Thy Will be Done Part 3

We don't catch many glimpses of God's treasure in Holy Scripture, but what is our first "impression" which the Holy Ghost gives of His spouse?

"Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to thy word"

Thy Will be done. Like mother, like Son. Or in this case, like Son like Mother.

Unfortunately, we do not have an angel sent from God to tell us what God is calling us to do.

Actually, Our Lady didn't have the benefit of that grace for the most part either. She and St. Joseph had to work things out as best they could, without seeing their way clear. And they had it tougher than we do. Not many of us will need to stay in a barn, or be on the run across the desert to protect a child from murder.

We may not have an angel coming to us (although our Guardian Angel gives us nudges from time to time), but we do have our duty of state.

There is a prayer that goes something like this;

"Well, Lord, it's been a pretty good day so far. I haven't yelled at anyone or gossiped or complained.

But soon I'll be getting out of bed, Lord, and then I'm going to need Your help!"

Ah, me. How true.

Referring to the faithful accomplishment of our duty of state, a priest once said that if a person examines their day, they will probably be able to pinpoint at which point their day goes off track.

(cue hysterical laughter from an overworked mother with young children)

Okay, I'm not talking about a typical mother's day. Anyway, the spills and emergencies should be counted as a mother's duty of state anyway. They are her day and path to heaven. They don't get in the way of life. Those interruptions are her life and God's Will for the moment.
And I can say from experience that they end all too soon.
"The days are long but the years are short"
A mother should never think, "Aaarrrgh. I got nothing done today! It's been one problem after another!" Got nothing done? I bet those days are the the most sanctifying. At the end of the world we will see just how much a mother "got done" and how many souls she saved by the constant frustrating of her own will for the sake of her little ones.

But back to my original thought.
A priest once said that if a person examines their day. They will probably be able to pinpoint at which point their day goes off track.

The thing father was talking about was basically at what point do you let yourself get off track in your duty of state....whether it be a phone call that can wait. Or the 2 minutes to check an email that turns into 2 hours. That kind of thing which is simple procrastination, or better put.....resistance of the old man.

In Colossians 3:9-10 and again in Ephesians 4:22-24 St Paul talks about the old man. The old man is the tendencies of the flesh. The wounds of original sin if you will (ignorance, malice, weakness and concupiscence)
By grace we are given the 4 cardinal virtues;
Prudence to combat ignorance
Justice to combat malice
Fortitude to combat weakness and
Temperance to combat concupiscence
(but I digress!)

Anyway, the old man is also the one who is going to resist you in pretty much everything you do

For the good which I will, I do not; but the evil which I will not, that I do. (Romans 7:19)

The battle never ends!

In our family we call the old man the inner brat.

A while back I heard my 8 year old strong willed daughter muttering to herself. She had been having a hard time getting her school work done (resistance).

I asked her what she was doing and she looked up and said, "I'm telling my inner brat to get to work!"

Good habits can go a long way to taming the old man, but he's always there, ready to get up to his old tricks. So if we are serious about following Our Lord in the faithful accomplishment of our duty of state, we have to get intentional. God gives us the grace, but we have to do our part. We have to "prepare our field for the rain of grace" as the story goes.

Mother Mary Loyola (a teaching sister who lived at the turn of the 1900's) wrote many books which have been reprinted by St Augustine Academy Press here

They are wonderful books, but my favorite is, "the King of the Golden City"
If you are not familiar with it you are in for a treat. It is the most beautiful book for children I have read. It treats of the spiritual life and the way to heaven in a story form about a little girl named Dilecta. (they have since adapted this story for boys too!)
One chapter tells about Dilecta and "self" and how she learns not to give in to self, but learn how to be firm with her.

Advent is coming! A new beginning!

Our Lord says; Behold, I come!

Let's get ready!

Auctorem Fidei

Can the SSPX be right about the Novus Ordo? Revision: Feb 11, 2013 On another web forum, I was engaged in a rather heated discussion about the documents of Vatican II.

Morning and Evening and other sundry Prayers

+ JMJ Along the theme of P^3 (Prayer, Penance, Patience), and for my own reference ... here is a collection of Morning and Evening prayers from the Ideal Daily Missal along with some additional prayers. In this crisis of the Church, I do not think it is possible to do too much prayer, penance and have patience. P^3

What the heck is a congregation of "Pontifical Right"

+ JMJ In a discussion with a friend the question occurred to me that I didn't actually know was is involved in being a religious order of 'pontifical right'. I had a vague notion that this meant they reported to Rome as opposed to the local diocese. I'm also aware that, according to the accounts I have heard, the Archbishop received 'praise' and the written direction to incardinate priests directly into the SSPX. This is interesting because it implies that the SSPX priests were no longer required to incardinate in the local diocese but in the SSPX. This is something that belongs to an order of 'pontifical right'. Anyway here's some definitions: Di diritto pontificio is the Italian term for “of pontifical right” . It is given to the ecclesiastical institutions (the religious and secular institutes, societies of apostolic life) either created by the Holy See or approved by it with the formal decree, known by its Latin name, Decretu

Comparision of the Tridentine, Cranmer and Novus Ordo Masses

+ JMJ I downloaded the comparison that was linked in the previous article on the mass (here) . ... a very good reference! P^3 From: Whispers of Restoration (available at this link) . CHARTING LITURGICAL CHANGE Comparing the 1962 Ordinary of the Roman Mass to changes made during the Anglican Schism; Compared in turn to changes adopted in the creation of Pope Paul VI’s Mass in 1969 The chart on the reverse is a concise comparison of certain ritual differences between three historical rites for the celebration of the Catholic Mass Vetus Ordo: “Old Order,” the Roman Rite of Mass as contained in the 1962 Missal, often referred to as the “Traditional Latin Mass.”The Ordinary of this Mass is that of Pope St. Pius V (1570) following the Council of Trent (1545-63), hence the occasional moniker “Tridentine Mass.” However, Trent only consolidated and codified the Roman Rite already in use at that time; its essential form dates to Pope St. Gregory the Great (+604), in whose time the R

Is it sinful to attend the Novus Ordo (New Mass) - Is it Sinful to Not Attend the Novus Ordo on Sunday?

+ JMJ A non-SSPX Catholic is upset over the SSPX statements on not attending the Novus Ordo Missae. Ladies and gentlemen, what the SSPX, or at least its website editor, is advocating is a mortal sin against the Third Commandment. Unless the priest deviates from the language of the Sacramentary, the consecration, and thus the rest of Mass is to be considered valid. No one may elect not to attend Mass simply because abuses are occurring therein. Might I suggest that such absenteeism is its own abuse? The Third Commandment binds under mortal sin. Father So-And-So from the SSPX has no authority whatsoever to excuse attendance at Mass, be that Mass ever so unpalatable. Source:Restore DC Catholicism Well, this is interesting. First why does the SSPX issue this statement? Because it is sinful to put your faith in danger by attending a protestant service. It is likewise dangerous to put your faith in danger by attending a protestantized mass (ie the Novus Ordo Missae

Tradicat

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