Collect taken from the memorial of St. John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church.
Collect: O God, who gave the Priest Saint John an outstanding dedication to perfect self-denial and love of the Cross, grant that, by imitating him closely at all times, we may come to contemplate eternally your glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son…
“O God, who gave the Priest Saint John an outstanding dedication to perfect self-denial and love of the Cross”
– Saint John’s dedication to the cross was indeed outstanding and surely could not have been possible for a mere man. This is a man who wrote his greatest love poem while imprisoned in a latrine with only a single ray of light to see the paper on which he was writing. Only God’s grace could have sustained such un-embittered suffering.
“grant that, by imitating him closely at all times, we may come to contemplate eternally your glory”
– The Church prays that we can imitate his example because, sooner or later, every Christian must embrace their share of suffering and of the Cross in order to complete their redemption and glorification. After all, “power is made perfect in suffering.”
Questions & Advice: Have you practiced self-denial today? Will you? Do you shy away from any and all self-denial?
Read about the connection between self-denial and holiness in the Catechism (2012-29). As much as we don’t like it, this is a key part of being a Christian and a day which is completely void of self-denial is probably a day without spiritual gain and likely even a day of spiritual loss. So, Consider making self-denial a conscious and deliberate part of your daily routine. Life will give you plenty of chances, but it is wise to consider how you will deny yourself and take up your cross as part of your morning prayer. When you foresee difficulty in the day, resolve to face it without complaint. When a day looks like it will be easy and care-free, choose to make some sacrifice: a donation, a cold shower, doing a chore or task that could easily be delayed, etc.
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| Sancte Joanne Crucis, ora pro nobis! |