Jesus said, John 10:27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ...and the great,constant accusation against Israel is that they would not listen to the voice of the Lord. Jeremiah 7:21–28 21 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: p“Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh. 22 For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers or command them qconcerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 But this command I gave them: r‘Obey my voice, and sI will be your God, and you shall be my people. tAnd walk in all the way that I command you, uthat it may be well with you.’ 24 vBut they did not obey or incline their ear, wbut walked in their own counsels and xthe stubbornness of their evil hearts, and ywent backward and not forward. 25 From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, zI have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day. 26 vYet they did not listen to me or incline their ear, abut stiffened their neck. bThey did worse than their fathers. 27 c“So you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you. dYou shall call to them, but they will not answer you. 28 And you shall say to them, ‘This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, and did not accept discipline; etruth has perished; it is cut off from their lips. Samuel said to Saul, " . . . Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifice, as in obeying [hearing] the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey [hear] is better than sacrifice, and to hearken [hear] than the fat of rams" (1 Sam. 15:22). Also notice that God never intended the law to replace hearing His voice. In fact, it was written upon tablets of stone because they refused to hear His voice..... Exodus 20:18-21 18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. 19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. 20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. 21 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was. ..and so commadments replaced God's original intention that they should, 'Hearken to my voice'. Pslam 95 Today, if only you would hear his voice, 8 “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,[a] as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, 9 where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did. 10 For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’ 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’” For this is what marks us out as true children of God, that we listen in prayer to the actual voice of God , the Holy Spirit speaking to us as we pray in our hearts. Listening to His voice directly rather than being merely hired hands dicted too by cold tablets of stone with the rules placed upon them. Children of God, children of prayer members of Gods household and not mere hirelings... "The hireling-who is no shepherd or owner of the sheep-catches sight of the wolf coming and runs away, leaving the sheep to be snatched and scattered by the wolf. That is because he works for pay; he has no concern for the sheep" (John 10:12)
1 Samuel 3 The LORD Calls Samuel 1 The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions. 2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the LORD, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the LORD called Samuel. Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down. 6 Again the LORD called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” “My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. 8 A third time the LORD called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” For myself this is perhaps the most interesting passage in scripture in understanding the process of discerning God's voice. God has to call Samuel three times because he is sleeping. We all sleep and find it hard to hear God's voice. Eli , Sam's 'Spiritual Director also has a hard time understanding what's going down. But eventually it cliks and Eli sends Sam off to do some hard listening. I was walking round my local park with the dog thinking about this and trying to think of a way of describing this voice and the Lord showed me it in this way. In the prak there is a small lake and sometimes when it is very cold in winter I love to watch it gradually freezing over. At first there are little patches of ice then a thin coating and then the water hardens, snow falls and eventually it can be hard to tell where hard ground ends and frozen water begins, so hard and strong people can walk and play on it. The Holy Spirit is often compared to water at one time so soft and gentle and sometimes of iron strength. So for Sam as God called Him three times so gently but gradually the message forze over to hardness as it repeated, so hard Sam and his spiritual mentor, old Eli could walk on it. it seems to me God as He speaks to us in prayer is like this at first a gentle melding of ice crystals, then patches then iron ice so hard we can dance upon it. An angel would hear His voice right away but we have to get tapped on the shoulder a right few times before we notice, a spiritual director like old Eli can be a big help in this process, but with practise and time even the gentle breeze of the spirit can sound like a mighty wind in our ears as we become more responsive to the gentle voice within... 1 Kings 19:11-13 11 The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Gentle as the voice of the Holy Spirit in the heart it it is pesistent, like the dripping of water from a tap and unless we are determined to turn our back on it will always be heard. If it were possible that that we could realy turn our backs on it or be deaf to it, none of us would ever be saved. This spiritual ruder of the voice of the Holy Spirit is vital in all stages of our spiritual pilgrimage of course , but there are certain times on our prayer course when we see God intervening t help us on our course by speaking to us , directing, guiding lighting our way in very explicit ways. Little wonder then that we call the Holy Spirit , 'Heavenly Counsellor' and ' Spirit of Wisdom'. With the aged [you say] is wisdom, and with length of days comes understanding. But [only] with [God] are [perfect] wisdom and might; He [alone] has [true] counsel and understanding. Job 12: 12-13 He who leans on, trusts in, and is confident of his own mind and heart is a [self-confident] fool, but he who walks in skillful and godly Wisdom shall be delivered. Proverbs 28: 26 I think