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"The saints had no hatred, no bitterness. They forgave everything." For Reflection: Do I truly want to be a saint? (See tomorrow's Grace Line for a young girl who did and proved it.)

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"We should love and feel compassion for those who oppose us, since they harm themselves and do us good, and adorn us with crowns of everlasting glory." St. Anthony Zaccaria

For Reflection: I will reflect on this quote and meditate on its wisdom. How does this change my attitude and disposition of heart toward those who offend, injure, or hurt me?

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"An insult is either sustained or destroyed, not by the disposition of those who insult, but in the disposition of those who bear it." St. John Chrysostom

For Reflection: St. John Chrysostom gives good advice on how to short-circuit the need to forgive. What is my disposition when I am insulted? Does it "sustain" the insult or "destroy" it? What disposition would destroy it? (See tomorrow's Grace Line for one saint's suggestion.)

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"You rehearse your brother's trespasses, and forget about you own." St. Barsanuphius

For Reflection: What two insights does this saint give us about sabotaging our forgiveness efforts? Do I do these? Today, I will make a conscious effort to stop the thought processes leading to these ends whenever my offender comes to mind. (Tomorrow's Grace Line gives more help as well.)

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Yesterday morning while I was making my bed, a question entered my mind. "Why is it," I queried, "that it is so easy to develop a bad habit and so difficult to acquire a good one?" The answer came as I tucked the sheet and fluffed my pillow.

A bad habit rises out of our passions. In most cases, our disordered passions. Even if the pleasure is licit, lack of self-discipline and restraint makes it negative (shopping? food? gossip? -- you get the idea). It is rooted in concupiscence, our natural inclination to sin. And we naturally lean toward it.

A good habit, on the other hand, requires order, constraint, mastery, dying to self. It requires taming unbridled desires and wants through mortification and sacrifice. Taking custody of our senses. Asceticsim. Doing this goes against the grain of our natural desire and so it doesn't bring us pleasure -- at least initially. Therefore, we don't like it. While we may desire it in theory, we lean back from it in practice.

What, then, do we do? Do we give up and give in? No. That clearly is not the appropriate response.

In addition to praying for all of the supernatural help and grace we need and making good use of the sacraments, we employ the will and begin to reorder ourselves toward the good, the holy, the truly beautiful.

As we do so, we begin to seek a different kind of pleasure -- one rooted in the things of God rather than the things of the world. One that seeks the eternal rather than the temporal. One that leads us to truth rather than illusion. One that lifts us up to a new level of knowledge and understanding about God, man, ourselves.

Doing so yields not only good habits with their accompanying virtues, but that which good habits and their virtues bring -- happiness. True and abiding happiness. Philippians 4:8.

As we make our way through this Advent season, let us continue to root out that which is disordered and replace it with the virtue opposite to it. By Christmas day we may be well aloong the way to replacing a most pernicious bad habit with a good one. What a gift that would make for our King!

 

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"A man who is well disposed toward and loves those who revile and abuse him and cause him harm, and who prays for them, in a short time attains to great achievements. St. Simeon the New Theologian

For Reflection: In this quote, St. Simeon gives us insight into two steps in the process of forgiveness. What are they? How can I implement them toward one who has caused me harm or hurt me in some other way? (See tomorrow's Grace Line for some more help in the process.)

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As you know, Women of Grace is consecrated to Our Lord Jesus Christ through the beatitude of the Blessed Mother under her title of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Following is the prayer we used on October 3, 2003 at our first national conference held in Doylestown, PA at the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa:

Lord Jesus Christ, Savior and Redeemer of all mankind; Incarnate Wisdom,

At the hour of Your death, You gave to us the Blessed Virgin Mary and willed her to be the Mother of the Church, the mother of us all.

Before this blessed Missionary Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which signifies her presence among us, I do formally consecrate Women of Grace its mission, and its outreach to the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

I humbly request the fruit of this consecration be conversion, healing, reconciliation and salvation. I further petition Our Lady of Guadalupe to instill in the hearts of her daughters an ever deepening understanding and appreciation of the feminine genius, and I ask that through her motherly influence and maternal intercession Our Lady of Guadalupe would lead her daughters to the Sacred Heart of her Son, Jesus Christ.

Hear my prayer, Lord Jesus, through the powerful love of the Immaculate heart of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I make this consecration with thanksgiving and trust, and for the spiritual welfare of women everywhere, especially those who are Women of Grace.

May this consecration deepen the virtues of faith, hope and charity. May it bring an awesome reverence for the gift of life, physical and spiritual life, and for Your Real Presnece enthroned in the Eucharist. May it help us bear witness to the Gospel and live the teachings of the Catholic Church.

And finally, may this consecration help to bring us all to the joy of Your kingdom where You live and reign with the Father and Holy Spirit; one God forever and ever. Amen.

(For more information on Our Lady of Guadalupe, click on her image in the slide show presentation on our website.)

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Edward Sri S.T.D., a frequent guest on Women of Grace, seen on EWTN (Weekdays 11 AM and 11:30 PM), was a recent guest on Fox News talking about the new translation of the Mass.

You can watch the interview at http://video.foxnews.com/v/1318869351001/has-it-been-mass-confusion-at-catholic-churches/.

We also invite you to view the programs we produced on this topic with Dr. Sri at WOG Exclusive. Go to www.womenofgrace.com.

 

 

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"I've heard people say that forgiveness is for wimps. Well, I say then that they must never have tried it. Forgiveness is hard work. It demands diligent, self- discipline, constant corralling of our basest instincts, custody of the tongue, and a steadfast refusal not to get caught up in the mean-spiritedness of our times." Marietta Jaegger- Lane Mother of a murdered child

For Reflection: Am I willing, with the grace of God, to enter into the hard work of forgiveness? Of the necessary demands Marietta outlines, which one do I most need to acquire? I will start to ask God to supply my need this minute and make this my prayer request until I begin to manifest it in my life. (See tomorrow's Grace Line for a help along the way.)

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"Be angry, but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger." Ephesians 4:26

For Reflection: Scientific research proves the wisdom of this passage. The psychological effects of lack of forgiveness and pent-up anger causes real physical problems. To what extent have I seen or experienced this reality? What positive steps can I take today to rid myself of this anger? (See tomorrow's Grace Line for insight).

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