Humility: More Precious than Gold.

Our Lord wants to lavish His graces on us, but in order to receive these precious graces we must be humble. The following words are here to remind us of this significant truth, which will help us to be more open to Christ’s love:

“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” – Jesus (To be united to Christ is therefore to be humble, as “Truth is humility; humility is truth.” – St. Padre Pio)

“The gate which is truly narrow, accessible to all, is that of humility.” – Pope Pius XII

“I possess humility for your pride.” – Jesus to Sr. Josefa Menendez

“… I tell everything to little souls; they deprive Me of nothing; they direct all praise, honour, and glory to Me alone.” – Jesus to Sr. Consolata Betrone

“The better you know what you are, the better you will know what I am.” – Jesus to Sr. Josefa Menendez

“Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues hence, in the soul in which this virtue does not exist there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance.” – St. Augustine

‘I saw the snares that the enemy spreads out over the world and I said groaning, “What can get through from such snares?” Then I heard a voice saying to me, “Humility.”‘ – St. Anthony of Egypt

“Although My greatness is beyond understanding, I commune only with those who are little. I demand of you a childlike spirit.” – Jesus to St. Faustina (Diary, 332)

“I want you to be very little, because when you are little, I carry you close to My Heart.” – Jesus to St. Faustina (Diary, 1481)

 

How to practice humility:

1. Pray. “Every grace comes to the soul through prayer.” – St. Faustina.

Ask God every day for this grace (He is the source of all humility).

This includes thanking God: for every single grace He has ever given you; for every grace He wants to give you; and for every grace He has wanted to give you but that you have hindered through your own fault. Do the same on behalf of the whole world.*

2. Rely on God (without whom “you can do nothing”) for everything. This means having an unshakable trust in His infallible and unshakable promises.

3. Meditate on Christ’s humility e.g. in the Holy Eucharist, in the Incarnation, in His cruel Passion etc.

4. Receive the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist which is Christ Himself- the source of every grace.

* Although I have not read it, I have heard that ‘Humility of Heart’ (Cajetan) is excellent.

 

Some encouragement:

“You must be persuaded that your sinful past is in no way an obstacle to very close union with God. God forgives, and His forgiveness is Divine. With the Angels, God was not merciful because they had no miseries. With us, who are full of miseries, God is infinitely merciful. “The earth is full of the mercy of the Lord.” And what might appear astonishing, but is however very true, is that our miseries entitle us to God’s mercy.” – Bl. Dom Columba Marmion

“It is with coal that I make diamonds. What would I not do with a soul, however black she might be, who would give herself to Me!” – Jesus to Sr. Mary of the Trinity

“With ruins, on ruins, I can build magnificently. It gives Me joy to use that which has humbled itself before Me, because My action is free.” – Jesus to Sr. Mary of the Trinity

Advertisement

God’s Nature is to Give.

“The graces of My mercy are  drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is trust. The more a soul  trusts, the more it will receive. Souls that trust boundlessly are a  great comfort to Me, because I pour all the treasures of My graces into  them. I rejoice that they ask for much, because it is my desire to give  much, very much. On the other hand, I am sad when souls ask for little,  when they narrow their hearts.” – Jesus to St. Faustina (Diary 1578).

“I never refuse Love to someone who asks for it…” – Jesus to Sr. Mary of the Trinity

“But My love will sustain you and never shall I fail you.” – Jesus to Sr. Josefa Menendez

“My grace will never fail you.” – Jesus to Sr. Josefa Menendez

“Place no limits on your confidence in Me, then I will place no limit on My graces for you!” – Jesus to Sr. Consolata Betrone

“If you wish to please Me, trust in Me…” – Jesus to Sr. Benigna Consolata  

St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi said, “that when we ask graces of God, He not only hears us, but in a certain sense thanks us.” Yes, because God, as the infinite goodness, in wishing to pour out Himself upon others, has, so to speak, an infinite longing to distribute his gifts; but He wishes to be besought: hence it follows, that when He sees Himself entreated by a soul, He receives so much pleasure, that in a certain sense He thanks that soul for it.-St. Alphonsus

