Marian Evangelization as an Ecclesial Movement | Fr. Michael Gaitley | SLS20

[Music] before I begin we've got a very special birthday today I don't want to embarrass her by telling her age but I'm going to anyway she turns a hundred and forty seven today who's that that's right st. today is st. to reserve these shoes birthday she turns 147 today and as you know st. Therese is the famous Saint who throws down roses from heaven right and my experience she also throws curveballs from heaven and the reason I say that is because she threw me a curveball regarding this talk I'm going to tell you what happened about couple days ago I had finished my preparation for this talk and then I looked at the calendar and I saw that the talk was gonna be on January 2nd I should have known that beforehand but I realized it then and it hit me that it was st. - Reza's birthday and I have this big picture of Saint res in the room where I was preparing the talk and she had this little smile on her face and I could have sworn that she was just doing this what are you gonna give me for my birthday so I changed the talk to also include Saint Torres because I'm afraid that this Saint who sends down roses from heaven will send lightening bolts to punish me if I don't so I've expanded the talk I'm still going to talk about Marian consecration but it's going to be a bit of a broader topic they can also include st. Therese in her little way as giving her a birthday present ok so how am I going to do that what's what's the topic then yes it has to do with Marian consecration but what I understand this talk to be is that SLS is a Leadership Conference and what I was told beforehand is that because this is a Leadership Conference you need to address the talk to the teachers that you're supposed to teach the teachers in this talk which I'm not used to I'm used to speaking at retreats I'm not used to teaching and I'm not used to teaching teachers but I'm gonna try and they said specifically try and equip people with tools that will help them to teach specifically to teach others that they're forming to build them up in their faith as missionary disciples so I've never done that before I'm gonna try and do that this is gonna be a little bit more academic than the talks I'm used to giving but I'm gonna be obedient I'm a religious you're supposed to do that so what I see then as my job is to give you some tools to equip you with some tools that help build people up in the faith now if we're talking about building people up in the faith when I think a building in order to build something again you need tools so what are the specific tools I want to try and share with you in this talk well they're actually three and those three talks are Mary did I say talks so I didn't sleep much last night those tools are Mary mercy and community Mary mercy and community now I'm going to get back to all that a bit later but the important thing to remember at least for right now is that Mary mercy and community provide us with a big picture which is very important when we're teaching now before I go further I should make a confession I'm really a big picture guy when I was when I was in college you can talk to my roommates I would always have in my in our dorm room I would have these big maps on the wall of all the things I was learning and I was trying to connect all the dots and they thought I was crazy and they're right because I kind of am when I was in the seminary if you talked to my professors they would all tell you that I would have all these books around where I was taking notes and I would be reading like two or three books at the same time well all the lectures going on taking the notes for that putting notes for my books and I drove my professors nuts but I was always trying to put together the big picture the big picture structure of trying to understand things why cuz I'm a nut when it comes to big picture stuff I love it in fact if you were to go to my office in Stockbridge Massachusetts you would see the most obnoxious whiteboards you've ever seen in your life like massive whiteboards all around because I like to big-picture stuff but here's the thing big pictures are important it's not just that I've got this thing for big pictures big pictures are important and don't just take my word for it you could take the word for the founder of Focus Curtis Martin because as I was preparing for this talk I read his famous white paper I don't know why it's called the white paper maybe it's on white paper but it was it's a really beautiful document if you haven't read it it's called the white paper and there's a section of the white paper where it convinced me that Curtis Martin is also a big picture guy and I think that that gets to the heart of the secret of success a focus I want to read a couple quotes from that white paper you guys with me I have to ask you because I can hardly see you yeah oh okay all right so in his white paper this is one of the things he says since we live in a moment of great opportunity there has never been a time when there have been more vibrant engaging and faithful catechetical materials available in such abundance and then he goes on to talk about all the different amazing evangelization groups in the church in America right now that do amazing jobs jobs of helping people equip people for spreading the faith but then he talks about a lot of times the tools are not always effective and it's not because the tools are a problem it's that a lot of times the culture in which the tools come is problematic now culture is a big picture concept I'm gonna come back to that but already