Our Morning Offering – 9 March
The First Week of Lent
Thursday
Lord,
I’m not always eager to do Your will.
I’d often much rather do my own will.
Please be with me on this Lenten journey
and help me to remember
that Your own spirit can guide me
in the right direction.
I want to “fix” my weaknesses
but the task seems overwhelming.
But I know that with Your help,
anything can be done.
With a grateful heart,
I acknowledge Your love
and know that without You,
I can do nothing. Amen
LENTEN REFLECTION – Wednesday of the First Week of Lent – 8 MARCH
Now, I have used the word “subtle” already and it needs some explanation. By a subtle temptation or a subtle sin, I mean one which it is very difficult to find out. Everyone knows what it is to break the ten commandments, the first, the second, the third and so on. When a thing is directly commanded and the devil tempts us directly to break it, this is not a subtle temptation but a broad and gross temptation. But there are a great many things wrong which are not so obviously wrong. They are wrong as leading to what is wrong or the consequence of what is wrong, or they are wrong because they are the very same thing as what is forbidden but dressed up and looking differently.
The human mind is very deceitful; when a thing is forbidden, a man does not like directly to do it but he goes to work if he can to get at the forbidden end in some way. It is like a man who has to make for some place. First he attempts to go straight to it but finds the way blocked up; then he goes round about it. At first you would not think he is going in the right direction; he sets off perhaps at a right angle but he just makes one little bend, then another, till at length he gets to his point. Or still more it is like a sailing vessel at sea with the wind contrary but tacking first this way and then that, the mariners contrive at length to get to their destination. This then is a subtle sin, when it at first seems not to be a sin but comes round to the same point as an open direct sin.
To take some examples. If the devil tempted one to go out into the highway and rob, this would be an open, bold temptation. But if he tempted one to do something unfair in the course of business, which was to one’s neighbour’s hurt and to one’s own advantage, it would be a more subtle temptation. The man would still take what was his neighbour’s, but his conscience would not be so much shocked. So equivocation is a more subtle sin than direct lying. In like manner a person who does not intoxicate himself, may eat too much. Gluttony is a more subtle sin than drunkenness because it does not show so much. And again, sins of the soul are more subtle sins than sins of the body. Infidelity is a more subtle sin than licentiousness.
Even in our Blessed Lord’s case the Tempter began by addressing himself to His bodily wants. He had fasted forty days and afterwards was hungered. So the devil tempted Him to eat. But when He did not consent, then he went on to more subtle temptations. He tempted him to spiritual pride and he tempted Him by ambition for power. Many a man would shrink from intemperance, of being proud of his spiritual attainments; that is, he would confess such things were wrong but he would not see that he was guilty of them.
Blessed John Henry Newman (Excerpt from a sermon for the first Sunday in Lent )
The utter humility of John of God, which led to a totally selfless dedication to others, is most impressive. Here is a man who realised his nothingness in the face of God. The Lord blessed him with the gifts of prudence, patience, courage, enthusiasm and the ability to influence and inspire others. He saw that in his early life he had turned away from the Lord and, moved to receive his mercy, John began his new commitment to love others in openness to God’s love. It is amazing what good we can do for others if we only put our mind and hearts to it and don’t count the cost and don’t worry about who gets the credit! For all his work and pains, many thought St John of God was a lunatic but it didn’t stop him. He gave back good for persecution! An example to us all.
St John of God, Pray for us!
Quote/s of the Day – 8 March
“Have charity, first for our own souls, then with the
neighbour. For, as water quenches fire, so charity
quenches sin.”
“When I am depressed, I can find no better remedy than in
gazing in contemplation on Jesus Christ crucified and
thinking of His most holy passion and of the distress He
suffered in this life.”
“The first (virtue) is faith, believing all that
holy mother church believes and holds,
keeping and putting into practice
what she commands”
~~~~~ St John of God
One Minute Reflection – 8 March
If you are unfaithful, (Christ) will still remain faithful………2 Tm 2:13
REFLECTION – “Whether you like it or not, you will grow apart from human beings. However, Christ is faithful and always with you. Fot Christ provides all things.”……….St John of God
PRAYER – Lord Jesus, help me to remain faithful to You rather than to trust in others. However, should I ever be unfaithful please continue to be faithful to Your promises and grant me the grace to do penance. St John of God, pray for us, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 8 March
The First Week of Lent
Wednesday
Dear Lord,
I know You receive what is in my heart.
