Disciples of Jesus and Mary
I am all Yours Jesus through Mary

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First week -- "Come, Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse" -- Act of Sorrow -- one Our Father -- three Hail Marys

Poor men and women who are sinners, I, a greater sinner than you, wish to give you this rose -- a crimson one, because the Precious Blood of Our Lord has fallen upon it. Please God that it will bring true fragrance into your lives -- but above all may it save you from the danger that you are in. Every day unbelievers and unrepentant sinners cry: "Let us crown ourselves with roses." (Wis. 2:8) But our cry should be: "Let us crown ourselves with roses of the Most Holy Rosary."

How different are theirs from ours! Their roses are pleasures of the flesh, worldly honors and passing riches which wilt and decay in no time, but ours, which are the Our Father and Hail Mary which we have said devoutly over and over again and to which we have added good penitential acts, will never wilt or die and they will be just as exquisite thousands of years from now as they are today.

On the contrary, sinners' roses only look like roses, while in point of fact they are cruel thorns which prick them during life by giving them pangs of conscience, at their death they pierce them with bitter regret and, still worse, in eternity, they turn to burning shafts of anger and despair. But if our roses have thorns, they are the thorns of Jesus Christ Who changes them into roses. If our roses prick us, it is only for a short time -- and only in order to cure the illness of sin and to save our souls.

Second week -- "Come, Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse" -- Act of Sorrow -- one Our Father -- three Hail Marys

So by all means we should eagerly crown ourselves with these roses from heaven, and recite the entire Rosary everyday, that is to say three Rosaries each of five decades which are like three little wreaths or crowns of flowers: and there are two reasons for doing this: First of all to honor the three crowns of Jesus and Mary -- Jesus' crown of grace at the time of His incarnation, His crown of thorns during His passion and His crown of glory in heaven, and of course the three-fold crown which the Most Blessed Trinity gave Mary in heaven.

Secondly, we should do this so that we ourselves may receive three crowns from Jesus and Mary. The first is a crown of merit during our lifetime, the second, a crown of peace at our death, and the third, a crown of glory in heaven.

Third week -- "Come, Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse" -- Act of Sorrow -- one Our Father -- three Hail Marys

If you say the Rosary faithfully until death, I do assure you that, in spite of the gravity of your sins "you shall receive a never fading crown of glory." (1 Peter 5:4) Even if you are on the brink of damnation, even if you have one foot in hell, even if you have sold your soul to the devil as sorcerers do who practice black magic, and even if you are a heretic as obstinate as a devil, sooner or later you will be converted and will amend your life and save your soul, if -- and mark well what I say -- if you say the Holy Rosary devoutly every day until death for the purpose of knowing the truth and obtaining contrition and pardon for your sins.

Fourth week -- "Come, Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse" -- Act of Sorrow -- one Our Father -- three Hail Marys

Father Bovio relates that there was a wicked woman, named Ellen, who entered a church, and by chance heard a sermon on the Rosary. On leaving the church she purchased a set of beads, but wore them concealed, as she did not wish it to be known that she had them. She began to recite them, and though she did so without devotion, our most Blessed Lady poured such sweetness and consolation into her soul the whole time, that she could not cease repeating the Hail Marys. At length she was filled with such a horror for her wicked life, that she could no longer find repose, and was obliged to go to confession; and she accomplished this duty with such contrition that the priest was filled with astonishment. After she went to confession, she went to the foot of an altar of the most Blessed Virgin, and there, as a thanksgiving to her advocate, said the Rosary. The Divine Mother then addressed her from the image in the following words: ‘Ellen, thou hast already offended God and me too much; from this moment change thy life, and I will bestow a large share of my graces upon thee.' The poor sinner, in the deepest confusions replied: ‘Ah! most Holy Virgin, it is true that hitherto I have been a wicked sinner; but thou canst do all, help me: on my part I abandon myself to thee, and will spend the whole remainder of my life in doing penance for my sins.' With the assistance of Mary, she distributed all her goods to the poor, and began a life of rigorous mortification. She was tormented with dreadful temptations, but constantly recommended to the Mother of God, and thus was always victorious. She was favoured with many extraordinary graces, with visions, revelations, and even the gift of prophecy. Finally, before her death, which was announced to her by Mary some days before it took place, the most Blessed Virgin came herself, with her Divine Son, to visit her; and when she expired, her soul was seen flying towards heaven in the form of a beautiful dove.

