23rd March 1923 We are going to make souls understand how many allow themselves to be deceived by pride.
Crowned with thorns and clothed in the purple mantle and amidst overwhelming insults and mockeries, I was brought back by the soldiers to Pilate. Finding in Me no crime worthy of death, he questioned Me again and asked Me why I did not reply, seeing that he had the power to crucify Me or release Me. Then breaking silence I said: 'Thou wouldst have no power over Me unless it were given thee from above, but the scriptures must be fulfilled! After which I resumed My silence, surrendering Myself wholly to God. Pilate, meanwhile troubled by a message from his wife, and worried by the remorse of his conscience and fearing that the people might turn against him if he refused to sentence Me to death, sought for a pretext to release Me. So presenting Me to the people in the pitiable plight to which I had been reduced, he offered to free Me and condemn instead Barabbas the thief. But the multitude cried out angrily with one voice "let Him die. He must die and let Barabbas be set free". O all ye who love Me, consider how I was compared to a thief..or rather valued lower than a degraded criminal, one of the wickedess of men. Hear their cries of rage against Me and their vociferous clamours for My death. Far from seeking to escape this affront, I lovingly accepted it for love of souls, for love of you, desirous of showing you that My love was leading Me not only to death but to contempt, ignominy and hatred of those very men for whom I should shed My Blood in such profusion. I was treated as a disturber of the peace, as insane, a madman, and I accepted it all with the utmost meekness and humility. Do you think that in My human nature I felt no repugnance and grief? I willed to know experimentally all that would have to be undergone by you, that you might draw strength from My example for all the circumstances of your life. So I did not free Myself, though this would have been easy, I accepted all lovingly, that thus fortified you might understand how to sacrifice every repugnance in order to accomplish the Holy Will of God, My Father.. repair His Glory...expiate the sins of the world and win the salvation of many souls. Here I once more addressed Myself to the souls to whom I spoke yesterday. You who are called to a life of perfection, who parley with grace, and answer thus: 'How can I live in continual obscurity? I am not accustomed to that kind of life..to such lowly work...my family and friends will thnink me ridiculous.. . For I am gifted and could be more uselful elsewhere ect. To you I make My answer: When I was born of poor and humble parents. far from My own country and home... in a stable...in the severest season of the year and trhe coldest of nights..did I hesitate? Did I refuse? During thiry years I knew the hard toil of an obscure workshop, bearing the contempt and indifference of those for whom My father St. Joseph worked, nor did I distain to help my Mother in the humble and hidden occupations of Her poor household. Had I not more knowledge than was needed for the humble trade of a carpenter, I who at twelve years of age taught the Doctors in the Temple? But such was My Father's will and consequently it was in this way that I gave Him glory. From the beginning of My Public life, I could not have made Myself known as the Messiah and Son of God, so as to attract the attention and veneration of men to My teaching. I did not do so, because My one desire was to follow in all things My Father's Will. And when the hour of My Passion had struck, see how inspite of the cruelty of some, the insults of others, the desertion of My own, the ingratitude of the crowds... the unspeakable martyrdom of My Body and the intense repugnance of My human nature, I embraced with ever more love that Holy Will. Thus when you submit yourselves generously to the Will of God inspite of natural interior opposition to it.. the resistance of your own family.. the judgements of the whole world. When you have given yourself generously to the Will of God, then shall you be closely united with Him and taste ineffable sweetness. What I have said to souls who experience this keen repugnance to a humble and hidden life, I repeat to those called on the contrary to spend themselves in the service of the world when their whole attraction is for a life of solitude and hidden labour. O chosen souls, your happiness and perfection do not lie in following your attraction, nor in living known or unknown to the world, in using or hiding the talents with which you have been endowed, in being thought much of or little.. in having good health or not..but only and soley in embracing with love God's Will, and being in perfect conformity with it in all it requires of you for His glory and your holiness. <*}}}>< <http://www.holypostage.com/>Custom Faith-based U.S. Postage <*}}}>< + <*}}}>< <http://astore.amazon.com/halthekin-20>Catholic on Amazon <*}}}>< <*}}}>< <http://www.halfthekingdom.org/on+allposters+today.html>on AllPosters today <*}}}>< + <*}}}>< <http://www.holypostage.com/>Holy Postage <*}}}>< <*}}}><<http://www.halfthekingdom.org/>Half the <http://www.halfthekingdom.org/>Kingdom!<*}}}>< + "A person is a person, no matter how small." Dr. Seuss --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Please note that I do not send or open attachments sent to this list. 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