After all, we just heard that Jesus told St. Faustina that shed die of terror if he showed her her wretchedness. We may have to hope against hope in Gods promise of mercy. In fact, most of the rime, we probably wont feel it at all, WEEK FOUR: Into the Darkness 103 and well have to fight to believe that God still loves us. Now, Fr. Specifically, we learned that shes a prophet of mercy who an nounces Gods desire in the present time of mercy to work the amazing miracle of mercy of forming us into great saints through the Little Way. Emphasis added. As far as I can tell, it is only Sr. Genevieve who expands on this (in the aforementioned citations), which puts little souls at ease. Why? Rather, I mean its easy to bypass purgatory and go straight to heaven, like the saints do. We need a prayer something we can frequently repeat, even every day, something that not only reminds us of die meaning of the Offering to Merciful Love but that also allows us to make it. Far from resembling beautiful souls who practiced every kind of mortification from their childhood, I had no attraction for this. This becomes clear through her letters of the time. Endnotes 199 182 Again, for group recitation, I recommend the Prayer of Consecration to Merciful Love. DAY 13 Prophet of Mercy Yesterday, we learned that Therese of Lisieux is a spiritual genius for the way she revolutionized at least one aspect of Catholic spir itual theology. As soon as I heard Fr. Why? The book is called True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis de Montfort, and it describes a path to holiness called Marian consecration or a total consecration to Jesus through Mary. 16 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE Most important for me, de Montfort basically claimed that such a consecration is the quickest and easiest way to become a saint. So, I told Fr. 43 love. 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE 72 Todays Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, fire of mercy. Now what? See Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris Custos, 4. Think of it: God loves us so much more than we love him. That sounds scary! (Ps 49:14)?5 Well learn more about St. Thereses Little Way next week. What do you choose? The Offering to Merciful Love Nine months after St. Ther'ese discovered her Little Way, something happened that catapulted her far along its path. I offer them to You with gladness, begging You to look upon me only in the Face of Jesus and in His heart burning with Love. Recall that one of -L VI. Todays Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, fire of mercy. Rather anticlimactically, its called Letter 197 in Thereses collected letters, and it offers some of the most consoling words Ive ever read. So, what about Marys faith? And once there, she lovingly encourages us not to eat forbidden fruit but to drink from the blessed fountain of eternal life, die Fountain of Mercy. Although God does not need us, he chose to become one of us out of love: God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son (Jn 3:16). Sister Marie Febronie, the 67-year-old subprioress at Thereses convent, had heard about the 19-year-old novice mistress teaching on purgatory. Whenever it was, weve all experienced Gods love and how real that love is. 123 Cited in The Power of Confidence, p. 302. We obtain it through Mary. Of course, such passages do not mean we know the day or the hour of the Lords coming, but they do give a greater sense of urgency to the present time of mercy. (For other recommended titles on mercy, see the Resource Pages.) Book 2 of 2: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Marian Consecration . Second, its clear from the obituary that Sr. Marie had fallen under the influence of Jansenism, as we can tell from some of her anxious last words: I dont have enough merits, I must acquire more of them.87 (Those words would have made an impression on the saint of the Little Way, who did not want to lay up merits for heaven but wanted to work for love alone.) Ifyou say yes to this Offering, then it seems that Jesus would be happy not to hold back the waves of what? Rather, it had to do with simply trusting that there is a heights, that there is a God, diat there is a heaven. Visit MarianMissionaries.org or see the Resource Pages for more information. Actually, its a question for you. 190 See, for example, Diary, 611, 651. Available from: Marian Helpers Center Stockbridge, MA 01263 Prayerline: 1-800-804-3823 marian.org Orderline: 1-800-462-7426 shopmcrcy.org IMPRIMI POTEST: Very Rev. Thats what John Paul II marvels at when he asks, Could mans dignity be more highly respected and ennobled, for, in obtaining mercy, [man] is in a sense the one who at the same time shows mercy? In sum then: God doesnt need us, but in Christ Jesus, he chose to need our love. 86 Cited in ibid. 33-Days-to-Morning-Glory-Companion-Bookpdf - Free download as PDF File pdf Text File txt or read online for free. I hardly heard