DAY 24 - MARY, SPIRITUAL VESSEL, PRAY THAT WE RECEIVE THE FRUIT OF FAITHFULNESS!
GOD'S WORD
HEROES' WORDS
MEDITATION
PRAY A ROSARY
- Rosary of the Day: Sorrowful Mysteries
- Traditional 54 Day Rotation: Glorious Mysteries
2 Maccabees, Chapter 12, Verse 22
But when Judas’ first cohort appeared, the enemy was overwhelmed with FEAR and terror at the manifestation of the all-seeing One. Scattering in every direction, they rushed away in such headlong flight that in many cases they wounded one another, pierced by the points of their own swords.
With the death of Antiochus IV, the gang warfare of sorts ceases for a while, yet the problem with Hellenization has not ended and the temple needs to be defended by Judas. Small battles ensue and although Antiochus VI is dead the real power was placed in Lysias who was in charge of the government and military. Judas defeats him with the power of God when a mysterious horseman appears to help the armies of the Lord. Peace with the Syrians is temporary, but the gang warfare continues. Judas marches into the Transjordan when he comes upon a large force which he engages. Here we see that despite the enemies of God having an overwhelming force they are put to route by a mysterious being (all seeing) and flee causing their own destruction.[1]
Tuesday-Family Holy Hour
This family Holy Hour is an answer to the need of generous souls who desire to live more perfectly the spirit of the Enthronement, and who wish to do more (we might say much more) for the Most Sacred Heart having a weekly family holy hour. Why Tuesday. To make reparations to the sacred heart for betrayals; for it was Tuesday of Holy week that Judas first made a deal with the Sanhedrin.
HOUR OF ADORATION OF THE SACRED HEART.[2]
Prayer.
"What a happiness is mine, O my Savior, to hold communion with Thee, to thank Thee for the immense love of Thy heart for mankind, to offer Thee some reparation for the outrages unceasingly committed against Thee. But, sinner as I am, how can I worthily acquit myself of so holy a duty? O Jesus, unite my prayers to Thine, offer to Thy heavenly Father the holy dispositions of Thy divine heart in order to supply for my deficiencies, Holy Virgin, lead me to the heart of thy divine Son, that sanctuary of grace and virtue. I unite myself to the homage rendered Him by thy immaculate heart. Ye blessed spirits, ever humbly prostrate before that adorable heart, I unite myself to your profound adorations; communicate to me your love and recollection, present to Him my prayers; and ye saints of heaven and just ones of the earth, come and let us adore together the heart of our Redeemer.
Place yourself in the presence of God, make an act of faith? and -say with the prodigal son:
My Father, I have sinned against heaven and in Thy sight. 1 am no longer worthy to be called Thy child. Make me as one of Thy hired servants. I desire nothing more.
Place yourself in spirit near the heart of Jesus, at the foot of the throne of mercy; approach with confidence, listen to the loving words Our Lord addresses to you, and pray to Him with earnestness and devotion.
Jesus Christ. Open to Me thy heart, My spouse, My beloved.
The Disciple. O my God, is it to me that Thou dost address these words? My soul is but an abyss of misery, and Thou callest me Thy beloved; I presume not to raise my eyes towards Thy heart so pure and holy, yet as soon as I present myself to Thee Thou dost lavish on me Thy most signal favors. What a glory and happiness for me, my God, to be noticed by Thee, to know that Thou disdainest not a creature so guilty as myself! Ah, since Thou sufferest me in Thy presence, since Thou even commandest me to open to Thee my heart, I obey. Depart from thence, all earthly thoughts; leave me to converse with my God, that from His heart I may draw forth true love.
Jesus Christ. Thou hast wounded My heart, My beloved; thou hast wounded My heart.
The Disciple. O God, how can it be that Thy love should have made Thee take a heart like unto mine? Ah, Thou hast taken this heart in order that Thou mayst feel all my miseries; but what a prodigy of love to have assumed this heart only to allow it to be pierced in favor of one so ungrateful! Thou hast allowed it to be pierced on the cross in the face of the whole world, so that none should be ignorant of the excess of Thy tenderness. Thou bearest in heaven this glorious wound. The opening in Thy heart shall never be closed up; it shall always bear the triumphant mark of Thy love. O divine heart, wound this heart of mine; inflict so deep a wound that it shall open entirely to Thee; pierce it with the same lance with which Thine own was pierced, so that the waters of a sincere repentance may flow from thence. Alas! this heart has wounded Thee a thousand times more by its ingratitude, infidelity, and obduracy. I have pierced it by my offences. O my Savior, pardon me; banish sin from my heart, making Thy holy love reign there in its place.
