Humility vs Humiliations

My one word for the year 2013 is RENEW because every area of my life needs exactly that. While raising and maintaining a large family is truly a blessing and joy for me, the daily logistics of it all has blocked the conduit of God's grace where it should be freely flowing. Yes, God has been baking me a big humble pie but I have been ignoring the aroma that has been creeping into my conscience. However, the timer has rung and I can no longer dismiss the fact that God is trying to get my attention.

So, I am praying the Litany of Humility everyday asking God to show me the areas that need renewing. It is truly a litany that will either bring you to your knees or your pride will not allow you to finish it. I am also meditating on one of the Stations of the Cross each day, as Fr. Cameron of the Magnificat magazine has so wisely suggested. Today is the Second Station, Jesus Bears His Cross. 

I can only speak for myself, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I am not the only one who prays and asks God for humbleness. However, I do not want to be humiliated! One cannot be achieved without the other but pride always gets in the way. Meditating on the Second Station today clearly reminded me of Jesus' example of accepting the humiliations God has prepared for me from all eternity. I get easily irritated, hurt, indignant, or even angry at someone that God has placed in my path to humble me. To become humble, I need to recognize and accept the humiliations that God sends my way every day and submit to them patiently; it is this act of the will that leads to true humbleness and not a false sense of humbleness. St. Mary Magdalen dei Pazzi puts it so beautifully in her prayer to our Lord, "No one can acquire humility if he does not fix his gaze on You, O Word, on the Cross."

My ejaculatory prayer for the rest of Lent will be "O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine." Jesus is speaking about humility of the heart, because every virtue, every reform of life, if it is to be sincere, must come from the heart, out of which comes our thoughts and actions. I tell my children this quite often but I'm not sure they see me modelling it to well. RENEW. RENEW. RENEW.

Morning Prayer

I have been teaching our eight year old son the Morning Offering, a prayer that instantaneously enters my mind and heart before my feet hit the floor for the new day. It is a prayer I pledged to say when I was enrolled in the Brown Scapular. There are mornings when my prayer is rushed and then there are mornings when I wake up, for reasons unknown this side of heaven, at 4:00 A.M.and my prayer is recited slowly and intentionally to our Lord.

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer Thee all my

prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day for all the 

intentions of Thy Most Sacred Heart and for the Holy

Sacrifice of the Mass offered throughout the world today. 

In reparation for my sins, for the conversion of sinners, 

for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for all the intentions

of our associates, and for the intentions of the 

Holy Father recommended this month.

I just happen to come across some beautiful quotes by St. John Vianney on the Morning Offering. Don't you love it when that happens in such a Holy Spirit manner!

"In your work, offer your difficulties and troubles quite simply to God ... and you will find that his blessing will rest upon you and all you do." On the Sanctification of Daily Life.

"Receive, O my God, all my thoughts and all I am going to do today, in union with all you bore out of love for me during your life on earth." On the Sanctification of Daily Life.

"Never forget that it is at the beginning of each day that God has the necessary grace for the day ready for us. He knows exactly what opportunities we shall have to sin ... and will give us everything we need if we ask him then. That is why the Devil does all he can to prevent us from saying our Morning Prayers or to make us say them badly." On Morning Prayers.

It is the sweetest sound to hear your children offering their prayers to God in their child like ways, not able pronounce the r's and w's quite right yet. Jesus loves the little children, may we offer our day to Him with the same trusting, child like faith.