50 d-g
Let him not be troubled over the difficulties that surround him. They are allowed by God for his sanctification. Let him always pronounce his generous and total yes. This is so necessary and pleasing to me. And thus I will have him live always in my motherly heart and there he will taste such great, such very great sweetness. Oh my sons if the mother has thus kept you together for so long, it is because she has great designs upon you. I place you in the burning furnace of the heart of my son, I press you both to my own motherly heart, and I bless you. (Message to Fr. Gobbi)
This morning as I prayed with and for my husband before he set off for a job that is currently bringing him so much stress, I recounted the following story to him.
There once was a man who was asleep one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and the Savior appeared to him.
The Lord told him He had a work for him to do, and showed him a large rock explaining that he was to push against the rock with all his might. This the man did, and for many days he toiled from sunup to sundown; his shoulder set squarely against the cold massive surface of the rock, pushing with all his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling his whole day had been spent in vain.
Seeing that the man showed signs of discouragement, Satan decided to enter the picture – placing thoughts in the man’s mind, such as “Why kill yourself over this?, you’re never going to move it!” or “Boy, you’ve been at it a long time and you haven’t even scratched the surface!” etc. giving the man the impression the task was impossible and the man was an unworthy servant because he wasn’t moving the massive stone.
These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man and he started to ease up in his efforts. “Why kill myself?” he thought. “I’ll just put in my time putting forth just the minimum of effort and that will be good enough.” And this he did or at least planned on doing until, one day, he decided to take his troubles to the Lord.
“Lord,” he said, “I have labored hard and long in Your service, putting forth all my strength to do that which You have asked of me. Yet after all this time, I have not even budged that rock even half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?”
To this the Lord responded compassionately, “My friend, when long ago I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you to push against the rock with all your strength and that you have done. But never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. At least not by yourself. Your task was to push. And now you come to Me, your strength spent, thinking that you have failed, ready to quit. But is this really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled; your back sinewed and brown. Your hands are calloused from constant pressure and your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much and your ability now far surpasses that which you used to have. Yet still, you haven’t succeeded in moving the rock; and you come to Me now with a heavy heart and your strength spent. I, my friend will move the rock. Your calling was to be obedient and push, and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom, and this you have done.”
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Today’s feast day: St. Frances of Rome:
“Gentle Holy Spirit, Saint Frances of Rome was a good wife, and yet her husband ridiculed her. I give to You all the married Christian women I know. May their faith become a great witness to their husbands. Replace arguments and division with peace and unity. Bless the husbands with a fuller understanding of Christian beliefs and the reasons behind true Christian values. Teach them to become the men You created them to be, and help the wives stand strong against worldly ways and the temptations of sin. In the same way, assist the Christian men who are married to non-believing women. Saint Frances of Rome, pray for us. Amen.”
1661 The sacrament of Matrimony signifies the union of Christ and the Church. It gives spouses the grace to love each other with the love with which Christ has loved his Church; the grace of the sacrament thus perfects the human love of the spouses, strengthens their indissoluble unity, and sanctifies them on the way to eternal life (cf Council of Trent: DS 1799). (Catechism of the Catholic Church)
Don’t forget, tomorrow begins the Novena to St. Joseph, Mary’s Beloved Spouse!