The Visitation: feast of THE HIDDEN

Last night as I meditated on one of our community prophecies from 2012, the word hidden continually appeared in many contexts, “hidden lives, hidden force, hidden martyrs of love, hiddenness of your heart, hidden victims of love”:

150– The Time is at Hand, Diary of MOC

The time is at hand when all will be called to suffer persecution for My sake. This time of persecution will divide My followers into two camps: those with Me and those against Me. Few will remain with Me in the time of the great tribulation. You, My little ones, are being prepared for this time. Your lives lived in humility and purity of heart, united to Me, will be the light in this darkness. Your lives hidden and transformed in My crucified love, will usher in the New Pentecost for the world.

223     My hidden force of spiritual mothers, as one with My Mother of Sorrows, will raise up God’s army of holy priests for the decisive battle to be waged against the principalities of darkness…

My hidden martyrs of love are the power of God to wage this war against the principalities of death. Do not be afraid to speak from the housetops what I speak to you in the hiddenness of your heart. I am making all things new through My hidden victims of purified love… Trust and suffer all with patient endurance. (2-25-2014, The Path, pp. 222-223]

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I pondered how much God loves what is hidden:  in the Eucharist Christ is hidden under the appearance of bread and wine; He is hidden in the tabernacle; when we pray He bids us enter a closed chamber; in the Song of Songs He loves His garden enclosed. A few weeks ago as I read her Diary, I heard Jesus telling Conchita to enter the inner sanctuary, the inner cloister of her heart where dwelt the Holy Spirit; later I heard from Him the message that my inner cloister is the perfect Fiat of my Mother.

As I meditated on the mysteries surrounding Mary’s visitation to her cousin Elizabeth, I was struck that after His conception, He remained hidden in the inner cloister of His Mother’s Fiat—in her womb.  He also revealed to Venerable Conchita that from the first moment of His conception He suffered an interior, hidden martyrdom of the heart through His awareness of the Cross—thus His passion was primarily a hidden one for 33 years, beginning in the womb of Mary. [Diary 187] Jesus is the original hidden victim, hidden martyr of love.

When Elizabeth heard the sound of Mary’s voice, the babe, St. John, leapt in her womb—St. John recognized the Savior of the world, the Light of the world hidden in the inner cloister of His Mother’s Fiat.  Think about what happened here: Mary simply spoke, a greeting, something like, “I have come, Elizabeth!”  Through her simple word, the Power of Christ hidden in her womb touched the little person hidden in Elizabeth’s womb—she was filled immediately with the Holy Spirit—and she felt it, knew it.

When others hear our voice, may their hearts leap with joy that the Light and Love of Christ hidden in us has emerged in their presence.  We have to trust that God will use the Power and Light of Christ hidden in us, in our ordinary lives, to touch the lives of those around us, even those hearts hidden from our view or knowledge—just as the baby John the Baptist was hidden from Mary’s immediate view.  He was touched by Jesus through Mary in the most ordinary way, through simple speech.

As I reflected earlier this week on the word hidden as it appeared in the prophecy of my community, I wrote:

We are first of all hidden with Mary in her hidden sorrows:  from the hidden force of the humble Mother & mothers emerge the powerful sons:  Jesus & His priests for the decisive battle.

From the hidden martyrs bursts the power of God to wage this war.

From the hiddenness of our hearts, the message of Life and Hope will “ speak from the housetops.”

From hidden victims of love, Love Crucified Himself will make all things new.

The key is to persevere in being who we are, “Trust and suffer all with patient endurance.”

MORE on WHAT IS HIDDEN:   When I first began meditating on The Simple Path to Union, I spent several days reflecting on a section on the Eucharist which reveals so beautifully the nature of the power or force of God in what is hidden.  Because this section of the Path completes so powerfully what we have begun in this post, I repeat here what I wrote in my journal on Sept. 28, 2014, a condensation of The Path, 3-C-5, from a Eucharistic message revealed to one of our Mothers of the Cross [what the women in our community are called]: 

Sept. 28, 2014        SIMPLE PATH   The Eucharist   3D5

   49:   “Your ordinary and hidden life through the Cross becomes united to My Eucharistic life. Your hidden life takes on the same power as My hidden life because we are no longer two but ONE. These are My living hosts. In this union of love you enter and live in the realm of God. Through Me, with Me and in Me your most ordinary life is the power of God. Your thoughts, words, deeds, but most especially your tears and sorrows of heart, possess the power of God to bless the world. Your hidden life not seen by anyone is seen by God and through Me, with Me and in Me He blesses many. Your life as ONE with My Eucharistic life moves beyond time and space.

   I am the power of the hidden life. I want to possess you with My hidden life, which is the Eucharist, transforming you into living hosts. This transformation will take place as you live your hidden and interior life united to My interior crucifixion, suffering all with Me and in Me. In this way, the power of the hidden force will intensify with the fire of the Holy Spirit (6/15/11).