Curtis is talking about that the problem we've got these amazing tools but the problem is there's not the right culture or there's nothing very big picture because you can have tons of information I don't know if any guys have ever been through this at least during that might when I went through my conversion I called myself a Catholic truth glutton I couldn't get enough Catholic books and I would read one and I would be all happy about it and then I would forget what I read and I'd read the next one I'd forget what I read and it'd be sort of in the one eye and out the other in order for ideas to stick for the truth to stick we need a big picture the big picture as we're gonna see provides the skeleton so to speak on which you can put all the meat if we don't have a skeleton for the ideas and the truths that we learn is we're building people up in the faith they're not going to be built up they're gonna just be a blob because I have no skeleton that was supposed to be a joke jeez Louise all right all right later on in his document he talks about the amazing diversity of I'm f tools but he actually just talks about amazing diversity in life and here he lays out a principle that I think is super important again for the secret of the success of a focus he says the amazing diversity we find in people is awe-inspiring billions of people throughout the centuries and not one of them is the same countless factors which influence diversity stagger the mind gender ethnicity cultural norms personality the list goes on and on and then this is listen to this this is very interesting yet in the very midst of this diversity we have bone structures that are remarkably similar our skeletons provide support and a framework for our bodies to function so might there also be some fundamental principles which could provide reliable support and a framework for the renewal of our parishes he's talking about the parishes here but you could say for the renew of the church might there be some fundamental principles in other words amidst all this diversity amidst all this Catholic information amazing Catholic information amazing Catholic truth amidst all of this might there be some principles that can give us a structure so it's not in one eye and out the other we're living in an amazing age of an information age but we can be overwhelmed by information we can have a lot of knowledge you can go to google and you can find out pretty much anything we've got all kinds of knowledge but very little wisdom and a lot of for a lot of us at least for me this is my sort of obsession with big pictures is what I'm really looking for what I've always been looking for is wisdom in Sacred Scripture it talks about wisdom is this woman that's just amazing and gives comfort and consolation this is part of why I became a priest I gave up a wife and a family because I was seeking wisdom and what is wisdom wisdom is this serene gaze over the hole were you able to see all of this information but cut through the information and find the most important principles and see how those principles connect together so it's a big picture structure and when we have wisdom were built up in the faith if we just have facts and information we don't have maturity as Christians we're not built up in the faith so again Curtis Martin's insight here about amidst all the diversity might there be these principles that give structures my conviction is that Curtis Martin is a big-picture guy he was looking for a map to navigate through all the information in the modern world and even modern Catholic evangelization because there's all kinds of information how do you navigate through it all the beautiful one of the beautiful gifts that Focus has as a ministry is you have a big picture you have these principles that give clarity you have the map that helps us to navigate in the process of building up people in the faith and as I said before I think that is the secret of focus is success is that you have a very solid big picture again a clear map fundamental principles strong skeletal structure to put all the information now at this point I can't see you very well but I want to find out if you're alive now what was my question again I am okay SLS is a Leadership Conference trying to find out if you guys really are focused leaders here what is the big picture of focus all right let me put it this way I'll give you a hint I think Curtis calls it somebody told me on my way from the airport I was asking some questions about this and they said oh no you got it wrong father it's this and this so I think I got it right now unless that person was mistaken and then I'll blame him I forgot his names I can't do it anyway so he calls one part is what was it a model and then the starts with an M method a model and a method what's the model of focus oh okay maybe I didn't have to teach yeah what's the model okay this is important you all right how many you guys are focused missionaries here mm-hmm okay that explains I can kind of see some hands but no what all right well whether your focus missionaries or not this is something that's really awesome it's an insight that Curtis Martin shares with focus and it's life-changing it really is life-changing what's the model what's the map what's the fundamental principles that Curtis gives the model is something called spiritual multiplication do you ever hear about that spiritual multiplication what does that mean essentially spiritual multiplication means not trying to be something to everybody but trying to be everything to somebody it's the importance of investing in relationships in friendships in terms