I did this out of humility, but I soon recognized it was not true humility, but rather a great temptation from the devil. Did the mortal sickness that devoured Thereses poor lungs also affect her brain? Alright, well, now its time for a personal story. First, according to the obituary, Sr. Marie very often offered herself as a victim to divine Justice.n&(> (Therese would have duly noted those last words.) And can you make out the other main ideas in the middle paragraphs? 86 Cited in ibid. 1 believe it has to do with her practice of familiarity with Jesus (see endnote 141) and her emphasis on having a deep, personal relationship with Jesus thats based on reci procity' and mutual love. 56-60. 33 Days to Merciful Love Group Retreat goes even deeper than the book alone and explores new material on the heart of St. Thrse of Lisieux's Little Way, uncovering the power of trust in the face of . DAY 33 Putting It All Together For the last four days, weve been reviewing die last four weeks of our retreat. We need only fear becoming one who sins but does not repent, one who tires of asking for forgiveness and ends up believing that he doesnt need to ask for it any more. Apart from falling into the evil habit of corruption, Therese would say that there is no reason to be afraid. And shes effective not only because shes such a tender mother, but also because, as the Church teaches, shes a Mediatrix of grace.27 By a Mediatrix of grace, I dont mean that Mary is the source of grace. And so, the Lord sometimes permits that little souls remain in the dark ness of certain vices or sins so they wont fall into worse ones, like die sin of pride. Todays Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, fire of mercy. Actually, if youre making the consecration at home with your family, theres one more option. Most of us are among the vast majority of humanity who are not famous, not well known, and not held up high on die pedestal of public opinion. Savor it for a moment before you let it go. Sister Marie died in the spring of 1895, and her obituary arrived at the Lisieux convent on June 8, where it was read aloud in the refectory, probably that same day.8 The next day, June 9, Therese received die inspiration to make her Offering to Merciful Love. So, joy should abound this day! And as we do, Therese tells us that God will be conquered by [our] futile efforts and will then descend the stairway, gather us into his arms, and take us to the heights.63 So, Thereses point seems to be that our efforts in the spiritual life are absolutely necessary but also absolutely useless. One night, after embarking on his journey, Abram com plained to the Lord that he was childless and had no heir. And when our focus is not on ourselves when were suffering, while it certainly still hurts, we often don't even notice our own pain. Specifically, would you pray the following prayer of St. Therese for us? Outwardly, it seems as if everything were lost, but it is not so. Were you to say that, shed probably look you in the eye and respond in all seriousness, My friend, theres none more lowly than I. Todays Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, fire of mercy. And so, her faith is like that of Abraham, as John Paul points out: Just as Abraham / hope believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations (Rom 4:18), so Mary, at the Annunciation, having professed her virginity (How shall this be, since I have no hus band?) believed that through the power of the Most High, by the power of the Holy Spirit, she would be come the Mother of Gods Son in accordance with die angels revelation: The child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God (Lk 1:35).15 So, if we want to understand the mystery of Mary, we should reflect on the fact that she believed Gods Word, even when it seemed impossible. 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. Let me unpack that a bit. Because Therese still trusted God, even in the face of this trial of double darkness the darkness of her own helplessness and the darkness of temptations against God and heaven she truly deserves the blessing given to Abraham and Mary. 66 Pope Francis, homily at the parish of St. Anna in the Vatican, Fifth Sunday of Lent, March 17,2013. Like the Saint of the Little Way, St. Faustina also received the grace of having Holy Communion remain within her: September 29, [1937]. Stage 1. In order to live in one single act of perfect Love, 1 OFFER MYSELF AS A VICTIM OF HOLO CAUST TO YOUR MERCIFUL LOVE, asking You to consume me incessantly, allowing the waves of infinite tenderness shut up within You to overflow into my soul, and that thus I may become a martyr of Your Love, O my God! Based on the book, 33 Days to Merciful Love, by Fr. Here it is: Merciful Father, in the name of our lovable Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and all the Saints, I ask You to set me on fire with Your Spirit of Love and to grant me the grace of making You deeply loved.177 I love that prayer. Of course, while he certainly embraced all the truths of Scripture and Church teaching, he chose to emphasize poverty. Wrong. I was walking to class, minding my own business, when Mark came up to me, basically shoved a book in my face, and said, Gaitley, youve gotta read this! With my heavy class load, I didnt have time for any extra reading, and I told him as much. 4 Some of the content from this days reflection comes from my book The Second Greatest Story Ever Told, pp. 8 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE RETREAT COORDINATOR'S GUIDE PART ONE OVERVIEW THE HEARTS AFIRE PROGRAM The 33 Days to Merciful Love Group Retreat falls within Stage Three of the Hearts Afire program. Specifically, it follows the theology of her Offering to Merciful Love, which is essentially a consecration to Divine Mercy. Remember how he spoke with God about Sodom and Gomorrah? The awareness of this plunges me into deep recollection, without the slightest effort on my part. 998-1000. It was there, in the midst of die most terrible darkness, that we paradoxically sec the luminous blessing of Elizabedi shine fordi with ever-greater glory: Blessed is she who believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled! Yes, blessed is she who believed at the foot of the Cross. What Is Trust? how I would like to be able to make you understand what I feel! (Translation by ZENIT.) We wonder if the sun is still up there. 