SEEK, KNOCK, ASK
Thus saith the LORD GOD,
I will yet for this be enquired of.
Ye have not, because ye ask not
Ask and it shall be given unto you; seek and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for everyone that
asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him
that knocketh it shall be opened.
This is the confidence we have in HIM, that, if we ask any
thing according to HIS will, HE heareth us: and if we know
that HE hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have
the petitions that we desired of HIM.
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of GOD, that giveth
to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be
given unto him.
Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.
Men ought always to pray, and not to faint.
The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and HIS
ears are open unto their cry The LORD heareth, and delivereth
them out of all their troubles.
Ye shall ask in MY name; and I say not unto you, that I will
pray to the FATHER for you: for the FATHER HIMSELF loveth
you, because ye have loved ME. Ask and ye shall receive, that
your JOY may be full.
AMEN and AMEN
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September 15th - The Seven Sorrows of Our Lady
As the octave of the Nativity of Our Lady ends, the consideration of her
suffering would not normally come to the mind of the faithful. But if
someone
would ask about the future of this child, we would recall that before
being
proclaimed blessed by all nations, Mary would suffer with her Son for the
salvation of the world.
The voice of the liturgy invites us to consider her sorrow: "Ó all ye who
pass
by the way, attend, and see if there be any sorrow like to my sorrow."
This
applies to her.
The sorrow of Our Lady is a work of God. He was the One who destined her
to be
the Mother of His Son. Therefore, He indissolubly united her to the
Person,
life, mysteries and sufferings of Jesus in order to make her His faithful
companion in the work of Redemption. Suffering has to be a great gift,
because
God gave it to His Son and to the creature He loves more than any other
after
Him, Our Lady. He gave it as a most precious gift.
For Mary the suffering did not start at Calvary, but with Jesus, "that
incommodious child," as Bossuet called Him, because wherever He went, he
entered
with His Cross and with His thorns which He distributes to those He loves.
The prophecy of the aged Simeon, the flight into Egypt, the loss of the
Divine
Child in Jerusalem, the carrying of the Cross, the Crucifixion, the taking
down
from the Cross, and the burial of Jesus: these are the seven mysteries
into
which are grouped the well-nigh infinite sufferings which made Our Lady
the
Queen of Martyrs, the first and loveliest rose in the garden of the
Spouse.
Above all, this solemn day shows us Mary on Calvary, and reminds us of
that
supreme sorrow among all the sorrows that ran through the life of Our
Lady. The
Church gave this feast the title of Seven Sorrows because this number
expresses
the idea of totality and universality.
To understand the extent and intensity of the suffering of Our Lady, we
need to
understand the extent and intensity of her love for Jesus, because her
love
increased her suffering. Nature and grace concurred to produce in Mary's
heart
profound impressions. Nothing is stronger by nature than the love a mother
has
for her son, and by grace the love one has for God.
Comments of the late Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira: (died 1995)
There are so many excellent thoughts in this selection by D. Guéranger
that I
could be tempted to prolong these comments. I will not do so, but will
just
select some ideas that he offers us.
The first is that since God loved His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, with an
infinite love and loved Our Lady with a lesser love, but still greater
than His
love for any other creature, He reserved for them His highest love. For
this
reason He gave them that vastness of crosses represented by the number
seven.
Seven sorrows is understood as all sorrows. Our Lady could be called the
Lady of
all sorrows because she suffered everything.
All generations call her blessed, but all generations also could call her
sorrowful.
If this is so, we should understand better that when sorrow enters our
lives it
is a proof of the love God has for us. We should also realize that if
sorrow
does not enter our lives, we do not have this proof of His love for us.
Therefore, we should not complain when sufferings come to us - nervous
problems,
difficulties in our apostolate, misunderstandings with our friends,
problems at
home, poor health, business troubles. We should accept these things as
normal,
as a proof of the love of Divine Providence for us.
When I see a person without maturity, stability, rationality, elevation of
spirit, I think that what he is lacking is suffering. These qualities only
come
with suffering - much suffering.
If we receive such trials, certainly we should pray for them to end. But
to the
measure that they remain, we should thank God and Our Lady.
I would also like to stress those extraordinary words of Bossuet who
called Our
Lord: "that incommodious child." All those who follow Our Lord are
incommodious.
When you give a good counsel, offer a good example, ask for a sacrifice,
the
face of the person you are addressing will let you know that he considers
you
bothersome. It would be easier and more pleasant to tell a joke, to tease
a bit,
and close the matter with a pat on the back, dispensing the person from
his
duties.
Sometimes we have to command. How easy it would be to command if we did
not have
to ask a subordinate to take things seriously, to see reality at its most
profound depths and in its most elevated aspect. How simple it would be if
we
did not have to ask him to face his own spiritual life without cowardice
and
keep careful watch over his defects. All this causes bother. The burden of
being
incommodious is one of the heaviest weights we have to carry.
Maintaining joyful resignation in face of the annoyance we cause because
we
represent Catholic duty, and having the courage to be incommodious in
every
circumstance is the path we are called to take in order to follow Our
Lord.
These are the virtues that on the day of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady we
should
ask her to give us.
Saint Quote:
"There would be no need for sermons, if our lives were ****ning; there
would be
no need for words, if we bore witness with our deeds. There would be no
pagans,
if we were true Christians."
-Saint John Chrysostom
Bible Quote:
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Rom. 12:21)
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YOUR CROSS
The everlasting God has in His
Wisdom foreseen from eternity,
the cross He now presents to
you as a gift from His
innermost heart. This cross He
now sends you He has
considered with his all-knowing
eyes, understood with His
divine mind, tested with His
wise justice, warmed with
loving arms and weighted with
His own hands to see that it
not be one ounce too heavy for
you. He has blessed it with His
Holy Name, anointed it with His
grace, perfumed it with his
consolation, and taken one last
glance at you and your courage
-has sent it to you from
heaven, a special greeting
from God to you, an alms of
the all merciful love of God.
St. Frances de Sales
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