Good morning my dear Family, relatives & friends! A WALK WITH BROTHER FRANCIS ON OUR NINTH DAY: ( A twelve days devotion based on the writings of St. Francis of Assisi). Our ninth day was supposed to be yesterday. It took me one hour & eight minutes typing it while I was on our trip to Lucban from Manila...then posted it right away, but I just noticed it this morning that this 9th day devotion was not on Facebook, it was missing. Unfortunately, It was no longer saved, it was deleted already...so I have to type all over again. Nevertheless, indeed I am very sorry...please bear with me! ***NINTH THEME - DETACHMENT and DISOBEDIENCE *** We are also bound to fast & avoid vice & sin, taking care not to give way to excess in food & drink, & we must be Catholics. Our lower nature, the source of so much vice & sin should be hateful to us, our Lord says in the Gospel. For from the heart come evil thoughts... (Matthew 15:19), & he tells us Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you (Luke 6:27). We are bound to order our lives according to the precepts & counsels of our Lord Jesus Christ, & so we must renounce our self & bring our lower nature into subjection under the yoke of obedience; this is what we have all promised God. ***REFLECTION*** How well do I understand what my Lord Jesus Christ reached me? How well do I know what his Church is teaching me? * If his commandments & the Churchs doctrines run contrary to popular opinion or reasoning, do I adhere to pure logic & discard her laws; or do I firm up my resolve to obey her in all matters pertaining to faith & morals? Am I now proud of what I have achieved ? Am I anxious to achieve more? Is this the reason why I am not prepared for death? *Have I ever thought about uniting my will to his Holy Will? To seek that every moment of the day be an opportunity to do good for his sake, whole letting him decide my future? To let him control my life? To credit him for whatever I have achieved? To live life with the fullest hope & confidence that he is eventually my ultimate destiny? ***SCRIPTURE READING Luke 9:23-27*** Then he (Jesus) said to all, If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself & take up his cross daily & follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself? Whoever is ashamed of me & of my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his glory & in the glory of the Father, & of the holy angels. Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God. ***PSALM 90:9-12*** Our life ebbs away under your wrath; our years end like a sigh. Seventy is the sum of our years, or eighty , if we are strong; Most of them are sorrow & toil; they pass quickly, we are all but gone. Who comprehends your terrible anger? Your wrath matches the fear it inspires. Teach us to count our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart. ***PRAYER*** Sweet Jesus, teach me you way to true happiness. Teach me how to be free like the birds in the air, to be rid of all the false pleasures of this world, to be unattached to anything that will only bring me unnecessary worry. For my needs are actually very few & our Father is extremely generous, teach me how to obey you, as all your creation obeys you & is peacefully content, how to live only for your greater glory. Let me worry only about how to grow in pleasing you & in serving others, for if our Father can take care of all his creatures, then how much more would he take care of his beloved children, whose names have already been written in the palm of his hand? Amen. *My brother Francis, pray for me.* ***WORK OF MERCY*** Commit to memorize & try to understand the Ten Commandments. If you are able-bodied, fast every Friday for a month. Id this is not possible, then refrain from any recreational activity on Fridays. Instead, go to your parish church & do a Way of the Cross devotion.
Posted on: Sun, 17 Nov 2013 05:36:05 +0000
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