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Homilies on selected letters
from St. Paul of the Cross to Mother Mary Crucified |

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Msgr. Bernard Powers |
Homily: Profession of Vows based on Letter of St. Paul of the Cross to Mother Mary Crucified
There are great moments in salvation history,
and great moments in the life of each individual.
One great moment in your life
was the moment-day of your profession.
That day you stood,
tall before the world….. mysterious in faith….
heroic in choice…. clear in vision….
determined in commitment… excited in spirit….
humble to the very core of your being.
On that day
you came before a loving God
with a generous heart.
Saint Paul of the Cross says of this experience:
“you offered yourself as ‘victim of love.’”…………………p 51
You were ready for a way of life
called love.
It would not only be just a way of love,
it would be
total love…. total gift….
You would be “the victim of love.” ………….. p.54
“On that day I shall
offer them to the Lord
as victims of love, so that all of them, in
a holocaust of pure spirit,
may offer themselves to their Crucified
Bridegroom with a strong
will to follow Him until death.”
p. 54
You had chosen well;
you had chosen wisely.
It was a choice to offer your self to Jesus,
“your Crucified Bridegroom,”
He who loved from the Cross
He who loved through the Cross.
You offered your self to this Crucified
Bridegroom
who had invited you to a love relationship
that was not only a sacrifice
but was a sacrifice that was holocaust……. p 12
The Bridegroom was ready to unite you to
Himself
to the fullness of victimhood.
This love would have no reservations.
This love would be faithful and total.
Standing that moment, that moment-day of your profession,
Jesus, the Crucified Bridegroom, offered you love,
love of inspiration and imitation,
love of sacrifice and immolation.
++
Perhaps the heart shuttered, skipped a beat.
Perhaps fear struck like a bolt of lightening.
Perhaps doubt hit like a tornado,
but the voice of Jesus that once calmed the storm on the sea
pierced your will
and there was a great calm, the calm of grace,
grace giving strength to the will,
and you knew that the Spirit was there,
making the “will strong.”……………………….p54
At that moment, strength was a gift,
strength to the will “to follow Jesus until
death.”…………..p 54
At that moment,
you knew a vision that would fade a bit, but never
disappear.
You felt a strength that would weaver but never leave.
Oh, what a beautiful day,
that day of profession.
You opened your hands and your heart
to a “rule of life which would lead to acquiring of virtues,
and to a state of perfection”………………………………….p 52
and to a love of union.
This way of life… the Rule of this Community…
offered to you both the means and the opportunity
“to raise the mind and the heart to God” ……………………p 52
The call to this moment-day
had been the call of love.
It could not
be explained; it could not be ignored.
It demanded
faith;
and the
acceptance of it was a call into an espousal relationship
with the
Crucified Beloved.
You found your self as the Bride.
Paul of the
Cross used the phrase: “Worthy Brides of the Crucified.” (53)
Your call was a call into
“interior solitude” (40)
deeper than
an awareness of your self,
… into the
very center of your being
where the heart found peace
in attentiveness to the Beloved dwelling
within.
In humility as well as in courage
you
would be lovingly attentive
on the journey to the Cross
where there would be “mystical death.” (28)
You would “suffer and be silent, be silent and suffer.” (36)
This call that sounded
so clearly on the moment-day of Profession
had to be the call of love.
You stood ready that day, that day of
profession,
and said:
“Here is my mind
teach me the way of love,
the way of the Crucified Bridegroom.
Here is my heart,
inspire me to raise my heart
to the heights of loving the Crucified Spouse.” ………..52
On that day, that Day of Profession,
you stood in a unique place, a Monastery Chapel,
a sacred place…. a place apart from the world.
a holy place… a place of God.
There was a detachment (52)
a letting go, a separation , a setting free.
The heart knew an emptiness
yet was filled to overflowing.
Your heart, empty of stuff
was ready to pursue its pure and burning desire
for the Holy, for God.
Oh, what a precious moment-day in salvation history
that day of profession.
When the final words of your vows
fades into sacred silence….
and the celebration
came to a close…
and family
and friends
took their lingering departure…
and community members
one by one left your
presence…
you took yourself to that favorite
spot,
knelt prayerfully and said:
“Here I am, Lord, I come to do your will.
Amen…………Msgr. Bernard Powers
Homily: Contemplation based on Letter of St. Paul of the Cross to Mother Mary Crucified
Saint Paul of the Cross is mystic and charismatic;
He is a teacher and master of the spiritual life;
He is a blessing to us, a gift from God…
In his goodness
he shares the fruit of his study
and the blessings of his own spiritual experiences..
In his letters to Mother Mary Crucified
St Paul gives wonderful pearls of the spiritual life:
teachings that lead souls faithfully on the spiritual journey,
instructions that motivate,
challenges that inspire … inspires to climb to the heights,
or to plunge into the deepest interior.
Paul does not create a new language;
he uses the language of the spiritual life
as he directs souls on their spiritual journey to truth, to mystery,
to a living and loving encounter with God.
Many times he does not define terms,
but uses them to teach his truths.
Sometimes he speaks of a reality
without specifically naming it.
For example, Paul can speak of contemplation
without using the word contemplation.
Paul can speak of prayer
without using the word prayer.
The person who
reads Paul and studies Paul
with this understanding and awareness
is a person blessed.
And you are blessed
for Paul of the Cross is your teacher.
In his Letters to Mother Mary Crucified
Paul does not look for words into which to lead her,
but Paul deals with mystical experiences
and actions in the spiritual life
and leads her to these experiences,
that is to an inner awareness of God,
to an interior beyond senses,
to a presence even beyond the boundaries of the inner faculties.
Paul leads from senses to spirit and from the human spirit to the Holy Spirit.
Paul uses the word contemplation
sometimes not
to define it,
but to speaks
of dispositions of the soul
and practices
that lead to contemplation.
“Suffer afflictions,
fears, desolations, aridities,
abandonment, temptations and other persecutions
and what you suffer from devils and creatures of the world.
Believe me, they are a
noble broom which removes from your spirit
all the dust and mud of your imperfections which are hidden from you.
…
The Divine Majesty is thus preparing you for a great ascent
to holy perfection and union of charity with God,
and to taste the sweetest and most exquisite holy contemplation.” page 33
Here Paul
does not define contemplation,
but speaks of those happenings in life and in the soul
that lead to contemplation.
Each soul hungers for
contemplation,
for deep and
intimate union with God.
Paul, being aware of this, points
our practices
and
experiences where contemplation takes place.
He disposes
the soul for this religious experience,
this prayer
experience, this experience with God.
“The loving soul is
reborn in the Divine Humanized Word
to a new life which is totally holy and God-like,
in this sacred desert, in deep contemplation
and detachment from every created thing,
in perfect nakedness and poverty of spirit,
and in the sacred silence of faith and love.” page 34-35
In contemplation the soul is
reborn to a new life,
totally holy and God-like.
There is detachment from every created thing,
thus naked faith, for the soul has been brought to
the presence of God.
Poverty of spirit which sometimes
is called humility
and sacred silence is needed because
the experience is holy and God is present.
Life is filled with hardships, failures, sufferings, afflictions of spirit and of body.
At the same time, life is a call
to do the will of the Sovereign Spouse
but sometimes this will is hard, irksome, bitter, difficult.
Paul says that in these events and situations
contemplate:
“For by contemplating the greatest bitterness,
tempests, afflictions of spirit
and of body with the eyes of faith… they are no longer bitter, but
very sweet and
delightful, like joys springing from the bosom of holy love.”
p.11
It seems to me that Paul is saying that contemplation is a
process,
and action of the mind and heart and will
that leads to an awareness of God and a response to this awareness.
When the heart becomes aware of the presence of
God,
Saint Paul says: “Remain there attentive, loving
resigned, abandoned.”
Paul says:
“ ponder the truths;
set aside the feelings;
remember that God loves;
humble yourself;
remain in your nothingness;
let your nothingness disappear immediately in the
Infinite All which is God;
Immerse yourself in God;
Remain there.
Be an adorer
of the Most High is spirit and truth.”…. page 11
I hope my understanding of Paul’s
concept of contemplation
is correct.
It is a
process, an inner journey,
a journey
where the soul works and surrenders,
a journey
from pondering truths to an act of faith,
and from
faith to an awareness of presence
and from this
awareness to adoration
and loving
attentiveness to God.
Contemplation
is a movement of the spirit
from an awareness of an experience….. e.g. affliction…
to an awareness
of feeling ( e.g. fear)
which is ignored…. Paul says: “Set aside.”
The memory
recalls God’s love.
At this step of the journey
the soul acts,
making an act of humility,
an acknowledgement of her nothingness,
but quickly moves to an awareness of the Infinite All,
God.
Here there is the immersion into God
and the soul and heart remains here in adoration and
love.`
A word that
Paul uses over and over is the word “remain.”
To “remain” immersed in God
is contemplation.
In the celebration of the Birth of
Christ, Paul calls to contemplation:
“ The birth
of the true Son of justice is already near;
therefore
abide in deep solitude in the most intimate part of your spirit,
and remain in
the sacred silence of faith and holy love in the bosom of
the Father,
so that you will be reborn in Christ Jesus His Son,
to a new life
of holy love.”
p.20
In
contemplation:
Choose a truth.
Enter and abide in deep
solitude..
Abide in the most
intimate part of the spirit
Remain is sacred silence
of faith and love
Remain in the bosom of
the Father..
The fruit of this act of contemplation is
rebirth in Christ and a new life of holy love.
p.20
Paul is the great master of the
interior life.
He calls to
humility, faith, love.
