12 days ‒ Emptying oneself of the spirit of the world - Day 3

Discover the grace of salvation

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

O Holy Spirit, inspire me. God’s love, engulf me. Holy Mary, my Mother, guide me in the right ways, look at me, and together with Jesus, bless me. Keep me from all evil, from all delusions and all threats. Mary, The Spouse of the Holy Spirit, obtain for me the grace of salvation. Amen!

The Word of God

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (Jn 3:16‒17).

Meditation

When facing evil and sin and realizing that they are so real, we desperately attempt to handle it on our own and find protection against the issues that surpass us. Some people are looking for security in material goods that, in fact, to some degree, may give an illusory sense of security as they solve some of the problems; however, in light of disease or death, they prove to be worthless.

We may also start seeking refuge in a sense of security stemming from relationships with others. If we begin to base our life and happiness on somebody, then when that person hurts us, lets us down, leaves us or dies, it turns out that this life attitude was only being in an illusion, which hurts us even more.

Also, the development of science and technology seems to beguile some people so much that they seek the only rescue in human achievements. Unquestionably, these areas develop very quickly and expansively nowadays, but this progress doesn’t eliminate evil and can’t ensure happiness, as while solving some problems, it creates others.

Some may also try to bring peace and order to the world by human means. Yet, despite incessant declarations of peace, new conflicts still start, and the people who shout the loudest about tolerance are the same people who don’t tolerate thinking otherwise.

Having different spiritual desires, people try to find solace and internal balance in various energies, amulets and “lucky items,” other philosophies, and Eastern meditations. But it often turns out that they are simply an illusion, apparent goods behind which an evil spirit tries to deceive us.

For traditional Catholics, there may be an even more subtle temptation: a zealous fulfilment of various religious practices or fasting to break free from the snares of sin and evil thanks to their power. Subsequent failures bring such a person further into accusation and remorse because alone they are not able to compensate God and break free from this vicious circle of evil. Even the best resolutions, acts or exceptional religious experiences cannot redeem us.

Above all our attempts and efforts, there is a light of Good News! Our hope is in God. God is not indifferent to our situation. He is the one who first comes toward people—He gave us His Son. “For the wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23), someone had to die. He died for you so that you wouldn’t have to die eternally. It’s like you had a loan to pay off, which was so huge that looking at your financial capabilities, you felt helpless, with no prospects to pay it off. Despite various attempts, borrowing money from different people, this case was doomed to failure because a lifetime wouldn’t be long enough to pay it off all. And suddenly, there comes someone who says that He takes all your debts on himself and wants nothing in return. Is it possible? Or maybe it is some ruse? No sane person would do it!

In His eternal idea of love, God prepared a way of redemption for people, which is even more extraordinary than the work of creation. “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). Even out of sin, God took greater good. When after deceiving people in Eden, Satan was punished, God pronounced an extraordinary promise about the victory that will come by the Woman and her offspring. God, in His wise intention, created Immaculate Mary so the Son of God could come to us through her. When archangel Gabriel visited her, he told her she was full of grace. Mary got confused because she knew that only God is full of grace. She remembered the prayer of Moses: “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Exod 34:6). It must have meant something amazing. Look how great the power of devotion is. First, God gave people love and gave them the land and His power over the world. When sinful people gave all of it into the devil’s hands and became his slaves, God came to Mary and gave her even more—Himself. This is even more remarkable than the work of creation because God gives to his creation not only various goods but He gave himself. God gave himself to people—He gave himself to Mary. She uttered her “yes” to Him, and God became incarnate; that is, He took our human nature. Think for a while what it means. It is not only about the fact that two thousand years ago, the Son of God became man, but about the situation where, thanks to Mary’s consent, He joined with all the people of all ages, also with you. What does it mean that He joined? He took upon Himself your life with all its manifestations: joys, sorrows, thoughts, anxieties, emotions, relations, with all its physicality, and He lived it in faithfulness to the Father on your behalf. Wherever we said “no” to the Father God, He said “yes.” His consent was so radical that He came to the very bottom of human degradation. He suffered rejection; from the very beginning, He was perceived as a blasphemer; He was wrongfully accused of various things He didn’t commit; He took upon Himself all our sins and everything that ruins us and took it to the Cross. Christ conquered evil by taking it upon Himself. He suffered and persevered till the end. He died on the Cross for our sake. “He was wounded for our transgressions” (Isa 53:5). The prophecy from the Book of Isiah was fulfilled as God said: “I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins” (Isa 43:25). Everything that kills us and ruins us, died with Him. Satan, sin and death were conquered at the Cross. “You know that he was revealed to take away sins (…) The Son of God was revealed for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil” (1 Jn 3:5‒8). Satan’s head was crushed. On the Cross, Christ showed the power of devotion, as the Scripture says: “Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’ Having said this, he breathed his last” (Lk 23:46). The Cross became the bridge over the chasm that separates us from God. Thanks to Jesus’ death and His Blood shed for us, we are no longer exiles from Eden, but we received adoption to sonship. But it is not only that. After three days, He was resurrected. He appeared to His disciples to instil faith in them when they doubted. He gathered them anew into the Church to overcome what had split them. And when they were reunited, Christ ascended to heaven to open the way to Father’s house. Since then, we are no longer exiles. When the disciples who were left in the care of Mary prayed with her, they witnessed the fulfilment of Christ’s promise and received the power from above—the Holy Spirit who transformed them. They got a new life. They were free of fear, feelings of being lost, sadness, and despair. They ceased to be scared and began to walk over all the world, proclaiming to everyone that Christ is risen and alive. When they were talking about it, nothing could stop them—even menacing, flogging, suffering and death. God was giving great signs, and the disciples witnessed personally how great the love and power stemming from life with God is.

Spiritual reading

“Eternal Wisdom seeing that nothing on earth can expiate man’s sin, that nothing can satisfy divine justice and appease God’s anger and still, wishing to save unfortunate man whom he cannot help loving, finds a wonderful way of accomplishing this. Wonder of wonders! With boundless and incomprehensible love, this tender-hearted Lord offers to comply with his justice, to calm the divine anger, to rescue us from the slavery of the devil and from the flames of hell, and to merit for us eternal happiness. His offer is accepted; a decision is reached and made. Eternal Wisdom, the Son of God, will become man at a suitable time and in determined circumstances.”

St. Louis de Montfort, The Love of Eternal Wisdom, 45‒46

Homework 

I will live this day with the awareness that I need Jesus’s help and that I am not able to cope with everything on my own.

Prayer of consecration 

I am all Yours, and all that I have is Yours, O most loving Christ, through Mary, Your most holy Mother. Amen!