‘Saturday.’ News of the visions had begun to spread. That morning thirty-odd people were present to greet Bernadette on arriving at Massabielle. The Virgin appeared after a quarter of an hour of prayer although, at the end of the meeting, Bernadette’s face was very sad.
She would neither answer questions about the encounter nor reveal anything that was said during the apparition. On the basis of numerous reports, it is believed that the Virgin taught her a personal prayer.
Ref: G Menotti, “Lourdes”, p6
The detachment Jesus requires of us
“A certain Scribe came and said to Jesus, ‘Master, I will follow you wherever you shall go’.” Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air, nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head" (Mt 8:19-20). The Scribe expected to gain riches and honor by following one already very famous; but convinced of our Lord’s profession of poverty, he withdrew.
After his withdrawal, Jesus lovingly looks on one of those left and called him to apostleship of which the Scribe deemed unworthy. Jesus said, “Follow me”. He was ready to give up everything for the sake of his vocation-- he only asked for a short delay. Lord, he said, “allow me first to go and bury my father” (Lk 9:59).
The man wished to take care of his father till old age and leave him only when he dies. Jesus refused saying, “Let the dead bury their dead; but go and preach the kingdom of God” (Lk 9:60).
Another responded: “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first take leave of everybody at home” (Lk 9:61). Jesus said to him, “No man putting his hand to the plough, and looking back, is for the kingdom of God” (Lk 9:62).
Our Lord teaches that whoever chooses the way of perfection must not bother with temporal interests but focus only on advancing daily towards their goal.
Ref: cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, pp391-3
Earthly things bring us to God
“To be with Christ and have nothing, is far better than having all the treasures of the world but to be without him. The Church knows well that God alone can satisfy the deepest cravings of the human heart for the world and what it has to offer can never fully content it.” (cf Second Vatican Council, “Gaudium et spes”, 41)
All earthly things are simply means to bring us to God. Unless they serve that purpose they are worse than useless. Jesus is worth more than life itself; even far more than the most lucrative and important business transaction. Would we be capable, if necessary, of surrendering our honour or of sacrificing our fortune in exchange for remaining with God?
Following Jesus is not compatible with just everything else. We must make a choice, and give up every single thing that is an obstacle to our being with him. Thus, a clear horror for sin must be deeply rooted in our soul. Our Lord passes close to us every day.
If our heart is bent on acquiring material things we will not recognize him. There are many very subtle ways of asking him to leave our lives. “No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Mt 6:24)
We must ask Our Lord and his Mother: “free us, your children, each one of us, from any stain, from anything that separates us from God, even though we may have to suffer, even though it may cost us our life.” (Alvaro del Portillo, “Letter”, 31 May 1987, 5) The whole world would be useless to us if we were to lose Jesus.
Ref: cf Francis Fernandez, “In Conversation with God”, 3:181-3
Christ is the Liberator
‘He will liberate you ... You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High.’ At the moment when he was tempting Christ, the tempter made reference to the words of a psalm, with its praise for the merciful providence of God.
As he sought to persuade the Messiah, to throw himself down from the highest pinnacle of the Temple of Jerusalem, he reminded Him: “He will bid His angels take care of you; with their hands they will support you that you will not stumble on a stone.” (Mt 4:6)
Then, as we know, Christ rebuked the tempter, saying, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test” (Mt 4:7). He rebuked him for misusing the divine words, for interpreting them perversely and falsifying the truth contained in them. ‘He will liberate you.’
The Church reminds us every day during Lent of the proper meaning of liberation of man, that which God accomplished and goes on accomplishing in Christ: liberation from sin; from desires of the flesh, the concupiscence of the eyes, the pride of life (cf 1 Jn 2:16); liberation from what coerces man most, even though it may permit him to preserve the appearance of autonomy.
Man saves these appearances at the cost of possession and use of things, at the price of a service which he does not understand as service but as making others serve him, often by using force, at his neighbor’s expense. True liberation of man, that which is brought to him by Christ, is also liberation from the semblance of liberation, from appearance of liberty which is not true liberty. ‘He will liberate you.’
During Lent, the Church calls upon us to bow our heads to God. On raising our heads, we see Christ, Redeemer of Man. He teaches us, through His whole life, then definitively through His suffering and death, what ‘being free’ means.
Ref: cf Pope John Paul II, “Prayers and Devotions”, 1994, pp123-4
Interior Life
“Do you not greet warmly all the people you love, and speak to them cordially? Well, you and I are going to greet Jesus, Mary and Joseph, and our Guardian Angels, many times a day.” (St Josemaria Escrivá, “Furrow”, 690)
“Develop a lively devotion for Our Mother. She knows how to respond in a most sensitive way to the presents we give her.
“What is more, if you say the Holy Rosary every day, with a spirit of faith and love, Our Lady will make sure she leads you very far along her Son’s path.”
Ref: Ibid, Op cit, 691
Our Lady of ‘Bolougne-sur-Mer’ (France, 633) (http://www.divine will.org/feastofourlady.htm)
Our Lady of Boulogne-sur-Mer. A statue is seen here which is said to have been brought in a ship by the ministry of angels, in the year 633. Louis XI gave to this church a heart of solid gold, weighing two thousand crowns, in the year 1479, and he decreed that all the kings of France, his successors, should make the same present on their attaining the crown. — Triple Couronne, n. 53. (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; http://www.bethlehemobserver.com)
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