This call
includes prayer and those practices needed
to enrich
prayer life and the prayer experience.
Glean his writings for further
instructions
on this great
action of contemplation..
Finis………………….. Msgr. Bernard Powers
Homily: Dispositions that prepare the soul for Prayer based on Letter of St. Paul of the Cross to Mother Mary Crucified
Introduction:
Each of us is called to pray.
and is called to prayer.
Prayer for each of us is unique
but also similar.
Prayer is an encounter with God.
Prayer is the lifting of the mind and the heart to God.
In these letters of Paul of the Cross
to Mother Mary Crucified
we find certain practical recommendations
that both prepare the soul for formal prayer
and keep the soul ready for formal prayer.
The way we live our daily
lives
and the practices that we have in our daily lives
affect our entrance into prayer
and our praying
Saint Paul of the Cross
gives some practices we can reflect upon that
help us with prayer and with praying.
1. Solitude:
“Never lose this holy solitude wherever you are
or in
whatever work you are doing.”……………….p46…. 20-40-51
Solitude is an inner disposition,
an inner awareness or consciousness…
an awareness of the Indwelling
2. Detachment:
“… detachment from every created thing and a total
abandonment
to the Divine Good Pleasure.”………………………46
(… deep detachment from every created thing
and by total
abandonment to the Divine Pleasure…” p.29-35-52
3. Virtues:
“Practice
the virtue of humility of heart
and the
knowledge of your true nothingness.”…………. 40
51-52—16-17-18-38-45-22
(Ever meek, ever peaceful… 22
true humility of heart , true patience and meekness and above all,
great charity…. p 16
(.. be
faithful to the practice of virtue… 18
(true humility of heart and contempt of self by profound and
genuine
knowledge of your nothingness. This brings with it the practice of all virtues
,
the queen of
which is holy charity…” 45
4.Suffering:
“ Suffer and be silent and be silent and suffer… 36
(Oh, a thousand time fortunate is the soul ,if,
espoused to God’s will
she cherishes thi uffering within and
without.  page 10
&np; 18-23-41-36-47-28-15-16-14
5. Holy Spirit:
“Desire
nothing but his most pure and purified Holy love
and the
greater glory in all your actions. In this way you will be disposed
to receive
the Holy Spirit. “ 29
6. God’s Will
…
unite yourself ever more to God’s will, by a silent and peaceful
patience charity, and meekness. Continue to remain alone in the interior Temple
of your spirit.” 23-18
7. Recollection
’”Remain
recollected always in God, in interior solitude…. 15
8. Aware of who you are
“Show
yourself as a worthy bride of the Crucified….” 53
9.Remember the Passion:
. “You should always be
clothed in your interior with the most holy sufferings of Jesus Crucified,
and
dead to every created thing , and living only for God….p11
(Footnote: Paul here means “ the habitual
remembrance of the
Passion which serves as fuel for enkindling the fire of love
in every circumstance. Being clothed with the sufferings of Jesus
and the habitual remembrance of the Passion are intimately linked
with the
spirituality of Baptism.” p11
10.Helpful witness of the Crucified:
“ By being a mutual help to one another in their needs,
in a word, by being to one another the living witness of the
Crucified…)
p 47
The practices of these directives of Paul of the Cross
surely will prepare the soul and keep the soul ready
for prayer.
Thus when the soul comes to time of prayer and
celebration
of prayer she is already ready to enter into communion
with her God
her Crucified Spouse, her God of love.
finis Msgr Bernard Powers
Homily: Blessed Mother based on Letter of St. Paul of the Cross to Mother Mary Crucified
Paul of the Cross had a great love for the Blessed Virgin
Mary..
In his letter to Mother Mary Crucified
Paul makes references to this Amazing Person,
the Mother of God, the Virgin Mary.
Reflection on the teaching of St Paul on the Mother of God
enlightens our minds and inflames our hearts.
To contemplate the life and love of the Mother of the Crucified
excites the heart and nourishes the soul.
A basic principle in the spiritual
life
is to know yourself.. to know who you are.
This knowledge of our self forms an image of our self,.
We work out of our images.
As we see ourselves, so we act and so we live.
Saint Paul of the Cross calls you “Daughters of Mary Most Holy.” (50)
What a startling image!
As Daughters of Mary Most Holy
you are to live in peace… have unity in charity,,, express an aroma to all…
live as true brides of the “Crucified Bridegroom” (54)
and be “Beloved Daughters of Mary Most Holy. ( 50 )
Mary is Most Holy.
God created “nature’s salutary boast” in the wonderful creation of Mary.
She is created immaculate, free from sin from the first moment of conception.
Adorned with
grace from this moment.
Temple of God
from this first moment.
Mary, is a
soul in deepest love of God from this first instant of being
because God
gave her holiness, beauty, grace.
God gave her
the gift of Himself.
Mary is Most Holy in her Immaculate Conception
and you are “Beloved Daughters of Mary Most
Holy.”
Mary is Most Holy in her Immaculate Conception.
Mary is Most Holy throughout her entire life; this too is a special gift
of God.
No actual sin touched her soul during her whole life.
Every choices of hers was a choice of love.
What a call this is to you… this call to love, this call to
holiness…
this call to make every choice, a choice of love… to live without
sin.
Mary’s freedom from sin during her
entire life
was not only a gift of God, a special gift,
but it was also her choice to live without sin.
God gave her the grace of freedom
from sin,
but He also gave her a human heart, a heart free to
choose.
Her every choice was a choice of love and to love.
You are “Daughters of
Most Holy Mary.”
Oh, how you should live!...
always striving to live without the smallest
sin,
always to choose to love.
When Mary was plunged
into the darkest depth,
she believed faithfully… never a sin.
When Mary was called to sacrificial,
holocaustal love,
never a hesitation…. never a sin
When Mary witnesses the crucifixion of Her
Son,
never revenge… never a sin.
Mary was always the
woman of complete love.
You are daughters of this woman, this woman
of great love.
Paul named Mary as holy.
So she is. Thus Mary is saint. (330
What an example of holiness.
Saint Paul makes an interesting
observation when he speaks
to Mother Mary Crucified and her reception of the habit.
He says: “I hope to give the (habit) to you with my own hands
for the glory of Jesus Christ and Holy Mary. “ (33)
Thus the acceptance of the habit is a praise to Mary,
this woman of God who is holy.
When you were given the habit
you were given a Rule to Holiness
You were given a way of praising a holy woman
by being holy,
like Mary.
Paul of the Cross refers to Mary as Mary Most Holy.
He also refers to Mary as Sorrowing Mother Mary.
Paul set Mary before you as a model of holiness.
He now sets Mary before you as the model of suffering.
She is the Sorrowing Mother Mary. (26)
In our life we learn to love and to pray.
We learn to walk and to play.
We must also learn to suffer.
Suffering is part of life…. Suffering is in every life.
Jesus redeemed suffering… He touched suffering with a creative
touch.
Suffering has value. … We must learn to suffer,
following the example of Mary.
St Paul of the Cross places Mary before you as the
Sorrowing Mother.
The Sorrowing Mother is your model in suffering. (26)
Here is the way Paul instructs you to suffer:
Suffer and be silent… Be silent and suffer.
(36)
Be resigned
to God ( (14)
Be abandoned
to God… (14)
Accept every
suffering from the hand of God… (36)
Suffer
without comfort either from heaven or from earth.. ( 28)
Offer
yourself frequently as a holocaustal victim to the Divine Majesty. (28)
Suffer in
detachment… (29)
Suffer by
dying the mystical death (28)
Suffer by
detachment from all created things… (26)
Suffering leads one to the Cross, to the Crucifixion, to
the Crucified Christ.
This journey is impossible without
the help of the Holy Spirit who guides (8)
and Mary who models
and without virtues
which are gifts from the Supreme Giver. (7)
St. Paul names virtues, which are ways of
living,
that are needed on this journey of suffering.
Patience … 15………….. Patient in
bearing the Cross.
Humility… 11-14……… Humble in your nothingness on the Cross of the
Gentle Jesus… … 14
Faith… 12……………. a pure and naked faith…
Meek…………………. 15
Love…Attentiveness…Generosity.
Paul speaks of suffering and the
Blessed Mother:
“ We want you
to form a community of truly holy nuns
totally
detached from all created things
who will
resemble the Suffering Jesus and the Sorrowing Mother Mary.” (26)
“It is the love that
accepts and accompanies suffering
that gives birth to union.”
The Mysticism of the Passion in Saint Paul of the Cross… (Bialas) page 121)
Paul sets the Blessed Mother
before you
as the Most
Holy Mary… and as the Sorrowing Mother Mary.|
and he also
sets her before you as the
the Superior
of the Monastery. (26)
A footnote to this reference of Mary being the
Superior of the Monastery
reads:
“When Paul says that Mary is the Superior of the
Monastery,
he is not simply stating a pious thought.
He is attributing to Mary the role of supreme exemplar
and the defender of the original inspiration.
The Passion of Jesus is the
ineffable mystery
which envelopes the whole interior life of Mary.”
(26)
This quote confirms the
authenticity of Mary’s position
as the Superior of the Monastery.
Pondering the mystery of the Blessed Virgin
Mary
in the Letters of Paul of the Cross
is like visiting an art Museum.
You can’t see every work of art.
You must make a choice and stay with one or two
works of art.
This is what I have tried to do.
I have placed before you,
for your consideration and contemplation…
for your inspiration and imitation
Mary Most
Holy…The Sorrowing Mother Mary
Mary, the Superior of the Monastery.
