October 7, 2011

Weekly Reflection on the Spirit of the Sacred Heart - 10.7.2011

Weekly Reflection on the Spirit of the Sacred Heart October 7, 2011

What is interior spirit? It is the entire sacrifice of ourselves by the mortification of the senses, by the immolation of our passions, by the ceaselessly renewed recollection of the presence. . . Interior spirit is, then, that intimate union of our soul with God . . . that immediate dependence upon the grace of God, upon the touch of the Holy Spirit. This way of ways, this way par excellence, is interior spirit, that spirit that gives life and fruitfulness to everything. It is interior spirit that makes us another Jesus Christ. .. This interior spirit must be the breath of our soul, the soul of our soul. St. Madeline Sophie Barat

For Reflection...    How do I build my interior life, my interior spirit?  How do I release my attachment to the material world of appetites, of possessions, of image, of self?  How do I recall my deeper, truer, divine nature and offer it to the world? From the contemplation of the open heart of Jesus, we draw the power that inspires us to live in communion with all people, to bring others to participate in this communion, and to commit ourselves with our whole being, in the church and with many others, to work to bring about a world that is more just and more united (GC 08 16).         Quote and reflection are excerpts from: Perspectives on apostolic contemplation according to Madeleine Sophie Barat and Helen McLaughlin by Annice Callahan, rscj http://www.rscjinternational.org/resources/bibliography.html#charism         Drawing by Tona Monzon, rscj   http://www.rscjinternational.org/en/spirituality/creative-space-publicmenu-35/13-spain-center-south--drawings-by-tona-monzon-rscj.html