The Nativity
https://youtu.be/YijgnaGk2Us
Killing Innocents
By Dick Roberts:
I often have times suggested that folks read the Qur’an in order to learn firsthand what Islam is and what motivates Muslims to kill innocents, those that do not abide in an “authentic” Muslim’s Qur’an based belief system. As I listened to Barack Obama claim that “ISIL is not Islamic – No religion condones the killing of innocents! ” I thought; the guy needs to read the Qur’an and understand the sequence of its numbered sura (verses) and what that means. I said something much less controlled as those who know me well might imagine, and I decided I must do this. I don’t want to do this, but I just can’t stand it anymore. I have a few similar things in the past, and as the fates would have it, I cannot find even one of them. I must save this…….
With this note I will save you the trouble of reading the Qur’an ( few will anyway), let alone the Hadith, or perhaps in a few cases inspire you to dig deeper. Let’s get started. Forgive me as I assume you are part of the Great Unwashed on this subject — such an upbeat subject it is.
First, allow me to recount briefly what we have heard time and again over the past decade or so from political types, church leaders and self- appointed expert ‘talking heads’ on TV. Almost without exception these “talkers” state without reservation that Islam is a religion of peace and that Islamic extremism is only a contemporary anomaly or deviation from “true” Islam. In some instances, they will even assert that “Islam,” the word itself, means peace. Paleeze!
George Bush said such things when he was president, Brit PM Tony Blair said it, current Brit PM Cameron said it a few days ago, — and even the current Pope has made statements about “authentic” Islam. The Pope’s case/statement, of course, raises the question: what is, “authentic ” Islam? Hold on — I will address it below.
At the same time, I can help but point out that Islamists, such as their rabid mouthpiece Anjem Choudary, typically reject these interpretations. (He’s on TV quite a bit) Choudry has repeatedly said “You can’t say that Islam is a religion of peace, because Islam does not mean peace. Islam means ‘submission,’ so, a Muslim is one who submits. There is a place for violence in Islam. There is a place for jihad in Islam.”
Let’s go a bit deeper.
Although the Arabic word for peace, salam, and the word for submission (islam) do come from the same root, their meanings are radically different and come from different forms of the verb. Islam in no way means “peace.” Just as Choudry says, Islam means “submission.” Its root, salam, means peace, but not peace as you would think of it. It refers to peace that will prevail in the world once all mankind converts to Islam. Of course which major sect of Islam that will be, Sunni or Shiite, is still up for grabs. In that regard, there should be no doubt in any mind that the Sunni – Shiite struggle for Islamic supremacy is the major conflict in the Middle East. We see it manifested in Syria and now Iraq even while the Shiite Iraqis (with our help) try to paper over real Sunni grievances.
After all that’s happened in the past 13 years, ref the Global War on Islamist Terror, I find it astounding that so few people appreciate the history of Islam. Its history dramatically shows that Islam has never been a religion of peace and that these modern jihadists, the extremist Salafis/Wahabbis, draw their marching orders from the actions of the first three generations of the faith: 1) the companions of the prophet, 2) their children and 3) their grandchildren. These figures, known as the Salaf, serve as role models for today’s Muslims as they have done for Muslims over the past 1400 years. (When you hear or read the word Salafis or Salafists now you will know where it comes from – are the ISIS zealots Salafists? You bet your paratrooper boots they are, but keep your trooper boots off the ground, okay? )
I urge folks to read the Qur’an because they will learn firsthand that the Qur’an is chock full of orders to fight the jihad ( holy war ). No doubt today’s so-called radicals get their inspiration from it — hells bells, they say so themselves! There are no less than 160 jihad verses (sura) in the Qur’an, and more than those, the Hadith, which is the story of Muhammad’s life, contains innumerable passages that order or describe jihad. Here are three quick examples of Qur’an sura:
“Let those who sell this world’s life for the hereafter fight in the way of God. For whoever fights in the way of God, whether he is killed or lives victorious, we shall grant him a mighty reward.” 4: 74
“I will cast fear into the hearts of the unbelievers. Therefore behead them and cut off all their fingertips.” 8:12
“Slay the unbelievers wherever you come upon them, take them captives and besiege them, and waylay them by setting ambushes.” 9:5
I find it impossible to re-interpret the Qur’an in some B.S politically correct “moderate” manner. Without a doubt the most famous or infamous modern tafsir, or interpretation, of the Qur’an is a multi-volume work entitled, In the Shade of the Quran. Shade was written by none other than Sayyid Qutb (1906-66 — died in Egyptian prison), the Muslim Brotherhood ideologue who is regarded as the father of modern Islamism. Qtub’s interpretations are indeed political, and jihad is at the root of the proscribed political action. Frankly there is nothing modern about it. It’s the same as it was in the 622 and beyond.