Jesus Christ. My beloved, let there be no division; give Me entire possession of thy heart. The Disciple. O Lord, how dost Thou abase Thyself, disdaining not to ask for the heart of one who has not blushed to refuse it to Thee in order to resign it up to sin? What tenderness on Thy part! But, O my God, what has this heart become which Thou demandest of me? Alas! it is sullied with a thousand stains. How canst Thou endure it, Thou Who art sanctity itself? Ah, my God, how much that is wrong is there in this heart! what love of self-attachment to my own thoughts and will! what worldly inclinations, distaste for heaven, tepidity in Thy service, and solicitude for this perishing body! However, since Thou deignest to demand it, I offer it Thee. O Jesus, the only object of my love, receive me now in Thy sacred heart, so that I may be all Thine; receive me into that ardent furnace in order that I may be wholly consumed in Thy love. There, my sweet Savior, I shall know the value of the blood which has redeemed me, and shall comprehend how I ought to love Thee. O love of my Savior, thou art that living water for which I thirst; my heart tends only towards Thee. Open to me Thy loving heart. My heart is Thine for eternity; bestow upon me Thine, O Jesus.
Jesus Christ. Yes, my beloved, I give thee My heart; set it it as a seal upon thine own, study its sentiments, copy faithfully its virtues.
The Disciple. O my soul, receive this heart burning with love, respond to its adorable designs over thee, endeavor to make them thine own. Adorable Jesus, my heart was formed to be Thy habitation, Thy throne, Thy altar, Thy tabernacle. Enter, O divine Savior, into this habitation, and purify it from all that is unworthy of Thee. Command it as a sovereign upon his throne, and give me the docility necessary to obey Thee. Receive upon this altar the sacrifice I make Thee of my heart, and dwell as a God of majesty and holiness in that living tabernacle which Thou hast chosen for Thyself. O my soul, regard attentively thy divine model; see Him raised upon the mount, nailed to the cross; behold His bleeding hands, those eyes dim, the mouth livid, those pierced hands and feet. Content thyself not with the exterior; look in spirit at His heart; it has been opened by the lance in order that thou mayst pass therein. Imitate His love, meekness, humility, and charity. Then cast down thine eyes on the ground around Calvary; it is watered with His blood. At the sight of that blood understand that love shows itself more by actions than by words. Thou desirest, O my Savior, that I should place Thee as a seal upon my heart by the imitation of Thy virtues and Thy example. I ardently wish to do so. Give me grace to execute what Thou commandest. O Jesus, Thy heart is pure, let mine be pure; Thine is humble, let mine be humble; Thine is patient and docile, let mine be patient and docile; Thy heart is all love let mine also be inflamed with Thy love. Ah! hence forth O my Savior, I wish only to have in my heart what Thou hast in Thine: humility, patience, gentleness, meekness, charity. I desire no more to bestow my heart on creatures, but to give it all to Thee. Alas! it has not always been devoted to Thy service. Through Thy grace, O my God, it is now all Thine, and I hope it will ever remain so.
Jesus Christ. Love is strong as death; its lamps are lamps of fire, which the greatest waters cannot extinguish.
The Disciple. Thy love for me, O my Savior, is more powerful than hell, since it has broken its gates in order to deliver me and open to me those of heaven. It is stronger than death, since Thou hast disarmed it in order to give me life. Oh, wondrous strength of love! All-invincible as Thou art, my God, it disarms Thee; it stays Thy arm raised to strike the sinner; it saves him from Thy avenging justice in order to give to him Thy infinite mercy. I acknowledge that it is through love for us that Thy supreme majesty is humbled even to vouch safe to unite itself to our nature; and it is through the strength of this same love that the creature can ascend unto Thee, and enjoy the privilege of entering into Thy sacred heart. Behold, my soul, how Jesus hath loved thee! Behold the humiliations and sufferings, the thorns, the nails, the cross, and the effusion of His blood! these are the proofs of His love. The flames of this love are so ardent that all the waters of our iniquities cannot extinguish them. But O my soul, where are the marks of thy love for Jesus? What hast thou done for Him? Where are thy victories over thy evil inclinations? Where the labors thou hast undertaken, the sufferings thou hast endured, for His glory? Alas! my God, my zeal is weak, my love is languishing. Thy interests are more than ever abandoned. Thy enemies increase daily. Have I ever fought in defense of Thy cause?
