Deuteronomy 4:7-10 Complete Jewish Bible
7 For what great nation is there that has God as close to them as Adonai our God is, whenever we call on him? 8 What great nation is there that has laws and rulings as just as this entire Torah which I am setting before you today? 9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves diligently as long as you live, so that you won’t forget what you saw with your own eyes, so that these things won’t vanish from your hearts. Rather, make them known to your children and grandchildren — 10 the day you stood before Adonai your God at Horev, when Adonai said to me, ‘Gather the people to me, and I will make them hear my very words, so that they will learn to hold me in awe as long as they live on earth, and so that they will teach their children.’
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
The title of my devotion today is “Hindsight, Insight, Foresight: The critical Importance of acknowledging HIS story (God’s story) as everyone’s story.”
This effort is my contribution toward the celebration of Black History Month.
In the US of America, February is the month when we celebrate Black History.
This celebration originally began as Negro History Week in 1926 and took place during the second week of February as it coincided with the birthdates of both Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.
In 1976, the bicentennial of the United States, former President Gerald R. Ford expanded the week into a full month.
In doing so he said the country needed to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout history.”
While Black History Month has been heavily criticized by both black people and people of other races for its unfairness in devoting an entire month to a single group of people, there are significant lessons to be learned from remembering our history, especially as it relates to everyone’s faith, hope and love in God.
During this celebratory month we have the opportunity to share stories, reflect on our rich history (good and bad and devastating) and remember the highest of prices paid by others for us to have the privileges of community that we have.
Celebrating this month gives us the opportunity to remember the best of our history and culture while remembering that it is HIS Story and OUR history.
The remainder of This month I pray that you to really take some time and think about what we have and the rather ugly road travelled and how we all got here.
Talk to some older folks and listen to their stories as they tell you what was available to them sixty years ago, hear the stories they were told by their parents and grandparents and what “life” they had experienced “back then.”
When we hear and understand their stories we can hopefully, prayerfully and humbly, appreciate their sacrifices so we would have more what we have today.
As I said, history is first and foremost HIS (God’s) story we have a long history of active participation and it cannot be remembered if we do not talk about it.
So today, we are going to examine active passive hindsight, and insight and foresight, how our acknowledgement and understanding of HIS story impacts our own story as we try to learn how we live in community today and tomorrow.
Let’s start with a review of the definitions of hindsight, insight and foresight.
Hindsight is “the ability to understand a situation or event after it has already happened or developed.”
It’s our ability to remember what has happened previously which gives us the opportunity to learn from those past experiences.
An example of this is someone learning from a past mistake.
They experience the failure, look back on it and learn from it.
The process and learning from past experiences give us what we call insight.
Insight is discernment; “the ability to see clearly and intuitively into the nature of a complex person, situation or subject.”
Insight actually encompasses both hindsight and foresight. Foresight is “the action of predicting what will happen or what needs to happen in the future.”
It’s the ability to see what is coming.
Foresight moves us forward into taking an action and it makes sure we do not get too complacent, comfortable about taking that action. It demands we move.
Working together, hindsight, insight and foresight allows us to learn from the past, adapt to the present and plan for our future.
Think of it like this, a person with no foresight, hindsight or insight goes for a walk in the street. They see a car coming. They stay in the street. The car keeps coming and they remain in the street. The car runs over them. They had no foresight, hindsight or insight which led them to get out of the way of the car.
When they get out of the hospital, they decide to go for another walk.
This time, however, after getting run over by a car, they learned some things.
First they have foresight. They know that cars move on the streets and they should really anticipate seeing them. Secondly, they have hindsight as they reflect on getting run over by a car previously and take precautions to ensure it does not happen again. Lastly, they have insight as they decide the best way to go for the walk is to stay on the sidewalk, being more aware of their fragility.
Now, these three working instantaneously together, keeps the person safe.
But let me be clear, there are many people walking on this earth with no sight.