I can assure you that the Qur’an contains many peaceful and tolerant verses, and these could be used to create a genuine reformation of Islam. Some attempts at genuine reform have been made, but none has gone anywhere because when push comes to shove the Qur’an does not allow it. How’s that? Well, you must understand that all the so-called moderate verses were recitations from early days of Muhammad’s visitations from the Angel Gabriel. Mohammad met Gabriel in a cave near Mecca tens of times starting in the year 607 AD, and as Gabriel squeezed him, Mohammad began reciting the words of Allah, which he and others dutifully recorded or so the myth says. Mohammad spent about 15 years trying to attract followers to his new religion, but he attracted very few and was run out of Mecca as an undesirable.
He and his small band moved down to Medina in 622, and there everything changed and quickly so — and this began the Medinan Phase of the Qur’an Sura. There Mohammad became a political and military leader whose authority was based on his religion. When his religious dogma was not welcomed or seen as blasphemy by others, the Qur’an’s early peaceful verses gave way to new jihad verses and intolerant diatribes against Jews, Christians and pagans – again these are the words of Allah, his god. Sayyid Qtub’s work or tafsir takes for granted that the later verses (Medinan Phase) abrogate the early ones ( Meccan Phase). Simply put, the verses preaching love for all are no longer applicable, except with regard to one’s fellow Muslims. Of course, that exception fell by the wayside when the Sunni and Shia split — takfiris– kill ‘em all.
The latter or Meccan phase of the Qur’an verses teach jihad, submission and related doctrines and taken as a whole forms the basis for the approach many Muslims take in dealing with us infidels and non-believers. These Muslims see themselves as “authentic” Muslims, and they include millions upon millions of Sunni and Shiites. The one exception to this is the Sufi sect, a very small sect in the scheme of things — you probably have never heard of them – who seem to embrace only the Meccan Phase of the Qur’an. Would it be that all could become Sufis?
Realize too that the Qur’an cannot be changed. Written in Arabic, and I say again proclaimed to contain the direct words of Allah ( their god) as given to Mohammad, changing even one letter, one dot in Arabic ( if you know Arabic) would constitute blasphemy of the worst kind. Their idea is that the text on planet earth must match the tablet in heaven — the “Mother of the Book ” are the words they use — the eternal original text of the Qur’an. The reasoning goes like this. If one tiny change is made perhaps others would be made too, and before long words could be substituted for other words and then the meaning is changed entirely. No can do — it is Allah’s word as given to Muhammad. That’s it. End of story. Would you be surprised to know that the Qur’an itself condemns Jews and Christians for having tampered with their own holy books, so and taunts that neither the Torah nor the Gospels may be regarded as the word of God? It certainly is not the word of their god. In a very real sense, Islam is trapped by the Quran’s immutability..
To say the least it is unsettling for me to hear and see Western politicians, church leaders, and multiculturalists readily accept ignorance or outright deception on this subject and then pose as having expertise. I think Islam, while absurd in many respects, is still one of the most important ideologies in recorded history, and would then ask who is teaching the truth about it to our kids? Have you seen any textbooks that paint an honest picture of how Islam began and the millennium plus of Islamic Imperialism that followed? Or seen anything that serves to explain how it serves as the basis for what we see today with groups like ISIS? That is authentic Islam to the nth degree and certainly shows no tendency toward reform as some seem to think wishfully…..