196 Diary, 244. I mean, without a concrete reminder, we might easily forget that weve invited Jesus to come with his mercy and stay in our homes. I felt I had found what I was looking for. First, the Image of Divine Mercy' speaks directly to the main purpose of the Offering, which is to console or have mercy on the Heart of Jesus. She says, Raise your litde foot to scale the stairway of holiness.62 Of course, we wont be successful, but Therese tiien adds, God requires you only to demonstrate 56 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE your good will. In other words, we just need to give it a try. 113 Cited in The Power of Confidence, p. 347. 1 understood AFTER CONSECRATION: The Lens of Mercy 143 that if all flowers wanted to be roses, nature would lose her springtime beauty, and the fields would no longer be decked out with little wild flowers. Todays Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, fire of mercy. Moreover, such holiness is not a human work but, rather, Gods work, a work of Divine Mercy rushing down to the lowest place. Also, in a Regina Caeli message for Divine Mercy' Sunday, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI stated, Indeed, mercy is the central nucleus of the Gospel message; it is the very name of God, the Face with which he revealed himself in the Old Covenant and fully in Jesus Christ, the incarnation of creative and redemptive Love. 57 Story ofa Soul, p. 208. But more than a spiritual genius which she certainly is St. Therese is a prophet. If the Lord never tires of forgiving, we have no other choice than this: first of all, to care for those who are hurting. to be Yourself my Sanctity! But this greatness is not whats usually thought of as greatness. Ive often pondered these questions, and what follows are three answers that, I hope, will help us live the Offering to Merciful Love with the same generous spirit as the Saint of Lisieux. As we learned earlier, Thereses way is not that of merit but of mercy and of love. (2) Due to die wound of original sin, we already tend to distrust God, so when he draws close to us, we often run and hide. Self publishing . DAY 10 Discovery of Divine Mercy Thereses discovery of the Little Way a straight, short, and totally new way to die heights of holiness for litde souls is really a discovery of Divine Mercy. Especially bless those who visit our home may they experience your mercy here. If that sounds like crazy talk, dont blame me blame the devil! 167-168). I have always noticed that when I compared myself to the saints, there is between them and me the same difference that exists between a mountain whose summit is lost in the clouds and the obscure grain of sand trampled underfoot by passers-by. And this is so because few souls know the unfath omable mercy of God and His great goodness.9 Todays Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, fire of mercy. Y26-SGSBK book Y26-EBSGSBK Divine Mercy in the Second Greatest Story (DVD and Guidebook) New! Still, from the time of her youth, she had bold desires: She wanted to become a saint, and not just any saint, but great saint. If we can do that, then well be living in one single act of perfect love, like St. Therese and St. Faustina. My grace is not lost; if the soul for whom it was intended does not accept it, another soul takes it.219 ALL: Lord Jesus, if you want to pour out your mercy on souls, how much more must you desire to pour it out on whole families, especially in our time when so many families reject you. But when they let him love them and let him have mercy on them (such as by making the Offering to Merciful Love), they, thereby, console him. This praise and thanks is signified by the air we exhale from our lungs. As St. Therese put it, describing her own day of consecration, Alt! Also, see Vatican Ils Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, 61-62, which describes Marys role as a Mediatrix. Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future. Why not? Are you going to have pity on Jesus? After completing HAPP, belonging to the MMDM organ ization as a Marian Missionary involves a minimal commitment of prayer and service, and includes opportunities for further for mation from myself and our Divine Mercy team at the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. How do we know that? Please make our home a place where your mercy can rest and where we, too, can find rest in your mercy. Now, lets turn to the third word spoken by Mary. 17-18. (Imperfect contrition, on the other hand, is sorrow for sin because of fear of hell and punishment.) Retreat Companion for Priests by Fr. Indeed, the goal of Thereses way is heaven. Do we understand, then, why Jesus loves it when we go to him as we are, sinfulness and