Continuing my Lenten reading/reflections on Fr. Thomas Dubay’s excellent book.
The ninth motive for embracing our entire surefire program may surprise you: people who are profoundly intimate with their indwelling Lord are never bored.
This is so true. I find that on those days when I am thoroughly focused on God’s presence in my life, when I am constantly seeking to hear His voice as I go about my daily tasks and dealing with my challenges , that’s when I have the most energy the most motivation. Consequently, that’s also when I accomplish so much. These are the moments when God becomes the be all and end all of my existence. These are also the moments when I am most joyful about everything that come part and parcel of who I am as wife and mother. These are the moments where I find the greatest harmony and peace.
Our tenth reason for taking the path to lofty virtue is that it equips the person to handle suffering profitably and even happily.
Our final motivation for resolute determination is that by it we are building up our primary community: marriage, priesthood, consecrated life.
Outsiders can do us harm, but far greater damage is usually brought about by spouses who refuse to get rid of their sins.
Life is far more harmonious and happy among people who readily renounce their egocentrisms. By giving up everything, they gain everything.
The past seven days have been life-changing for me for so many reasons, many of which I can’t detail here. But I need to write down what has happened even if it has to be in general terms because once again, the Holy Spirit has been amazing. Not only did He lead the Cardinals last week to elect our new Pope. I am convinced that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit’s grace has touched not only the Cardinals but so many of us who have been praying, “Come, Holy Spirit!”.
I took a leap of faith on Thursday that I had been so petrified of taking for the past several months. I’ve wrestled with the Lord on this, begged Him to give me an easy way out, begged Him to give me strength, constantly cried for His Mercy. But I knew that the ball was in my court and I needed to say yes to Him before anything else could happen. I said Yes on Thursday. What happened on Friday, on Saturday, on Sunday, on Monday, on Tuesday, on Wednesday, and finally today have all been nothing short of miraculous. I could almost hear Him saying, “What were you so afraid of?” I can almost laugh about it now. It has been bittersweet so far. Rending the heart and excising it of anything that is not in accordance with His will can be extremely painful and can bring about many tears, but the peace that such a leap of faith brings is priceless.
The Fourth “Be”: Be Committed to Daily Meditative/Contemplative Prayer
… the main source of deep conversion is to fall in love with endless Beauty. A genuine person will gladly sacrifice for real love. Christic martyrs are in love.
I don’t have much to say about this, other than I am more in love now with Jesus than ever before. My heart is full.
There is an intercausality between deep conversion and deep prayer. Each one brings about the other.
People intimate with God resist with all their might not only deadly sins, which kill the relationship, but also venial transgressions which, if deliberate, cool it.
Fr. Thomas Dubay then gives several examples from the Gospels and Acts. Our Lord was in the habit of spending extensive time in prayer. And Mama Mary is often found in contemplation as well.
Luke 5:16 But he withdrew to the wilderness and prayed.
Mark 1:35 And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed.
I have been greatly blessed to have witnessed two men in my life who spend their first minutes of the day in prayer. I remember waking up in my parents’ bedroom (we subscribe to the family bed 🙂 ) early in the morning, around 5 am, when it was still dark outside, to my father’s silhouette as he sat up in bed, praying. How long he would do that each day I really don’t know, as I’d drift in and out of sleep watching him pray. When I got married, what a beautiful surprise that my husband is the same way.
Luke 6:12 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray; and all night he continued in prayer to God.
Luke 2:19 But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.
Luke 2:51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
And the apostles:
Acts 1:14 All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
If we desire to become saints, why should we not aspire to follow the model provided by our Savior, His Mother and the Apostles?
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