These people see the car coming; get run over by the car; forget what it felt like the first time to get run over; and continues to walk in the middle of the street only to be run over again. If not learning from out past we are like this person walking down the middle of the street repeatedly getting run over by cars.
Having hindsight, insight and foresight keeps us from constantly getting run over by life’s circumstances.
I want to share with you why the understanding of our history is so important.
Turn to Deuteronomy 4:7-10.
“For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the LORD our God whenever we call on Him? Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today? Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons. Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when the LORD said to me, ‘Assemble the people to Me, that I may let them hear My words so they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.”
Now turn over to Deuteronomy chapter six and let’s begin with verse six.
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Then it shall come about when the LORD your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build, and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied, then watch yourself, that you do not forget the LORD who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” (Deuteronomy 6:5-12)
Moses brought the people together to give them the laws of God, with clarity and a conviction that spoke to the hearts of everyone.
In chapter four Moses told the people to remember and to teach their children otherwise they would forget.
In chapter six he goes a step farther.
He tells them to diligently teach their children.
That word diligently means to show persistence and hard word work in doing something.
In other words, Moses was telling the people to make teaching their kids about everything God had done for them as an “daily at every opportunity” priority.
He told them to talk about what God had done and His laws when they sat in their homes, when they walked down the street, when they went to bed and when they got up.
The image that he was painting was that they should always (persistently) be teaching their children and their children’s children about God and everything He had done for them. They were to always be talking about it. Finally he told them that they should write the words on the doorposts of their homes and on their gates. This was to ensure that the words were forever before their eyes.
We need to teach our history so that those who are enjoying the fruits of those who went before them understand the price that was paid.
You see, there are many making good money and we never once picked cotton.
We live in nice homes in mixed subdivisions (not on the other side of the railroad tracks as the old people used to say) and we are treated as equals.
We don’t recall those times when many people were not allowed to own homes.
We can eat at any restaurant that we choose (as long as we are willing to pay for it) don’t remember the signs that said go around to the back door to be served.
There are many of us who go shopping wherever we want and try on all the clothes in the stores and do not remember the times when many were not allowed to try on clothes unless it was purchased from a black owned store on the farthest outskirts of town stocked with out of date second hand fashions.
There were many who never voted because they never had the equal right to vote or because of Jim Crowe laws, they (ballots) were segregated, tainted.
Because voting was something already available to some of us when we reach the appropriate age, the high importance of equal access was utterly lost on us.
There are many of us who approach learning as if learning is a chore because we do not remember a time when blacks were not allowed to go to the same schools as white children to learn – do we recall when President Eisenhower ordered the 101st Airborne troops to Little Rock, Arkansas to enforce school desegregation?
There are some of us who to this day who dislike other races because we do not remember those of other races who stood, marched and died with us during the Civil Rights movement so we could all have everything we have access to today.
Mark 3:31-35 Amplified Bible
31 Then His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called for Him. 32 A crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, “Look! Your mother and Your brothers are outside asking for You.” 33 And He replied, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” 34 Looking at those who were sitting in a circle around Him, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 35 For [a] whoever does the will of God [by believing in Me, and following Me], he is My brother and sister and mother.”
Galatians 3:28-29 Amplified Bible
28 There is [now no distinction in regard to salvation] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you [who believe] are all one in Christ Jesus [no one can claim a spiritual superiority]. 29 And if you belong to Christ [if you are in Him], then you are Abraham’s descendants, and [spiritual] heirs according to [God’s] promise.
https://blackhistorymonth.gov/
https://www.history.com/news/little-rock-nine-brown-v-board-eisenhower-101-airborne
https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/brown-v-board-of-education-of-topeka
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/black-history-month
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 133 Amplified Bible
The Excellency of Brotherly Unity.
A Song of [a]Ascents. Of David.
133 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!
2
It is like the precious oil [of consecration] poured on the head,
Coming down on the beard,
Even the beard of Aaron,
Coming down upon the edge of his [priestly] robes [consecrating the whole body].
