The Hard Sayings. Tuesday, March 18. Lent 2014.

We like things that are easy to accept.

Things that make sense.

Things that don’t make us think.

Things that don’t challenge us.

This is not a new way of thinking.

The Gospel of John,

talks about how disciples left

because the sayings were hard to accept

and they wondered who could accept them.

Christ’s whole life is composed of radical concepts,

ones that do not really make sense most of the time.

We can’t wrap our minds around it.

Part of the gift of faith is to bridge those gaps

that our minds simply cannot comprehend.

The Tantum Ergo written by St. Thomas Aquinas

points out our need for faith to bridge the gap

between Christ’s teachings and our senses.

Præstet fides supplementum sensuum defectui.

Faith for all defects supplying, where the feeble senses fail.

Though some of Christ’s teachings are hard to comprehend,

He made the most important teaching of all a bit easier for us.

The Cross.

The teaching that contains the most messages,

the most vital lessons,

the greatest example of love.

He was not just a man on the cross.

He came to us in the form of an infant.

The Child, Jesus.

He came to us in a way in which we could understand.

A way in which we could sympathize with.

A way that our minds might understand.

Though the story does not end here in the manger.

We all know very well that the wood of the manger

becomes the wood of the cross.

But we have come to love this infant,

this Child.

And we might not understand the Cross fully

but we feel something.

We feel the love

and see the sacrifice.

We know that the man on the cross was once an infant.

A Child that we could comprehend

and easily love.

Now we are challenged.

We see Him not as an adorable infant.

We see Him as a man being persecuted,

ridiculed,

and killed.

All for these hard sayings

and love for us.

We gladly knelt by Him at the manger.

That’s easy.

Will you just as gladly lay prostrate at the foot of the Cross?

That’s hard.

“The Infant Jesus is forever linked to the Cross, there always remains this context of love.”

 

This Lenten blog series is based upon St. Louis de Montfort's writings. Unless otherwise noted, all the phrases in quotation marks are taken from the book Jesus Living in Mary.

St. Patrick, St. Louis de Montfort, and Total Surrender. Monday, March 17. Lent 2014.

“To remain little is to recognize one’s own nothingness and to expect everything from God.”

This is part of Montfort’s understanding of the concept of childlike faith.

This complete dependence upon God is so fitting for Lent.

On Ash Wednesday we received ashes on our foreheads.

We were reminded that we are dust and to which we shall return.

We are nothing on our own.

We are mortal beings.

Helpless beings.

Thus we depend upon God as Father.

Not because we are greedy

but because

we have nothing

and

we are nothing

without Him.

Just as a newborn is dependent on its parents for survival;

so too are we dependent on Christ.

Being fully dependent is a challenging conscious decision to make.

A newborn lacks the choice.

We, however,

have many places in which to store our dependence.

But alas,

those other places will never suffice.

If we place our dependence elsewhere,

we are turning our backs upon life.

It can be overwhelming to place all of our dependence on Christ.

It requires our complete surrender and trust.

The Breastplate of St. Patrick is one of my favorite prayers.

It seems to cover all the bases of surrender.

Nothing is left out.

Everything is given up to God.

This prayer of abandonment falls right in line

with St. Louis de Montfort’s concept of childlike faith.

On this feast day:

St. Patrick, pray for us.

The Breastplate of St. Patrick

As I arise today

may the strength of God pilot me

the power of God uphold me

the wisdom of God guide me.

May the eye of God look before me

the ear of God hear me

the Word of God speak for me.

May the hand of God protect me

the way of God lie before me

the shield of God defend me

the host of God save me.

May Christ shield me today.

Christ with me

Christ before me

Christ behind me

Christ in me

Christ beneath me

Christ above me

Christ on my right

Christ on my left

Christ when I lie down

Christ when I sit

Christ when I stand

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me

Christ in every eye that sees me

Christ in every ear that hears me.

Amen.

This Lenten blog series is based upon St. Louis de Montfort's writings. Unless otherwise noted, all the phrases in quotation marks are taken from the book Jesus Living in Mary.

A Slavery of Love. Sunday, March 16. Lent 2014.

“A slavery of love.”

This seems to be one of Montfort’s most paradoxical and controversial concepts.

When we hear the word slave,

we cringe.

We think of our history

as well as our present.

People being held against their own will

and being forced to work.

There is nothing there that even remotely mirrors love.

Montfort calls us to slavery.

But a slavery far from the traditional.

A slavery of love.

When we hear the word love,

a multitude of feelings arise.

We think of our loved ones,

we think of Christ’s love for us.

We know how great it is to feel loved,

to be loved,

and to love.

There appears to nothing here that even remotely mirrors slavery.

This is where the paradox comes into play.

Slavery is essentially service.

Humbling serving your master.

Love is the Cross.

Humbling Himself to give us life.

If we serve out of love,

it is no longer slavery in the traditional sense.

We are not serving against our own will.

We are now serving out of love.

When done out of love,

serving becomes a joy.

We want only to serve.

We want only to follow.

We want only to live our lives for Christ.

We want to be slaves of Love.

This Lenten blog series is based upon St. Louis de Montfort's writings. Unless otherwise noted, all the phrases in quotation marks are taken from the book Jesus Living in Mary.

Reaching Outside of Ourselves to Serve. Saturday, March 15. Lent 2014.

The more I am reading about Montfort,

the more I am finding that he was not really a people person.

He didn’t have much interest in relationships,

only in serving God.

This is really intriguing to me.

I also think it’s relevant.

