Thursday 14 March 2013

The New Spirituality: Eucharistic, Marian, Divine Will



The Triumph of the Two Hearts

The time in which we live, calls for an essentially Marian-Eucharistic spirituality, central to which is the consummation of the Kingdom of Divine Will. This consummation is of course inseparable from Christ who is the Eucharist, the Divine Will made flesh, who dwells in the Heart of the Immaculate One. The coming era of peace spoken in abundance in Catholic prophecies and by the church father's, requires the establishment of the reign of the Heart's of Jesus and Mary. The Triumph of the Immaculate Heart is the very Triumph of the Sacred-Eucharistic-Heart of Her Son Jesus. As one priest once said to me: 'this triumph is the triumph of Christ on the Cross, the triumph made present in the Eucharist' and its power unleashed upon creation through Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration.  When and how will this reign come? Only once the Holy Catholic Church embraces the Eucharistic-Heart of Christ with the whole Heart of Mary, the Immaculate Bride.




The Holy Spirit never does the same work twice; for with God all things are new; and those who abide in Him, go from glory to glory, newness to newness. As the Holy Spirit says in Isaiah: "Behold I do a new thing" [Is 43:19]. Each work of the Spirit is likewise unique, and moves all of creation towards the same unending-end: the Creator of all things. 

The New Evangelisation

The New Evangelisation is the pouring forth of the New Spirituality that Christ is calling the faithful to embrace; and by extension through the New Evangelisation- the whole world. "The 'newness' of the New Evangelization consists in the new circumstances in which evangelization is being carried out and explains that evangelization is meant to be “…new in its ardor, new in its methods, and new in its expression.” By this New Evangelization, the Church is not proclaiming that something already done is inadequate, nor is she trying to begin again something already begun. Instead, the Church is taking up anew the mission that has always been part of her identity. " [citation] The New Spirituality is 'not new in meaning, but in power'; it is the embrace of the Mystical Kiss between the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred-Eucharistic-Heart of Jesus, and the call of this spirituality is to live in this Heavenly Kiss; between creature and Creator. The New Spirituality is open to all who truly 'hunger and thirst' for God; and it is a mysticism not reserved for chosen elites; but is open to all. It is a spirituality of Divine Intimacy.

Simply put, the New Spirituality perfectly involves a living in the House of Nazareth, with Mary and Joseph for Jesus; and involves as follows:
  1. A 'True Devotion' to Mary (St. Louis De Montfort); where one lives with, in and through Mary, as the Immaculate path to Jesus; and the Rosary is integral to this way of life; for with the Rosary, one prays with the Heart of Mary.
  2.  Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration; whereby one never leaves the Presence of the Holy Infant, not by physical distance but by an enduring spiritual proximity of intimacy. Just as the home of Nazareth was a chapel of Perpetual Adoration, so must ones heart become as such.
  3.  An abiding in the Divine Will, that is in the Eucharistic-Heart of Christ the Divine Will Incarnate; the very manifestation of God's Love and Mercy. This abiding is the plunging ever deeper and deeper into the Water of the Father, the Blood of the Son and the Fire of the Spirit; that is deeper into the Heart of the Trinity; made flesh in Christ who is Holy Eucharist.
 This New Spirituality is richly sacramental; and gazes with the eyes of Mary intently upon the Pierced-Eucharistic-Heart of the Crucified Jesus. It is deeply contemplative and passionately active, according to the unique call of each individual person; and thus such a spirituality may take a variety of expressions, as separate members of the body; yet all with the purpose of the body in mind: for the Glory of God and the salvation of souls. The members of this body seek to live not of their own accord but indulgently upon the the Will of God, the Mind/Head of that very body.

