Category: - St Joseph Healing Ministry

A Spiritual Journey . . .

3/5/2013

    The Rosary
    Many people think that when they say the rosary, getting to the end of it - finishing it - is the goal. But it is not. The rosary, like any other prayer, should lead us to a closer relationship with God. So when you are sitting in the Adoration Chapel, or alone (I'm not talking about the rosary said with a group of people), and saying the rosary, and a feeling of immense love comes over you, stop the rosary and just sit and soak in that love. This "hug" is a gift from God. Many call it "warm fuzzies". The mystics refer to it as "consolations." This gift is also called a blessing, or grace. It should not be the purpose of our prayer - to get a thank you from God, - our purpose is to grow closer to God - but when we do get this thank you, accept it, soak in it, let it change you, bring you happiness, joy, peace. These should be the feelings afterwards, if it is truly from God.

    My spiritual director said that many people ignore these feelings because they are too anxious or in a hurry to finish the rosary to get it done, forgetting that prayer should lead us to this union with God.

    Some fall asleep while in the Adoration Chapel. Sometimes this is just because we are tired, and God gives us rest, but sometimes it is a deep consolation. One tells the difference by how you wake up. If you awake feeling filled with love, as if held in the arms of your lover, then this sleep was a consolation from God.

    The rosary is a prayer, honoring the Mother of God. It is asking her for her prayers for us - now and at the hour of our death. The meditations said before the Our Father - the joyful, luminous, sorrowful and glorious mysteries, help us think about the life and passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a vocal prayer and meditation prayer that may lead to contemplative prayer - the deep rest, a gift from God as a thank you. This gift is also called a blessing, grace.

A Spiritual Journey . . .

3/4/2013

Is Contemplative Prayer for all?

    The Second Vatican Council declared in its document, Lumen Gentium, that all men are called to "union with Christ, who is the light of the world, from whom we go forth, through whom we live, and toward whom our whole life strains" [par.3].

    In describing the action of the Holy Spirit, this document says, "He [the Holy Spirit] distributes special graces among the faithful of every rank. By these gifts he makes them fit and ready to undertake the various tasks and offices which contribute toward the renewal and building up of the Church" [par.41].

    The document states that "all are called to sanctity", the "perfection of charity", and the "fullness of the Christian life" [par. 32, 39-42].

    Since everyone is called to be perfect and to grow in love and knowledge of God, then, contemplative prayer, which embraces such knowledge and love, should be the goal of everyone.

St. Teresa of Avila answers this: "God gives Himself in this way to those who give up all for him. He shows no partiality. He loves everyone. Nobody has any excuse, no matter how miserable they may be, since the Lord so acts with me in bringing me to such a state" [The Book of Her Life, ch. 27, 12, p. 232.].

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Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, (Dogmatic Constitution of the Church) Boston, Pauline Books & Media, 1964) par. 3. (You can also download this document from the Vatican website as well as from EWTN.)

A Spiritual Journey . . .

3/3/2013

Contemplative Prayer as Described by the Saints - The Fruits of Contemplative Prayer

The saints recommend a spiritual director, one with learning and experience. Some experiences similar to those of Contemplative Prayer can be brought on by the evil one. By their fruit one shall know them. Saint Teresa of Avila says that instead of peace, one is greatly distrubed afterwards, and the experience does not cause change within a person.

The good fruit is that a person changes his life for the better. He is able to forgive those who hurt him. He is able to love strangers and is willing to care for them. He cares about the salvation of the world. Prejudice leaves his heart and he strives to mature in virtue and his faith. He tries to trust God and to do something for Him, realizing His providence and graces given to him, for which he is exceedingly thankful and full of praise. He asks forgiveness from others. He is not distrubed over people slandering or mocking him nor over lack of consolations in prayer. There is a willingness to suffer. Things of the world no longer interest him.

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St. Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle, trans. E. Allison Peers (New York: Image Books, 1961) Fourth Mansion, ch. 3, p. 91.

A Spiritual Journey . . .

3/2/2013

I have a new hard drive for my computer - sorry for the down time. I do hope you continued your spiritual journey with special spiritual readings.

St. Teresa of Avila, a doctor of the Church, described contemplative prayer to her sisters of the Carmilite Community, so that if and when they experienced this form of prayer, they would know what they were experiencing.

Contemplative Prayer as described by the Saints - Dry Desire, Ardent Yearning.

Often, after one has experienced consolations, one feels nothing at all. They have no desire to pray or prayer comes very hard for them. Even thinking and understanding becomes hard. St. Teresa of Avila says that what the soul suffers at this time is indescribable. But during this time the soul is purified [The Book of Her Life, ch 30:11-15].

St. Therese of Lisieux gives these helps:

In times of aridity when I am incapable of praying, of practicing virtue, I seek little opportunities, mere trifles, to give pleasure to Jesus; for instance a smile, a pleasant word when inclined to be silent and to show weariness. If I find no opportunities, I at least tell Him again and again that I love Him; that is not difficult and it keeps alive the fire in my heart. even though this fire of love might seem to me extinct I would still throw little straws upon the embers and I am certain it would rekindle."

