Faithful to the Means for Perseverance

April 25, 2023


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Hi!  How is each and every one? Once again our faith has been affirmed, confirmed and strengthened by Christ’s Resurrection from the dead as He said so.  We believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  He is our model, our brother, our friend, our teacher, our EVERYTHING.  We look up to Him, we do things for Him, BUT always with Him by our side, as you and I can do nothing without Him.   Hence, we need to put standards in place otherwise you and I will have nothing to guide ourselves to the right path you and I want to follow to reach our goal in Jesus Christ and remain close to Him.

The following excerpt is a continuation of the previous post on Alertness and Being on guard (From Joseph Tissot, How to profit from your faults pp. 96-97).

From this first benefit of alertness and being on guard drawn from our mistakes, a second benefit naturally follows:  namely, remaining faithful to those means that help us persevere.  Each one of our failings will then become an irresistible preacher on the need for grace and the duty to receive it through prayer and frequent reception of the sacraments.  These humiliations serve to shake us out of our lethargy and to stimulate our ardor for the service of God and the pursuit of virtue.  According to Father Pinamonti, “There is no faster steed than the horse that has escaped the wolf’s claws.  It feels this enemy at his flanks all the time.  Itby does not run—it flies.  Such is the effect produced in the saints  their failure.  It spurs them on to do more good” (The Director for Christian Perfection, 20).


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St. John Chrysostom noticed these happy results in his friend Theodore.  He wrote:  “When a hunter just grazes a lion, he makes it more furious and invincible.  In the same way, the enemy of the human race, in trying to inflict a deep wound on you, redoubles your generosity and your devotion to good works” (Ad Theod. laps., book 2, 1).


Living for God

St. Epiphanius expressed the same idea in a charming analogy.  “When a stag feels old age approaching, he lies in wait at the side of the rocks near a snake’s nest.  He puts his mouth to the opening; then he sucks and swallows the reptile.  Immediately, with the effort strengthened by the presence of a poisonous morsel and driven by a devouring thirst, he launches out in search of pure water.  If he finds it within three hours, he drinks for himself fifty new years of life.  In the same way, O spiritual man, if the serpent of sin penetrates your heart, fly to the sources of grace, and there through repentance, not only will your sin be effaced, but your strength will be restored” (Physiologist, ch. 5, De cervo).

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to Father Grou:  “A child who wants to walk on his own, leaves his mother for a while, but then falls.  He returns to her with greater tenderness to be healed of the injury he has caused himself.  His fall has taught him not to leave his mother again.  The experience of his weakness and the kindness with which his mother receives him inspire him to be more attached to her” (Fr.Grou, Manual for Interior Souls). 



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This is exactly what happens to you and me whenever we fall or we feel our weakness and we struggle against them, we always look up to Our Mother Mary to help us stand up, begin again by assisting us to receive grace through the Sacrament of Confession.  Our mother always wants what is good for you and for me.  Let us go to her always and she will always bring us to Jesus.  To Jesus through Mary.

See you in the next post, “May tomorrow be a perfect day; may you find love and laughter along the way; may God keep you in his tender care; ‘til He brings us together again.”


Affectionately,

Guadalupinky 

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