Let me be inspired by Your words
and by the actions of Your son, Jesus.
Guide me to make sacrifices this Lent
in the spirit of self-denial
and with greater attention to You
and to those around me.
Help me to believe that You will grant me this,
that You will guide and teach me
in the way of the sacrifice
that Jesus made for me.
Amen
LENTEN REFLECTION – Tuesday of the First Week of Lent – 7 MARCH
by St Ambrose of Milan (337-397 AD) Doctor of the Church
The devil demonstrates simultaneously his weakness and his wickedness.
He is unable to harm anyone who does not harm himself. In fact, anyone who denies heaven and chooses the earth is, as it were, rushing towards a precipice, even though running of his own accord.
The devil, however, starts working as soon as he sees someone living up to faith’s commitments, someone who has a reputation for virtue, who does good works.
He tries to worm vanity into him, to make it possible for him to be puffed up with pride, become presumptuous, lose trust in prayer and not attribute to God the good that he does but to take all the credit himself.
Our Father: Creator, Redeemer, Saviour and Comforter.
In Heaven: In the angels and the saints. You give them light so that they may have knowledge, because You are light. You inflame them so that they may love, because You are love. You live continually in them so that they may be happy, because You are the supreme good, the eternal good, and it is from You all good comes and without You there is no good.
Hallowed be your name: May our knowledge of You become ever clearer, so that we may realise the breadth of Your blessings, the extent of Your promises, the height of Your majesty and the depth of Your judgments.
Your kingdom come: So that You may reign in us by Your grace and bring us to Your kingdom, where we shall see You clearly, love You perfectly, be happy in Your company and enjoy You for ever.
Your will be done, on Earth as in Heaven: That we may love You with our whole heart by always thinking of You; with our whole mind by directing our whole intention towards You and seeking Your glory in everything; and with all our strength by spending all our energies and affections of soul and body in the service of Your love alone. And may we love our neighbour as ourselves, encouraging them all to love You as best we can, rejoicing at the good fortune of others, just as if it were our own and sympathising with their misfortunes, while giving offence to no one.
Give us today our daily bread: Your own beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to remind us of the love He showed for us and to help us to understand and appreciate it and everything that He did or said or suffered.
And forgive us our sins: In Your infinite mercy, and by the power of the passion of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, together with the merits and the intercession of the Blessèd Virgin Mary and all the saints.
As we forgive those who sin against us: And if we do not forgive perfectly, make us forgive perfectly, so that we may truly love our enemies for love of You and pray fervently to You for them, returning no one evil for evil, anxious only to serve everybody in you.
Lead us not into temptation: Hidden or obvious, sudden or unforeseen.
But deliver us from evil: Present, past or future. Amen.
Sts Perpetua and Felicity were ordinary wives and mothers, who were swept up in the madness of persecution, who loved their families and their children and certainly were not eager to die. But heroism is found everywhere and their example has inspired Christians who have had to suffer for their faith, throughout the ages. They could so easily have turned back – they were not even baptised yet! And what of their teacher Saturus, who voluntarily joined the catechumens so that he might die for Christ with them and who (we presume it was he) baptised them whilst in prison – his name, in my opinion should be included with theirs. THIS is bravery, this is our example, are we ready, willing and able to defend, to protect, to stand tall and if necessary to die?
Sts Perpetua, Felicity and Saturus, pray for us!
Quote/s of the Day – 7 March
“Father do you see this water jar,
or whatever it is, standing here?
Could one call it by any other name
than what it is? Well, in the same way
I cannot be called by any other name
than what I am—a Christian.”……..St Perpetua
“Now it is I who suffer what I am suffering;
then, there will be another in me who will
suffer for me, because I will be suffering for Him.”…St Felicity
One Minute Reflection – 7 March
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him…………Matthew 6:8
REFLECTION – “…….Remember that He permits every thing for your good and do not lose confidence:” ………. St Alphonso Maria de Liguori
PRAYER – Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Stay with us Lord God and give us courage as you did Sts Perpetua and Felicity, whose prayers and intercession we request, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 7 March
The First Week of Lent
Tuesday
Father of my soul,
Mother of my heart,
I know Your love for me
is limitless beyond imagining.
