 |
|
SPIRITUAL DIRECTORY
by Fr. James Flanagan
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
SPIRITUALITY Everything today leads us to think that there are new forms
of spirituality taking place in contemporary society and
in the Church. This is due to the rapid evolution of our
society that has brought about profound changes in the consciousness
that each one of us has of his own mystery and of his own
destiny that sweeps him along in the universe that surrounds
him. A spirit of response is needed. This fundamental consciousness
constitutes a starting point and an elementary center that
develops into a coherent and solid spirituality under the
radiance of a lively faith. Changes in this fundamental
consciousness call forth changes in the spirituality of
the people of God. The manner in which faith penetrates
and transforms our human lives depends in turn on our awareness
of the Gospel that is preached to us. For it is to the Gospel
that we are called and to which we must bear witness and
to where we must return. The Gospel is the Norm and Test
of all spirituality in the Church. But, misinterpretation
of the Gospel and very literalism have spawned heresies
and Protestant fundamentalism, which produce a caricature
of healthy spirituality. Evidence today is that there are
many new persons who are showing for the first time a desire
for a true spirituality. It is not only among those who
are committed and dedicated in their earnest witness of
their faith who find themselves drawn to spiritual challenges,
but also those we never suspected who are searching for
a true expression of their spirit. Spirituality then is
no longer just an ornament among all Christians and all
peoples. We owe this new hunger to the Gospel and not to
the schools or centers of spirituality. It is one thing
to suspect the existence of a new spirituality and another
to trace its shape. For one thing, it is difficult to discern
among the tendencies of movements, those that are just on
the surface and those that are deep enough to provide a
lasting basis for a new generation. In spirituality, as
in other things, there are styles, catch words, and slogans,
and yet a few years later these trends are cast aside as
quickly as they had previously been acclaimed. These short-lived
enthusiasms are certainly not to be thrown aside but they
don't have the strength to continue down through the centuries.
When we speak of spirituality, we refer to a living synthesis
of our human life experience with the Gospel. Spirituality
is real when it structures the person in faith according
to gifts, vocation and destiny. There are many spiritualities
which are very rich and varied. Sometimes they come together
and the result is a synthesis of several spiritualities.
We have already mentioned that the desire for spirituality
has increased at this particular time. People are really
coming to find the true source and meaning of their faith
from the Word of God and to enter or re-enter that faith
life again. They want to bring to life the Gospel as it
was first taught by Christ and is still being taught by
Him today. Spirituality is by no means a luxury but rather
a normal development of a mature and living faith, as St.
Paul tells us in the first epistle to the Corinthians. This
fact is more remarkable when we see in our apostolate that
the meaning of our work is found in the Gospels and we feel
that there is a true interpretation of God's Word for our
own generation. We, in Our Lady's Society, feel that this
is for us discipleship and that our experience of the discipleship
and interpreting the message of the Gospels in discipleship
has been purified by many activities during the last 30
years. "The trials of faith, the unexpected graces, the
different witnesses of ecclesial serving and ecclesial teams",
all of these experiences have little by little brought us
to that wisdom of God which opens us to the awareness of
a new witness of the Spirit guiding us and teaching us discipleship
through living Gospel experiences. More and more we find
in our present time that spiritual theology is very close
to pastoral theology. However, we don't want to be premature
in our enthusiasm, but rather want to live out the spirituality
of discipleship in order to attain its spiritual wisdom,
which is not something that comes immediately. We have a
desire to enter into the fuller experience from discipleship
of Mary to discipleship of Christ, and finally to union
with the Triune God for it is by deepening and interiorizing
our discipleship that we will come into union with the Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit. We have to keep a very deep balance
in the spirituality, so that we don't simply put aside all
commitments to the serving of the people of God in our own
lives. The spiritual life should not prevent us from incardinating
ourselves in action, witnessing, transforming society and
fighting for justice. Indeed, it should strengthen us in
these works of Our Father. It is important that both the
spiritual and active life be present in us, as there is
the danger of going too far one way or the other. The spirit
of the Gospels teaches us that we have to be very careful
that we don't emphasize one to the exclusion of the other.
We want to, therefore, consider our spirituality in three
ways: first, in the person who lives the spirituality of
discipleship; second, in the discipleship that it gives
to us in the Gospels; and third, in the Church and its special
relationship to the spirituality of discipleship that God
has brought us to. The spirituality of discipleship which
we are striving to bring to the Church again is a spirituality
which offers a way to really give ourselves to God, to bring
forth an order in our daily lives, so that our relationship
with the Lord can come to its full measure in the maturity
that Our Father wills. We are not simply speaking of a coloring
of our actions with a spiritual purpose and missing the
real meaning of these actions, rather they should be penetrated
with the Holy Spirit, from the beginning to the end. We
don't want to have vague mental advertence to God at intervals
in our duties and daily responsibilities and vital concerns,
but our true spirituality is present precisely because the
destiny of our own minds has seized upon and enlarged upon
a participating in the mystery of God Himself, as Mary did,
especially for ourselves and all who will, in the Trinity.
We thank Jesus and the Holy Spirit for having given us this
Marian Trinitarian spirituality. The language which God
speaks to man and man to God, is not primarily words but
rather the life experience of everyday. The choices that
we have to make in our actions, in our loves, in our fears,
in our joys, and in our sufferings, spell out the destiny
which God actually has for us; and this becomes the language
of our spirituality. Jesus and Mary, in the mystery of His
Incarnation, which is an integral part of our spirituality,
have shown us not only the life of man into Christ, but
the life of Christ into man. Therefore, no less than the
fullness of the life of Christ Himself must be present in
our spirituality. He must be deciphered and be The Way in
which we come to hear the voice of God. He opens us to the
Word of God and all that God has revealed of Himself. Thus
we come through Him in our spirituality of discipleship
into the mystery of the Trinity. There is need today of
a spirituality which can answer the questions of life, the
dignity of persons, the reconciliation of man with man,
of man and his creation, man and himself, man and his God
and the need for an openness and understanding in relationships
and of oneness. Likewise, the question of the Kingdom of
God in relationship to the development of humanity found
in mission, the relationship of history to salvation history,
of the secularization of society and the disappearance of
the religious sense among the masses of people. We also
see many people who don't really know Christ and yet are
trying to live by the principles which Christ has given
to us. We need a spirituality that is going to reach the
very heart of man. We need at present the witness of a people
with a living faith that reaches to a living God. The second
consideration is in the Gospels. It is enlightening for
us to study the faith that was living in the primitive Church.
We may as well look over the history and the forms of the
spiritualities that expressed that faith. In these we become
convinced that the Gospels have always been in the last
analysis the proof and special manifestation of true spirituality.
To refuse to recognize this and what it stands for would
be to open ourselves to ridicule and confusion and, at the
same time, to prove that one has not the least idea of what
an authentic spiritual life is. History teaches us that
the most arduous task for us in our own spirituality and
as well, in all times, has been and is to distinguish between
true and false experience. There is no area more difficult
to handle. The dangers of spiritual pleasure seeking in
religious asceticism, or uncontrolled subjectivism have
not always been too different from certain worldly ways
of satisfying ourselves. To eliminate the need for discerning
by merely suppressing the subject is not a solution. We
must be resigned to the fact that this spiritual renewal
is full of risks and one must make up one's mind that in
a world full of risks the true spirituality of the Gospel
thrives. Today, under the impulse of the Holy Spirit in
discipleship, we have devoted ourselves to a continuation
of the Gospel. We have come to the discovery that the treasures
of the Church are a living tradition which have more insights,
more resources, and more help that is needed to face and
to bring the victories of Christ and the victories of our
faith in the world that is taking shape around us. Our spirituality
had sprung from the presence of an irresistible need, a
pressure that seeks a true spirituality in order to survive.