…”But,” someone may say, “I am a sinner, and do not deserve to be heard.” But Jesus Christ says, Every one that asketh, receiveth. [Luke, xi. 10.] Everyone, be he just, or be he a sinner. St. Thomas teaches us that the efficacy of prayer to obtain graces does not depend on our merits, but on the mercy of God, Who has promised to hear everyone who prays to Him.” [2. 2, q. 178, a. 2.] And our Redeemer, in order to remove from us all fear when we pray, said: Amen, amen, I say to you, if you shall ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it you. [John, xvi. 23.] As though He would say: Sinners, you have no merits of your own to obtain graces, wherefore do in this manner; when you would obtain graces, ask them of My Father in My name; that is, through My merits and through My love; and then ask as many as you choose, and they shall be granted to you. But let us mark well those words, “In My name;” which signify (as St. Thomas explains it), “in the name of the Saviour;” or, in other words, that the graces which we ask must be graces which regard our eternal salvation; and consequently we must remark that the promise does not regard temporal favours; these our Lord grants, when they are profitable for our eternal welfare; if they would prove otherwise, He refuses them. So that we should always ask for temporal favors, on condition that they will benefit our soul. But should they be spiritual graces, then they require no condition; but with confidence, and a sure confidence, we should say: “Eternal Father, in the name of Jesus Christ deliver me from this temptation: grant me holy perseverance, grant me Thy love, grant me Heaven.” We can likewise ask these graces of Jesus Christ in His Own name; that is, by His merits, since we have His promise also to this effect: If you shall ask Me anything in My name, that I will do. [John, xiv. 14.]” – St. Alphonsus Liguori

   

 

21 Mercies of God.

Here is a summary of St. Alphonsus Liguori’s considerations of God’s mercies and how we can profit from them:  

1. The necessity of obedience to your confessor.
2. When you suffer misfortune of any kind, endeavour to accept whatever comes as coming to you from the hand of God…. Say simply, the Lord has permitted me to bear these sufferings not because he dislikes me but because he loves me. And shall I not therefore accept them with resignation?
3. The Lord is full of goodness to those who seek him. No one has ever trusted in the Lord and been rejected. [Ecclus./Sirach 2:11]
4. When souls seek to love the Lord he finds it impossible not to love them in return.
5. Souls who love their crucified Lord in the midst of their own desolation grow closer to him in their hearts.
6. To advance in the way of holiness it is necessary above all else to concentrate one’s efforts on loving God.
7. In your prayers do not neglect to offer yourself to God unreservedly. From your heart say: “My Jesus, I give myself to you without reserve. I wish to be wholly yours.”
8. When you experience great aridity of spirit, be sure then to rejoice unselfishly in the bliss your God enjoys in heaven. This is an anticipation on earth of that perfect act of love of the blessed in heaven since they do not so much rejoice in their own happiness as in the infinite happiness of God himself. They love God much more than they love themselves.
9. As regards your prayers and reflections, never neglect to meditate on the Passion of Jesus Christ. There is no other subject more calculated to elicit our love than the thought of the sufferings of Jesus Christ.
10. Place yourself on the Hill of Calvary where you will find your Lord dying on the Cross, consumed with sufferings. Seeing Him in this terrible condition, is there any way you could refuse to undergo willingly all types of suffering for a God who dies out of love for you?
11. I recommend prayer to you above all else. When you can say nothing else, simply say, “Lord help me, and help me without delay.”
12. When you ask for graces from God, make sure you ask them in the name of Jesus Christ…. So when you fear that God will send you to hell, think for a moment how could it be possible that one who has said to you that whatever you ask Him [in His name] will be granted, would send you to hell!
13. How is it that you think you are not pleasing to God when you suffer desolation in spirit? Rather than being worried you should fell reassured, since God is dealing with you in the very same way that He treats His most intimate friends.
14. Keep on praying to Him with love and tenderness and have no anxiety that He will abandon you. Say in the words of the apostle …[nothing can] separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:38-39).
15. When you are oppressed by fears for your salvation or by desolation of spirit, do not neglect to have recourse to our Lady, who has been given to us by God as the Consolatrix of those who are afflicted.
16. The more trust we have in the Lord the more we receive from Him. He Himself has declared that He rewards those who trust Him.
17. The Lord has declared that His great joy is to be with us: “And I found delight in the sons of men” (Prv. 8:31)…. This thought alone should encourage us to pray to God with all confidence.
18. My God, why is it that scrupulous and anxious souls treat you as if you were a tyrant who demands nothing more from your subjects than fear and trepidation? The result is they think that God gets angry at every thought that passes through their minds and at every word that slips involuntarily from their lips and wishes to cast them into hell.
19. God’s infinite majesty certainly deserves all our reverence and submission, but He Himself prefers to receive from souls desirous of loving Him their love and confidence rather than fear and servility.
20. Frequent reception of the sacraments.
21. Your love should be centered above all else on the two great mysteries of our Lord’s love, the Holy Sacrament of the Altar and the Passion of Jesus Christ. If the love of all human hearts could be concentrated in one heart it would not approach in the slightest degree to the greatness of the love which Jesus Christ has shown us in these two mysteries. And so, in short, concentrate all your efforts for the future on love for God, and confidence in His great mercy.

