aPRIL 16 Monday
Daniel,
Chapter 10, Verse 11-14
11“Daniel,
beloved,” he said to me, “Understand the words which I am speaking to you;
stand up, for my mission now is to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up
trembling. 12“Do
not fear, Daniel,” he continued;
“from the first day you made up your mind to acquire understanding and humble
yourself before God, your prayer was heard. Because of it I started out, 13but the prince
of the kingdom of Persia stood in my way for twenty-one days,
until finally Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me. I left him
there with the prince of the kingdom of Persia, 14and
came to make you understand what shall happen to your people in the last days;
for there is yet a vision concerning those days.”
When I read this verse I hear the Lord saying this
to us all-Stay with me-do not be afraid. Today go to the Blessed Sacrament and
spend some time with the Lord. There our Lord will pull us to Himself and
transform us into warriors and conquerors. Daniel’s vision charges him with
engaging him is spiritual warfare; as are we by Christ. Daniel learns the
lessons every leader who confronts evil in the world must master.[1]
1.
Spiritual
leaders lead not only God’s family, but God’s army.
2.
Prayer
ignites spiritual warfare invisible to us.
3.
Both
spiritual kingdoms seem to have princes.
4.
Spiritual
warfare can delay victories.
5.
We
must not fear spiritual warfare.
6.
Understanding
warfare enables us to cooperate with God’s purposes.
Wisely face an invisible spiritual world around you.
Draw near to Christ and He will transform your disenchantment with the world
and help you along the road to holiness and sainthood.
Our
lives are songs; God writes the words and we set them to music at pleasure; and
the song grows glad, or sweet or sad, as we choose to fashion the measure. Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
Do
not be afraid of holiness. It will take away none of your energy, vitality or
joy. On the contrary, you will become what the Father had in mind when he
created you, and you will be faithful to your deepest self. To depend on God,
sets us free from every form of enslavement and leads us to recognize our great
dignity. We see this in Saint Josephine Bakhita: “Abducted and sold into
slavery at the tender age of seven, she suffered much at the hands of cruel
masters. But she came to understand the profound truth that God, and not man,
is the true Master of every human being, of every human life. This experience
became a source of great wisdom for this humble daughter of Africa”. To the
extent that each Christian grows in holiness, he or she will bear greater fruit
for our world. The bishops of West Africa have observed that “we are being
called in the spirit of the New Evangelization to be evangelized and to
evangelize through the empowering of all you, the baptized, to take up your
roles as salt of the earth and light of the world wherever you find
yourselves”. Do not be afraid to set your sights higher, to allow yourself to
be loved and liberated by God. Do not be afraid to let yourself be guided by
the Holy Spirit. Holiness does not make you less human, since it is an
encounter between your weakness and the power of God’s grace. For in the words
of León Bloy, when all is said and done, “the only great tragedy in life, is
not to become a saint”.
St. Bernadette[3]
Marie Bernarde ('Bernadette') Soubirous
was the eldest child of an impoverished miller. At the age of fourteen she was
ailing and undersized, sensitive and of pleasant disposition but accounted
backward and slow. Between 11 February and 16 July 1858, in a shallow cave on
the bank of the river Gave, she had a series of remarkable experiences. On
eighteen occasions she saw a very young and beautiful lady, who made various
requests and communications to her, pointing out a forgotten spring of water
and enjoining prayer and penitence. The lady eventually identified herself as
the Virgin Mary, under the title of 'the Immaculate Conception'. Some of these
happenings took place in the presence of many people, but no one besides
Bernadette claimed to see or hear 'the Lady', and there was no disorder or
emotional extravagance. After the appearances ceased, however, there was an
epidemic of false visionaries and morbid religiosity in the district, which
increased the reserved attitude of the church authorities towards Bernadette's
experiences. For some years she suffered greatly from the suspicious disbelief
of some and the tactless enthusiasm and insensitive attentions of others; these
trials she bore with impressive patience and dignity. In 1866 she was admitted
to the convent of the Sisters of Charity at Nevers. Here she was more sheltered
from trying publicity, but not from the 'stuffiness' of the convent superiors
nor from the tightening grip of asthma. 'I am getting on with my job,' she
would say. 'What is that?' someone asked. 'Being ill,' was the reply. Thus she
lived out her self-effacing life, dying at the age of thirty-five. The events
of 1858 resulted in Lourdes becoming one of the greatest pilgrim shrines in the
history of Christendom. But St Bernadette took no part in these developments;
nor was it for her visions that she was canonized, but for the humble
simplicity and religious trustingness that characterized her whole life.
Patron: Bodily ills;
illness; Lourdes, France; people ridiculed for their piety; poverty;
shepherdesses; shepherds; sick people; sickness.
Daily Devotions
·
Manhood of
the Master-Day 2 week 12
·
Please
pray for me and this ministry
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