Not only is there is no education in our schools, real experts on this subject are denied contact with government employees these days. BTW the current WH bunch consult with “experts” when it took it upon itself to purge the truth about Islam from the materials used to train our military leaders, intelligence types and law enforcers. I know you will be shocked to hear that the administration refuses to identify its “experts” — in fact, the administration took what I would say is an astonishing step to classify their identities when the people’ s House of Reps started asking questions. I have to conclude it’s someone’s attempt to isolate all of us from the truth so ” they” can peddle their extremist PC agenda where Leftist Socialism meets Fascist Islamism. How many times will falsehoods and fables be told as jihadist Muslims, be they militants or passives, claw their their way to power in our country?
Unfortunately, even many of the so-called moderate Muslims ( civilized Muslims who reject what amounts to 80% of the Qur’an or the Medinan Phase) still fail to see the reality behind some of the most elementary aspects of Islam as codified by the Qur’an. I recall hearing a young Muslims actually say that if only young Muslims were to read the Qur’an, they would back away from all forms of violent extremism. Either this was taqiyya (loosely meaning deception) or sublime ignorance.
The world’s jihadi fighters constantly read and quote from the Qur’an where they find justification for violent assaults on non-Muslims, apostates and “hypocrites” (munafiqun — a word taken straight from the Qur’an meaning something similar to backsliders).
In addition to the Medinan Phase of the Qur’an, the six books of Hadith and the biography of the prophet (the Sira) also portray a violent world. Muhammad, after moving to Medina in 622, led raids against various tribes. Ibn Ishaq, his biographer, says Mohammad led the umma in twenty-seven battles over a ten-year period. Major battles of historic significance were Badr, Uhud and al Khandaq. In addition, he sent his lieutenants out to raid caravans — raids are known as ghazwat. The ghazwats were the engine of the Islamic economic system. Plunder the enemy! The raids were also used to bring Arabs to Islam — force them to submit. If they did not submit or if they later deviated from the true faith — as we are witness by Islamic State Muslims behavior today – they were fought until they either accepted Islam or were killed.
Beyond the 27 battles and incessant raids, Muhammad ordered or supported some forty-three assassinations, but perhaps best known are his reprisals against three Jewish tribes, two of whom were expelled from Medina, sent packing while he took all their property and land. In the third case of Banu Qurayza tribe, the men were condemned to death by Sa’d ibn Mu’adh, whose judgment was endorsed by Muhammad. He, after having them dig a trench, had the 900 male members — including boys of thirteen and up — line up next to it and beheaded as the women and children watched. Then the women and children were sold into slavery or in some cases women made concubines for Muslim males. Mercy! The Medinan period is characterized by nothing other than rounds of violence piled upon violence, and all it was ordered or carried out by the so-called Prophet of God – the ” Prophet of Peace ” should we say? They still hold the same imperial dreams and the same contempt for anyone who does not hold their exact beliefs. Sometimes it is hidden, but if they are Qur’anic Muslims it’s there.
If you don’t care to have a feel for the what happened over the next 1000 years or so stop and skip down to the end of the bracketed portion which follows please. It’s really only a short summary but still it is a bit involved.
Beginning of the bracket {Muhammad died in 632, and was to be succeeded by his father-in-law, Abu Bakr , who died 634, regarded by Sunnis as the First Caliph, or by his son-in-law ‘Ali, regarded by Shiites as the first of the twelve Imams. Thus within days of Muhammad’s death began the rift between Muslims with the birth of birth of the Sunnis and Shiites.