We have come to two basic areas in that spirituality: Liturgy
and Scripture. Our Lady, as the perfect disciple of the
Lord Jesus, lived by both. These sources teach us how good
the Lord is and how good is His Word. How lovely are the
feet of those who worship the Lord in Spirit and in Truth
and who live out their lives in that spiritual experience
of being lifted by faith and conversion to the fullness
of a true worship and love of God. The Gospel manifests
in every dimension all that is needed in our life of discipleship;
as, for example, the Beatitudes, which are based on a conviction
and certitude of a real poverty, a real simplicity and a
true intention of giving us a freedom in our relationship
with our Father and a filial intimacy with the Lord Himself.
For in living them, the fruits of the Spirit flow forth
from the very heart of Jesus. Our communion in the Spirit
of Christ brings us to that tremendous challenge to be holy
as the Lord our God is holy. This is the Good News, the
proclamation of true joy, the reaching to the salvation
which God has wrought for us. It enables us to live our
lives in the work of the Kingdom, and become like Christ
in our daily lives, sensitive to the calls which God has
given to us, especially the call to discipleship in its
radical living of the Gospels, to the meekness and humility
of the heart of Christ and to the fullness of peace in the
midst of a world filled with terrible threats of war. We
are called to witness the fullness of the heart, soul, mind,
strength and Spirit of Christ. The truth of our spirituality
will be demonstrated in its capacity to transform those
who are living it. This transformation is essentially a
metanoia, a change of heart, which brings them to be able
to ask: "What has changed when one becomes a disciple?"
Those who ask this question want to witness a change in
our way of life, in our actions, in the way we live and
in our reaching out to the needs of others. Persons have
a right to expect that, if we are disciples of the Lord
and of Our Lady we become living signs. The condition for
this is certainly long hard work which empowers a disciple
of Jesus and Mary to truly witness that Jesus has come and
made all things new. It is not enough to take just one aspect
of the Gospel, but we must take the fullness of that discipleship
as Jesus reveals it in the Gospels. This is what we must
live in order to bring forth the fruitfulness which Jesus
has placed there. When I went to Rome it was indicated to
me that there are at least 100 new groups in the Church
asking for various expressions of approval from the Holy
See. There are new Secular Institutes and in between them
can be found all sorts of associations and movements like
the Focalarini, laymen who work at jobs and live in community;
these are encouraged and simply approved. This is a deep
current that is present. Rome, itself, is very interested
in this development. There are expressions of new dimensions
of man's solidarity, the interweaving of lives, and the
necessity of working in teams. All of these are consciously
felt and are indications of strength proper to man in our
day. They tend to influence the form of spiritual life that
we ourselves in the Society of Our Lady have seen in emptying
ourselves, yet forming relationship with all of the vocations.
In past centuries, this proliferation of movements has not
been present. The interdependence of persons in various
vocations has never been so complex and widespread; and
yet, that is what we are asking the Church to approve. This
is a lived realization and it is a part of our revival of
the communio koinonia values of Christianity as was found
in the early Church. Suddenly we have become aware that
we can give new values of the Church and those values are
which Jesus has placed there in discipleship. The present
day spirit has also brought forth, as the Society shows,
a renewed interest in the teaching of the Mystical Body
of Christ. When we see the various vocations working together
in ecclesial teams, we see the functioning of the whole
body of Christ and the witness of the Church very present.
The whole Church is again showing a keen sensitivity toward
her very essence: a communion in Christ, a presence to the
Father and a receptivity in the Spirit. The entire Church
is becoming sensitive to the ways that this mystery of the
Trinity is actually being manifested in all creation. My
hope is that through the Spiritual Directory of Our Lady's
Society we may become aware of the realization of certain
values in the Gospels and the Church concerning discipleship.
These were actually incarnated in the early Church and we
must again render them tangible in the Church today, in
order that in living them we may bring forth the fullness
of the community of the Trinity made visible. We have in
the Society, as you know, a shared life which is modest
but very real. We have a fraternal communion which bases
itself on graced friendship and a prayer life which actually
is the very prayer life of Christ Himself. These are vital
links by which we come to be a true society in the Church.
Another witness of the Gospels is community made visible
in the mission of the world, to other Christians, and to
those that know nothing of this Church. We put ourselves
in teams and ready ourselves with spiritual values and different
gifts to actually bring forth a Trinitarian Marian witness.
This witness embraces a living faith dialogue with each
other on our teams, mutual correction of one another in
the practice of our vocation, and an examination of the
path that we trace in such a way that we become aware of
the true discipleship which we are called to live. We find
that it is a spirituality which witnesses the greatness
of relationship and oneness with God and which He desires
to have with us. Many times in our own particular work we
have an awareness of the atheism which surrounds us today
and which is establishing its errors in the work and roots
of contemporary life. We do not isolate ourselves from it,
but rather, firmly convinced, we unite together and reach
out to our brothers and sisters who are caught in deception,
so that they can see that it is good for us to live together
in Christ. Seeing this unanimity and fidelity to the discipleship
in the Gospels, they realize that the Lord can draw all
to Himself, for He says: And when I am lifted up from the
earth, I will draw everyone to myself." (John 12:32). We
are aware also that there are many trials that lie in wait
for us at one time or another; that there are afflictions
and weariness, questions and rejections. We need others
to become real witnesses to the Lord. As brothers and sisters
in a community, we can easily come to support each other,
because we know that perhaps tomorrow we may be the ones
that will need that support. We want to have a faithful
and true manifestation of the Church and loving obedience
to the hierarchy. There is, however, a danger in our littleness
that we could go off and find ourselves in communities of
little teams that really don't reach to the Church, but
simply provide security for our own needs. We must, therefore,
realize that in our ecclesial teams we are actualizing the
mystery of the Church without reducing it to shreds or over
burdening it. We want to be of service to the Church and
we truly consider it a privilege to serve whole heartedly
in the universal communion of God's people as the Body of
Christ. We want to be sure that the Society is freed from
the temptation of closing in on itself. Rather, we pray
that the fullness of the life of Jesus Himself will be opened
out as the early Church was opened out to the then known
world. We are open to the whole of the world and the universe
in the name of a spirituality that is truly faithful to
the Holy Spirit Himself in His work of the Church now and
in the future.
DISCIPLESHIP Down through the centuries, whenever there has been a need
for a new thrust in the history of man, in the life of the
Church, in the work of the Kingdom and in all other realities,
Our Heavenly Father has given us Christ. In His divine plan
for the salvation, redemption and sanctification of mankind,
the Father has brought forth from His spiritual gifts the
fruitfulness He has given to us through Christ. He has always
followed the same pattern. He has chosen great saints to
illuminate for us certain mysteries of Jesus' life. The
prayer and labor of Jesus were exemplified in the life of
St. Benedict in the 6th century. He saw the conditions of
Rome, saw the futility of trying to change them, and went
up to a cave in Subiaco. In the mountains just outside of
Rome, he built up the Benedictine monastic community. His
sister, St. Scholastica, began a community of women, similarly
dedicated to prayer and the sanctification of even the simplest
manual labor. He then infused the monastic life back into
the Church, and everything in the Christian world, through
this spiritual transfusion, became Benedictine: the art,
the music, the literature, the culture. Sts. Francis and
Clare did the same in the 13th century when the Church was
being choked with riches. With the poverty of Jesus, Francis
and Clare brought the necessary transfusion of the Church
spiritually so that Christ could continue the work of the
Father in fulfilling the destiny that He had given to the
Church. St. Ignatius Loyola used the holy name of Jesus
when he wanted to stem the tide of the so-called Protestant
Reformation. St. Dominic used the preaching of Our Lord
to stem heresy. St. Alphonsus Liguori shared the redemption
of Our Lord to bring forth a renewal of faith in the 18th
century. Each one of the saints brought the fruitfulness
of some aspect of the life of Our Lord Jesus Christ vividly
before the eyes of men. These saints moved the world, transformed
it by the power of Christ. In the present day, the Paschal
Mystery of Jesus is the aspect which our Father desires
us to live and wants to be released to meet the needs of
the people of today: the birth, life and sufferings, the
death and burial, the resurrection and the ascension of
the Lord Jesus is the fruit which the Father desires to
share with us, so that we may be His people and He may be
our God, and that He may heal us. As disciples, beginning
our study of St. Matthew's gospel, we see ourselves as the
anawim of the Lord. In the gospel Jesus teaches us the spirit
of anawah, a humble sense of human powerlessness. St. Matthew's
gospel speaks of this when Jesus says: "Without me, you
can do nothing." Mingled with this is a strong spirit of
trusting God: "With me, you can do all things." There is
always found in the spirit of anawah a sense of readiness
to serve. "I am among you", Jesus says, "as one who serves."