My advice to you is this:
“Go frequently to the Marian Art Gallery.” Amen
Msgr. Bernard Powers
Appendix: Mary way Holy:
1. Be it done to me according to your word.
2. Do whatever he tells you
3. She grew in faith and in love
4. She entered freely and fully into the life and the mission of Jesus
5. Holy in worship of Jesus.
6. Woman of prayer…. : magnificat…. Preparation for the Coming of the Holy Spirit
7. Mary is our Model:
in obedience.
in prayer..
looked for Jesus for three days
they have no wine…
kept all thins things pondering them in he heart..
docile to her
confidence in her
companion of hers..
Sharing in her life…
Living according to her spirit…
Homily: Prayer based on Letter of St. Paul of the Cross to Mother Mary Crucified
Pope John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter on the Rosary
exhorts us to “go to he school of Mary to learn again the art of prayer.”
This is a remarkable exhortation.
We are grateful.
If one can not attend this elite school of Mary
they might find time to attend the special, elementary school of
Paul of the Cross on prayer.
He is a great teacher and has given wonderful instructions
in his letters to Mother Mary Crucified.
Paul of the Cross prays.
Paul of the Cross calls to prayer.
Paul invites to deepest prayer:
“to loving abandonment to the Crucified Bridegroom
to the depth of a holocaustal sacrifice,
total gift of self.”
Oh, to what prayer Paul calls you!
Enter and remain!
Prayer is hard work.
but since prayer is the work of the heart
it is the work of love..
When there is an inner call to prayer,
there is an excitement in the spirit
and a joy in the soul
and a fire in one’s being.
Yes, prayer is the work of love
and the fruit of love is union.
Thus prayer is loving union with the Supreme Lover, God.
God prepared the world for the coming of the Son of God.
He also prepares the soul for prayer.
Paul mentions certain perquisites:
A loving attitude toward God’s will………p13
A spirit of recollection….. 18
An awareness of one’s nothingness…
The breathing of the air of naked faith…
An attitude of constant seeking God…
A docility to the Holy Spirit
The divesting self of self.
Deep conviction that God loves you.
A certain facility in self-control, surrender and detachment.
A soul coming to prayer, quickly finds herself in prayer
if some of these practices are in her life.
Jesus says that we should pray always.
Paul stresses this truth:
“Prayer then should be continual, day and night,
walking and standing, working and resting,… sleeping… etc.
Such prayer is made in the deepest part of the sacred interior
in deepest solitude, in loving interior repose in God
totally absorbed and lost in that sea of Infinite Charity.”………11=12
Although we are called to pray always ,
there are times when all attention is given to prayer
in the deepest part of your being.
“Therefore abide in deep solitude in the most
intimate part
of your spirit, and remain in the sacred silence of faith
and holy love in the bosom of the Father,
so that you will be reborn in Christ Jesus His Son
to a new life of holy love. “……………………………..20
“Therefore rest on the bosom of God like an
infant in the silence of faith
and holy love, with the superior part of your spirit,
paying no attention to noises which the enemies make around the
spirit.
… you are within, in the most intimate cell of the spirit alone with
the
Divine Bridegroom.” .22
Oh, what a blessing
when one has a time only for prayer.
Prayer is an encounter: the Holy Spirit and the human
spirit.
The Holy Spirit directs the soul in blind faith into the sacred interior.
It is a journey of pure faith,
away from noise and created things…
away from feelings and images,
away from thoughts…
deep into the deepest center of one’s being…
this center of one’s being where God dwells
as the Divine Lover.
The Holy Spirit leads the soul into interior Solitude;
here the human spirit is present to the Holy Spirit:
the soul and God.
In this interior temple of your spirit, (18)
that is the highest part of your soul,
be attentive to God. (18)
The soul prays by “ resting in the Divine Bosom in
suffering
and in silence.” (18)
The soul
“abides in deepest solitude in the most intimate part of her spirit,
and remains in the sacred silence of faith and holy love
in the bosom of the Father
so that the soul will be reborn in Christ Jesus His Son
to a new life of holy love.” 20
At times there are obstacle to this attentiveness to God.
Paul has this advice:
“pay no attention to noises, they are outside.
You are within, in the most intimate cell of your spirit\
alone with the Divine Bridegroom” 22
Enter and remain!
There will be darkness and aridities and pains (23).
Yet God will help the soul to “ endure the sufferings
for He is the Divine Lover.”
“Remain alone in the interior temple of your
spirit, resting
in the bosom of the Heavenly Father and
adoring Him in spirit and in truth…. 23
“Remain here … desiring nothing but His most
pure and purified holy love
and His greater glory…” 29
“In this way you will be disposed to receive the Holy Spirit (29)
“Be a true inhabitant in the interior of your spirit;
remain deeply enclosed in the sacred desert
since the Holy Solitude is rich in every good….. (46)
Immerse yourself in the Immense Divinity.
There in the sacred silence of faith and holy love
contemplate the Supreme Good
and allow yourself to be reduced to ashes
in the fire of God’s charity. …………………. 46
Oh, what an inspiring teaching
on the great art of prayer.
Perhaps one of the greatest gifts of Paul of the Cross
is that he gives a desire to pray.
Amen. Msgr Powers
References to prayer in the Letters.
13-18-20-22-23-29-31-34-36-40-46-29-35-
52-11-21-33-12-8-14-15-17-16
Homily: Journey
of the Soul-Journey for sense to spirit to Holy Spirit
based on Letter of St. Paul of
the Cross to Mother Mary Crucified
We have two dimensions:
things…. we see and touch.
truths… we hear and believe..
We have possibilities
to be bound by things…
to be free by the spirit.
In this world in which we live
there is constant warfare between the forces,
there is conflict between senses and spirit.
We are divided
and there is the need to come to
harmony, peace, unity,…. we need to come to God.
This unity within brings us to
spirit over senses, and Holy Spirit over human spirit.
This is living…. and God has
designed this manner of living.
God has designed our life to be life in the Trinity.
This action of God which brings order and
living
is called redemption- salvation, the journey of the soul… the
spiritual life…
the love of union…
and it is possible because
God has sent His Spirit, the Holy Spirit into us.
This Holy Spirit is given to lead
our spirit into the fullness of the Triune God.
Saint Paul of the Cross is aware of this amazing journey of
the soul,
the journey of spirit over sense, of Holy Spirit over our human spirit…
this journey from images to faith, from selfishness to love…
this journey into union with God.
Thus Paul uses terms that help us.
He gives instructions that guide.
He gives examples that encourage.
Paul gives a way of life ( The Rule) that makes it all possible.
In his teachings there are words like silence, solitude,
abandonment (surrender)
words that call to a state of mind as well as a state of heart
in which we deal with our journey seriously.
These words gives experiences where strategy for the
journey
is design…. where the map is defined… where vision is cleared..
where the soul plunges to the depth…. towards God, to God.
+++
This journey of the spirit is a suffering journey
an unmapped journey, an impossible journey on our own.
It is a journey to God, the Sovereign Spouse.
Only God can take us there.
It is a unique journey demanding
silence, the silence to hear the
Eternal Father…
solitude, the solitude to be only
with the Merciful God…
(surrender), abandonment to the
Divine Lover,
for purification, transformation,
union.
Paul of the Cross is the saint, the mystic,
the charismatic, the teacher. He knows the journey.
He calls for silence, solitude, and
abandonment.
Silence:
The things of the world clang and clatter.
They make noises. They attract us to that
which pleases us.
Silence is necessary.
The things of the spirit inspire us
that we please another.
Silence is demanded.
Only if there is silence can there
be
an attentiveness to the spiritual, to the spirit, to the unheard.
Only God can make the unknown known
therefore a silence from noise
that one enter into silence,
the silence of the interior…. to God.
The journey of the spirit to the
Holy Spirit
is a journey
away from noise to quiet,
to silence…
away from outside to inside,
to silence…
away from the noise inside
to silence,
silence in the deepest interior
where only the Word dwells,
this God who is the Center of
our being.
Thus the
silence necessary for the journey
to the interior.
Sometimes the soul gets inside her
self
the mind is fascinated by thoughts…
the memory is excited by past experiences..
the senses are aware of the feelings..
the imagination is entertained by images…
Noise,,, Noise… Noise.
Oh, what
silence is needed here….
a silence absolutely necessary
to deepen the journey,
the interior journey to God.
It is a journey of the spirit,
yet one can not stop on the level of the created spirit;
the human spirit can not take the soul where it needs
to go..
one must come to a silence…
deep silence in the core of one’s being
and follow the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit alone
can take me
to that peace and quiet and silence
that my soul needs.
I can not get there on my own.
The Holy Spirit must take me into my deepest interior.
to God.
The Holy Spirit alone can
take the soul into the center of her own being
where God is, where God dwells.
There I must go and can go,
and can only go if I permit God to lead me.
Once in this interior of my being
solitude allows me to be with the Guest of my soul..
to be with God. This is a sacred solitude.
Paul says: “Remain!”
In this deepest center of my
being
I am “with the Beloved.”
And there is a silence to the point of attentiveness awareness
of the Crucified Spouse.
I discover this Crucified Spouse loving the Father
and loving me.
In my deepest being is my “yes”
my surrender, my total abandonment to Jesus.
What a journey !
Deep within I come to a silence,
silence to an awareness of His suffering.
Silence to a depth of Who is suffering
and the desire to “be with Him” in solitude.
The “being with Him.”
is to be with Him in attentiveness of who He is…..
attentiveness of what He is doing:
He is surrendering Himself to the Father,
and the soul joins in this loving surrender…
abandoning her self to this Suffering Jesus,
this Suffering Jesus surrendering Himself to the Father.
