Most Holy Name of Jesus

“Glorious name, gracious name, name of love and of power! Through you sins are forgiven, through you enemies are vanquished, through you the sick are freed from their illness, through you those suffering in trials are made strong and cheerful. You bring honor to those who believe, you teach those who preach, you give strength to the toiler, you sustain the weary” (St. Bernardine of Siena).

The Door of Humility

To enter the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, you have to stoop. The door is too low to enter without bending over. It is called the Door of Humility. Likewise, to see the Savior with your heart, you have to get on your knees. It is a humbling experience, while in prayer, to kiss the feet of the baby in Bethlehem, to kiss the feet of Jesus dying on the cross and then to remember that he was God and did this all for us because God is love.

The Miracle of the Incarnation

The God of humble love who came to be among us.

St. Bonaventure on the Mystery of Christmas
(quoted from Bonaventure by Ewert Cousins)

At the beginning of the creation of nature, our first parents were placed in paradise; but they were driven out by the severity of God's decree because they ate of the forbidden tree. From that time his heavenly mercy has not ceased calling straying man back to the way of penance by giving hope of forgiveness and by promising that a Savior would come. Lest such condescension on God's part should fail to effect our salvation because of ignorance and ingratitude, he never ceased announcing, promising and prefiguring the coming of his Son in the five ages of history, through the patriarchs, judges, priests, kings and prophets, from Abel the Just to John the Baptist. Through many thousands of years, by many marvelous prophecies, he stirred men's minds to faith and inflamed their hearts with living desires.

Finally, the fullness of time (Galatians 4:4) had come. Just as man was formed from the earth on the sixth day by the power and wisdom of the divine hand, so at the beginning of the sixth age, the Archangel Gabriel was sent to the virgin. When she gave her consent to him, the Holy Spirit came upon her like a divine fire inflaming her soul and sanctifying her flesh in perfect purity. But the power of the most High overshadowed her (Luke 1:35) so that she could endure such fire. By the action of that power, instantly his body was formed, his soul created, and at once both were united to the divinity in the Person of the Son, so that the same Person was God and man, with the properties of each nature maintained.

Oh, if you could feel in some way
the quality and intensity of that fire sent from heaven,
the refreshing coolness that accompanied it,
the consolation it imparted;
if you could realize the great exaltation of the Virgin Mother,
the ennobling of the human race,
the condescension of the divine majesty;
if you could hear the virgin singing with joy;
if you could go with your Lady
into the mountainous region;
if you could see the sweet embrace
of the Virgin and the woman who had been sterile
and hear the greeting
in which the tiny servant recognized his Lord,
the herald his Judge and the voice his Word,
then I am sure you would sing in sweet tones
with the Blessed Virgin
that sacred hymn:
my soul magnifies the Lord,
and with the tiny prophet
you would exalt, rejoice and adore
the marvelous virginal conception!

Under the guidance of divine providence, it happened that Joseph, the Virgin's husband, took to the town of Bethlehem the young girl of royal descent who was pregnant. When nine months had passed since his conception, the King of Peace like a bridegroom from his bridal chamber (Psalm 19:5), came forth from the virginal womb. He was brought forth into the light without any corruption just as he was conceived without any stain or lust. Although he was great and rich, he became small and poor for us. He chose to be born away from a home in a stable, to be wrapped in swaddling clothes, to be nourished by virginal milk and to lie in a manger between an ox and an ass. Then "there shone upon us a day of new redemption, restoration of the past and eternal happiness. Then throughout the whole world the heavens became honey-sweet."

Now, then, my soul,
embrace that divine manger;
press your lips upon and kiss the boy's feet.
Then in your mind
keep the shepherd's watch,
marvel at the assembling host of angels,
join in the heavenly melody,
singing with your voice and heart:
Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to men of good will.

I Know My Redeemer Lives

From a Writing by St. Bonaventure

Christ on the Cross
bows His head,
waiting for you,
that He may kiss you;
He stretches out His arms,
that He may embrace you;
His hands are open,
that He may enrich you;
His body is spread out,
that He may give
Himself totally;
his feet are nailed,
that He may stay there;
His side is open for you,
that He may let you enter there.

St. Bonaventure, Soliloquy I, 39

Looking to Jesus

Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross. (Heb 12:1-2)

Lux in Tenebris Lucet

In the beginning was the Word

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God;

all things were made through him,

and without him

was not anything made that was made.

In him was life,

and the life was the light of men.

The light shines in the darkness,

and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:1-5.

Glory To God In The Highest

Now, then, my soul,
embrace that divine manger;
press your lips upon and kiss the boy's feet.
Then in your mind
keep the shepherds' watch,
marvel at the assembling host of angels,
join in the heavenly melody,
singing with your voice and heart:
glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace
to men of good will.