There is likewise a patience in waiting and becoming like
a little child in order that we may enter the Kingdom of
heaven. Raised up by divine vocation from the midst of the
people of God, are various ministries that are to be lived
out in the spirit of anawah. They are to be carefully fostered
and cultivated by all: disciples who are priests, deacons,
religious and laity. By their prayers and by their active
works, they all play an indispensable role in the rooting,
strengthening and expanding of the Kingdom of Christ. As
disciples, our friendship with God is so sure of His love
that we become very fearless and courageous; we lay bare
our souls before Him, certain that He will understand whatever
misery, whatever trials and whatever sufferings drain our
strength. Yet we are always sustained by one thought, that
God is our friend and that He will not abandon us. Time
and again as disciples, we are stripped of human support.
We feel powerlessness in our creaturehood, we taste anguish
within our suffering and oppression, we are cut off from
friendship and many times cruelly treated. We taste all
of the weaknesses of life and yet in all of this we are
to have a complete trust in God. As we enter into our discipleship
and come to the mystery of the Church, we see the very foundation
which our Lord has placed in His Church. By our preaching
of the goodness of our Father, we come into the work of
the Kingdom, which for centuries had been promised in the
Scriptures. Jesus tells us Himself: "Repent for the Kingdom
of God is at hand." In Christ's words, and His works, and
in His presence, the Kingdom reveals itself to men. This
is our work as disciples; to bring and continue down through
the centuries of time the fruitfulness of His words, His
works and His presence, for the coming of the Kingdom.
HIS WORDS His words are like the seed which is sown in a field and those
who hear this Word with faith become part of His flock.
By its own power, this seed of the Word sprouts and ripens
until the harvest time when Jesus will send harvesters into
the vineyard to gather its fruits into His Kingdom. As disciples,
our lives witness His Word.
HIS WORK The miracles of Jesus also confirm that the Kingdom of God has
already come upon this earth. As disciples, we work miracles
in Jesus' name and cast out devils by the power of God.
Thus, the Kingdom of God is manifested by us to the people
of God.
HIS PRESENCEBefore all else, however, for us as disciples, the Kingdom is clearly
visible in the very person of Jesus, Who is God and man
and Who came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for
the many. This spirit of service and this spirit of living
for the ransom of many, as well as living for God, is the
spirit which the disciples must have. It flows from the
spirituality of discipleship as found in the Gospel of St.
Matthew. We see the budding-forth of that Kingdom and the
growth of that Kingdom in the Church. We see that Kingdom
moving with all its strength, hopes and desires to be united
in glory with its King. Jesus came on mission from His Father
and it was in Him before the foundation of the world that
our Father chose us as disciples. He predestined us to become
His adopted sons and daughters. For in Him it has pleased
our Father to reestablish all things in Christ to carry
out the will of the Father. Disciples have to continue the
work which Jesus inaugurated; the work of the coming of
the Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. The mystery of
the Father is revealed to us in the Son. Jesus' obedience
to the Father has brought about our redemption, the Church,
and the Kingdom. Now present in mystery, they grow visible
in the world through God's power. Christ Himself obeyed
even at the cost of death and was therefore raised up by
the Father. Thus He entered into the glory of His Kingdom
and now to Him all things are to be made subject, that God
our Father may be all in all. It is our work as disciples
to continue what Christ has thus begun. This spiritual pattern
Christ has communicated and this power of subjection He
has given to His disciples so that they might be established
in the royal freedom that by self-denial and a holy life,
grace might conquer sinful tendencies. He has thus shared
this power so that by serving Him and our fellow men we
might lead our brothers and sisters to the King, whom to
serve is to reign. As our high priest, Christ has taken
us from among men and made of us a priestly Kingdom. As
baptized in the regeneration and anointing of the Holy Spirit,
we are consecrated into a spiritual house, into a holy priesthood.
As people of God, through all works befitted us in our discipleship,
we can offer spiritual sacrifices and proclaim the power
of Him who has called us out of darkness into His own marvelous
light. Therefore, as disciples of the Lord Jesus, we must
persevere in prayer and praise of God in living sacrifice,
holy and pleasing to Him. Everywhere we must bear witness
to the Lord Jesus and show to men that hope of eternal life
which is in us. The Lord wishes us to spread His Kingdom
as priests, deacons, religious and laity in the ecclesial
teams of Our Lady's Society. This is a Kingdom of truth
and life, a Kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of
justice, of peace, and of love. In this kingdom, creation
itself will be delivered out of its slavery to corruption
and into the freedom of the glory of the sons and daughters
of God. Clearly then this is a great promise -- a great
mandate that is given and committed to the disciples of
Jesus and Mary. For all is ours and we are all in Christ,
and Christ is God's and God is all in all. Discipleship
of Mary and discipleship of Jesus in union with the Father
and the Holy Spirit are the patterns of spirituality that
we will speak of as we study the four gospels concerning
the spirituality of discipleship.
MATTHEW 3RD - 13TH CHAPTERS(1) Let us begin with Mt. 3: 13-17: (13) Then
Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized
by him. (14) John tried to prevent him, saying, "I need
to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?" (15)
Jesus said to him in reply, "Allow it now, for thus it is
fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed
him. (16) After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the
water and behold, the heavens were opened [for him], and
he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove [and] coming
upon him. (17) And a voice came from the heavens, saying,
"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
THE WITNESS OF OUR FATHER AND THE HOLY SPIRIT. In this scripture, we see
God our Father witnessing His oneness and providential care
of Jesus. We see Him being the first to witness to the divinity
of Jesus. We see Him witnessing His love of Jesus in the
words He speaks, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well
pleased." It is the work of disciples of Jesus and Mary,
in our relationship as sons and daughters of our Father,
to freely witness in this same way. First we turn to our
Father for His paternal love and care. As disciples of Jesus
and Mary, we are His own. We witness the divinity of Jesus
as our Father Himself witnessed it by the living of our
baptism. We strive also to please our Father as Jesus, His
beloved son, and Mary, His beloved daughter did.
CALL OF THE FIRST DISCIPLES. This calling is found in Mt. 4: 18-22 (18)
As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting
a net into the sea; they were fishermen. (19) He said to
them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."
(20) At once they left their nets and followed him. (21)
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James,
the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a
boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He
called them,... In this calling of the disciples is illustrated
how the kingdom will be built up by Christ's will; that
men are to be saved by other men. Here we see the calling
of the first disciples; Peter and Andrew, James and John,
who answered the call to be fishers of men. They were called
into the work of the kingdom, which is union with Jesus
and Mary through faith; and only through them can disciples
receive such a grace. This is the first time we see the
founding of the kingdom on earth. Some of the spiritual
lessons that flow from this calling of the disciples of
Jesus and Mary are:
- To
be attentive to the light of your calling which excites
your heart to the love of the Father. This obliges you
to give the gift of life and to strive to the fullness
of holiness to which you are called.
