| Plant Jesus Christ in Your Heart, and All the Crosses of This World Will Only Seem to You Roses |
,For Sunday’s Living Jesus chat we will read again an article from a book by St. Francis de Sales called Of Devotion, and of the Principal Exercises of Piety. Let us join together reflect on some maxims of devotion and how they can help us in our Lenten journey.___________________________________________To prepare for our chat, please read the article, which is reproduced below, and review the questions at the end.Click for Living Jesus Chatroom  Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on UnsplashIn order to live in piety, we have only to settle strong and excellent maxims in our mind. The first maxim is that of St. Paul: To them that love God, all things work together unto good. (Rom. viii. 28.) And in truth: since God is able, and knows how, to draw good out of evil, for whom will He do it, if not for those who have given themselves without reserve to Him? Yes, even the sins from which God by His mercy preserves us, are turned by divine Providence to the advantage of those that are His. David would never have had such a depth of humility, if he had not sinned; nor Magdalene such a love for her Saviour, if He had not forgiven her so many sins; and He could never have forgiven them her, if she had not committed them. Tell me, then, I pray you, what will He not make of our afflictions, our sorrows, and the persecutions that are brought upon us? If, therefore, it ever occurs that any sorrow touches you, on whatever side it may be, assure your soul that if it loves God, all will turn out for good. And although you cannot see the means by which this good is to arise, remain so much the more assured that it will arise. The second maxim is, that God is your Father; for otherwise He would not have commanded you to say, Our Father who art in heaven. And what have you to fear? you are the child of that Father, without whose providence not a hair of your head shall perish. (St. Luke xxi. 18.) It is a marvel that being children of such a Father, we have or can have any care but that of loving and serving Him well. Have the care which He wills you should have, and nothing more; for doing so, you will see that He will have a care for you. Think of Me, He said to St. Catherine of Sienna, and I will think of you. The third maxim you ought to have is that which our Lord taught to His Apostles. He had sent His Apostles hither and thither, without money, without staff, without shoes, without scrip, clad in a single coat; and He says to them afterwards, When I sent you without purse and scrip and shoes, did you want anything? But they said, Nothing. (St. Luke xxii. 35.) I say the same to you. When you were under affliction, even at the time when you had not so much confidence in God, did you perish in affliction? You will tell me, No. And wherefore, then, will you not have courage to succeed in all other adversities? God has not abandoned you so far; how should He abandon you now, when you are willing to be His more than before? Have no apprehensions for future evils of this world, for perhaps they will never come; but in any case, if they do come, God will strengthen you. He commanded St. Peter to walk on the waves; and St. Peter, beholding the wind and the storm, was fearful, and fear made him sink, and he asked his Master for help. But his Master said to him, O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt? (St. Matt. xiv. 31.) And stretching forth His hand to him, He encouraged him. If God wills you to walk upon the waves of adversity, do not doubt, do not be fearful, God is with you; be of good courage, and you will be delivered. The fourth maxim is that of eternity. Of little consequence is it to be under affliction in these passing moments, provided that I am eternally in the glory of my God. We are going into eternity; we have, as it were, one foot there already. Provided it is a happy eternity for us, what matters it if these short moments are painful? Is it possible that we know our tribulations of three or four moments work for us so many eternal consolations, and yet we are not willing to endure them? In fine, what is not for eternity, can be nothing but vanity. The fifth maxim is that of the Apostle: God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Gal.vi. 14.) Plant Jesus Christ in your heart, and all the crosses of this world will only seem to you roses. Those who are wounded by the thorns of the crown of our Lord, who is our chief, hardly feel the smarts of other thorns Reflections: If, according to St. Paul, “to them that love God, all things work together unto good” (Rom 8: 28), is this a promise of heaven, or is this a promise for here on earth as well? It seems many people do not have things “work together unto good.”What is so significant about God being our Father? Is this just a particular/pious way of denoting God?Lent allows us to think more seriously about the things we have by practicing discipline of body and by committing to devotion more attentively. How can this time help us remember that we rely on God for everything, especially to provide our physical means?How can this time of Lent help us focus more on our eternal destiny, and not just in the temporal things that we are “giving up”?What does it mean to glory in the cross of Christ? Sign up for our Living Jesus Chat Room:Come to our Living Jesus Chat Room, 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM Eastern Time U.S. this Sunday . Seats are limited, so come on time. |