in persecution ...
Pope in Santa Marta: Persecution is the daily bread of the Church - Published on Apr 12, 2016
http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2018/01/09/bullying-is-the-devils-work-says-pope-francis/
JESUS - bullied...ridiculed...hated...struck...beaten...
The High Priest Questions Jesus [John 18:19-23]Nigeria: Habila Shot for Refusing to Deny Jesus
On November 28, 2012, Habila was shot in the face in front of his wife and 6-year-old child. Why? Because he refused to deny Jesus when militant Muslims burst into his house, demanding he renounce Christ and accept Islam. Habila was badly injured but despite everything he been through, he has forgiven those who tried to take his life.
Even other Christians will misunderstand you at times.
The good news is: You don’t need to do a thing about your enemies except love and pray for them.
Save your adrenaline for your good deeds, and
let God take care of the trouble-makers
through His mysterious ways of tender mercy and the inexhaustible gift of His pardon through the priest, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation,
for each and every one of us who repents.
The good news is: You don’t need to do a thing about your enemies except love and pray for them.
Save your adrenaline for your good deeds, and
let God take care of the trouble-makers
through His mysterious ways of tender mercy and the inexhaustible gift of His pardon through the priest, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation,
for each and every one of us who repents.
Pope Francis in the general audience: There is no saint without a past or a sinner without a future - video published on Apr 13, 2016
Pope Francis at Santa Marta: “If you can’t forgive, you are not a Christian.”
5480 Blows You Suffered... How Many Know ? ( by Paul Lisney)
Saint Bridget prayed for a long time to know how many blows Jesus Christ suffered during His terrible Passion. Rewarding her patience, one day He appeared to her and said, "I received 5480 blows upon My Body. If you wish to honour them in some way, recite fifteen Our Fathers and fifteen Hail Marys with the following Prayers, which I Myself shall teach you, for an entire year. When the year is finished, you will have honoured each of My Wounds."
The prayers became known as the Fifteen O's, because in the original Latin, each prayer began with the words O Jesu, O Rex, or O Domine Jesu Christe .......
(HOW MANY KNOW?)
Nobody knows, nobody knows the pain You suffered
No one can know, can truly know the pain You suffered
The pictures show You hanging from The Cross
No marks but the five wounds, but that’s not the way it was
How many know You were covered from the soles of Your feet to the crown of Your head?
Covered with wounds, bleeding, not an inch of You free from torment
How many know?...
Five thousand four hundred-eighty
Five thousand four hundred-eighty
Five thousand four hundred-eighty blows, You suffered.
For those who ask, He gives a glimpse of His bitter Passion
Reveals the fear, the anguish and pain before His Crucifixion
He condescended to come in human form
He chose to suffer knowing all He would endure
And how many know of The Garden, when He saw all the sins of the world He would bear?
How Our Lord and Saviour was taunted, shown all throughout time who never would care
How many know?...
Five thousand four hundred-eighty…
Centuries ago a child asked You of Your Passion
A favoured soul, You spoke to her of Your Crucifixion
Saint Bridget knelt before Your Crucifix in Rome
"These prayers I give to you if you wish to honour My wounds"
Insulted, struck and beaten, never was there pain like unto Thine
Crushed with blows of The Scourging, then Crowned with Thorns till the blood filled Your eyes
The Cross tore the flesh of Your shoulder, You felt the pain You saw in Your Mother’s eyes
Enraged, they stretched Your body, separating Your bones as they pulled from all sides
How many know?...
Five thousand four hundred-eighty... .
Paul Lisney
http://alonetone.com/plisney/tracks/5480-how-many-know
THE UNFATHOMABLE LOVE AND MERCY OF JESUS CHRIST AND THE REPENTED THIEF...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1Lu5udXEZI
Thank You - Jesus Army
So many times,
You reached out to me,
But I turned my back 'cause I didn't
think You had what I need.
Now You're everything,
You're everything to me.
And I can't be without You God,
You're everything.
And I want to say THANK YOU,
I was lost and You found me,
I was dead inside,
And You breathed into me,
And You brought these bones to life.
I want to say thank You,
Thank You for saving me.
Thank You for loving me
un-con-dition-ally God.
You stood with open arms,
But I ran away.
'Cause I was scared of the pain that
came with trust. O, O, O
But I came running back,
Into Your embrace,
Because I knew You'd still be there,
You'd never leave me God.
Chorus
I don't deserve You God (x2)
But You keep on loving me anyway.
Oh, You'd never stop loving me God.
Chorus
>>>>>>>>>>>>
The Four Threats to The Virtue of Joy
- Self-Pity
- Worry
- The Belief that happiness comes from something OUTSIDE of myself
- Complaining
also from the Book - Called To Be Holy - by Cardinal Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York
- 10-step guide to holiness (an edited excerpt)
https://www.osv.com/TodaysIssues/MarriageandFamily/Article/TabId/698/ArtMID/13742/ArticleID/13247/Called-to-be-holy-Cardinal-Dolan%E2%80%99s-10-step-guide-to-holiness.aspx
Here is the key to our spiritual growth: a faithful, personal, loving relationship with Jesus. To know Jesus, to hear Jesus, to love Jesus, to trust Jesus, to obey Jesus, to share his life in the deepest fiber of our being, and then to serve him — this is our goal.