Our personalities and preferences seem to be a way out.

A way out of doing things we don’t want to;

of excusing ourselves from uncomfortable situations.

I’m not the biggest people person by any means.

And I let that notion weasel its way into my life.

Then there are the people who constantly need to be surrounded by others.

As well as everything in between.

These terms

and conceptions

and ways that we view ourselves are by no means false,

but they can be a hindrance,

and a blockage.

Montfort was not a people person,

but he did not allow that to take away from him serving God.

In fact, he had a deep love for serving the poor.

I’m not a people person

but sometimes (often) I do let that take away from serving God.

I’d much rather stay in my anti-social bubble.

Maybe I can serve the Lord from there sometimes,

but not always.

We are called to serve God.

He has given us unique personalities and traits to do so.

However, He also challenges us.

We have our distinct personalities for a purpose

but what is on the outside of our comfort zone?

In what new ways can we serve Him?

How can we share His love today?

“They will be ministers of the Lord, who, like a flaming fire, will enkindle everywhere the fires of divine love.”

This Lenten blog series is based upon St. Louis de Montfort's writings. Unless otherwise noted, all the phrases in quotation marks are taken from the book Jesus Living in Mary.

God-Given Gifts. Friday, March 14. Lent 2014.

There are so many things I wish I could do.

Others can do these things,

why can’t I?

Why do they have those talents?

I’d like that claim to fame.

And even the opposite,

there are so many things that I do

that I wish I did not do!

These things,

why do I do them?

But truly,

these wants don’t really matter.

God created us in His image and likeness

and our duty is to know, love, and serve Him.

So maybe we don’t have the talents we want.

But that doesn’t keep us from serving Him.

“The Holy Spirit took Montfort as He takes us- where we are and as we are.”

God does not hold a talent show 

where some talents make the cut and others don’t.

He has graced each person with certain talents

all for the purpose to know, love, and serve Him,

each in particularly special ways.

“We all have talents and gifts and when we use them, God goes mad…with LOVE.”

-Matt Maher

If we each used the talents and gifts we were graced with,

for His glory,

the world would change.

The gifts and talents you’ve been given

were especially molded for you and placed within you.

Don’t let those talents and gifts fade.

Let those God-given gifts bring light to His precious name.

How can you use your God-given gifts today?

How can you serve His greater glory?

Who can you touch?

Who can you love?

How can you change the world?

 This Lenten blog series is based upon St. Louis de Montfort's writings. Unless otherwise noted, all the phrases in quotation marks are taken from the book Jesus Living in Mary.

Under the Weight of the Wood. Thursday, March 13. Lent 2014.

We triumphantly sing along with Kelly Clarkson,

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

But when we are challenged by Christ,

challenged by our faith,

challenged by the Cross,

those lyrics don’t apply.

We seemingly become the kings and queens of

whining,

complaining,

and weak links.

We think we have to suffer these 40 days of Lent

and then we get to party and sail smoothly for the remainder of the year

because Christ died on the Cross for us.

He did the dirty work.

He even said His load is light and His burden easy.

That’s the life I’m going for; light and easy.

But rather,

The Cross of Christ is set forth as an example

of how we should respond to the Cross.

Life is full of crosses.

But not one is aimed at dragging us down.

They are all for a greater glory

but we are too busy complaining about them

to see through the Cross

into the glory of the Cross.  

“Expect to be pruned, hewed, chiseled under the hammer of the Cross; otherwise you will remain like rough stones which serve no purpose.”

We’re all for Christ

until the Cross comes.

What if Christ backed out

because the Cross involved too much pain?

What glory has come from

Christ suffering on the Cross!

What gives us the right

to back out of our daily crosses?

What are we missing

by being wimps?

What glory could stem from

us carrying our crosses like Christ?

Knowing that we are nothing without Christ

means that we cannot successfully carry our crosses on our own.

He is there,

in fact,

He is holding most of the weight.

It’s our job then to carry our portion

and bring glory to His name in doing so;

as He brought glory to His Father.

What glory can you bring to the name of Christ by carrying your cross? 

This Lenten blog series is based upon St. Louis de Montfort's writings. Unless otherwise noted, all the phrases in quotation marks are taken from the book Jesus Living in Mary. 

The Bible. Wednesday, March 12. Lent 2014.

“The preaching of God’s word is the most far-reaching,

the most effective and also the most difficult ministry of all.”

People like stories.

They’re relatable.

They can be touching. 

They can challenge.

They can be comforting.

The Bible contains sacred stories.

These stories filled with hope,

with reason,

explanation,

joy,

love,

and God Alone.

Most people know of a story in the Bible,

even if they don’t understand why they know it

or recall where they heard it.

There is just that something about the Bible.

There is something that tells people it must be special,

it must be important,

it must have meaning,

it must serve a purpose.

We have this opportunity to share this most important of books.

But often times, it can be hard to do tactfully and effectively.

We’re afraid of offending people or we like don’t know how to explain it.

We are unsure of how to answer challenging questions.

“Preach the Gospel and if necessary, use words.”

-St. Francis of Assisi

This is one of my favorite quotes and concepts.

We don’t have to preach from the Bible on the corner

but I can try to love like Christ.

Your life might be the only Bible that someone ever reads.

Can you show someone today that Christ loves them?

Remember, words are not always necessary.

Show love.

This Lenten blog series is based upon St. Louis de Montfort's writings. Unless otherwise noted, all the phrases in quotation marks are taken from the book Jesus Living in Mary.