Humus
Posted by Terry Nelson on May 11th, 2007
“Humility exists only in those who are poor enough to see that they possess nothing of their own.” - Blessed Angela of Foligno
This is so not humble…
Posted by Terry Nelson on May 11th, 2007
I actually felt kind of down today because I realized I am not at all humble. Do you know what St. Therese might say to that? “You are full of self love! Pride frets over one’s lack of virtue.” Or she could say something like this to console me, “Learn to rejoice in your defects and offer the humiliation of knowing your imperfections as a sacrifice to Jesus.”
Mother Teresa of Calcutta said humiliations are the stepping stones to humility. (I must say, for me it’s been a rather rocky road as well.)
Why is humility so important? “Humility is considered in all Christian tradition as the foundation of the spiritual life, since it removes pride, which is, says Holy Scripture, the beginning of every sin because it separates us from God.” Garrigou-Lagrange
“Humility is based on truth, especially on the truth that there is an infinite distance between the Creator and the creature. The more this distance appears to us in a living and concrete manner, the more humble we are. However lofty the creature may be, this abyss is always infinite; and the higher we ascend, the more evident does this infinite abyss become for us. In this sense, the highest soul is the most humble, because the most enlightened: the Blessed Virgin Mary is more humble than all the saints, and our Lord is far more humble than His holy Mother.” - Three Ages of the Interior Life
Yesterday, on another blog, a question was raised as to whether or not there are degrees of glory in heaven. Indeed there are. Some saints may be given greater glory than others. I commented with an anecdote from St. Therese regarding an incident wherein she had trouble understanding the same concept, somehow feeling cheated because of it. Her sister, Pauline explained it to her by using the example of glasses filled with water. One glass was smaller than the other, yet both were filled to capacity. With this analogy, Pauline explained that the glory God gives to souls is proportionate with their capacity to receive.
For my part, I better be more concerned with the degrees of humility on earth than the degrees of glory in heaven. After all, I can remember only one thing Jesus explicitely instructed us to learn of Him, when he said, “Come to me all of you, and learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart.”
The Pope in Brazil
Posted by Terry Nelson on May 11th, 2007
I switched on TV this morning to see the Papal Mass in Sao Paolo. The music was awful…endlessly awful. It appears the Novus Ordo liturgies are worse in Brazil than they are here - I don’t know, maybe it’s just the ‘Pope-on-the-road-tour’ open-air Masses that seem obnoxious. I think I was viewing the canonization Mass for Friar Galvao, attended by thousands of Brazilian youth. I had to turn off the broadcast. (At Fatima Our Lady said “the Holy Father will have much to suffer.” - I wonder if she meant these Masses?)
How did liturgy get so bad? And in reference to youth liturgies, why do young people’s Masses have to be so entertaining and novel? Who decides this crap?
(Sorry, I’m trying to quit smoking again today. I’ll be better, I just lit up….”I’m doin’ good though…only had two today!” That’s a line from a song.)
He first loved us…
Posted by Terry Nelson on May 11th, 2007
