Loving God in the Darkness

[Amppax]

I'm following Fr. Michael Gaitley's book on Marian Consecration, 33 Days to Morning Glory, in preparation to renew my consecration. Today's reading featured this quote from Mother Teresa, and I wanted to share it with all of you: 

"Suffering has to come because if you look at the cross, he has got his head bending down - he wants to kiss you - and he has both hands open wide - he wants to embrace you. He has his heart opened wide to receive you. Then when you feel miserable inside, look at the cross and you will know what is happening. Suffering, pain, sorry, humiliation, feelings of loneliness, and nothing but the kiss of Jesus, a sign that you've come so close that he can kiss you. Do you understand, brothers, sisters, or whoever you may be? Suffering, pain, humiliation - this is the kiss of Jesus. At times you come so close to Jesus on the cross that he can kiss you. I was told this to a lady who was suffering very much. She answered, 'Tell  Jesus not to kiss me - to stop kissing me.' That suffering has to come that came in the life of Our Lady, that came in the life of Jesus - it has to come in our life also. Only never put on a long face. Suffering is a gift from God. It is between you and Jesus alone inside."

[MarysLittleFlower]

Beautiful..thank you :) 

And I think I read that at the right time. 

[CatherineM]

My thesis has an important section on suffering. I think we avoid it and we shouldn't. 

[Spem in alium]

Thank you.

I agree that we should not avoid suffering - and we cannot avoid it, as much as we'd maybe like to. And I agree it can be used as a gift. I also feel, however, that God deeply suffers with us whenever we suffer - that seeing us in physical, emotional, mental, spiritual pain leaves Him in anguish. He shares intimately in our suffering, and journeys with us as we experience it, so in that sense I believe we never truly suffer alone, because we're always in fact suffering with Him. And perhaps a desire of His Heart is that we will acknowledge His presence with us in our suffering and, as Mother Teresa says, accept His kiss and His embrace.

[Era Might]

I'm reading the poems of Karol Wojtyla (aka Pope John Paul II) and read this today:

Nearest 

are the child's words on which silence takes wing: 

Mamma - mamma - 

then silence falls again into the same streets, 

an invisible bird.

From "First Moment of the Glorified Body"

I thought it was a beautiful image of what it means to speak, and to pray, like the Holy Spirit ("an invisible bird") rising up in our silence and giving us the simplest cry, "Mamma," and then falling back again into silence, into the long cycle of everyday life.

[Seven77]

On 11/23/2015, 8:52:08, Amppax said:

I'm following Fr. Michael Gaitley's book on Marian Consecration, 33 Days to Morning Glory, in preparation to renew my consecration. Today's reading featured this quote from Mother Teresa, and I wanted to share it with all of you: 

"Suffering has to come because if you look at the cross, he has got his head bending down - he wants to kiss you - and he has both hands open wide - he wants to embrace you. He has his heart opened wide to receive you. Then when you feel miserable inside, look at the cross and you will know what is happening. Suffering, pain, sorry, humiliation, feelings of loneliness, and nothing but the kiss of Jesus, a sign that you've come so close that he can kiss you. Do you understand, brothers, sisters, or whoever you may be? Suffering, pain, humiliation - this is the kiss of Jesus. At times you come so close to Jesus on the cross that he can kiss you. I was told this to a lady who was suffering very much. She answered, 'Tell  Jesus not to kiss me - to stop kissing me.' That suffering has to come that came in the life of Our Lady, that came in the life of Jesus - it has to come in our life also. Only never put on a long face. Suffering is a gift from God. It is between you and Jesus alone inside."

 amesome. I'm also preparing to renew my consecration using Father's book. Mother Teresa's reflection on suffering, as well as her reflection on “I thirst,” are powerful words that get to the heart of what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

[corban711]

I'm also using Fr. Gaitley's book as a preparation to renew my consecration on Dec. 8th (feast of the Immaculate Conception and the beginning of the Year of Mercy!).  I love Mother Teresa's week.  It is my favorite week of the preparation every time I go through that book.  So very powerful.  I think that this is my 4th time going through it and making the consecration.  Now into my second year as a Marian Missionary of Divine Mercy, I have been extremely blessed both through that book and through my relationship to Fr. Gaitley.  Day 16 (the "I Thirst" letter) is my favorite of the entire book. If it were the only reading contained in that book I would still buy it in a heartbeat and read it over and over again.    

For anyone who might be interested, has Facebook, and would like to supplement their reading of Father's book with anywhere between a few sentences to a couple paragraphs of personal reflection on each days' readings, you can follow along with us Marian Missionaries here.  I can't promise you profundity, only personal thoughts of some guys and gals who are serving Jesus and renewing their consecrations together.    :)   

[corban711]

If there was another thread dedicated to this that I missed, I apologize for the unnecessary post...but...for those of you who were consecrating or re-consecrating yourselves to Our Blessed Mama on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Happy Consecration Day!   Hope you were able to make it and celebrate accordingly!    

[Ash Wednesday]

My consecration comes on the Annunciation. I missed this wonderful post. Going through one of the hardest years of my life but it's slowly getting better and deepened my faith. Been doing a lot of reflecting on redemptive suffering, that's for sure.