Ah, who has the power to heal me?
Now wholly surrender Yourself!
Do not send me
Any more messengers,
They cannot tell me what I must hear.

‘Spiritual Canticle’
St John of the Cross

St John of the Cross. Euclid, Ohio.

Let us be frank enough to accept the unpleasant truth that much of the strain of our lives can be traced to the assertion of the unsubdued self. Self-centeredness makes of life a field of tensions. We are so constituted that self-seeking inevitably brings inner disharmony. It is significant that the word “idiot” is derived from the Greek idios, which means “oneself”.

The soul that desires serenity must take strong action. It must ruthlessly expose every apparent trace of the self-life and not let it masquerade under dignified disguises. It will examine its holiness for that “weasel-like thing, pride”; and its attachment to self-display and its maneuvering for self-advantage. It will than bravely, decisively abandoned self, and every manifestation of it, to Christ, to be carried to His Cross for crucifixion. The surrender of self is a very careful, detailed, costly action, but nothing less will suffice. It will, moreover, bring the happy result of “a heart at leisure from itself”, with new possibilities of joyous living. –“The Quest For Serenity” G.H. Morling, an Australian Baptist minister.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.
He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,
and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
Remain in me, as I remain in you.
Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own
unless it remains on the vine,
so neither can you unless you remain in me.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,
because without me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me
will be thrown out like a branch and wither;
people will gather them and throw them into a fire
and they will be burned.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.
By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

Gospel of John 15

‘Spiritual pruning takes the form of letting God eliminate the vices in our lives so that the virtues can be properly nourished. This is especially done by letting Him humble us and strip away our pride. This can hurt, but the pain associated with being humbled by God is a key to spiritual growth. By growing in humility, we grow ever more reliant upon the source of our nourishment rather than relying upon ourselves, our own ideas and our own plans. God is infinitely wiser than us and if we can continually turn to Him as our source, we will be far stronger and better prepared to let Him do great things through us. But, again, this requires that we let Him prune us. —Catholic Daily Reflections: My Catholic Life website.

Psalm 50

Psalm 68

And whilst they were at supper, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke: and gave to his disciples, and said: Take ye, and eat. This is my body. And taking the chalice, he gave thanks, and gave to them, saying: Drink ye all of this. For this is my blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many unto remission of sins. And I say to you, I will not drink from henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I shall drink it with you new in the kingdom of my Father. –Gospel of Matthew 26:26

“What obstacles you might ask?”  You are too faithful to receive Holy Communion poorly disposed.  Likewise, it is not sin which presents the sacramental action of divine grace from taking place in you.  No, the obstacle is a lack of trust.  You simply do not sufficiently esteem the indescribable visit of the Body and Blood of Our Savior.  You do not pray to Our Lord with the burning faith and holy expectation that conquers Our Lord’s heart.  In those precious moments of actual grace, present to Him the litany of your woes.  Mention them all without forgetting a single one.  Say to Him: “I believe firmly that from this heap of dung Thou canst cause virtues to flourish.  I ask Thee this in the name of Thy promises, and I go as far as to demand that Thou dost transform my heart.  Day and night will I cry out to Thee until Thou dost accomplish this miracle of love.”

Without doubt, He will tell you what He told others during His ministry: “As you have believed, so be it done to thee.”  If your trust is small you will obtain little; if it is great, you will obtain much.

Perhaps your faith is asleep.  Perhaps you are gripped by secret anxieties.  Ask the Blessed Virgin to inspire in you with an unshakable trust in Jesus truly present in the Eucharist.  Ask her for this favor in the name of maternal love and the name of the final words of her agonizing Son to her on the Cross.  Whatever your weakness or pain, surrender them with closed eyes to God Who loves you to the point of concealing Himself for you under the veil of the Host.  “The Virgin Mary” Father Raymond de Thomas de Saint-Laurent

The other night driving home from work after midnight an impressionable incident occurred. A police officer in an unmarked car, distinct as a law enforcement vehicle yet nondescript at a quick glance, pulled out of a parking lot right behind me, stealthily while observing. I was speeding in a twenty-five mile per hour zone so I slowed down. The police officer stayed behind. I approached a major intersection hosting the grocery store Whole Foods. Coasting through a series of green lights, I started to pass through the intersection when I turned my attention to my left. Instantly, a racing vehicle careening through a red light snapped into my vision. My brake reaction time was immediate and I brought my vehicle to a halting emergency stop. I was stunned how close the vehicle passed before me. I checked myself, observing the traffic light. It was green. I looked to my rear and saw the police officer react, pulling forward to allow him to pursue. My racing heart and clear mind turned to God, thoughts reflecting upon a guardian angel protecting. It was a near miss that rattled me while producing gratefulness. I pulled around the shopping plaza in order to see if the officer apprehended the offender. I was amazed that by the time I circled around there were three police vehicles with red and blue lights blaring. The moment left an imprint regarding the urgency of moments, and a sense of protection and authority.

ode to the feast day of St John of the Cross passed

Oh, living flame of love
That tenderly woundest my soul in its deepest centre,
Since thou art no longer oppressive, perfect me now if it be thy will,
Break the web of this sweet encounter.

Oh, sweet burn! Oh, delectable wound!
Oh, soft hand! Oh, delicate touch
That savours of eternal life and pays every debt!
In slaying, thou hast changed death into life.

Oh, lamps of fire,
In whose splendours the deep caverns of sense
Which were dark and blind with strange brightness
Give heat and light together to their Beloved!

How gently and lovingly thou awakenest in my bosom,
Where thou dwellest secretly and alone!
And in thy sweet breathing, full of blessing and glory,
How delicately thou inspirest my love!

St John of the Cross. Euclid, Ohio.