- Let
your response to your calling be one of promptness in
denying yourself, taking up your cross and following
Jesus and Mary, serving them and serving as they served.
Their kind forbearance and instruction are a special
grace for disciples. We must faithfully correspond to
them and follow the teachings which they give to us.
- Our
human nature is weak and yet we are all made in the
image and likeness of God. In our calling we work to
receive the greater blessings by setting our desires
higher than our strengths. Thus we attain them only
with the discipling of Jesus and Mary.
- Make
your love faithful as God is faithful; let it reach
to the greatest perfection possible. Imitate Mary to
become like Jesus in all your works, even to living
the fullness of the Paschal Mystery. Consider very deeply
and ponder in your heart the neglect and the forgetfulness
of men in this regard.
- Weigh
gratefully the blessings of each hour. Raise yourself
above yourself working diligently to receive more and
more graces and blessings in order to bring forth their
fruitfulness.
JESUS TEACHING TO HIS DISCIPLES: THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. St. Matthew tells
us beginning in the fifth chapter: Mt. 5: 1 - 12 (1) When
he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he
had sat down, his disciples came to him. (2) He began to
teach them, saying: (3) "Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (4) Blessed are they
who mourn, for they will be comforted. (5) Blessed are the
meek, for they will inherit the land. (6) Blessed are they
who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be
satisfied. (7) Blessed are the merciful, for they will be
shown mercy. (8) Blessed are the clean of heart, for they
will see God. (9) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they
will be called children of God. (10) Blessed are they who
are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven. (11) Blessed are you when they
insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil
against you [falsely] because of me. (12) Rejoice and be
glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they
persecuted the prophets who were before you. This teaching
of Jesus to the disciples in the Sermon on the Mount is
a blueprint for the disciples of Jesus and Mary. It teaches
the Beatitudes, their vocation to the apostolate, the fulfillment
of the law and the prophets. It teaches the moral life concerning
the purity and unity of marriage; it teaches the spiritual
life, the law of love, embracing good works, prayer, fasting
and almsgiving; it teaches spiritual insight, a right choice
of masters, a trust in God, so that in asking, seeking,
and knocking disciples will come to live this blueprint
as Jesus teaches. Jesus has delineated to the disciples
a lived faith. To summarize what He says: The image and
likeness of God in which we are created is what disciples
strive to manifest. This image and likeness brings forth
the fullness of knowing yourself as your Father knows Himself;
of communicating yourself as the Father communicates His
goodness; of bringing forth the gifts which your Father
has given; of making your love visible as our Father has
in sending His only Son; of setting goals and fulfilling
them as your Father wills; of bringing forth the destiny
and plan of your Father in being truly the community of
the Trinity and of Our Lady, as her relationship is to Himself
as daughter of the Father, to Jesus as mother of the Son,
and as spouse of the Holy Spirit. Jesus says in Matthew
5:47: And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual
about that? Do not the pagans do the same? This goal to
which you as disciples of Jesus and Mary strive was won
by Jesus as the fruit of His sacred passion. Your striving
brings you to the oneness in which the Father knows Jesus
and Jesus knows the Father and reveals the Father. For the
Father, Son and Spirit know who He is, "I am who I am, is
His name." Disciples likewise come to know themselves. This
is the deepest reality in your image and likeness to God.
The second witness of your image and likeness of God is
communication, for our Father communicates His goodness.
This is found in Mt. 6: 5-13: (5) "When you pray, do not
be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the
synagogues and on street corners so that others may see
them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
(6) But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the
door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father
who sees in secret will repay you. (7) In praying, do not
babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard
because of their many words. (8) Do not be like them. Your
Father knows what you need before you ask him. The Lord's
Prayer. (9) "This is how you are to pray: Our Father in
heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will
be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily
bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us
from the evil one. As disciples we communicate with our
Father. May His name be sanctified, may His kingdom come
on earth as it is in heaven; may His will be fulfilled in
every way, may He give us our daily bread. May we forgive
others their offenses, so that our Heavenly Father will
forgive us. For if we do not forgive others, then our Father
will not forgive us. And may we be led not into the test
but delivered from the evil one. This is our prayer as disciples.
It is a prayer which Jesus taught when the disciples asked
Jesus how to pray. This is the prayer which brings the disciples
into all the needs of man to reach to the oneness that Jesus
has with our Father. Jesus speaks to us as disciples again
in this oneness with the will of the Father as the goal
of our spiritual discipleship. These words from Mt. 7: 21-27,
teach us as disciples of Jesus and Mary that we must live
and fulfill in every way the will of our Father in heaven.
This goal of the oneness that Jesus has with the Father
is witnessed as He fulfills our Father's will perfectly.
We as disciples have this goal to live. We faithfully please
our Father in all things as the way of fulfilling His Holy
Will. (21) "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will
enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the
will of my Father in heaven. (22) Many will say to me on
that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?
Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do
mighty deeds in your name?' (23) Then I will declare to
them solemnly, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, your evildoers.'
The Two Foundations. (24) "Everyone who listens to these
words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who
built his house on rock. (25) The rain fell, the floods
came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it
did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. (26)
And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does
not act on them will be like a fool who built his house
on sand. (27) The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds
blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely
ruined." Again Jesus teaches us disciples, for we are made
in the image and likeness of the Lord. In coming into oneness
with Jesus as He has come into oneness with our Father,
we must make our love visible, for the love of the Father
is a model for the love of the disciples, even to the love
of our enemies. This is found in Mt. 5: 43-47: (43) "You
have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor
and hate your enemy.' (44) But I say to you, love your enemies,
and pray for those who persecute you, (45) that you may
be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun
rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on
the just and the unjust. (46) For if you love those who
love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax
collectors do the same? (47) And if you greet your brothers
only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the
same? Jesus witnesses that we must make our love visible
just as He manifested the fullness of that visible love
between Himself and His Father in His becoming man, giving
the complete gift of Himself to all, asking all to become
like Him. The gifts of the Father to us in discipleship,
in the image and likeness of God, are also found in the
Sermon on he Mount in Mt. 6: 1-18. Here there are three
very special gifts of our Father: The gift of almsgiving,
the gift of prayer, and the gift of fasting. These are given
to heal the breaking of relationships; His gift of prayer
heals the breaking of relationship with God himself, His
gift of fasting heals the brokenness that is found within
ourselves, and His gift of almsgiving enables relationships
with each other. Again Jesus shows us in discipleship the
image and likeness of God in the plan of the Father in Mt
6: 25-34: (25) "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about
your life, what you will eat [or drink], or about your body,
what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body
more than clothing? (26) Look at the birds in the sky; they
do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet
your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important
than they? (27) Can any of you by worrying add a single
moment to your life-span? (28) Why are you anxious about
clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They
do not work or spin. (29) But I tell you that not even Solomon
in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. (30) If
God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today
and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more
provide for you, O you of little faith? (31) So do not worry
and say, 'What are we to eat?' or 'What are we to drink?'
or 'What are we to wear? (32) All these things the pagans
seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
(33) But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given you besides. (34) Do
not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.
Sufficient for a day is its own evil. This plan of the Father,
manifested to us by Jesus, is a plan that puts the kingdom
of God first in the life of disciples. We seek the kingdom
in His justice, and then open ourselves to the fullness
of the providence of our Father in caring for us in all
of the needs that we have. First, through the Gospel of
St. Matthew, Jesus reveals the oneness that He has with
the Father in many different ways. Jesus is revealed as
Son of the Father in Chapters 11, 15, 16, 18, 19 and 20.
