33 days to merciful love retreat companion pdf33 days to merciful love retreat companion pdf

In other words, it shows us what we are of our own sinful selves: empty, weak, and on the verge of passing out. One may be a great sinner and never fall into corruption if hearts feel dieir own weakness.

Mary was full of praise because of the great things God had done for her. 43 love.

?] In other words, were probably numbered 102 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE among the ordinary people. If that describes you, then thank the Lord.

Appendix Two Family Offering and Divine Mercy Image Enthronement | This appendix is an excerpt from Divine Mercy Image Explained bv hr. But is he giving such a gift? Washington, DC 20002 U.S.A. wwTv.icspublications.org From With Empty Hands by Conrad de Meestcr, O.C.D. Y26-SGOVD For our complete line of books, prayercards, pamphlets, and more, visit ShopMercy.org or call 1-800-462-7426. Be a little more humble and realistic. To me He has granted His infinite Mercy, and through it I contemplate and adore the other divine perfections! That sounds scary! 40 Cited in With Empty Hands, p. 47. Inspired by the Diary of St. Faustina, I said its to m/rtin him. In fact, I believe that it is in the context of the offering of the Mass that we can best understand the following words of St. Therese (especially draw me, we shall run) that reveal how she found a simple way of inter ceding for others: Since I have two brothers and my little Sisters, the novices, if I wanted to ask for each soul what each one needed and go into detail about it, the days would not be long enough and I fear I would forget something important. They simply need to try sincerely to turn away from sin, invite the Lord into their home, and receive and share his Merciful Love.

Of course, while he certainly embraced all the truths of Scripture and Church teaching, he chose to emphasize poverty. Copyright 2023 DOKUMEN.PUB. 222 Diary, 327. God is very generous and does not deny His grace to anyone. The actual retreat book,33 Days to Morning Glory, is included in this kit. Saint John Paul II expressed the theology of consoling Jesus in what is probably the most profound papal statement on the topic. El rene varias tradiciones espirituales y las mezcla con el modelo de los Ejercicios Espirituales de San Ignacio. Also, its interesting to note that St. Therese once appeared to St. Faustina and encouraged her to trust in Jesus (see Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul [Stockbridge: Marian Press, 1987], 150.

We give it back to God as an exhaled magnificat.

In other words, the focus is on another person, not on ourselves. Lord, You know it, I have no other treasures than the souls it has pleased You to unite to mine; it is You who entrusted these treasures to me (Story ofa Soul, p. 254). For this is the Little Way of surrender, acceptance, and childlike trust taught by St. Therese of Lisicux. Specifically, I think I had in mind one of my favorite passages from her autobiography: Jesus does not demand great actions from us but simply surrender and gratitude. I offer You, too, all the merits of the saints (in heaven and on earth), their acts of Love, and those of the holy angels. For instance, diey say, How can I relate to a nun who died at the age of 24 and whose confessor solemnly declared that she never committed a mortal sin?133 Sure, she describes herself as full of weakness, imper fections, and faults, but those dont seem to include deliberate venial sins and certainly not mortal sins.134 So, she doesnt really know die darkness of sin. This blood and water (which is his mercy) and this wonderful air (which is also his mercy) fill your soul. What? In order to live in one single act of perfect Love, 1 OFFER MYSELF AS A VICTIM OF HOLO CAUST TO YOUR MERCIFUL LOVE, asking You to consume me incessantly, allowing the waves of infinite tenderness shut up within You to overflow into my soul, and that thus I may become a martyr of Your Love, O my God! Yes, I believe everything that God promised about Jesus will be fulfilled, even if everything about him is a sign of contradiction (Lk 2:34). Michael Gaitley, MIC, this 33 Days to Merciful Love Group Retreat goes even deeper than the book alone and explores new This week, we'll explore the role that darkness plays in living it out. Gaitley weaves a tapestry of wonder and beauty from the threads of the dramatic history of Poland, the transformative message of St. Faustina Kowalska, the prophetic apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, the powe [More], The Guidebook for Divine Mercy In The Second Greatest Story Ever Told is key to getting the full experience. That work, which she began in obedience to her superior, Mother Agnes, helped her to see more clearly than ever Gods tender mercies enveloping her whole life. It was through the practice of these nothings (Story ofa Soul, pp. 9. Savor it for a moment before you let it go. It was because of peoples lack offaith. Then, Week Four will cover the 24 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE topic of darkness as a bittersweet mystery in our own lives as well as in the life of St. Thercse. O my Jesus, let me be this happy victim; consume Your holocaust with the fire of your Divine Love!91 From this beautiful prayer, we begin to arrive at the essence of the Offering to Merciful Love. An appropriate prayer for such an enthronement, which could be prayed after making the Offering and in front of the Image of Divine Mercy, is as follows: LEADER: Jesus, you said to St. Faustina: I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy. Michael E. Gaitley, MIC, STL National Shrine of The Divine Mercy Stockbridge, Massachusetts December 8, 2015 Solemnity' of die Immaculate Conception Beginning of the Jubilee Year of Mercy Acknowledgements Permission to cite from the following is gratefully acknowledged: From Story ofa Soul, translated by John Clarke, O.C.D. In the end, then, we can compete. Over the years, Ive come across various devotional prayers labeled A Consecration to Divine Mercy, and theyve been great. This book is a consecration to divine mercy. And if youre very litde and your trust is great, you may even become a great saint, like St. Therese just please dont keep your nail clippings. However, please consider consecrating yourself to Jesus through Mary soon. Before we get to that, heres something that may be even more shocking: As St. Therese was dying, because she believed what she taught, because she believed that she would be a great saint, she herself collected the clippings of her nails and invited her sister Pauline (Mother Agnes) to take them, presumably to 58 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE be used as relics!67 Also, she encouraged the other sisters to keep the rose petals that had touched her crucifix, saying, They will help you perform favors later on; dont lose one of them.68 What? All Rights Reserved | An Age of Divine Mercy. The Church is a mother, and she must travel this path of mercy and find a form of mercy for all. Almost everyone else has abanJ^/doned him, but Mary is here with you. After your soul has filled, after your lungs have filled, you linger at the end of the fiat moment as you simply enjoy and take delight in his Merciful Love.