of evangelization it's really the little way of evangelization right there st. Torres is gonna be happy with me now it's a little way of evangelization why because it's saying that the best way to evangelize is not standing on a stage its SLS or some big conference and preaching to people you're not even sure if they're alive okay I heard something it's not that at the heart of evangelization that the way of the kingdom is hidden it's not being on stage and doing books and all these things it's it's realizing that the kingdom is in the relationships and the friendships and loving the people in our daily lives having an impact on them which has an impact on others because it's the model that Jesus Christ Himself used he only brought together to himself 12 apostles I said this was life-changing for me this was totally life-changing for me after I was ordained a priest I was putting ahead of an office where I was basically a CEO I had all of this power and then I started writing some books and I had a lot of worldly success in a religious context and I think it started to go into my head a bit because I think I started to think of myself as more important than the nothing that I am apart from Christ and I had this idea I'm an evangelizer I'm doing all of these different things and what was a result of that after a couple of years I felt very empty very lost very jaded very broken and then there was this group of young men and women who came to the National Shrine of divine mercy near where I live and they wanted to help the poor and they needed my help but they didn't need a count they didn't need a CEO or a Catholic celebrity they needed the very things I actually wanted to be a priest and a father and I went to my provincial I resigned from my position in the office essentially I stopped doing conferences about the only conference I do now this and another one because I believe in the mission here most of the time I just do little retreats and I spend most of my time with these young men and women who go and serve the poor and I've never been happier and the thing is is sometimes you got a tug well maybe I should be out there speaking more doing these other things and then I realised the kingdom evangelization setting the world on fire as Curtis Martin talks about a lot is done especially in these little ways as st. Therese had little things with great it's investing in our friendships and the people that the Lord has given to us for me it's these little Marian missionaries of divine mercy these young men and women who help the poor there's only 20 of them but I spend most of my time with them and it's extremely fulfilling and the reason it's fulfilling is because I know the truth is spiritual multiplication that spiritual multiplication is a way to reach the world because if you affect one person they affect another and eventually it affects the world at least that's what Jesus did and I think he knew what he was doing so that was the Curtis Martin's principle there with the model spiritual multiplication you got it cuz you didn't have it before alright so that's the model what's the method okay somebody got it but but that was mr. Francis their brother Francis that's not we talked about this last night and he's the only one who answered what's the method wind builds send wind build send I got to read it exactly because I'm not I'm not used to all these principles from the white book this is what it says or the white paper when people into friendship both with yourself and with God it starts with that build build them up in the knowledge and practice of the faith send send them out to do the same you win people to friendship with God and yourself you build them up in the faith and then send them out to do the same they call missionary discipleship probably if you're here most you guys didn't raise your hand is focus missionaries so probably a focus missionary befriended you and the thing is it wasn't like some multi-level marketing scheme where they hey you want to buy some Tupperware they were probably it's authentic because that's what they emphasize authentic friendship because Christianity is authentic because Christ is real but the idea is that is the winning method for focus spiritual multiplication focusing on those immediate people in our environment loving them forming them sending them out wind build send but my job here in this talk is to provide more more tools so here's what I would say being a big-picture guy like I think Curtis is what if there was a big-picture structure or some principles within these principles that made spiritual multiplication and a wind build send even more effective if Curtis found a principle maybe father might can find a principle well we'll find out I'm a big-picture bird I spend a lot of time trying to find some principle and I think I found one and the beautiful thing again because my job is to provide some tools is that in the structure in the map that is the backbone of focus of model spiritual multiplication method wind build send within that model within that method I think there's a specific opening for me to raise my hand and say hey wait I have an idea there's a principle that may help to make it easier than ever before in a certain sense to build people up in the faith I may not be able help as much with the wind might not be able to help as much with the send but in the build part which is what I'm supposed to do cuz I'm supposed to equip you with tools to build people up in the faith there are some principles there and I want to share those principles but I got to go to my notes because I forgot what they