Is a Mass offered for one who is still living more powerful than a Mass celebrated for that person after he or she has died? I often wondered about that, so I wrote to Father Edward McNamara, a noted professor of liturgy, at the Regina Apostolorum University in Rome. This is how he responded to my inquiry:
How has my self-will created a Hell for me at various times in my life? Does this encourage me to surrender all to God's will?
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PM writes: “I was wondering if someone can be clear on the dangers of Dream Boards or Vision Boards. Is this New Age? I was invited to a party of with a group of women cutting out pictures of their wishes and glue them to a board to hang up and look at each day hoping that the ‘Universe’ will provide them all the wishes on their boards.”
August 11th marks the feast day of Saint Clare of Assisi (1194-1253), a woman of outstanding virtue such that she was canonized only two years after her death. Her name is forever linked with that of the man she called “our Blessed Father Francis,” the beloved saint of Assisi who paved the way for Clare and her Sisters.
"Love consumes us only in the measure of our self-surrender."
~St. Therese of Lisieux
For Reflection:
What do I think is the relationship between the consuming love of God and self-surrender?
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Most people think it could never happen to them. They're too educated, too savvy, too world-wise to be swept into a cult. But that's not what the statistics show.
"If you do not learn to deny yourself, you can make no progress in perfection."
~St. John of the Cross
For Reflection:
In this consumerist and self-centered culture, self-denial is out-of-step unless it helps to cause weight loss or physical fitness. Why is a "lean soul" and a "muscular spirit" necessary for spiritual perfection?
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"The more we conquer ourselves the more He gives us of His grace;
and if today we have had power to overcome one difficulty, tomorrow and the day after we shall be able to surmount others that are much greater
and more distressing."
~St. Vincent de Paul
For Reflection:
What one frailty or weakness do I wish to overcome to be more conformed to the will of God? According to St. Vincent de Paul, how will this help me in the future?
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what we give Him. But He does not give Himself entirely until He sees that we yield ourselves entirely to Him."
~St. Teresa of Avila
For Reflection:
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being "not at all," and 10 being "totally yielded," where am I with regard to giving everything to Christ? What one step am I willing to take today to move forward? (See tomorrow's Grace Line to
discover why it is important to yield to Christ
more and more each day.)
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