You care for me as a loving parent.
Through my smallest Lenten sacrifices,
help me to become less selfish
and more aware of Your ways.
Fan the flame of my desire
to draw ever closer to You.
Guide me to seek Your love
and then to share it freely.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 6 March
Like St Joan of Arc, St Colette had a mission from the Lord and, when she was sure of that mission, gave her whole life to it. In her day, holiness had declined even among religious and she was determined to recover a life of holiness for the daughters of St Francis and St Clare. No obstacles turned her back, for God was on her side. With God, she believed she could and she did, accomplish all things ……. and THIS is the message to you and me – with God on our side WE CAN!
St Colette, pray for us!
Quote of the Day – 6 March
“If there be a true way
that leads to the
Everlasting Kingdom,
it is most certainly that
of suffering, patiently endured.”
St Colette
One Minute Reflection – 6 March
Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer…….Romans 12:11-12
REFLECTION – “I dedicate myself in health, in illness, in my life, in my death, in all my desires, in all my deeds so that I may never work henceforth except for Your glory, for the salvation of souls and towards the reform for which you have chosen me. From this moment on, dearest Lord, there is nothing which I am not prepared to undertake for love of You.”………………..St Colette
PRAYER – “We must faithfully keep what we have promised. If through human weakness we fail, we must always without delay arise again by means of holy penance, and give our attention to leading a good life and to dying a holy death. May the Father of all mercy, the Son by his holy passion and the Holy Spirit, source of peace, sweetness and love, fill us with their consolation. Amen.” (Prayer of St Colette) St Colette Pray for us!
Our Morning Offering – 6 March
The First Week of Lent
Monday
Loving God,
You call us back to You
to come with all the strength of our hearts.
I feel Your call to me deep inside
and I know You want me to come to You
as much as I wish to return and give You my all.
Please, Lord,
give me the wisdom to know how to
make my journey to You this Lent.
And fill me with Your grace,
forgiveness and gentle love.
Amen
The cross is the tomb which absorbs all human pride:”Come thus far; I said and no farther: here your proud waves shall break” (Job 38:11). The waves of human pride break against the rock of Calvary and they can go no further. The wall God erected against them is too high and the abyss he dug before them too deep. ‘We must realize that our former selves have been crucified with him to destroy this sinful body’ (Romans 6:6). The body of pride — for this is the sin par excellence, the sin that gives rise to all other sins. ‘He was bearing our faults in his own body on the cross’ (1 Peter 2:24). He bore our pride in his body.
But what concerns us in all this? Where is the ‘gospel’, the good and joyful news? It is that Jesus humbled himself also for me, in my place. ‘If one man has died for all, then all have died’ (2 Corinthians 5:14); one has humbled himself for all, therefore all have humbled themselves. Jesus on the cross is the new Adam obeying for all. He is the head, the beginning of a new mankind. He acts in the name of all and for the benefit of all. As ‘by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous’ (Romans 5:19), by one man’s humility, many will be made humble.
Pride, like disobedience, is no longer part of us. It is part of the Old Adam. It has become old-fashioned. The new thing now is humility, which is full of hope because it opens up a new existence based on giving, love and solidarity and no longer on competitiveness, social climbing and taking advantage of one another. ‘The old creation has gone and now the new one is here’ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Humility is one of these marvelous new things.
What, therefore, does it mean to celebrate the mystery of the cross ‘in spirit and in truth’? When applied to what we are celebrating, what is the significance of the ancient maxim: ‘Acknowledge what you are doing, imitate what you are celebrating’? It signifies that you should implement within yourself what you represent externally; put into practice what you are commemorating in the liturgy.
