More specifically, were going to reflect on the root of the worlds darkness and how it affected St. Therese. Fill me with Merciful Love so that, through it, I may see all of God's perfections, including his justice, as clothed in love. First, Therese Martin grew up in a France that was deeply affected by the Jansenist heresy, a heresy that teaches a joyless moral rigorism, emphasizing fear and justice, punishment and severity, judgment and condemnation. 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. Indeed, there is nodiing that is sweeter, nor more terrible." I suggest that the answer comes from what we learned on Day 6 of this retreat. 1 mean, as a way, it goes somewhere. Moreover, while were in the ecce moment, we normally dont feel like praising and thanking, and thats all right. You breathe into him your praise and thanks, the love and mercy that his blood and water have given you. Be happy like Therese, w'ho knew that good doctors, when they perform op erations, put their patients to sleep. In other words, be happy that if you keep living the Litde Way, God will especially be working through you even in the midst of your daily darkness and aridity. I say weve begun to put it all together. Finally, it is not to become discouraged over ones faults, for little children fall often, but they arc too little to hurt themselves very much. Journey with St. Therese of Lisieux and conclude with a consecration to Divine Mercy in a 33 day preparation retreat--Includes bibliographical references (pages 177-202) Week one: What is trust? (2) It doesnt clearly highlight all of the teachings weve covered during this retreat. Specifically, it becomes a plea for mercy.158 As we hold up Christs perfect sacrifice of love to the Father, we cry out for mercy for ourselves and for the whole world. Actually, a lot. It was June 9, 1895 Trinity Sunday. Letter 197 is St. Thereses response to a letter from her sister Marie (Sr. Marie of the Sacred Heart), which itself was a response to one of Thereses teachings that we read earlier: the little bird that could not fly. This is appropriate because Jesus asked that the Divine Mercy Image be solemnly blessed on Divine Mercy' Sunday and vener ated publically.224 Endnotes 1 Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, trans. So, behold, O Lord, I come here to console you, even as you are about to die. This humble confidence consoles Jesus right at the moment he breathes his last. And the key lines that reveal its essence are actually' two questions. (1698). So, joy should abound this day! On this same topic, St. Faustina wrote the following about herself: There is no soul more wretched than 1 am, as I truly know myself, and I am astounded that divine Majesty stoops so low (440). Anselm W. Romb, OFM, Cap. Blessing Recall that, according to St. John Paul II, a kind of'key' unlocks for us the innermost reality of Mary. That key is the blessing of Elizabeth at the Annunciation: Blessed is she who believed that w hat was spoken to her by the Lord w'ould be fulfilled (Lk 1:45). Help us to accept your Sons mercy with your own openness of heart at the Annunciation. Weve arrived at the moment when we see how great, how heroic is Marys faith, the moment when we see how completely she abandons her self to God without reserve. Weve arrived at the moment when Elizabeths words of blessing, as John Paul puts it, seem to re-echo with supreme eloquence, and the power contained within them becomes something penetrating.23 And its prob ably becoming clear now as to why that blessing penetrates. And, finally, be happy that despite your little fervor and lack of fidelity, the Lord know's [your] weakness and will eventually come down for you and raise you to the heights of his love. The latter kind of sin is what I mean by deliberate venial sin, the kind of sin that is chosen after some reflection and with awareness that it is displeasing to God. 25 Story ofa Soul, p. 188. Of course, theres a big catch when it comes to the offering to Divine Justice: lots of suffering! So God has two problems: (1) He wants us fallen creatures to believe in his Word and to trust in his goodness, but thats something he cant force, because trust, like love, must be given in freedom. Whats the word he speaks as he knocks at the heart of every man? But theres something else about trust a key ingredient that will help us better understand what it is, an ingredient that comes from our father in faith, our father in trust: the patriarch Abraham. Consoling the Heart of Jesus Prayer Companion Y26-CHJ Y26-PCCHJ Contains the essence of Consoling spirituality and all the main prayers from the popular retreat. However, as we learned on Day 7, the Lord relies on us to help bring his salvation to others, even to those at the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). As I already mentioned, this retreat lasts for 33 days, but the idea is not to begin on just any day. If so, then youre a little one. Infinite tenderness. 33 Days to Merciful Love is the stirring sequel to the international sensation, 33 Days to Morning Glory. Alright, so when it came time for me to write my licentiate thesis (a big research paper for a degree in theology that most people have never heard of), I decided to take it as an opportunity to get off the roller coaster. Tomorrow, well learn more about how God can and will bring little souls to the heights of holiness. Again, I suggest its his words, I thirst, spoken from the Cross. And thats okay because St. Therese is the master, the Doctor of the Church on these matters. But before I get into what her Offering is all about, I should first say something about what a Divine Mercy consecration is. The word magnificat comes from Marys exclamation in Latin, Magnificat anima mea Dominant, My soul magnifies the Lord. This is Marys song of praise when she went to her cousin Elizabeth after giving her fiat to the Lord (see Lk 1:46-55). Y26-2ME Y26-2MEDVD The Second Greatest Story Ever Told Father Michael Gaitley, MIC, expounds on the pro found connection between Divine Mercy and Marian consecration, culminating in the person of John Paul II. My [(fill in the blank: virtues, talents, many gifts, etc.)] Let me explain with an image that Therese herself used. (More on that tomorrow.) But if all that isnt enough to convince us to choose to make the Offering to Merciful Love, then maybe this will: If we make and live the Offering, we need not fear purgatory. I would also encourage such a person to still do the Divine Mercy Image Enthronement, which Ill explain in the next section. 55 Conrad De Meester, OCD, The Power of Confidence: Genesis and Struc ture ofthe Way ofSpiritual Childhood ofSt. I choose to remain always little, not relying on my own merits but solely on yours, dear Lord, and those of the Blessed Mother. 