all? Yet, when we speak it, it has a bit of a different meaning than Marys fiat. Oh, how great is the goodness of God, greater than we can understand. Well, thats where St. Therese comes in as a prophet. I mean, it seems that Jesus is the one who needs to console me, not the other way around. Also, keep in mind that the alternative is terrible: a cold, hard, and distant heart that resists suffering with others, that resists being part of the Christian life of love. Your Face is my only Homeland Its rhe Lily of the Valley Whose mysterious perfume Consoles my exiled soul, Making it taste the peace of Heaven. Togive us this more refined focus, for each week ofthe retreat, Ive chosen three words that summarize a given weeks teaching. Maybe we think Therese is being too indulgent. He basically said, Father, please give to me all the punishment due to sinners, and give to sinners all the blessings of my own divine Sonship. Thats really whats taking place there on the Cross: Jesus is paying the price of sin and bearing the harsh burden of Divine Justice so we dont have to and so we might enjoy the gift of salvation. One result of that heightened sensitivity is a deeper feeling of longing for God. 60 Cited in With Empty Hands, p. 104. And now I am simply resigned to see myself always imperfect and in this I find my joy. 147 Ibid., p. 256. The Offering, thereby, makes life both sweet and terrible (in a good way!) Well remember Elizabeths words: Blessed is she who believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled. And I hope that the power contained within [that blessing] will become something penetrating for us. But I want to seek out a means ofgoing to heaven by a little way, a way that is very straight, very short, and totally new. They simply need to try sincerely to turn away from sin, invite the Lord into their home, and receive and share his Merciful Love. I want us to see our preparation to consecrate ourselves to Divine Mercy as a way of letting God work a great miracle of mercy in us and for our time. Ill make diat point later in die retreat, but first, I should say some things about the connection between this book and 33 Days to Morning Glory. Or, dont blame the devil, blame Abraham, our father in faith. I let her do it.82 Next, when asked ifTherese had made the Offering just once and forgotten about it. 9 Diary, 731. God Doesn't Need Us. Although Therese certainly felt capable of committing grave sin, she believed diat Gods mercy had preserved her from it.135 Also, one could easily 94 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE conclude chat her venial sins were not deliberate. He made me understand my own glory would not be evident to the eyes of mortals, that it would con sist in becoming a great saint! After all, while hes joyfully reigning on high in his resurrected glory, I still have to trod along in this valley of tears. The Divine Mercy Image goes perfectly with the Family Offering to Merciful Love. Webmas ters note: This article, in German, appears in the December 2001 and the January 2002 issue of Der Felsat www.der-feis.de/2001 /12-2001 .pdf and www.der-fels.de/2002/01 2002.pdf. Because, again, one of die effects of the Offering to Mercifill Love is that it makes our hearts more compassionate. 47 Ibid., pp. Emphasis added. You, at least, come to Me 74 33 DAVS TO MERCIFUL LOVE as often as possible and take these graces they do not want to accept. DAY 3 Our Mother in Faith Yesterday, we learned that Abraham is our father in faith but theres a greater than Abraham here. (2) It doesnt clearly highlight all of the teachings weve covered during this retreat. Its a choice to walk the path of spiritual childhood. Appendix Two Family Offering and Divine Mercy Image Enthronement | This appendix is an excerpt from Divine Mercy Image Explained bv hr. The sickness that would take the young nuns life left her too weak to even write. To help heal our trust issues with God, on the initial day of this retreat, lets turn our attention to one of the great aposdes of mercy for our time, a kindred soul to St. Therese: St. Maria Faustina Kowalska. That way, you can have the whole day to reflect on it. After earths Exile, I hope to go and enjoy You in the Fatherland, but I do not want to lay up merits for heaven. Its the Good News that Jesus didnt come for the righteous but for sinners. I desire, in a word, to be a saint, but I feel my helplessness and I beg You, O my God! Whenever we look at it, help us to remember your love and mercy, and fill our hearts with trust. 107 Cited in ibid., p. 347. We have new and used copies available, in 0 edition - starting at . 33 world a key to Marys innermost reality. We get washed in the wonderful flood of his Merciful Love. As she herself expressed it to the Lord: For me to love You as You love me, I would have to borrow Your own love.147 And she knew hed give it. We must strive to forgive. Finally, I remember that: The Lord knows our weakness, that he is mindful that we are but dust and ashes. Problem is, many of us dont sec it. It will be much easier for you to live the Little Way, become one of the greatest saints of all time, and help save the world. Each of these words was spoken by Mary, and each word following the other is a way of continually making a spiritual communion of Merciful Love with the Heart of Mary. Using the same 33-day preparation format, 33 Days to Merciful Love journeys with one of the most beloved saints of modern times, St. Thrse of Lisieux, and concludes with a consecration to Divine Mercy. Alright, so do you want to know what it is? 21-23. But