Abu Bakr, as Sunni Caliph, launched a series of attacks across the Arabian Peninsula. The Bedouin tribes, who had followed their custom of withdrawing allegiance once the leader of an associated tribe died, apparently believed their fealty to Islam ended with the passing of Muhammad. Abu Bakr saw them as apostates and sent out cohorts to force the tribesmen back into the fold of Islam. Thus occurred the “Wars of the Ridda” and some fifteen battles. Once the Bedouin issues had been settled, Abu Bakr sent his Muslim Army over to conquer what is now Iraq (then a province of the Persian Sasanid Empire) and the Levant ( then apart of the Christian Byzantine Empire which included what is today Southern Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Israel). Sounds like ISIS or ISIL does it not?
When Abu Bakr, an old man, died after two years as Caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab succeeded him. Under Umar Khattab’s rule, the entire Sasanid Empire ( think Iran) and two-thirds of the Byzantine Empire were conquered for Islam. Battle followed battle and the blood flowed over the entire region. In 644, ten years into his rule, Umar was assassinated by some pissed off Persians and Uthman ibn Affan entered as Caliph.
Even though the third of the four “Rightly-Guided” Caliphs, Uthman ibn Affan. Over the next 12 years, the Muslims fought battles to conquer or bring into line half of the known world took. His conquests stretched as far as modern-day Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Dagestan, Turkmenistan and Armenia. In the west Sicily and Cyprus were captured as was all North Africa, and then the Iberian Peninsula and southern Italy.
Towards the end of his life, Uthman became unpopular with many. Medina, his capital, became a hotbed of intrigue and unrest. In 656, an armed revolt broke out, 1000 rebels, with orders to assassinate the Caliph, struck out from Egypt for Medina where they entered Uthman’s house and assassinated him, but the religion of peace was still on the march.
‘Uthman was followed by Muhammad’s son-in-law, Ali, the last of the four Rashidun (Rightly-Guided) Caliphs. Almost immediately, Ali was caught up in a quarrel that ended in civil war. He faced Muhammad’s wife, Aisha, at the Battle of the Camel in 656 where 10,000 fighters supposedly died. Ali also faced the forces of Mu’awiya (later the first of the Umayyad Caliphs) at Siffin (657), where Ali lost 25,000 men and Mu’awiya 45,000. ‘Ali himself was assassinated in his capital of Kufa by a Muslim extremist during prayers in 661.
The Umayyads took power and established their long-lived capital in Damascus. In 680, when Muawiya’s son Yazid assumed the Caliphate, a grandson of Muhammad, Husayn the son of ‘Ali, rebelled and raised forces to attack Yazid. The two sides met at Karbala in 68O where Husayn, his family and his followers all perished. That marked the most crucial moment in the split between the Shiites (for whom Husayn is the third of their Imams) and the Sunni majority.
The rest of Islamic history is marked by annual jihads, wars between different Muslim rulers and empires. In India alone, between sixty and eighty million Hindus were put to death during the centuries of invasions by Muslim armies from 1000 to 1525. } end of the bracket
All of this and lots more is simply to be forgotten? Well, we would like to forget it, but we can’t — IT’S THEIR #%$&X#! DOCTRINE!
So long as the Qur’an exists, young Muslim men and women in their thawbs and hijabs can find in it the perfect justification for jihad and the killing of innocent. Okay — that’s it!
Light of My Life
Light of my life,
I behold Thee with my heart
As I weep at Thy feet.
O You, ascended to the Father,
Seated at His Right Hand in glory,
Look on me.
You,my Jesus,
Call my name,
I run to Thy pieced side.
Blood and Water
Wash over me at this gate of Heaven.
Jesus, at Your bidding,
I enter in.
Blood and Water cascade over me,
A baptism of love and re-creation.
You say “I Am”.
I respond,
“I am Yours”.
Yours, my Lord,
Yours forever;
Saved by Love.
Saved for Love.
The roar of many waters,
Sound in my ears,
Along with bright hosannas
To the King of Hearts.
I am drawn to Thee
By heavenly invitation.
The Spirit and the Bride say,”Come”.