   “The “hidden force” is not a romantic idea. It is true suffering within the heart. At first the martyrdom of the heart comes from our own daily struggles and sorrows. As we grow in union with Christ, as martyrs of love, we drink directly from Jesus’ bitter chalice and suffer with Him the oppression of sin in our brothers and sisters and in ourselves.   

 

 

 

Feast of the Body & Blood of Christ – CORPUS CHRISTI

I can’t resist the beautiful, traditional sequences of the Church.  Here is LAUDA SION in the Gregorian chant with translation–be sure  to read the italicized version–it’s sheer poetry!

POSTS – Table of Contents

For your convenience, I thought I would list all posts so that you can more easily find topics that interest you–you may also find these on the WELCOME PAGE as links to the respective post:

Stir Into Flame the Gift of God — 1/28/15

In the Fire—Thirsting for God  –1/29/15

“Purification:  Spiritual Parasites,” Ven. Luis Martinez   –1/29/15

“Treat Your Soul Gently, As God Does,” Ven. Luis Martinez  –1-30-15

“Jesus is the Outpouring of the Heart of God,”  –2/2/15

“For Love of God, Willingly Bear Exile of Heart,” Thomas a  Kempis — 2-4-15

“How Jesus Prayed”  –2/7/15

“The Obscurity of Faith”  –2/11/15

“We are not the weather on the holy mountain,” Martin Laird, OSA– 2/16/2015

“I thirst”  – Mother Teresa of Calcutta  –Feb. 20, 2015

“Why contemplation is wordless and imageless”  –Feb. 22, 2015

“Why do those tiny things stop you?”–Jesus to Conchita, Mar. 1,  2015

“Jesus, What are You doing in there?” [in the Tabernacle], Mar. 4, 2015

“Re-Pentare—to Rethink or to Think in a New Way,” Anthony Lilles, Mar. 8, 2015

“God is in love with us—and we are His love-dream” –Pope Francis, Mar. 2015

“Food is where the heart is, Spiritual Communion,” Mar. 23, 2015

“A Mother Torn in Agony,” Mar. 27, 2015

“The Sign of the Cross,” Ben Ghezzi, April 7, 2015

“To Be Jesus Crucified” – Ven. Luis Martinez, April 12, 2015

“Feeling sullied and smudged” St. Catherine of Genoa–4-20-2015

“I am stripped of my garments…” The Simple Path to Union, 4-27-2015

“Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid” Rev. Jean-Pierre deCaussade, SJ,  5-6-15

“Jesus is Personal,” Father Cleo Milani, 5-19-15

“And Now, Lord, What is there to wait for?” Ps. 9:8, 5-19-15

“Touching the Holy Spirit,” part 1, 5-28-15

“The Dark Years—The Lost Years,” June 7, 2015

“Love, Not Perfection,” June 23, 2015

“So Many Wounds,” June 26, 2015

“Touching the Holy Spirit,” part 2, July 1, 2015

“Reflection on Faith,” (Scott Momoday, Kiowa), 7-26-15

“Jesus, Take the Wheel,” Father Milano,  Aug. 4, 2015

“Diamonds and Toads,” old French fairy tale, Aug. 10, 2016

“Wounds of the Unborn,” Aug. 21, 2015

“Silence Guards the Mystery,” Pope Francis, Sept. 6, 2015

“Waiting for the Sky to Fall or Surviving the Storm” – 9-27-15

“The Oil in my Lamp,” Oct. 12, 2015

“The Cross & The Mystic Mass of the Bride,” Ven. Archbishop Luis Martinez, Oct. 21, 2015

“The Eternal Mode of Prayer,” Hugh Owen—New & Divine…, Oct. 29, 2015

“The Sacrament of the Moment,” Rev. Jean-Pierre deCaussade, S.J., Nov. 18, 2015

“Journey of the Magi,”  poem T.S. Eliot, Dec. 1, 2015

“Kenosis,” Philippeans, St. Paul,  Dec. 12, 2015

“In the Presence of God,” [a poem], Dec. 12, 2015

“The Holy Child’s Song,” poem by Thomas Merton, Dec. 26, 2015

“The Mercy of Jesus,” Jan. 10, 2015

“Come Live with Me & Be My Love,” Jan. 24, 2016

“The Loneliness of Love,” Mar. 1, 2016

“Love Itself is the Priest,” Ven. Luis Martinez, Mar. 4, 2016

“My Covenant with Love Crucified,” Mar. 17, 2016

“Transform my Heart into Your Living Chalice,” April 5, 2016

“We are Underwhelmed by God,” Ven. Conchita,                             Job & Charlie Johnston’s insights, April 8, 2016

“The Inner Cloister of Fiat,” The Simple Path to Union,                    Ven. Luis Martinez, Luisa Picaretta, April 13, 2016

“Sensuality & the Holy Spirit,” insights from many saints,               April 21, 2016

“God is Simple,” Lourdes Pinto, St. Albert the Great,                       May 23, 2016

“God is Simple” –Lourdes Pinto

AUDIO

On this feast of the Holy Trinity, I rejoice to celebrate Unity in Trinity, the Simplicity of God.  Lourdes, the co-founder of Love Crucified Covenant Community,  tells us all the time, “My family, God is simple.”  What could be more profound?  Haven’t you noticed that the more parts a machine has, the more that can go wrong?  The more parts, the more complexity.

