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Ave Maria Meditations
Jesus and the Thieves –a painting by Michael O’Brien Artist Commentary: Jesus promises Paradise to the repentant thief. We tend to think that when severe trials come we will suffer with the same courage and love as Jesus did. Or, perhaps as the “good thief” did. Yet we often find ourselves reacting to trials in the manner of the unrepentant thief. Within our hearts is (more…) |
Ave Maria Meditations Isaiah said that Christ offered himself in this tremendous act of sacrifice because he willed to do so. But he forced his human will to accept that from which his humanity recoiled. When, on the cross, he was drinking to its bitter dregs the chalice of wormwood and gall that had so revolted his human nature in the garden, he was draining it because it was his Father’s will. He was saying to the last dread gasp: “Not my will, but thine be done.” Love is a union of wills. And the love of God is a union of man’s will with God’s. It is so easy to unite one’s will with God’s when what he wills is sweet and easy, when his will fits hand in glove with one’s natural inclinations. But if all our days were filled with completely satisfied natural desires-ideal living conditions, economic success, robust health-how could we ever know that it was God’s will, and not our own, that we were seeking? It is only when his will is opposed to what we would naturally choose, only when his will takes the form of a cross, and it is still embraced, that we can be sure that it is not our will, but God’s, that we want to see exalted. (more…) |
Homily #110804 ( +++ |
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The author is P. Marton Marcell OCD (1887-1966), Hungarian Carmelite priest, his beatification is in the process. Music: Paganini – Violin Concerto No.5 in A Minor, II., Kiev Philharmonia – Nikolia Sokolov, 2001 |
Homily #100404t ( Ave Maria! Mass readings +++ |
Homily #100303 ( +++ |
Ave Maria!– September’s Theme: The Cross “To arrive at our last end we need to follow the Divine Head, Who does not lead the elect souls by any other path than the one He trod; that is to say, [by way] of abnegations and of the cross: ‘If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me’. And should you not consider yourself fortunate to see yourself treated thus by Jesus? He is stupid who knows not how to penetrate the secret of the cross.” |
Ave Maria!– September’s Theme: The Cross “Beware of entering into the banquet of the cross, which is a thousand times more delicious than the worldly weddings, without the white, candid and clean garment, which is of a completely different intention than that of giving pleasure to the Divine Lamb.” |
Ave Maria!– September’s Theme: The Cross “Oh! You must consider yourself happy if you always try to dwell on Calvary, to dwell there faithfully and lovingly so as to adore on this mountain, Jesus Crucified, in this life. In such a way you will be sure of adoring with all certainty the glorified Jesus in the next life!” |
Ave Maria!– September’s Theme: The Cross “You ought to habituate yourself to the sufferings that it pleases Jesus to send you, as if you always had to live together with them. By doing thus, when you least think to be freed from them, Jesus, Who cannot suffer for long to keep you in [your] affliction, will take care [of you]; He will come to relieve you and to console you by instilling new courage into your spirit.” |
Ave Maria!– September’s Theme: The Cross “Love for the cross was always a distinctive sign of the elect souls; to be overburdened by the cross was always a special predilection of the heavenly Father for the aforesaid souls. And our Seraphic Father Saint Francis knew very well that without love for the cross, one cannot profit much in the ways of Christian perfection. Therefore, he continually carried engraved in his soul the Passion and Death, let alone the whole mortal life of the Son of God made man.” |
Ave Maria!– September’s Theme: The Cross 15- “Let us not lose sight of the blessed group of the elect souls. Let us always hold onto them tightly, and let not the weight of the cross that you must carry, nor the long journey you must travel nor the rugged mountain you must climb, frighten you.” 16- “Let the consoling thought always cheer us that after the ascent to Calvary, you will rise still higher; you will ascend to the holy mountain of God, to the heavenly Jerusalem. By Divine Goodness, we are already halfway up the ascent of the mountain of suffering because we find ourselves with the firm resolution to serve and love well this Divine Goodness.” |
Ave Maria!– September’s Theme: The Cross “Happy are we who, against our every merit, are already (thanks to the Divine Mercy) on the steps to Calvary; we are already made worthy to follow the heavenly Master; we have already been numbered among the blessed group of the elect souls. And it is all because of a very special way the Divine piety of the heavenly Father deals with us.” |
Ave Maria!– September’s Theme: The Cross 10- “Everything passes; Jesus presents a cross to you, yes, but do not be discouraged. Jesus’ cross was heavier; do not fear. He is very near to you and is watching you. He is there to relieve you of your sufferings, and you call to Him both in dangers and in the things that are prosperous.” 11- “Remember that Isaiah calls Jesus the ‘man of sufferings’; He, therefore, loves sufferings and those who have them. Therefore, in the hour of trial, do not get so upset but be prepared to suffer all with love. Jesus will be gracious to you and will give you the grace to lead a life that is all heavenly, and nothing will be able to separate you from His predilection.” 12- “The prototype, the exemplar on which we must mirror and model our lives is Jesus Christ. But Jesus has chosen for His standard the cross, and therefore He wants that all of His followers should walk the path of Calvary, carrying the cross so as to then die upon it. Only by this path one reaches salvation.” 13- “Jesus has need of those who groan with Him for human impiety, and it is for this that He leads you along the paths of sufferings. But may His charity be forever blessed, which knows how to mix sweet with bitter, and convert the transitory pains of life into an eternal reward.” |
Ave Maria!– September’s Theme: The Cross 5- “My face blushes with shame. I know very well that the cross is a pledge of love, that the cross is a payment of pardon, and that love, which is not fed and nurtured by the cross, is not true love; it is fire in the hay (fuoco di paglia). And yet, with such knowledge, this false disciple of the Nazarene feels the cross weigh enormously on his heart, and many times he goes in search of the merciful Cyrenean who will console and comfort him.” 6- “I have a very great desire to suffer for love of Jesus, but how is it that when there is a trial, I seek comfort against my will? How much strength and violence I must do to myself in these trials to reduce my nature to silence, so to speak, which loudly demands to be consoled! I would not like to fell this battle; many times it makes me cry like a baby because it seems to me to be a lack of love and correspondence.” 7-“ How sweet is the name cross! Here, at the foot of the cross of Jesus, souls are clothed anew with light, they are inflamed with love; here they put on wings to rise to the loftiest flights. May the cross always be for us, as well, the bed of our repose, the school of perfection, our beloved heredity. To that end, let us take care not to separate the cross from the love of Jesus. Otherwise, the one without the other would become an unbearable weight to our weakness.” 8- “If you have neither a sufficient amount of gold nor a sufficient amount of silver to offer to Jesus, you will at least have the myrrh of bitterness. And it consoles me to know that He accepts it willingly, as if with this fruit of life He wanted to be placed in the myrrh of bitterness, both in His and in His death. Jesus glorified is beautiful; but to me He seems to be even more so when He is crucified.” 9- “Love being on the cross more than being at the foot of it; love agonizing with Jesus in the garden more than compassionating Him, because all the more you will resemble the divine Prototype. In what circumstances can you make acts of constant union of your heart and of your soul to the holy Will of God, [acts] of mortification of your ego and [acts] of love of your crucifixion, if not in the bitter and rigorous assaults that the our enemies wage against you? |
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