I come Lord Jesus
With rag tag humanity in tow.
(No one comes to You alone.)
I say, “Draw me”,
You draw me,
And all within me.
I have become a vessel,
A vessel of Your Love.
“Mercy”,
I beseech “Mercy”
You thirst for souls.
You drank of the cup
Offered by our Father.
I offer our Father
Your Passion and Death.
In the crucible of Your Life,
Death and Resurrection
You ransom all those
For whom You shed Your Blood.
You satisfy Justice
By Your loving Death.
O Blood and Water,
River of Life,
Gathered to Your pierced Side,
In repentance,
We enter in.
I weep at Thy feet,
Tears of repentance.
You whisper to my heart,
Bring sinners to my Cross.
Jesus, Sun of Justice,
Make me Your Light in a dying world.
By Joann Nelander.
O Man,awake!
On Earth, you are held accountable,
Are you not?
You sing for your supper.
You dance to life’s tune.
Only the air is free.
All else is taxed.
The first fruit is owed another.
You fear to run from the law.
You are held to a measure.
If it be such for a man of earth,
Mortal, and accountable,
Where will a soul, immortal,
Flee upon a coming demise?
Without the stuff of Earth,
Naked and stripped of pomp and circumstance,
Revealed as soul and spirit,
Answering not to man,
But to God,
Are we not all the more accountable?
Copyright 2015 Joann Nelander
O Holy Father,
On my death,
And the occasion of my judgment,
I offer You Jesus’ Love for me.
See how He wants me eternally.
Dying to hold me,
His Blood claims me as His own.
He created me with such care,
As I took form in my mother’s womb.
He lavished attentions on me
As living flesh, imbued with eternal soul,
Flourished in the abundant waters of Life.
Unique among His creations,
He smiled upon me, seeing my beauty,
And my need.
See how He sought me,
Playfully with joys,
And in sorrow as I hid myself.
See the iron of His intention,
Bent on me.
See His fury at the Foe,
Who pursued me,
Seeing His Grace reclaiming me.
My Father, minister to Your daughter,
That leaving behind my earthly life,
Heavenly couriers might present me
Before the One,
Whose Spirit lives in me.
See His pieced Side,
Opened wide inviting me,
All the more, longing,
He for me,
And me for Thee in Three,
As leaving the mortal for the immortal,
I seek sanctuary.
You are everywhere in Being,
And in me.
I wrap my heart around Your Godhead,
Your Jesus.
He embraces me with Spirit,
Even in judgment,,
I am chosen for the Son.
Copyright 2015 Joann Nelander
O Holy Father,
On my death,
And the occasion of my judgment,
I offer You Jesus’ Love for me.
See how He wants me eternally.
Dying to hold me,
His Blood claims me as His own.
He created me with such care,
As I took form in my mother’s womb.
He lavished attentions on me
As living flesh, imbued with eternal soul,
Flourished in the abundant waters of Life.
Unique among His creations,
He smiled upon me, seeing my beauty,
And my need.
See how He sought me,
Playfully with joys,
And in sorrow as I hid myself.
See the iron of His intention,
Bent on me.
See His fury at the Foe,
Who pursued me,
Seeing His Grace reclaiming me.
My Father, minister to Your daughter,
That leaving behind my earthly life,
Heavenly couriers might present me
Before the One,
Whose Spirit lives in me.
See His pieced Side,
Opened wide inviting me,
All the more, longing,
He for me,
And me for Thee in Three,
As leaving the mortal for the immortal,
I seek sanctuary.
You are everywhere in Being,
And in me.
I wrap my heart around Your Godhead,
Your Jesus.
He embraces me with Spirit,
Even in judgment,,
I am chosen for the Son.
Copyright 2015 Joann Nelander
O Holy Father,
On my death,
And the occasion of my judgment,
I offer You Jesus’ Love for me.
See how He wants me eternally.
Dying to hold me,
His Blood claims me as His own.
He created me with such care,
As I took form in my mother’s womb.