Jesus Christ. O my beloved, is there any sorrow like unto Mine? How much have I done for My children, and how have they rebelled against Me! I have carried them in My heart, and they have lacerated, outraged, and forsaken it. The sorrows of death have compassed Me, and the perils of hell are unchained against Me.
The Disciple. O my Lord and my God, sorrow seizes on my soul, affliction and sadness press on my heart, at the sight of Thy grief. Prostrate in the dust before Thy adorable heart, I make reparation to Thee before heaven and earth. Pardon, divine Jesus, all the outrages which were committed during the course of Thy mortal life ; pardon the impieties, the irreverence’s, the sacrileges which have been committed against Thee in the sacrament of Thy love ; pardon especially the sorrows which I have caused to Thy divine heart by my irreverence in Thy holy temples, by my tepid communions made without due preparation, and by the abuse which I have made of Thy graces and of Thy precious blood. Ah! why cannot I by my repentance and my adoration restore Thee the glory of which so many offences have deprived Thee? Why cannot I by my words and my example lead back so many hearts which have withdrawn themselves from Thee? Why cannot I by my prayers and tears cause a cessation to so many scandals, and draw unto Thee worshippers in spirit and in truth?
Jesus Christ. I suffer on the part of Jews, pagans, and heretics. They have contemned Me; but that those who ought to be devoted to Me should regard Me with indifference, and treat Me with such neglect, pierces My heart with sorrow.
The Disciple. Ah, my sweet Savior, can I think of this, and not die with sorrow? Heavenly spirits, angels of peace, weep bitterly for the indignities with which your Lord is visited; weep over our ingratitude to a heart which has loved us so much. Divine Jesus, Thou hast come into this world in order to seek and to save mankind; and those ungrateful ones fly from Thee arid abandon Thee. Thou loadest them with benefits, and they abuse them; they turn them against the giver, and against themselves. Thou art always in the midst of them, and they seem to be ignorant of Thy presence, or only to know Thee in order to offer Thee some new outrage. Thou openest to them Thy heart, and they enter therein only to pierce it with a thousand arrows. Alas! my loving Savior, am I not myself one of these ungrateful souls? Ah, what sorrow have I not occasioned to Thy sacred heart? I, Thy beloved one! Why does not Thy outraged heart close itself, so as to forget and reject us? Why does not Thy avenging arm raise itself against Thy guilty servants in order to exterminate them? Shouldst Thou not at least deprive us of Thy loving presence, forsake our temples so frequently profaned, and remain in heaven, where the angels and saints forever sing Thy praises? But remain Thou still, O Lord, in the midst of us: what would become of us if Thou didst abandon the earth? Thy Father, beholding no longer the only object of His complacency, would visit us with His avenging justice. How, then, could we escape His wrath? Heart of Jesus, avenge Thyself as befits the God of mercy. Do Thou pardon and convert our souls to Thee.
Jesus Christ. I have promised to remain in the midst of you until the consummation of the world, but in the sorrow which afflicts Me have I not a right to expect to meet with some who will compassionate My sufferings? Nevertheless, I am left alone in My sorrow.
The Disciple. My beloved Savior, Thou shalt no longer be forsaken; I will make it a duty to visit and adore Thee. heart of Jesus, always burning with love for us, always ready to show mercy, pardon me my guilty forgetfulness of Thee; pardon me my unfaithfulness in Thy service, my want of zeal in making Thee known and loved; let my heart cease to be if it is to be again insensible to Thee. Heart of Jesus, I consecrate to Thee the remainder of my life. I wish that all creatures had the hearts of seraphim in order to love Thee; that every mouth would sing Thy praises; that every mind should be occupied only with Thy greatness. I unite my praises to those which Thou receivest from all the angels and saints, and just souls on earth. I wish that all who love and adore Thee were multiplied, and would freely sacrifice all that I possess, my life itself, if necessary, in order to prevent a single offence against Thee.