its not really a question for Jesus; its a question for us. I understand, however, that all souls cannot be die same, that it is necessary there be different types in order to honor each of Gods per fections in a particular way. In other words, I hope well see how Elizabeths blessing can apply to us, that the fol lowing words can be spoken to us: Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be ftilfilled. And what was spoken to us? DAY 16 What It Is Yesterday, we learned that St. Thereses Little Way does not culminate in an offering to Divine Justice but, rather, in an offering to Divine Mercy. Why all the enthusiasm? Also, if you do get an Image of Divine Mercy', you may want to consider enthroning it in your home. 37-42. This fire of mercy needs to be passed on to the world. Its no less a revolution than the Gospel message that the greatest are the least (see Lk 9:48). I desire that these souls distin guish themselves by boundless trust in My mercy. Optional Closing Prayer Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself. Moved by this merciful perspective, Therese comes up with a spiritual victimhood thats based on mercy not justice, on love and not fear, on tenderness and not severity. Now, of course, the piercing of her Heart hurt. Living side by side with her Son under the same roof, and faithfully persevering in her union with her Son, she advanced in her pilgrimage offaith" And so it was during Christs public life too (cf. -- Week two: The little way -- Week three: The offering to merciful love -- Week four: Into the darkness -- Final five days: Synthesis and review The Lord Jesus himself 200 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE tells us this in Sacred Scripture, Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me (Mt 20:25). He promised to give great graces through the image,191 and its become a source of healing for tens of millions of people throughout the world. Of course, a personal consecration to Divine Mercy is not the same as making vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. I myself will attend to the sanctification of such souls. 149 Cited in The Power of Confidence, pp. And because he needs our love, because his Heart experiences both joys and sorrows, we can enter into true friendship with him. 77 Saint Louis de Montfort also taught that God would raise up in our time, from among the weak and broken, great saints, who shall surpass most of the other saints. See 33 Days to Morning Glory, pp. So, we have a choice: severe justice or tender mercy. For, again, we have mercy on Jesus by letting him have mercy on us. 1511 The spirituality of offering ourselves along with Christ during the Through him, and with him, and in him supercharged moment of the Mass also provides us with an opportunity to simplify our prayer for others. For instance, she wrote: I made a resolution to give myself up more than ever to a serious and mortified life. Were just outside the walls of Jerusalem at Calvary, and Jesus is dying on the Cross. Or we at least need to be properly taught from diem. Whats the word of the Lord for usl Its the word of the Cross. When I say mortified, this is not to give the impression that I performed acts of penance. How you grieve me! 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. The precise moment came during a conversation with Fr. He looked like hed just seen a ghost, so I stopped what I was doing and gave him my full attention. 7 Ibid., 399. Seraphim interrupted my contentment: And how do you live trust? In a letter to her sister Pauline (Mother Agnes), St. Therese writes about this kind of death, beginning with a quote from St. John of the Cross: Tear through the veil of this sweet encounter! Ive always applied these words to the death of love that I desire. And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. One of the best examples of a personal consecration to Introduction 19 Divine Mercy is actually a form of Marian consecration, a form thats taught by St. Maximilian Kolbe. JI jf'ARrs Three Words. John Clarke, OCD, vol. I offer them to You with gladness, begging You to look upon me only in the Face of Jesus and in His heart burning with Love. Yet hardly anyone has ever even heard of her Offering to Merciful Love! 33 days to merciful love retreat companion pdf. Now, as weve learned, the threefold means to that goal involve trusting, trying, and recognizing. What should I fear then?188 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE 146 Again, Therese chose to see everything through the lens of mercy. 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. This highlights the truth that asking for rejected mercy is not a selfish act, and it doesnt take graces away from others. I don't know, but what I am certain about is that God's mercy will accompany her always.131 We now know how Therese's story came to an end. For instance, as a child, when ever shed make some mistake or do something wrong, even without meaning to, shed be filled with anxiety34 and ask for pardons which never end.35 Her mother relates, We tell her shes forgiven but in vain. We dont have to be perfect to go to him. The elevator which must raise me to heaven is Your arms, O Jesus! 78 Diary, 47. 