"Christ shines into the bottom of the humble heart; for Christ is always moved by helplessness whenever a man complains of it and lays it before Him with humility."
Blessed Jan Van Ruysbroeck
For Reflection:
Am I willing to admit that I am helpless? Where am I helpless today? Can I lay it before Christ and wait patiently for His light to shine within me that I might find His way and His truth?
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"In detachment, the spirit finds quiet and repose for coveting nothing. Nothing wearies it by elation, and nothing oppresses it by dejection, because it stands in the center of its own humility."
St. John of the Cross
For Reflection:
Is my spirit "quiet" and "reposed?" To what extent, then, am I truly detached from the influences of the world and the flesh?
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God's words to St. Catherine of Sienna:
"You are she who is not,
and I am Who is."
For Reflection:
To what extent have I placed my confidence in God for all things? Which one thing do I need to give Him today?
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"I was like a stone lying in the deep mire; and He that is mighty came, and in His mercy lifted me up, and verily raised me aloft and placed me on the top of the wall."
St. Patrick
For Reflection:
St. Patrick outlines for us the essentials for growing in humility: to see ourselves as we truly are, to realize our dependency on God, to know that it is His mercy not our power that heals us, and to place our confidence in Him. Which of these "essentials" do I most need to remember today?
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"In humility there is mirrored the central mystery of the process of our transformation - the mystery that our Lord has put into these words: 'Unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, itself remaineth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit."
Dietrich von Hildebrand
For Reflection:
What "fruit" have some of my "dying" moments brought forth? To what extent did I see transformation in my life or in the life of others because of it? How does this give me the strength to persevere now and in the future?
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"It constantly happens that the Lord permits a soul to fall so that it may grow humbler. When it is honest, and realizes what it has done, and returns, it makes ever- increasing progress in our Lord's service."
St. Teresa of Avila
For Reflection:
While this quote does not give me permission to sin, it does help me to see that God works all things to the good, and even my mistakes can be an occasion for spiritual growth. About what one situation, circumstance, failing, fault, or sin does this speak most to me about today? I will praise God for His love and never failing mercy.
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If you watch the evening news, you surely caught wind of the story of a 17 year old high school student who evidently planned to kill 32 people at Freedom High School, which is located right here in the Tampa Bay Area, where our offices are located. Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor said that authorities found pipe bomb-making materials and a manifesto containing the student's minute-by-minute plan for the massacre, in which he detailed each murder he intended to commit.
Needless to say, parents, teachers, and students in Tampa and around the country were shocked and worried. If that weren't enough, just days later, a teacher from the same high school was accused of having sex with a 16 year old student at the school.
Both of these stories are very disturbing. I believe that we are only seeing the tip of the iceburg and that as economic and social conditions worsen, we will be the unfortunate witnesses of these societal ills which are rooted in the loss of respect for the human person and human sexuality, the degeneration of marriage and family life, and a general loss of morality. These are the plagues of our time.
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"God always gives a greater blessing to humble beginnings than to those that start with the chiming of bells."
St. Vincent de Paul
For Reflection:
Thank you, St. Vincent de Paul. You have helped me to see better the value of that which I see as so small and so insignificant! Lord, I give you all my "humble beginnings," all of my "small starts." Do with them what You will. Amen.
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Today is the Feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This Feast was established by Pope Pius XII in 1954 and concludes the octave of the Feast of the Assumption. Pope Pius XII stated that,
"Jesus Christ alone, God and Man, is King in the full, proper, and absolute sense of the term. Mary also, in a restricted and only analogous way, shares in royal dignity as the Mother of Christ who is God, as His associate in the work of Redemption, in His conflict with the enemy, and in His complete victory. From this association with Christ the King, she obtains a height of splendor unequaled in all creation" (Ad Caeli Reginam, no. 25).
Wow! What a Queen Mother we have! When we place ourselves in her caring hands, she continually draws us ever more closely to Jesus, Our King. I hope that you will entrust yourself, your family, and all of your needs to the loving intercession of Mary, Our Queen. Please enjoy this beautiful prayer of Pope Pius XII:
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"Everyone that exalteth himself shall be humbled; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."
Galatians 2:20
For Reflection:
In my own life, what instances can I recall where I was toppled by my own pride? What instances can I recall when I was "exalted" when I least expected it? How can I use these experiences to grow in humility?
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If you watch the evening news, you surely caught wind of the story of a 17 year old high school student who evidently planned to kill 32 people at Freedom High School, which is located right here in the Tampa Bay Area, where our offices are located. Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor said that authorities found pipe bomb-making materials and a manifesto containing the student's minute-by-minute plan for the massacre, in which he detailed each murder he intended to commit.
Needless to say, parents, teachers, and students in Tampa and around the country were shocked and worried. If that weren't enough, just days later, a teacher from the same high school was accused of having sex with a 16 year old student at the school.
Both of these stories are very disturbing. I believe that we are only seeing the tip of the iceburg and that as economic and social conditions worsen, we will be the unfortunate witnesses of these societal ills which are rooted in the loss of respect for the human person and human sexuality, the degeneration of marriage and family life, and a general loss of morality. These are the plagues of our time.
Today is the Feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This Feast was established by Pope Pius XII in 1954 and concludes the octave of the Feast of the Assumption. Pope Pius XII stated that,