in my own prayer life I have noticed God intervening most particularly in transient changes of prayer , when I have moved from one garden of prayer to the next. All hose moving can be stressful. So many things to do and arrange it is so very esy to forget things or simply not to know how to do them, who to contact, what to say, the right phone numers and addresses, who are the good new neightbours and the bad ones , how to find places in the new district and so on.... Moving to a new house or garden of prayer is just like this... In my early days of saying the rosary for the first time for instance I felt Our Lady/the Holy Spirit instructing me to keep slowing down in my prayers. slower, slower slowly, prnouncing each word thoughtfully, prayerfully, really medidating on the mysteries as I said them. Later in the monsatery I heard the Lord quite firmly that I was about to enter a period of intense suffering at the start of the Dark Night of the Soul. He told me I was about to share His Cross in a very direct powerful fashion ...and so it was.... Later He invited me to leave the Cahpel were I was spending about 7 or 8 hours a day in prayer to rejoin the world in preparation for leaving my monastery. We can see this powerful oice preparing everyone for changes, for instance my own private belief is that EVERYONE has some prior inner knowledge of their own deaths, even sudden death to get themselves ready to go, for the final struggle, even in sudden, apparently unprivided for deaths. But this is just my guess. However changing over from this life to the next is the biggest spiritual house movign of all, so of course God will be present in a powerful and life changing way..provded we let Him... PSALM 73:21-28 “When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.”
Wow, so much to take in. I need to read all this again when it's not so late and my brain isn't so tired. You know, I am always asking God to speak to me these days. In adoration I try to sit in that classroom of silence and ask for his words. But every time something happens instead. He never talks to me, he always shows me something or leads me in some weird way. Last saturday/sunday (midnight hour) I was in adoration, and toward the end I did this again. Literally 30 seconds later, my phone buzzed in my pocket (at almost 1 am). It was my daughter. Texting me to tell me that she and Marcie had already had a blowout. I texted back that I was in adoration so would say a prayer for them and for her, which I immediately did, and then would call her back in a bit. So much for my silence again, but the prayers were probably the thing that was needed then. That is how God always seems to talk to me. Not silent contemplation, oh no, not for me. Quiet action, that seems to be what he wants from me.
I think maybe Connie God is shouting at you rather than talking :lol: Father Paul of Paul used to have a nice way of sending messages to folks he was coming calling which I always thought was beautiful. Before he came visiting folks used to see the most beautiful small birds round about, a bit like a celestial door beel. Padre Pio of course had the smell of perfume to answer prayer, Rose smell for yes..lavender for no. http://www.padrepio.catholicwebservices.com/ENGLISH/Perf.htm
Its funny I never expected to talk specifically about the Gifts of the Holy Spirit on the soul in prayer but these are so significant , wideranging and central to the understanding of the effects of prayer as derserve a library of books on their own. So I will talk a little more about some of these gifts and their effects. Infused Wisdom. If we look at the lives of three of the Doctors of the Church St Catherine of Seinna, St Tereasa of Avila and St Therese of Liseaux we see something quite extraordinary. That although with little or no education (St Catherine for instance was entirely illiterate) they wrote some of the deepest , wisest, most pentrating books on God and the things of God that the Church has ever known. ..and that this was as a direct result of the action of the Holy Spirit in the soul. For we can regard the SPirit as being full of Fire the fire of love and also of light, the light of wisdom. Proverbs chapter 3: Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding; 14 For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies, And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. 16 Length of days is in her right hand, In her left hand riches and honor. 17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who retain her. Nor is this a gift for only a chosen few, it is the inheritance of all Christians and the doorway to these gifts is prayer. But it is perhaps in the littlest ones that the gift stands out most clearly. For instance althought St Catherine of Sienna could not even write the Spirit herself taught her to do so in miraculous fashion so that she carry on her work in Chruch reform and write her fantastic book, 'The Dialogue': "I shall give thee such speech and wisdom that no one shall be able to resist. I shall bring thee before Pontiffs and the rulers of the Church." -----Words of Our Lord to St. Catherine For just as light shines brightest in the darkest places so the light of the Holy Spirit shines most brightly in places were human reason is most eclipsed, or as Jesus said: Matthew 11:25-30 25 At that time Jesus declared, "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; 26 yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. 27 All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." ..and what is wisdom? I would describe it as the grace aided ability to refer all things to Christ. The further we alk towrds God and gift ourselves to Him the more we refer all things to Him so that God is all in all and the more we come to know Him , the more we refer all things to Him an so grow in Wisdom. Luke 2:42-51 42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. 43 When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother[a] did not know it; 44 but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45 So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. 46 Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. 48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” 49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” 50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. Jesus Advances in Wisdom and Favor 51 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart.