3
It is like the dew of [Mount] Hermon
Coming down on the hills of Zion;
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing: life forevermore.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 
HOLY FACE 12.02 THE LORD SAID devoted spez tuesdays
Posted bysamo lucija February 11, 2025 Leave a commenton HOLY FACE 12.02 THE LORD SAID devoted spez tuesdays EditHOLY FACE 12.02 THE LORD SAID devoted spez tuesdays
offren i masakrn i örebro
det kommer hända on och on igen tills vi alla öppnar våra ögon
har du tänkt på att på AF FSK SOC regeringskansliet Volvo SKF SAAB SCANIA systembolaget AB har både vakt och säkerhetsdörr med idbricka
men våra mjuka barn och våra anställda på dagis skola sjukhus och inom äldrevården hemsjukvården och fasta och tillfälliga boenden finns inte samma trygghet för våra mjuka kära VÅRA BARN OCH VÅRA KÄRA SJUKA ÄLDRE “
Har du tänkt påt ?
Lourdes, Candlelight procession
The feast of our Lady of Lourdes was added to our church calendar in1908, just 50 years after reports of Mary’s apparitions at the grotto of Massabielle near Lourdes in France to the young girl, Bernadette Soubirous. There Mary identified herself as the Immaculate Conception.
Originally, the feast was called the Apparitions of Mary at Lourdes.Now in our calendar it’s the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The change underlines the presence of Mary rather than her apparitions. Apparitions are momentary, rare, presence is lasting and abiding.
Mary is present in the church as an abiding witness to the incarnation and resurrection of Jesus, her Son. He was born of her and she testifies to the reality of his humanity. She witnessed his death and resurrection, so she testifies that he is God’s Son and our redeemer.
Her testimony is important for the church. In the Acts of the Apostles, (1,14) Luke places her among the key witnesses to resurrection of Jesus. In the 4th century, when the identity of Jesus as truly divine and truly human was disputed, Mary was the crucial witness church councils consulted. Many of the great churches honoring her were built at that time.
Mary is a reassuring presence in the church, especially in difficult times. Certainly, the times of Bernadette were difficult. France was experiencing hard economic times but also religious doubt caused by the Enlightenment was widespread in that country.
The apparitions to Bernadette, a young peasant girl, touched ordinary people in France and elsewhere in the world, and resulted in increased devotion to Mary, Here’s Bernadette’s account of the apparitions:
“I had gone down one day with two other girls to the bank of the river Gave when suddenly I heard a kind of rustling sound. I turned my head towards the field by the side of the river but the trees seemed quite still and the noise was evidently not from them. Then I looked up and caught sight of the cave where I saw a lady wearing a lovely white dress with a bright belt. On top of each of her feet was a pale yellow rose, the same colour as her rosary beads.
At this I rubbed my eyes, thinking I was seeing things, and I put my hands into the fold of my dress where my rosary was. I wanted to make the sign of the cross but for the life of me I couldn’t manage it and my hand just fell down. Then the lady made the sign of the cross herself and at the second attempt I managed to do the same, though my hands were trembling. Then I began to say the rosary while the lady let her beads slip through her fingers, without moving her lips. When I stopped saying the Hail Mary, she immediately vanished.
I asked my two companions if they had noticed anything, but they said no. Of course they wanted to know what I was doing and I told them that I had seen a lady wearing a nice white dress, though I didn’t know who she was. I told them not to say anything about it, and they said I was silly to have anything to do with it. I said they were wrong and I came back next Sunday, feeling myself drawn to the place….
The third time I went the lady spoke to me and asked me to come every day for fifteen days. I said I would and then she said that she wanted me to tell the priests to build a chapel there. She also told me to drink from the stream. I went to the Gave [de Pau], the only stream I could see. Then she made me realise she was not speaking of the Gave and she indicated a little trickle of water close by. When I got to it I could only find a few drops, mostly mud. I cupped my hands to catch some liquid without success and then I started to scrape the ground. I managed to find a few drops of water but only at the fourth attempt was there a sufficient amount for any kind of drink. The lady then vanished and I went back home.