After all, maybe he could have gotten the number down to just three. 124 Story ofa Soul, p. 181. Think of it: The One who doesnt need us decided to make himself need us! Blessed is she who believed that God was able to raise men even from the dead (Heb 11:19). Yet his Heart cant hold this returned love, for its been pierced, and now your lungs are empty. 171 Saint John of the Cross, The Living Flame of Love, commentary on stanza 1, line 6 (cited in Gaucher, p. 221). But her pierced Heart is different from that of her Sons. That is literally the deepest holiness! This is probably the best book I have ever read - ever! But here, I want us to better appreciate what we learned over those days by putting it in the context of a prophetic announcement for the present time of mercy in the Church. Padre Michael Gaitley, MIC, es un sacerdote de la Congregacin de los Padres Marianos de la Inmaculada Concepcin. (If we did, we might get puffed up with pride and no longer be little.) I ask all this in Jesus name. He describes how saints such as Padre Pio and John Vianney helped the faithful enter into a profound spiritual experience during Mass, and he explains why the Mass should serve as a means to lift our hearts to God so we can surrender to His will. Thats why St. Therese, who never left the convent, was declared Patron Saint of Missionaries and the Missions, along with St. Francis Xavier. For instance, in the book Trustful Surrender to Divine Provi dence: The Secret to Peace and Happiness by Fr. And so the test was really all about love, right? But that darkness eventually became Thereses joy, WEEK FOUR: Into the Darkness 109 because she firmly believed and trusted that God would come down and raise her to the heights of heaven.

We must strive to show mercy. Again, we should do it through Scripture and Church teaching. That is faith. 213 While Im using the word family here in the traditional sense, other groups of people who live together (without being in the state of sin) could also make this offering. Click the image to the left to enlarge and see all kit contents. I found myself pleading with God for the world with words heard interiorly. Its the idea that God lowers himself more togive himselfto little souls than to thegreat souls. Its to see that Jesus Heart aches because he wants to pour out his Mercifiil Love to sinners, but so many just dont want to receive it. Thus, he simply (and eagerly) awaits our fiat. Email: After all, such a luxury would have gone against his ideal of follow ing the poor Christ, who had nowhere to lay his head. (Of course, for others, accepting such an inheritance would not necessarily be sinful.) The Lord Jesus himself 200 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE tells us this in Sacred Scripture, Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me (Mt 20:25). Yet she hoped against hope, trusting that God does exist and that he would make her into a great saint. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive. Using the same 33day preparation format, 33 Days to Merciful Love journeys with one of the most beloved saints The titles of die retreat conferences were Hell, Judgement, Mortal Sin, The Necessity of Making a Good Confession, and Sacrilegious Communion {The Context of Holiness, p. 104).

