God imposes penance as a duty. This command is formal and universal. ‘Except you do penance, you shall perish’ not ‘perhaps’ or ‘probably’; but simply, ‘you shall all perish’. Why? Because we are sinners!
After losing baptismal innocence our only road to heaven is penance. Again, why? The flesh, ever rebelling against the spirit, inclines us towards sin. Thus, “If by the spirit you mortify ... the flesh, you shall live” (Rom 8:13).
We are then obliged to do penance proportioned to the number and gravity of our sins (cf Council of Trent); and to do it always, but especially during Lent. Whatever our age or vigor, we can do penance in some way.
The desert Fathers, eminent for their penance, did it mainly in ‘fasting’, ‘vigils’, and ‘austerities’. On fasting, we can observe it at least partly. We can limit our ordinary food, with due discretion, to what is absolutely necessary. Or mortify our taste by habitually avoiding treats. Eating less of what we enjoy; more of what we don’t.
We are not obliged to break our sleep to keep vigil in the oratory. But always rise quickly from sleep -- the heroic minute. Let us at least ‘watch’ in our mental prayers, and in all spiritual activities, ‘never’ yielding to sleep or spiritual torpor. This can be a very painful struggle.
An article of faith is, what we have not atoned for in life by penance will be expiated by the fire of purgatory. Therefore, as St Augustine says, ‘do penance, or burn’. We can choose.
To habitually kneel or sit without a comfortable support; to pass through public places without ever satisfying our curiosity, is to do penance; and, if continuous, can become a severe one.
Ref: Cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, pp91-3
Docility in spiritual direction
Faith in the means God gives us works miracles. On one occasion Our Lord asked a cripple to do something which the man knew, from vast experience, he could not do: to stretch out his withered hand. But again, docility, the sign of an operative faith, made the miracle possible. “And the man stretched out his hand, ... it was restored ...” (Mt 12:13)
At times we, too will be asked to do things we think we are incapable of. They will become possible if we allow the grace of God to act within us -- a grace which comes to us as a result of docility in spiritual direction.
Our Lord asks us not to seek mere earthly supports which would inevitably lead us to pessimism. He asks us for supernatural trust, for us to be supernaturally realists -- to count on Him, ie, being aware that Jesus Christ continues to influence our lives.
Ten docile lepers are cured. Jesus simply tells them: “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” (Lk 17:14)
On another occasion Our Lord has compassion on a man born blind. St John vividly relates the incident: Jesus spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him: “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.” The beggar did not doubt. “So he went and washed, and came back able to see.” (Jn 9:6-7)
Blindness, defects, weaknesses -- are faults that have a remedy. By ourselves, we are helpless; Jesus Christ is all-powerful. The water of that pool was still water, and the clay remained clay. But the blind man recovered his sight with a deeper, living faith in the Lord.
“I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he remade it into another vessel ... Like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.” (Jer 18:1-7)
We will allow ourselves to be reworked and reshaped by God as often as is necessary, with availability and docility. This could be the resolution we make in our prayer today, a resolution that will come to fruition, with the help of Our Lady.
Ref: Cf Francis Fernandez, “In Conversation with God”, 2:124-6
Allowing ourselves to be led
The word ‘faith’ is rooted in a person’s placing himself in the care of someone who is stronger; trusting in this person’s assistance. We put our trust in God. But He wants us to rely on those He has put by our side to help us see. God frequently gives light through his creatures. (cf J Dheilly, “Biblical Dictionary”, Barcelona)
The Lord passes by so close to us that we should be able to find him and follow him. Frequent recourse to the sacrament of Penance is an excellent way to ensure that we see God more clearly in ourselves and in those around us.
We ask the Blessed Virgin to help us purify our mind and heart so we can find God in the circumstances of every day.
“Lord, I believe in you: increase my faith. I trust in you: strengthen my trust. I love you: let me love you more and more.” (“The Universal Prayer” [Attributed to Pope Clement XI] in Fr Charles Belmonte and Fr James Socias (Eds), “Handbook of Prayers”, 1988, p213)
Ref: Cf Francis Fernandez, “In Conversation with God”, 4:194-6
• Our Lady of Calevourt, at Uckelen, near Bussels. This image began to work miracles in the year 1454, which induced the erection of a magnificent chapel in honor of Our Blessed Lady, in the year 1623. The Infanta of Spain, Isabella Clara Eugenia, devoutly visited it the same year. — Aub. Miraeus, in Annalis Belgicis. (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; www.bethlehemobserver.com)
• Our Lady of Calevourt (Uckelen, near Brussels). (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html)
• Our Lady of Calevourt, near Brussels, Belgium (1454). (www/divinewill.org/feastofourlady.htm); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html)
• Our Lady of Calevourt. Uckelen, Belgium. 1454. (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm)
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