were oh yeah okay you ready are you guys still with me oh you guys are so nice all right is it the three o'clock hour yeah at the hour of mercy or just have mercy on father Mike right all right all right okay here's here's what I would say I think that there's a map within the map of the model in the method that just as there's a model for evangelization of spiritual multiplication I would say there's a model for building people up in the faith and I call it kind of ingloriously it's kind of clunky but spirituality formation spirituality formation we're gonna get to that spiritual multiplication to build people up spirituality formation and just as there's the method for evangelization wind build send you already heard it there's a three-fold method for spirituality formation and it's see if you remember Mary mercy and community Mary mercy and community I want to talk about spirituality formation now and Mary mercy and community as a model and a method that helps us build people up in the faith and I believe a very effective way okay you're following all right you guys are so nice all right let's start with spirituality formation ultimately what we're trying to do is build people up as missionary disciples people who go out and help others to encounter Christ love Christ be built up in the faith and win others to Christ well I think there's a name for the best missionary disciples it's called Saints right if you're a saint it you're gonna probably be a missionary disciple now I believe we're all called well I'll put it this way we're all called to become Saints right you guys want to become Saints you guys just wait I'm a little older than you it gets hard no but yeah you should there's a French poet he says at the twilight of life there's only one tragedy not to have been a saint we're called to become Saints the bad news at least for people like me and this is why I love Saint Trez so much I'm a very little soul I'm a very broken person and when I read a lot of the times the lives of the saints I get discouraged because I think this is gonna be impossible for me but I know the meaning of life is to become a saint but it seems impossible for someone like me this is why I love Saint Torres so much this is why I love Marian consecration so much Terez teaches us that we really can become Saints in the more weak and broken we are and even sinful the greater right we have to God's mercy and can become Saints the other thing I love about Marian consecration how many guys have done a Marian consecration okay awesome the thing I love about Marian consecration look I'll just be honest with it it's the quickest easiest way to become a saint that's what I need I need to find the easiest way and look if God is making it easier than ever before to become Saints why not take those ways right is it bad to take a shortcut it depends I used to do construction work the guy I worked for sometimes he would take shortcuts and he'd mess it up and he'd say can't see it from my house bad bad bad those are bad shortcuts but if God himself is giving us a shortcut is that a bad thing or a good thing it's a good thing it would be smart to take it and my conviction is based on the teaching of john paul ii bob bennett is 1/16 and Pope Francis and the Second Vatican Council is that the good news is that in a certain sense it's easier than ever before to become Saints why because we're living in a time of mercy what does that mean Romans 5 verse 20 we're sin abounded grace abounded all the more in a time of great evil God in a time of great oil so I forgot man I should know my scripture Romans 5 verse 20 where sin abounded grace abounded all the more I did already say that okay all right all right like I said I'm a little soul where sin abounded grace abounded all the more in other words then in a time of great evil God wants to give even greater grace the times were living in according to john paul ii in a certain sense our times marked by unprecedented evil but for that very reason now is the time of mercy in a time when we need saints more than ever before god is making it in a certain sense easier than ever before to become saints and so why not tap into it now here's let's look at that then let's tap into the great graces of this time of mercy that helped us become saints but first let's ask a question what does it even mean to become a saint like what does it mean to be a saint in the gospel of you chapter 19 remember the rich young man who goes to Jesus and he says to Jesus a very important question what must I do to attain eternal life what must I do to attain eternal life what's the answer actually okay you guys really do study your scripture most people say go sell what you have give to the poor and follow me that's not at first what he says how do you attain eternal life follow the commandments and the guy says I've done that since my youth while Pharisee is I have fallen from my youth what more do I lack if you wish to be perfect go sell what you have give to the poor and follow me if you wish to be perfect go sell what you have give to the poor and follow me so which one's to become a saint one is to get to heaven and yeah that's kind of like being a saint but what I mean by being a saint is that perfection if you wish to be perfect go sell what you have give to the poor and follow me so you guys all said you want to become Saints so they're gonna there's a bunch of vocation booths out there you want to become Saints you have to become priests and nuns right well if you don't I'll pray for you don't worry but isn't that kind of like what that scripture passage says you know it's