I went back each day for two weeks and each time, except one Monday and one Friday, the lady appeared and told me to look for a stream and wash in it and to see that the priests build a chapel there. I must also pray, she said, for the conversion of sinners. I asked her many times what she meant by that, but she only smiled. Finally with outstretched arms and eyes looking up to heaven she told me she was the Immaculate Conception. During the two weeks she told me three secrets but I was not to speak about them to anyone and so far I have not.
Cf. Feasts of Mary
Lourdes Grotto, Jamaica, NY
Prayer to Mary (Pope Francis)
Mother, help our faith!
Open our ears to hear God’s word and to recognize his voice and call.
Awaken in us a desire to follow in his footsteps, to go forth from our own land and to receive his promise.
Help us to be touched by his love, that we may touch him in faith.
Help us to entrust ourselves fully to him and to believe in his love, especially at times of trial, beneath the shadow of the cross, when our faith is called to mature.
Sow in our faith the joy of the Risen One.
Remind us that those who believe are never alone.
Teach us to see all things with the eyes of Jesus, that he may be light for our path. And may this light of faith always increase in us, until the dawn of that undying day which is Christ himself, your Son, our Lord!
UTORAK 05. NKG – Svagdan ili: Bl. Djevica Marija Lurdska BIBLIJSKA MISAO DANA Mk 7,14-23 Što se danas nalazi u tvome srcu? Zaustavi se i gledaj unutra. Ne boj se unutra pronaći malo ili puno smeća. Otkrivanje moralnog smeća u tvome srcu je milosrdno djelo Duha Svetoga, Duha istine. Neka ti Duh pomogne razvrstati otpad.?? ( dobro je ovo jer može se reći i sagledati, razvrstati, ali na kraju se baca ) razvrstavajući. Koji su to zli osjećaji koji borave u tvome srcu? Možda osjećaj nečistoće? Nečistoća je prije svega nečestita seksualnost. Dakle homoseksualnost, pornografija, incest, predbračni odnosi, pedofilija, prostitucija, pa čak i masturbacija. Tijelo je za svetost, a ne za nečistoću. Možda osjećaj ubojstva? Fizičko, psihičko i verbalno nasilje, također i suditi i osuditi brata – sve su to đavolski osjećaji. Možda osjećaj preljuba? Željeti tuđu ženu ili muža je prevara ljubavi koju se pred Bogom i Crkvom obeća svom supružniku u radosti i žalosti. Razvesti se i ponovno se vjenčati znači prevariti ljubav. Možda osjećaj škrtosti? Želja za nagomilavanjem dobara ovoga svijeta je glad i žeđ koja nikad ne jenjava i ne da ti da želiš duhovna dobra koja nikada ne prolaze. Možda osjećaj zloće? Želja za mučenjem drugoga zlim riječima i činima je dijabolična. Đavao ne želi našu radost i naše spasenje, nego našu vječnu osudu. Možda osjećaj licemjerstva? Licemjerstvo je prevara. Ustima se govore slatke riječi, ali u srcu je mržnja. Ustima se daju lijepa obećanja, ali u srcu je već odluka da ih nećeš ispuniti. Možda osjećaj zavisti? Zavist čini da čovjek bude kao Kain koji je, zaslijepljen zavišću, ubio brata. Kleveta je smrtonosno oružje zavidnika. Možda oholost? Prvo djelo oholosti je vjerovati da si moćan, jak i nepobjediv. Oholost čini da čovjek ne treba Boga i prezire brata koji nije kao on. Kakav god bio tvoj osjećaj, baci ga u užarenu peć, to jest u milosrdno srce Božje i od njega će izići jedna nova i sveta nadnaravna energija. Amen. Aleluja. (O. Lorenzo Montecalvo od Družbe Otaca od Božanskog Poziva)
This passage offers a reflective meditation on the state of one’s heart and the importance of examining and purifying it. It invites the reader to confront and discard any negative feelings and moral impurities with the help of the Holy Spirit. Here’s a summary:
Reflection on the heart: Encourages self-examination to identify and discard any negative emotions or moral impurities.