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St. Therese of Lisieux, Thoughts of Saint Therese, The Little Flower of Jesus, Carmelite of the Monastery of Lisieux 1873-1897, translated from the French Pensees by an Irish Carmelite, quoting XVI Letter to her sister Celine, (IL: Tan Books and Publishers, 1915) 3.

A Spiritual Journey . . .

2/26/2013

Contemplative prayer as described by the Saints - Deep Delight and Peace

    St. Teresa of Avila says that this prayer is clearly seen through the deep peace, contentment and calm that one experiences (The Book of Her Life, Ch 15:5, p. 141).

    A French Jesuit, Jean-Pierre de Caussade (1675-1751) wrote Abandonment to Divine Providence. This book describes how a person should live his life doing the will of God. He abandons himself to God so that no matter what happens to him, he reacts, as best he can, in the way God wishes. An experienced soul, in time of trouble, "will remain quite unmoved by all turmoil, indifferent to all noise and uproar. Ignoring them all, it will stay peaceful and unmoved in that intimate peace where it benefits so greatly by the manifestation of its love. This is the center where it rests."

    Paul wrote to the Philippians, "Always be joyful, then, in the Lord; I repeat, be joyful" (Phil 4:4). He continues telling the Philippians, "Never worry about anything; but tell God all your desires of every kind in prayer and petition shot through with gratitude; and the peace of God which is beyond our understanding will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:7).

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Jean-Pierre De Caussade, Abandonment to Divine Providence. Translated by John Beevers (New York: Image Books, 1975) 88.

At Monroe prison, a prisoner was bringing several others into the RCIA class. He was telling them of miracles in his life and inviting them to "come and see". I asked him to tell me one of the miracles that happened to him and he said that his world has fallen apart, but he remains at so much peace inside him, that he knows that this peace is from God.

A Spiritual Journey . . .

2/25/2013

Contemplative Prayer as described by the Saints and Scripture - Infused Love

St. Paul's prayer for the Ephesians and for us is that we may know this love, that we may "have the strength to grasp the breadth and the length, the height and the depth; so that, knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond knowledge, you may be filled with the utter fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:18).

This prayer moves you away from thinking of God as an object, into a state of constantly being in His Love. It moves a person toward works of charity and of living your life for God.

Teresa of Avila says that this spark of fire is a sign or pledge from God that He gives to a soul for He has now chosen it for great things and wishes to prepare it to receive them.

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St. Teresa of Avila, The Book of Her Life, ch. 15:5, p. 141.

A Spiritual Journey . . .

2/23/2013

Contemplative prayer as described by the Saints - Contemplative Light / Knowing

Another writer that described this mystical light beautifully was the 16th century Spanish Franciscan friar, Francisco de Osuna, (c 1492-1540). He wrote The Third Spiritual Alphabet which was one of the first books on prayer that Teresa of Avila read and which influenced her life toward prayer. He explained many of the mystical experiences which were very important to the formation of the Golden Age of Spanish mysticism.

He explained the term "light" in this way: In the physical realm, the light of our eyes does not allow us to see in the dark. It must be joined with the outside light for us to discern visible things. It is the same thing with spiritual matters. Our understanding is dependent upon the fusion of natural light which is on our soul with the divine, heavenly light, so that what we did not know previously, we now know. David said, "In your light, Lord, we see light" (Psalm 36:9). "Faith is the light that illumines us, and when we receive it willingly and with pious devotion, it joins with the light of our soul and in this fusion of lights we see through faith the heavenly things to which our soul by nature is inclined". He adds that we then realize how meager our own light is compared to God's immense light and that our own light produces less understanding.

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Francisco de Osuna, "Meditation of the Day" 'And he saw clearly', from The Third Spiritual Alphabet, quoted in the Magnificat, Vol. 10, No. 13, February 2009, for Wednesday 18th, p. 267.

A Spiritual Journey . . .

2/22/2013

Contemplative prayer as described by the Saints - Contemplative light / knowing

St. Paul wrote to the Colosians: "That is why, ever since the day he told us, we have never failed to remember you in our prayers and ask that through perfect wisdom and spiritual understanding you should reach the fullest knowledge of his will and so be able to lead a life worthy of the Lord, acceptable to him in all its apsects, bearing fruit in every kind of good work and growing in knowledge of God, fortified, in accordance with His glorious strength, with all power always to persevere and endure, giving thanks with joy to the Father who has made you able to share the lot of God's holy people and with them to inherit the light" (Col 1:9-12).

St. Nil Sorsky, (1433-1508), a Russian Orthodox saint and monk, described the infused light of contemplation: "When the soul undergoes such spiritual activity and subjects itself to God and through direct union approaches the Divinity, it is enlightened in its movement by an intense light and the mind experiences a feeling of joy of the happiness that awaits us in the life to come."

