JMJ
When did man lose his heart?
When did we forget how to cry out from our hearts?
When did we fail in our courage?
–a quick definitive aside:
From the online entomology dictionary
courage (n.)
c. 1300, corage, “heart (as the seat of emotions),” hence “spirit, temperament, state or frame of mind,” from Old French corage “heart, innermost feelings; temper” (12c., Modern French courage), from Vulgar Latin *coraticum (source of Italian coraggio, Spanish coraje), from Latin cor “heart” (from PIE root *kerd- “heart”)
A person used to speak from his heart. A man once “took heart” or “followed his heart.” Today, man argues intellectually from reason, lives a life in the sense of the common, and the mantra seems to be “when in Rome. . .”
Jesus says all manner of evil and adultery come forth from a man’s heart. Could it be we have become so cold, so indifferent, so intellectual, so appearance conscious, and legal minded, we have not only forgotten how to love God, we have even forgotten how to sin? Could it be that we hold so little concern for God that sin is no longer a rebellion? It seems that in days past, sinners, in their worse moments, chose to transcend the law of God despite God, but, to their credit, there was still an acknowledgement or at least the consideration–bolstered by false justification–of the Lord and His will for mankind and the world.
Today it seems, those who accept God view it a matter of the heart and all concerns of the world fall to the realm of the mind. What does this mean? The “cor” or “core” of us no longer is brought to bear in our everyday dealings. I do not think when you pray, go to your closet and close the door, pray in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly was meant to instruct us not to bring God to bear in our external, everyday lives. I think perhaps this means that all our considerations, and I mean ALL–each and everyday things, habitual things, necessary things–should be taken into our innermost self that is in constant dialogue with the Lord, and there consult His Will, His Wisdom in our lives. The closet is our pondering Him in our hearts even while we move through our everyday functions, transactions, business, and relationships.
Enter into Your Closet
To enter into your “closet” is to go to that which in deep within, that space in the faithful that remains uncorrupt, and to leave your will there, so that in this world of temptation and pride you might, as much as is possible for man in his unperfected, fallen, worldly state, stand ever in the presence of the living God and in each and every moment cry out from the depths, from the heart of your being “Thy Will be done” and “Let it be done to me according to Thy Word.”
Your closet is not a place barred and hidden from the world by walls of stone, brick, and mortar, rather it is deep within you; a sacred tabernacle where the Living God dwells. Jesus said: . . .the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. . .But the hour is coming, and is here now, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and truth. Here we see that to worship God is not to travel to places remote, to mountains, to temples, to rooms in homes, but to, like the pure, uncorrupt, Immaculate Blessed Virgin Mary, ponder all things in our hearts praying to God and then, having prayed, throw open the door of our closets and allow God to enter into the world! Like Jesus coming forth from the womb of the Blessed Mother; bring Him into the world and doing God’s works, not your own but being only a pencil in the hand of God (St. Teresa of Calcutta), let your light shine before men so that they may see your good works and glorify God who is in Heaven!
And a Sword Will Pass Through Your Own Heart so that the Thoughts of Many Hearts May Be Revealed.
Holy Mary pondered all things in Her Heart , Gentile Mary, who overflows with God’s grace flooding the world with her love and purity. Do we not cringe when we think of Her tender, kind, and loving heart being coldly skewered by our sins which torture and kill Her Son every moment on Calvary.
We stab this gentle creature as we crucify Her Son and She sees in His suffering the thoughts of our hearts as She stands at the foot of His Cross on Calvary. This is one aspect of this prophecy. However, I think there is, in addition and not detracting from this intuition, another more positive way of looking at this dark thought. Let it be understood that Our Lady did have much suffering and sorrow in Her life. I grant that She was a “Woman of Sorrows”, but I break with tradition and here proclaim (perhaps to my folly) that the Life-Filled-Springtime-Virgin-Mother Mary was anything but a “Sorrowful Mother.” On the contrary, Her Soul magnifies the Lord and Her Spirit eternally rejoices in God Her Saviour! There is not sorrow in Her Heart–much pain–no sorrow.
The Young Mother who sang the greatest song of praise, The Magnificat, that has echoed down the ages and will ring through all ages to come, the Joy Overflowing Handmaiden of whom all generations proclaim “BLESSED!” is not the Mother of depression, guilt, self-hatred, agonizing despair. Ever-Happy Mary is not the Queen of the damned. No, She is the song with which God sings His Joy and She is His Celebration of His Creation to whom, through Her, He sent His Son, a Saviour for all people who have the HEART to hear Him, know Him, love Him, serve Him in this world and be eternally happy with Him in the next.
Enter into your closet and pray. Then throw open the doors and let the light of that room shine out into the night. God Bless you and Merry Christmas!
Let us pray:
O Most Holy Mary, it is not enough to gaze upon you, I must enter into your mystery and like you surrender myself entirely to the Divine Word, the Son of God.
O Lord and Giver-of-Life Holy Spirit, I pray Thee, that like unto the Most-Blessed Immaculate Mary, You take possession of me and bring into me the Son, the Divine Son, the Holy Son; that I may come to know Him and through Him the Father, as He Himself said: Whoever has seen Me, has seen the Father and I am the Way, the Truth, and the Light. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know Me, then you will also know the Father.
Sweet Virgin Mary lead me to your Most Holy Son, Our Lord and Redeemer Jesus the Christ.
I ask these things through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
May Almighty God bless you; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
(C) Copyright Christmas Eve, 24 December 2018
For Lourdes Sake 
Sin does originate in the heart. Perhaps this is what original sin is.
LikeLike