Types of negative emotions and behaviors: Lists various emotions and behaviors considered morally impure, such as unchaste sexuality (e.g., pornography, pre-marital sex), acts of violence (e.g., physical, psychological), feelings of envy, hypocrisy, and arrogance.
Spiritual guidance: Emphasizes the need for the Holy Spirit’s guidance in purifying the heart.
Hope and redemption: Suggests that any negative emotion, once discarded in the merciful heart of God, can transform into a new and holy supernatural energy.
The message highlights the idea of spiritual renewal and the potential for personal transformation through faith and divine assistance.
Would you like to delve deeper into any specific aspect or discuss something else?
12.02 Posted bysamo lucija February 11, 2025 Leave a commenton 12.02 Edit12.02 UTORAK 05. NKG – Svagdan ili: Bl. Djevica Marija Lurdska BIBLIJSKA MISAO DANA Mk 7,14-23 Što se danas nalazi u tvome srcu? Zaustavi se i gledaj unutra. Ne boj se unutra pronaći malo ili puno smeća. Otkrivanje moralnog smeća u tvome srcu je milosrdno djelo Duha Svetoga, Duha istine. Neka ti Duh pomogne razvrstati otpad.?? ( dobro je ovo jer može se reći i sagledati, razvrstati, ali na kraju se baca ) razvrstavajući. Koji su to zli osjećaji koji borave u tvome srcu? Možda osjećaj nečistoće? Nečistoća je prije svega nečestita seksualnost. Dakle homoseksualnost, pornografija, incest, predbračni odnosi, pedofilija, prostitucija, pa čak i masturbacija. Tijelo je za svetost, a ne za nečistoću. Možda osjećaj ubojstva? Fizičko, psihičko i verbalno nasilje, također i suditi i osuditi brata – sve su to đavolski osjećaji. Možda osjećaj preljuba? Željeti tuđu ženu ili muža je prevara ljubavi koju se pred Bogom i Crkvom obeća svom supružniku u radosti i žalosti. Razvesti se i ponovno se vjenčati znači prevariti ljubav. Možda osjećaj škrtosti? Želja za nagomilavanjem dobara ovoga svijeta je glad i žeđ koja nikad ne jenjava i ne da ti da želiš duhovna dobra koja nikada ne prolaze. Možda osjećaj zloće? Želja za mučenjem drugoga zlim riječima i činima je dijabolična. Đavao ne želi našu radost i naše spasenje, nego našu vječnu osudu. Možda osjećaj licemjerstva? Licemjerstvo je prevara. Ustima se govore slatke riječi, ali u srcu je mržnja. Ustima se daju lijepa obećanja, ali u srcu je već odluka da ih nećeš ispuniti. Možda osjećaj zavisti? Zavist čini da čovjek bude kao Kain koji je, zaslijepljen zavišću, ubio brata. Kleveta je smrtonosno oružje zavidnika. Možda oholost? Prvo djelo oholosti je vjerovati da si moćan, jak i nepobjediv. Oholost čini da čovjek ne treba Boga i prezire brata koji nije kao on. Kakav god bio tvoj osjećaj, baci ga u užarenu peć, to jest u milosrdno srce Božje i od njega će izići jedna nova i sveta nadnaravna energija. Amen. Aleluja. (O. Lorenzo Montecalvo od Družbe Otaca od Božanskog Poziva) https://youtu.be/wy0fpL51HFY?si=hgvzzVDCioQM7fiI svenska översättning ?
