I do hope some one will feel it, dearest Lord, I should be disappointed did I know that I had none of the fragrance of the Tabernacle about me, fragrance of the Tabernacle about me,-for Thou knowest, divinest Lord, that I want people to know that I am Thy slave, Thy willing tool, Thy servant, and Thy child.  But, sweet Master, how can they know this unless there be some mark upon me, unless something in me makes them think of Thee?

I shall begin by being kind to every one, so kind that those who see me will wonder where I learned it and will watch and find that I come daily to visit Thee, my King, and they will guess the secret, and will come to Thee themselves.  Then I shall be Thy little conquerer too, conquering souls and leading them gently to Thy Feet.

Good-bye once more, my tender, loving Lord, I shall come to Thee again tomorrow.  Now I am going out to work for Thee by thinking of Thee, loving Thee, and smiling for Thee, my tender Friend, my patient Counsellor, my great and wondrous King.

Sweet King, grant that some of Thy beautiful spirit may penetrate into the very marrow of my bones,-that my thoughts may become broad and noble,-my words pure and gentle,-my actions, dignified and gracious,-my aspirations, Godward,-my will strong and determined.

Dear Counsellor of my soul, make known to me just what Thou wouldst have me do and say and think, so that each day I may become better,-each day less selfish,-each day more like to the Heart of my Friend, my Counsellor, and my King.

O my own sweet Lord; change me; work in me; take from me all that pains Thee,-all that is a disappointment to Thee,-all that keeps me from becoming the strong and noble woman that I long to be.

Take my heart, my King, my gracious Lord, and give me Thine that I, like Thee, may go about doing good and making others happy.  Work so freely in me divine Master, that Thy Presence in me may attract others to follow after Thee and may they find virtue the most engrossing interest in life, and the practice of goodness a source of joy and satisfaction.

Good-bye, my divine and cherished King, I am going out into the world now.  I wonder will anyone feel that I  come from Thee?  That I have been close, quite close to Sanctity?  that I have been speaking to the greatest and tenderest of Friends?  That I have been listening to the kindest and wisest of Counsellors?

My Friend, My Counsellor, My King

My divine Lord, I adore Thee here before me in the Tabernacle, I love Thee and know that Thou lovest me and art pleased that I have come to speak to Thee.

I love to come and kneel at Thy Sacred Feet.  I love to tell Thee how much I long to resemble Thee in Thy kindness and goodness and truth.

Dearest Lord,  grant that I may love Thee with a love that will keep me ever mindful of the higher things of life,- with a love that will make me go about my duties with a cheerfulness and graciousness that will bring joy to the hearts of others,-with a love that will help me to carry my cross with nobility and dignity, as one would carry some precious treasure.

Grant, my dearest Friend, that I may find comfort in drawing near to Thee,-  that each time my heart rests near Thine, it may become more tender, more patient, more generous.

Beloved Healer of my soul, give me strength to battle with this never  ceasing, all enduring array of difficulties that meet me at every step.  Give me light to see that all that glitters is not gold, the grace to understand that there is but one thing necessary,-  my salvation;  and that every sacrifice no matter how painful, is as dross compared with the reward in store for me and that nothing on earth can satisfy my heart.

Grant me to realize that no joy here can be complete, no pleasure give full contentment, no honor quench the thirst of my soul for the imperishable glory of Heaven.

Let me turn my steps towards Thee, sweet Lord, before age has crept upon me.  Let me not  wait until the vase is shattered, the flower withered and its fragrance spent upon the desert air.  No, beloved Lord,-no.  Accept now the offering of my life, surrounded by its pleasures and cards, its joys and sorrows, its hopes and disappointments. 

Let nothing prevent me from keeping my heart lifted to Thee, so that, in the midst of all the distractions of life.  I may move on towards Thee, my tender Father.  May I also draw others to the feet of Him who is the Way, the Truth, the Life and Joy Eternal.

St. Lucy Filippini

(13 January 1672 – 25 March 1732)

She was orphaned at an early age when her parents both died. From there she went to live with her aristocratic aunt and uncle who encouraged her religious inclination by entrusting her education to the Benedictine nuns at Santa Lucia.
Her career began under the patronage of Cardinal Gregorio Barbarigo, who entrusted her with the work of founding schools for young women, especially the poor. With Rose Venerini to train school teachers, she co-founded the Pious Matrons, a group dedicated to the education of girls. The curriculum included domestic arts, weaving, embroidering, reading, and Christian doctrine. The success of her schools — fifty-two in total — caught the attention of Pope Clement XI, who called her to work in Rome. She died of breast cancer in 1732.
Her statue can be seen in the south nave of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Divine Healer of My Soul

Divine Healer of my soul, dear Physician, tender Father, look upon my wounds, my scars, my seared and ulcered soul.

Lord Jesus, wilt Thou heal me?

I am troubled with many ills,-my miseries are great,-my weakness sad to look upon.