177 See Ahern, p. 84. So, once again, do you want to help save the world? How could Isaac have children if he were killed as a child? Its these kinds of ordinary sinners who often have to fight the temptation to doubt Gods tender love for diem and these are the fortunate ones! But if they did see the reality of his love, their eyes would be opened to their sinfulness. Your great trust in Me forces Me to continuously grant you graces. I want to console You for the ingratitude of the wicked, and I beg of You to take away my freedom to displease You. Let me explain this crucial point. He commanded him to sacrifice his dearly beloved son, Isaac. How We Can Console Jesus Saint Therese frequently wrote about her desire to console Jesus, and as we learned on Day 20, that was her main motivation in making the Offering to Merciful Love. In fact, the entire last chapter of the encyclical is a sustained teaching on the importance of calling out for Gods mercy even with loud cries" (15). She knew that, compared to God, shed always be a weak, pitiful lover. And so God uses another woman, a New Eve, to help heal the wound that the old Eve caused a New Eve, a woman, who was announced from die beginning, a woman who would be at enmity with Satan, a woman whose offspring would crush die serpents head (see Gen 3:15). And then I hope well remember the blessing. Then, together, each in his own way, we offer Jesus infinite sacrifice of love to the Father WEEK FOUR: Into the Darkness 101 and ourselves along with it.150 Thats the moment when Jesus sacrifice becomes our sacrifice, when Jesus love becomes our love, when Jesus offering of himself becomes our offering of ourselves. Now I know that even [some] souls that are chosen and well advanced in the religious life or the spiritual life do not have the courage to entrust themselves completely to God. It seems to me that if all creatures had received the same graces I received, God would be feared by none but would be loved to the point of folly; and through love, not through fear, no one would ever consent to cause Him any pain. Going back to the beginning, back to Day 1, we learned that sin comes from a lack of trust in Gods goodness, a lack of faith in God and his Word. We give it back to God as an exhaled magnificat. Why? So, her humility didnt rein in her desires for holiness. 1,6 Georgina Molyneux, Cure D'Ars: A Memoir ofJean-Baptiste-Marie Vtanney{London: Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street, 1869), p. 157. I think back to the words of Gods servant John Paul I, who during a Wednesday audience said, The Lord loves humility so much that sometimes he permits serious sins. Did Sr. Maries obituary have an influence 70 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE on Therese? To address such difficulties, I dedicated a whole section of the book Consoling the Heart ofJesus to the question, How can I console Jesus if hes happy in heaven?195 Since that time, however, Ive reflected even more deeply on this topic, and here Id like to share some insights that both complement that earlier writing and help summarize the theology of consoling the Heart of Jesus (in three points). Having explained the meaning of the three words ecce, fiat, and magnificat, now Im going to apply them to the three moments of our breathing: empty, in, and out. (Please use the above codes when ordering.) 37 And now, reflect on St. John Paul Ils reaction to and commentary on those words in view of Marys ultimate trial of faith: [S]tanding at the foot of the Cross, Mary is the witness, humanly speaking, of the complete negation of these words. What a sweet joy it is to think that God is Just, i.e., that He takes into account our weakness, that He is perfectly aware of our fragile nature. During Mass, the young nun received the inspiration and burning desire to offer herself to Merciful Love. Shes actually quite big! And then theyd go on to describe how heroic she was in her sacrifices, sufferings, virtues, and desires. Praem., Fr. For now, lets just consider that if we want to live the Little Way, we must do three tilings: (1) Recognize the darkness: Recognize the darkness of our littleness and brokenness. At such moments I have the feeling that the whole world is depending on me (ibid., 870). But what does wound Jesus, Therese explains, is only when his friends, ignoring their continual indelicacies, make a habit out of them and dont ask forgiveness for them (cited in ibid., p. 189). "With one servant, I set out on the 500-mile trip. Why? Actually, I think we need more dian just a statement. Well, what I mean by solemnly inviting Jesus, the Divine Mercy, into our homes is somewhat similar. Its to let him pour out that rejected love into our own sinful but contrite hearts. trans. That's the way to save the world through the power of Gods Merciful Love.160 WEEK FOUR: Into the Darkness 107 You know, it really is true. So whats the catch FINAL FIVE DAYS: Synthesis and Review 121 when we offer ourselves to Merciful Love? Thankfully, Therese was very much WEEK THREE: The Offering to Merciful Love 71 attracted to another kind of offering: the Offering to Merciful Love. She knows that all our justice, that is, all our own efforts, are stained in Gods eyes. Therefore, Jesus, we the Family, offer ourselves to your Merciful Love and ask for the grace and mercy 172 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE that other families refuse. In fact, hers was so great a longing that, she admitted, given the opportunity, she basically would have thrown herself into the arms of the first creature who came along. Its when we receive the rays of his love and mercy and say the prayer, Jesus, I trust in you for this truly con soles his Heart. Describing her own day of consecration, Alt faith Yesterday, we just need to it. Genius which she certainly is St. Therese put it, help us to remember your Love mercy. 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