Again and again we see Jesus communicating Himself to us
in His oneness with the Father and the Father communicating
Himself to us through Jesus His Son, conferring upon Him
power and authority to execute His mission. As we see this,
we recognize the oneness which Jesus desires with us for
Himself that God may become all in all. Second, Jesus teaches
us the summit of our Father's perfection in the Beatitudes;
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven. (Mt. 5:3) In our hearts the image of temporal
riches must find no entrance, nor must we be inclined to
them. We love the created work of God's hands and yet detest
all creation as it becomes a burden or hindrance to our
love of God. We use all things in moderation insofar as
they are helpful to divine love. This is the spirit that
flows in the disciple concerning the first beatitude. Blessed
are the meek, for they will inherit the land. (Mt. 5:5).
Disciples are not to be excited or disturbed but rather
to have control of all of their bodily powers and faculties.
They are able to read hearts and to communicate in the fullness
of the love which God witnesses every day. They bring all
that God has given to them into peaceful subjection, as
Jesus did when he went down to Nazareth and was subject
to Mary and Joseph. Blessed are they who mourn, for they
will be comforted. (Mt. 5:4) As disciples, Jesus and Mary
teach the value of tears -- tears over the absence of God
Who is the only and supreme good in our life of discipleship
and tears as well for the sins that are committed against
an all-loving God. There are many, whom you will see, living
in sin and who give themselves to frivolity. Weep over their
sins, and merit by your tears the blessing that our brothers
and sisters may receive the consolation and the favor of
God in His grace and friendship once again. We also must
open ourselves to see Mary as the cause of our joy and to
delight in the treasures of grace which She showers upon
us as her disciples. She desires to bring us to the very
fullness of grace that she herself shares with Jesus. Blessed
are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they
will be satisfied. (Mt. 5:6) As disciples our hunger and
thirst for justice must be greater than all those who set
themselves against justice. When we come to live in the
fullness of justice and sanctity we increase our desire
for the blessedness of this gift for all. This increases
in proportion to the streams of grace that flow from God's
will. May the longing desires that we have for His peace
and justice be fulfilled. Blessed are the merciful, for
they will be shown mercy. (Mt. 5:7) As the Mother and Father
of mercies, Mary and Jesus work with the disciples toward
the benefit and salvation of all men. Never deny in any
way mercy to anyone who asks, nor cease to seek out and
hasten in the relief of those who are needy and poor, offering
to them assistance and not waiting until they come to us,
but reaching out to all of them. Blessed are the clean of
heart, for they will see God. (Mt. 5:8) Here the disciples
of Jesus and Mary are truly one with Jesus as the Son of
Justice and with Mary who is most pure, chaste, inviolate,
and undefiled. Into the hearts and minds of the disciples
no defilement comes. They become like the sun which shines
on all but is not contaminated in any way by the realities
upon which it shines. Our thoughts and our sense of the
presence of God must become so strong that it becomes impossible
for our minds and hearts to be defiled with any impurity.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children
of God. (Mt. 5:9) Disciples of Jesus and Mary exercise this
Beatitude as Sons and Daughters of God our Father. This
is the Beatitude which preserves the blessing of peace of
mind, heart, and spirit so that our faculties in times of
trial, sufferings, and even death are accepted with peace
in Christ. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake
of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Mt.
5:10). As disciples we give the very gift of our life for
the honor and glory of Christ our Lord. We live in Him in
the fullness of His Paschal Mystery and come to understand
and to execute the law of Him who is our divine teacher.
We understand the doctrines and the ends which He as master
had in view when He gave to us the gospels, the precepts,
the counsels, which bid us love our enemies, pardon injuries,
do good works, and avoid hypocrisy. Beyond these are the
counsels of perfection. We do not do away with the old law
but rather fulfill it. We live what we teach. Our words
instruct, but our deeds of living the Beatitudes move us
to give witness to the teaching which Jesus and Mary have
given to us and make it acceptable for others to practice
and live. We must preach by example. Jesus has said to His
disciples, "You are the salt of the earth. Salt is excellent
in its place but if salt becomes tasteless, how can you
season it?" Disciples are to keep salt in their hearts in
that they are to be at peace with one another. They are
to keep salt in their words so that seasoned with that salt
they are able to reply to each other as they should. Seasoned
with the salt of God's covenant they are to give flavor
to the men of the world through their covenant with a living
God. As disciples, you are salted with fire. Jesus has said:
"I have come to cast fire upon the earth and I will that
it be enkindled. He who is close to me is close to fire."
A fire which inflames the world, burns in the hearts of
disciples as it did in the disciples on the road to Emmaus.
It descended on disciples at the first Pentecost and it
now descends on the disciples of today in a new Pentecost.
Jesus has promised. Therefore, we who are receiving the
unshakable kingdom should hold fast to God's grace as His
disciples so that we may offer worship, acceptable to Him,
in reverence and awe, because our God is a consuming fire.
The disciples who have received the fire of the Spirit have
overcome the distance between God and man and this is accomplished
by the gift of God Himself, Who is in the very depths of
His disciples and all men. Jesus says of Himself, "I am
the Light of the world." And He witnesses His oneness with
His disciples as He says, "You are the light of the world,
and while you have the light, walk in the light, thus you
will become sons of light." Jesus is witnessed in the gospels
as Father, Brother, Friend, Teacher, Advocate, Protector
and Redeemer, as the Way, the Truth, the Life, and the light.
The Doctrine that Jesus is our light is really taught by
the gospels so that if we really believe and live in Him
we have already begun eternal life, we have come to the
salvation which Jesus has wrought. We have made efficacious
the Holy Law which is capable of destroying the deadly poison
of Satan instilled by the first sin. By means of the light
of the precepts and counsels which Jesus gives, the disciples
become spiritualized and exalted in participation with Christ
until they become like Him in every way. They become, as
well, the receivers of His riches and afterwards participate
in His light of glory. Disciples experience men existing
either as sons of the world or as sons of the light. They
know that those who practice evil, hate the light and do
not come near it for fear that their deeds will be exposed.
Those who act in truth come into the light to make clear
that their deeds are done in God. The disciples also realize
that they were in darkness, but that now they are light
in the Lord and that they must live as sons of that light.
For light produces every kind of goodness, justice, and
truth. In this way they can correct their judgment and do
what pleases the Lord. They will not take part in the vain
deeds that are done in darkness. But as sons of light they
will let their light shine before men so that all may give
glory to their Father in heaven. Committed to light as disciples,
they are transformed from light to light. Their goal is
to come to that light of glory, in which they will see God
face to face in our Father's kingdom. As the anawim who
serve the anawim, the disciples are the prophets of the
New Testament. The Sermon on the Mount manifests them as
men of justice and sincerity and of perfect justice. Their
hearts are free of every evil desire, full of merciful love,
and sincere in all the gifts that the Father has given to
them. They use these gifts of reconciliation in all relationships
with God, with themselves, with all men, and with all creation.
They are men of suffering and joy and the fruitfulness of
their suffering is the sign of their own predestination.
Their joy in suffering is a grace of the Holy Spirit and
is a true mark of their discipleship. They are fruitful
as their Heavenly Father has decided. They are recognized
by their fruits as truly obedient to the will of the Heavenly
Father and not illusionary workers of wonders among men.
Jesus and Mary treat us as disciples with incomparable prudence
and wisdom. They are for us all and are our king and queen.
They procure for us all that is necessary to assist us in
our spiritual life in the work of the king and queen. Their
works go beyond the possibility of human understanding and
by their continual and fervent prayers for us, Jesus and
Mary care for us in the fullness of their love. As prudent
teachers, they nourish and strengthen us by example and
counsel. When we are attacked by doubts and buffeted by
secret temptations, they immediately hasten to our assistance
in order to encourage and enlighten us by their light and
charity. By their words they console and rejoice us; by
their wisdom, they enlighten us; by their humility, they
chasten us; by their modesty, they quiet us; by their gifts
of the Holy Spirit, they enrich us. Let us celebrate in
festive hymn our calling as disciples, our conversion and
perseverance, our works of grace and virtue. These are the
dynamics of the kingdom. Mt. 8: 18-22: (18) When Jesus saw
a crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other
side. (19) A scribe approached and said to him, "Teacher,
I will follow you wherever you go." (20) Jesus answered
him, "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but
the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head." (21) Another
of [his] disciples said to him, "Lord, let me go first and
bury my father." (22) But Jesus answered him, "Follow me,
and let the dead bury their dead." As disciples of Jesus
and Mary, we must renew in our hearts our esteem for the
blessings and trials which are hidden in the providence
of God and which He dispenses for our justification. We
freely choose these sufferings unto death in love for God.