like there's these two tears what must I do to get to heaven I'll follow the commandments but if you wish to be perfect be a priest be a nun right it is a way of perfection why because he says go sell what you have give to the poor and follow me those are the three vows poverty chastity obedience so bummer huh too bad for you unless you're going in the seminary at the convent you know for a lot of the church's history this is how it was interpreted these two tears the lady pray pay and obey follow the commandments if you wish to be perfect go sell what you have give to the poor and follow me a religious life and priesthood but then there is an in fact look at how many how many married couples do you know that were canonized together I only know one they was just happened in 2015 it took 2000 years practically it says Torres's parents again more more brownie points with Torres lui ins daily she won't throw this on Thunderbolts down at me so what gives here and you guys all want to become Saints how do we become Saints then well this is one of the things and right now there's sometimes there's some confusion in the church and sometimes in the midst that confusion people say silly things one of the most silly things I ever hear is that Vatican 2 was a big mistake I don't believe that Vatican 2 I believe as john paul ii said is the great grace of the 20th century one of the greatest things of vatican ii in my opinion is the universal call to holiness that we are all called to become saints not just priests and nuns everyone but if vatican ii is saying we're all called to become saints then there must be a way for laypeople because that's who it's saying needs to be saints can become saints how can a layperson become a saint if you don't go sell what you have give to the poor and follow him if you don't make vows of poverty chastity obedience if you don't become a priest well there's another way of interpreting that scripture passage and it gives us something that i call religious life for laypeople what's religious life for laypeople well what I mean by that is a phenomenon that's become very popular or more popular after the Second Vatican Council which is called the ANU ecclesial movements and with the new ecclesia movements are there's these movements of laypeople that provide spiritualities as a weird way of saying spiritualities spiritualities for lay people a lot of them are founded by lay people and they provide spirituality for lay people I suggest to you that committing to a spirituality amounts or can amount to that more radical following of the gospel that we see in religious life that we see in the priesthood the if a lay person it's not just going to Mass on Sunday but is embracing a spirituality well what does that mean it means that they've adopted or they've honed in on they've committed to a big picture a big picture that gives them consistency in their daily life in their walk with Jesus Christ because Christian maturity takes commitment the guy who goes from one woman to the next woman to the next one he never matures until each commits to one woman settles down with her raises a family and he matures and our walk with Christ it's a big help to commit to a spirituality a way of seeing Jesus Christ so what I want to share with you because my job with this talk is that I'm supposed to be equipping you with tools to help build people up is I want to suggest to you a kind of spirituality that can help build people up it's a very it's very general spirituality so it's pretty much for anybody I know a lot of people or priests religious they use a spirituality so it's not like oppressive like you got to do this it's based on general principles but the idea is what does a spirituality provide for us two big things you guys still with me okay all right you're still alive two big things one it provides a big picture a big picture structure what's that big picture the one I'm proposing as I'm supposed to equip you with something is Mary mercy and community Mary mercy and community how does that work well for me that is like the objective structure just as Curtis Martin found an objective structure for evangelization based on G the example of Jesus Christ spiritual multiplication I think there's an objective structure as to how we build people up in the faith and I think that structures Mary mercy and community and I want to just race through it real quick you ready Mary it all starts with Mary true or false what the heck she's not even God weird Catholics does it all start with Mary yes it does but she's not God yeah but it's all about God when I say we start with Mary it's all about God because what it really is about is the Forgotten person of the Trinity who Mary manifests to us and obtains for us in a powerful way what person of the Trinity is at the Holy Spirit st. Maximilian Kolbe teaches us one of the great Saints in the time of Mercy that Mary is the spouse of the Holy Spirit and that she obtains for us a deep outpouring of the Holy Spirit this is part of why a Marian consecration whatever method you use is very helpful and important it's a great way to start why because everything starts with the Holy Spirit everything starts with the Holy Spirit here that there's one mediator between God and man and that's the Holy Spirit right wait no there's one mediator between God and man who's that Jesus Christ who's the mediator - the mediator the Holy Spirit working through Mary because here's the thing and this is this is why this is important for evangelization what's the difference between a person who seize Jesus or a picture of Jesus or reads the