Day 15: November 23 (St. Clement, St. Columban, Bl. Miguel Pro) Introduction: In response to the bishop’s request for a sign, in 1531 Our Lady instructed St. Juan Diego to go to the top of Tepeyác Hill and pick the flowers he would find there. He did so, and Mary personally arranged the Castilian roses (from the bishop’s own hometown in Spain, and which were impossible to get on an icy December day from a rocky, barren hillside in the New World) in his tilma (a poncho-like cloak woven from cactus fibers). When he opened it for the bishop, the roses poured out and the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe miraculously appeared on his tilma. After 482 years, the tilma is still intact, and the image is still as radiant as before. God created us in His image, yet that image was disfigured by sin. We still retain our fundamental family relationships, yet as a result of sin we are incapable on our own of living up to our dignity. In Mary we see the wonders God can do with humanity, and in Our Lady of Guadalupe we see what He can do with us. We ourselves are like the rough cloth of the the tilma, soiled and stained from much fruitless labor, yet when we follow her guidance, the barren and chill world in which we live is made beautiful and fragrant. Permitting her to arrange these events of our lives, our families, our parishes, and we ourselves become a living tilma and show forth the glory of God. Pray: I salute and venerate you, O most Blessed Virgin Mary, as the Daughter of the Eternal Father, and I consecrate to you my body with all its senses that I may live with my whole heart the virtue of simplicity. I salute and venerate you, O most Blessed Virgin Mary, as the Mother of the Eternal Son, and I consecrate to you my heart with all its affections that I may live with my whole heart the virtue of chastity. I salute and venerate you, O most Blessed Virgin Mary, as the Spouse of the Eternal Spirit, and I consecrate to you my mind with all its powers that I may live with my whole heart the virtue of obedience. I salute and venerate you, O most Blessed Virgin Mary, as the Temple of the Holy Trinity, and I consecrate to you my body and blood, soul and humanity, that I may offer my life as an oblation of charity for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth. Let us pray: O God, who did instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that in the same Spirit we may be truly wise and evermore rejoice in His consolation. Through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Meditation: From an instruction by Saint Columban, abbot (Instr. 11, 1-2; Opera, Dublin, 1957, 106-107) “Moses wrote in the law: God made man in his image and likeness. Consider, I ask you, the dignity of these words. God is all-powerful. We cannot see or understand him, describe or assess him. Yet he fashioned man from clay and endowed him with the nobility of his own image. What has man in common with God? Or earth with spirit?—for God is a spirit. It is a glorious privilege that God should grant men his eternal image and the likeness of his character. Man’s likeness to God, if he preserves it, imparts high dignity… Loving God renews his image in us... True love is shown not merely in word, but in deed and in truth. So we must turn back our image undefiled and holy to our God and Father, for he is holy; in the words of Scripture: Be holy, for I am holy. We must restore his image with love, for he is love; in John’s words: God is love. We must restore it with loyalty and truth, for he is loyal and truthful. The image we depict must not be that of one who is unlike God; for one who is harsh and irascible and proud would display the image of a despot. Let us not imprint on ourselves the image of a despot, but let Christ paint his image in us with his words: My peace I give you, my peace I leave with you. But the knowledge that peace is good is of no benefit to us if we do not practice it. The most valuable objects are usually the most fragile... Particularly fragile is that which is lost by wanton talk and destroyed with the slightest injury of a brother. Men like nothing better than discussing and minding the business of others, passing superfluous comments at random and criticizing people behind their backs. So those who cannot say: The Lord has given me a discerning tongue, that I may with a word support him who is weary should keep silent, or if they do say anything it should promote peace.” Examination of Conscience: What kind things have I said today to anyone? Has anyone been blessed through me today? Pray an Act of Hope: O my God, relying on your almighty power and infinite mercy and promises, I hope to obtain pardon of my sins, the help of your grace and life everlasting through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints. Amen. Penance: Ensure that before sleeping tonight, at least five people have received a blessing through you today (for example, a smile, a word of encouragement, or a “thank you”).
Posted on: Sat, 23 Nov 2013 21:15:19 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015