What is needed?
Silence to hear the unheard.
Solitude to be with God who is not of this
world.
Surrender, the giving of complete permission
to God
to redeem, to purify, to adorn,
to transform to unite.
Making the journey is the desire of the soul
and the work
of God in my soul.
The journey is God’s gift to me,
gift of fullest love…. Home in the Trinity.
Oh, what a journey.
Amen Msgr. Bernard Powers
God called a people out of the slavery of Egypt
and brought them to Mount Horeb. There he spoke to them,
telling them who they were and how they were to live:
“Be holy, for, I Yahweh your God, am holy.: (
Lev.. 19.2
Jesus spoke to his people and said:
“You must therefore be perfect just as your
Heavenly Father is perfect.
Mt 5:48
Paul of the Cross gives to you this same advice.:
“I sincerely desire to see you all become saints.” p.51
God is love. Love creates, gives life, and calls to love.
God is love. Love is goodness.
God creates and shares goodness that is a call to be like
God.
Each is called to be like God, to be holy… to be a saint.
The Second Vatican Council shouted: “All in the
Church … are called to holiness,
according to the apostle’s saying: ‘for this is
the will of God, your sanctification.’
( 1 Th. 4:3 & Eph 1:4)
Paul of the Cross shouts to you: “Be holy!”
This is your call. There is no alternative.
Saint Paul of the Cross said to his religious:
“I sincerely desire to see you all become saints. (51)
Sometimes this call to be saints seems to shock
us.
It seems to be out of reach… reserved for only
a few… way beyond possibility.
Yet Paul shatters this false impression or way
to thinking by teaching
that holiness … sainthood… being a saint… is a
state of living
where life is offered in sacrificial love, not
only offered but so lived.
He says that life is to be a “ good aroma” for
the Crucified Christ. (51)
In other words, life is to be a
life lived as a burning sacrifice rising to God
in pleasant and pleasing
incense.
If one raises the question about life being lived as a
burnt offering to God,
rising in sweet aroma (51) to God
then they are to live in such a way
that their life is a glory to the Crucified. (51)
lived in such a way that one is attentive to the presence
of God,
lived is such a way that the suffering Christ is somehow
revealed.
In Old Testament Theology,
the Glory of God was a manifestation of the
presence of God.
When His glory appeared ,,, appeared through
certain signs as the Cloud of Fire
at night” that lead the people out of
Egypt…When this sign appeared..
it was Glory… a sign that God was present,
acting.
Thus in your life today,
when you so live in response to the Crucified
Christ,
you are giving glory to God…
you are revealing the love of God…
you are being holy…
you are living as a saint.
When you suffer so as to proclaim the Paschal Mystery,
you are glorifying the Crucified .
You are being holy, becoming saints.
You must be holy!
There is no alternative.
+++
There are times when darkness is all embracing,
where dryness parches the heart, where acridities are as
the burning winds
of the desert.
One screams
as if abandoned.
One questions
as if there could be no redemption.
Here in these real life experiences
there is still the call to holiness , the call to
sainthood,
and the possibility of being holy.
St Paul gives this counsel, this advice:
“ Pay attention to interior solitude of heart
and keep your mind and heart calm.” (51)
As you keep your heart and mind calm
in these agonizing sufferings,
excite your heart “to become even more worthy of the Lord’s
mercies
and a worthy bride of Jesus Crucified.” ( 51)
As you well know, holiness is gift,
and Paul gives proper dispositions for
receiving this gift.
Be the receiver, be receptive to the Giver of
the gift,
for the Giver of the gift of holiness is the
Crucified Jesus.
Oh, to be receivers
“of the mercies “ is to
be a saint.
“To be worthy Brides of
the Crucified”
is to be a saint.
+++
If holiness is being like God,
and it is.
If being a saint is being holy,
and it is.
If being holy is being in love,
and it is…
then one must ask love of God.
Paul says: “Mourn perpetually for the love of
the Crucified.” (51)
Jesus comes as Love.
Jesus comes to love.
Jesus died loving.
Jesus died to give to each of us
and to everyone
the power to love,
and the power to love
as He loves.
Thus to love
is to be like Jesus….
and to be like Jesus is to be holy,
to be a saint.
What a great call of
Paul of the Cross when he says:
“mourn perpetually for the love
of the Crucified.” p51
Saints live in a certain way.
They live virtues (51); they live in a way that glorified
God,
that enriches life around them:
there is the constant self-giving , dying to self,
entering into the mystical death.
This is holiness….. This is sainthood.
Virtues are gifts from God.
In baptism God poured into our being
the virtues of faith , hope and love,
theological virtues.
now we can practice faith and
believe,
believe in God and
receive God.
Now we can hope and trust,
trust in God and accept
God.
Now we can love
and be enamored by God.
These theological virtues flow out
as rivers from the ocean
into the moral virtues that are so
necessary in community life
and the daily framework of dying
the mystical death.
Paul sums up this teaching:
“ Put into
practice what I have told you
at other times: work, suffer and
be silent
. Do not complain, do not show resentment, do not justify yourself.
These are the maxims of the saints and of great perfection.” (33)
If the soul needs motivation for the practice of virtues,
St Paul says this:
“…heal His Holy Wounds
by the constant practice of the virtues…” (51)
+++
One could find a list of virtues in the writings of Paul:
Faith, naked faith.
Love, self-giving love.
Patience… endured silently
Charity.. as Jesus loves
Detachment… from things
Abandonment… total gift of self.
+++
Sometimes we want a concise, clear, certified guide to
holiness..
to sainthood… to becoming a saint. Paul was attentive to
this call and
this particular need.
Paul gives this principle:
“… I see that you are very resigned
and united to the Holy Will of
God;
if that continues, you will become a great
saint.” (25)
We like great people, great saints, to pray for us.
In regards to holiness and sainthood
Paul prays in this manner:
“May the Good God help you to become mirrors of
holiness
which is my heart’s prayer and desire.” (51)
Paul of the Cross
is no “light weight” in his love for God,
in his love for his religious,
and in his teachings.
Thus his call to holiness is a call to the heights:
Only the highest
is high enough.
Only the best,
is great enough.
Only mystical death
is love enough.
Only the imitation of the Sorrowing Mother
is living enough.
Paul expresses a final wish:
“ We want to form a community of truly holy
nuns
totally detached from all created things
who will resemble the Suffering Jesus and His
Sorrowing Mother Mary,
who is to be the Superior of the Monastery,
in penance, mortification and the holy
virtues.” (26)
My concluding words to you
is the prayer of Paul of the Cross”
“May Jesus bless you
and make you holy.”………..p13
Amen Msgr. Bernard Powers
Homily: Who is Jesus based on Letter of St. Paul of the Cross to Mother Mary Crucified
A diamond is a precious stone.
It has value within,
It has beauty externally.
Only with the correct cutting and proper setting.
can its beauty be seen and appreciated.
Jesus is the diamond.
Paul of the Cross saw Jesus in so many different ways,
from different points of view.
Jesus has infinite value within Himself
but his beauty is seen only in a proper setting,…in relationships.
Thus Paul named Jesus in many and distinctive ways
in order to give Him the right cut and placed in the right setting.
For a moment, le us place this Jesus, this precious
diamond,
before us to enjoy the beauty…and to delight in the splendor…
We do this in all humility and faith
both to adore Him and to love Him.
Jesus is the Son of the Heavenly Father. ( 20)
revealing the mystery of the God head and
the Fatherhood of God.
Now we know the source of life…
We know the One who sustains us in love
and constantly gives the gift of mercy.
All because this Jesus who is the Son of the Father
reveals the heavenly Father.
Jesus who is the Son of the Father
shares not only a revelation of the Father,
but He shares that relationship with the Father
with us. We are sisters and brothers of Jesus,
thus we are children of God the Father.
Paul of the Cross would have us to know
who we are by identifying Jesus
as the Son of the Father and our relationship with Him:
we are children of God.
Jesus is the Divine Humanized Word. (46-41-47)
The Eternal Word of God made present in human nature.,
the Incarnate Word of God, the Word made flesh.
How blessed we are.
God has become one of us
that we become one with God.
Jesus has become One with us, true man, a man
like us in all things but sin.
Now we can become again like God.
St John says: “We look upon the One whom He
saw
and touched and ate with.”
Jesus is the Divine Humanized Word,
the Baby born in Bethlehem:
With Mary we contemplate…
With shepherds we come to see and go away glorifying God.
With Magi we offer gifts and worship.
With angels we sing our Gloria.
Jesus is the Divine Humanized Word
loving with a love
that redeems and forgives…
that reconciles and restores us to a sublime dignity.
He is the Divine Humanizing Word
loving with a creative love,
with a love that empowers us to love
as He loves us:
“I give you a new commandment:
Love one another as I love you.”
Paul strengthens our faith in the Incarnation.
We need to believe that our God is an incarnate God.
Jesus is the Divine Lover.
He is the Giver of Divine Life.
He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood
will have eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day.
He is the giver of divine love: Love as I have loved you.
This Jesus is the Divine Bridegroom ( 22)
He is the Bridegroom
who gives gifts…
adorns the soul with divine touches…
spends time with those who love Him…
speaks to our heart words of love….
espouses us to Himself .( )
This Divine Bridegroom not only gives gifts,
He gives His very Self.
He is so loving that he accepts the very gift of ourselves to him.
This Divine Bridegroom
gives to us the grace and the desire
to receive Him and the grace and the desire
that empowers us to give ourselves.