…I must give Christ ‘the sinful body of my pride’, so that he can destroy it de facto just as he destroyed it by right once and for all on the cross. When I was a boy, the people of my region used to light a bonfire in the country at nightfall on the eve of certain feasts which could be seen over the hills. ach family would bring some wood and vine branches to keep the fire going while, around it, the rosary would be recited. Something similar must take place here this evening in preparation for the great feast of Easter. Each one of us should throw, in spirit, his load of pride, vanity, self-sufficiency, presumption, haughtiness into the great furnace of Christ’s passion.
We must imitate the saints in heaven as they adore the Lamb, for this is the model for our adoration here on earth. Revelation tells us the saints approach the throne in procession and fall down before him who is seated and they ‘threw down their crowns in front of the throne’ (Revelation 4:10). They cast the real crowns of their martyrdom and we cast the false crown with which we have crowned ourselves. We must ‘nail all feelings of pride to the cross’ (St Augustine, On Christian Doctrine 2,7,9).
On the cross Jesus did not just reveal or practice humility; he created it too. True Christian humility consists in participating in Christ’s inner state on the cross. St Paul says, ‘In your minds you must be the same as Jesus Christ’ (Phil. 2:5); the same mind and not a similar one. Apart from this, many other things can be taken for humility which are really either natural inclination or timidness, or a liking for understatement, or simply common sense and intelligence, when they are not a refined form of pride.
Once we have put on Christ’s humility, it will be easier, among other things, to work for Christian unity, for unity and peace naturally follow humility. This is also true in families. Marriage starts with an act of humility. A young man who falls in love and who on his knees, as was once the custom, asks a girl to marry him, makes the most radical act of humility in his life. He begs and it is as if he were saying, ‘Give me yourself. Alone, I am not sufficient to myself, I need you!’ We could say that God created humankind male and female to help them to be humble, not to be haughty and self-sufficient and to discover the blessing of depending on someone who loves you. He inscribed humility in our very flesh. But, unfortunately, pride too often takes over again and the person we love has to pay for the initial need we had of him or her. Then a dreadful wall of pride rises between the two partners and their incommunicability extinguishes all joy. This evening, Christian spouses are also invited to place all resentment at the foot of the cross, to be reconciled to one another, embracing each other for the sake of Christ who, on this day on the cross, ‘killed the hostility’ (Ephesians 2:16).
(Fr Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M. Cap. is an Italian Catholic priest in the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin and theologian and writer. He has served as the Preacher to the Papal Household since 1980, under Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.)
When St Eisebius of Cremona (memorial today) went to Rome to collect funds on behalf of St Jerome, he noticed that Rufinus, an old friend of Jerome’s – though not on good terms with him, was translating the works of Origen, against whose writing St Jerome was arguing. Eusebius secretly removed the works and sent them to Jerome, thus in fact stealing and causing a final rift between the two. So even saints sometimes do disgraceful things and St Eusebius’ theft of Rufinus’ manuscript was a thoughtless act of an overzealous friend embroiled in the controversies of the day. It is good to know that even saints have faults and that such faults detract nothing from their holiness. For – a saint is a sinner who keeps on trying! NEVER FORGET IT!
Quote of the Day – 5 March
St Mother Teresa
One Minute Reflection – 5 March
The Lord is far from the wicked but the prayer of the just he hears….Prv 15:29
REFLECTION – “Let us unceasingly prepare ourselves for prayer by carrying out our dutes with great fidelity. Then let us come before our divine Saviour with all the simplicity of our souls.”,,,,,,,,St Mary Euphrase
PRAYER – Almighty God, move me to prepare myself for prayer by a good life. Grant that I may pray to You by my works as well as by my words. Teach me to truly live the words I pray. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 5 March
The First Week of Lent
Sunday
Lord God,
You who breathed
the spirit of life within me.
Draw out of me
the light and life You created.
Help me to find my way back to You.
Help me to use my life
to reflect Your glory
and to serve others
as Your son Jesus did.
Amen
LENTEN REFLECTION – 4 MARCH
To redeem a servant, the Father spares not His own Son, and the Son delivers Himself up most willingly. Both send the Holy Spirit and the Spirit Himself interceded for us with unspeakable groaning (Romans 8:26).
O hard, and hardened, and hard-hearted children of Adam! How can you remain unmoved by such great kindness, such blazing fire, so prodigious a flame of love and so ardent a lover, who paid such an extravagant price for a worthless piece of goods!