Sure, here is a translation of the passage into Swedish:
TISDAG
Veckan i vanlig tid eller: Vår Fru av Lourdes
DAGENS BIBELTANKE
Markus 7, 14-23
Vad finns i ditt hjärta idag? Stanna upp och titta inåt. Var inte rädd för att hitta lite eller mycket skräp därinne. Att upptäcka det moraliska skräpet i ditt hjärta är den Helige Andes, Sanningens Andes, barmhärtiga gärning. Låt Anden hjälpa dig att sortera skräpet. Vilka är de onda känslor som bor i ditt hjärta? Kanske känslan av orenhet? Orenhet är framför allt otuktig sexualitet. Alltså homosexualitet, pornografi, incest, föräktenskapliga relationer, pedofili, prostitution och till och med onani. Kroppen är till för helighet, inte orenhet. Kanske känslan av mord? Fysiskt, psykiskt och verbalt våld, även att döma och fördöma en bror – allt detta är djävulska känslor. Kanske känslan av äktenskapsbrott? Att vilja ha någon annans hustru eller man är ett svek mot den kärlek du lovade din make inför Gud och kyrkan i glädje och sorg. Att skilja sig och gifta om sig innebär att förråda kärleken. Kanske känslan av girighet? Lusten att samla ihop världens goda är en hunger och törst som aldrig avtar och hindrar dig från att längta efter andliga goda som aldrig försvinner. Kanske känslan av ondska? Lusten att plåga andra med onda ord och handlingar är diaboliskt. Djävulen vill inte vår glädje och vår frälsning, utan vår eviga fördömelse. Kanske känslan av hyckleri? Hyckleri är ett svek. Med munnen talar man söta ord, men i hjärtat finns hat. Med munnen ger man löften, men i hjärtat har man redan bestämt sig för att inte hålla dem. Kanske känslan av avund? Avund gör att man blir som Kain som, förblindad av avund, dödade sin bror. Förtal är den avundsjukas dödliga vapen. Kanske högmod? Den första handlingen av högmod är att tro att man är mäktig, stark och oövervinnelig. Högmod gör att man inte behöver Gud och föraktar sin bror som inte är som han. Vilken känsla du än har, kasta den i den brinnande ugnen, det vill säga Guds barmhärtiga hjärta, och från det kommer en ny och helig övernaturlig energi ut. Amen. Halleluja. (O. Lorenzo Montecalvo från Fädernas förening av det Gudomliga Kallelsen)
Gospa Lurdska molitva za bolesne
Francuski gradić Lourdes podno Pireneja prema granici Španjolske postalo je svjetsko svetište Majke Božje ima tome već malo više od 150 godina. Povezano je to sa stanovitim čudesnim događajima i ukazanjima Majke Božje jednoj siromašnoj djevojčici Bernardici Soubirous. I ta ukazanja spadaju u tzv. privatnu objavu kojom je Bog obdario pojedinu osobu i zato sama ukazanja i sadržaji tih susreta s Gospom nikada neće Crkva službeno priznati kao da to svi moraju čvrsto vjerovati, kao što vjerujemo u istine vjere sadržane u službenom Vjerovanju.
Ono što nekako spada na Crkvu i što se može onda smatrati stanovitim priznanjem Crkve to je potvrda da se priznaje nadnaravnost događaja i da u sadržajima i porukama nema ničega što bi se protivilo redovitom pokladu vjere. Crkva time ne želi nikome priječiti tko bi htio na to mjesto dolaziti radi molitve i hodočašćenja. Dapače, s vremenom je Crkva to i preporučivala, barem što se tiče Lourdesa, pokazujući to na osobit način hodočašćima kojima je blaženi papa Ivan Pavao II. počastio to hodočasničko mjesto. Ima tome već dvadeset godina kako je blaženi Ivan Pavao II. ovaj blagdan Gospe Lurdske proglasio danom bolesnika.
