I want to work for Your Love alone with the one purpose of pleasing You, consoling Your Sacred Heart. The merits lan guage has to do with the reward of heaven (imperfect love). I mean, what am Igetting myself into? You do a great injury to God in believing youre going to purgatory. Over the years, Ive come across various devotional prayers labeled A Consecration to Divine Mercy, and theyve been great. $14.95. But St. Therese of Lisicux, Doctor of the Church, has brought such devotional prayer to new and amazing heights. Yes. How do we persevere in faith, hope, and love in the midst of deep spiritual darkness? Michael Gaitley has done is again. And so even now, in a wondrous yet true manner, we can and ought to console that Most Sacred Heart which is continually wounded by the sins of thankless men, since as we also read in the sacred liturgy Christ Himself, by die mouth of die Psalmist complains that He is forsaken by His friends: My Heart hath expected reproach and misery, and I looked for one that would grieve together with me, but there was none: and for one that would comfort me, and I found none (Ps 68:21) (13, emphasis added). Jesus took me by the hand, and He made me enter a subterranean passage where it is neither cold nor hot, 104 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE where the sun does not shine, and which the rain or the wind does not visit, a subterranean passage where I see nothing but a half-veiled light, the light which was diffused by the lowered eyes of my Fiances Face! 163 For a fuller explanation of the dynamic between consolation and desolation and how to remain faith filled and joyful, see The Rules for the Discernment of Spirits for Little Souls in Appendix One of Consoling the Heart of Jesus: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat Inspired by the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola (Stockbridge: Marian Press, 2010). And for such belief, for such hoping against hope in darkness, for such praising and thanking God in all circumstances, we, too, like Abraham and Mary, will be richly blessed. I see that it is enough to realize ones nothingness, and to give oneself wholly, like a child, into the arms of God (cited in Gaucher, p. 167). I feel that this whole multitude of offenses would be like a drop of water thrown into a fiery furnace. Really. So, in a bold move, she chooses to rely on Gods sanctity, a choice that carries into the next paragraph: (2) Since You loved me so much as to give me Your only Son as my Savior and my Spouse, the infinite treasures of His merits are mine. What do you choose? And this is the very definition of mercy, which the parable of the Good Samaritan seems to reveal most clearly: A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. WEEK THREE: The Offering to Merciful Love 75 DAY 17 What's the Catch? Its because, again, weve arrived at the perfection of faith. Purgatory Heres one other catch that comes with making the Offering to Merciful Love: It gradually increases our longing for God. This was the ultimate test of faith because it was through Isaac that God had promised to make Abraham blessed and a great nation. Help me to participatefully, consciously, and actively in the borrowed divine love ofliturgical worship. Its a way thats very straight because its entirely ver tical, very short because it avoids die spirals of the staircase,55 and totally new or at least it feels that way because it redis covers the heart of the Gospel, namely, Gods mercy for the litde and die lowly. 159 The following passage from the Diary of St. Faustina provides the origin of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and reveals its power: In the evening, when I was in my [room], I saw an Angel, the executor of divine wrath. Okay, so youre ready to make your consecration. Michael E. Gaitley, MIC, author of the popular book Consoling the Heart of Jesus, comes an extraordinary 33-day journey to Marian consecration with four giants of Marian spirituality: St. Louis de Montfort, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Teresa of Calcutta, and St. John Paul II. Later, Jesus himself revealed to St. Faustina the importance of trust for receiving the graces of his mercy, which form us into saints: Let souls who are striving for perfection particularly adore My mercy, because the abundance of graces which I grant them flows from My mercy. Its a choice to be little. 276-77. Now, may I ask you to pray for me, my community (The Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception), and all the Marian Missionaries of Divine Mercy? by Michael E. Gaitley Paperback . God is so good. DAY 1 1 Do Three Things As we learned yesterday, the Litde Way is all about the heart of the Gospel: Divine Mercy. Indeed, the Offering to Merciful Love is not to offer oneself to divine Justice and its harsh punishments. 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. And by the way, if you plan to make your consecration in a group setting, see the note at the bottom of page 137. Customer reviews. Okay, now get ready actually, you XJalready are ready. She did so at the end of her autobiography with words we already read on Day 10, words that are worth repeating: Yes, I feel it; even though I had on my conscience all the sins that can be committed, I would go, my heart broken with sorrow, and throw myself into Jesus arms, for I know how much He loves the prodigal child who returns to Him.138 All the sins that can be committed. Think about that: That's a lot of sin. "y> Thankfully, Therese could confide in her dear sister Marie whenever she was tempted to think that God had rejected her but Maries words only brought temporary comfort, and Thereses scruples followed her even into the Carmelite con vent (also called Carmel). Mark was referring to my book 33 Days to Morning Glory, which is an updated and easy-to-use preparation for making a total consecration to Jesus through Mary. Let me put it this way: Im a priest. The awareness of this plunges me into deep recollection, without the slightest effort on my part. Fr. 167 We can develop this wise capacity by continuing what weve been doing all along, namely, pondering in our hearts (see Lk 2:19), but now with a more