“Not with perishable things like gold and silver” did Jesus redeem us, but with his own “precious blood” (1 Peter 1:18-19) which flowed out liberally from the five parts of Jesus’ body.
What more should He have done that He did not do? He enlightened the blind, brought back the stragglers, reconciled the guilty and justified the ungodly.
Thirty-three years He was seen on earth. He lived among humans, He died for humans, He spoke concerning the Cherubim and Seraphim and all the angelic powers and they came to be (Psalm 33:9). When He wills it, all power is there with him (Wisdom 12:18).
What then does He who sought you with such concern now seek from you, if not that you walk mindfully with your God (Micah 6:8)? No one but the Holy Spirit enables us to this.
It is He who probes the depth of our hearts (1 Corinthians 2:10), He who discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).
He does not allow the slightest amount of chaff to settle inside the dwelling of a heart which He possesses but consumes it in an instant with a fire of the most minute scrutiny.
He is the sweet and gentle Spirit who bends our will, or rather straightens and directs it more fully toward his own so that we may be able to understand His will truly, love it fervently, and fulfill it effectively.
Thought for the Day – 4 March
The calendar of the saints is studded with young saints: Agnes, Aloysius, Doiminic Savio, Maria Goretti……many more and today’s saint, Casimir. They chose to be different, independent and very bold during the times they lived. They chose to stand out from the crowd (almost the complete opposite of the desire of most of the young) and because of this choice, they had to walk a very singular path to sanctity. Casimir and Aloysius, both were princes but chose devotion to God above all, at a very early age. Youth too, needs its. saints and God sends them to us!
St Casimir pray for us especially for our youth!
Quote of the Day – 4 March
““(St Casimir’s) life of purity and prayer
beckons you to practice your faith
with courage and zeal,
to reject the deceptive attractions
of modern permissive society
and to live your convictions
with fearless confidence and joy.”
St John Paul in 1984, to Lithuanian pilgrims, on the 500th anniversary of St Casimir’s death
One Minute Reflection – 4 March – The Memorial of St Casimir (1458-1484) Confessor, Prince
“But above all these things have charity, which is the bond of perfection…” – Col 3:14
REFLECTION – “By the power of the Holy Ghost, Casimir burned with a sincere and unpretentious love for Almighty God that was almost unbelievable in its strength. So rich was his love and so abundantly did it fill his heart, that it flowed out from his inner spirit toward his fellow men. As a result nothing was more pleasant, nothing more desirable for him, than to share his belongings and even to dedicate and give his entire self to Christ’s poor, to strangers, to the sick, to those in captivity and all who suffer. To widows, orphans and the afflicted, he was not only a guardian and patron but a father, son and brother.” (From the Biography of Saint Casimir, written by a contemporary).
PRAYER – Loving Father, pour out Thy divine love into my heart and soul. Let me co-operate with that love and in this way strive for perfection in all virtues. St Casimir, you are a shining example to us all of how love should look, of how love should behave, please pray that we may too become beacons and hearts burning with love for all! Amen.
Our Morning Offering – 4 March – The Memorial of St Casimir (1458-1484 -aged 25)
Prince Casimir chose a life of celibacy and asceticism. He died at the age of twenty-six from tuberculosis, on 4 March 1484. He was buried in the cathedral at Vilna (now Vilnius, Lithuania). When in 1604 his tomb was opened for translation to the church that Sigismund III built in his name, his body was found to be fresh and whole. He was holding this prayer to the Virgin in his hands, in perfect condition.
His Memorial is today, 4 March.
Every day, O my soul,
pay your respects to Mary,
Make her feasts solemn
and celebrate her brilliant virtues.
Contemplate and admire her elevation;
Proclaim her blessedness
both as Mother and Virgin.
Honour her, so that she delivers you
from the weight of your sins.
Invoke her, so as not to be driven
by the torrent of passion.
I do know if anybody
can honour Our Lady worthily
Yet, he who keeps silent
in her praises is senseless.
Everyone should exalt
and love her in a special way,
And never cease to cherish and pray to he.