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George Maloney, ed., Pilgrimage of the Heart, a Treasury of Eastern Christian Spirituality (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1983) p. 145, quoting St. Nil Sorsky, Ustav, p. 28, cited from the critical text of M.A. Borovkova-Maikova. Translation Maloney's).

A Spiritual Journey . . .

2/21/2013

Contemplative prayer as described by the Saints - Contemplative light / knowing

    St. Teresa of Avila wrote that the Lord places in the soul the knowledge that He wants it to have and this without words or image. In this way, Teresa says, God gives the soul understanding of His desires and great mysteries and truths, or gives her understanding of some vision that He had given her [The Book of Her Life, Ch 27:6].

    She wrote: "The soul undergoes a change ... it seems that a new, living high degree of love is beginning. For although the intellectual vision ... that represents God in an imageless way is more perfect, a wonderful thing happens when so divine a presence is represented in the imagination ... These two kinds of vision almost always come together. This is the way they occur: with the eyes of the soul we see the excellence, beauty, and glory of the most holy humanity; and through the intellectual vision . . . we are given understanding of how God is powerful, that He can do all things, that He commands all and governs all, and that His love permeates all things" [The Book of Her Life, C

    The saints describe this light in two ways, the light of the glory of God that they see in a physial way through a vision, and then their mind is given infused knowledge of an explanation of what they have seen.

    I had an experience of this: In California at my parish, we would have a Catechism study. Our priest was with us and we would cover about two pages in the two hours that we met. We had a couple of sceptics in the group which made our sessions interesting as we all learned, as we all took turns answering their questions. One day Father couldn't be with us and the sceptic challenged us with the statement that she didn't believe that the bread and wine changed into the body and blood of Jesus. As the rest gave their explanations, I remained silent, for I realized that I didn't believe it either.

    That night when I went to bed I prayed, "Lord, I believe it because that is what I have been taught all my life by my Catholic faith. I believe it because I believe the stories of Eucharistic miracles that have taken place. But, Lord, I don't believe it. Please remove my unbelief."

    During the night I awoke and there was a box of light around me. I thought, "This is interesting. Lord, I do not know what this means, but You are the potter, I am the clay. Mold me, meld me," and I went back to sleep.

    The next morning I had forgotten the incident of the light and got dressed, ate breakfast, and was heading across the living room floor to go to the computer when I stopped in the middle of the room. I realized in a flash that I was a changed person! I believed! My whole being believed that the bread and wine became the body and blood of Jesus Christ when the words of Consecration were said over them. No argument convinced me of this - yet I believed! When the Church teaches about the light of infused knowledge given to us by the light of the Holy Spirit, I know exactly what it means by that statement. That knowledge, that belief was infused into my soul, not through words, but through Light.

    I was a changed person! I truly believed this experience was from God. Going to Church was no longer a matter of Sunday obligation. Going to daily Mass became a treasured Grace. I believed everything I had been taught about the Eucharist. I could no longer day dream through the Mass. What was going on at the altar became very important. My presence, my total awareness, was now necessary. My Lord was right there! He was my food, my drink, my nourishment, the healing power within me. He was the source of all Grace I would need until I was able to receive Him again.

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Kathy Moore, Song of Hope, (Coyote Publishing, Yreka, CA) p. 92 (available from this website).

Teresa of Avila, The Book of Her Life, trans. Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriguez (Washington DC: ICS Publications, 1976).

A Spiritual Journey . . .

2/19/2013

Contemplative Prayer as described by the saints - An Experience of God

    "St. Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897), in her Story of a Soul, asked how could one prove her love since love is proved by works? She answered this by saying that she would strew flowers and would sing the canticle of love. She would not let one little sacrifice escape, not one word nor look, but would do everything through love. She was willing to suffer for love. And while she was strewing her flowers, she would sing, even if her flowers had thorns (Ch IX, p. 196.)

    St. Terese would pick up a pin from the floor and say, "For the love of You, O Lord."

    We should do the least little thing - and the greatest thing of the day - for the love of God.

    We need to remember to start the day with the morning offering. There are many forms of the popular prayer. Sister teaches the children a very simple form "I offer You this day, everything I think, do, and say, - with love."

    My form of daily offering has expanded from that: I offer this day to You, everything I think, say and do, with love. You are the potter, I am the clay. Mold me, meld me, and then do with me what you will. Help me with my difficulties so that I may bear witness to others, Your Love, Your Power, and Your Way of Life. May I always do Your will. I offer to You all my prayers, joys, pain and suffering to You, Almighty Father, united with the Passion, Death, and Glorious Resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ, and united with all the Masses said today throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, the sins of those I pray for, the sins of my family, and the sins of the whole world. For the intentions of Sister Matthew and myself, the intentions of our benefactors and associates, the intentions of the Sacred Heart of Mary and the Immaculate Heart of Jesus and the intentions of Pope Benedict XVI. Amen.

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Saint Therese of Lisieux, Story of a Soul, The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux (1897), translated by John Clarke, O.C.D. (Washington, DC: ICS Publications, 1996).