refined focus. Its called the Family Offering to Merciful Love, and Appendix Two will tell you all about that. (Washington, DC: ICS Publications, 1996), p. 174. So, these rejected graces are free for the taking."' Michael Gaitley MIC this 33 Days to Morning Glory Group Retreat goes more deeply into understanding and living Marian consecration than the book alone. Ifyou say yes to this Offering, then it seems that Jesus would be happy not to hold back the waves of what? Looking at a picture of two children with Jesus, she said: The other little one does not please me as much; hes acting like an adult. (See Appendix One.) While Week Three of the retreat will go into much more detail about St. Thereses Offering, here Ill just summarize its three most basic points. What does the 33 Days retreat look like? Just make up die reading die next day. So, we have a choice: severe justice or tender mercy. DAY 12 You Will Become a Saint If you truly live the Little Way if you recognize the darkness of your littleness, keep trying to grow in holiness, and trust in the Lords promise of mercy then you will become a saint. As we also learned on Day 13, St. Therese is a prophet w ho teaches us that in the present time of mercy, God w ants to work some of the greatest miracles of his mercy in the history of the WEEK FOUR: Into the Darkness 105 world. For instance, she wrote: I made a resolution to give myself up more than ever to a serious and mortified life. During diose days, weve not only been reviewing the material, but weve also begun to put together all that weve learned. Its the word of love spoken through Christs death on the Cross, the word of love that Mary intimately shared in on Calvary. Emphasis added. So, youll want to go over the daily reading each morning or the night before. Alright, so heres a most important question: Do you want to help save the world? 55 Conrad De Meester, OCD, The Power of Confidence: Genesis and Struc ture ofthe Way ofSpiritual Childhood ofSt. 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. But I didnt know about the catch and all this talk about an increased longing for God and all that. It will tear it suddenly (cited in Gaucher, p. 222). I mean, even if we have plenty of accomplishments and beautiful selfies, there will still be that self-accusing ache that creeps in and says, Youve not attained a destiny of greatness. And now I am simply resigned to see myself always imperfect and in this I find my joy. 147 Ibid., p. 256. I always feel, however, the same bold confi dence of becoming a great saint because 1 dont count on my merits since I have none, but I trust in Him who is Virtue and Holiness. Emphasis added. Remain in me as in a tabernacle and never separate Yourself from Your little victim. But its also about realiz ing that this does not prevent us from becoming saints.65 So, even if we have to go to Confession over and over for the same sins, we shouldnt get discouraged. Hes well aware that the child wdll often fall back into the these same faults, but hes always ready to forgive him, provided the boy always grasps him by the heart. Yes, I believe. Its important because when we see that our consecration preparation is part of a gift from on High/i>r our time, it carries more weight. Well answer all this in the next point. Indeed, those are words that, APPENDIX ONE: Living the Offering 157 as the Catechism says, cannot remain only in the past, words that participate in the divine eternity, words that transcend all times while being made present in them all, words that abide.204 In fact, those words I thirst are directed to each one of us. 3 Sec The Second Greatest Story Ever Told: Now Is the Time ofMercy (Stockbridge: Marian Press, 2015), pp. Spiral-bound, 130 pages. With her prayers, shes preparing your heart to accept the gift of the Offering to Merciful Love. In fact, the other school kids bullied her and made fun of this girl who didnt know how to join in their games and couldnt even comb her own hair.45 In the midst of her extreme loneliness and sensitivity, Therese deeply longed to be loved. But the problem is we forget. I dont deserve to be here, but Ive learned this pleases you. Lets visit this humble nun and listen to her advice, as one of her own religious sisters once did: On the initial day of the retreat, I was visited by one of the sisters who had come to make her perpetual vow s. She confided to me that she had no trust in God and became discouraged at WEEK ONE: What Is Trust? Carmel July 16 June 19 St. Mary Magdalene July 22 June 29 St. Alphonsus Liguori August 1 July 12 St. Maximilian Kolbe August 14 July 13 The Assumption August 15 July 20 Queenship of Mary August 22 August 3 Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta September 5 August 6 Nativity of Mary September 8 August 10 Holy Name of Mary September 12 August 13 Our Lady of Sorrows September 15 August 27 St. Therese of Lisicux October 1 September 2 St. Faustina Kowalska October 5 During a leap year, when February has 29 days, die starting date is February 21. 31 4:18) and considered that God was able to raise up Isaac even from the dead. 175 The last clause, and those of the Blessed Mother, is particularly appropriate for those who have consecrated themselves totally to Jesus through Mary. In view of all this, its not surprising that, in the Offering to Merciful Love, Therese highlights the contrast between what Im calling perfect love of God and imperfect love of God. For instance, she says, I do not wFant to lay up merits for heaven. Its the way the Lord knows how he can come and get little souls at the end of their lives. 24 As well learn in Week Three of this retreat and elsewhere, consoling Jesus is an important part of St. Thereses spirituality. Its a longing that prepares us for the martyrdom of love. The martyrdom of love is rhe sweet martyrdom through which little souls can hope that God will come for us at the very 122 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE end of our lives and manifest his love for us in such a way that it will cause us to die of love.

A Haunting On Brockway Street Update, Qeco Salary Grid 2021, Prefab Tiny Homes Under $50k, Are Jennifer Morrison And Colin O'donoghue Still Friends,