- Philippians 3:12-14 -
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made
perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took
hold of
me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But
one
thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
I
press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me
heavenward
in Christ Jesus.
______________________________________________________________________
A Powerful Prescription for Joy
1) Develop the discipline for focus. Concentrate on knowing Christ.
Make
every day another chapter in the book of your life where you are focusing
on
him.
2) Develop the discipline to forget. Use selective forgetfulness by
letting
go of your past failures and successes.
3) Develop the discipline to follow. Make every effort to live the
righteous
life with God's help.
- Turning Toward Joy - David Jeremiah
<<>><<>><<>>
April 5th - St. Crescentia Hoess
(1682-1744)
Crescentia was born in 1682 in a little town near Augsburg, the daughter
of a
poor weaver. She spent play time praying in the parish church, assisted
those
even poorer than herself and had so mastered the truths of her religion
that she
was permitted to make her holy Communion at the then unusually early age
of
seven. In the town she was called "the little angel."
As she grew older she desired to enter the convent of the Tertiaries of
St.
Francis. But the convent was poor and, because Crescentia had no dowry,
the
superiors refused her admission. Her case was then pleaded by the
Protestant
mayor of the town to whom the convent owed a favor. The community felt it
was
forced into receiving her, and her new life was made miserable. She was
considered a burden and assigned nothing other than menial tasks. Even her
cheerful spirit was misinterpreted as flattery or hypocrisy.
Conditions improved four years later when a new superior was elected who
realized her virtue. Crescentia herself was appointed mistress of novices.
She
so won the love and respect of the sisters that, upon the death of the
superior,
Crescentia herself was unanimously elected to that position. Under her the
financial state of the convent improved and her reputation in spiritual
matters
spread. She was soon being consulted by princes and princesses as well as
by
bishops and cardinals seeking her advice. And yet, a true daughter of
Francis,
she remained ever humble.
Bodily afflictions and pain were always with her. First it was headaches
and
toothaches. Then she lost the ability to walk, her hands and feet
gradually
becoming so crippled that her body curled up into a fetal position. In the
spirit of Francis she cried out, "Oh, you bodily members, praise God that
he has
given you the capacity to suffer." Despite her sufferings she was filled
with
peace and joy as she died on Easter Sunday in 1744.
She was beatified in 1900 and canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2001.
Comment:
Although she grew up in poverty and willingly embraced it in her
vocation,
Crescentia had a good head for business. Under her able administration,
her
convent regained financial stability. Too often we think of good money
management as, at best, a less-than-holy gift. But Crescentia was wise
enough to
balance her worldly skills with such acumen in spiritual matters that
heads of
State and Church both sought her advice.
<><><><>
Whoever taketh not up his cross and followeth Me, is not worthy of Me.
-Matt.
10:38
"By working out our salvation through sufferings, the Son of God has
wished to
teach us that there is nothing in us so fitted to glorify God and to
sanctify
our souls as suffering. Yes, yes, to suffer for love of the Lord is the
way of
truth! Therefore, the more one can suffer, the more let him suffer, for he
will
be the most fortunate of all; and whoever does not resolve upon this, will
never
make much progress"
-St. Teresa
St. Mary Magdalen de' Pazzi was so much enamored of suffering that she
said: "I
do not desire to die soon, because in Heaven there is nothing to suffer;
but I
desire to live a long time, because I wish to suffer long for love of my
Spouse.
Nor would I have a brief martyrdom only, but an accumulation of pains,
calumnies, misfortunes, and all adversities that can possibly happen to
me." And
when she went through a long and painful illness this not only failed to
extinguish in her this great thirst for suffering, but after tasting it in
such
a way, she longed for it the more, so that while the Superior endeavored
to
lessen her hardships for the preservation of her health, she was at the
same
time seeking in every way to invent new kinds of sufferings that no one
would
perceive. It happened one day, in the course of her last illness, that
having
received a marked affront, she not only bore it patiently, but showed
signs of
particular friendship for the offender. When one of the Sisters manifested
astonishment, she told her that she was glad she had not died before it
occurred, that she might not lose such an excellent opportunity for
suffering.
(Taken from the book "A Year with the Saints". April - Patience)
Bible Quote:
33 Jesus therefore said to them: Yet a little while I am with you: and
then I go
to him that sent me. 34 You shall seek me, and shall not find me: and
where I
am, thither you cannot come. (John 7:33-34)
<><><><>
Gravitate to humility.
This signpost points in the exact opposite direction the world points by
pointing to the First Beatitude, the Beatitude from which all the
Beatitudes
spring forth-blessed are the poor in spirit.
When society or the world talks about humility, if they even recognize it,
they
refer primarily to a sense of proper self-esteem where one does not
elevate or
demean ones self in relation to others. A good self-esteem is very, very
important, but Christian humility calls for something else, something
more.
Christian humility aims for the complete and total nothingness of pride.
We have
nothing to boast of to God. We have no entitlements or any thing to lay
claim on
God. Everything comes from God, and so we are essentially nothing without
God.
This can sound a bit disappointing, even depressing. In fact, the world
calls
this humiliation, i.e. to loose ones pride. But the thing is, it is not
about
degradation or loss of self-respect or disgrace. It is about grace, and
letting
grace in so that it will transform us from the nothingness of our poverty
to
divine royalty, daughters and sons within the Triune family of God.
In other words, if you are not empty, God cannot fill you up. Do you want
to be
filled up with stuff of the world or with divine stuff? "What good is it
for a
man to gain the whole world and yet forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:36)
In having nothing before God, we have God, and therefore have everything.
God is
peculiar that way-the last shall be first, the lowly shall be exalted. The
way
to bliss, to true joy and happiness, is not through pride but through
humility.
Jesus is our example; he is the Way.
It seems fitting to recall last week's poem. Love, by its very nature,
always
reaches outward.
As flowing water falls to seek the lowest point,
It gives all its energy away until none remains,
And then returns to the source to fall again.
What does the water gain from this falling?
What does life gain?
Just as water gravitates to the lowest point, so does love-by way of
humility.
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