INTRODUCTION ABOUT SUFFERING IN THE WORLD
The suffering and the dead women have entered in the world because of the sin of our progenitors, Adam and Eva. If to be near God it wants to say to enjoy its spiritual graces, the fact instead giving to more importance to the things and to the creatures to which it alloy the heart, it wants to say to expose itself to defects, to desires, that stray us from God, and such removal provokes suffering to our spirit, because we are made for God. We cannot ask the intervention of God when it suits us or to resolve our problems. God is not a “distributor of graces at coin”, but a personal God, that wants that we grow in his things to participate us of a really full life. Yet how much suffering in the world! Due suffering to the great sin produced by the lack of love, that produces hate, wars, family divisions. In front of this whole evil, someone of you tormented by the suffering has never thought that could have been called to mend to his and other people’s sins, to save souls through the offer of his own cross (physical and spiritual sufferings) uniting to the worths of the Heart of Jesus, to his passion (see the “Act of daily offer” page of site of prayers Link)? Yes…, because a lot of souls are needy of such offers, since has not known Jesus or if have received the Baptism from kids, haven’t cultivated their faith, with a life according to the Holy Gospel, the Ten Commandments, and perhaps they haven’t yet developed the talents, that God had entrusted them. Perhaps God wants to make to reason these people through the suffering, that provokes reflection, offering them the possibility to reenter in that understanding of the things, that would not otherwise be possible. It’s also through the suffering that it becomes tolerant toward the others, that suffer, coming to understand them and to love them. I believe that in the world there would not be whole this evil, if it loved more between us, if each of us brought the load of worries of the others, through the prayer, the listening, the advice, the help verse of them. I recommend you to accept the suffering-cross as made the good robber that died together with Jesus and valorized that pain, become for him prayer, offer, in operation of the salvation of the souls. And you will finally ask to you, if we can recover us from our infirmities. God wants that recover ourselves, if this belongs to his project of salvation for ours and other people’s souls and He make this the grace in the prayer through Holy Mary. But the suffering person, if he asks the grace, he must access the sacrament of the Holy Confession (confessing all the deadly sins, with attention also to the venial sins Link) praying with the heart, with love filial to Mary and asking prayers for itself to the other people.
EXHORTATIONS
Be perfect, as your celestial Father is perfect.” (Mt 5,48) Hurry on the walk of the perfection. Also our thoughts, if bad offend God. In the action of contrition of the own sins at the beginning of Holy Mass, we ask pardon for our sins in thoughts, words, works, omissions. If very important are the omissions (lacks to haven’t operated the good for the next one) also the bad thoughts are important, because God through his Saint Spirit lives in the middle of our conscience and scrutinizes every thing of us more than ourselves. This happens because we are “temple of Saint Spirit” (S. Paul 1Corinzi 6,19). If instead our thoughts are good, they direct all the our being toward the good, in the actions, in our behaviours and even in the looks. Also from the way that we look at the people we show if we are good, or if we are envious, perfidious or in prey to our passions. “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is clear, everything of your body is illuminated; but if your eye is wicked, everything of your body is in the darkness” (Mt 6, 21 -22). Don’t make you embroil from the tempter, the devil, but we watch over always praying, without never getting tired us (Lc 18,1). Send away further from our mind and from our heart the bad thoughts so that God lives in us and gives us his peace and his love.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY
– PERSONAL CONVERSION –
In a beginning of personal conversion I have understood some important aspects to keep in mind as it has happened in me such conversion; so I extend to you this reflection of mine.
STEP 1 – FIND A TIME DURING THE DAY ONLY TO DEDICATE TO GOD
Begin to pray in the most unlikely places, taking advantage of any time, for example, the path from home to work and at contrarily. At the beginning always to make the sign of the cross to respect and to invoke the presence of God, only in this way you will have the strength to pray to God, even in a special moment all for Him. And in prayer to ask to Him to intercede for our brothers, for their conversion or spiritual needs, but especially during the day to thank and to praise the Lord Jesus freely, God the Father, the Holy Spirit, Holy Mary, for example: “I praise you, I honor you, I love you, I am eternally grateful for life, thank of the day” or a short prayer to keep the thought always united to the Lord. “Jesus told his disciples a parable about the need to always pray and without never to get tired” (Lc 18,1-8).
