Father Mark Goring has been reading , with his viewers my favourite Spiritual Book, 'The Interior Mansions by Saint Teresa of Avila. As an offshoot he presents a video on Interior Visions. So interesting, The modern trend has been to dump Mysticism and the Mystical in favour of things like Social, Political and Environmental action. Whereas in fact the Mystical, the exploration of the Mystery of Christ , the Journey towards personal holiness is what our Faith is actually all about. To dump the mystical is rather like placing yourself in a trash can and locking yourself in. Its a form of Spiritual Suicide. Yet as you may know , to try to go up to many priests and try to discuss the Mystical will have them running away screaming as though you had leprosy. Try if you don't believe me to have a conversation with many about , say a Marian Apparition and you may very well be looked at as a dog who has brought a dead rat home. So seeing Fr Mark , a keen idealistic young priest post a very very spiritual/ mystical video like this is at the same time very surprising and very refreshing. God bless the Fr Mark's of this time. Jeremiah 33:3 Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.
I'm not quite sure. I think St Bernadette asked Our Lady one time why she choose her out of the whole town and Our Lady replied that if she could have found someone more unworthy in Lourdes then she would have choosen her. Also in Scripture, I believe God tells the Hebrews that in the whole world there was no people more unworthy, but that He choose them so that His power might all the more be made manifest. All the same Saint Bernadette or St Joan of Arc seemed very good choices to me... but then if Mary said it I am sure she spoke the truth. God often causes me much head scratching.
One of the visionaries{I think it was Ivanka} of Medjugorje asked the Blessed Virgin why she picked them and she answered- I do not always pick the best.
By the way, when Jesus and Mary say they choose the most "unworthy", what is their basis for this "unworthy" thing, does it mean the "least holy person? or the most poorer and most humble?" because I know they can never choose a visionary who can be "holy" but habitually commits mortal/venial sins...
haha! that's why I don't believe in the sayings of the seers of Medjugorje, but I believe that prayers are answered in the Consecrated Catholic Church in Medjugorje.
Father Mark is spot on about God permitting us to encounter His help directly. He describes very clearly how an image or clarity can suddenly pop up in your mind, and importantly accompanied by an inner peace. I am pretty sure this will mean nothing to others who have not experienced it; but will share one thing God taught me just as Father Mark describes. We had been taught from childhood to 'offer it up' to God when we were hurt or upset or whatever. The honest truth is I could never figure that one out. If something bothered or upset or hurt me, I would put it down to...that's life, get over it. In the Faith department, asked to offer it up, I could quite easily throw it at God if I was physically able to, and tell Him to keep it. The thought of making an offering simply went over my head. Well one day out of the blue and then in my late sixties, as I entered our local Church and was just inside the door. As clear as the light of day it came to my mind that we all live our lives and face ups and downs as we journey through life. We have a choice we can make and that is accept these things as part of our service to God, or we can own our ups and downs, and use them for our own benefit as for example learning opportunities. How often do we hear it said. Lessons need to be learned especially when things go wrong in our society, no doubt we will hear it about the covid19 at some point. Anyway, with the clarity and peace that suddenly came over me, I realised offering everything good, bad or indifferent to God by uniting with Jesus sufferings, enables Jesus to bless our ups and downs and difficulties, and transform them for the good of souls. I hope my own experience will somehow help and encourage others; because no one ever succeeded in getting through to me what offering things up meant until that day when God or His Holy Spirit opened the eyes of my mind, and it is a joy to realise the value of joys and sorrows and sickness made available to God through uniting with Jesus and His life of offering and suffering. Jesus will bless and Sanctify and transform our offerings or sufferings, or joys, for the service of God and the salvation of souls; because we are the Mystical body of Jesus Christ. We can not do this ourselves. Praised be Jesus and Mary who suffered for us. Amen. Sorry if this is a bit of a waffle; but it is very difficult to put in words.
I think it means the lowliest in the sense of the words Our Blessed Lady spoke in the Magnificat. My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded : the lowliness of his handmaiden: For behold, from henceforth : all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath magnified me: and holy is his Name. In what sense did Mary mean she spoke of her, 'lowliness' ? I think this can be transferred to souls visited by an angel , so to speak. If you go back to Scripture again we can see this lowliness again and again and again. Moses for instance had a stammer and Joshua had to do the speaking for him. King David when chosen was the youngest and most significant of his brothers and so they forgot about him. Jospeh was the most despised of all his brothers and so they sold him into slavery. In the New Testament , St Paul collaborated in the mass murder of Christians and became the Apostle to the gentiles.The Apostles did a mass runner. Low lives so to speak. As to the saints well we see this lowliness thing over and over and over again with for instance St Patrick, Padre Pio , the Cure of Ars and Father Solanus Casey being only semi educated and despised of the brethren.
Lovely Julia. It reminds me of the Holy Spirit as Counsellor, throwing Light in Dark places. My mother used to always say this when we were children, 'Offer it up' and I recall sometimes feel like strangling her for it. But much later I settled down and came to terms with it.
Thanks for your good explanation padraig! So it is true, the first shall be last and the last shall be first!
Theresa of Avila: I am sure that anyone who finds it harmful to realize that it is possible for God to grant such favors during this our exile must be greatly lacking in humility and in love of his neighbor. With such love and humility, how could we stop rejoicing that God should grant these favors to one of our brethren, especially when this in no way hinders Him from granting such favors to ourselves? How could we stop rejoicing that His Majesty should bestow an understanding of His greatness upon any person? He grants these favors, then, not because those who receive them are holier than those who do not, but in order that His greatness may be made known. It may be said that these things seem impossible and that it is better not to trip up those who are too weak to accept them. But less harm is done by the weak disbelieving us than by our failing to edify those to whom God grants these favors. Those who receive such favors from God will rejoice and will awaken others to a fresh love of Him Who grants such mercies, according to the greatness of His power and majesty. They all know and believe that God grants still greater proofs of His love. I am sure that, if anyone does not believe this, she will never learn it by experience. For God’s will is that no bounds should be set to His works. Never do such a thing, then, if the Lord does not lead you by this road.
It seems a bit like going to the supermarket and looking for the freshest bread. The wisest souls know to go to the very back of the bottom shelf. The stalest beard is left at the very top so people notice and use these first. I think that is one of the very beautiful things about the saints and mystics they always, always, always surprise. St Paul of the Cross , the Founder of the Passionists , when he was checking out his Religious Houses always checked out the toilets first he reckoned if the toilets were kept sound everything else would be sound too. Wise man. In a similiar way if we were to go into a religious house to find the local saint I would seek out the guy or gal who cleans the toilets. That one is probably your saint ( or else answering the doors, another top place to find a saint).
You're blessed , cleaning toilets seems to me to be an art form. St Paul of the Cross would not be best pleased.
Saint Teresa of Avila was such a Mensch. The word “Mensch”, in Yiddish, is “someone to admire and emulate, someone of noble character. Here are some rules i am dreaming up for folks who have such eye opening goings on in their lives as visions and such like. 1. Treat them like a new wine when they first appear and like Our Blessed Mother store them in the depths of your heart. Let them rest their in the darkness and taste them from time to time to see as they grow in noble age to see if they are both rich and pure. That which is false will turn to vinegar on your palate. That wine which is grown in the vineyards of heaven shall become a rich vintage. Luke 2:19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