And we magnify and praise Him in order that the pain and
sorrow of natural death may be relieved by the joy of the
Spirit. In the victories of Christ, we must let our interior
be lighted up, at the time of death, by fervent acts of
divine love, faith, praise, thanksgiving, and humility.
Jesus continues to teach the disciples from life experience
as we find in Mt. 8:23-27. Here Jesus teaches the disciples
that their faith gives light to their understanding. In
the darkness of their life experiences, their faith directs
them not to stray from the Way, but rather, with God's grace,
to rise above themselves. It assures them with certainty
what is far beyond their own powers. It frees them from
being closed into the limited knowledge given by their senses.
It frees them from the narrow-mindedness of believing only
what they can see and experience by their own limited abilities.
(23) He got into a boat and his disciples followed him.
(24) Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that
the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep.
(25) They came and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We
are perishing!" (26) He said to them, "Why are you terrified,
O you of little faith?" Then he got up, rebuked the winds
and the sea, and there was great calm. (27) The men were
amazed and said, "What sort of man is this, whom even the
winds and the sea obey?" In the 9th chapter the dynamic
of the kingdom continues: Jesus teaches His disciples here,
as all through the gospels, that He always went about seeking
to pardon and to load with blessings those who are in sin.
By our imitating this charity and the meekness of the lamb
of God, we dispose ourselves to receive and maintain a noble
spirit of charity and of love of God and neighbor. This
makes us prepared for all the influences of divine grace
and kindness that the Lord desires to give in the riches
of His Mercy. We see Jesus in the next incident in Mt. 9:
14-17 defending His disciples. As disciples of Jesus and
Mary, even in your most spiritual and virtuous works, deficiencies
occur. These are made up for by offering the merits of Christ
our Lord and Our Lady, so that your works will be acceptable
to our eternal Father. If you are deficient in humility,
offer to the Father the humility of Jesus and Mary. If you
are deficient in obedience, offer the obedience of Jesus
and Mary to the Father. If you are deficient in charity,
offer the charity of Jesus and Mary to the Father. Whatever
you are deficient in, offer for the grace and virtue, the
work and blessing, the light and glory of Jesus and Mary.
This is the puting of the new wine into the new wine skins
so that both are saved. (14) Then the disciples of John
approached him and said, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast
[much], but your disciples do not fast?" (15) Jesus answered
them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom
is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is
taken away from them, and then they will fast. (16) No one
patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for
its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets
worse. (17) People do not put new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the
skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh
wineskins, and both are preserved. The miracles of Jesus
constitute His first assault on the kingdom of Satan. This
dynamic occurs in Mt. 9: 18-26: (18) While he was saying
these things to them, an official came forward, knelt down
before him, and said, "My daughter has just died. But come,
lay your hand on her, and she will live." (19) Jesus rose
and followed him, and so did his disciples. (20) A woman
suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him
and touched the tassel on his cloak. (21) She said to herself,
"If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured." (22)
Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, "Courage, daughter!
Your faith has saved you." And from that hour the woman
was cured. (23) When Jesus arrived at the official's house
and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making
a commotion, (24) he said, "Go away! The girl is not dead
but sleeping." And they ridiculed him. (25) When the crowd
was put out, he came and took her by the hand, and the little
girl arose. (26) And news of this spread throughout all
that land. Disciples of Jesus and Mary need in their assault
on the kingdom of Satan a detachment from earthly security,
a filial relationship yielding to the will of Christ, a
greatness of faith, and a courage that flows from that faith.
They must work with those in most need and become true witnesses
of mercy and resurrection, willing to be laughed at, and
yet filled with the spirit of compassion. Their miracles
will then truly bring forth the kingdom of God. Jesus continues
his preaching of the kingdom and His teaching of the disciples
in Mt. 9:35-38: (35) Jesus went around to all the towns
and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming
the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and
illness. (36) At the sight of the crowds, his heart was
moved with pity for them because they were troubled and
abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. (37) Then he said
to his disciples, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers
are few; (38) so ask the master of the harvest to send out
laborers for his harvest." Disciples of Jesus and Mary have
a deep devotion and love for the Communion of Saints and
for all the patrons that the Church gives to us. Among those
patrons, one who has a special love and devotion for disciples
is Saint Joseph, the one whom Jesus was subject to as the
scriptures say. He is the patron of all those who work in
the harvest: patron of the Church, patron of the sick and
the dying, patron for the conversion of Russia from Communism,
and many other patronages. It is he who continues to bring
forth fruitfulness in the harvest of our Father's vineyard
through the privileges which God has given to him. And so
disciples turn to St. Joseph and make fruitful those privileges
of attaining purity and overcoming sensible inclinations
of the flesh; of procuring his help to escape sin and return
to the friendship of God; of increasing the love and devotion
to Mary, our Most Holy Mother; of receiving the grace of
a happy death, and protection against the devils at that
hour, of inspiring the devils with the terror at the mere
mention of his name, of assistance in all kinds of difficulties,
of securing the issue of children in families, and the many
other favors for those disciples who are devoted to him
if they will dispose themselves to receive and merit them.
In Mt. 10 Jesus gives to His disciples the authority to
fight for the kingdom of God against the kingdom of Satan.
He then gives the instruction as to how they are to continue
that fight. In Mt. 10:1: Then he summoned his twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them
out and to cure every disease and every illness. Jesus then
gives authority to the disciples to begin their fight for
the kingdom of God against Satan and his kingdom. Then Jesus
continues His instruction as to how they are to continue
that fight until the final victory is won for the kingdom
of God. Jesus tells us that He came as a sign of contradiction
to bring the sword and not peace. Love no one more than
Him. Take up your cross and follow Him in a death to yourself;
lose your life to find it. This creates a tension in you.
"He who receives you receives Me," Jesus said, and, "Whoever
gives to one of these little ones a cup of cold water to
drink because he is a disciple, amen, I say to you, he shall
not lose his reward."
The 11th - 13th chapters, portray the mystery of the kingdom - that mysterious
character of the heavenly kingdom is a grace of God and
can only be perceived by a living faith. Jesus issues His
invitation to that faith in all three of these chapters.
In Mt. 11: 25-27: (25) At that time Jesus said in reply,
"I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things from the wise
and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.
(26) Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. (27)
All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No
one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the
Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes
to reveal him. This really is the pattern of meditative
prayer of discipleship. Disciples are asked to go to the
Father in faith and ask Him to teach them about Jesus, and
to go to Jesus and ask Him to teach them about their Father.
For this is the mission of Jesus: to reveal the Father.
Jesus, as St. Paul says, is the image of the Father. Disciples
come to consider the works of Jesus and penetrate with humble
reverence the mystery which He conceals within them for
the salvation of all. These sentiments of wonder are especially
united to a deep veneration in disciples for the judgments
of the Lord, who disposes all things connected with redemption
according to His own equity, goodness, and righteousness,
and in a manner befitting all His attributes. The Lord denies
to none of His enemies sufficient help to follow the good,
if only they wished to use their freedom for that purpose.
Jesus wishes all of them to be saved, as we find in 1 Tim.
2:4. And if not all of them attain this salvation, none
can justly complain against His superabundant kindness.