STEP 2 – THE CONFESSION
To confess himself to be in the grace of God, because it must be prepared itself always as the wise Virgins for the coming of the Bridegroom. Usually when start himself for a journey of conversion a first time is not enough to remember all the sins, it takes several times. The invocation of the Holy Spirit, meditation and reading of the Ten Commandments and the reading God’s Word, daily if possible, it will do understand us where we went wrong in our lifetime. How the memories come to the mind make itself a short list to bring to the confessional. Also, we must remember that for the sins, even though confessed, those must to be repaired by means of atonement in this life also with the practice of indulgences, which remove the damage caused by our sin in the mystical body of Christ which is the Church. “The confession is repentance, humility, openness. It’s our resurrection, our rebirth, our new beginning” (1). “At whom you will remit the sins will remitted, at whom will not remit them will remain not remitted” (Gv 20, 23).
STEP 3 – TO REMOVE EVERYTHING THAT STIMULATE US THE ATTACHMENT to material things and puts us in a state of inner turmoil. They can be the money, the power, the wrong friendships, certain television programs or television as a medium of communication that invades our privacy, upsetting our hearts with certain phrases or images dirty, that we absorb if you do not immediately turn off the TV and make us weak in the spiritual plane, even if we do not realize it. Moreover, if a few things were not harmful, but of pleasure, an act of renunciation as a penance sometimes it’s appreciated to the Lord to strengthen us spiritually, but it is also a way of telling to God “only You are worth for me.” “If your eye is occasion of scandal for you, take away it and throw away it: it’s better for you to enter in the life with one eye, than having two eyes and to be throw into hell fire” (Mt 18,1-10).
STEP 4 – BE VIGILANT
Because the situations of temptation toward the sin present themselves and it need to know as to react immediately, because when it fall into temptation very often it, haven’t the strength to overcome it. For this it need to pray often and to have the thought on God to feel us accompanied by his grace. A few short invocations of praise, thanksgiving, repentance, of invocation can help us. “Keep watch and pray don’t fall in temptation. The spirit is ready, but the meat is weak” (Mt 26, 41).
STEP 5. PURITY OF HEART
“Everything is pure for the pure ones” (Tito 1, 15). There is a first form of internal disposition to the purity, that derives to estrange from things that can contaminate our heart and then the our mind: can be the images that we also see without wanting it because by now passed as harmless (for example: to pass from a television channel to the other and to finish with to see obscene images), vulgar conversations about sexuality that we hear to do in our presence. Even if it not importance is give, these things contaminate our heart and our mind. It doesn’t make case because what counts it is that anymore the man is immoral and more he is estimated, because he appears to the others men superior to himself. Instead, in this way the man is enslaved more and more of his own passions and instincts, so he cannot practice in himself anymore a beauty of feelings, because for him it counts more to give outlet to his own instincts and they are then these to determine all his behavior. It has talked of a first internal disposition to the purity, we now treat of a second form internal of disposition to the purity. It is an inner disposition to purity, that consists of giving a right consideration to people who we have next and and to have toward these last a respect and love, that derive from to love them as God loves: “love one another as I have loved you” (John 13, 34). But like reaching this? We must first of all to strive us to purify every our intention, that animate every ours to act towards the others and to see in every person a brother to love and to love him as God loves us. Also a prayer of the heart in order to reach this feeling is necessary, because the prayer purifies, sanctifies. Besides to the renouncements it is also necessary some fasting offered to God, because it is good for our spirit and our heart, in how much they allow us to be superior to the things, to the material goods, doing a conscious use of them, for the purposes strictly necessary to our needs. It needs in everything this to ask the gift of his Love to God so that is same God to illuminate us to purify us with his grace. Surely God intervenes with his divine grace when we frequently resort to the sacrament of the Holy Confession, where we purify our soul and also when we participate in the Holy Mass and we receive the Holy Eucharist, where Jesus enters inside of us and brings us all his spiritual graces, among which that of his Love. If so we will do, we will see our way of living full of meaning, the people as brothers. Our purity will be external not only, of facade, but internal, that it is fixed on true values, on the respect of ten Commandments and of the Word of God. “Blessed the pure in heart, because they shall see God” ( Matthew 5, 8).
STEP 6 – TO RENOUNCE TO OURSELVES AND ABANDON ONESELF TO GOD
To renounce to ourselves it means to overcome own pride. It needs to renounce sometimes to the things that we like to make room to our daily duties and to have time to devote to God and the others. A help in this is the silence. Leave your ordinary occupations, to make desert around you, thinking to yourselves about what you are doing, understanding what is very important to your heart, meaning not only the feelings, but what we put first in your life. “There where it is your treasure, there is your heart” (Mt 6, 21). When we renounce to ourselves we understand that there is someone more important for us, that makes full and rich of meaning our existence, to the point of understanding that the Love that flows from Him, it make necessary to abandon ourselves every day to God, asking that He constantly intervenes in our lives. But to abandon us to God, we must know Him through the Word of God, accosting frequently to the sacraments and praying a lot.