From The Tree of Life by St. Bonaventure

Jesus Christ the Apple Tree

The tree of life my soul hath seen,
Laden with fruit and always green:
The trees of nature fruitless be
Compared with Christ the apple tree.

His beauty doth all things excel:
By faith I know, but ne'er can tell
The glory which I now can see
In Jesus Christ the apple tree.

For happiness I long have sought,
And pleasure dearly I have bought:
I missed of all; but now I see
'Tis found in Christ the apple tree.

I'm weary with my former toil,
Here I will sit and rest awhile:
Under the shadow I will be,
Of Jesus Christ the apple tree.

This fruit doth make my soul to thrive,
It keeps my dying faith alive;
Which makes my soul in haste to be
With Jesus Christ the apple tree.

by Elizabeth Poston
Click here for Choir of King's College, Cambridge.

Jesus Sent From Heaven

At the beginning of the creation of nature, our first parents were placed in paradise; but they were driven out by the severity of God's decree because they ate of the forbidden tree. From that time his heavenly mercy has not ceased calling straying man back to the way of penance by giving hope of forgiveness and by promising that a Savior would come. Lest such condescension on God's part should fail to effect our salvation because of ignorance and ingratitude, he never ceased announcing, promising and prefiguring the coming of his Son in the five ages of history, through the patriarchs, judges, priests, kings and prophets, from Abel the Just to John the Baptist. Through many thousands of years, by many marvelous prophecies, he stirred men's minds to faith and inflamed their hearts with living desires.

Finally, the fullness of time (Galatians 4:4) had come. Just as man was formed from the earth on the sixth day by the power and wisdom of the divine hand, so at the beginning of the sixth age, the Archangel Gabriel was sent to the virgin. When she gave her consent to him, the Holy Spirit came upon her like a divine fire inflaming her soul and sanctifying her flesh in perfect purity. But the power of the most High overshadowed her (Luke 1:35) so that she could endure such fire. By the action of that power, instantly his body was formed, his soul created, and at once both were united to the divinity in the Person of the Son, so that the same Person was God and man, with the properties of each nature maintained.

Oh, if you could feel in some way
the quality and intensity of that fire sent from heaven,
the refreshing coolness that accompanied it,
the consolation it imparted;
if you could realize the great exaltation of the Virgin Mother,
the ennobling of the human race,
the condescension of the divine majesty;
if you could hear the virgin singing with joy;
if you could go with your Lady
into the mountainous region;
if you could see the sweet embrace
of the Virgin and the woman who had been sterile
and hear the greeting
in which the tiny servant recognized his Lord,
the herald his Judge and the voice his Word,
then I am sure you would sing in sweet tones
with the Blessed Virgin
that sacred hymn:
my soul magnifies the Lord,
and with the tiny prophet
you would exalt, rejoice and adore
the marvelous virginal conception!

Under the guidance of divine providence, it happened that Joseph, the Virgin's husband, took to the town of Bethlehem the young girl of royal descent who was pregnant. When nine months had passed since his conception, the King of Peace like a bridegroom from his bridal chamber (Psalm 19:5), came forth from the virginal womb. He was brought forth into the light without any corruption just as he was conceived without any stain or lust. Although he was great and rich, he became small and poor for us. He chose to be born away from a home in a stable, to be wrapped in swaddling clothes, to be nourished by virginal milk and to lie in a manger between an ox and an ass. Then "there shone upon us a day of new redemption, restoration of the past and eternal happiness. Then throughout the whole world the heavens became honey-sweet."

From The Tree of Life by St. Bonaventure

Our Lady's Message from Medjugore, November 25, 2007

“Dear children! Today, when you celebrate Christ, the King of all
that is created, I desire for Him to be the King of your lives. Only through giving, little children, can you comprehend the gift of Jesus´ sacrifice on the Cross for each of you. Little children, give time to God that He may transform you and fill you with His grace, so that you may be a grace for others. For you, little children, I am a gift of grace and love, which comes from God for this peaceless world. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

"I Am The Herald of the Great King"

-Saint Francis of Assisi-

The Exhortation to the Praises of God

Lord God:

you alone are holy,
you who work wonders! You are strong, you are great,
you are the Most High,
you are the almighty King,
you, holy Father, King of heaven and earth.

Lord God: you are Three and you are One,
you are goodness, all goodness,
you are the highest Good, Lord God, living and true.

You are love and charity, you are wisdom,
you are humility, you are patience,
you are beauty, you are sweetness,
you are safety, you are rest, you are joy,
you are our hope
and our delight,
you are justice, you are moderation
you are all our wealth
and riches overflowing.

You are beauty, you are gentleness,

you are our shelter, our guard

and our defender,

you are strength, you are refreshment,

you are our hope,

you are our faith,

you are our love,

you are our complete consolation,

you are our life everlasting,

great and wonderful Lord,

all powerful God, merciful Savior!
Amen.