How do we grow in holiness? How? That, of course, is our spiritual program, isn't it, the stewardship of the spirit, "the regimen of the soul bringing about the reign of God," to quote servant of the poor Charles de Foucauld. I propose to you a spiritual regimen, a stewardship of the spirit coming not from me, but from centuries of practice and learning.
1. Daily Prayer
Patient, persevering, persistent prayer, every day, is number one. Here I am not speaking of the Mass — such as the Eucharist — but of silent, personal, private prayer, a daily period of quiet communion with the Lord, conscious of his presence, accepting of his love, and returning it with praise, petition, and thanksgiving.
2. Daily Mass
From this daily Eucharistic meal will come, for all celebrate the Eucharist as the essential moment in their day, a reverential awe for the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, and a desire to spend time before him there in visits and prayer.
3. Daily Fidelity to the Liturgy of the Hours
This ancient prayer of the Church is mostly associated with those in Holy Orders. It is also intended to be the prayer of the laity, who “are encouraged to recite the divine office, either with the priests, or among themselves, or even individually” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1175).
4. Daily Spiritual Reading
Lectio divina, daily reverent meditation upon Sacred Scripture, is first and foremost, of course, but I also speak of daily spiritual reading of the enduring books of our Catholic tradition, as well as interest in the burgeoning contemporary literature on the interior life. Nor should we forget attention to the documents of the magisterium, the words of our Holy Father, the documents of the Apostolic See, the messages and pastorals of our own bishops, all vehicles of the Holy Spirit for fostering our growth in sanctity.
5. Spiritual Direction
An honest, trusting, fruitful, consistent relationship with a spiritual director is, in some ways, the linchpin of all the rest, for this is where integration and interiorization begin to take place. The danger we all face is a life of formalism, where we passively do things just to get by, not allowing the values of formation to sink in and become part of us. Spiritual direction can promote this interiorization, this integration.
6. The Sacrament of Penance
Regular reliance upon the mercy of God abundant in the Sacrament of Penance should be a priority in our lives. While how often you approach this sacrament is a good topic to discuss with your spiritual director, at least once a month seems a solid tradition of the Church. That you approach confession regularly is a hallmark of sound spiritual stewardship. And, a practical help to make our regular confessions more fruitful would be a daily examination of conscience, praising God for our growth, asking for healing of the faults we admit.
7. Growing in Virtue
A tireless effort for growth in virtue and turning away from sin should be the pattern of our daily lives. Obedience to the constant refrain of the Gospels, we are always in the process of conversion, repentance, dying to sin, self, and Satan, rising to new life in Christ. This is the “paschal mystery.” In practice, this means growth in virtue and struggle with sin. Development in particular virtues is most appropriate: faith, hope, charity, simplicity of life, chastity, obedience and integrity.
8. Devotion to the Blessed Mother sand the Saints
Our devotion to them is a sustaining dependence upon the "Communion of Saints," an awareness that we are members of a supernatural family not confined to the here and now, that we have the saints as examples and helpers, pre-eminently, especially our Blessed Mother. Thus, a wholesome devotion to her would be an essential part of our spiritual regimen.
9. Holistic Formation, Allowing Spirituality to Permeate Our Lives
The spiritual life is not a tidy, isolated compartment of our existence! No, as the Pope John Paul II said, "Spiritual formation is the core which unifies and gives life to our entire being." Thus, every element of our lives is part of the spiritual arena, and growth in holiness will entail wholehearted immersion in a spiritual regimen.
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Our goal is nothing less than a reordering of life through the sacraments, which will configure us in an irrevocable, radical way to Christ. That we may be good, holy, happy, healthy, learned, zealous selfless, committed faithful is the goal of our spiritual growth.
I have two notes of caution, however. First, growth in holiness is not our accomplishment, but a pure gift from God. The Lord does it, not me! These 10 steps of spiritual stewardship I just went through are not cozy little acts we perform to produce holiness — they are simply tried-and-true ways we open up in humility to let the Lord in to do his work in, on, for, and, often, in spite of us!
Second, to use the words of Sister Bridge McKenna, "The road inward to spiritual growth always results in a U-turn outward in love for others." Our stewardship of the Spirit is never a soothing benefice we cling to, but an inspiration to love humankind better. The Jesus who calls us to spiritual ecstasy on Mt. Tabor likewise invites us to the pouring out of self on Mt. Calvary.
Cardinal Dolan is the archbishop of New York and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
This is an edited excerpt from then Archbishop Dolan's "Called to Be Holy."
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