8/31/2007

"Keep our hearts in all diligence"

Lord Jesus,
You lived in obedience to your Father in working out our salvation in silence of heart. Let us then guard our hearts, let us guard our mouths.
May we receive from the Father a pure heart like David
“to build a temple for My name.” (I Kings 8:18)

Give us the fortitude of Soloman to,
“Keep our hearts in all diligence.” (Proverbs 4:23)
We cry out to You as Isaiah did,
“Woe is me, for I am undone, for I am a man of unclean lips.” (Isaiah 6:5)
In Your Divine Mercy, “Hedge thy possession about with thorns,
(Hosea 2:6) and bind up thy silver and gold, (Exodus 20:23) and make a door and a bar for thy mouth, (Nehemiah 7:3) and a yoke and a balance for thy words.” “The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me,
and His word was on my tongue.” (2 Samuel 23:2)
Amen
Francis Ambrose of Divine Mercy T

Yea, the Lord Himself in the Gospel worked out in silence the salvation of
men.45 David rightly therefore enjoined on himself not constant silence, but watchfulness.
10. Let us then guard our hearts, let us guard our mouths. Both have been written about. In this
place we are bidden to take heed to our mouth; in another place thou art told: “Keep thy heart with
3
all diligence.”46 If David took heed, wilt thou not take heed? If Isaiah had unclean lips—who said:
“Woe is me, for I am undone, for I am a man, and have unclean lips”47
“Hedge thy possession about
with thorns, and bind up thy silver and gold, and make a door and a bar for thy mouth, and a yoke
and a balance for thy words”?48 Thy possession is thy mind, thy gold thy heart, thy silver thy speech:
“The words of the Lord are pure words, as silver tried in the fire.”


A good mind is also a good
possession. And, further, a pure inner life is a valuable possession. Hedge in, then, this possession
of thine, enclose it with thought, guard it with thorns, that is, with pious care, lest the fierce passions
of the flesh should rush upon it and lead it captive, lest strong emotions should assault it, and,
overstepping their bounds, carry off its vintage. Guard thy inner self. Do not neglect or contemn it
as though it were worthless, for it is a valuable possession; truly valuable indeed, for its fruit is not
perishable and only for a time, but is lasting and of use for eternal salvation. Cultivate, therefore,
thy possession, and let it be thy tilling ground.

8/05/2007

"What good can a protestant convert do?"

Thank you for this open dialog to comment on what good can a protestant convert do in the Church. I agree with your example of the cradle Catholics being much like us 3rd and 4th generation Americans taking much of the freedoms and blessings for granted. But I don't see that true with all cradle Catholics! I too am a new convert totally excited with my relationship in Christ Jesus now lived out in the one true Catholic and Apostolic Church. Earlier today, I was blessed to be in a Catholic men’s fellowship group where we pray together and review the readings for Sunday Mass. During our time together the group leader Dan who is cradle catholic expressed how he was praying with a friend that has a view that his life won’t change till he gets to heaven. Dan discussed with his friend that he believed that he could experience heaven now, and that it’s not a place. I then spoke up and shared with the group that Dan’s perspective comes directly from his Catholic upbringing and my Protestant upbringing had that heaven after we die mentality for real change to take place. So I believe this blessing goes both ways leaving the Protestant ways of thinking and embracing the sacramental culture traditionally kept in the Catholic Church but taken for granted needs to be encouraged in our brothers and sisters life of faith in Christ when we see it manifest. So when I see my Catholic brother or sister who may seem to have no clue as to what they are here for during Mass, it gives me the opportunity to pray that they may receive the fullness of the grace that their baptism as offered them in Christ Jesus. Steve I agree that the time is now and “Cradle Catholics are coming alive and the Church is like a sleeping giant awakening”. God Bless your efforts by His grace!