In Soul Food Talk #6:  “Simplify Your Heart with All Care,” based on the teaching of St. Albert the Great, I wrote in 2013:  “       WHAT IS SIMPLICITY?       One. Complexity rules where an item is divided or made up of many parts. The closer to one that we can get, the simpler we are. One God. One desire. A heart focused and centered on God. One Will. Simplicity of heart is virtually the same as purity of heart.”

In the first post in this blog,  “In the Fire—Thirsting for God” you will find:  “What does it mean to be pure?  To be undivided, single, simple, unmixed with any other substance, one.  James 4,5 tell us, “The Spirit which He sent to live in us wants us for Himself alone.”  A meek and humble heart, a simple heart which sees only God, our adorable Abba, is a pure heart….”

             God who is utter Purity, Holiness, Wholeness is one Substance, unmixed, undivided Unity in Trinity.  The wonder of His Mystery is that His very Purity IS His Holiness, IS His Mercy, IS His Justice/Love/Majesty/Knowledge/Omnipotence/ etc. because HE IS UNDIVIDED.  God is Simple.  This Oneness, Being Undivided is what Simplicity means.  The holier that we become, the simpler we also become:  with undivided hearts, purity of intention (undivided intention).  Like Him, our love becomes our justice, mercy, compassion, holiness, etc.

In The Simple Path to Union I read:    1– I Am the Way, Diary of a MOC  [Jesus is speaking.] If I am the way, that means the way has already been set for you. There is only one way that leads you into the embrace of the Father for all eternity. I came so that you may know the way. The way is simple but the path is obscure and hidden…. “The Holy Spirit will lead you through My path to eternal life… My daughter, there is a SIMPLE PATH, for your God is simple and knows your weakness. You were on a path to Me, but a very difficult and complicated path full of dangers because it is the path of your own will…. My way is simple, safe, full of consolations, peaceful … it leads you to the interior transformation of your mind and heart. The deeper you enter My path the easier your travel becomes. (12/12/11)”

More amazing still is what we find in Chapter 4-F of The Simple Path to Union:  “Drawn into the Unity of the Trinity.” We are all familiar with Jn 17, the famous words of Christ:  “Jesus told the Father that He was giving His life for the sake of unity with us: ‘That they may be one, as We are one, I in them and You in Me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that You sent me, and that You loved them even as You loved Me (Jn 17:22-23).’” [The Path p. 123]

What I read next is so remarkable:  “Venerable Conchita writes about her personal experience of this unity: ‘The secret for arriving at unity is to let yourself be conducted by the Holy Spirit since it is He who brings about unity in God Himself… All that you do and practice, cast it as often as possible into this Unity (of God) … Your pains, your sufferings, your joys, your acts of renunciation, your desires and your hopes, your needs and your feelings, cast them all into this Unity which by its contact will simplify your life.  [Conchita, p184-185/The Path p. 124]

In the last decade of her life, Conchita’s spiritual director was the author of The Sanctifier, Archbishop Luis Martinez—one of the lights of my life.  In Under the Gaze of the Father, we find from one of his meditations:  “The love of Jesus was very pure.  His Heart contains all of us, but He loves but His Father.  He walked the earth doing good, pouring out graces, giving life with gracious abundance, setting the earth on fire with fire from heaven, but in reality, He did not seek anything other than the glory of God, nor did He accomplish other work than that of simplifying all things in the unity of His Heart in order to plunge the universe into the most pure bosom of God.  His love was simply love, carrying nothing extraneous in His breast, no trace of selfishness, only the divine simplicity of purity.  This is the divine mode of loving: purity in its source, essence and end.  This love is one, it is simply love and it has no other end but God.”

When contemplating God, we never reach satiety—His mystery and profundity are beyond anything we can know; but what a joy to sit at His feet, as did Mary.  Let us choose to live in simplicity, to gaze on His simplicity with adoration.

PRAYER –Let us pray with Venerable Archbishop Martinez,

O my Jesus, Simplify everything in the Unity of Your Sacred Heart in order to plunge the entire universe  into the pure bosom of the Trinity.         AMEN

[For practical suggestions on how to simplify your life & your spiritual life–your heart, see “Simplify your heart with all care.” ]

 

 

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Veni Sancte Spiritus – Medjugorje

 

Veni Sancte Spiritus – SEQUENCE

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
And from your celestial home
Shed a ray of light divine!
Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store!
Come, within our bosoms shine.
You, of comforters the best;
You, the soul’s most welcome guest;
Sweet refreshment here below;
In our labor, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.
O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of yours,
And our inmost being fill!
Where you are not, we have naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.
Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away:
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.
On the faithful, who adore
And confess you, evermore
In your sevenfold gift descend;
Give them virtue’s sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
Give them joys that never end. Amen.
Alleluia.

Alleluia