I wonder, dearest Lord, that I venture to come so close to Thee!  Even nearer would I draw, lower would I bend beside Thee, for, dearest Lord, it is only the touch of  Thy dear Hand that can soothe my open wounds,-only the sound of Thy dear Voice that can fill my soul with courage,-only the love of Thy dear Heart that can reassure and make my life abound in joy and peace and eager striving after good.

Tender Healer of my soul, Thou knowest how weak I am, Thou hast seen my many falls.  Thou knowest, too, that when with certain persons fear to acknowledge Thee, lest they think me prudish and unworldly.  Thou knowest well, dear Guardian of my soul, how often thy sweet and gently voice has called to me and I have paid to heed;  Thy kind face has chided me and I have turned away my eyes: pectant at the door of my heart, but I  have been busy with other quests and there was  no room for Thee, my Lord.

Lord Jesus,  I am weary of it all- weary of the struggle to keep in touch with Thee and yet not displease the world,-weary of striving to silence the longing of my heart for the stable things of life;-weary of the endless demands of the world and the emptiness of its promise.

Luca Signorelli - "The End of the World"


 And then that wicked one shall be revealed: whom the Lord Jesus shall kill with the spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: him Whose coming is according to the working of Satan, in all power and signs and lying wonders: And in all seduction of iniquity to them that perish: because they receive not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. Therefore God shall send them the operation of error, to believe lying (2 Thessalonians 2:8-11/DRV).

 

The heart of our good Mother Mary is all love and mercy. She desires nothing else but our happiness. We need only have recourse to her and we will be heard.St. John Vianney (1786-1859AD)

Rabboni

 

While seated at the bountiful tables of the Rich, help me  to keep my heart lifted above the natural satisfaction of the moment.

 

While striving that my dress should be in keeping with my station, grant that it may never offend Thee in the slightest degree, dearest Lord, and that I may sacrifice anything that might wound modesty.

 

While mingling with the everyday chatter of the card table and the incessant rush to the theatre, help me never to let fall a word to mar charity nor the exquisite beauty of Purity.

 

As I go my rounds from one distraction to another, let me whisper, from time to  time, my Lord, a word of love to Thee, so that my life, dressed as it is in the garb of worldliness, may prove to be a life lived in the supernatural, full of power for good and strong in its purpose of sanctity.

 

Teach me, beloved Lord, to be good gracefully.  Let my striving after thee be so well-tempered that my efforts may not jar on others.

 

May my life be so pure and so upright that Thou wilt take up Thy abode within me, beautifying my actions, sweetening my words, ennobling my thoughts so that I may attract many souls to Thee,-so that I may help others, weary of the emptiness of worldly fame and shallow glory, to seek thee as their strength and comfort and, while burning incense at these tawdry shrines, to murmur unceasingly Thy name, divinest Lord, and to become daily more and more, Thy true disciples, Thy ardent admirers, Thy loyal slaves.

As We Think So We Live

March 15
Let us proceed simply, look to God alone, and take care to fulfill His most holy will in obedience and in the manner most pleasing to Him.  We soon know well enough through instructions, reading, and so forth, how to act; but, oh but, the practice of it!

March 17
Always think of our Saviour carrying His cross, and you will rejoice to follow in His footsteps.  The cross is the sign of sovereignty; humility is the crown; abnegation is the royal mantle.

March 19
Every work that is directed toward the glory of God must have a share in the cross of Christ, if it is to be salutary and fruitful.

March 20
All these annoying exterior conditions are merely a challenge to us to make use of the grace interiorly proffered in order that from these temporal sufferings which we accept with love from the hand of God, we may weave an external crown.

March 22
If Christ endured so many and such grievous sufferings out of love for us, it is only just that we should suffer a little in order to make Him a return of love.  Out of love for Him we should endure in particular those daily difficulties which will be so many proofs of our love and fidelity to Him. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

WORDS OF ST. ALPHONSUS LIGUORI

 
"Since we all must die, we should cherish a special devotion to St. Joseph,
that he may obtain for us a happy death. All Christians regard him as the
advocate of the dying who had honored him during their life, and that for
three reasons:
"First, because Jesus Christ loved him not only as a friend, but as a
father, and on this account his mediation is far more efficacious than that
of any other Saint.
"Second, because St. Joseph has obtained special power against the evil
spirits, who tempt us with redoubled vigor at the hour of death.
"Third, the assistance given St. Joseph at his death by Jesus and Mary
obtained for him the right to secure a holy and peaceful death for his
servants. Hence, if they invoke him at the hour of death he will not only
help them, but he will also obtain for them the assistance of Jesus and
Mary."

 

Dearest Lord, is there not some way, while steeped in the sea of the world, that I can weave into my life an eternal value that will be to Thee a token of my love, a proof of my desire to live closely bound to Thee while threading my way through this maze of unsteady lights, my lips pressed to the empty cups of pleasure?