Paidrag said: ..and what is wisdom? I would describe it as the grace aided ability to refer all things to Christ. The further we alk towrds God and gift ourselves to Him the more we refer all things to Him so that God is all in all and the more we come to know Him , the more we refer all things to Him an so grow in Wisdom. I believe too that the longer we walk with Our Lady, she more and more encourages us to go to God sooner with all our situations. To be honest, I am a stubborn mule who more often than not goes to the Lord only after attempting to resolve an issue myself. :roll: Now a saint is wise enough to do the referring a whole lot sooner! Safe in thew Hearts of Jesus and Mary!
You know Terry, it reminds me of a rubber band; the more we practise prayer the stronger the rubber band grows pulling us right back to God. Onreading accounts of the life of Mary (from , 'The Mystical City of God' ) it is one of the things that strikes me so much about Mary this immediate turing to God in all thing IMMEDIATELY. ...and this right from the very start. Many of us spend our whole lives to do this , I just find it astonishing to see it in a child. Forinstance in accounts of her training in the Temple in Jerusalem . We see this even in the accounts of the childhood of some of the saints as well. I was struck by an account of the life of St Tereasa of the Andes who died very, very young in a Carmel. I think she could not have been more than about 17 when she entered the Carmel and one of the nuns made some remark to the Prioress about the way she was treating her. The Prioress replied quite simply that Tereasa was a saint. Which means that the Prioress quite rightly considered that Teresa had reached the very highest levels of prayer, which is to say of wisdom even before she entered Carmel at 17. I can only admire the Prioresses perception on ths unexpected and astonishing work of grace. But I suppose one of the things that would have allerted the Prioress to this was that St Tereasa's 'rubber band' was very strong ; that she was filled with infused wisdom, that she was wise beyond her years.... Though I have to say that the Prioress must have been a very wise and holy lady herself to spot this. ..We tend to put people in boxes ;don't we? Whoever would have expexted one so young to be a saint. But I gu :shock: ess, why not? Prayer: "A soul united to Jesus and identified with him can do everything. It seems to me that this can be reached only by prayer" (Letter 130). "It is in prayer that the soul learns to know Jesus and thus to love him. Since love cannot be satisfied with difference but with equality, the result is union in similarity" (Letter 141). "I can say that my life is a continuous prayer, for everything I do I do it out out of love for my Jesus" (Letter 52). "God is my heaven here below. I live with him. Even when I am walking, we speak together without being interrupted by anyone. If you would know him enough, you would love him. If you would stay with him for one hour, you would know heaven on earth" (Letter 40). St TEreasa De Los Andes//first Chilean Saint
I think we see this infused wisdom in operation nowhere better than in the reading of scripture. We xan read a single line of scripture from childhood return to it again and agin throughout our lives and see deeper and deeper into it, thus saying with the disciples at Emmaus, 'Didn't out hearts burn within us?' Luke 24:32 They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" One of the ways I notice this is in mass when the priest/ preacher expounds the gospel. It seems to me a reason can be as learned as could be and the sermon falls flat but when a holy person preaches we sit up and take notice. This was soevident in the life of St Anthony of Padua when he preached his first sermon. Anthony had origunally been an Augustinian theologian of immense learning and of some note in native city of Lisbon, Portugal before he joined the Fransicans in Italy. however St anthony was so humble none of his confreres knew him as anything but the very humblest of unleartned friars. However when they in desperation turned to Anthony to preach his first sermon they were astounded by the wisdom that gushed forth, a wisdom stemming not form books but from the inner workings of the Holy Spirit: Psalm 39:3 My heart grew hot within me, and as I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue: In the absence of any Portuguese provincial, Anthony was allowed to attach himself to Brother Gratian, the provincial of Romagna, who sent him to the lonely hermitage of San Paolo, near Forli, either at his own request, that he might live for a time in retirement, or as chaplain to the lay friars of the community. We do not know whether Anthony was already a priest at the time. What is certain is that no one then suspected the brilliant intellectual gifts latent in the sickly young brother. When he was not praying in the chapel or in a little grotto, he was serving the other friars by washing their cooking pots and dishes after the common meal. His talents were not to remain hidden long. It happened that an ordination service of both Franciscans and Dominicans was to be held at Forli, on which occasion all the candidates for consecration were to be entertained at the Franciscan Convent there. Through some misunderstanding, not one of the Dominicans had come prepared to deliver the expected address at the ceremony and no one among the Franciscans seemed ready to fill the breach. Anthony, who was present, perhaps in attendance on his superior, was told by him to go forward and speak whatever the Holy Ghost put into his mouth. Diffidently, he obeyed. Once having begun he delivered an address which astonished all who heard it by its eloquence, fervor, and learning. Brother Gratian promptly sent the brilliant young friar out to preach in the cities of the province. As a preacher Anthony was an immediate success. He proved particularly effective in converting heretics, of whom there were many in northern Italy. They were often men of education and open to conviction by Anthony’s keen and resourceful methods of argument.
We see this infused wisdom working so welll as we meditate on the Mysteries of the Rosary which are if you like each of them little jewels of scripture. It is as if when we entered one room, one mystery we see see a doorway leading to another and doorway after doorway opens before us so that we are not, as we first thought enteirng a msall cottage but an immense endless jewelled golden palace that is without end....
The 5th Garden of Prayer; The Prayer of Union. Now we move onto the 5th garden and to be honest I have hesitated in knowing what to write of this stage of prayer. Not because I have little to say, but because I have so very much it is difficult to know where to start..or where to end. :lol: The words of St Pater can be so well applied to these highest stages of prayer: 2 Peter 1:19 And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Teresa touches on a very germane point here, how to explain the inexplicable, how to make the mystical no longer mystery? For words fall short ,so short of the reality as to seem false and a lie. It seems so much a place of artists and poets and musicians to sing its praises rather than the prosaic writer. Because the great writers on prayer understood very well that, 'the dawn is breaking' on the minds and hearts of those who pray by this stage I found they write less and less about these, taking it for grated that, well, when they get there, folks will know for themselves anyway. Since treatises on prayer are written basically as instruction manuals, when the need for instruction is fading. descriptions of these latter stages tends to fade out too. :roll: I always found this frustrating down the years . I have always had the deepest interest in the mystical and wanted to know everything I could so I will write so much on these last three stages of prayer than is usual. May it be to the Glory of the Triune God and draw souls onwards to climb the slopes of the Mountain of Carmel into the very blazing heart of the Sacred Heart. Mt Carmel, Haifa Let us at once turn to what St Teresa of Avila, a Doctor of the Church says about this prayer: 3. But, daughters, if you would purchase this treasure of which we are speaking, God would have you keep back nothing from Him, little or great. He will have it all; 5 in proportion to what you know you have given will your reward be great or small. There is no more certain sign whether or not we have reached the prayer of union. Do not imagine that this state of prayer is, like the one preceding it, a sort of drowsiness (I call it 'drowsiness' because the soul seems to slumber, being neither quite asleep nor wholly awake). In the prayer