Behold, O Mother of my God, my only hope, Mary, behold at thy feet a miserable sinner, who asks thee for mercy. Thou art proclaimed and called by the whole Church, and by all the faithful, the refuge of sinners. Thou art consequently my refuge, thou hast to save me. Thou knowest, most sweet Mother of God, how much thy Blessed Son desires our salvation. Thou knowest all that Jesus Christ endured for this end. I present thee, O my Mother, the sufferings of Jesus; the cold He endured in the stable, His journey into Egypt, His Toils, His Sweat, the blood He shed; the anguish which caused His death on the cross, and of which thou wast thyself a witness. O, show that thou lovest thy beloved Son, and by this love I implore thee to assist me. Extend thy hand to a poor creature who has fallen, and asks thy help. Were I a saint, I need not seek thy mercy; but because I am a sinner I fly to thee, who art the Mother of Mercies. I know that thy compassionate heart finds its consolation in assisting the miserable, when thou canst do so, and dost not find them obstinate. Console, then, thy compassionate heart, and console me this day; for now thou hast the opportunity of saving a poor creature condemned to hell; and thou canst do so, for I will not be obstinate. I abandon myself into thy hands, only tell me what thou wouldst have me to do, and obtain me strength to execute it, for I am resolved to do all that depends on me to recover the Divine Grace. I take refuge under thy mantle. Jesus wills that I should have recourse to thee, in order not only that His blood may save me, but also that thy prayers may assist me in this great work; for thy glory, and for His own, since thou art His Mother. He sent me to thee, that thou mayst help me. O Mary, see, I have recourse to thee; in thee do I confide. Thou prayest for so many others, pray also for me; say only a word. Tell our Lord that thou willest my salvation, and God will certainly save me. Say that I am thine, and then I have obtained all that I ask, all that I desire.

One dark night, kindled by love with yearning -- oh happy chance! I went forth without being observed. My house now being at rest. (In the Scripture she is used instead of he as we are the bride of Christ.)

It is related that in the middle of the night a woman leaves her home (her body) to see her young lover. She is happy to meet her lover, as she wakes up in the morning and He is gone without being seen (her young lover is Jesus Christ.)

In this first stanza the soul relates the way she died to her earthly affections, and to herself by means of true mortification, in order to attain the living secret and delectable life with God; and it says that this going forth from itself and from all things was a dark night, of purgation (purification) and contemplation (the soul experiences God.) It is more of loving than speaking. An example of this is when two lovers meet and their hearts go to one another. They realize that they are in love and desire to be together as one. Canticle of Canticles in the Scripture says, "Let Him kiss me with the kiss of His mouth; for breasts are better than wine." (Cant: 1:1) The spouse aspires to be in union with Christ. They have mutual love for one another, as she lay her head on her spouse's breast. Wine toxicates her -- this is true contemplation.

To be a true contemplative you live the Gospel and stay away from any deliberate sins -- as you receive hidden secrets from God. When you read St. John of the Cross you must read the sentence very slowly over and over again. It is like painting a red barn with a brown roof. Do you just paint the barn? No! You paint details in the painting. For example, one shingle, broken flowers growing near -- grass, leaves, etc., this is how you meditate on the stanza of St. John of the Cross. If the reading doesn't become clear meditate for at least a half hour a day. You cannot build a house without a foundation. This is how you study St. John of the Cross, don't be discouraged, read and study and meditate on this stanza. If God wants to lead you into contemplation, His Will will be done. You might get a glance at Christ as it is all up to Him, provided you stay away from any deliberate sins. You must be careful of the world, flesh and the devil. The devil can only tempt those who are attached to worldly things, and he cannot touch those who are in contemplation with our Lord.