According to then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI), [A] prophet is someone who tells the truth on 62 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE the strength of his contact with God - the truth for today 76 Now, St. Therese of Lisieux is such a prophet. So, there you have it: A compact prayer that expresses both the essence of Thereses Offering and the other main ideas of this retreat. According to the saints, shes the quickest, easiest, surest way to the fire of love that burns in the Heart of Jesus. It means not settling for complacency or mediocrity or the attitude that says, Well, thats just who I am. In other words, it means striving to be faithful to examining our consciences every day. Its truly amazing. I wanted to find an elevator which would raise me to Jesus, for I am too small to 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE 52 climb the rough stairway of perfection. And, again, the death Therese implicitly says in the flight of her soul to God as makes this point a bit more Diary: of love allows one to bypass purgatory as text of the Offering when she describes the being without any delay. Saint Faustina explicit in the following passage from her Gods mercy sometimes touches the sinner at the last moment in a wondrous and mysterious way. And this firm belief stemmed from her insight into Gods amazing mercy.

And so, I firmly intend to fight discouragement, do little things with great love, and be merciful to my neighbor in deed, word, and prayer. I know that without Him, I could have fallen as low as St. Mary Magdalene.46 Thanks be to God, the Lord showed amazing mercy on this littlest of souls by actually preserving her ahead of time from a life of grave sin by removing the obstacles that would have caused her to fall.47 Now, Therese was painfully aware of all the weakness just described and more so dont even try to tell her that shes 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE 50 not a little soul! And it was during our annual Carmelite retreat; I wrote out the Offering in the morning , outside beside the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the garden (begging her as Therese did to take this offering and present it to Jesus). Although the reality' of Gods mercy for sinners is beyond the power of words to express, St. Faustina does try to lift the veil of the mystery in the following passages from her Diary. DAY 8 None More Lowly 1 just said that perhaps no one among sinful humanity is more lowly and little than Therese of Lisieux. Making the Family Offering to Mercifill Love is rather simple. Congratulations! God promised Abram, who was now Abraham, that through that son, Isaac, he would establish an everlasting covenant with him and his descendants, blessing them with his saving presence and protection (see Gen 17:1-21). Then, together, each in his own way, we offer Jesus infinite sacrifice of love to the Father WEEK FOUR: Into the Darkness 101 and ourselves along with it.150 Thats the moment when Jesus sacrifice becomes our sacrifice, when Jesus love becomes our love, when Jesus offering of himself becomes our offering of ourselves. I always feel, however, the same bold confi dence of becoming a great saint because 1 dont count on my merits since I have none, but I trust in Him who is Virtue and Holiness. But why couldnt he work the big ones? 129 Story of a Soul, pp. And now, to confirm my resolve and to console you for so much rejection of your mercy, I OFFER MYSELF, THROUGH THE HANDS OF MARY IMMACULATE,176 AS A VICTIM OF HOLO CAUST TO YOUR MERCIFUL LOVE, asking you to consume me incessantly, allowing tire waves of infinite tenderness shut up within you to overflow into my soul, and that I may thus become a martyr FINAL FIVE DAYS: Synthesis and Review 127 of your love, O my God, and a gift of mercy to so many others. Still, having said that, traditional Catholic spiritual wisdom teaches that the virtue of humility is supposed to keep magnanim ity in check. Indeed, her time in the convent truly was a hidden life full of the daily darkness we all experience. We believe her particularly when she tells us that even if she had been a bigger sinner than we are, even if she had committed all the sins that could be committed, I would go, my heart broken with sorrow, and throw myself into Jesus arms, for I know how much he loves the prodigal child who returns to him.173 Somehow, we relate to all that, or at least we want to. Here it is: Blessed is she who believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled (Lk 1:45).13 Now, according to St. John Paul II, that final blessing has a fundamental importance.14 Why? So, her humility didnt rein in her desires for holiness. Because its words reveal the secret of Marys faith, which is this: She believed that what the Lord had spoken to her at the Annunciation would be ful filled. How can we have a deep, personal relationship widi him if were the only ones suffering? Okay, but what does that mean? In fact, this freedom of choice is part of the beautiful diversity of the Christian life, and its something that St. Therese very much appreciated. After all, I figured that only the quickest and easiest path could help someone like me to become a saint. Oh, dear Sister, I beg you, understand your little girl, understand that to love Jesus, to be His victim of love, the weaker one is, without desires or virtues, the more suited one is for the workings of this consuming and transforming Love [B]ut we must consent to remain always poor and without strength, and this is the difficulty Ah! Final Fivt Days Synthesis and Review For four weeks, weve been reflecting on what a consecration to Divine Mercy (St. Therese-style) is all about and weve covered a lot of material. Father Michael Gaitley is one of the authors I was introduced to through the amazing collection Beautiful Mercy edited by Matthew Kelly. Theyd