of union the soul is asleep, fast asleep, as regards the world and itself: in fact, during the short time this state lasts it is deprived of all feeling whatever, being unable to think on any subject, even if it wished. No effort is needed here to suspend the thoughts: if the soul can love it knows not how, nor whom it loves, nor what it desires. In fact, it has died entirely to this world, to live more truly than ever in God. This is a delicious death, for the soul is deprived of the faculties it exercised while in the body: 6 delicious because, (although not really the case), it seems to have left its mortal covering to abide more entirely in God. So completely does this take place, that I know not whether the body retains sufficient life to continue breathing; on p. 122 consideration, I believe it does not; at any rate, if it still breathes, it does so unconsciously. 4. The mind entirely concentrates itself on trying to understand what is happening, which is beyond its power; it is so astounded that, if consciousness is not completely lost, at least no movement is possible: the person may be compared to one who falls into a dead faint with dismay. 7 5. Oh, mighty secrets of God! Never should I weary of trying to explain them if I thought it possible to succeed! I would write a thousand foolish things that one might be to the point, if only it might make us praise God more. I said this prayer produced no drowsiness in the mind; on the other hand, in the prayer (of quiet) described in the last mansion, until the soul has gained much experience it doubts what really happened to it. 'Was it nothing but fancy, or was it a sleep? Did it come from God or from the devil, disguised as an angel of light?' The mind feels a thousand misgivings, and well for it that it should, because, at I said, nature may sometimes deceive us in this case. Although there is little chance of the poisonous reptiles entering here, yet agile little lizards will try to slip in, though they can do no harm, especially if they remain unnoticed. These, as I said, are trivial fancies of the imagination, which are often very troublesome. However active these small lizards may be, they cannot enter the fifth mansion, for neither the imagination, the understanding, nor the memory has power to hinder the graces bestowed on it. p. 123 6. I dare venture to assert that, if this is genuine union with God, the devil cannot interfere nor do any harm, for His Majesty is so joined and united with the essence of the soul, that the evil one dare not approach, nor can he even understand this mystery. This is certain, for it is said that the devil does not know our thoughts, much less can he penetrate a secret so profound that God does not reveal it even to us. 8 Oh, blessed state, in which this cursed one cannot injure us! What riches we receive while God so works in us that neither we ourselves nor any one else can impede Him! What will He not bestow, Who is so eager to give, and Who can give us all He desires! You may perhaps have been puzzled at my saying 'if this is genuine union with God,' as if there might be other unions. There are indeed--not with God, but with vanities--when the devil transports the soul passionately addicted to them, but the union differs from that which is divine and the mind misses the delight and satisfaction, peace and happiness of divine union. These heavenly consolations are above all earthly joys, pleasure, and satisfaction. As great a difference exists between their origin and that of worldly pleasures as between their opposite effects, as you know by experience. O blessed Jesus, give me stillness of soul in You. Let Your mighty calmness reign in me. Rule me, O King of Gentleness, King of Peace. St John of the Cross
May I add my views on wisdom? For years I prayed for the gift of humility as I was also stubborn and mule-headed. One day after receiving the Holy Eucharist I heard 'I give you the gift of Wisdom.' I'm thinking 'wisdom'? I asked for humility. After prayer, the Lord gave me to know "Wisdom' is knowing He is all and I am nothing. In being gifted with Wisdom, I need to be humble. Might I add that the gift does not mean automatic turn around. It means I have the gift of the grace and it is up to me to will to use it. Sometimes I am better than other times at using God's gifts. I have enjoyed your writings on this topic, Padraig. Thank you!