Practical Recommendations to Live this powerful New Spirituality: (Our Lady of Fatima)
  • To live the Commandments; avoiding sin and tempting situations- guarding ones senses
  • To make daily mass; or at least as often as one can.
  • To make at least a weekly Holy Hour, and ideally a daily Holy Hour yet this is impossible for some people, thus one should strive to do as much as one is able to do (i.e. Three Holy Hours a week).
  • Sign up to a Perpetual Adoration roster if this is possible.
  • To die to self, thus ones own will; loving God through ones neighbour in our daily tasks, our work, school, family and in alms giving (charity).
  • To live a 'True Devotion' to Mary [Read: 'True Devotion' by St. Louis De Montfort]
  • To pray the Rosary Daily [Read: 'Secret of the Holy Rosary' by St. Louis De Montfort]
  •  To make frequent confessions: ideally once every week, or at minimum once per month (whilst the faithful are only obliged at the least to go once a year).
  • To make continual acts of penance both exterior mortification such as fasting on a set day or days (i.e. Wednesday and Friday) and most importantly practicing interior-mortification's.
  • To pray daily and throughout the day: praying from the heart and spending at least some time in silence, basking in the Presence of God such as before one sleeps.
  • Make regular Spiritual Communions, Hail Mary's, Interior shouts of praise and reparations, uniting yourself to God in all tasks, including cleaning or even showering!
  • To wear the Brown Scapular and to live out one's consecration to our Lady
  • To surround yourself with good company; with people who build up one's faith (e.g. youth groups, prayer groups etc.).
  • To read Scripture: at least weekly delve into the Word of God; yet ideally ponder on a few verses or a chapter each day; perhaps by practicing Lectio Divina.
  • To read spiritual texts: mainly writings of the Saints [e.g. Divine Mercy in My Soul, Way of Perfection, Story of a Soul, Imitation of Christ etc.].
  • To focus on Christ: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you". [Mt 6:33]. [To not make a god, an idol of material goods, of a moral cause, of self, other persons or ones vocation; for one degree off focus, is off focus].
  • Always pray before you sleep, even if it's just 3 Hail Mary's, for the power of prayer is ridiculously intense though often disguised to our perceptions which can register only the exterior-miracles and not the interior. We ought to say goodnight to our Heavenly Father before we sleep, and we should thank Him for the blessings of the day that had been. Often before we sleep it is best to do three things: Repent, Thank and Adore. For who knows if we will wake in the morning?
  • To make a morning offering and to have the intention to live out the day ahead for the Glory of God and for the Salvation for souls.

We are all called to be saints! God desires nothing less than sainthood for us! We can't, but Jesus can; for "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." [Mt 19:26]. 


 The holy nineteenth century priest Fr. Bartholomew Cavanagh, emphasised the importance of a morning offering regularly to his congregation:
  • "When rising, you must praise and adore God for His goodness in sparing you to see another day. Never, never leave the room where you have slept – no matter what the hurry of your business may be – without saying at least three Our Fathers and Hail Marys in honor of the ever-Blessed Trinity, to place yourself under God’s protection for the day. This will take you only a few minutes. “Then you must offer to God all your actions for the day that they may belong to Him! Oh! What merit you will have for any action thus offered to Him!"
Bellow is a morning offering that encompasses the New Spirituality; and by ones living out of this spirituality one effectively is fulfilling the call of the New Evangelisation; which has at its core, the returning of mankind to God, in the very love he was created in; or likewise: the returning of all mankind, in the very Will in which he was created in.


 MORNING OFFERING TO CHRIST THE GREAT HIGH PRIEST

‘This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it’ Ps 118:24
Eternal Father, ‘here I am, I have come to do Thy Will’ for Thy glory and good pleasure. Thus O Jesus, Son of the Most High, I approach Thy Cross the Great Altar, as naked as I came into this world; and with, in and through the Immaculate Womb of Thy Mother, I place all that I am and do today, as well as all of creation upon the Altar of Thy Majesty.

Therefore O Christ my Beloved, who art the Great High Priest, consecrate this my offering; of my day, and my whole self; my every word, thought, deed and action; my every breath, step and intention; so that all that I am and do become as Consecrated Hosts, raised high in Thy Mighty Hands.

Then consume me and be fed by the bread of Thy Father’s Will; and distribute me to Thyself, who hungers and starves in all souls where Thou art neglected.O win for Thy Son St. Joseph, I the bread for the Father’s Table; and bake me O Mother in the furnace of Thy Heart, where the Spirit of Fire roars ablaze. In the furnace of Thy Heart Sweet Mother, I offer every grace, merit and indulgence that I receive; asking that Thou keep safe what I give Thee, and that Thou do with it as Thy please. I also place all that I am and do today, as coals into Thy Heart, to be transfigured into diamonds worthy for Thy Son the Almighty King.
-In honour of the Divine Trinity: Our Father… (thrice)

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all the trust of Mary into Thee; save all souls, purify and humble all hearts, so that all Creation may abide in the Will of our Father, which is Love and Mercy itself.

-For the intentions of the Holy Mother: Hail Mary… (thrice)

Increase in me O Lord, and assist me to decrease; let Thy Will be done in and through me; as with the lips of the Immaculate Bride I say: ‘let it be done unto me, according to Thy Will’.

-To fill the void owed by creation to God's Glory: Glory Be… (thrice)

God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit; I kiss Thee with the lips of Mary and shout out in song: fiat, fiat, fiat!

Amen.

Tuesday 5 March 2013

Majestic Beloved


A Soul's journey from Misery to Splendour; from Glory to Glory

 In the mire of my misery did I lay;
filled with aching sorrow in my state.
Face wet with tears, the rags of a sinners garments made moist.