The mark of disciples is that they remain faithful to that
work of salvation that Jesus shares with them. In Jesus,
as a servant of Yahweh proclaiming the true faith to the
Gentiles in His name, the outpouring of the Spirit's promise
in the Messianic era by the Old Testament prophets, is always
found. In Jesus' work the promise of the sign of His death
and resurrection, which together with faith, brings all
men to salvation is manifest. This is shown in Mt. 12:46-50:
(46) While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother
and his brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak with
him. [(47) Someone told him, "Your mother and your brothers
are standing outside, asking to speak with you."] (48) But
he said in reply to the one who told him, "Who is my mother?
Who are my brothers?" (49) And stretching out his hand towards
his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers.
(50) For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is
my brother, and sister, and mother." Here Jesus shows that
the supernatural bond of a genuine relationship to Himself
is far greater and above even the strongest natural ties
of family. As disciples of Jesus and Mary we acknowledge
and thank the Father, the creator of all, by obeying His
Holy Will. We resign ourselves to what pleases Him as did
Jesus, the Spirit and Mary. We undergo all torments and
afflictions for the salvation of mankind in union with our
divine Savior and the Mother of our Savior. As disciples
of Jesus and Mary, we ask them for the fortitude and courage
to participate in the Paschal Mystery. The next section
on the mysteries of the heavenly kingdom is found in Mt.
13: 3-53: (3) And he spoke to them at length in parables,
saying: "A sower went out to sow. (4) And as he sowed, some
seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. (5)
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It
sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, (6) and
when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack
of roots. (7) Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns
grew up and choked it. (8) But some seed fell on rich soil,
and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. (9)
Whoever has ears ought to hear." The Purpose of Parables.
(10) The disciples approached him and said, "Why do you
speak to them in parables?" (11) He said to them in reply,
"Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
(12) To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow
rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be
taken away. (13) This is why I speak to them in parables,
because 'they look but do not see and hear but do not listen
or understand.' (14) Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in them,
which says: 'You shall indeed hear but not understand, you
shall indeed look but never see. (15) Gross is the heart
of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they
have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and
hear with their ears and understand with their heart and
be converted and I heal them.' The Privilege of Discipleship.
(16) "But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your
ears, because they hear. (17) Amen, I say to you, many prophets
and righteous people longed to see what you see but did
not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
The Explanation of the Parable of the Sower. (18) "Hear
then the parable of the sower. (19) The seed sown on the
path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without
understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart. (20) The seed sown on rocky
ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at
once with joy. (21) But he has no root and lasts only for
a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because
of the word, he immediately falls away. (22) The seed sown
among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly
anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears
no fruit. (23) But the seed sown on rich soil is the one
who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears
fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold." The
Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat. (24) He proposed another
parable to them. "The kingdom of heaven may be likened to
a man who sowed good seed in his field. (25) While everyone
was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the
wheat, and then went off. (26) When the crop grew and bore
fruit, the weeds appeared as well. (27) The slaves of the
householder came to him and said, 'Master, did you not sow
good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?'
(28) He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' His slaves said
to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' (29) He
replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot
the wheat along with them. (30) Let them grow together until
harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters,
"First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning;
but gather the wheat into my barn."'" The Parable of the
Mustard Seed. (31) He proposed another parable to them.
"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person
took and sowed in a field. (32) It is the smallest of all
the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants.
It becomes a large bush, and the 'birds of the sky come
and dwell in its branches.'" The Parable of the Yeast. (33)
He spoke to them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven
is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures
of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened." The
Use of Parables. (34) All these things Jesus spoke to the
crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables, (35)
to fulfill what had been said through the prophet: "I will
open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain
hidden from the foundation [of the world]." The Explanation
of the Parable of the Weeds. (36) Then, dismissing the crowds,
he went into the house. His disciples approached him and
said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."
(37) He said in reply, "He who sows good seed is the Son
of Man, (38) the field is the world, the good seed the children
of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one,
(39) and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest
is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. (40)
Just as weeds are collected and burned [up] with fire, so
will it be at the end of the age. (41) The Son of Man will
send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom
all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. (42) They
will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will
be wailing and grinding of teeth. (43) Then the righteous
will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
Whoever has ears ought to hear. More Parables. (44) The
kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes
and sells all that he has and buys that field. (45) Again,
the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine
pearls. (46) When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes
and sells all that he has and buys it. (47) Again, the kingdom
of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects
fish of every kind. (48) When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad
they throw away. (49) Thus it will be at the end of the
age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from
the righteous (50) and throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Treasures
New and Old. (51) "Do you understand all these things?"
They answered, "Yes" (52) And he replied, "Then every scribe
who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like
the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both
the new and the old." (53) When Jesus finished these parables,
he went away from there. Herein, Jesus shows the disciples
that they are privileged to know the mysteries of the heavenly
kingdom, to know the supernatural character of the whole
divine plan of salvation which is found in the mystery of
God's dominion over them. Jesus manifested that the disciples
are happy because they are to witness with a living faith
the consummation of Israel's religious history and the events
of Jesus' life. Finally, as Jesus closes the parables on
the plan of salvation, He asks the disciples if they have
understood the lessons that are contained in these parables
and they answer that they do. Disciples of Jesus and Mary
acknowledge Christ as their true Messiah and Redeemer, God
and Man, who had been promised to them in the old law, and
to their delight, has come to be with them in the new law.
Bound to this belief, they confess this truth in their words.
They come to understand the true anointing of the Savior
which is an unction that was prefigured in the kings and
priests of the old covenant, as David manifests in the 44th
Psalm. But here Jesus manifests for the disciples the unction
of the divinity resulting from union with His humanity.
Thus in the humanity of all men, Christ saw the anointing
of the gifts of grace and glory corresponding to the hypostatic
union. All these mysteries of truth were providentially
revealed in the person of Christ, Who is divine and human
in His nature. The faith-life of the disciples witnesses
the fullness of the divine and human God-Man. In the divine
realities of faith they believe in one God who is independent
and necessary, infinite and immense, unchangeable and eternal.
They pray that all men will accept this truth and they fight
against the idolatry that is so present and prevalent in
their day. They bring forth a true worship of God, in Spirit,
and in Truth. They believe that God is our Father, and that
He is our beginning and our last end, that He was not born
or proceeding from the Son or the Spirit, and is the origin
of all else. He created all without beginning and He is
Himself the beginning of all. The Spirit of giving thanks
to our Father, for all that is present, is essential to
the daily spirituality of disciples. They believe in the
Son Who is generated eternally by the Father's intellect
and Who is equal to Him in divine life, eternity, and attributes.
They believe in the Holy Spirit Who proceeds from the Father
and the Son as one principle, Who is breathed forth in love,
and is equal to the Father and the Son as one principle,
Who is breathed forth in love, and is equal to the Father
and the Son in all things and that He emanates and proceeds
from the divine intellect and will. They believe in the
Creator of all, and that all Three are Creator; that They
are infinite and all powerful and that God is the first
cause and that They preserve all, and no one else creates
out of nothing. The disciples acknowledge God as the author
of all. They believe in the predestination, vocation and
justification of all men. They believe that those who do
not profit from the mercy of God lose eternal happiness
although God wills the salvation of all. They believe that
Jesus as God-Man, is the one who came as Savior, though
their salvation comes from all three, and that Jesus is
the price of the Father's love. They believe in the eternal
happiness and it is important that they do believe, in order
to obtain that happiness. The disciples believe that the
kingdom is clearly visible in Jesus as Son of God and Son
of Man who came on mission from His Father; for it pleased
our Father to reestablish all things in Him who came to
serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. Disciples
of Jesus and Mary believe that Jesus, Son of our Eternal
Father, for us men and for our salvation, came down from
heaven and was incarnate. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary. He worked with human hands,
He thought with a human mind, He acted by human choice,
He loved with a human heart, and in His compassion, united
Himself with all mankind (Heb. 4:15). They believe that
Mary conceived and brought forth and nourished Christ, presented
Him to the Father, united with Him in His sufferings, death,
resurrection, and ascension. She cooperates lovingly with
the Holy Spirit, the soul of the Church, so that there might
be born in the Church all who are members of Christ. She
cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope and burning charity
in His saving work of restoring supernatural life to souls,
so that she is the mother of the disciples in the order
of grace. In the Eucharist the disciples believe and announce:
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you
proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes. (1 Cor. 11:26).
