Hoy Face Novena: Day 5

(Console Holy Face and recite Daily Preparatory Prayer).(p. 1)

Psalm 51,10-11.
Make me hear rejoicing and gladness,
that the bones you have crushed may revive.
From my sins turn away your Face,
and blot out all my guilt.
Holy Face of Jesus, Sacred Countenance of God, how
great is your patience with humankind, how infinite your
forgiveness. We are sinners, yet you love us. This gives us
courage. For the glory of your Holy Face and of the Blessed
Trinity, hear and answer us. Mary our Mother, intercede for
us, Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Through the merits of your precious blood and your Holy
Face, O Jesus, grant us our petition.................. Pardon
and mercy.

Prayer to Saint Joseph
Dear Saint Joseph! Adopt us as thy children, take charge
of our salvation; watch over us day and night; preserve us
from occasions of sin; obtain for us purity of body and soul,
and the spirit of prayer, through thy intercession with Jesus,
grant us a spirit of sacrifice, of humility and self-denial;
obtain for us a burning love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacra-
ment, and a sweet, tender love for Mary, our Mother.
Saint Joseph, be with us in life, be with us in death and
obtain for us a favourable judgment from Jesus, our merciful
Saviour. Amen.
Pray one (1) Our Father, three (3) Hail Mary's, one (1)
Glory Be.
O Bleeding Face, O Face Divine, be every adoration Thine.
(Three times)

…Ideologues are in fact only miserable plagiarizers who dress up ancient error in new tinsel. It matters little whether they rally round the flag of the social revolution...or are possessed by the superstition of race and blood."  Cardinal Pacelli, 1935

The full text reads (Ex 8:16 among others," ...ko amar Hashem shalach ami veya'avduni-...thus saith the L*rd, let my people go (so that/and) they shall serve me."
In other words, the proper question we might ask ourselves is "wherefore freedom?"
What is the point, to what end, do we seek to live in a "free"society? The notion of freedom is explicit, and so is its purpose. The text seems to indicate that freedom without properly understood Divine ends necessarily devolves into a dark nihilistic morass. Society and its malcontents (sic) desperately need to imbibe this imperative to place spirituality, the quest for Divine service, front and center of any social enterprise.

Holiness Traits: Being a 'Real' Human:
        ---Humility     ---Kindness     ---Gentleness     ---Integrity
        ---Chesed: "[Chesed] does not mean only to sympathize with a person in the popular sense of the term; it does not mean simply to feel sorry for some one in trouble. Chesed, mercy, means the ability to get right inside the other person's skin until we can see things with his eyes, think things with his mind, and feel things with his feelings. also, have seen it as[Hesed]
        ---Tolerance    ---Genuineness     ---Selflessness

1 Samuel 16: 7 "For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the HEART" and Matthew 23: 27-28 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."

The Truth will set you free.  But, remember:

"You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you odd." ~Flannery O’Connor

The Wisdom of Tenderness

“My experience today is much more the discovery how vulnerable God is. You see, God is so respectful of our freedom. And if as the Epistle of John says that God is love, anyone who has loved in their life knows they've become vulnerable."

“We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” (1 John 3:16)

In Leviticus 19:18 the Torah says that we should "love our neighbor as (we love) ourselves." The Hebrew reads ve'ahavta le're'acha kamocha. Reah, meaning "neighbor," has also the same spelling as ra'ah, meaning "bad" or "evil." So it could also be understood as teaching that we should try to love our bad or evil neighbor as ourselves. This makes sense, because through the act of trying we could ignite a change and turn him around. We may fail in the end, but we need to try just the same. To give up trying is to abandon hope for a better world.
Many people react instinctively and mimic our actions or emotional states. Some people may respond to a loving gesture with love. The answer to darkness is light. The answer to hate is love. But hard core evil is oblivious to such gestures. Such evil is beyond the pale. But only through showing love can we learn to tell the difference between redeemable evil and unredeemable hard core evil.

The Torah thus is teaching us that there is a special value in comforting the sad, or even those who intend us harm. Perhaps the act of kindness will help those who are wounded and awaken those who do evil to do teshuvah and repent of their ways.

"If you believe that you can damage, then believe that you can fix..... If you believe that you can harm, then believe that you can heal..........." Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

Doing: 'Metanoia and Teshunah'

As we look toward a new year, it is easy to lose sight of the spiritual dimensions of our lives. Sadly, life in all its craziness distracts from opportunities to grow spiritually. In Paul’s epistles, he uses the term, ‘metanoia’ a Greek word that means ‘a change of heart.’ It echoes the Hebrew word “teshunah” which means ‘turning around.’

…turn from old, self-destructive habits and try with renewed vigor to rediscover the spiritual and Christ-like dimensions of our lives. We’re called to embrace a resolution of the heart and spirit that alone can bring us true happiness, peace, hope and joy. We must be willing to listen to God’s message with our whole hearts and then be willing to change things that keep us from developing a deeper religious core. The goal is a spiritual revolution from within, in which we stand simply before God with our arms extended, ready to do God’s will, trusting him with our whole hearts. No one changes themselves 'alone'; we all need help.

By the Way...

How did you treat your husband, your wife, your son, your daughter, your mother-in-law, your father-in-law this morning before you went to work?

The great saint, Mother Teresa, often met people who wanted to follow her to India. She would smile and say, “God wants you to go home and take care of your own family.” Good advice, take care of those around you including yourself. Mother Teresa had a keen understanding of what God wanted of her life and of our own. “God does not want us to do great things,” she said. “God wants us to do small things with great love.” Let that be a New Year’s resolution: to do all the small things in our lives with great love.

Words can 'break' hearts, spirits and eventually bones...

It begins with how we speak to each other for violence begins with words which come out of our hearts.  True healing and wisdom come only out of a changed heart.  Only Jesus Christ changes hearts but He does that from The Cross.

                                        “Take up your cross daily...”

          BLESS each other...Bless...Love...Encourage...Support...Share...

Why do I bring this up today? Yesterday in the grocery store checkout a beautiful two year old boy was angry that his mother would not buy a bag of candy so he screamed at her...'f-k you...

I still remember how silence filled that part of the store.  Tears filled her eyes, mine and many others.  It sucked the breath from all of us that a child, a child!, should already be using such spiritually violent words against his Mother.  There is only one question: Where did he first hear that?  

    To speak such words to those whom we say we love is terribly wrong and a horrible sin. Repentance and healing should begin right there between those we have so harmed.  And the child?

Love Your Enemies

Matthew 5…43"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' 44"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

                              Sacred Heart of Jesus I Trust in You.