Jesus: “In Mass I come with…”

“In Mass I come with such humility that there is no sinner, no matter how depraved he be, that I am no ready to receive, if only he desires it. I come with such sweetness and mercy that I will pardon My greatest enemies, if they ask for pardon. I come with such generosity that there is no one so poor that I will not fill him with the riches of My love. I come such heavenly food as will strengthen the weakest, with such light as will illumine the blindest, with such a plenitude of graces as will remove all miseries, overcome all obstinacy and dissipate all fears.” – Jesus to St. Mechtilde

A Beautiful Story of God’s Merciful Providence!

This story is taken from Fr. Ken Barker’s book, ‘His Name is Mercy’ (chapter 13, Forgiving Yourself; under the subheading, ‘His Mercy sets us Free’):

“A true story of a man haunted by the past, whose life had been totally miserable due to the harrowing burden of guilt, was told by Sr. Anne Shields at a conference in Rome some years back. A priest in California was preparing to go to bed on a Sunday night after a busy day when the phone rang. It was a nurse at the hospital which was a couple of hours drive away. A man was dying. He was a Catholic and would “Father” come. The priest was reluctant because there was a storm raging outside. But he decided to go. Upon arrival he entered the room of the dying man. He introduced himself and was gruffly told to “go to hell.” The conditions of the storm had worsened, so the priest decided he would hang around for a while. An hour later he approached the man again. “I am a Catholic priest. You are dying. Are you sure I can’t help you in any way?” Again the man rebuked him, demanding that he be left alone. For some reason the priest decided he would try once more. He waited another hour. Then he entered the room for the last time. To his surprise the man responded, “Well, I may as well tell you.” Then he began to relate the story of his life. Forty years previously he worked on a railway signals box. Everything was done manually in those days. It was Christmas time, and he had been drinking. When the train was approaching he pulled the wrong lever. The train went down the wrong track and collided into a car as it was crossing the lines. A woman and her two children were killed instantly. He told the priest that from that day onwards he had lived with the guilt of that accident. He kept to himself, never married, and gave up on life. He lived in quiet despair.

The priest, who had been listening very intently, asked him a few more questions about the date and time of the accident. Then he said to the dying man, “I want you to listen closely to me. You did not know this. But there was another little boy in that car. He lived. And when he grew up he became a priest. And he is speaking with you right now! And I want you to know, I forgive you.”