In the poor and suffering they recognize the likeness of
the poor and suffering Redeemer, and they do all they can
to relieve their needs. Jesus rose up again after His suffering
and death on the cross for mankind and He manifested that
He had been appointed Lord, Messiah, and Priest forever.
He poured out on His disciples the Spirit promised by the
Father in Acts 2:33. And, Jesus was Himself made flesh so
that as perfect man He might save all men and sum up all
things in Himself. (Eph. 1:10). He is whom the Father raised
from the dead and lifted on high and stationed on His right
hand making Him judge of the living and dead. For the disciples,
Jesus is everything in all of us and we journey with the
Lord as pilgrims uniting ourselves with Him until He fulfills
His word, "Behold, I am coming soon. I bring with me the
recompense I will give to each according to his deeds. I
am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the
beginning and the end." (Rev. 22: 12-13). Disciples of Jesus
and Mary carefully preserve and reverence the knowledge
and understanding of their faith, knowing that all of their
enemies try to rob them of these treasures. They let their
faculties be clothed with double garments of interior and
exterior watchfulness to resist temptations against faith.
The teachings of their faith are the very weapons that they
use to fight the good fight. They firmly believe in exercising
their faith, constantly meditating and remembering and being
illumined in their souls. By their faith they find that
error is driven away, the deceits of Satan are dispersed,
the false word with which Satan tries to deceive is dispelled,
and darkness is overcome by the light of faith. The teachings
of our faith nourish the spirit of the disciples and strengthen
their souls to fight the Lord's battles. Even though they
see around them some who are forgetful and negligent and
others who give themselves to carnal and sensual life because
they lack faith or are untouched by it, disciples live their
faith and meditate on its mysteries knowing their powerful
effects. The disciples grow in the understanding of the
exalted and wonderful revelations that the Lord has given
them that pertain to the mysteries of the Trinity, to the
divine and human Christ, His life, His death, and His resurrection.
As disciples of Jesus and Mary they will taste, in the gift
of their living faith, the sweetness of peace and eternal
life.
MATTHEW 14TH - 19TH CHAPTERS. Herein you will see the person of Jesus in
a very special way, developing relationships with His disciples
and teaching the disciples various aspects of relationships.
We begin with Mt. 14: 13-21: (13) When Jesus heard of it,
he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The
crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their
towns. (14) When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their
sick. (15) When it was evening, the disciples approached
him and said, "This is a deserted place and it is already
late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages
and buy food for themselves." (16) [Jesus] said to them,
"There is no need for them to go away; give them some food
yourselves." (17) But they said to him, "Five loaves and
two fish are all we have here." (18) Then he said, "Bring
them here to me," (19) and he ordered the crowds to sit
down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish,
and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the
loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave
them to the crowds. (20) They all ate and were satisfied,
and they picked up the fragments left over - twelve wicker
baskets full. (21) Those who ate were about five thousand
men, not counting women and children. The disciples of Jesus
and Mary recognize in Jesus' multiplication of the loaves
and fishes the prelude to the relationship with Him in the
Eucharist. He is the beloved of their soul and the light
of their life. Deeply, and with an ardent hope and trust,
they desire to participate in the sacrament of our Lord's
body and blood. They desire to share the effects of this
pledge of His glory. They know their unworthiness of such
a blessing in this relationship which God has set above
all of His works. They have nothing to merit such a gift,
except His own infinite merits. They ask Our Lady and the
angels to help them prepare to receive Our Lord so that
He makes us His by this new possession and friendship. All
their desires and works are devoted to this renewed unity
and this enkindles their hearts with an ardent love that
they might never be separated from Him who is all our good
and love. As the 14th chapter has stressed the person in
relationship, the 15th chapter stresses the responsibility
in relationship. In Mt. 15: 1-20 we read: (1) Then Pharisees
and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, (2) "Why
do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They
do not wash [their] hands when they eat a meal." (3) He
said to them in reply, "And why do you break the commandment
of God for the sake of your tradition? (4) For God said,
'Honor your father and your mother,' and 'Whoever curses
father or mother shall die.' (5) But you say, 'Whoever says
to father or mother, "Any support you might have had from
me is dedicated to God," (6) need not honor his father.'
You have nullified the word of God for the sake of your
tradition. (7) Hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy about
you when he said: (8) 'This people honors me with their
lips, but their hearts are far from me; (9) in vain do they
worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.'" (10)
He summoned the crowd and said to them, "Hear and understand.
(11) It is not what enters one's mouth that defiles that
person; but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles
one." (12) Then his disciples approached and said to him,
"Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard
what you said?" (13) He said in reply, "Every plant that
my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. (14)
Let them alone; they are blind guides [of the blind]. If
a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into
a pit." (15) Then Peter said to him in reply, "Explain [this]
parable to us." (16) He said to them, "Are even you still
without understanding? (17) Do you not realize that everything
that enters the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled
into the latrine? (18) But the things that come out of the
mouth come from the heart, and they defile. (19) For from
the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, unchastity,
theft, false witness, blasphemy. (20) These are what defile
a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile."
Disciples think well of the way that they wish to choose
in Jesus and Mary. For Jesus, as priest, redeemer, and king
is tormented, afflicted, crowned with thorns, and saturated
with reproaches; disciples must desire to have a part with
Him and to be a member of His body, and therefore, it is
not possible for them to live steeped in the pleasures of
the flesh. As disciples they must be the persecuted and
not the persecutor; the oppressed and not the oppressor;
the one who bears the cross, encounters scandal, and not
the one who gives it; the one who suffers and at the same
time makes none of his neighbors suffer. The disciples,
therefore, exert themselves for the conversion and salvation
of all in whatever way is compatible with their state in
life and vocation. This is the portion of disciples; this
is their inheritance in this life. By the torments and reproaches
of Christ and His death on the cross, Jesus has purchased
for them participation in the grace of His death and the
glory of His resurrection. Mary also has cooperated in this
work and paid with her sorrows and afflictions so that none
of these must ever be blotted out of a disciple's memory.
She has rightly been called, "Cause of our joy". The Almighty
would indeed have been powerful enough to exult all of those
who were His family in this world but He did not, because
of the danger of our thinking that greatness consists in
what is visible, and happiness in what is of this earth,
and that we might be induced to forsake the virtues and
the glory of the Lord and fail to experience the fruitfulness
of divine grace and cease to strive towards spiritual and
eternal things. This is the science which Jesus and Mary
teach to the disciples; and one in which they must study
continually and must advance in day by day putting into
practice all that they learn and understand and know. Jesus
and the Canaanite woman; This is found in Mt. 15: 21-28:
(21) Then Jesus went from that place and withdrew to the
region of Tyre and Sidon. (22) And behold, a Canaanite woman
of that district came and called out, "Have pity on me,
Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon."
(23) But he did not say a word in answer to her. His disciples
came and asked him, "Send her away, for she keeps calling
out after us." (24) He said in reply, "I was sent only to
the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (25) But the woman
came and did him homage, saying, "Lord, help me." (26) He
said in reply, "It is not right to take the food of the
children and throw it to the dogs." (27) She said, "Please,
Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the
table of their masters." (28) Then Jesus said to her in | |