Bible and just sees this bearded guy who live 2,000 years ago versus the one who sees Lord and Savior what's the difference one has the gift of faith and who does that gift come from the Holy Spirit we have to have the Holy Spirit if we don't have the Holy Spirit we're gonna be blind to seeing Christ if we don't have the Holy Spirit we're gonna be deaf to hearing the gospel if we don't have the Holy Spirit our hearts will be hardened and we will not open them to the divine mercy we need the Holy Spirit to open our eyes open our ears open our hearts otherwise we're spiritually dead it all starts with the Holy Spirit and the one who gives us a personal Pentecost is the one who is at Pentecost in the Upper Room interceding with the apostles bringing down the Holy Spirit and her name is Mary so what do we start with Mary it's not a fanatical thing it's a theological thing it's a deeply rooted theological reality that the spiritual life begins with the Spirit the Holy Spirit and we obtain the Holy Spirit in a powerful way through Mary so the big picture where does it start with Mary and what do Mary and the Holy Spirit give to us here's what I do they give us two things before we got Jesus you know what we get I say the Holy Spirit our eyes we've got two eyes one eye the Holy Spirit opens to see our sins Oh father I'm a good person Jesus doesn't want just good people he wants Saints and the reality is our love compared to his love for us is nothing we're selfish were egotistical we're complainers and he's looking at us night and day with love and our sin is that we don't think of him we think of ourselves the Holy Spirit is the one who helps us to see how wretched we are Oh father Michael don't say that you know what Saint first you know Jesus said to Faustina if I were to show you all the wretchedness that is yours you would die of horror father Michael my self-esteem look that's not to get us depressed it's to get us filled with joy because the Holy Spirit opens our other eye to see divine mercy that the reason Jesus loves us is because he's loved and mercy itself and mercy is love that goes to the lowest place mercy is love that goes in our brokenness and our sinfulness when we recognize our brokenness our hearts are open to receive the ocean of mercy and you know what happens when those to me that what Pope Francis calls the joy of the gospel but it's not a cheap joy how many guys ever seen the movie the mission okay some mostly they were like I told this to my friends I said I'm at mission they're like we never heard of that they were like that was made before we were born I'm like dang I'm old but it's a great movie and there's this one scene where the guy who Robert De Niro he's this bad guy and he's carrying like all this stuff which represents his sin or whatever and then the Indians go out any Indians that he was really bad to they come up and it looks like they're gonna cut his throat I'm spoiler but they cut the thing they they cut the pack that he was carrying and they throw it in the river and then Robert DeNiro it's one of my favorite scenes in all of any movie he just starts crying and laughing at the same time it's awesome acting that's the Christian life to be weeping for our sins but laughing and rejoicing at the love of the Heart of Jesus for us that's mercy that's divine mercy that's the grace that Mary obtains for us through her spouse the Holy Spirit when we draw close to her is to see our sins we got to know the bad news before we get the good news to see our brokenness some of us really know our brokenness but we don't know his love some of us know his love maybe not our brokenness as much the Holy Spirit gives us both and we cry and we rejoice at the same time and that's the Christian life it's the joy of the gospel and the joy overcomes the sorrow you got it so it's Mary mercy community why because Mary and her spouse the Holy Spirit bring us to a personal encounter with Jesus in His mercy that brings the joy of the gospel but it doesn't end with Jesus it doesn't end with Jesus I was at a duration last night and it was great and the song was great but I would say I only need you Lord and it's true but it's like what Jesus is saying he's looking at the Father Jesus was always thinking of the father and he wants to bring us to the Father because the Christian life it doesn't end in Jesus Christ it ends in the father in the community in the communion of the Trinity that has the father as the source of that communion and then the bond of unity is the Holy Spirit and to the son and all that but the point is it's the objective structure Mary and her spouse the Holy Spirit obtaining us the grace to recognize our sins but to see Jesus as divine mercy then mercy and the joy of the gospel that comes from that but then it doesn't end there Jesus like okay I've embraced you and you're crying and you're happy that's great now let's go to the ultimate embrace which we find in the love and the bosom of the Father and the Holy Spirit and the son that's the objective structure of the Christian life got it so that's the things that that a spirituality gives us it gives us that big picture but again my job is to equip you you guys still with me all right my job is to equip you so guess what I want to do well whip you what did you say Oh equip you yes it I said whip huh sounds like did you hear anything I just said about mercy jeez Louise all right so here's the thing in order to get formed into spirituality there's a formation process and a lot of focus missionaries I meet them when I used to speak at conferences all the time or when they come out to Stockbridge