He lavished attentions on me
As living flesh, imbued with eternal soul,
Flourished in the abundant waters of Life.
Unique among His creations,
He smiled upon me, seeing my beauty,
And my need.
See how He sought me,
Playfully with joys,
And in sorrow as I hid myself.
See the iron of His intention,
Bent on me.
See His fury at the Foe,
Who pursued me,
Seeing His Grace reclaiming me.
My Father, minister to Your daughter,
That leaving behind my earthly life,
Heavenly couriers might present me
Before the One,
Whose Spirit lives in me.
See His pieced Side,
Opened wide inviting me,
All the more, longing,
He for me,
And me for Thee in Three,
As leaving the mortal for the immortal,
I seek sanctuary.
You are everywhere in Being,
And in me.
I wrap my heart around Your Godhead,
Your Jesus.
He embraces me with Spirit,
Even in judgment,,
I am chosen for the Son.
Copyright 2015 Joann Nelander
 |
Patrick Madrid (@patrickmadrid) |
| 11/30/15, 6:55 PM “Mary Comforts Eve” — beautiful. abstractcathedral.com/2014/12/mary-c… pic.twitter.com/Je1qoSjUSw |
|
Download the Twitter app
At a May 3 meeting at the Vatican, Archbishop Luis Ladaria, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, advised that Pope …
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/intercommunion-proposal-goes-back-to-german-bishops
From a discourse by Saint Athanasius
Via divineoffice.org
On the incarnation of the Word
The Word of God, incorporeal, incorruptible and immaterial, entered our world. Yet it was not as if he had been remote from it up to that time. For there is no part of the world that was ever without his presence; together with his Father, he continually filled all things and places.
Out of his loving-kindness for us he came to us, and we see this in the way he revealed himself openly to us. Taking pity on mankind’s weakness, and moved by our corruption, he could not stand aside and see death have the mastery over us; he did not want creation to perish and his Father’s work in fashioning man to be in vain. He therefore took to himself a body, no different from our own, for he did not wish simply to be in a body or only to be seen.
If he had wanted simply to be seen, he could indeed have taken another, and nobler, body. Instead, he took our body in its reality.
Within the Virgin he built himself a temple, that is, a body; he made it his own instrument in which to dwell and to reveal himself. In this way he received from mankind a body like our own, and, since all were subject to the corruption of death, he delivered this body over to death for all, and with supreme love offered it to the Father. He did so to destroy the law of corruption passed against all men, since all died in him. The law, which had spent its force on the body of the Lord, could no longer have any power over his fellowmen. Moreover, this was the way in which the Word was to restore mankind to immortality, after it had fallen into corruption, and summon it back from death to life. He utterly destroyed the power death had against mankind—as fire consumes chaff—by means of the body he had taken and the grace of the resurrection.
This is the reason why the Word assumed a body that could die, so that this body, sharing in the Word who is above all, might satisfy death’s requirement in place of all. Because of the Word dwelling in that body, it would remain incorruptible, and all would be freed for ever from corruption by the grace of the resurrection.
In death the Word made a spotless sacrifice and oblation of the body he had taken. By dying for others, he immediately banished death for all mankind.
In this way the Word of God, who is above all, dedicated and offered his temple, the instrument that was his body, for us all, as he said, and so paid by his own death the debt that was owed. The immortal Son of God, united with all men by likeness of nature, thus fulfilled all justice in restoring mankind to immortality by the promise of the resurrection.
The corruption of death no longer holds any power over mankind, thanks to the Word, who has come to dwell among them through his one body.
From a treatise on John by Saint Augustine
The new commandment
A new commandment I give you, that you love one another.This commandment that he is giving them is a new one, the Lord Jesus tells his disciples. Yet was it not contained in the Old Law, where it is written: You shall love your neighbor as yourself? Why does the Lord call it new when it is clearly so old? Or is the commandment new because it divests us of our former selves and clothes us with the new man? Love does indeed renew the man who hears, or rather obeys its command; but only that love which Jesus distinguished from a natural love by the qualification: As I have loved you.
