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----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Nivard ...
Sent: Thu, 20 January, 2011 17:10:01
Subject: Jesus calls his disciples
Let us pray.
From: Nivard ...
Sent: Thu, 20 January, 2011 17:10:01
Subject: Jesus calls his disciples
Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted to be his apostles.
Here we have the mystery of our vocation. We are here to do only one thing i.e. to sing what I must sing eternally: "The Mercies of the Lord”.
Jesus does not call those who are worthy but those whom he pleases. St. Paul says: "God will have mercy on whom he will have mercy, and he will show pity to whom he will show pity. So then, there is question not of him who wills, not him who runs, but of God showing mercy".
Today we celebrate the birth of St Agnes.
God chose her for himself. She was a mere nothing in the eyes of the world but he showered his extraordinary favours on the twelve year old virgin martyr The child Agnes was faithful unto death. May we likewise persevere faithfully to the end of our ‘white martyrdom’.
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| Saint Agnes |
Today we celebrate the birth of St Agnes.
God chose her for himself. She was a mere nothing in the eyes of the world but he showered his extraordinary favours on the twelve year old virgin martyr The child Agnes was faithful unto death. May we likewise persevere faithfully to the end of our ‘white martyrdom’.
Let us pray.
Almighty, eternal God, you choose what the world considers weak to put the worldly power to shame. May we who celebrate the birth of Saint Agnes into eternal joy be loyal to the faith she professed.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, you Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Bidding Prayer:
Father, we thank you for hearing and answering our prayers. May we continue to praise and thank you for all your blessings throughout the day, through Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion,
Lord God, may this Eucharist renew our courage and strength. May we remain close to you, like St Agnes, by accepting in our lives a share in the sufferings of Jesus Christ , who lives and reigns with you for ever.
DAILY GOSPEL DGO
Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897), Carmelite, Doctor of the Church
MS A, 2 r°-v°
MS A, 2 r°-v°
The mystery of vocation
I'm going to be doing only one thing: I shall begin to sing what I must sing eternally: "The Mercies of the Lord!» (Ps 89[88],1)... Opening the Holy Gospels my eyes fell upon these words: "And going up a mountain, he called to him men of his own choosing, and they came to him." This is the mystery of my vocation, my whole life, and especially the mystery of the privileges Jesus showered upon my soul. He does not call those who are worthy but those whom he pleases or as St. Paul says: "God will have mercy on whom he will have mercy, and he will show pity to whom he will show pity. So then, there is question not of him who wills nor of him who runs, but of God showing mercy" (Rm 9, 15-16).
I wondered for a long time why God has preferences, why all souls don't receive an equal amount of graces. I was surprised when I saw him shower his extraordinary favours on saints who had offended him, for instance, St. Paul and St. Augustine, and whom he forced, so to speak, to accept his graces. When reading the lives of the saints, I was puzzled at seeing how Our Lord was pleased to caress certain ones from the cradle to the grave, allowing no obstacle in their way... Jesus deigned to teach me this mystery. He set before me the book of nature; I understood how all the flowers he has created are beautiful... And so it is in the world of souls. He willed to create great souls comparable to lilies and roses, but he has created smaller ones and these must be content to be daisies or violets destined to give joy to God's glances when he looks down at his feet. Perfection consists in doing his will, in being what he wills us to be.
I wondered for a long time why God has preferences, why all souls don't receive an equal amount of graces. I was surprised when I saw him shower his extraordinary favours on saints who had offended him, for instance, St. Paul and St. Augustine, and whom he forced, so to speak, to accept his graces. When reading the lives of the saints, I was puzzled at seeing how Our Lord was pleased to caress certain ones from the cradle to the grave, allowing no obstacle in their way... Jesus deigned to teach me this mystery. He set before me the book of nature; I understood how all the flowers he has created are beautiful... And so it is in the world of souls. He willed to create great souls comparable to lilies and roses, but he has created smaller ones and these must be content to be daisies or violets destined to give joy to God's glances when he looks down at his feet. Perfection consists in doing his will, in being what he wills us to be.
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