He is the Divine Bridegroom. ( 22)
Is it any surprise that Paul of the Cross exhorts his religious to be
“Worthy Brides of the Crucified.” ?............... p 51
Paul names Jesus the Crucified. (54-43-53-47)
Such a name
places the cross with the Crucified
before us for pondering.
The Crucified hangs in mystery.
No words can adequately describe…
No words can dully explain.
Paul just says: The Crucified.
Jesus is the Crucified
to be pondered…to be
believed.
to be prayed… to be
adore.
Jesus is the Crucified
and one can only stand beneath the Cross,
or kneel
with the Sorrowful Mother
in the silence of faith
to be present to the Paschal Mystery.
One can only be
present in faith
and cry out for greater faith.
One can only be
present in love
and surrender to Love…. being a holocaustal
sacrifice,
a victim in this awesome sacrifice.
Jesus is the Crucified
made present each day in the Liturgy
and we who are present
immerse ourselves into this Paschal Mystery,
the Jesus the Crucified.
Through this Crucified Jesus
we reach to the very throne of God in worship
for this Crucified Jesus
is the Eternal High Priest
offering an infinite victim in
pleasing oblation to the Father.
Saint Paul of the Cross
places Jesus in the right setting: on the Cross.
and with the right cutting: total love,
naming Him the Crucified Bridegroom.
Paul goes a step further.
Paul places Jesus in the right light,
the light of faith.
Amen. Msgr. Bernard Powers
Homily: God acts in the Soul-God
is the Giver of Gifts based on Letter of
St. Paul of
the Cross to Mother Mary Crucified
Saint John says that God first loved us.
How wonderful to know this,
and how much more wonderful to experience this love.
God loves us and in his love
God acts in our soul.
This love action has many dimensions.
God’s love is expressed in many ways..
“God so loved the world that He gave his Only Son”
What a gift, the very gift of God Himself. (John 3:16)
With this gift of God’s Son.
there is also the gift of His divine life..
God is alive in the soul.
Remarkable! Amazing!
We have divine life in us.
We live in God.
God’s love for us is the gift of God.
Through the Paschal Mystery
God lavished his Spirit upon us.
We are temples of God.
What a blessing.
The soul cries our: “What have you done to me, O Lord!”
And God answers:
“I have given the gift of myself.”
“You have made him little less than the
angels
and crowned him with glory and
honor.” Psalm 8
Saint Paul of the Cross in his letters to Mother Mary
Crucified
speaks of the action of God in the soul.
These actions are love actions,
for God is love…. and love is active.
God acts in the soul.
He sets the soul on fire with love,
a fire, raging and roaring, …
transforming the soul.
as the wild fire the forest.
“Were not our hearts burning inside us as He talked to us
on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” L.24:23
Paul uses fascinating. exhilarating, exciting words:
God “enkindles,” “enamors,” and “enflames,” (13)
God guides…. enriches… invites.
God feeds, makes holy, gives light.
John of the Cross says God’s love is active.
Paul of the Cross confirms this.
Don’t ever let anyone tell you that God is inactive.
He may not keep the tornadoes away;
Nor the deer out of your garden.
But He is most active in you soul,
and his actions are love actions.
Oh, how the soul should love
with a passion,
with zeal, with exciting love.
Jeremias cried out:
“Then there seemed to be a fire burning in
my heart,
imprisoned in my bones. The effort to
restrain it wearied me,
I could not bear it.” Jer. 20: 9
Paul of the Cross had a passion for the Crucified Christ.
John of the Cross had his “Living Frame of Love.”
Pope John Paul II: “The Eucharist is fire.””
All are gifts
of love;
gifts that God gives to the soul.
Saint Paul of the Cross
names God as the “Supreme Giver,” (7)
the Supreme Giver , giving gifts to the soul.
Such gifts
are chosen according to the wisdom of God
and given
from the depth of love
and given
according to the soul’s capacity to receive….
and the soul’s readiness to love…
and the soul’s willingness.
But more so,
according to God’s own love for the soul.
He gives as He chooses.
1 Cor.7:7 “Each one has his own gift from God…”
The soul’s receptivity
depends on her humility… her faith…
her resignation… her detachment.
How amazing,
this goodness
of :
He not only
gives gifts,
but He
empowers us to receive these gifts
and to live
with them.
Among the first gifts of God to the soul
is the soul’s need for God.
The soul is created for God, to be with God,
to participate in God’s life, to share in the Triune love of God.
to need God….
United with the soul’s need for God
is the soul’s desire and hunger for God.
Augustine was deeply aware:
“my soul is
restless until it rest in God.”
The restlessness was a touch of love.
This need of the soul for God
is a love gift from God.
God creates us like Him and for Him.
He creates us in such a way
that only He can fill our greatest need,
only He can satisfy our need for love.
What an amazing gift:
this need for God.
John of the Cross would call this need
the “space that God creates in us for the gift of
Himself.”
In the soul there is a sense of emptiness,
a restlessness, a hunger. All is because we need God.
The emptiness is our need for God,
and that is gift..
God gives mercy. (7-18)
Oh, the fall of Adam.
Oh, the need of redemption.
Oh, the gift of mercy.
We come into life needing God’s life …
needing God’s help… needing union with God.
On our own we are total helpless.
On our own we can do nothing to reach God.
God must act… God does act.
He gives the gift of mercy.( 7-18)
God sent a Redeemer; He restores our way to God.
God restored us to our sublime dignity.
Oh, what gift, this gift of
mercy,
this gift of restoration… the freedom from sin
Mercy is such an awesome gift
that Pope John Paul II made it the theme of an
Encyclical.
Another gift that Paul mentions
is the gift of God gazing on the soul, (7)
and for God to gaze on the soul
is for God to adorn the soul with blessings.
Iain Metthew in his work,
The Impact of God,
says for God to gaze on the soul is to bless the
soul in four ways:
“It cleanses her;…. makes her beautiful;
enriches her;….and enlightens her.” (140)
Pope John Paul II in his Encyclical on the Eucharist says:
“consequently the gaze of the church is constantly turned
to Our Lord , present in the Sacrament on the altar.”
Is
there any wonder why a soul in love
finds it most difficult to stay away
from the Blessed Sacrament ?
Among all these gift given by God,
one could not fail to mention the unique gift of suffering…. (21)
a most precious gift.
to the Daughters of the Crucified Christ. (24)
This is a gift , not just to suffer,
but to suffer with Jesus, the Crucified Spouse.
It is the gift of union.
It is the gift to enter into
the Passion of Jesus,
there to be Daughters of the Sorrow Mother,
there, to be at the Cross, loving.
“You should never abandon the holocaustal sacrifice
of your whole being to the Supreme and Infinite Good.
Such a sacrifice is to be made in the fire of Divine
Charity.” (12)
“Oh, a thousand times fortunate
is the soul,
if, espoused to God’s will,
she cherishes the Sovereign Spouse
in naked suffering within and without,
resting in the bosom of the heavenly Father.” (10)
Our hearts are raised in
gratitude to Paul of the Cross
for making us aware of the many gifts that the Suffering
Jesus
gives to the soul.
Through these gifts, the soul
both receives God
and gives herself in espousal love
to the Crucified Beloved.
Amen Msgr. Bernard Powers
|
Saint Paul of the Cross,
Founder of the Passionist Congregation |
Homily: Pauline Qualities based on Letter of St. Paul of the Cross to Mother Mary Crucified
(Characteristics that Paul calls for in his religious)
When you came to this Religious Community,
you presented yourself in a positive way.
You made known the gospel principles of your life and
your personality traits.
You presented yourself in a good light by a review of your
values and goals and desires.
The Community say what they liked and said: “Come in!”
Saint Paul of the Cross in his Letters to Mother Mary
Crucified
names or identifies certain qualities or characteristics that
should be in one life it they desire to live as a Passionist.
I list only a few here, not in any priority of value,
but as they were found in his letters.
First of all there is a need for “God awareness.”
One is aware of God in life and in their own being.
This awareness brings a disposition, an attitude.
One shows a living faith, a sense of mystery,
living in the world of the supernatural.
Not that their head is in the clouds,
but a disposition that sets her above the ordinary, the material.
This disposition gives a quality to ordinary actions.
She works with the ordinary in an extra ordinary way.
God awareness is important.
Life awareness is also important.
Her presence in life is positive.
Choices are made from values, values of the gospel.
There is a balance is all dimensions of the human
personality
There is an awareness of what it means to live, to be alive. And to live is to
love…
to live is to come alive to the Holy spirit in the example of Jesus and in the
light of the gospel.
There is a spirit of joy in their heart and in their
actions. A spirit of joy that comes from Jesus.,
for her joy is a gift of Jesus.
It is a spirit , an attitude that puts a spirit in the heart and happiness in
the face and excitement in living.
It is an attitude that adds meaning to simplicity and excitement to celebration.
Pope John Paul says: “Joy come from fidelity and
fidelity comes from prayer.:
Joy is simple happiness and a sense of peace, peach within and peace with
others.
Another characteristic that Paul mentions frequently is
that of patience. That peacefulness
when one finds herself in situations that do not go as planned or expected. A
Patience that enables one to act
like Christ in situations that are beyond one’s control. This patience demands
self-control, waiting, acting in a tolerant way. Give the flower the time to
bloom.
As Saint Paul says: “Be patient in suffering.”
Patience is a virtue that enables one to stand in a situation until good arises.
Sense of humor
Another quality or characteristic is that of humor. Paul speaks of God playing
games with the soul. When this happens, one needs a sense of humor.