Nije to učinjeno površno ni slučajno. Poznato je kako su se upravo u Lourdesu događala brojna čudesna ozdravljenja onih koji su ponizno i s vjerom hodočastili u to svetište. U tom svetištu, više nego u ikojem drugom sličnom svetištu na svijetu, organizirana je služba brojnih volontera koji poslužuju bolesnike koji neprestano hodočaste u Lourdes. A svakog dana, a osobito u svečanim organiziranim hodočašćima bolesnika osiguraju se posebna bolesnička bogoslužja i mole molitve za ozdravljenje. Konačno, vjernici Majku Božju rado gledaju kao Gospu od zdravlja ili jednostavno u litanijskom zazivu kao Zdravlje bolesnih.
A ozdravljenja koja se u Lourdesu događaju na čudesan način i koja se onda kao takva i prijavljuju, nastoji se pomno i profesionalno ispitati i dokumentirano potvrditi. U Lourdesu je od samih početaka neprestano liječnička komisija koja radi na takvim slučajevima i ne rasiplju se olako priznanjima da neko poboljšanje odmah nazovu Božjim zahvatom i čudom. A svaki liječnik koji bi to htio može u Lourdesu u arhivu te komisije pogledati i sam ustanoviti vjerodostojnost tih zapisnika. Čudo je svakako pojam vezan uz ljude vjere u Boga i Božju ljubav. Svakako su to velike stvari, no one ipak ne izlaze iz okvira onoga što se može razumski doseći, pa su više uspjesi kojima se čudimo i divimo, a nisu toliko čudesa u strogom smislu riječi.
A puno puta i sami liječnici koji što su profesionalniji i stručniji, to su ponizniji, priznaju kako stoje pred mnogim nepoznanicama i kako moraju jednostavno mnogo toga prepustiti Bogu jedinome. Crkva po svojim vjernicima i službenicima moli za bolesnike. Ona moli i za zdravstveno osoblje i za sve koji se brinu za bolesne. Moli posebno i za liječnike, jer čudo je Božje i znak njegove dobrote ne samo kad nas direktno Bog ozdravi nego i kad nam podari dobrog i mudrog liječnika. Svima nam je iznad svega potrebna Božja milost i snaga.
Our Lady of Lourdes and the duty to be a light in the world
Procesja światła w Lourdes
Light played an important role in the apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes and reminds us of our own call to be beacons of hope.
On February 11, 1858, St. Bernadette initially saw a light, which then transformed into a a beautiful lady.
She later discovered that this lady was the Blessed Virgin Mary, who referred to herself as the “Immaculate Conception.”
When reflecting on these apparitions, Pope Benedict XVI highlighted the symbolism and role light played throughout them all.
Light in the darkness
Pope Benedict XVI spoke about the symbolism of light in a homily given at a torchlight procession at Lourdes in 2008.
He first pointed out how the light of the Virgin Mary shone through St. Bernadette:
[W]hen they encountered Bernadette’s radiant face, it left a deep impression on their hearts and minds. Whether it was during the apparitions themselves or while she was recounting them, her face was simply shining. Bernadette from that time on had the light of Massabielle dwelling within her…the shadows of the earth did not prevent the light of heaven from shining. “The light shines in the darkness …” (Jn 1:5).
Furthermore, one unique part of the apparitions is the fact that St. Bernadette would carry a lighted candle during them.
Pope Benedict XVI meditated on the symbolism of this simple fact:
Lourdes is one of the places chosen by God for his beauty to be reflected with particular brightness, hence the importance here of the symbol of light. From the fourth apparition onwards, on arriving at the grotto, Bernadette would light a votive candle each morning and hold it in her left hand for as long as the Virgin was visible to her. Soon, people would give Bernadette a candle to plant in the ground inside the grotto. Very soon, too, people would place their own candles in this place of light and peace…From that day, before the grotto, night and day, summer and winter, a burning bush shines out, aflame with the prayers of pilgrims and the sick, who bring their concerns and their needs, but above all their faith and their hope.
