Humble Confidence

[BarbTherese]

A really excellent text from the Catholic Education REsource Centre.  The text is taken from a book by the author REV. JEAN C. J. D'ELBEé  "I Believe in Love".

 

http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0860.htm

 

.......excerpt only........".................Little Thérèse understood that it is our state of misery which attracts His mercy.

Before her, St. Paul wrote, "Gladly, therefore, will I glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may dwell in me." "I can do all things in Him who strengthens me." How profound is the theology of St. Paul! He glories in his infirmities; he rejoices in being weak, because Jesus is there.

For it is this confidence, and nothing but confidence, which will open the arms of Jesus to you so that He will bear you up. Confidence will be for you the golden key to His Heart.

In her desire to be holy, and comparing herself to the saints, St. Thérèse said that there was, between them and herself, the same difference as between a mountain whose summit is lost in the heavens and an obscure grain of sand, trampled under the feet of passersby. Rather than becoming discouraged, she thought:......"...............

 

........".........We have been trained in the habit of looking at our dark side, our ugliness, and not at the purifying Sun, Light of Light, which He is, who changes the dust that we are into pure gold. We think about examining ourselves, yet we do not think, before the examination, during the examination, and sitter the examination, to plunge ourselves, with all our miseries, into the consuming and transforming furnace of His Heart, which is open to us through a single humble act of confidence.

I am not telling you, "You believe too much in your own wretchedness." We are much more wretched than we ever realize. But I am telling you, "You do not believe enough in merciful love."................"................

THE AUTHOR

Rev. Jean C. J. d'Elbeé is a French retreat master who has been profoundly affected by Saint Therese of the Child Jesus’ “little doctrine” He made it the subject of ten spiritual conferences contained in his book I Believe in Love. In the form of a personal retreat, he explains St. Therese’s teaching about confident love, leading readers to a profound personal encounter with Jesus Christ. Through his reflections on Therese’s life and teaching, Fr. d’Elbee unfolds for the reader the inner meaning of the psalmist’s cry, “Lord, You have opened my heart, and I run in the way of Your commandments.”

 

Edited February 24, 2013 by BarbaraTherese

[MarysLittleFlower]

that's so true :) but can be so hard to learn sometimes!

Edited March 12, 2013 by MarysLittleFlower

[BarbTherese]

that's so true :) but can be so hard to learn sometimes!

 

Very true indeed :) - and it is probably a lifelong journey of learning and probably for the most of us without ever mastering it completely.   The humble confidence in Jesus of St Therese of Lisieux is probably a primary reason she a saint and doctor of The Church.  Jesus always has been and always will be our Absolutely Loving and Merciful Lord, and St Therese was able to point out for all of us something of just how Loving and Merciful that He is.  While no person can ever see into the total depths of that Love and Mercy and an overwhelmingly humble thought.

[MarysLittleFlower]

I think one concept that is really amazing is how it's our misery that draws us to Him. I remember reading about this in Divine Mercy in My Soul, and Way of Divine Love. If a person feels distrustful or like God would not love them because of their weakness - that's a great remedy, to love Him despite all the misery/weakness. And though we shouldn't ever be presumptious with sin, regarding past sins - a person who is humble and contrite is much closer to God than someone who is proud of not having fallen into greater sin... if we have difficulties we don't know how to escape, or if we feel lost/confused/discouraged, it can really help to think of how God sees our misery, in His Mercy :) it's true, we don't know how great His Mercy is!

[BarbTherese]

:like2:

Jesus said to St Faustina - it is the greatest sinner who has the most right to my Mercy.  Worth pondering.  It is indeed our weakness and failures that draws His Understanding Love and Compassionate Mercy - His Divine Weakness for His creatures and for his very least.  It reminds me of the parable of The Good Shepherd, where He abandons the flock to seek after the one that was lost and once found, rather than sheparding the little lost one back to the flock, He carries it back on His shoulders - and I like to think that He often picks up that little once astray lamb to walk with it on His shoulders lovingly.  Or the parable of the Prodigal Son, where the son rehearses what he is going to say to his father when he returns after a life astray and before he can say one word of that rehearsal, the father sees him returning from afar and races out to embrace him.  And the words of Jesus at the end of the parable "the whole of Heaven rejoices over the return of a sinner".  And we are all sinners of some degree or other and constantly straying and in hope returning as the whole of Heaven rejoices.