Humor is the ability to see and admit the funnies of
life, the unexpected surprises,
the ability to laugh at ourselves. Paul speaks of God playing games with the
soul
Thomas Aquinas: “It is requisite for exaltation of the mind
that we make use from time to time
of playful deeds and jokes.”
You know, it takes forty three muscles to frown and seventeen muscles to smile.
There is an Irish proverb: “a good laugh and a long sleep are the two best
cures.”
A sense of humor keeps us in balance. It helps to handles failures
and
mistakes properly and humbly. After all, we are not perfect. Why
should
we be surprised when we make a mistake. Laughter is good for
health.
Paul lists other characteristics:
Spirit- filled..
Prayerful…
Alive: using and expressing gifts… bringing others alive… sharing
goods
Complimentary:
recognizing goodness in others…
Affirming…. showing appreciation
Motivating… inspiring…
Being in love….
Aware that God loves her… a sense of excitement….
aware of being chosen…… being happy…. showing it..
In love with God….
Prayerful:
Having an interest in prayer….
desires to pray… shows a commitment to prayer time…
reads scripture.
Good self image:
can stand alone…. likes herself…. strives to improve…
self knowledge…
not afraid of silence….
Has vision… dreams… ideals…
Realistic:
suffering is part of life… sinner and saint…. human and
godly..
owes origin to another…. depends on God… mortal,
finite…
Knows who she is and to whom she belong ( to God)
Recollected to some extent…
Joyful…
Charity…doing acts of love
Patient….. tolerant, waiting.,,, letting the flower bloom…
Self giving..
Humble…. knows who she is
Knows where she is going.. to deeper union with God….
Sincere
Some qualities you would like to find in
a person who applies as a postulant.
Amen Msgr. Bernard Powers
Homily: Suffering based on Letter of St. Paul of the Cross to Mother Mary Crucified
Friday…… Cross…. Passion… Suffering
Love brings the heart to the Lover
for love has the power
to attract…
to enflame…
to create desire…
to long to be with…
The heart is called to love the Suffering, Crucified
Christ,
thus the heart that loves
must learn and develop a way of dealing with suffering,
for suffering is a way
into the Mystery of the Crucified Lover.
Pope John Paul II says:
“Suffering unleashes the love in the human heart.”
Suffering is a great mystery,
great faith is required, even demanded…. pure and naked faith. (12)
Jesus said:
“Believe in me!”
If the soul is to know the meaning of suffering,
or perhaps I should say,
if a person is going to know how to deal with suffering
in a life-giving way,….in the way of love,
she must have faith…naked faith, pure faith (8)…dark faith (8)
and “remain with suffering in the sacred silence of faith.” (20)
Paul of the Cross does not so say so much about the
meaning of suffering in these Letter to Mother Mary Crucified.
He spend great energy in instructing the soul
on how to live with suffering,
how to love in suffering,
how to grow in holiness through suffering..
The medical field looks for the cause of suffering,
and it should. Even in personal life or community life
one should look for the cause of suffering
and make an effort to correct it.
However in all situations St Paul says
that we should “accept all suffering as coming
from the hand of the Beloved… the Supreme Lord. (36)
Oh, how blessed the soul would be
to accept sufferings with this attitude
and this faith.
We believe in Divine Providence and we believe that God’s
presence and graces are there for us
in the suffering experiences of life.
Ours is to accept suffering
with the disposition of Jesus: “Not my will, by Thy will be done.”
If we accept suffering as coming from the hand of the Beloved,
with humility, resignation, abandonment, surrender…
we are giving ourselves into the transforming love of the Crucified
Christ.
Yes, the soul is to see suffering
as coming from the hand of the Beloved
and surrender.
To surrender is to be ready
and to be ready is to say “yes” to the Beloved
who is present.
What was your attitude on the day of
profession
when the Cross was placed on your shoulder?.
No one can deny that suffering is hard… trying… agonizing… painful…
energy draining, time consuming…
Saint Paul advises : “Suffer and be silent.” (33)- (15-16)
This is not a stoic silence,
but a silence of self of self-surrender,
a silence of dying to self.
Paul says: “Don’t complain and show no resentment.” (
33)
Sometimes we quickly want to complain….
especially in an unjust suffering.
At times this complaining can be a call to self attentiveness.
We complain to get the attention of another.
We complain for self pity.
We complain because we want others to feel sorry for us.
All is self interest.
There could be various reasons for complaining when we
suffer,
but Paul of the Cross calls us to “suffer in
detachment.” (29)
What wonderful advice Paul
gives:
“accept every suffering as coming directly from the
sole loving hand of the Supreme Lord,
who can only will the best for you.” (36)
In the teachings of Paul
we are called to a deeper response to God.
Such is true in suffering.
Just as “ all gifts are to be offered as a holocaustal sacrifice” (7)
so should our sufferings
be offered as a “holocaustal sacrifice to God,”
that is, to offer ourselves through suffering
as a
holocaustal sacrifice.
One needs to be careful here.
It is not the sufferings that are acceptable to the
Beloved,
but the dispositions of the heart in our sufferings….
It is the giving of self.
Sufferings are the channel through which
the soul offers herself to the Beloved.
It is not the Cross that has value,
it is the love expressed through the cross
that glorified the Father and redeemed the world.
How much are you to suffer?
How deeply are you to suffer?
To know who you are
is to know the depth of suffering
to which you
are called.
You are victims of the Crucified Bridegroom
and thus the depth of suffering
to which you are called
is to share in the suffering and the Passion of Jesus
to the depth of holocaustal sacrifice. (28)
A victim sacrificed as a holocaust
is a victim totally immolated,
consumed totally for God by the sacred fire.
My sisters, in the Passion
you are total gift.
Your
suffering has value.
“Naked suffering is a great treasure,
that is, a suffering without comfort
either from heaven or from earth.” 28
It is a treasure,
for it is the means through which
“You frequently offer yourselves as a
holocaustal victim
to the Divine Majesty on the Cross.”
In this suffering you die the mystical death
with Christ.
In this suffering you are in mystical death
and
a new life of love comes to the soul.
Saint Pail uses two interesting, qualifying words
regarding suffering.
He says:
“we know clearly how precious naked suffering is
in true meekness and silent patience. (28)
Meekness is an acknowledgement that we completely depend
on God in suffering. Thus to modify suffering with
meekness
is to admit that suffering, without God, would totally
devastate us.
Only with God is our suffering life-giving.
Suffering with true meekness is union with God.,
and we suffer with Jesus.
Suffering with true patience
is to experience suffering
with a certain surrender.
Just as one can not hurry the blooming of
the rose,
neither can one hurry the releasing of
life-giving graces
from the sufferings in one’s life.
One must “suffer in patience.” (28)
The time from Good Friday to Easter morning
is many hours.
What inspiring advice Saint Paul gives us regarding
suffering.
Accept suffering
with faith..
with meekness…
with patience…
with silence…
with abandonment…
with Mary…
with Jesus.
Paul tells us how to accept sufferings”
Embrace struggles…
Be clothed in the Passion…
Accept ever trial from the loving hand of God
Be happy in suffering
Be willing to suffer
Esteem suffering highly
Offer yourself as holocaust
See suffering as a sign of love
Endure suffering
Be daughters of the Passion
Be worthy brides of the crucified Spouse.
Paul’s final words to you are:
“Remain day and night
in the divine bosom of the Heavenly Father,
clothed in Jesus Christ
and with his sufferings.” 34
Amen Msgr. Bernard Powers
Homily: Be-Attitudes based on Letter of St. Paul of the Cross to Mother Mary Crucified
We are all familiar with the eight Beatitudes.
They are probably the most used section of the Gospel.
They are the apex of the Gospel, the highest or deepest degree of living the
Gospel.
These wonderful teachings are attitudes
toward certain situations in human life:
toward sorrow... toward hunger… toward mercy..
These attitudes direct our actions toward these human experience.
Paul of the Cross in his Letters to Mother Mary of the
Crucified
Has some Be- Attitudes,
That is, to
have a certain disposition or attitude toward things.
Did you ever say about a person: “I don’t like their attitude…..
Attitudes affect actions…. Affect the way we act.
My nephew came by sometime ago with his young boy,
perhaps four.
The boy was not on his best behavior. His dad told him “I don’t like your
attitude.”
and had him stand in a corner for a while.
Soon he said to his dad: ”I need an attitude adjustment.”
Saint Paul of the Cross has some teachings on be-attitudes, a little shift from
the gospel but still be-attitudes.
With suffering……... With prayer……. With relationships…
Stay with the situation until the good comes out… Resident vs. tourist..
with your limitations………. with your journey to God…within yourself..
Patience is to be like Christ in the irritating situation I am in.
To the practice of virtues… . To your commitment to prayer…
To your promises…… .. to your vows…..Fidelity…
To your spiritual practices… to God even when he tries you..
To recollection… . To the practice of interior silence (33-34)
Determined….in persevering in your way of life … in resisting temptation…
in defense of your faith in your dedication to family….
In suffering… In prayer …. When accused…
when God neglects you… as you wait…
in liturgy…. In special times of quiet
With God… .be respectful… . Vulnerable…
Openness… . Risk tasking… . Tolerant…….. Forgiving…..
reconciling… ready to talk… .. seek solutions of issues…
6.Be at peace…44.
With God …. With sufferings… with cross in life….
With way of prayer…. With neighbors…
.in adversities… within yourself… Accept differences…
be just……..
7…Be guided by the Holy Spirit (8)
in prayer… in decisions… in choices…. In buying…
. In books to read…in discerning… you want, you need, God’s will
in forms of service…. (Him said “No.”) in what God wants.
8. Be living witnesses
Archbishop McDonough: “Good enough to be God.”
to the Crucified Jesus … to Jesus throughout the world….