Jesus Christ. My beloved, I accept thy desires; ask My Father in My name, and all that you desire He will grant you.
The Disciple. O Jesus, my only hope, make me faithful to the devotion I have vowed to Thy adorable heart. Signalize Thy mercy by allowing me to regain, by the ardor of my love, the time which has been passed in Thy service, with so much tepidity. I desire to make reparation, by continual praise, for the ingratitude of mankind, and to give Thee every moment fresh proofs of my love. Thy love for me keeps Thy heart always open, so that I may dwell there forever. Let love lead me and forever fix my dwelling-place therein, and receive my last sigh. I beg the same grace, O my God, for all for whom I am particularly bound to pray. May those who have the happiness to belong to the association of Thy divine heart, spread throughout the world, have a special share in Thy mercy. Grant, O Lord, that this confraternity may extend and perpetuate itself in all times and in every place, that it may honor Thee by the practice of every virtue, and an indefatigable zeal for the conversion of souls. And since my merciful God wearies not of listening to me, I will still continue to speak to Him I, who am only dust and ashes. God of my heart, lend an ear to my voice; love those who love Thee not; open Thy heart to those who do not knock at the gate; and vouchsafe to cure those who, far from asking Thee to heal them, take a pleasure in adding fresh venom to Thy wounds. Thou hast said, my Savior, that Thou didst come upon the earth in order to seek sinners. O my Jesus, these then are truly sinners. Ah! do not consider our ingratitude, our blindness; remember only the blood which Thou hast shed for our salvation. Make manifest Thy mercy; regard us as the work of Thy hands. Save us by Thy mercy; our evils are extreme. Arise, O Lord, behold the progress made by Thine enemies; stay them, O my Jesus. Since they will not go to Thee, go Thyself to them. I beseech of Thee to grant this grace through Thy sacred wounds and by Thy precious blood. O my Savior, put an end to my sins and those of all mankind. Let Thy voice make itself heard, and restore life to so many hardened sinners. Call them from the deep abyss into which they have fallen. Lazarus asked Thee not to raise him from the dead. Thou didst work this miracle in behalf of a sinner. O Lord, look also on me; I beseech Thee to hear my prayer. I ask it through the tears Thou didst shed over the grave of Lazarus; remember that Thy tears have flowed for all sinners who sleep in sin. Through Thy precious blood I ask it, for Thou hast pardoned those who shed it; pardon us, O Savior of the world. O Jesus, make Thy Church triumph over all her enemies, increase the number of her children, give peace unto her, and grant that she may ever bless Thy holy name and revere Thy Sacred heart O merciful Redeemer, have pity also on the souls in purgatory; be touched by their sufferings ; they are the price of Thy blood; open to them Thy heart ; listen to their fomentations, and grant them, with release from their sufferings, the happiness of glorifying Thee in heaven. Remember also, O merciful Jesus, in a special manner, those souls who when on earth devoted themselves to Thy sacred heart, and were zealous for the glory of Thy blessed Mother. Suffer them not to be deprived longer of Thy presence for they are very dear to Thee; and through this same merciful heart I beseech Thee to put them in possession of eternal happiness.
PRAYER AFTER THE HOUR OF ADORATION.
Pardon me, my God, the distractions into which I have fallen during this hour. Alas! mayst Thou not reproach me as Thou didst Thy three disciples with not being able to watch one hour with Thee? One hour with Thee, O loving heart of Jesus, has appeared to me too long. Ah, should it not be my delight to be ever with Thee? O heart ever full of love, why has mine been so cold, so languishing in Thy presence? Pardon me, O Lord; for I desire to breathe only for Thee, to make my whole life a perpetual adoration of Thy sacred heart. Amen.
35 Promises of God[3] cont.
“God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”-Phil 4:
Daily Devotions
· Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in fasting: Today's Fast: Holy Bishops & Cardinals
· Make reparations to the Holy Face-Tuesday Devotion
· Pray Day 9 of the Novena for our Pope and Bishops
· Tuesday: Litany of St. Michael the Archangel
· Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus
· Rosary.
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