Retreat July 2, 2005

DURING JULY 2, 2005
RETREAT AT THE SHRINE OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT

SATURDAY MORNING MASS HOMILY – FATHER MIGUEL

    In the readings today, it seems that Jacob tricked his father. He lied to his father. Isaac could not see too well. This story is not an approval to lie to get what one wants. To lie is always a sin against the 8th commandment. Isaac intended to give Esau the blessing, not Jacob. Why did God permit Jacob to receive Isaac's blessing instead of Esau? Read the first four chapters to know what is happening. Esau sold his birthright to Jacob. The firstborn son had birthright, but God knew Esau would squander his birthright. To squander our birthright would be to squander our citizenship in Heaven. We throw away our birthright by living in sin. No matter how big or small, our sins are sins.
     Sin, however small, torments God. Tragedy of sin strikes at God's love for us. God deserves our love and constant fidelity. Do not sell our Christian birthright for the sake of the world, to the devil.
    May Our Lady preserve us from selling our birthright.

SATURDAY MORNING INSTRUCTION – BROTHER PETER

    Brother began his talk by reading Scripture – Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth.
He spoke of how Mary was a normal working everyday person who lived a hard life. She lived a life without sin. She had no personal or original sin because of Her Immaculate Conception. She is the most blessed of all women who suffered the most. We are all called to suffer. We have to let things go. This is a hard process.
    Brother paralleled the New Testament with the Old Testament by taking certain verses of the Magnificat from St. Luke's Gospel.
    Why the Rosary, why continuous Hail Mary's? There is no difference between the Annunciation and the Visitation. Mary is without sin, perfectly united with Her will with God's. She speaks to us like She spoke to St. Elizabeth.

HEALING SERVICE – FATHER MIGUEL

Father spoke further on the day's reading continuing from this morning's Spiritual Talk.
    In Scripture anything done by a woman is a foreshadowing of Our Lady. Our Lady leads and directs them to the will of Her Divine Son. Leads them by the path to holiness. Our Lady chides them when they are remiss. St. Bernard said, "Follow Her, follow Our Lady and you cannot go wrong." You from Louisiana come here every month to respond to that call of Our Lady. Our Lady's hands have brought you here year after year to Her Divine Son. This is the same God who touched the woman who was bleeding for twelve years. She had faith. This is the same Lord that power went out of Him to heal the woman. Our Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever.
    Don't sell you birthright to the devil, to sin or to the world. Pray to Our Lady that She will always preserve us and that we will persevere until death. Persevere in our striving for holiness. Persevere in being sons and daughters of the Church. We cannot rely on our strength too much. We want to grow in holiness and be faithful to keep God's commandments. God is God and we are not. The reason we fall is because we rely on our own strength too much—rely on God. We are not our own Saviour, Redeemer and Sanctifier. We have to do our best and trust the rest to Our Lord. Ask for spiritual healing. Come to Our Lord, come to Him, Divine Mercy, with trust and confidence. It is the Lord who wants to touch you and give you a special grace.