To Risen Christ… to resurrection… .. to gospel…
9/ Be prudent in all things.. (48)
in decisions……... In choices……. In forms of penance
work out of your values….. know why… . Motives…
cardinal virtue…look at issue from various angles…..
10 Be recollected
Somewhat quiet inside …. Inner awareness…
.somewhat conscious of something…. . aware of basic
….….. rock bottom….. pay attention
truth in the background
12. Be constant in doing God’s will (42)….
Ask God what it is…. Know gospel…
. Flows from vocation…. Go after it ………………fidelity…
13. Be obedient (54)
to inspirations… the word… be disciple…
. Audire… .to the church to authority….
. to inspirations…. To gifts…………….. to graces….
To Holy Spirit
15. Be attentive…. (18)
mind where it belongs…. One ear open for God
leaning toward beyond…
aware of person present or to what is happening…
Presence of a person…
Aware to what you are involved in or that you are about..
To God…. To needs… to what is going on within you…
To spouse…. To needs of others..
Pay attention….
Aware… concern… response…. See, judge, act.
Msgr.Bernard Powers
Homily: Gifts and Graces based on Letter of
St. Paul of the Cross to Mother Mary Crucified
To ponder these Letters
is to be immersed in truths
that take the soul beyond its own limits
into the real of faith.
To pray these Letters
is to “enter the interior temple of your spirit,
that is, the highest part of your soul, attentive to God.” (18)
As one reads these Letters one finds terms they are
familiar with.
yet they find in these terms a newness, a freshness, a depth
that is both enlightening and enriching.
Two of these terms found here are “grace” and “gift.”
Saint Paul sometimes gives the content of these terms
without mentioning the terms themselves.
For example, Paul speaks of God acting in the soul
but he does not always name them graces or gifts.
It is proper too to define these terms for a deeper
appreciation
of their use in these works of Saint Paul.
Gift: “A gift is something voluntarily transferred by
one person to another
without compensation. A gift often implies a favor by the one giving.
A gift is something through which the Giver expresses a goodness to another
and the means through which the giver is present to the other.
It is something given to another that enables the other to respond to the giver
in a fuller way. Thus different gifts have different effects in the
relationship
between the giver and the receiver.”
Grace: “Grace is something gratuitous gift that God
gives us to make us participants in His Trinitarian Life and makes us able to
act by his love. It is supernatural because it
depends entirely on God’s gratuitous initiative and surpasses the ability of the
intellect
and the powers of human beings.”
Catholic Catechism
page 121
St. Paul teaches about gifts and graces in this way:
“You must correspond to his merciful action
by humbling yourself even more in your nothingness
before His Sovereign Majesty
renouncing all these gifts and remaining in utter nakedness and
nothingness.
By renouncing herself in this way,
the soul remains in her nothingness
and does not
look at the gifts with attachment
but rather at
the Supreme Giver,
so as to
become more and more enamored with him.
In this way
she disposes herself for even greater graces”………………..7
Here Saint Paul teaches well.
It is God who gives gifts
and these gifts adorn the soul.
They enamor the soul setting it on fire with love
yet the soul must not become attached to the gift.
The gift is not God.
The soul is made for God, and not for the gift.
Only God Himself can meet the needs of the soul
Only God is great enough for the soul
St. John of the Cross says
sometimes God takes away from us our form of prayer.
It is interesting too that St Paul of the Cross
teaches that the soul
“renounces herself,
and remains in her true nothingness
and does not look at the gift with attachment.”
Thus she is “disposing herself for even greater graces….7
Yes, gifts and graces empower the soul
to make loving responses to God
and when the soul accepts these gifts and graces with right
dispositions,
the soul is opened for greater gifts and greater graces.
It is God who touches the soul with the power to love.
It is God who adorns the souls with graces.
The more the soul receives, the more the soul can
respond lovingly.
Sufferings are part of life.
Saint Paul says that graces are given
that help us in the daily experiences of suffering.
He even says that sufferings are a grace and a gift.
“One of the greatest gifts God has given to you
is the present opportunity to practice true humility of heart,
true patience and meekness,
and above all great charity toward those causing you to suffer.
These sufferings become noble instrument
which God uses to enrich the soul …..16
Paul calls suffering noble instrument
that enrich the soul.
What a grace…. What a gift!
Even in prayer there are sufferings that are gifts.
Paul speaks of aridities and desolations.
“These are allowed because they are necessary for you
so that , with God’s grace
you may attain that perfect experimental knowledge
of your real nothingness which you have of yourself
and that you may continually practice resignation to God’s
will…………..18
Understanding helps in dealing with
difficulties at prayer.
When we know that aridities and desolations
are God’s action in the soul….
When we see them as graces
to help us in this loving encounter with God
our disposition toward them should change.
We can be patient. Change will take place.
One should never forget that
prayer time
is God’s time…. God’s action….and God may act as He
chooses.
Thus we are to abandon ourselves to God in prayer……
We are to surrender ourselves to the actions of God in
prayer….
Such surrender on our part disposes the soul for gifts
of any kind.
St Paul says that even dryness
and aridities and desolations
are gifts from God.
Saint Paul is a good teacher…. Very realistic.
Sometimes at great moments of prayer there are consolations…
Consolations can get distract.
Saint Paul advises us to offer these consolations as
incense to the Divine Majesty
and God will clothe us in greater graces. 37-38
Paul teaches value
doctrine.
Paul calls to the heroic.
Paul calls for pure faith.
Paul is demanding in the “school of prayer.”
“It is very
difficult to explain yourself in things of God,
since the gifts which come from the immense
font
of Infinite Power are inexplicable.
If they could be explained, they would not
be supernatural….. 37
I mention above that St Paul
teaches that suffering is a gift and a grace.
“Believe me good daughter,
that you can not have more certain signs of God’s love toward you
than the suffering which He permits
and gives you….. 37
What a statement!
Suffering is a gift; suffering
is a grace.
When you meet Paul in heaven
you probably will want to have a few words
with him.
St. Paul the apostle has previously taught this.
Our suffering
supplement the sufferings of Jesus.
Pope John Paul has also taught the same:
“ suffering unleashed the love in the human
heart.”
God is a generous God.
God is a giver of gifts and graces.
Each gift and every grace is given
out of God’s love for the soul..
Each gift and every grace lays the foundation for further gifts and graces.
“In the meantime (the soul) is
prepared more and more
by God’s graces to receive those graces and gifts
which His Divine Majesty has provided for you………. 45
This is a profound insight into
the actions of God in the soul.
Grace prepares for grace…. One grace is the foundation
for the next grace.
You know this in your one experiences.
The grace of your vocation is based on a previous
grace……
The grace of personal love of God.
Graces are
gifts…
Graces must be accepted …. Opened…and lived.
A gift never opened is really not a gift.
Just as certain care
is needed in opening a gift
lest one do harm,
So with the gifts from God.
Open with humility…. meekness…
with love…
with gratitude….
Saint
Paul says one of the greatest helps you have
in responding to gifts and graces
is your Rule….
Your Rule disposes you for other graces and gifts:
“ they will certainly attain (these gifts and graces)
if they will observe their Rule
and often look at themselves
in the light and example of Jesus Crucified. (520
Our journey in life is a journey into love.
Our journey is a journey into a deeper love relationship with the Beloved
Spouse.
The journey is difficult…
This journey is grand.
No one walks alone.
The Beloved is the soul with gifts and graces….
Saint Paul says:
“Now it remains for all of you
to correspond with such a great grace.(47)
and the great grace he is referring to
is the grace and gift of your vows…. Your vowed life.
(47)
If there is a question in your mind
regarding the abundance of gifts and graces in you lives,
be attentive as to how Paul frequently names Jesus:
Jesus is “Divine Charity” ……..
Jesus is “Divine Giver.”
Jesus is the “Divine Bridegroom.”
Amen Msgr. Bernard Powers
Homily: Recollection based on Letter of
St. Paul of the Cross to Mother Mary Crucified
Paul of the Cross uses some remarkable images
to teach the way of the heart,
the way of love.
It is a mystical journey,
a journey of the spirit..
In this teaching Paul uses the image of God
“putting the finishing touches on a statue.” (21-22)
As you are aware,
Paul refers to God as the “Sovereign Divine Artisan”
(Bialas 204)
God brings the
statue, the soul,
to a form of
beauty
by
embellishing it for the Gallery of heaven
What a
wonderful image
used to teach us
the loving work of God upon us and in our souls.
Remember, and be aware.
It is God who makes us holy.
It is God’s purifying and transforming love
that transforms us
and makes us
the beautiful lovers that God calls us to be.
There is a
great difference between
a block of
marble and a person.
The statue is lifeless.
We are alive.
The statue is completely passive.
We must humble ourselves…
Surrender..
Abandon ourselves into His care…
Say “ yes” to the stroke of the Artist’s chisel.
Permit God to work in our souls…
Be the receiver of the actions of God…
Desire the work of love that expresses
the love of the Divine Artisan.
As Paul says:
“Permit the use of the finest and the sharpest chisel
to perfect the statue.” p.22
This brings us to a critical moment
as well as to a “precious opportunity.” (p22)
We have to humble ourselves, (7-40-45)
and admit our nothingness. ( 7-37-45)
“Allow yourself to be mortified,
reproved, and treated with severity and harshness.” (p22)
Be a true servant of the Lord,
ever silent, ever meek, ever peaceful.
What an amazing teaching !
Be silent!
To be silent
makes it possible for one to hear,
and with this is the willingness to listen.