Divine Lord, there must be some way by which I can love Thee with all my heart,- by which I can exult in the presence of my Master in my soul and still stand at my post amid all the light and dazzle of the world.

 

Dear Lord, it must be so, else how could I have this ever eager longing to possess Thee, to serve Thee, to live for Thee while forming a part of the great procession of seekers after pleasure.

 

Since it must be that I tarry yet a while amid this froth and bubble, teach me, my cherished Lord, how to bring to this whirl of social gayeties, the fragrance of Heaven and the influence of the King of Heaven.

 

I wish to play well my part.  I wish so to move in the circle of society, as to gain, at every moment, Thy approval, my divine and loving Lord.

 

WORDS OF POPE LEO XIII
From the Encyclical Quamquam pluries, August 15, 1889

 
"Since the bond of marriage existed between Joseph and the Blessed Virgin,
there can be no doubt that more than any other person he approached that
supereminent dignity by which the Mother of God is raised far above all
created natures."

"Blessed Joseph . . . was indeed the husband of Mary and the father, as was
supposed, of Jesus Christ. From this arise all his dignity, grace, holiness
and glory . . . is his numberless family, scattered throughout all lands,
over which he rules with a sort of paternal authority, because he is the
husband of Mary and the father of Jesus Christ."

"Just as Mary, Mother of the Saviour, is spiritual mother of all Christians
. . . Joseph looks on all Christians as having been confided to himself . .
. He is the defender of the Holy Church, which is truly the House of God
and the Kingdom of God on earth."

 

 
Kind Guardian of My Soul

Lord Jesus, divine Guardian of my soul, teach me to pray every hour of my life.  Teach me to keep myself united to Thee at every step I take.

My days are full of social duties and my nights are passed amid the lights of fashion and the glare of worldly glory.

It seems an empty life, sweet Lord.  It weighs heavily upon my heart at times.  It wearies me with its incessant call, and its empty laughter sickens me and I would wish to bury myself in some secluded corner where truth and sincerity sweeten the air with their precious fragrance.

But, my Kind, my Lord this cannot be.  I cannot run away. I must stay at my post and listen to the monotonous jingle of empty words, and smile and laugh at the tinseled pageantry as it passes and repasses before my weary eyes.

ST. TERESA'S PLEA
Words of St. Teresa of Avila

"Would that I could persuade all men to be devoted to this glorious Saint ,
for I know by long experience what blessings he can obtain for us from God.
I have never known anyone who was truly devoted to him and honored him by
particular services who did not advance greatly in virtue: for he helps in
a special way those souls who commend themselves to him. It is now very
many years since I began asking him for something on his feast, and I have
always received it. If the petition was in any way amiss, he rectified it
for my greater good . . . I ask for the love of God that he who does not
believe me will make the trial for himself then he will find out by
experience the great good that results from commending oneself to this
glorious Patriarch and in being devoted to him . . ."
-Autobiography, VI, 11-12

 

 

Oh! Why have I ever pained Thee? Why have I not loved thee always and served Thee with all the strength and nobility of my heart?

 

I love Thee now, my dearest Lord.  Take my heart.  It is Thine.  May it never pain Thee more.  May it never stray from Thee.  May it never seek repose outside of Thee.

 

Were it to happen, dearest King, that I should think to find rest and peace away from Thee,-were I to look for contentment outside of Thee, let me drink of bitterness and sorrow until driven back to Thee, my King, my Lord my tender and forgiving Friend.

 

O holy Mary into your safe keeping I entrust my soul and body, this day, every day, and on the day of my death.

St. Aloysius Gonzaga (1568-1591AD)

 

As We Think, So We Live

A Calendar of Thoughts
From her Notes of Instructions
and Letters to Sisters

By
Mother Frances Schervier
Foundress of the Congregation
of the
Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis


March 2
If we wish to know whether our actions are pleasing to God and in accordance with His holy will, we have but to ask ourselves what holy obedience requires us or permits us to do.

March 7th
 We must daily beseech our Lord and endeavor more and more to die spiritually.  Without this death we can never draw near to our Saviour.

March 9th
To sustain life, there is no need of very much food.   If one has a good will, she can do very much.  God can give as much nourishing  power to a piece of bread as is contained in  a piece of meat.

 

 

Christ has given His priests a power He would not give to His angels, for has He not said to them, "Whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven"?

St. John Chrysostom (347-407AD) on Repentance

 

Oh! Why have I ever pained Thee?  Why have I not loved Thee always and served Thee with all the strength and nobility of my heart?

 

I love Thee now, my dearest Lord.  Take my heart.  It is Thine.  May it never pain Thee more.  May it never stray from Thee.  May it never seek repose outside of Thee.

 

Were it to happen, dearest King, that I should think to find rest and peace away from Thee,-were I to look for contentment outside of Thee, let me drink of bitterness and sorrow until driven back to Thee, my King, my Lord, my tender and forgiving Friend.