15 December 2012 God the Father asks for all God does not ask merely for another place in his children’s heart, soul, and mind, alongside other loves. Rather he seeks all our love, not a bit of attention or a tad of devotion. God seeks our entire being, without measure or end. He is a “jealous lover”, begging for all our desire. He awaits our giving him all we have, following the personal vocation wherewith he called us one day and keeps on calling us every day amid duties and circumstances, pleasant or less so, that befall us. God has a right to ask us: Are you thinking of me? Are you aware of me? Do you look to me as your shield, as your all? “Renew then this resolution: In times the world calls good I will cry out: ‘Lord!’ In times it calls bad, again I will cry: ‘Lord!’” (cf St Josemaria Escrivá, “The Forge”, 506) Each circumstance is a chance to love him wholeheartedly, with one’s entire soul and existence, not only when we go to church to visit him or receive communion; but also at work, in the face of suffering and failure, when unexpected good news reaches us. Then, let us say to him in our soul’s depths: ‘Father of mine, I love you, I will peaceably accept this annoyance for your sake, I will bring this chore to a full close, done just right, because I know it pleases you ...’ We are also bound to love our Father God with our heart of flesh, affectionately, with the only heart we possess. Both human and supernatural is the love we contemplate in God’s Son. Jesus is full of warmth, interest, and tenderness when we turn to his heavenly Father and when he converses with us. He is moved by a widow mourning the loss of her only son; he cries over a friend who has died; he appreciates the gratefulness of lepers who have been cured; he is always cordial and open to all, even amid the excruciating yet sublime stages of his passion ... God’s children need to remind themselves often that Christian life consists not “in much thinking, but in much loving”. (St Theresa of Avila, “Interior Castle”, 4:1-7) Ref: Francis Fernandez-Carvajal and Peter Beteta, “Children of God”, 1997, p41 The Merciful Mother Unfortunately, because of our weak and corrupted nature, we are all sinners. Fortunately, however, most of us hate sin; and do not want to continue living in sin, do not intend to offend God deliberately. Thus, we pray God, continuously, to deliver us from sin; and ask Our Lady to protect us from sin, and pray for us sinners. Many sinners do not have the will to stop sinning; and because of their numerous and serious sins, can not muster the strength to get out of their miserable condition. They lack the courage to take the remedies which will help them, and so they fall into despair. Mary knows that God does not want the death of the sinner. Thus, Mary wants to cooperate with God in every way possible, in saving sinners. She wants to be called the Merciful Mother. Mary gave us Jesus, who was to deliver us from sin and Satan. Mary sees in us souls that have been redeemed by the death of her Son. ‘Who’, exclaims St Antoninus, ‘can ever form an idea of the tender care that this loving mother takes of all of us, offering and dispensing her mercy to every one?’ Our good and heavenly Mother desires the salvation especially of the sinners. ‘It is evident’, says St Bernard, ‘that she was solicitous for the whole human race’. Mary even anticipates the need of whoever seek her. ‘The love that this good Mother bears us is so great’, says Richard of St Lawrence, ‘as soon as she perceives our want she comes to our assistance. She comes before she is called.’ Sinners, have no fear! Go to the ‘Refuge of sinners’ if your own sinfulness tends to crush you; if you are concerned about your family. Pray often and confidently: “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.” Ref: Rev Joseph A Viano, SSP, “Two Months with Mary”, 1984, p30 · “Just as the devil always goes in search for someone to devour, so Mary is always looking for someone she can help in any way.” -- Pope St Leo the Great (In Rev Joseph A Viano, SSP, op cit) ‘Mother most admirable. Pray for us.’ On the Divine Attributes The greatness and immensity of God Greatness commands respect, and respect is a part of the homage we owe to God. The Holy Scriptures are filled with the idea of the infinite greatness of God. “Of His greatness there is no end”, writes King David. To form some idea of His greatness, recall that our world is but one of a vast system of planets. Its circumference of 27,000 miles could be completely traversed in 30 months at the rate of 30 miles a day. The sun, being nearly three million miles in circumference, could be traversed at the same rate of speed in 274 years. Yet this sun is supposed to be infinitely inferior to certain of the fixed stars. All this greatness, relative to God’s, is as a grain of sand to a mountain! To form some idea of the greatness and immensity of God, again call to mind the sun which is at least 95 million miles away. Such a vast space; but there are planets 20 times further away from us than the sun. Their distance is nothing compared to that of the fixed stars. The light of some of these stars, astronomers believe, has not yet reached us, although it has been travelling at the rate of 12 million miles a minute since the creation of the world. And each of these stars is the center of a planetary system vastly greater than our own. But what are the millions of worlds, that surpass calculation or even conception, compared to God? The wise man answers, “As the least grain of the balance, and as a drop of the morning dew that falls upon the earth.” Ref: Cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, pp791-3 Dazzled 30 “Marvel at God’s magnanimity: he has become Man to redeem us, so that you and I -- who are absolutely worthless, admit it! -- may come to know him and trust him.” 33 “What are you so proud of? Every impulse that moves you comes from Him. Act accordingly.” Ref: Cf St Josemaria Escrivá, “The Forge” • Octave of the Conception of Our Lady, instituted by Pope Sixtus IV.— Bullarium. (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; www.bethlehemobserver.com); (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html); (www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/calendar/index.html) • Our Lady of the Armed Forces. (www/divinewill.org/feastsofourlady.html); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html); (www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/calendar/index.html); (http://mariedenazareth.com); (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm) • Our Lady of Dinagat. Dinagat, Surigao, PHL. (www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/calendar/index.html)