This brings about an attentive disposition in the heart…
a loving disposition.
Now the heart is ready to love.
Being silent leads to a readiness to love
and silence is needed for recollection.
Be meek!
Meekness is an amazing disposition.
Jesus spoke of meekness in the beatitudes.
Moses was the meekest of men.
Meekness is a disposition of the soul
in which the soul admits it can not survive in life…
natural or supernatural… without God.
It admits total dependence on God for survival,
for living
Meekness is the ability to survive
under the care of another.
We totally depend on God
to live in the life of grace.
To act independently of God is to die.
E.g. Certain birds can not be domesticated
or tamed. They can not live in captivity.
If they are confined, they die.
Paul says: :Always be meek.”
Always act as if you depended totally on God …
because this is reality… this is truth.
This calls for total detachment…
the total gift of surrender to God…
total gift to God..
Meekness helps in recollection.
Be peaceful !
This is wonderful advice for the person who tires to live a life of
recollection.
Paul says “be peaceful.”
Know what disturbs you. Know why it disturbs you.
Seeking the cause can take you to an interior point of yourself
where some care may be needed. If there is a certain order as
you handle the situations of daily life, the soul is in a better disposition
for recollection.
Being peaceful is an attitude, a way of acting, a manner of living.
We live in a world of conflicts. None of us are totally in harmony
within ourselves regardless of our faculties and our feelings.
Sometimes the way one feels can be disturbing.
It can made one un-peaceful…
Paul of the Cross says: “Be peaceful.”
“Remain in peace.” p.44
“Live in peace.” p.50
Paul uses the word “patience” many, many times.
This virtue is connected with peace and peacefulness.
“Continue in interior recollection.”
Be recollected.
Be in harmony.
Let hearts be always aware of the Guest within the heart.
These precious instructions of Paul are indeed great guidelines
on this spiritual need of recollection.
Aridities can not impede recollection… p 22…
How one feels can not impede recollection… p. 22
One is to remain in pure faith….
Paul speaks of recollection in this manner:
“Rest on the bosom of God like an infant, in the silence of faith,
and holy love, with the superior part of your spirit,
paying no attention to the noises
which the enemies make around the spirit.
These are outside and you are within,
in the most intimate cell of the spirit
alone with the Divine Bridegroom.” p 22
Paul says: “remain in perfect faith.”
The Divine is present…. accept the presence.
Ignore the feelings.
Remain in faith, divested of any and every feeling
even if it is a feeling of joy… for this is only a feeling
and a feeling is not God nor can it take you to God.
Ignore the feeling
and love your God.
Pay no attention to noise, they are outside.
Remain inside, ignoring images, feelings, memories, thoughts.
You must go within… be within…
in the inmost intimate cell of your spirit,
alone with the Divine Bridegroom
“Deepen you interior recollection
to the depth of union with the Crucified Bridegroom. P.54
From this encounter of love,
allow the spirit
to express its love in moving you to heroic virtues. p.22
Amen. Msgr. Bernard Powers
+ + + + + + + + + + +
Recollection: “Recollection collects or draws together
our powers of attention.
Recollection re-stores us to a state of equanimity. It
readies body and mind,
and will for a smoother reception of the insights and
inspirations only the Spirit
can grant.”
Spiritual Life, fall 2004
page 152
Adrian van Kaam
“Recollection is like a pool of finely polished pebbles resting at the bottom
of a turbulent sea. When we pause for prayer during a busy day, we bring
our distracted interiority to peaceful integration. Vital pulsations and
exertions
recede like the ocean at low tide. We flow from and return to the
wellspring of
our Christ-self. The Holy Spirit invites us, amidst the clatter of our probing
and dissecting mind to attune our intellect, memory, and will, as well as our
imagination and anticipation, to perennial wisdom embedded in classical faith
and formation traditions. Op.cit. 153
Von Hildebrand : Transformation in Christ Page 160
Recollection.
Post script: Did you ever feel like shouting at St Paul of the Cross
and tell him how you felt
towards his teachings and instructions?
He is a great teacher but
he can run around in circles. Sometimes he defines terms
and sometimes he just
talks about something without defining it.
For example: Paul
says: “Be recollected” then he walks around on the
spiritual journey as if
one understood what the term meant.
One wants to say: “Define your terms. Tell us what the word means.
If you are going to use
the word “recollection” then tell us what it is
so we have some idea as
to what to do.
Recollection: Tranquility of
mind….religious contemplation…
the act or power of recalling to mind…”
To recollect is to bring back to
the level of conscious awareness..
remember…to call something to mind…
Recollected--- to stay calm
Recollection is staying
connected, being aware of presence,
having a certain attitude that keeps you ready for the
greater,
having an attentive attitude beyond yourself ….. spacey
in a good sense.
Homily: Grace based on Letter of
St. Paul of the Cross to Mother Mary Crucified
God’s gift of light to the intellect
a light that receives the revelation
that God is a Supreme Lover, the Crucified Bridegroom
the Sovereign Majesty.
These revelations are graces,
They are gifts beyond our ability to know,
or comprehend or understand
but not beyond the power of faith
which too is a gift.
We are gifted with a supernatural power to
believe
these revelation,
to believe with a naked faith,
a suffering faith,
a faith
that demands the total surrender of ourselves
to the loving actions of God
revealing truths to us.
The Holy Spirit
acts in our being.
This is gift; this is grace.
The Holy Spirit gives and empowers,
directs and leads.
The journey of preparation
is an act of God in my soul ……..45.
I am prepared “by God’s grace to receive
graces
and gifts which the Divine Majesty has provided for me.” 45
The first moments of each day
should be filled with an awareness of God
and the immediate surrender of ourselves to God
for the graces and gifts of that day.
Each day is a new call to live and to love.
Each day God knows where he wants to take us,
where He wants us to go….
what crosses He want us to carry…
what sacrifices He wishes us to make…
In each day there are
prayer experiences…
community services…
calls to serve…
particular virtues needed..
delicate calls of the Rule…
the manifestation of God’s will.
Each day
is a call to live life in God
and thus God
who loves as the Divine Lover,
has designs how He will love today.
He has prepared the heart for
loving
and he has chosen the gifts to give.
God is the Provider………………… 45
God will provide. 45
Perhaps the call of Abraham
to take his son, Isaac, and climb the mountain
excites your mind and your heart.
Today Isaac is absent,
so you in your journey to the Mountain
each day raise the question: “Where is the Vicitm?”
And the reply comes quickly: “God will provide.”
So as you begin your day,
a journey to the mountain of the Crucifixion
to offer sacrifice to God,
you hear the same response:
God will provide.
Yes, for the experience of each day
“God prepares you by his graces
to receive the graces and gifts which His Divine Majesty
provide for you.”……..45
Homily:Relationship with God based on Letter of St. Paul of the Cross to Mother Mary Crucified
God created us.
He created us in his image and likeness.
God is life; God is love.
God is life within Himself in the life of the Trinity.
God is loving within the Trinity.
We share in the Triune God
both in living and in loving.
And we live and we love in relationships.
Saint Paul of the Cross gives wonderful teaching
on this truth
in his
Letters to Mother Mary Crucified.
God is Divine Lover.
God loves us and establishes a relationship with us.
He gives his love and shares his love with us.
The Divine Lover loves us with a divine love
and even gives to us a divine love through which we love God.
We are in a love relationship with God.
Saint Paul names God as the Supreme Giver.(7)
Our response is receiving, but not just receiving as that of taking,
but being the receiver, that is,
coming alive to the gift that is given,
or more fully,
coming alive to the Supreme Giver of the gift
God Himself… and coming alive through the gifts given.
We are the Receiver,
not just as a pitcher receiving water,
but as a person coming alive,
responding to God more fully in and
through the gifts given.
A pitcher is still a pitcher although it receives a gallon of water.
We are more like God
through the gifts given and received.
To fail to come alive to the gift is failure.
To fail to come alive to the Supreme Giver through the gift is greater
failure…..
failure to live in a fuller way.
In a certain sense this is death, and in a real sense it is sin.
Oh, the gifts we
have been given.
Oh, the fruits of receiving.
Yes, God is the Supreme Giver
and we are the humble, grateful receiver.
Our God is a loving God whose delight is to be
with the children of men.
God gives the gift of Himself to us.
God dwells in the very center of our being.
Because God dwells within our being,
both in love and in life
Paul of the Cross says that
we become Adorers of the Most Holy. (11-29)
Oh, Christian,
realize your dignity. God dwells within.
You are the “temple of the Holy Spirit.”
God dwells within the temple of your being,
your very being consecrated through Baptism…
adorned with the gifts of the Holy Spirit,
made pleasing through grace,
adorned with gifts from God
“enkindled and enamoured” (7) by God .
Indeed aflame with the fire of love.
Oh! to love,
yet to love more because
God’s love enamors you
and you are disposed for even
greater love, greater graces. (7)
In the relationship where God is Lover
and the soul is made lover,
love speed toward its fulfillment
toward “union.”
God is Person.
God is Person who loves.
Love is Gift.
Love is the gift of the Person, God.
The soul is person.
The soul is the person who loves.
Love is gift.
Love is the gift of the human person to God.
This mutual giving and receiving
in a love relationship
is an espousal love ( 31-20-10)
Thus the God who gives Self in love
is the Bridegroom
and the soul who accepts and gives herself is the Bride.
St Paul says:
“Be worthy Brides of the Lover, the Crucified.
(51-47-50)
One final note:
Jesus is the Crucified Lover.
The soul who gives
as the Crucified Lover gives
is the victim in this love relationship.
Amen… Msgr. Bernard Powers