That man, who had spent his whole life in such an awful prison of self-hate, guilt and self-recrimination, was able to hear from the priest the words of forgiveness that set him free. He was finally able to forgive himself as he heard the words of absolution from the priest, but also the words of forgiveness from the little boy who had lost his mother and siblings in an accident 40 years previously. He died in peace…

Those of us who are dogged by feelings of anxiety and guilt about past sins need to learn to love ourselves. This comes in the light of God’s great love for us. We must first believe He has forgiven us our sins when we have truly repented. He does not hold an accusing finger pointing towards us, nor has he been counting our faults with the intention of paying us back with future punishment. Once we have repented we receive the free gift of His forgiveness. Basking in the sure knowledge of His unconditional love for us we can let go of the condemning attitude we have had toward ourselves. Looking into the merciful eyes of Jesus we find ourselves again.”

A Book You Shouldn’t be Without…

…’WORDS OF LOVE’ by Bartholomew Gottemoller!

This book is an ABSOLUTE GEM containing the words of Our Lord given to Sr. Josefa Menendez, Sr. Consolata Betrone and Sr. Mary of the Trinity.

Here are some words I would use to describe this book: consoling, beautiful, encouraging, inspiring, warm, illuminating, merciful, tender, and of course- loving.

Do yourself a favour and purchase it; then, do yourself a bigger favour and meditate slowly on each quote/phrase/revelation; then, do yourself and EVEN BIGGER favour and put what you’ve learnt into practice; this way, you will become a saint (and therefore fulfil the very purpose of your existence)!

Note: I would not recommend reading these (or any) private revelations unless they:
– Were revealed to HUMBLE, HOLY and OBEDIENT individuals (in this case: religious sisters)
– Do not contradict Church teaching
In addition to these two criteria, the revelations of this book:
– Provide profound insights
– Are “strikingly similar” to other revelations (words taken from foreword)
… which further enhances their credibility.

Decalogue of Mercy.

(Dictated by Our Lord to Sr. Benigna Consolata Ferrero, September 12, 1915)

1. I am the God of all Mercy.

2. I seek nothing so much as to exercise Mercy continually.*

3. To exercise justice is for Me to go against the current; it does violence to Me.**

4. The door of My Mercy is never closed; it is always ajar; however lightly it is touched, it opens; even a little child can open it, or an old man who has lost his strength.

5. The door of My justice, on the contrary, is shut and locked; and I open it only to him who compels Me to do so; but I never open it spontaneously.

6. Once the soul has crossed the threshold of the door of My Mercy, she falls into the power of Love, who employs every possible means to hinder her from escaping, and to attract her to love her new abiding-place.

7. Having become the happy prisoner of Love, Love sets her at liberty, but only within the precincts of love; because if the soul should issue forth from this enclosure, she would meet death. Love does not prevent her departure, but he averts it and this is the bridle that he puts upon her.

8. The more evil the state to which the soul is reduced by the sins of the past, by her disorders and passions, so much the more pleased is Love to have so much to accomplish in her.

9. Souls the most miserable, the most weak, the most infirm, are the best clients of Love, the most desired by the divine Mercy.

10. These souls, thus become, as it were, the predilette [favourite] of God, will, like so many living monuments, exalt and magnify the multitude of His mercies, sending up to God the reflections of living light, His own light, which they have received from Him during their mortal life- the multitude of kindnesses God has made use of to conduct them to eternal salvation. These souls will shine like previous gems, and will form the crown of the Divine Mercy.

*“Consolata, you must never forget that I always am, and love to be, kind and merciful towards My creatures.” – Jesus to Sr. Consolata Betrone

**“If only you knew how I suffer when I must dispense justice. You see, My Heart needs to be comforted; It wishes to dispense mercy, not justice!” – Jesus to Sr. Consolata Betrone

Decalogue of Confidence.

