Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori
15 December – Saturday of the Second week of Advent
The greatest sorrow of Jesus
“Consider Jesus, who revealed to the Venerable Agatha of the Cross, that which afflicted Him more than any other sorrow was hardness of the hearts of humanity. This sorrow, was the bitter chalice that Jesus begged the Father to remove from Him, saying, “Let this chalice pass from me. ” What chalice? The contempt with which His love was treated. Our Lord revealed to St Catherine of Siena that this was the reason that He exclaimed from the cross, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?”
Knowing this sorrow, let us change our will, repent of our sins and resolve to love God. In this way, we shall then find peace, that is, the divine friendship that we seek. We beg the Lord for the necessary grace to execute what we propose. We call upon our Blessed Lady and ask that she not cease to pray until we are changed and made into what God wishes us to be.”
Scripture
“So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.”
Matthew 17:12b
Prayer (St Alphonsus)
“O my most amiable Jesus,
how much have I caused You to suffer?
In the future,
I will love You above all things,
ready to give up my life a thousand times,
in order to accomplish Your will.
Mary Holy Mother,
I beg your prayer and loving care.
Please help us all.
Amen”
Advent Action
Today’s Scriptures encourage us to look for the signs of Jesus, who will restore life to us. “Lord, help me see the signs of Your coming. Let me not be blinded by the glare of business or the millions of lights in malls and on trees. Rather, let me look for You in the small things of the day, with my heart longing for You. “Christ dwelt for nine months in the tabernacle of Mary’s womb. He dwells until the end of the ages in the tabernacle of the Church’s faith. He will dwell forever, in the knowledge and love of each faithful soul.” [Blessed Isaac of Stella (c 1100-1170) Cistercian Monk] Amen!”
“Now is the time to say to Jesus:
“Lord, I have let myself be deceived;
in a thousand ways I have shunned Your love,
yet here I am once more,
to renew my covenant with You.
I need you.
Save me once again, Lord,
take me once more into
Your redeeming embrace”.
Pope Francis – The Joy of the Gospel
AnaStpaul 