(Saint Francis of Assisi)

Remember!

Families and friends will gather this Thanksgiving Day. They will come together in warm homes of plenty with the dinner table laden with a feast. Now Jesus enjoyed a good meal. Scripture indicates that he would begrudge no one a fine Thanksgiving dinner. But in the giving of thanks this day, we must also remember.

Remember the poor of the world who will have nothing to eat today and those who will die today of starvation with no home or bed. Remember Saint Francis, Saint Clare, and all the others who gave up all to serve our Lord Jesus Christ and to care for the poor.

And remember Jesus who relinquished heaven and became poor to be among us.

In this remembering, we give thanks for the capacity to love and for the opportunity to act out of this love. In this remembering, there is an action to be taken - on behalf of and with the poor.

Blessed are the poor in spirit:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3.

THE RULE OF THE SECULAR FRANCISCAN ORDER

Article 11

Trusting in the Father, Christ chose for himself and his mother a poor and humble life, even though he valued created things attentively and lovingly. Let the Secular Franciscans seek a proper spirit of detachment from temporal goods by simplifying their own material needs. Let them be mindful that according to the gospel they are stewards of the goods received for the benefit of God's children.

Thus, in the spirit of the Beatitudes, and as pilgrims and strangers on their way to the home of the Father, they should strive to purify their hearts from every tendency and yearning for possession and power.

_____________________________

Image is of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. The painting hangs in the Church of the OFM General Curia in Rome. Source.

Humble Jesus

The Sacred Host, humble Jesus, rests on the tongue.
This same tongue is used to bless and to curse,
to speak words of charity and uncharity,
to bring reconciliation and to bring division.

Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

O most Sacred Heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing, I adore you, I love you and with true sorrow for my sins, I offer You this poor heart of mine. Make me humble, patient, pure and wholly obedient to Your will. Grant, good Jesus, that I may live in You and for You.

Protect me in the midst of danger, comfort me in my afflictions, give me health of body, assistance in my temporal needs, Your blessing on all that I do, and the grace of a holy death. Amen.

This is one of my favorite personal prayers. It is simple and short but seems to cover everything that I might include for myself alone and my relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. It brings to mind The Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order. Could this be because of the connection between Saint Margaret Mary and Saint Francis? Secular Franciscans, pray this prayer to live our Rule more perfectly.

From the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:

"On the feast of St. Francis ( October 4, 1673 ), Our Lord let me see in prayer, this great saint, clad in a garment of light and unspeakable brilliance. He had been raised above the other saints to an extraordinarily high degree of glory, because his life was so like that of the suffering redeemer who is the life of our souls and the love of our hearts. His glory was the reward of his great love for the passion of our Lord, a love which rendered him worthy of the great stigmata and made him one of the great favourites of Jesus' heart. By a very special favour he has been given great power in applying to the faithful the merits of the Precious Blood, a power which made him, in a sense, the mediator of this treasure. After I had seen all this, the Divine Bridegroom, as a token of his love, gave me St. Francis as my soul's guide. He was to lead me through all the pains and sufferings that awaited me."

The Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order

Article X

United themselves to the redemptive obedience of Jesus, who placed his will into the Father's hands, let them faithfully fulfill the duties proper to their various circumstances of life. Let them also follow the poor and crucified Christ, witness to him even in difficulties and persecutions.

Article XII

Witnessing to the good yet to come and obliged to acquire purity of heart because of the vocation they have embraced, they should set themselves free to love God and their brothers and sisters.

Going from Gospel to Life and Life to the Gospel

This is my first post, a test one might say, as I am in the process of learning about blogging and setting up this one. So if you should chance upon my blog any time soon, please consider it a work in progress. I hope to improve it as days go by and hope that you visit again.

I am a Secular Franciscan, and much of the focus of this blog will be Saint Francis and Secular Franciscans. Recently I taught the ongoing formation lesson for my fraternity, Our Lady of the Pearl, Pearlington, Mississippi. It was on Article 4 of our rule, shown below.

What does it mean to be a Secular Franciscan? Article 4 is the essence of whom we are, the goal of the SFO, which is to observe the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ by following in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi, to make Jesus' pattern of life and his teachings our own as much as possible, to have a personal relationship of intimacy with him, and to have, as our own, his values and commands for living. Peace and All Good, Little Scribe

THE RULE OF THE SECULAR FRANCISCAN ORDER

ARTICLE 4

The rule and life of the Secular Franciscans is this: to observe the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ by following the example of Saint Francis of Assisi, who made Christ the inspiration and the center of his life with God and people.Christ, the gift of the Father's love, is the way to him, the truth into which the Holy Spirit leads us, and the life which he has come to give abundantly.
Secular Franciscans should devote themselves especially to careful reading of the gospel, going from gospel to life and life to the gospel.

Peace and All Good,

Little Scribe