We as Lord Tennyson acclaimed must develop the mantra “To Strive, To Seek, To Find and not to Yield.” We seek to develop within ourselves genuine compunction of heart. Compunction is a deep and lasting sorrow for our sins. It is not a gloomy or depressing sorrow, but an intelligent admission of your sins and a sincere determination to do something about them. It is a realization of how you have failed such a loving God and brings with it a readiness to accept anything that He wills. Compunction opens the way to many blessings and precious graces. Compunction will cause the world to lose its magic attraction. Compunction will help you realize how quickly earthly joys pass away, while eternity goes on forever. By compunction a man begins to attack his faults and to practice the opposite virtues.^{^[1]}

Let us develop within ourselves the virtues of Mary Most Holy: Humility, Generosity, Chastity, Patience, Self-Control, and Love.

Lenten Calendar[2]

Read: During Lent, it is important for us to remember the corporal works of mercy, which are found in the teachings of Jesus and give us a model for how we should treat all others: as if they were Christ in disguise.

Reflect: What small changes would allow you to perform corporal works of mercy: Can you allocate your time differently so you have a couple extra hours to volunteer? Do you discard food that could instead be donated to a local soup kitchen? When was the last time you participated in a blood drive?

Pray: With mercy on your mind, revisit Pope Francis's Year of Mercy Prayer.

Act: Pick one of the seven corporal works of mercy and do it this week!

Preparing for Battle[3] Know Your Weapons

The weapon of prayer

The Scripture tells us that the fervent prayer of righteous believers has great power in its effects (see Jas 5: 16). Prayer is the indispensable weapon in our battle with Satan. Prayer in the name of Jesus is especially powerful against the Devil. “In my name,” Jesus said of His followers, “they shall cast out devils” (Mk 16: 17). At “the name that is above every name,” St. Paul thundered, “at the name of Jesus, every knee” must bow, “in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (see Phil 2: 9– 10).

We can see how much the Devil fears those who pray, since there’s not a moment of the day when he tempts us more than when we’re at prayer. He does everything he possibly can to prevent us from praying. When the Devil wants to make someone lose his soul, he starts out by inspiring in him a profound distaste for prayer. However good a Christian he may be, if the Devil succeeds in making him either say his prayers badly or neglect them altogether, he’s certain to have that person for himself. (St. John Vianney)

The Angelus[4]

The traditional Catholic midday prayer is called the Angelus. Christians have always paused for prayer at the noon. In apostolic times, it was called the prayer of the “sixth hour”, counting from sunrise. It was also at the sixth hour that Jesus was crucified. Though Catholics most commonly recite the Angelus at noon, some pray it at six in the morning and six in the evening. For those who wish to make personal change this is a good time to examine our day so far and offer ourselves us to our God. It is at the turning point of our day that we recall the turning point of history: the moment when the angel appeared to a young woman named Mary.

The Angelus[5]

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word. Hail Mary…

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us. Hail Mary…

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

Daily Devotions

· Drops of Christ’s Blood

· Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus

· Nineveh 90 Day 64

· Manhood of the Master-Day 2 week 6

· Lenten Calendar Day 20

· Do 30 min. in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

· Please pray for me and this ministry

[1] Paone, Anthony J., S.J. My Daily Bread, Confraternity of the Precious Blood.

[2] http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/lent/march-5.cfm

[3]Thigpen, Paul. Manual for Spiritual Warfare. TAN Books.