I had to go away and think about this a little while, Ruthieann. I think what you mean is that Wisdom is the torch that lights up the way to show us how little we are? I had never thought about it this way before. I suppose we could describe humility as a little like the shopping trolley we take round the supermarket. In order to collect the graces, (goods) from the supermarket we need the trolley (humility) to collect them in , otherwise of course the graces will be scattered and lost. So without humility we can have nothing else, it is the rock foundation in which all else is places, the edifice of God's graces are built there and without this foundation all the house no matter how mighty comes tumbling down. The Parable of the Two Builders Luke 6:46-49 [46] "Why do you call me Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? [47] Every one who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: [48] he is like a man building a house, who dug deep, and laid the foundation upon rock; and when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it had been well built. [49] But he who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; against which the stream broke, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great." Mary is the Spouse of the Holy Spirit and so we call her 'Seat of Wisdom'. Wisdom itself is best described as the grace given ability to relate ll things to God; if we do this we must , by definition be humble in imitation of Mary who was humility itself, 'The handmaid of the Lord'. Do I understand you right? Seat of Wisdom
But I think with humility too, God reminds me of a sculptor hewing out a beautiful statue, he really has to hammer away at us with chisel. That's why in the lives of the saints we see them getting knocked about a lot. Of course we need the Wisdom to make use of the hammer blows, but the blows themselves are very necessary. Padre Pio was a good example of this; not a day went past it seems that someone , somewhere didn't aim some kind of kick at him... Luke 18:9-14 The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector 9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
I am not very good at explaining so with a prayer I will try again. I desire to become more intimate with God. As John of the Cross might say, We need to empty ourselves and become as nothing on the road to holiness. Well praying for humility, and being gifted with Wisdom, puzzled me. After much prayer and reading I come to a partial understanding of Wisdom. Wisdom leads us to know God more intimately. Of course before we know God in any sense, we need to know ourselves in truth, our nothingness. I think this can be gleaned from the writings of many saints, especially John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, and Catherine in her dialogues. I am writing a fictional book while my daughter is also writing her own book. I made a chart of Virtues, which is very rough, to better work out what I believed with regard to the virtues. If anyone wants to take a look, wisdom is at the top. This is a little off subject, but in a sense, I like to think of ideas interrelated to each other. For me it has helped me understand concepts and ideas. Wisdom top-most on the chart, and as others have tried to do (Fulton Sheen, etc.) I have tried to tie things together. I know Fulton Sheen is always relating actions in the Old Testament to those in the new. Well he treats the beatitudes, the last words of Christ and virtues together also. If you care to look and comment or not: customcovers4you.com/Virtue Chart.pdf
Ruthieann, I love the way every soul is different, each with their won spirituality. A Franciscan for instance is as far removed from a Jesuit as the Earth is from the stars. My own spirituality has focused on personal prayer , a bit like Spiritual sunbathing, sitting in God's presence and more or less soaking His love up much more than intellectually reducing things to their component parts... But each has its place.
Consider the path of prayer (our relationship to God; for they are one and the same) as being like the voyage of a sailing ship on a vast tractless sea. Now in order to travel across this sea . the sea of life to final harbour which is heaven the Captain of the vessel needs good trusty instruments to guide him. Being thus equipped he shall be equipped to know where he stands on his voyage and when and if he shall reach harbour.For if he can not plot his place his he has not strayed from his course ? St Teresa of Avila , realising this sought such instruments to guide her daughters and others along this sea. This I believe was so important for these sea captains of prayer, her sisters in Carmel who would steer behind her ship. Ina stark , ascetical sea so dominated by personal prayer and withdrawn from the pleasures of this world it was vital that they be shown the lode stars to guide them giving encouragemnt, spiritual delight, navigation, reassurance , spiritual knowledge and wisdom, light in darkness and inner certainty. O Jesus, Savior of the world, We come and for redemption plead, Mother of God, his saving grace Win for your children in their need.All choirs of angels we invoke; We beg the prophets of God’s call And patriarchs who led us flock To gain God’s pardon for us all.O saints of Carmel, throned above In Mary’s court, obtain this grace -- That where you are in glory now We, too, may find a resting-place.May martyrs, brave in word and deed, Confessors, holy pastors pray, And choirs of virgins intercede That God may wash our sins away.O blessed saints of solitude, And all the heavenly company, Obtain for us that life in God Which lasts for all eternity.Praise to the Father evermore And to the Spirit he bestows, To Jesus whom that Virgin bore From whom all Carmel’s beauty flows.Miriam of the Holy Spirit, OCD