This is the kind of love that renews us. When we love as he loved us we become new men, heirs of the new covenant and singers of the new song. My brothers, this was the love that even in bygone days renewed the holy men, the patriarchs and prophets of old. In later times it renewed the blessed apostles, and now it is the turn of the Gentiles. From the entire human race throughout the world this love gathers together into one body a new people, to be the bride of God’s only Son. She is the bride of whom it is asked in the Song of Songs: Who is this who comes clothed in white?White indeed are her garments, for she has been made new; and the source of her renewal is none other than this new commandment.
And so all her members make each other’s welfare their common care. When one member suffers, all the members suffer with him, and if one member is glorified all the rest rejoice. They hear and obey the Lord’s words: A new commandment I give you, that you love one another; not as men love one another for their own selfish ends, nor merely on account of their common humanity, but because they are all gods and sons of the Most High. They love one another as God loves them so that they may be brothers of his only Son. He will lead them to the goal that alone will satisfy them, where all their desires will be fulfilled. For when God is all in all, there will be nothing left to desire.
This love is the gift of the Lord who said: As I have loved you, you also must love one another. His object in loving us, then, was to enable us to love each other. By loving us himself, our mighty head has linked us all together as members of his own body, bound to one another by the tender bond of love.
Via divineoffice.com
Jesus…. “the way, the truth, and the life,” and anyone who embraces Him as such will rise to everlasting life with Him. Adversus Haereses (Against Heresies XI), St. Irenaeus )
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
Come, my Lord, to this poor dwelling,
You are Lord of all, and heaven is at hand
As You approach.
Come in Spirit to my humble abode,
At your coming, the angels make ready.
They spread their wings over Your Mercy Seat,
Come. Be enthroned, here in my heart.
Allow the splendor of heaven to scatter flowers along
Your Way,
As You incline, Your Heart
To one in misery for want of You.
I rejoice for You are here
And in my embrace.
You are Now.
You are mine,
O my Beloved.
Heaven finds a home in my soul,
As You reign in my heart.
A river of Life pours forth,
As You water this garden,
And provide rich food and fruit,
For all who will partake.
By Joann Nelander
All prayers
Covenant to be renewed each week
Salute to the Heart of Jesus
RECOMMENDATION TO JESUS ASPIRATION TO JESUS
INTENTION TO BE FORMED IN THE MORNING COVENANT WITH GOD
ASPIRATION TO JESUS
Jesus said to St. Mechtilde: Whoever shall breathe a sigh towards Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning, and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, he will draw Me to him; so that his soul shall have life from Me even as his body has life from his soul, and he shall do all things through Me and by Me. For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration towards Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before.
O MOST loving Jesus, I breathe towards Thee this sigh, drawn from the depth of my heart, beseeching Thee with all my might that Thou wouldst deign Thyself to work in me all my works, whether of body or of soul, to cleanse them all in thy sweetest Heart, and to offer them, in union with Thine Own most perfect works, to God the Father as an eternal thanksgiving. Amen.
COVENANT WITH GOD
O ALMIGHTY God, I sanctify, dedicate, and consecrate to Thee every beating of my heart, and every pulsation of my blood; and I desire to make this compact with Thee, that their every beating shall say to Thee: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth; and I beseech Thee to impute this meaning to them, so that they may be before Thy Divine Majesty as the unceasing echo of that heavenly canticle, which seraphims sing without ceasing unto Thee. Amen. Amen.
Salute to the Heart of Jesus
I ADORE, praise, and salute Thee, O most sweet Heart of Jesus Christ, fresh and gladdening as the breath of spring, from which, as from a fountain of graces, sweeter than the honeycomb, floweth ever more all good and all delight. I thank Thee with all the powers of my heart for having preserved me throughout this night, and for having rendered to God the Father praises and thanksgivings in my behalf. And now, O my sweet Love, I offer Thee my wretched and worthless heart as a morning sacrifice; I place it in Thy most tender Heart, and entrust it to Thy keeping; beseeching Thee that Thou wouldst deign to pour into it Thy Divine inspirations, and to enkindle it with Thy holy love. Amen.