from Mark after college. Perhaps its to have a business meeting, a celebration, or simply to get die furnace fixed. Think of it: The One who doesnt need us decided to make himself need us! I also said, thanks to Fr. Recall that the Offering is meant to relieve Jesus of the heartache that comes from so much rejection of his love. 20? For instance, she wrote: I made a resolution to give myself up more than ever to a serious and mortified life. Now, how the Lord gives this amazing gift of mercy, how we can receive it, and what all this means will be the topic of the retreat, which brings us to the next dot to connect. Father Mike, do we have a consecration to Divine Mercy? No. To help us understand, listen to what the Lord himself said to St. Faustina about the rejected grace and mercy of his Heart:93 I desire to bestow My graces upon souls, but they do not want to accept them. Michael Gaitley, MIC, this 33 Days to Merciful Love Retreat Companion goes even deeper than the book alone and explores new material on the heart of St. Thrse of Lisieux's Little Way, uncovering the power of trust in the face of personal darkness, inspiring participants to become great saints amid ordinary circumstances, and laying the . It would be wonderful to pray it 1 do so with the burning desire that the message of Gods merciful love, proclaimed here through Saint Faustina, may be made known to all the peo ples of the earth and fill their hearts with hope. [emailprotected] According to traditional Catholic spiritual wisdom, to think you will be a great saint is basically to dis qualify yourself from becoming one. In the next para graph, its clear why she doesnt worry about merits: (7) In the evening of this life, I shall appear before You with empty hands, for I do not ask You, Lord, to count my works. Instead of this I allowed myself to be wrapped in cotton wool and fattened up like a little bird that needs no penance. I know that without Him, I could have fallen as low as St. Mary Magdalene.46 Thanks be to God, the Lord showed amazing mercy on this littlest of souls by actually preserving her ahead of time from a life of grave sin by removing the obstacles that would have caused her to fall.47 Now, Therese was painfully aware of all the weakness just described and more so dont even try to tell her that shes 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE 50 not a little soul! Its the word from Scripture: Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (Jn 15:13). Get an Image ofDivine Mercy. In sum, through the Offering, we console Jesus by letting him love us. Mary' said, Behold (Ecce), I am the handmaid of the Lord (Lk 1:38). Now, first and foremost, in my opin ion, would be to read the autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, called Story of a Soul.ltf> But please dont get distracted by the sometimes flowery language. Well talk about Marys song of faith and praise tomorrow. 143 Cited in Ahern, p. 190. She realized that she couldnt compete with Gods love. The Paschal mystery of Christ, by contrast, cannot remain only in the past, because by his death he destroyed death, and all that Christ is Endnotes 201 all that he did and suffered for all men participates in the divine eternity, and so transcends all times while being made present in them all. I want no other Throne, no other Crown but Ton, my Beloved! 202 Pope Pius XI does use the term console in his encyclical letter, Miserentissimus Redemptor, when he describes how we can make reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus: Now if, because of our sins also which were as yet in the future, but were foreseen, the soul of Christ became sorrowful unto death, it cannot be doubted that then, too, already He derived somewhat of solace from our reparation, which was likewise foreseen, when there appeared to him an angel from heaven (Lk 22:13), in order that His Heart, oppressed with weariness and anguish, might find consolation. However, be aware of what you are. 61 Diary, 723. 126 Therese understood well the power of Gods grace to cleanse her in one instant. For example, as we learned on Day 8, when she was 14 years old, she experienced the grace of her Christmas conversion, which immediately Endnotes 189 gave her die strengdi to overcome the deep, emotional sensitivity that had dogged her since her early childhood. God is so good. The catch for him, as a victim to Divine Justice, is the terrible pain of his Passion, culminating in his three-hour long agony on the Cross. We can be perfect. DAY 5 Mary's Trial of Faith Just as Abrahams pilgrimage of faith met its ultimate test when he was called to sacrifice Isaac, so Marys pilgrimage of faidi met a similar test. Its like this: Jesus suffers from a terribly painfill heart condition, so hes written for himself a prescription for medication that will relieve him of his agony. During her life, she wasnt famous or well known. For, when we say it, we allow Gods Merciful Love to flow into our hearts, and it feels great. Buy 33 Days to Merciful Love: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Divine Mercy Consecration by Father Michael Gaitley, Michael E Gaitley online at Alibris. Nor did she hear about the Child Jesus going around town changing water into apple juice and multiplying cookies. But thats actually where things start to get interesting. Is Your disdained Love going to remain closed up within Your Heart? Well, when we say fiat, its the APPENDIX ONE: Living the Offering 163 magic word diat unlocks the gate, and once this gate is unlocked, look out! Thank God for St. Therese. Specifically, he revealed to her that his Heart suffers terrible pain because he longs to pour out his mercy on souls, but so many refuse to receive it. Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. 97-100. So, after her trust in the Lords words was blessed, Mary immediately praised the Lord. 86 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE Thereses boldness in relying on the merits not only of God but of the saints and angels reaches new heights after she reminds the Lord of his promise in Scripture to grant whatever we ask. And to an swer it, God himself would have to let us know by choosing someone with authority to announce it to us. 113 Cited in The Power of Confidence, p. 347. We stop feeling its rays. And therefore although the angels feed on Christ spiritually, yet it does not belong to them to eat this sacrament spiritually. This rejection of his love, Therese learned, is one of the deepest pains of his Heart. Finally, in Genesis 22, God put Abrahams faith to the ultimate test when he commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. I choose to remain always little, not relying on my own merits but solely on yours, dear Lord, and those of the Blessed Mother.175 Finally, 1 believe, my God, that you can and will make me into a saint, even if I wont see it, even if I have to struggle all my life against vice and sin, even if I have to wait until the very end. I think back to the words of Gods servant John Paul I, who during a Wednesday audience said, The Lord loves humility so much that sometimes he permits serious sins. And because Therese believed she was the littlest soul, she, therefore, believed she could become one of the greatest of saints. Were all sinners! In fact, w'e may even be congratulating ourselves: Oh, thank goodness Im not like those spiritually blind people. }si Now, in their efforts to live all this hidden and extraordinary faith, hope, and love, little souls are in good company. But Abraham kept negotiating, What about for the sake of45? Yes, 111 spare it. 40? Here, Therese speaks of suffering as a grace. It seems to me that if all creatures had received the same graces I received, God would be feared by none but would be loved to the point of folly; and through love, not through fear, no one would ever consent to cause Him any pain. We get washed in the wonderful flood of his Merciful Love. 185 Story of a Soul, p. 14. The Offering to Merciful Love sounds great: For the purpose of consoling Jesus, we would ask for and accept all the rejected love and tender mercy that other souls dont want. 145 Gaucher, p. 147. If this bilateral and reciprocal quality' is absent, our actions are not yet true acts of mercy, nor has there yet been fully completed in us that conversion to which Christ has shown us the way by His words and example, even to the Cross, nor are we yet sharing fully in the magnificent source of merciful love that has been revealed to us by Him (14). 47 Ibid., pp. Did the mortal sickness that devoured Thereses poor lungs also affect her brain? 135 Story ofa Soul, pp. Rather, the focus in this para graph is not on seeking out suffering but, rather, on accepting the suffering that God will choose for her. Todays Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, fire of mercy. Think of it. Just as your mercy is depicted in this image as going forth from your pierced Heart, surround our home with the rays of your mercy. To do this, we need what St. John Paul II calls Marys wise capacity for remembering and embracing in a single gaze of faith. He will know how He can come and get you. Finally, the obituary also includes the following statement from Sr. Marie, which she uttered in the midst of her mortal agony: I am bearing the harshness of divine Justice divine Justice! It was through the practice of these nothings (Story ofa Soul, pp. In odier words, 1 encourage them, with their families, to solemnly invite Jesus, die King of Mercy, to reign in their homes and then to use die image as a sign, symbol, and reminder of this invitation. The soul, illumined by a ray of Gods powerful final grace, turns to God in the last moment with such a power Endnotes 193 of love that, in an instant, it receives from God forgiveness of sin and punishment, while outwardly it shows no sign either of repentance or of contrition, because souls [at that stage] no longer react to external things. 