almost have you believe that they were immaculately conceived, like Mary. Later, Jesus himself revealed to St. Faustina the importance of trust for receiving the graces of his mercy, which form us into saints: Let souls who are striving for perfection particularly adore My mercy, because the abundance of graces which I grant them flows from My mercy. In fact, the weaker and more sinful we are, the more he wants us to go to him and present ourselves with complete honesty and truth: Ecce behold, Lord, here I am, sinfulness and all. If only we would always remember how much this pleases him! But I dont understand why. Heres how that is often explained: We can console Jesus by giving consolation to the members of his body. Indeed, amid the foul and stuffy Jansenist atmosphere, Therese's discovery of the Little Way came as a breath of fresh air, leading her to pray, O my God, You surpassed all my expectation. In other words, I had to go speak with my friend Er. After all, she lived in the same convent as Therese. We can be perfect. No. (Dublin: Veritas Publications, 1995), p. 49. 115 Day 30: The Little Way. 117 Day 31: The Offering 120 Day 32: The Darkness 122 Day 33: Putting It All Together . 125 DAY OF CONSECRATION: The Happy Day .131 AFTER CONSECRATION: The Lens of Mercy . If you have not yet made a Marian consecration, you may still include this clause. Souls that trust boundlessly are a great comfort to Me, because 1 pour all the treasures of My graces into them. Because in our day, when the family is so much under attack and when, sadly, so many families refuse Gods mercy, Jesus Heart is especially wounded. Its short.) (See also The Power of Confidence, p. onscience. So, her aim is to love God with his own perfect love. Using the same 33-day preparation format, 33 Days to Merciful Love journeys with one of the most beloved saints of modern times, St. Thrse of Lisieux, and concludes with a consecration to Divine Mercy. Speaking of ordinary life, we can also relate to Thereses ordinariness. In offering herself to Merciful Love and not justice, Therese opens herself to receive not waves of infinite harshness but infinite tenderness." By this, I mean that when you make the Offering, you could also solemnly put up an Image of Divine Mercy' in a place of honor in your home (if D 174 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE you dont already have an image there). I tried to time it to make the offering on her feast day, October 1st but apparently this book had an error and was off by a couple of days -- actually listing start date 35 days before the feast day. 70-72. 33 Days to Merciful Love: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Consecration to Divine Mercy Book 2 of 2: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for We need a prayer something we can frequently repeat, even every day, something that not only reminds us of die meaning of the Offering to Merciful Love but that also allows us to make it. Encontraremos inspiracin en las citas de los santos que l cuidadosamente rene, con una profunda, pero humilde comprensin de los principios de la santidad [More]. 127 Thats not quite how the famous Carmelite and Doctor of die Church, St. John of the Cross, put it, but you get the idea. 14 RedemptorisMater, 12. And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Also, in his book The Name of God Is Mercy: A Conversation with An drea Tornielli, trans. When, on one occasion, instead of interior prayer, I took up a book of spir itual reading, I heard these words spoken distinctly and forcefully within my soul, You will prepare the world for My final coming. But why did she pick the Holy Face? There are moments and there are mysteries of the divine mercy over which the heavens are astounded. St. Thrse has had her touch on my life for a long time now, but it was a joy to get to know her even more deeply and her heart for the Father during these last 33 days. Unveil for me the mystery at the heart of the Gospel, the mystery of the Heart of Christ: his tender mercy for sinners. To offer ourselves to Mercifiil Love is to let our hearts be more deeply moved by the suffering of others. Why? I desire to pour them out upon human souls. Thats a lot of exclamation marks from a pope. Were sinners who would die of terror if we fully realized our selfishness and sin. Mark said, No problem. Recognizing what? Ah I cannot receive Holy Communion as often as I desire, but, Lord, are You not all-powerful'! Please forgive us our sins. Well, consider the following. In other words, he wants this amazing teaching to explode onto the Catholic scene and fill hearts with hope and holiness. Thats Marys whole passion and purpose. This book changed the way I love my neighbor and how I pray for others. Todays Prayer: Spend the day pondering how to live the Little Way as it is summarized in these three words: Recognize, Trust, and Try. Also, in a Regina Caeli message for Divine Mercy' Sunday, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI stated, Indeed, mercy is the central nucleus of the Gospel message; it is the very name of God, the Face with which he revealed himself in the Old Covenant and fully in Jesus Christ, the incarnation of creative and redemptive Love. 57 Story ofa Soul, p. 208. 181 Story ofa Soul, p. 165. But a mother, who 42 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE is not God, can often win over such straying hearts. The actual retreat book, 33 Days to Merciful Love, is not included in this kit. But what was die nature of this suffering? 111 Cited in ibid. Be happy like St. Therese, who said of her own dryness, Instead of being troubled about it, this only gives me extreme pleasure. Be happy like Therese, who was rejoicing at her aridity. Be happy like Therese, who knew' that Jesus loves her, even when hes sleeping (and so, we dont have to constantly prod him for proofs of his love).