153 Therese believed she could only do littie things for God. How does the Offering allow us to live zm one single act ofperfect love! Third, Im grateful to all those who read drafts of this book and offered comments and suggestions, especially Sarah Chichester, Ann Diaz, Jane Cavolina, Chris Sparks, Felix Carroll, and David Came. Indeed, amid the foul and stuffy Jansenist atmosphere, Therese's discovery of the Little Way came as a breath of fresh air, leading her to pray, O my God, You surpassed all my expectation. Although I imderstand that, being God, He is happy in Himself and has absolutely no need of any creature, still, His goodness compels Him to give Himself to the creature, and with a generosity which is beyond understanding.196 Ido not know' how' to live without God, but I also feel that God, absolutely self-sufficient though He is, cannot be happy without me.197 So, lets now' consider this generosity which is beyond understanding and how God, absolutely self-sufficient though He is, in a sense, cannot be happy without us. Remain in me as in a tabernacle and never separate Yourself from Your little victim. For God had told Adam and Eve that if they ate from the forbidden tree they would die (see Gen 2:17). 570. .MK Okay, so I havent yet figured out how to renew the Offering to Merciful Love with every beat of the heart. I dont deserve to be here, but Ive learned this pleases you. After all, I figured that only the "quickest and easiest" path could help someone like me to become a saint. Its the Good News that Jesus didnt come for the righteous but for sinners. Now, lets turn to the third word spoken by Mary. Of course, regarding that latter heaven, Im talking about the Mass, which is where we can love God the Father through, with, and in the Sons own perfect love (and even see that love in Sacrament). Emphasis added. A: Pray for us. if'i',,11' K lr Mi.in.I Giiil. We console Jesus Heart when we go to him just as we are it breaks his Heart when we dont. Distrust Of course, distrust is the opposite of trust. 180-1. 33 Days to Merciful Love: Retreat Companion by Michael E. Gailey, Miscellaneous Items, Statues, and Fonts, Olive Wood items from the Holy Land (Jerusalem, Is, RCIA - The Right of Christian Initiation of Adults. Merciful Savior, may the rays of mercy that go forth from your Heart reign in our home and in our hearts. As Abraham had the stars and Mary had the words of Elizabeth, you have Thereses smile. And why is that? Well, if you were to ask the philosophers, most of them w'ould probably say, Its reason thats w'hat separates us from the animals. Description. Right again. Confidendy, I stated my conclusion, And so 40 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE the best way to remove that thorn and console him is to fra# him. Michael, youre absolutely right. Great! I said to myself, Its all about trusting Jesus in order to console him. At that point, 1 thought I was all set. The elevator which must raise me to heaven is Your arms, O Jesus! 91 Ibid., pp. Are you beginning to love Thereses way of humble confidence in Divine Mercy? [Each day this week, you will (1) read the appropriate day from 33 Days to Morning Glory, (2) pray the Magnificat, and. See also The Power of Confi dence, pp. I also promise victory over (its] enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. For instance, and this is just one example among many, we read: Holiness does not consist in saying pretty things, not even in thinking or feeling them! Because you are such great misery, I have revealed to you the whole ocean of My mercy. May Abrahams example of faith help us to overcome the effects of original sin caused by Eves doubt. Her Divine Son, my Beloved Spouse, told us in die days of His mortal life: What soever you ask the Father in my name he will give it to you!" I Myself will defend it as My own glory (48). Jesus Contents In Gratitude.. 11 Acknowledgements . 13 INTRODUCTION Meet Three Friends.. 15 Connecting the Dots 18 WEEK ONE: What Is Trust? God is very generous and does not deny His grace to anyone. After all, only the merciful will be shown mercy (see Mt 5:7, 18:2135). But I dont understand why. Its exactly what we need, namely, his mercy entering into our emptiness. May they show us that in the light of Gods Merciful Love, the darkness of sin (repented sin) is not so dark after all. Convinced that this was no ordinary dream, Therese reported it to the prioress, who documented it. However, the idea of consoling Jesus (the Head of his body)194 sometimes causes difficulties for people. But don't worry if this is your first group retreat from Hearts Afire and you haven't gone through Stages One and Two you can still do . I cant relate to her. Theres some trudi to this objection. Mary' said, Behold (Ecce), I am the handmaid of the Lord (Lk 1:38). If the Lord never tires of forgiving, we have no other choice than this: first of all, to care for those who are hurting. 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. Anyway, heres the point. Isnt that enough for you, given how weak and little you are? But for now, today, lets console Jesus and live out our trust in Gods mercy by making a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving with Mary. Notice here that God gives such souls forgiveness of sin and pun ishment. That means no purgatory! She wanted to tell her Father immediately, and you would have pitied her to see her anxiety. When the prodigal son returned home, I dont think his father told him: You, sit down and listen: what did you do with the money? No! how sweet is the way of Love!130 In fact, the year she made her offering truly was her year of mercy.131 We can call it that not only because she offered herselfto Merciful Love and experienced its powerful effects but also because she spent the whole year writing the first installment of her autobiography (called Manuscript A). For instance, it means going to Mass and Confession regularly, taking time to pray, and doing little tilings with great love. There are several other passages like this from the Diary of St. Faustina (see 635, 848,965,1160,1588,1146). Address: Be the first to receive exclusive offers and the latest news on our products and services directly in your inbox. Now, of course, the little bird with the eyes and heart of an eagle also wanted to be generous with the Lord. My old friend -ZTLfrom college had said to me on the phone, You need to do for the Offering to Merciful Love of St. Thercse of Lisicux what you did for Marian consecration. 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