He further explained that the apparitions at Lourdes and the torchlight procession that continues to this day “summarizes our condition as Christians on a journey: we need light, and at the same time are called to be light.”
Jesus is the “light of the world,” and we are not only called to follow his light, but to be his light in the world.
We are called to set our light on a lamp stand, and not to cover it under a bushel basket.
The world can often be a very dark place and needs the light of Christ in it.
Lourdes reminds us that when we encounter Christ, our faces can be beacons of hope for others to see, leading them to the source of that light. St Thérèse of Lisieux’s Devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus
St Thérèse of Lisieux’s full name in religion was St Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. It was on the day that she received the Habit that she herself added the title “and of the Holy Face” to her name. At the beatification process of St. Thérèse, her older sister, “little Mother” Pauline (Mother Agnes of Jesus), who had introduced St. Thérèse to this devotion, testified:
“Devotion to the Holy Face was the Servant of God’s special attraction. As tender as was her devotion to the Child Jesus, it cannot be compared to her devotion to the Holy Face.”
Three years before entering the Carmelites St. Thérèse, together with her whole family, had registered as members of the Archconfraternity of Reparation to the Holy Face at Tours, France. (St. Thérèse had such love for Sister Mary of St. Peter, through whom our Lord gave us this devotion, that she wore a relic of her hair, and carried her picture in her New Testament which she kept close to her heart.)
We read about this devotion to the Holy Face in Thérèse’s own words in “Story Of A Soul”, page 152:
“The little flower transplanted to Mt. Carmel was to expand under the shadow of the cross. The tears and blood of Jesus were to be her dew, and her sun was His adorable Face veiled with tears. Until my coming to Carmel, I had never fathomed the depths of the treasures hidden in the Holy Face. It was through you, dear Mother, that I learned to know these treasures. Just as formerly you had preceded us to Carmel, so also you were the first to enter deeply into the mysteries of love hidden in the Face of our Spouse. You called me and I understood. I understood what REAL GLORY was. He whose Kingdom is not of this world showed me that truth wisdom consists in “desiring to be unknown and counted as nothing,” in “placing one’s joy in the contempt of self.” Ah! I desired that, like the Face of Jesus, “my face be truly hidden, that no one on earth would know me.” (Isaias 53:3) I thirsted after suffering and I longed to be forgotten.”
While lying sick in the infirmary on August 5, 1897, with the picture of the Holy Face hung upon the curtains of her bed, St. Thérèse said to Mother Agnes:
“These words of Isaias: “Who has believed our report?…There is no beauty in Him, no comeliness, etc.,” have made the whole foundation of my devotion to the Holy Face, or to express it better, the foundation of all my piety.” (Is. 53:1-3 & 63:1-3)
And earlier on the same day she said:
“How well Our Lord did lower His eyes when He gave us His portrait! Since the eyes are the mirror of the soul, if we had seen His soul, we would have died from joy. Oh how much good that Holy Face has done in my life!”
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Here is a beautiful song based on St Thérèse’s own poem, “Canticle to the Holy Face” (English translation HERE).
PRAYER OF ST. THÉRÈSE OF THE CHILD JESUS
AND OF THE HOLY FACE TO THE HOLY FACE
O Jesus, who in Thy bitter Passion didst become “the most abject of men, a man of sorrows”, I venerate Thy Sacred Face whereon there once did shine the beauty and sweetness of the Godhead; but now it has become for me as if it were the face of a leper! Nevertheless, under those disfigured feature, I recognise Thy infinite Love and I am consumed with the desire to love Thee and make Thee loved by all men. The tears that thou hast shed so abundantly appear to me as so many precious pearls that I Love together up, in order to purchase the souls of poor sinners by means of their infinite value. O Jesus, whose adorable Face ravishes my heart, I implore Thee to fix deep within me Thy divine Image, to set me on fire with Thy Love, and to make me worthy to contemplate in Heaven Thy glorious Face. Amen.
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