Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter
“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)
WEDNESDAY, May 19th Jn. 17: 11B-19 “I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the Evil One.”
- This is Jesus’ prayer to His Heavenly Father on our behalf. We are to remain in the world. Why? To be salt, to be light!
- “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” (Mt. 5:13)
- “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Mt. 5:14-16)
- At the same time, Jesus asks the Father to keep us from the Evil One, the enemy of our soul, the devil. For this we need God’s Grace!
GRACE: GOD’S RICHES AT CHRIST’S EXPENSE! By Father Ed Broom, OMV
On one occasion the Great Saint, Mystic and Woman Doctor of the Church, Saint Catherine of Siena was given by God the grace to contemplate one soul in the state of sanctifying grace. Enthralled and captivated by the magnificent beauty of this one soul, the holy woman mystic fell to her knees ready to adore this soul—believing the soul to be God Himself. God quickly informed Saint Catherine that this person was not God; put very simply, this was nothing more than a soul living in the state of sanctifying grace.
The utter, ineffable and indescribable beauty of this one anonymous soul in the state of sanctifying grace moved Saint Catherine to the very depths of her soul and caused her to fall to her knees, almost casting her into ecstasy!
SANCTIFYING GRACE, WHAT IS IT? WHERE DOES IT COME FROM? HOW TO GET IT? Sanctifying grace is participation in the very life of God Himself. It is the “God within us” that makes us pleasing to God. We first receive sanctifying grace at the moment of our reception of Holy Baptism. It is a free, gratuitous gift from God whose nature is to give abundantly, and as abundantly and copiously as we are willing to receive.
THE GRACE OF ALL GRACES. In one of his many writings, Saint Alphonsus asserted the following related and pertinent to our present topic: “The grace of all graces is to die in the state of grace.” Therefore, let us present a clear but demanding pathway in our lives to appreciate and realize to the highest degree possible, the reality of grace in our soul. If we follow this program we can constantly, by making a concerted effort with the help of God’s grace (no pun intended!), preserve grace in our soul, defend grace in our inner being, grow in God’s grace, be a channel of grace to others we meet, and be a means of spreading and growing the grace of God in the world at large.
Let us turn to Mary, the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church, and the Mother of us all, who is the full of grace, to help us appreciate grace and grow in grace until we reach our Heavenly Home!
TEN WAYS THAT WE CAN GROW IN GRACE DAILY…
1. MORTAL ENEMY NUMBER ONE: SIN—MORTAL AND VENIAL.
The worst enemy in our spiritual life in general is the reality of sin. If you like, it is toxic, poisonous, lethal, and deadly in our pursuit of living and growing in sanctifying grace. Venial sin diminishes God’s grace in our soul; mortal sin—our worst enemy—expels grace from our soul. Let us humbly beg God for the grace to detest and have an abhorrence for sin—all sin, but especially mortal sin!
2. PRAYER.
What air is to the lungs, so is prayer to the soul. It is recorded in the life of the Jesuit scholar Suarez that after having written many solid, scholarly works, he said that he would gladly trade all of these for the value of one fervently prayed HAIL MARY! The reason? This saintly scholar, at the end of his life, arrived at a keen awareness of the value of grace and how grace flows to the soul through prayer, and especially through Mary, the full of grace! This being said, any prayer offered to God with humility, purity of intention, and love increases grace in our souls.
3. PENANCE: PRACTICE OF SACRIFICES.
Our Lady of Fatima stated with sadness that many souls are lost for all eternity because not enough prayers and sacrifices are offered to God for the conversion of poor sinners. In the eyes of God, even though they may be small, any sacrifice made with love attains grace, and sometimes even the grace necessary for the conversion of a sinner, especially deathbed sinners. Saint Therese stated: “Pick up a pin for the love of God and you can save a soul.”