STEP 7 – TO PRAY WELL, WITH THE HEART
I am rather surprised that during the meetings it prays with extreme speed, giving the impression of not knowing what it is saying, perhaps pretending to give to God what is due to Him, while we are that we need of God’s grace. I wonder if It haven’t ever tried to pray well, slowly, pondering the prayer? If it pray with love it will not have the urgency to finish the prayer, especially when it deals of the Holy Rosary and when it will end a prayer it will feel almost the pleasure to want to recite others. Because even when prayer is a Community act must have care and respect for the sensibility of everybody. I wonder if parents and educators teach to pray well to children and boys. If the children and boys pray well won’t have difficulty from youth and adults, but if we do not give the example and don’t teach them, the our chatters on the society that goes badly are our condemnation, because we don’t make our part. If we are not light for our brothers as how can we pretend that they find the road?
STEP 8 – TO ADORE GOD INSIDE OF US
To adore God inside of us is possible in a lot of ways. For example during and after the Consecration in the Ss. Mass; there is not best moment in which God makes Himself present and we receives Him inside of us.
The thanks are mandatory; it can be made with some small actions of love as those for example wanted by Jesus for us and revealed to holy Marguerite Mary Alacoque:
“My God, my Only, my Everything, You’re Everything for me and I’m everything for You” and others: “I want to live with You, I want to live for You, I want to live in You”, “My God I love you and I thank you”. These small actions of love united to a behaviour of moral life lived according to the Holy Gospel will allow to enter communion with God. Entering communion with God we will be able to be really in communion with the brothers and to put in practice the commandment given us by Jesus: “I give you a new commandment: that you love the one the others; as I have loved you, so also love yourselves the one the others” (John 13, 34).
At the end of the Holy Mass is desirable to continue with a small personal thanksgiving, accompanied by some prayer. In this way It thanks God for to be come inside of us. The practice of the eucharistic adoration made with a certain frequency in Parish can help to mostly be thankful during the Holy Mass, but before of the Eucharistic adoration It need know if believers practice a regular life of prayer. If they do not pray It need to know the causes and help them accordingly (see the document “Suggestions for a journey of conversion” on the page “Spirituality” of site)
STEP 9. TO KNEEL IN CHURCH
I note with regret that the majority of Christians who come into the Church habituated to make the bow only, don’t do more even that, as if they went to any public assembly. The fact that they didn’t come recalled induces them to convince themselves that they are not in a sacred place and that God is not present in the Holy Eucharist, therefore they feel oneself authorized to speak. So instead of just a quick greeting each other to continue the conversation outside the Church, they talk too much about material things and maybe inconvenient for the place of cult.
Jesus during the Passion, in the garden of the olives tree: “Then it almost estranged from them almost a stone’s throw and, kneeling, she prayed: Father, if You want away this cup from me! However it’s not done mine, but yours will”. (Lc 22,41). If Jesus turning to God Father He is knelt, especially we who are men should kneel in the place of God where in the Holy Eucharist God is present in body, soul and divinity. Even St. Paul before leaving for a mission or to start a trip in invoking God knelt. “Said this, knelt with all of them and it prayed” (Act 20,36). “Knelt on the beach we prayed, then we greeted each other”. (Act 21,5).
The believers should be continually suggested to kneel at the entrance in Church and going in front of the tabernacle. Jesus is not a leader of State, for which it’s enough a bow, He is same God and we with a bow put Him to level of a leader of state. And then, if we do not give Him the respect that deserves how we can receive the graces and the spiritual gifts of whom we need to walk long the road that indicates us? Be therefore perfect as your celestial Father He is perfect” (Mt. 5, 48). And if everything is gift and it comes from God, as we cannot give to Him at least some thankfulness? We aren’t equal to God! Let’s behave us from creatures toward our Creator. Also our genuflexion is a small action of adoration and not only of homage to Him. It is not God to have need of our thankfulness but we that through our thankfulness we give Him the place that deserves inside our heart.
STEP 10. THE WORD OF GOD
I°) must be preceded by the prayer; Be the Spirit invoked through Holy Mary Bride of the Spirit Saint, so that makes you understand the divine Word.