St. John's inspirations and teaching make analogies with earthly love. Christ always related his teachings to stories we could understand; for example His parables in the Gospels. Human beings learn best by hearing stories that relate to their experiences. St. John communicates the Holy Spirits' desire to have a spiritual love affair with each one of us. God created man and woman to join as one to share in His gift of creation. God also desires us to have a spiritual love affair with Him to share in His life in paradise. Who knows better then The Creator how to bring us to true happiness? God is so good. He uses what we need in life to bring us this joy. (Water in Baptism, the source of our existence, bread and wine our sustenance to be nourished in Him always, and a love affair with the Holy Spirit which is consummated in contemplation.) God my Father, Jesus my Savior and the Holy Spirit my lover You are the source of all we need and the only thing that can fully fill the human heart. Oh How Great Thou Art!

Therese applied herself with constant generosity throughout her life, an unwavering fidelity to the accomplishment of what was agreeable to God. It was her constant concern to confirm to God's will. Therese felt that she could no longer ask ardently for anything except that God's will may be perfectly accomplished in her soul. Abandonment to God's will became her only guide. Therese said "I try to be no longer occupied with myself in anything and I abandon to Him whatever He wants to accomplish in my soul."

Does abandonment mean the exclusion of all desires? Not at all. When something is manifestly in accordance with the divine will, to desire it is consistent to abandonment to God. Desire than becomes one with God's will. It is certain that such a disposition is a superior one.

There is no greater proof of love of and confidence in God than to abandon ourselves fully to Him. There is no better means of honoring Him than to acknowledge his prime role in the governing of our lives. Abandonment to God gives us a better means of realizing our destiny and attaining the holiness to which we are called. God has special designs regarding each and every soul and He alone knows what they are. When we try to guide ourselves, we risk putting obstacles in the way of divine action as a consequence of our meddling and deviating from the path marked out for us by God. When we abandon ourselves to God we take the safe road. In order to achieve this abandonment we must cooperate with God's grace and all the inspirations we receive to do good.

Therese was convinced that nothing happens without the will of God. She said "I understand better now than I did at anytime before that the most insignificant events of our life are under God's direction. It is Christ's hand that guides everything." She considered that this complete unconditional acceptance of the divine will is the true means of preserving our souls in peace. She said "He who fulfills God's will, dwells in peace and outside the divine will we can do nothing for Jesus or for the salvation of souls." Therese preferred to keep her eyes constantly fixed on Jesus so as to discover what was most pleasing to him.

Therese earnestly recommended that we should enclose ourselves in the present moment. We should forget the past and take good care not to visualize the future. Thoughts of the past and painful things that might happen in the future often lead to discouragement and result in a lack of confidence. God gives grace only for the present moment. Hence, it is no wonder that we lose our peace when we leave the present.

We formulate many desires. We address to God all sorts of petitions without even considering whether they are in harmony with His will. Often we want to plan out our lives and arrange things according to our own views. Following the example of Therese, let us live in the present, and think only of today. Let us do what we have to do each day that is given to us by God leaving all else in his hands.

If we are truly abandoned to God, faithfully accomplishing his will, whatever the road on which He leads us, and the tribulations we meet with, we shall live in peace and reach the eternal happiness He has prepared for us.

Finally Therese said "we should abandon ourselves to God as a little child that goes to sleep without fear in the arms of his father."

Between now and the next issue let us open our minds and hearts to the Spirit of Abandonment as described by Saint Therese. In our next issue we will discuss the eighth characteristic of the Little Way of Saint Therese, Simplicity.

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SAINT JOHN OF THE CROSS

If you would like to receive meditations that we publish on St. John of the Cross please let us know.

Spiritual Exercises of Mary:
Lesson 13
Lesson 12
Lesson 11
Lesson 10
Lesson 9
Lesson 8
Lesson 7
Lesson 6
Lesson 3
Lesson 2
Lesson 1