4. CHARITY/SERVICE TOWARDS OTHERS.
All the saints are unanimous on the greatest of all virtues—it is supernatural love or charity. Saint Paul expresses this truth eloquently in his letter to the Corinthians—I Cor. 13. Get in the habit of striving on a daily basis to put into practice at least one, better yet some of the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy; they are seven apiece. By practicing concrete acts of love toward our neighbor, grace increases in our soul! Let us get to work!
5. SACRAMENT OF CONFESSION.
Now we are ascending to a higher level or realm of attaining grace—that is to say, the Sacramental life. If we have the misfortune or disgrace of forfeiting the grace of God in our soul through committing a mortal sin, we should never despair, but place our trust in God’s Infinite Mercy. Remember the words of the Psalm: “God is slow to anger but rich in mercy.” (Ps. 145:8) Even if we have not fallen into mortal sin, we can still have recourse to frequent Confession by confessing our venial sins, thereby augmenting sanctifying grace in our souls, utilizing the Sacrament of Confession as preventive medicine as well as healing medicine!
6. DOCILITY AND OPENNESS TO THE INSPIRATIONS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Another most efficacious means to augment grace in our soul is to live a recollected life and be open to God’s presence through the inspirations of the Holy Spirit. The more humble, silent, pure, and recollected we can become, the more powerful the work of the Holy Spirit in such a beautiful soul. Therefore, when the Holy Spirit gives us a gentle but insistent nudge, inspiration, knock at the door of our heart, each time we say YES a deluge of graces descends into the terrain of our soul and growth in holiness takes place. “If today you hear His voice harden not your hearts.” (Heb. 3:15) Rather, may our response always be: “Speak, O Lord, for your servant is listening.” (1Sam 3:10)
7. BECOME A BEGGAR BEFORE GOD, YOUR MASTER.
Jesus stated unequivocally the importance of the prayer of petition or prayer of supplication: “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Mt 7:7) If you humbly beg God, as well as Our Lady, the full of grace, to give you the ability to defend grace in your soul, strengthen grace in your soul, as well as grow in grace, no doubt this request will be granted. In fact, God desires to communicate grace to us even more than we desire to receive it!
8. THE GREATEST MEANS OF SKY-ROCKETTING IN GRACE: HOLY MASS AND HOLY C0MMUNION.
By far and beyond comparison, the most efficacious means by which we can grow in grace, better yet skyrocket in grace, is a fervent, humble, confident and worthy reception of the most Holy Eucharist. The reason could not be clearer: the Eucharist is GOD HIMSELF! Therefore, decide now to make a concerted effort to attend Holy Mass and receive Holy Communion as often as possible, with passion, fervor, and burning love for Jesus in your heart. If done, every fervent Holy Communion can result in the reception of an immense ocean of graces! Yes, and immense ocean of graces!
9. HAVE MASSES OFFERED FOR YOU AND YOUR INTENTIONS.
Arriving at the celebration of my Silver Jubilee as a priest, my good Mom won the prize of all the gifts that I received on that momentous occasion. She had 25 Masses offered for my 25 years as a priest. Explosions of grace skyrocketing to the sky, an infinite ocean of blessings and graces flowing from every one of those Masses that were offered for me and my intentions. I am infinitely grateful for such a gift and blessing—Thanks Mom!
10. OUR LADY: “THE FULL OF GRACE”.
It goes without saying that turning to Mary, the full of grace, and praying to her frequently and fervently is one of the most efficacious means to preserve sanctifying grace in our soul, to defend it, augment it, and eventually die in the state of sanctifying grace.
Every time we pray the HAIL MARY with love and devotion, Our Lady communicates grace to our soul. Better yet, every time we recite the most Holy Rosary to Mary—50 times more graces—like a deluge—rain down from heaven into the garden of our soul.
Therefore, let us beg Our Lady, the full of grace, to attain for us the grace of all graces—to die in the state of sanctifying grace—so as to be united with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Mary and the Angels and Saints forever in Heaven!