My senses were cold to loves warmth,
though a light of hope did burneth deep within,
yet such was my misery that I was overwhelmed and gasping.

Gasp I did, in desperation,
‘twas the gasp of a soul reaching out,
the reach of a beggar’s pining.

Just as I could bear no more,
and the grotesqueness of the face of my misery became overwhelming,
‘twas then that I beheld the Majestic Beloved.

Through the blur of my waterlogged gaze,
shone the Light of the Creator calling;
in an instant my garments became dry, and my night turned into day.

Against the wall of self-will did I lay,
huddled in the filth of my ways,
yet He blinded my poverty with richness, and I had to look away.

He the Majestic rode upon the Fruit of His ways;
the silver and winged unicorn called Beauty;
 whose breath was a sweet fire that smelt of the Rose.

Though I turned away He did not pass me by,
and as I hid in my shame He came to a halt before me;
my heart felt as though it would burst asunder; I trembled, I yielded.
The Majestic Beloved

In the silence of that Light He called me to look,
and so I turned my head towards Him;
then did He stoop from Beauty unto the putrid;

And taking me by hand, He had me stand up,
o what strength did His touch give me!
Hardly had I gained my senses until I lost them once again.

For I lost myself in His embrace; the embrace between King and beggar;
He squeezed my shame away, in the tightness of His embrace,
whilst the warmth of His blood, stilled my shivering limbs.


I thought I was going to die for certain, but then did He kiss me!
O He kissed the wounds of my iniquity and killed me,
by breathing healing honey into my lungs.

Then did He tear from me the garments of old,
clothing my misery with His Splendour;
and as I bathed in His Light, He washed my tarnished flesh.

‘You shall lay no more, upon the wall of thy will’, whispered He,
‘for now and forever you are to lean on My Way, My Light’.
Then did He drown me in His Majestic Love;

And I became a drunkard of the New Wine and did fall.
And as I fell into His eternal grasp, I laid my head upon the fire in His breast,
and the furnace of His Heart became mine; ‘twas then that I swooned.

Whilst in the limpness of ecstasy, He raised me aloft,
placing me upon Beauty, the silver and winged unicorn.
With the new strength that filled me I clung ‘round His waist;

And with the leap of a grasshopper, we were away;
just me and my Beloved, galloping the plains on a Majestic Adventure;
through desert and field, valley and rough terrain.

Through river and creek, sunshine and rain;
Through storm and wild fires we crossed.
‘Twas the melody of our laughter that brought life to all we passed;

And a river of tears we left behind, in every land we journeyed;
For together we mingled tears of unfathomable joy;
Weeping streams of water that turned dry deserts into lush forests;

filling valley’s so that they became passable seas.
‘Twas not long until we had ventured to every land,
And so Beauty at the stroke of the Beloved, picked up the pace ten-fold.

Certainly would I have fallen, not able to withstand such a speed;
but the Beloved held my hands that clung ‘round His waist;
and just as I was about to faint, Beauty outstretched Her wings and we ascended.

Like an eagle we soared higher and higher; through mist and cloud we ascended;
The Beloved shouted with glee: ‘my bride, my bride, we are to go into there!’
And pointing to the Sun did He gesture as the trumpets of angels filled the air.

In the darkness of the eclipse we soared in quiet and in safety;
'The silver and winged unicorn called Beauty'
Into the highest womb we ascended until the moon eloped;
And then did I behold the Brightness and Brilliance of the Sun.

In but a gradual instant I was expelled and given new birth;
I no longer clung to my Beloved, I no longer sat upon Beauty the silver unicorn.
For now we were but one; and in the licks of the Heavenly Flame did we dance;
 
Plunging deeper and deeper into the uncreated womb of the Sun.
The song that we did dance to, was the song of the Will of the Sun;
and every beat was the pulsation of the Heavenly Heart;

'In the licks of the Heavenly Flame did we dance'


And every fluid step took me deeper and deeper into the Mystery of the Sun.
The Heavenly Light, my Beloved, led me on;
whilst the heat of the Fire increased my burning desire to swim deeper.



 Deeper into the Heart of the Creator, the One who sent my Saviour;
The Majestic Beloved, who raised me aloft,
and took me on the Adventure of Adventures.

 From height to height, from depth to depth, He takes me.
Come now my Beloved, let me kiss You with these lips refined by Fire,
And I shall repay You with the Majestic Gold that you pour into my being.

O Majestic Beloved, you have turned coal to diamond; peasant to king;
and I the majestic beggar only plead to please you more!
O the incomprehensible delights that you feed me, I now feed to You for all eternity.

2013 +JMJ+