One of the things which ought most assure of us the pardon of our sins is to have a great regret and sorrow for them; so if we continually look upon them with sorrow and confusion. God will forget them, and regard them no more. For this reason, David being touched with sorrow for his sins, in order to make God forget them, and turn His eyes from them, said to Him, “I know mine iniquity, O Lord, and my sin is always before my eyes.” St Jerome makes a just remark upon the words of the same prophet; “turn Thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.” “If”, says the holy doctor, “you put always your sins before your eyes, God will not put them before His”. –St Alphonsus Rodriguez ‘The Practice of Christian and Religious Perfection II’

The time of massive bleeding ceasing, deprivation carving roughly upon the old man,
Passing into the repose of maturity blessed, a new day starts everyday amassing grace,
Shutting down fearful expectations, desperation, immense and hearty breathing in and out: who are you? and who am I?
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, forgive me for I am a sinner,

Today is the feast day of St Alphonsus Rodriguez, a writer whose Jesuit Spanish spiritual methods I embrace humbly as my own. Identifying, I embrace his centering upon self-perfection, refining one’s self interiorly. I see no other way. The journey is interior. The conquering is interior. The victory is interior.

Here is a link to a Catholic website, Traditional Catholic Priest, that intelligently and concisely informs about saints during their feast days. I find the priest’s blog interesting in the sense it is the perspective of an extremely conservative Catholic mindset. Recently, he posted an entry on Sedevacantist, schismatic churches declaring there has been no true pope since Pope John XXIII–post Vatican II. Today’s post is a powerful repost from another blog. I see his recent efforts as a wrestling with the thoughts and ways of Pope Francis. I admire insight into a priest struggling with the Church. Giving his loving heart, staunch loyalty and worthy mind to Catholicism, how does a conservative priest reconcile with a pope redirecting the Church away from his predispositions and opinions. I contrast the situation with a liberal priest who says mass at St Paul Shrine, who never stops speaking with elation, excitement, and joy about the words and actions of Pope Francis. Pope Francis is an absolute celebration of his deepest beliefs, a flowering of his priestly vocation. The Church is a mystery, complex and all-embracing, beyond individuals, truly the body of Christ here upon earth.

St Alphonsus Rodriguez elaborating upon the Eucharist:

…the goodness of God does not rest here: He is not content with coming only into our houses, and remaining in our churches but he will also have us possess him within ourselves; he will remain within our breast, he will make that his temple and tabernacle. O ineffable love! O unheard of liberality! That I should receive into my breast and heart, Jesus Christ, true God and true man, the same Savior whom the Blessed Virgin carried nine months in her sacred womb! And if St. Elizabeth on seeing Your holy mother, who bore You in her sacred womb, and entering into her house cried out in astonishment, and filled with the Holy Ghost, “whence comes this grace and favor on to me, that the mother of my Lord should come unto me;” what shall I say, O my God, on seeing You enter not only into my house but into myself. With how far greater reason may I say, whence comes this grace granted me who have been for so long a time the devils habitation; to me who have so often offended You, and been so ungrateful and unfaithful for so many benefits? Whence proceeds this grace and favor but from the access of thy mercy, and because thou art goodness itself, “to make it thy delight to be with the sons of men,” and because your love of them is infinite. –St Alphonsus Rodriguez ‘The Practice of Christian Perfection & Religious Perfection’

St Alphonsus Rodriguez

It is of so great importance to dwell a long time upon the affectionate motions of the will, that the masters of a spiritual life say, that prayer is then in its sovereign degree of perfection, when no longer recurring to meditation, in order to excite in us the love of God, our heart being penetrated with this love it sighs after it, enjoys it and reposes itself therein, as in the only end of its researches and desires.  It is this the spouse teaches us, by her own example in the Canticles, when she says, “I have found him whom my soul loves; I will hold him fast, and will not let him go” and what she imitates to others by these words, “I sleep, but my heart is awake.”  For in perfect prayer, one’s understanding (reasoning/discursive thought) is as if it were asleep, because all its functions are, in a manner suspended; but the will and heart are awake, and melt with tenderness for the heavenly spouse.  His sleep also of the spouse is so agreeable to her beloved, that “he conjures the daughters of Jerusalem not to disturb the repose of his spouse, and not to awake her until she awakes herself.”  So that meditation, and all those other functions of the mind in prayer, are all made use of, and directed to contemplation, and are so many steps to help us to ascend to it.  –St Alphonsus Rodriguez ‘The Practice of Christian & Religious Perfection’

Artist Marc Chagall—Musee Marc Chagall

“Pour out your heart as water in the presence of the Lord.” (Lamentations) …. When we pour oil out of any vessel, there always rests something in the bottom; and when it is wine or vinegar we pour out, the vessel retains at least the smell thereof; but if we empty a pitcher of water, there remains neither smell nor anything in the bottom; it has no more smell or taste than if nothing had been in it. It is in this manner you must pour out your heart in giving an account of your conscience; you must do it so as nothing may remain behind–no, not the least scent of anything whatsoever. –St Alphonsus Rodriguez ‘The Practice of Christian & Religious Perfection’

St Alphonsus Rodriguez

He perceived also that the angels chiefly at the Te Deum were very desirous that the religious should sing it devoutly, and he saw as it were flames issuing from the mouth of those who performed it with fervor. Let each one reflect upon himself, and take notice after what manner he makes his prayers; to see whether he deserves to be written in gold or silver letters, or with ink or water; or in fine, to see whether it deserves to be noted at all. Let him observe whether the flames of his heart issue through his mouth by fervorous aspirations, or whether he yawns through laziness and disgust; and in fine, let him reflect, whether he be there present in body only, but elsewhere in mind, having it dissipated with the thoughts of his studies, with the care of his affairs, or with other things still more condemned. –St Alphonsus Rodriguez ‘The Practice of Christian & Religious Perfection’.

St Alphonsus Rodriguez