Replies

Visit Me by Night

Saturday, 11 January 2014 20:47

While praying before the Most Holy Sacrament at night:

A great work of love is being done here,
one that proceeds directly from My Eucharistic Heart
to glorify My Father and to redeem the world,
for the work of redemption is continued
in the Sacrament of My Body and Blood
until the end of time. . . .

I am here [in the Most Blessed Sacrament] for you and for the whole world.
Take your place here before Me,
and abide before My Face,
close to My Heart that is all love.

It is no little thing for a poor human creature of Mine
to prefer My Eucharistic Love to an hour of sleep in the night.
Only in heaven will you know the worth of an hour so spent.
Come to Me, then.
Visit Me, and remain with Me by night,
and I will work for you, and with you, and through you
by day.

By nocturnal adoration you will obtain from My Heart
things which cannot be obtained from Me in any other way,
especially the liberation of souls
from the influence and oppression of the powers of darkness.

More souls are saved and liberated by adoration made during the night
than by any other form of prayer:
this is the pray that unites you most closely
to My own nights passed entirely in prayer
during My life on earth.

Come to Me, then, by night,
and you shall experience My power and My presence at your side
during the day.
Ask of Me whatsoever you will
by coming to Me at night,
and you will experience My merciful help at break of day.
I love with a love of predilection
those whom I call to be with Me during the hours of the night.

The prayer of adoration at night
has the power and efficacy of that prayer made with fasting
that I recommended to My apostles
as the means of expelling demons
from the souls whom they torture and oppress.
For this reason, the demons fear and hate adoration made at night,
while the Angels rejoice over it,
and place themselves at the service of the soul who desires to do it.

From In Sinu Iesu, The Journal of A Priest

Regnum Christi

Jesus’ Humility

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

The Baptism of the Lord

Father Paul Campbell, LC

Matthew 3: 13-17

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

Introductory Prayer: Lord, thank you for this time to be with you. I believe in you. I believe that you are here with me and that you want to speak with me today. I wish to open my heart to hear your word and put it into practice out of love for you.

Petition:Lord, help me to grow in the virtue of humility.

1. Jesus Lines up with Sinners: John was preaching a baptism of repentance, and large numbers of people were coming to John to repent of their sins. They wanted to change the direction of their lives and be reconciled with God. Jesus came along with the crowd. Even though he is the sinless one, he numbered himself among the others and proceeded to the Jordan as if he, too, were a sinner like them. To appreciate this gesture, we need only to recall how much we resent it when we are perceived as guilty for something we didn’t do. It’s even costly to have our real faults pointed out to others. Yet here, even when he is so far from the slightest stain of guilt, Jesus peacefully and humbly accepts being labeled a sinner like everyone else. He does this for our sake. Am I overly concerned about how I appear to others so that this negatively affects my good deeds?

2. A Humility that Bows to the Father’s Will: John did not want to baptize Jesus, because he knew that Jesus was not like the others. Yet Jesus made it clear that this was part of the Father’s plan, and this plan was the driving force in his life. Pride did not get in the way of Jesus’ obedience. Rather, his Father’s will was the food that fed and nourished his life. “My food is to do the will of the Father and to finish his work” (John 4:34). What does my own heart “feed on”? If it is not fed on the Father’s will, then could pride be subtly at work turning me into my own highest purpose?

3. A Father’s Blessing:Heaven responded to Christ’s obedience. This moment foreshadows the definitive opening of heaven to mankind’s salvation, accomplished through Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary. The heart of sacrifice is obedience, and obedience is not possible without humility. Jesus humbled himself before John the Baptist. The Father saw his obedience and was pleased, praising him out loud: “This is my beloved Son.” To listen to him is to follow his example.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, thank you for the gift of yourself. Teach me to be humble. It is hard for me to put others ahead of myself, to take second place, to let others win the praise and glory I crave for myself. Help me to be humble and to seek repentance from all sin in my life. I need your help to do your will. Strengthen and guide me in your service.

Resolution: I will do a hidden act of charity for someone.