RECOMMENDATION TO JESUS
It was revealed to St. Gertrude that if anyone commends himself to God, praying to be kept from all sin, God will never forsake him; and even though he be permitted to fall into some grievous fault, the grace of God will sustain him like a staff, and enable him to return more easily to repentance.
O JESUS, full of compassion, I commend to thee my spirit and my soul, in union with that love wherewith thou didst commend Thine Own to the Father on the Cross; and I place them in the most sacred wound of Thy tender Heart, that they may be therein protected from all the snares of the enemy. Thou knowest, O good Jesus, and I know by my own sad experience, how weak and frail I am, so that I could not of myself persevere in good, or resist temptation even for one single hour. Wherefore I pray Thee, by the reverence due to that union wherein Thy manhood is united to the adorable Trinity for our glorification, that Thou wouldst deign to unite my will to Thine, and so to strengthen and secure it, that it may be unable to rebel against Thee. In union with Thy most sinless limbs, I commend to Thee all the members of my body, with all their movements, that they may throughout this day love for Thy glory alone, for Thy praise and Thy love. Amen.
INTENTION TO BE FORMED IN THE MORNING
Our Lord revealed to St. Gertrude, that He records with letters of gold in the book of life all those actions which are done purely for the love of God, in union with the Passion of Christ, and for the salvation of all mankind, without thought of our own merit. And although all good works receive from God an abundant reward, those which are done simply and purely for His glory are of far higher merit, and obtain for us a far greater increase of glory.
O LORD, my God, for Thy sake I resolve to perform all my actions, whether outward or inward, purely for Thy glory, and for the salvation of the whole world; with such intention and in such manner as Thou dost desire and enjoin; and in union with that love whereby Thy Son came down from Heaven, and wrought out the whole work of our salvation, especially during His Passion. Wherefore I entirely disclaim all merit, all reward and grace which I might otherwise hope to obtain by these actions, that I may offer to Thee, my God, a pure sacrifice of praise, and give Thee a proof of my love.
MORE EXTENDED COVENANT TO BE RENEWED EVERY WEEK
The great efficacy of this covenant may be shown thus: Were a person to resolve that by every movement he made he wished to be understood to ratify and approve all the sins that are committed all over the earth, and to be held a partaker of them, it is easy to see what guilt he would thus contract. And if such an intention would have so great influence for evil, why should it not have immense force and merit for good?
O LORD God, my Creator, all my desire is before Thee, and my groaning is not hidden from Thee; but inasmuch as the necessities of this life prevent the constant application of my mind to Thy praise, I make with Thee this covenant, earnestly desiring that it may remain in force throughout this week.
Whenever I look up towards Heaven, I desire and intend to rejoice with Thee in Thine infinite perfections; that Thou art what Thou art, supremely strong and wise and loving and just.
As often as I open or close my eyes, I desire and intend to approve and concur in all the holy actions which Thine Only-begotten Son, and all the Saints in Heaven and just on earth, have ever done, or shall ever hereafter do, to Thy glory, and desire to be held a partaker in them all.
As often as I draw my breath, I offer to Thee the Life and Passion and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the merits and sufferings of all the Saints, to Thine eternal glory, for the welfare and peace of all the whole world, and in satisfaction for the sins of all men.
Whenever I sigh, I intend to detest and abhor every sin, as well my own sins as those which have ever been committed from the beginning of the world against the honour of Thy Name. Would that the slight and worthless offering of my blood might be accepted in satisfaction for them!
Lastly, as often as I move my hand or my foot, so often do I cast myself with entire resignation upon Thy most holy will, desiring that Thou wouldst dispose of me in time and in eternity, according to Thine adorable Will.
Into Stillness 