Marc Foley, OCD, whose brilliant course on Therese of Lisieux opened my eyes to hidden treasures buried in the saints writings. Remain in me as in a tabernacle All our justice is stained in Your eyes. Although I imderstand that, being God, He is happy in Himself and has absolutely no need of any creature, still, His goodness compels Him to give Himself to the creature, and with a generosity which is beyond understanding.196 Ido not know' how' to live without God, but I also feel that God, absolutely self-sufficient though He is, cannot be happy without me.197 So, lets now' consider this generosity which is beyond understanding and how God, absolutely self-sufficient though He is, in a sense, cannot be happy without us. Printed in the United States on 8.5" x 11" card stock, this certificate is sure to become a treasured keepsake for all retreat participants.Click the image to the left to enlarge and see the details! In a letter to her sister Pauline (Mother Agnes), St. Therese writes about this kind of death, beginning with a quote from St. John of the Cross: Tear through the veil of this sweet encounter! Ive always applied these words to the death of love that I desire. And because the human heart of Jesus is united to and burns with Divine Love, his desire to love and to be loved infinitely surpasses our own desires. But look at what weve just learned from the ecce, fiat, magnificat movement: The path to praise begins with the ecce moment. 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE 150 Prayer. The pleasing and consoling language has to do with a desire simply to love God for who he is (perfect love). She, too, had a heart that was bleeding and broken. How could Isaac have children if he were killed as a child? I know that Jesus cannot desire useless sufferings for us, and that He would not inspire the longings I feel unless He wanted to grant them.102 Does this sound like someone who regrets having offered herself to Merciful Love? It was refreshing to read and drew an interesting parallel between two seemingly different saints, I had not ever considered as the same: Therese de Lisieux and Faustina Kowalska. When I saw this sign of divine wrath which was about to strike the earth, and in particular a certain place, which for good reasons I cannot name, I began to implore the Angel to hold off for a few' mo ments, and the world w'ould do penance. 219 Ibid., 1017. I love St Therese but I didn't know about her Offering to Merciful Love, at least not in any great detail. See also The Context of Holiness, pp. In other words, its to see the Eucharist (even spiritually received) as a channel through which Jesus can pour out on us the superabundance of his rejected mercy. Get help and learn more about the design. They close their hearts to Christs saving WEEK ONE: What Is Trust? + Aftlndix Onl Living the Offering In the text of her Offering to Merciful Love, St. Therese talks about her desire to console Jesus, to live in one single act of perfect love, and to renew her Offering with each beat of her heart. I hear confessions. Privacy Policy| Its the mercy of Jesus in action, the compassion of Jesus reaching out to lift up the lowly. Now, Mary is also there on Calvary, standing at the foot of the Cross. let us remain then very far from all that sparkles, let us love our littleness, let us love to feel nothing, then we shall be poor in spirit, and Jesus will come to look for us [and] He will transform us in flames of love. The Little Way is about the compassion of Jesus (heart), who sees rhe suffering of little souls who long to attain the heights of holiness but who are too little to climb the rough stairway of perfection. Its about the action of Jesus (arms), who reaches down out of pity and picks up trusting little souls to place them on the heights. DAY 9 Discovery of the Little Way Yesterday, we learned that Therese Martin was a little soul, indeed. My mortifications consisted in breaking my will, always so ready to impose itself on others, in holding back a reply, in rendering little services without any recognition, in not leaning my back against a support when Endnotes 195 seated, etc., etc. 118 33 DAYS TO MERCIFUL LOVE Recognize To live the Little Way, we need to recognize the darkness of our littleness and our brokenness. She brings them to Jesus. 7. Doesnt the inflow of air feel great? It is we who tire of asking his forgiveness.66 Of course, we need to be sorry for our sins and make a firm purpose of amendment.