II°) must be read with the heart and then put in practice
III°) must be preceded by a style of love toward the others and of pardon toward those people who are hostile to us, otherwise we don’t put into practice the commandment of the love of God of which the Holy God’s Word will to bring us in its teaching. Only if we forgive our brothers we will be from God forgiven for our sins. It would not be so even besides thinkable for us, to welcome the Word of God when the love of God consults us and it asks us of “to cover” other people’s lacks, to answer to the evil with the good, of “to bear the troublesome people” as the Teaching of the Church calls us back. And as we will do to do all this with our only strengths? We ask to the Spirit of Saint to give us the strength to love in this way, only so we will have a sure guide for that walk of perfection to which Jesus invites us.
STEP 11 – THE EUCHARIST
To Prepare ourselves to the Eucharist in the manner suggested by Holy Mary in Medjugorje, with the invocation of the Holy Spirit before the Holy Mass and with the meditation of Sacred Scripture every day. At the end of Holy Mass I suggest one Our Father and the Creed and the praise, during the day if it is not possible after the Holy Mass. In the Eucharist we offer what we have accomplished during the week and we go to meet Jesus, and in light of this encounter, He gives ourselves grace renewed. But when we receive the Holy Eucharist it needs that we are in the grace of God and we must not be in grave sin, because we offend Jesus in receiving Him unworthily. “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave there your gift in front of the altar and go first to reconcile yourself by your brother and then come to offer your gift. ” (Mt 5, 22-24)
STEP 12 – LOVE THE BROTHERS
To The basis of every form of love there is also justice and God asks us to be “adorers in spirit and in truth”: that it wants to say, to be loyal with themselves and others. Do we often make examinations of conscience? Do we consider if our actions are always conform to the ten Commandments? Are we respectful of freedom of our brothers or in some way rather we block or direct their activities towards to our interests? Do we donate always free or take advantage of opportunities to want something in return? And in the Love we must love us as Jesus loved us, even those who are hostile to us. But we will not be able to love our enemies if not loving them with a love that is conveyed to us by God Himself, who gave his Son for the salvation of men, who humbled Himself, becoming servant, sacrificial victim, free gift for us. Love to God is comes from us realized with constant prayer, with also midweek Holy Mass, monthly confession. In this way we will begin to love our enemies, to want their own good, starting to pray for them, for their conversion. As to the style of love, to take the hymn to love of Saint Paul: “Charity is patient, charity is benign; charity is not envious, he doesn’t boast, he doesn’t inflate, it doesn’t miss of respect, it doesn’t look for its interest, it doesn’t get angry, it doesn’t keep in mind of the received evil, it doesn’t enjoy any injustice, but rejoices with the truth. Everything covers, everything believes, everything hopes, everything endure.” (1Cor 1-13) Love endures everything it means that I will not consider the other person because I can not do without him, and therefore I am forced, but because also I given my deficiencies and limits I need to be endured, accepted, understood and loved about a love which is from God and that involves God and creature. Love then everything must cover means that if I love the brother I must not reveal anything that he has completed and that even I don’t accept, but that I to say to love him in pure way I absolutely have to welcome him. Because if I won’t marvel me of nothing than what I should say about this brother, I will create that pure love that covers all that uneasiness that brother has or he can have, but that I have in my turn. If I compare my limits to his, here that all becomes clear, bearable and all suggests me, it is disposed to do in way to never indicate somebody, but to always cover in way benevolent what he does.
STEP 13. TO MEDITATE THE PASSION AND THE DEATH OF OUR LORD JESUS
Just to meditate on the passion and death of our Lord Jesus to understand how much He loves us and he have wanted to carry over himself the weight of our sins, with which we continue to bring pain to God, that like a Father wait our return (Lc 15, 11-20). Jesus asserts, that who does not carry own cross and does not follow Him, he is not worthy of Him (Mt 10, 38), because he does not follow his teachings, which indicate the only way for man, that narrow, because that large leads to his downfall (Mt 7, 13). The apostles went happy to suffer outrage for the passion of Jesus (Act 5, 41)” [1], because they observed his Word and to this motive Jesus confirms to them, that will enjoy of the same his joy in complete way (Gv 15, 10-11). With the his death Jesus has opened to us “the passage for the return to the lost country”[2] because of the sin committed by our progenitors (Gn 3, 1-19). So how can we doubt that Jesus wants us to participate in his divine life in heaven, when He did not hesitate to die for us[3]. Let’s consider to what price He has ransomed our soul (1Cor 6, 20)! He is God and he did all this for us, between pains and terrible sufferings.