121 In answer to the question of whether Thereses words about Holy Communion remaining in her were to be taken literally or metaphorically, Thereses sister Pauline (Mother Agnes) replied: She often enlarged on these ideas when speaking to me, and I am certain she meant them literally. It was there on Calvary, there at the foot of the Cross, that we find in Mary the glorious perfection of faith. DAY 25 The Daily Darkness Yesterday, we looked at our daily bread of the Mass, our way of entering heaven while still on earth, though in a veiled way. Therese had responded, Yes! Ah, the Lord is so good to me it is quite impossible for me to fear him (Ibid., p. 250). For instance, apart from what we cov ered on Day 7, why does St. Therese, the greatest saint of modern times, see herself as being such a little soul? I want only to sing of Your mercies. Oh, how great is our Lord and God and how incomprehen sible His holiness! Thats what makes us who we are. However, if you were to ask the writers of Sacred Scripture, theyd say theres somediing even more characteristic of humanity than reason, APPENDIX ONE: Living the Offering 155 namely, the heart.199 Indeed, theyd say that the heart gets to the very center of man and to whats most important about him. 33 days to merciful love retreat companion pdf. But Mary leads us and brings us to that source of grace, the Fountain of Mercy. 33 days to morning glory retreat companion pdf. Truly, its the secret to happiness in this life. I can assure you that He is grieved over this. While I already shared how it happened in the book Consoling the Heart ofJesus, I think its worth repeating this week as we ponder the question, What is trust? and on this day, specifically, as we reflect on Marys Song of Faith. First, 1 learned the connection between praise and trust during a pilgrimage to the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, when I was a seminarian. These words moved me deeply, and although I pretended not to hear them, I understood them very well and had no doubt about them (429). Michael Gaitley, MIC, this 33 Days to Merciful Love Group Retreat goes even deeper than the book alone and explores new material on the heart of St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s Little Way, uncovering the power of trust in the face of personal darkness, inspiring participants to become great saints amid ordinary circumstances, and . Most of all I imitate the conduct of Magdalene; her astonishing or rather her loving audacity which charms the Heart of Jesus also attracts my own. John Clarke, OCD, 3rd ed. "My stately companion led me through ornate arches and corridors into a series of chambers . Here, we see that Therese docs not want to rely on her own merits but, rather, on those of Jesus. Be happy! God Doesn't Need Us. And if youre very litde and your trust is great, you may even become a great saint, like St. Therese just please dont keep your nail clippings. There must be a path for little souls like her: a straight, short, and totally new way. In this way you will console My Heart.169 The Catch Alright, but if we offer ourselves to Merciful Love, whats the catch? It is confidence and nothing but confidence that must lead us to Love.81 Todays Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, fire of mercy. Moreover, while were in the ecce moment, we normally dont feel like praising and thanking, and thats all right. To combat this, we may take even more selfies or rush off to accomplish even greater tilings to make a name for ourselves, to be some body. But the ache comes back because we can never do enough to satisfy our craving for greatness and love, and our precious accomplishments and digital images fade away like so much dust and vanity (Eccl 1:2).152 Now, make no mistake: We are called to be great, very great beyond-our-wildest-imaginings great. So, the light that illumines the darkness of our spiritual blindness to our sins is the fire of Gods love. Try it. We dont become corrupt people overnight. 74 Story of a Soul, p. 200. (If we did, we might get puffed up with pride and no longer be little.) Let me put it this way. And such hope is what Therese wants every little soul to experience: O Jesus! If through weakness I sometimes fall, may Your Divine Glance cleanse my soul immediately, consuming all my imperfections like the fire that transforms everything into itself. Now, some of us may have read it and thought that perhaps Therese is encouraging the sin of presumption by telling us to believe that we can bypass purgatory. 81-83 to learn more about how she lived a spirituality of consoling Jesus.) It is with joy I shall contemplate You on the Last Day carrying the scepter of Your Cross. He waited until after she had discovered her Little Way and had offered herself to Merciful Love. Obscured text at back cover due to sticker. So, blame Abraham! He wants us to be on fire with his love, and anything less WEEK FOUR: Into the Darkness 97 is not enough for him.