and a lot of them some of them are how many of you guys have done 33 days to morning glory okay all right okay thank you but okay but the idea is sometimes people read that and they don't realize that that is actually part of a spirituality formation program the idea is what's the principle again Mary and Mary what applies to Mary is a Marian consecration now there's lots of ways of doing it 33 days to Morning Glory is one of the ways but the idea is it doesn't end with Mary Mary brings us to a personal encounter with Jesus in His mercy that brings us the joy of the gospel and by the way I'm not selling these books so it's not that it's not a plug in fact at the end I'm gonna tell you I'm gonna give them away not right now though sorry we right now okay but the idea is Mary brings us a personal encounter with Jesus in His mercy and that is the book 33 days to merciful love how many have read 33 days to merciful um Wow okay so the only people who read the books they came to the talk I get it all right all right so 33 days to merciful love is that formation in a mercy spirituality of recognizing our brokenness but even more recognizing the tenderness of the Heart of Jesus which by the way this is such an important part of a spirituality as spirituality gives us a lens through which to see Jesus and these Saints in the time of Mercy the foremost of them being Saint Terez helps us to see Jesus in the tenderness of his mercy and a familiarity with Jesus that were well are we allowed to be that familiar with her with him Faustina wrote in her diary she said Jesus have I written too much about your mercy he said my daughter what you've written is not even a drop in the ocean he is so much more tender than we realized and the reason I love Terez so much is she opened my eyes and gave me permission to do the thing that I wanted to do more than anything and it's what she did on Good Friday and it embarrassed all the nuns in her convent because I'm Good Friday they bring the crucifix out and all the nuns would kiss Jesus's feet Terez would go up and boldly kissed his face both cheeks can we kiss Jesus's feet yes but she says what he likes best is when we kiss his face he wants us to have this familiarity with him and that is what his spirituality gives and that's what Terez gives that's why you never people are crazy about Terez it's like why are they because Torrez shows us a tenderness of Jesus that we thought really and she's like yes no that's too much Jesus himself said what you've written is not even a drop in the ocean it's so beautiful so I encourage you if you've already done 33 days to mourning going do 33 days to merciful love and then because it ends in the father I just finished this one it comes out in two weeks it's 33 days to greater glory a total consecration to the Father through Jesus based on the Gospel of John and it's a scripture one but the idea is it ends in the father that's my job is to equip so these are three ways if you want to build people up in the faith and as Curtis Martin saw it's good to have a big picture structure that's a way to lead people and I was assuming you guys are the leaders you're helping to form people so I'm a job is to equip you and so what we've done is there's a group of college students from Ave Maria University and they started an organization called Mercy through Mary where I basically let them give the books away for free to college students and they basically lead college students through this spirituality as a way as a tool of building people up in the faith and so they've got an app called mercy through Mary if you go on that app they have different campaigns where you can sign in and follow that 33 days to Morning Glory 33 days to merciful oven it works like this because I got 41 seconds first semester freshman year start him with a Mirian consecration second semester freshman year 33 days too merciful love to end on Divine Mercy Sunday first semester sophomore year 233 days to greater glory to counter the father and then what about the next semester well then do 33 days to Mary mercy and community which I haven't written yet but that'll get you started by the time you're finished I'll be done with that one but the point is the Christian life building people up in the faith which is my job it's helpful to have a big picture and one of the great big pictures to building people up is spirituality formation it's deeper than just reading books haphazardly it's approaching it with an objective structure so if you want to do that if you want to lead some of your other your students although most you guys I think are not focused missionaries but that's okay get a group started check out mercy through Mary and it has more information on there amen I'm out of time I'm 17 seconds over so let me give you a blessing the Lord be with you through the intercession of Mary Immaculate and all the angels and saints may Almighty God fill you with a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit through the powerful intercession of Mary Immaculate may the holy spirit bring you to a deeper personal experience of the love of Jesus Christ and His mercy for you that gives you the joy of the gospel and may you go through Christ with Christ it in Christ and the unity of the Holy Spirit into the glory of God the Father who loves you and says to you now you are my beloved in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit amen thanks very much and god bless you you

Channel: FOCUS Catholic

Views: 9,435

Rating: 4.891892 out of 5

Keywords:

Id: z35EZnaaPNE

Length: 45min 24sec (2724 seconds)

Published: Thu Feb 06 2020