Old Testament: "Gebirah" - The Great Lady/Queen Mother

Queen Mother Purpose
1. Establish their son on the throne
2. Exercise their authority for the benefit of the kingdom
3. Intercede on behalf of the subjects of the king

Luke 1:28
"Hail" - Only for royalty

Does honoring Mary take away from honoring our Lord?
Mary always pointed us to God in the Scriptures, and she always will.
She points to God and magnifies Him.

The Assumption reminds us of our final goal.

What reasons are there to believe in the Assumption?
1. Sacred Tradition has told us that after Mary slept, all that was left were flowers.
2. Revelation 12 references a woman clothed with the sun. The Church has interpreted this to mean Mary.
3. In the Old Testament, Enoch and Elijah were taken up into heaven. It has happened before,
4. Why wouldn't Our Lady be taken up into heaven?

St. Francis de Sales - An Introduction to the Devout Life

“All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” ― Blaise Pascal, Pensées

Purity of Intention - To do all things for love of God and His glory and to unite our will with His will
Vainglory attempts to steal glory from God for yourself. It sneaks in later on to ruin good things, like eating to excess after originally eating for necessity

"Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you." - Matthew 6:1-6

But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work." - John 4:32-34

"Render service with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not to men and women" - Ephesians 6:7

Remedies for Vainglory

1. St. Bernard says to recognize it before it gets you, saying vainglory only kills those who are inconsiderate and negligent.

2. "Never say any thing of yourself that may redound to your praise, though the person you speak to should be one of your most familiar friends; but on the contrary endeavour to hide all your virtues, with more care than you take to hide your vices and imperfections." - St. Bernard (Bern. in formulâ honestæ vitæ)

3. Hide your good actions so that only God knows about it.

4. If you are not able to hide your good actions, purify your intention and offer all your thoughts, words, and actions.

5. Know yourself. It will lead to humility to fight vainglory.

How do we know when we have a pure intention?

1. Not envious when others do well: But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy." - James 3:14-17

2. A holy indifference to whatever we are assigned in our state of life, as long as follow God's will.

Humility is the root of all other virtues and the foundation of charity.

"You aspire to great things, begin with little ones; you desire to erect a very high building, think first of the foundation of humility. The foundations are always sunk proportionally to the intended weight of the building; and the higher one intends it, the deeper must the foundations thereof be laid." St. Augustine - Serm. x. de verb. Dom.

- Without humility "everything else is like a huge heap of hay which we have piled up, but which with the first gust of wind is blown over and scattered far and wide. The devil has little respect for those devotions which are not founded on humility, because he knows well that he can get rid of them whenever he pleases." - St. John Vianney, Sermon on humility

Humility is the basis of charity. St. Augustine says "the dwelling place of charity is humility."

"To remain little is to acknowledge one's nothingness and to expect everything from the good God, as the child expects everything from its father." - St. Thérèse of Lisieux

"What pleases Jesus is to see me love my littleness and poverty, the blind hope that I have in His mercy. This is my only treasure." - St. Thérèse of Lisieux

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." - Matthew 11:28-29

"True humility, however deep it may be, neither disquiets, nor troubles, nor disturbs the soul; it is accompanied by peace, joy, and tranquility . . . It enlarges it, and makes it fit to serve God better." - St. Teresa of Avila

"[F]alse humility only disturbs and upsets the mind and troubles the soul, so grievous is it. I think the devil is anxious for us to believe that we are humble and, if he can, he will lead us to distrust God." - St. Teresa of Avila

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"You owe such a great debt to your Father—God! He has given you life, intelligence, will... He has given you his grace: the Holy Spirit; Jesus, in the Sacred Host; divine sonship; the Blessed Virgin, the Mother of God and our Mother. He has given you the possibility of taking part in the Holy Mass; and he grants you forgiveness for your sins. He forgives you so many times! He has given you countless gifts, some of them quite extraordinary...
Tell me, my son: how have you corresponded so far to this generosity? How are you corresponding now?" - St. Josemaría Escrivá, The Way, 11

1. Reflect on your past year in the light of four categories:
- Physical
- Spiritual
- Mental
- Emotional

2. Begin with general goals (e.g. reach heaven, I want to eat better, I want to be in better shape).

Cassian relates that the Abbot Moses, one day, in a spiritual conference, asked his religious, What was it they aimed at by alt their praying, fasting, watching, and other austerities? When they answered, That it was the kingdom of heaven: he replied, I know very well that heaven is your last and great end; but what is the immediate and particular object by which you mean to attain your last end? (Cassian Col. V. cap. iii. and iv.)

A certain man, says he, having a field, which was all overrun with briers and thorns, sent his son to stub and clear it. The young man, perceiving the laborious task imposed on him by his father, lost courage, and fell asleep the first day, and the second day he did the same, for which his father reprehended him, saying, Son you must not look upon this work all together, and in the gross, as if you were to do it all at once; but you must undertake every day as much as you can easily perform. The son followed the father's advice, and in a short time the whole field was cleared.