(Dictated by Our Lord to Sr. Benigna Consolata Ferrero, September 11, 1915)

1. I have a God who is all mine.

2. This God, all mine, is my Father.

3. This God, all mine, wishes that I should be all His forever.

4. This God of love came down from Heaven to earth on purpose to seek me.

5. This God of love asks me for my heart.

6. This God of love wishes to be to me a brother, friend and consoler.

7. This God of love carries His tenderness so far as to wish to be my physician, my medicine, and more than all, my spouse.

8. This God of love wishes to be despoiled of His gifts, as a tree is stripped of its fruits, which in no wise complains, but rather produces more fruit. The tree must wait another year, but I produce fruit at once.

9. This God of love seeks only miseries to consume, imperfections to destroy, weak wills to fortify, and good resolutions to strengthen.

10. This God of love goes in search of those whom the world despises, abhors and abandons, that is, of poor sinners; and after having converted them through the delicacies of His charity and the attractions of His mercy, if He meets with the correspondence He seeks, He makes them masterpieces of holiness.

Decalogue of Love.

(Dictated by Our Lord to Sr. Benigna Consolata Ferrero, August 25^th, 1915)

1. Give thyself to Love

2. Abandon thyself to Love

3. Follow Love.

4. Never go aside from Love.

5. Believe in Love.

6. Second Love.

7. Inculcate Love.

8. Let thyself be inflamed by Love.

9. Let thyself be used by Love.

10. Let thyself be consumed by Love.

1. Love gives itself to the soul that is given to It without reserve, without falling away, without absorption in other things.

2. Love takes an amorous care of the soul abandoned to It entirely.

3. Love guides, holds by the hand, and if necessary bears the souls wholly surrendered to It.

4. Love incloses within Itself the soul that is once surrendered to It, and permits it not to issue forth except by its own free will; nothing else can withdraw it from the power of Love.

5. Love rejoices when the soul believes in It in all its operations, even the most painful.

6. Love loves to be seconded, favoured and assisted; and It makes wonderful progress in the soul that aids It in this manner.

7. Love loves to be communicated; and It increases in the soul that communicates It to others in the same measure with which It is communicated.

8. Love, moreover, burns everything that is ready to burn; and the drier the thing the more quickly and easily it will burn.

9. Love rejoices in disposing not only of the soul, but of all its activities in favour of whomsoever It pleases.

10. Finally Love consumes even until the end that which is given to It if the soul offers no resistance.

2 ‘Golden Arrow’ Prayers.

1.) “Act of Humility” (dictated by Our Lord to Sr. Benigna Consolata Ferrero)

“My God, my Sovereign Love, my All, I, only nothingness, with nothing of good, no virtue, no fidelity, no correspondence with Thy grace, no gratitude, out of the profound abyss of my misery I invoke the abyss of Thy mercy that I may have the grace to be able to know Thee and make Thee known, the love Thee and make Thee loved, to serve Thee and make Thee served as perfectly as is possible to a poor creature for Thy greater glory.”

“I protest to thee,” Jesus says, “that every time a soul makes this act with sincere sentiments of profound humility, she wounds My Heart with A GOLDEN ARROW; and from this wound the soul has made flows out a torrent of graces over the soul herself and over the Holy Church. It is also an excellent preparation for Holy Communion, because God communicates Himself with greater abundance to the humble.”

 

2.) The “Golden Arrow” (dictated by Our Lord to Sr. Mary of St. Peter, taken from ‘Prayers and Heavenly Promises’ by Cruz)

May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable, most incomprehensible and  unutterable Name of God, be always praised, blessed, loved, adored and glorified in Heaven, on earth and under the earth, by all the creatures of God and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Amen.

Our Lord called the above prayer the “GOLDEN ARROW,” saying that those who recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, “streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this ‘Golden Arrow,’ torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.”