O Mary, the honour and glory of all women,
You who God has raised above all creatures,
O Virgin of Mercy, hear the prayers of those
who never stop praising you.
Purify those who are guilty
and make them worthy of heaven.
Hail, O holy Virgin,
through whom the gates of heaven
were opened to undeserving souls
You, who, the old serpent’s snares
never managed to seduce.
You repair and console despairing souls,
Preserve us from the evils
that will fall on the wicked,
Obtain perpetual peace for me,
And save us from the misfortune
of the flames of Gehenna;
Obtain for us the virtues of chasty and modesty,
and male us gentle, kind, sober, pious, prudent, upright
and the enemy of all falsehood.
Grant me meekness, love of harmony and purity.
Make me strong and constant
on the path of righteousness.
Amen
LENTEN REFLECTION – 3 MARCH
Christ’s self-emptying was neither a simple gesture nor a limited one. He emptied Himself even to the assuming of human nature, even to accepting death, death on a cross (Philippians 2:7).
Who is there that can adequately gauge the greatness of the humility, gentleness and self-surrender, revealed by the Lord of majesty in assuming human nature, in accepting the punishment of death, the shame of the cross?
But somebody will say: “Surely the Creator could have restored His original plan without all that hardship?” Yes, He could but He chose the way of personal suffering so that man would never again have reason to display that worst and most hateful of all vices, ingratitude.
Even if God made you out of nothing, you have not been redeemed out of nothing. In six days He created all things and among them, you. On the other hand, for a period of thirty whole years He worked your salvation in the midst of the earth.
What He endured in those labours! To His bodily needs and the abuses from His enemies did He not add the mightier burden of the humiliation of the cross and crown it all with the horror of His death? And this was indeed necessary. Man and beast you save, 0 Lord (Psalm 36:6). How you have multiplied your mercy, 0 God!
Thought for the Day – 3 March
At first St Katharine Drexel was going to give only her fortune to the work of the missions but instead, at the suggestion of the Pope, gave herself. Her long life was spent bringing the faith to others and inspiring others to join her. God wants more than our generosity – He wants us! Perhaps we should look around and see how we might serve Him?
Katharine’s vast inheritance was distributed among her father’s twenty-nine favourite charities. Not a penny went to her own community. She wanted her sisters to live by faith, trusting God—not money—for everything!
St Katharine Drexel, pray for us!
Quotes/s of the Day – 3 March
“My sweetest Joy is to be in the presence of Jesus in the holy Sacrament. I beg that when obliged to withdraw in body, I may leave my heart before the holy Sacrament. How I would miss Our Lord if He were to be away from me by His presence in the Blessed Sacrament!”
“It is a lesson we all need – to let alone the things that do not concern us. He has other ways for others to follow Him; all do not go by the same path. It is for each of us to learn the path by which He requires us to follow Him and to follow Him in that path.”
“Often in my desire to work for others I find my hands tied, something hinders my charitable designs, some hostile influence renders me powerless. My prayers seem to avail nothing, my kind acts are rejected, I seem to do the wrong thing when I am trying to do my best. In such cases I must not grieve. I am only treading in my Master’s steps.”
St Katharine Drexel
One Minute Reflection – 3 March
He who does not take up his cross and come after me is not worthy of me…………….Matthew 10:38
REFLECTION – “The cross is the greatest gift God could bestow on His elect on earth. There is nothing so necessary, so beneficial, so sweet, or so glorious as to suffer something for Jesus. If you suffer as you ought, the cross will become a precious yoke that Jesus will carry with you.”…………..St Louis Grignion de Montfort
“The patient and humble endurance of the cross whatever nature it may be, is the highest work we have to do.”………..St Katharine Drexel
PRAYER – Lord Jesus, impress upon me that without a cross on earth there will be no crown in heaven. Help me to bear my cross daily for You as You bore Your Cross for me and for all mankind. St Katharine Drexel, pray for us, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 3 March
Written by Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val (1865-1930),
Secretary of State for Pope Saint Pius X
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being loved, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being honoured, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, deliver me, O Jesus.
That others may be loved more than I, O Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may increase and I may decrease, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything, grant me the grace to desire it.
You must be logged in to post a comment.