Assumption of Our Lady

"O Mother of God and of men, we beg you to purify our senses, so that we may begin to enjoy God here on earth and Him alone, in the beauty of creatures." (Pope Pius XII)

"Mary's Assumption shows us the route we must follow in our spiritual ascent: detachment from the earth, flight toward God, and union with God.

Our Lady was assumed body and soul into heaven because she was Immaculate; she was all-pure -- free not only from every shadow of sin, but even from the slightest attachment to the things of earth, so that she 'never had the form of any creature imprinted in her soul, nor was moved by such, but was invariably guided by the Holy Spirit.' (John of the Cross, Ascent III 2,10)

The first requirement for attaining God is the fruit of total detachment. The Blessed Virgin, who lived her earthly life in absolute detachment from every created thing, teaches us not to allow ourselves to be captivated by the fascination of creatures, but to live among them, occupying ourselves with them with much charity, but without ever letting our heart become attached to them, without ever seeking our satisfaction in them.

In her Assumption Mary speaks to us of flight toward heaven, toward God. It is not enough to purify our heart from sin and all attachment to creatures, we must at the same time direct it toward God, tending toward Him with all our strength...Our earthly life has value for eternal life insofar as it is a flight toward God, a continual seeking after Him, a continual adherence to His grace. When this flight fails, the supernatural value of our existence lessens. --from Divine Intimacy, p. 1150

Sacrifice

"My penance consisted in breaking my will, always so ready to impose itself on others, in holding back a reply, in rendering little services without recognition."

St. Therese of Lisieux
taken from the Society of the Little Flower, August 10, 2010

Unless a grain of wheat dies...

John 12:24-26

"St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr, preached the Gospel by his love for the poor, his courage under torture by fire, and his unswerving love for Christ" (from Magnificat, p.133)

"Every morning and evening a man who really takes care of his heart must rewind it for God's service." St. Francis de Sales (quoted in Magnificat, p. 132)

They were overwhelmed with grief

Matthew 17: 22-27

"The world is in flames. The conflagration can also reach our house. But high above all flames towers the cross. They cannot consume it. It is the path from earth to heaven. It will lift one who embraces it in faith, love, and hope into the bosom of the Trinity...
The eyes of the crucified look down on you asking, probing. Will you make your covenant with the crucified anew in all seriousness? What will you answer him.? 'Lord, where shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.'" -- St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (from Magnificat, August 2010, pp.128-9)

"To God the darkest depths of the human heart are as clear as the page of a book lying open in the sunlight. He knows us thorough and through -- and loves us as deeply as he knows us! Rather than hide from him, let us put our life in the hands that fashioned us and allow him to lead us in the path of life eternal." (Magnificat, p. 122)

Perfection

We must keep our eyes fixed on God in everything we say, do, or undertake. We must make a firm resolution to overcome, with God's grace, all the difficulties inherent in the spiritual life. God wants to humble by means of a multitude of internal and external troubles and trials.
A soul depends on grace in proportion to its desire for greater perfection.
Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection (1691)
taken from Magnifiicat July 21, page 298-299

Who do you say that I am?

Matthew 16:13-23

"Christian living consists in loving, imitating and serving Christ. The heart has an important role in this life to such an extent that if, through lukewarmness or a hidden pride, our life of piety suffers it becomes almost impossible to move ahead. To follow Christ closely means to be his friends. That friendly, intimate union leads us to follow even the smallest of his precepts: love is expressed in deeds. After many attempts - all in vain - to find Christ, St Augustine shares with us his experience: 'I looked all around for the strength I needed to delight in You and could not find it, until I at last embraced the Mediator between God and man: the Man, Jesus Christ...' We are to love a man - Jesus Christ!...

When in the intimacy of our hearts our Lord asks, And you, who do you say that I am?, we should respond with the faith of Peter: You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God, the Way, the Truth and the Life... Without him my life would be completely empty and I would be lost.
(from In Conversation With God, vol. 4, pp.319-320)

Eyes Fixed on the Lord

Matt 14:22-36
"The difficulties that surround us don't matter if we walk with faith and confidence toward Jesus, who is waiting for us. It doesn't matter if the waves are high and the wind strong, or that it's not natural for man to walk on water. If we look to Jesus, we can do anything; and looking at him is the virtue of piety. If through prayer and the sacraments we remain close to Jesus, we will remain on the right path. If our gaze wanders away from Jesus, we will sink; we will be incapable of even a single step, even on firm ground.

...At times, God asks for things which seem apparently impossible, but which become a reality when we act with faith, with our sight fixed on the Lord...

...Peter would have remained firm on the waters and would have reached the Lord if he had not separated his confident gaze from the Lord. All the tempests put together, those within the soul and those arising from outside, cannot shake us as long as we have firm recourse to prayer. To abandon prayer, to pray with little intimacy or sincerity, exposes us to sink into discouragement, pessimism and temptation." (from In Conversation With God, vol.4, pp 304-306)