3. Break the general goal down into small, specific pieces.

4. Schedule in your tasks, especially with prayer and exercise.

5. Move toward the goal every single day.

Other example areas of growth:
- Exercise
- Eating right and well
- Prayer time, specifically mental prayer, but also other devotions like the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and the Liturgy of the Hours
- Sacrament Participation
- Reading the Bible
- Spiritual Reading
- Daily Journaling
- Nightly Examination of Conscience
- Morning Offering

"Be definite. Don’t let your resolutions be like fireworks that sparkle for a moment, to leave behind as hard reality a blackened, useless stub that one throws disgustedly away." - St. Josemaría Escrivá, The Way, 247

"Make few resolutions. Make them definite. — And fulfil them with the help of God." - St. Josemaría Escrivá, The Way, 249

"I listened in silence as you said, ‘Yes, I want to be a saint.’ Though usually such a vague and general statement seems nonsense to me." - St. Josemaría Escrivá, The Way, 250

Recommended Spiritual Reading for Beginning a Habit of Prayer
- The Ignatius Bible: Revised Standard Version - Second Catholic Edition (My Favorite Bible) https://amzn.to/2SvAuTx
- Searching for and Maintaining Peace by Fr. Jacques Philippe (My Favorite) https://amzn.to/2RiZUX9
- Interior Freedom by Fr. Jacques Philippe https://amzn.to/2BQGnDA
- Time for God by Fr. Jacques Philippe https://amzn.to/2LIsL1I

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1. St. Oscar Romero
- Had both a deep connection with God and was a strong force for good in the political world
- Fought for the poor, despite governmental oppression and violence
- Assassinated by the government, a martyrdom out of a hatred for the faith

2. St. Vincent Romano
- Also had a deep love for the interior love and the Eucharist to go with external works from that interior life
- Cared for orphans and the poor in Naples, even rebuilding his church from an eruption by Mt. Vesuvius

3. St. Francesco Spinelli
- Co-founded the Sacramentine Sisters in Bergamo with Saint Geltrude Comensoli

4. St. Nunzio Sulprizio
- Parents died early on in life, leaving him to be taken in by his abusive uncle
- Offered all his suffering to God and died from illness at 19

5. St. Nazaria Ignacia March Mesa
- Founded the Missionaries of the Crusade

6. St. Maria Katerina Kasper
- Was not able to join a religious order due to economics and geography, so she founded her own: the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ
- 1,725 religious in 193 houses by the time of her death

7. Pope St. Paul VI
- Ushered the Catholic Church through Vatican II and into the modern era
- Maintained the Church's teaching on contraception in Humanae Vitae
- Opened up dialogue with the outside world

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Purpose:
1. Obtaining God's mercy
2. Trusting in God's mercy
3. Mercy may be shown to others

To be prayed on rosary beads:

(Optional) "You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us."

(Optional) "O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You! " X3

Our Father

Hail Mary

Apostle's Creed

On every Our Father bead: "Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world."

On every Hail Mary bead: "For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world."

"Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world." X3

(Optional) "Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion — inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself."

Day 1:
For all mankind, especially all sinners

Day 2:
For all priests and religious

Day 3:
For all devout and faithful souls

Day 4:
For those who do not believe in God and those who do not know Me

Day 5:
For those who have separated themselves from My Church

Day 6:
For those who are meek and humble and the souls of little children

Day 7:
For those who especially venerate My mercy

Day 8:
For those who are in the prison of Purgatory

Day 9:
For those who have become lukewarm

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1. Imitate Christ
2. Love of Poverty
3. Love for Nature

The Three Evangelical Counsels:
1. Poverty
2. Chastity
3. Obedience

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"Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them." - John 14:23

". . . and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me." - Galatians 2:20

"The union of the Christian with Christ is not just a similarity of inclination and feeling, a mutual consent of minds and wills. It has a more radical, more mysterious and supernatural quality: it is a mystical union in which Christ Himself becomes the source and principle of divine life in me." - Thomas Merton

"By this life, Jesus Christ imparts to me His Spirit. In this way, He becomes the principle of a superior activity which raises me up, provided I do not obstruct it, to think, judge, love, will, suffer, labor with Him, by Him, in Him, and like Him. My outward acts become the manifestations of this life of Jesus in me. And thus I tend to realize the ideal of the INTERIOR LIFE that was formulated by St. Paul when he said: 'I live, now not I, but Christ liveth in me.'" - Jean-Baptiste Chautard, O.C.S.O.

"To perceive means to listen in silence...and only in silence is hearing possible. Moreover the strong the determination prevails to hear all there is, the more profound and more complete the silence must be." - Josef Pieper

"You will never find interior solitude unless you make some conscious effort to deliver yourself from the desires and cares and attachments of an existence in time and in the world. Do everything you can to avoid the noise and the business of men...be glad if you can keep beyond the rearch of their radios. Do not bother with their unearthly songs. Do not read their advertisements." - Thomas Merton

"Lord, may my motto be: Thou in me and I in Thee! How beautiful is Your presence within me, in the inmost sanctuary of my soul. May my continual occupation be to retire into myself, that I may lose myself in You, and live with You. I feel You so vividly in my soul, that I have only to become recollected to find You there within me, and in that I find all my happiness . . . O Lord, let me live with You as with a friend! Help me to live in the awareness of faith always, in order that I may be united to You no matter what happens. I bear heaven in my soul, since You, who satiate the blessed in the Beatific Vision, give Yourself to me in faith and mystery . . . Grant, O my God, that my soul may be a little heaven wherein You can rest with delight. In order that I may attain this end, help me to remove everything that might offend Your divine eyes, and then permit me to live always with You in this little heaven. Wherever I am or whatever I do, You never leave me alone; grant that I, too, may always remain with You. At every hour of the day and night, in joy or sorrow, in every work and action, may I always know how to find You within me! . . . O my God, Blessed Trinity, be my dwelling, my rest, my Father's house which I shall never leave. Let me abide in You, not for a few fleeting minutes or hours, but permanently, habitually. May I pray in You, adore in You, love in You, suffer in You, work and act in You alone. Let me remain in You to offer myself to others through You, to attend to all my duties, while always penetrating further into Your divine depths. O Lord, grant that every day I may advance along the path of the abyss that leads me to You, that lets me slide down this slope with a confidence full of love." - St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

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