Homily Notes, 12-25-20 - Spiritual Poverty

-

December 25th, 2020

"The Widow's Mite" by João Zeferino da Costa, 1876


Spiritual Poverty is not something that follows the world's view of poverty.  The spirit of poverty means a detachment from created things of the world, and an attachment to the things of God.  Spiritual poverty isn't only that we don't make creatures our end, but that we are willing to set aside created things if it is what God wants us to do. It is that we can give up natural, good things, if it is God's will for us to give them up.

The widow's mite: She has given more than the others because she is giving something that she needs to support herself.  She gives it to God.

Jesus was born into this world with nothing in order to give us everything.

Advent penance is meant to help us detach from our own will so that we can do God's will. Keep the virtues you gained through penance during Advent.

What gift can we give Christ?

He wants our heart and our soul; our whole being.

Hold nothing back. Give everything wholly and completely to God.  Give yourself completely to God so He can give Himself completely to you.  He will give you the infinite joy of Himself.

Offer yourself, body and soul, to God.  We receive Him in the Eucharist so that we can become like Him.  Detach from the things of this world and attach only to God.  Our Lady gave herself up to God's will.  That journey to Bethlehem was not easy.  Welcome Jesus into the world as Our Lady welcomed Him: she focused all of her energy on Him.  We should focus completely on Jesus when we receive Him in the Eucharist.

Mary lived every moment of her life for Him.  Every action was centered on Him, even her menial tasks of daily life.  We also are meant to make that offering of ourselves.  Ask for the grace to abandon everything to God.  Every thought, word, and action.  Put Him above all else.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Homily Notes: 09-05-21 - The Feast of St. Pius X

-
Image
"Restore all things in Christ."        Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Pius X, our patron.       It is good to look back and see the first of St. Pius' encyclicals. This encyclical letter which began his pontificate gave the bishops his mission and goal which can be summed up in this short sentence: to restore all things in Christ.      It’s an interesting letter that we can profit from. At the beginning, he expresses his doubts — he says he sees the pontificate as a difficult burden that he can’t bear alone. He then says but I have accepted because I know it is from God, and God will help me to bear this burden and get through this difficulty. He didn’t jump into the pontificate thinking it would be a breeze but that it would be very difficult. We are often faced with difficult tasks — what is our response? Do we ask for divine help or do we just give up?      Why did he choose the name Pius? — he says “as I ...
Keep reading »»»

July 18 - St. Camillus

-
Image
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” - John 15 St. Camillus was born in Naples in 1550. His mother died when he was very young and his father barely acknowledged his existence. He grew up with an excessive love for gambling.   At age 17, he contracted a disease in his leg that left him with an incurable sore. He  suffered from it for the rest of his life. He went to Rome to be both a patient and servant at the “Hospital for Incurables.” After nine months, he was dismissed for being too quarrelsome. He joined the army and served as a Venetian soldier. He gambled and fought against the Turks until his regiment was disbanded in 1574. Now he was 24, unemployed, and penniless, having gambled away everything he had.  He accepted work at a Capuchin friary. There, a moving sermon began him on his path to conversion. From that point on, Camillus never strayed from his penitential path. He entered the Capuchins as a novitiate but was unable ...
Keep reading »»»

Saintly Wisdom: St. John Bosco

-
Image
  "Do not think that you live in the world to have fun, to become rich, to eat, drink and sleep. The end for which you were created in the first place is infinitely more noble and sublime, and it is this: to love and serve God in this life, and that way save your soul." - St. John Bosco “Let’s go on as we have done so far and leave everything in God’s hands. He will let us know when to change course.” - St. John Bosco
Keep reading »»»