JESUS has many lovers of His heavenly king­dom, but few cross-bearers. Many desire His consolation, but few His tribulation. Many will sit down with Him at table, but few will share His fast. All desire to rejoice with Him, but few will suffer for Him.

Many will follow Him to the breaking of the bread, but few will drink the bitter cup of His Passion. Many revere His miracles, but few fol­low the shame of His cross. Many love Jesus when all goes well with them, and praise Him when He does them a favor; but if Jesus conceals Himself and leaves them for a little while, they fall to complaining or become depressed.

They who love Jesus purely for Himself and not for their own sake bless Him in all trouble and anguish as well as in time of consolation. Even if He never sent them consolation, they would still praise Him and give thanks.

Oh how powerful is the pure love of Jesus, when not mixed with self-interest or self-love! Are not they to be called hirelings who always look for comforts? And they who think only of their own advantage, do they not show them­selves to be lovers of self rather than of Christ? Where will a person be found ready to serve God without looking for a reward?

It is hard to find anyone so spiritual who is willing to be stripped of all things. Where will you find a person truly poor in spirit and free  from all attachment to creatures? Such a one is a “rare treasure brought from distant shores”(cf. Prov 31:14).

If we were to give up all our possessions, it is still nothing; if we did severe penance, it is but little; if we acquired all knowledge, still are we far from virtue. Even if we had great virtue and fer­vent devotion, we would be lacking that one thing necessary above all else. And what is that one thing? That leaving all things behind, we should leave self, renouncing our self completely and keeping nothing of self­ love. And then when we have done all things that we know we ought to do, let us think that we have done nothing. We should not regard as great that which may be considered so by others, but rather let us in truth look upon ourselves as worthless servants.

As our Lord, the Truth, has said: “When you have done all you have been commanded to do, say, ‘We are useless servents” (Lk 17:10). Then we will be truly poor in spirit and able to say with the Prophet: “I am alone and afflicted” (Ps 25:16). Yet there is no one richer or more powerful, no one more free than we are if we know how to re­nounce ourselves and all things, putting our­selves in the lowest place.

Fr. Thomas a Kempis  (Imitation of Christ)

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Fr. Ignatius on the various graces and charisms that the various saints have been given by Our Lord and how St. John of the Cross was given the gift to embrace the Cross of Christ which involves self-sacrifice and how this relates to love of God and neighbor.

Ave Maria!

Mass: St. John of the Cross – Mem

Audio (MP3)

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The post Dec 14 – Homily – Fr Ignatius: St. John, Lover of the Cross first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Fr Terrance gives the homily at Bloomington, IN, on Aug 01, 2023, where he continues his series on Franciscan Spirituality, and Spiritual Christocentrism, explaining how Christ is The Way, The Truth and The Life, showing the Franciscan triple way. Today he focuses on the first two, Christ as the The Way and The Truth.

Praise be Jesus and Mary. Today, we delve further into Franciscan spirituality, highlighting Christ as ‘the way’ and ‘the truth’ [John 14: 6 – I am the way, the truth, and the life – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/14?6]. According to Saint Bonaventure’s life of Saint Francis, Francis found Christ everywhere, in the universe and every being, his love for God reflected in all creations. His love yearned for a physical embodiment of Christ, leading him to Palestine to walk in Jesus’ footsteps, connecting with his experiences, from Bethlehem to Calvary.

In sharing Christ’s experiences with others, Saint Francis presented varied facets of Christ, to comfort the timid, inspire the weary, and ignite yearning for union with God. This led to the spread of devotion to Christ’s sacred humanity. Saint Francis’s reflections on Christ, especially his humility and suffering, encourage us to imitate and love Christ, seeking a deep union with God [1 John 4: 16 – God is love and has loved us – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/4?16].

Saint Bonaventure and Francisco de Osuna both emphasized the vital role of Christ’s sacred humanity in achieving a deep union with God. For them, the only way to God was through fervent love for Christ. Therefore, Christ is first, the way, and also the truth.

Saint Francis, guided by prayer and intuition, sought truth in Christ with unwavering determination. According to Saint Bonaventure, we gain knowledge and understanding through the Word (the second person of the Trinity) who illuminates our souls, making everything intelligible. All aspects of creation make sense when viewed through the lens of Christ’s mystery, as confirmed by John 14:21 – Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him. – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/14?21 and Psalm 36:9 – For with you is the fountain of life, and in your light we see light – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/36?9.

For Francis, the Cross of Jesus was his ‘book’ of truth, guiding his understanding and spiritual journey, as was for Saint Bonaventure. Meditating on the cross provides a pathway to truth, inflaming hearts with love for God. By meditating and embracing the cross, one is illuminated with the ‘light of life’ [John 8: 12 – I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/8?12].

00:00 – Introduction: Christ as the Way and Truth
00:25 – Bonaventure’s Perspective on Francis’s Vision of Christ
01:28 – Francis’s Pilgrimage to Palestine and His Experience
02:08 –Christ Presented by Saint Francis
03:17 – Deep Union with God & the Role of Christ
04:10 – Christ as the Way and the Truth
05:08 – Understanding Christ and Perception of All Things
06:11 – The Cross of Jesus as the Central Book

Ave Maria!

Francisco de Osuna – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_de_Osuna

St Bonaventure – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonaventure

This is a continuation of his series of homilies on Franciscan Spirituality – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNN151zTIO4&list=PLejh_e0-LN4xgMllKrzSasL2Hljd5BHom

The material for this series comes primarily from Ciccarelli, Marciano M., “I capisaldi della spiritualità francescana” in Italian, which translates as “The Cornerstones of Franciscan Spirituality”. No English translations exist at the time of this recording.

Mass: St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori – Mem – http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=1284
Readings: Tuesday 17th Week of Ordinary Time – http://usccb.org/bible/readings/080123.cfm
1st: exo 33:7-11, 34:5-9, 28
Resp: psa 103:6-13
Gsp: mat 13:35-43

More on the Readings: http://dev.airmaria.com/r?m=1120&r=1457

Also on Facebook: https://fb.watch/m8SibbSp1Q/
and YouTube: https://youtu.be/ECz4-G9_PIQ

The post FS #42: Spiritual Christocentrism, Part 3 – Aug 01 – Homily – Fr Terrance first appeared on AirMaria.com.