A "NEW YORK" CHRISTMAS STORY
Our Lady's Holy Rosary and the Spirit of "Holy Truthfulness": An Awakening for Advent and for the New Evangelization
Photo By: Flickr/e.r.w.i.n.
Having heard and responded to the eternal call of Our Loving God contained in the words of the Prophet Isaiah, “…prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God” (Isaiah 40:3), we continue to move forward in Faith during this Holy Season of Advent, establishing a place within our hearts to receive the Christ Child at His coming. In this same spirit of preparation, I humbly propose that our daily praying of Our Lady’s Rosary, coupled with the often neglected practice referred to as “Holy Truthfulness”1 will splendidly serve to set a firm foundation for this sacred space, by providing a much needed awakening for us to many necessary truths about ourselves and a true measure of the purity and depth of our faithin what we profess and must believe, as Christians. In addition, I feel that our ongoing practice of this Holy devotion and our intent mediation upon the Holy Mysteries contained therein, in conjunction with “Holy Truthfulness”, will prove to be an indispensable resource of spiritual honesty and strength for us, as we continue to respond to Pope Francis’ invitation “to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ”2.
The great Fr. Fredrick Faber writes that “Christian Simplicity” or “Holy Truthfulness”, “requires, first, that we be truthful with ourselves, secondly, that we be truthful with others and thirdly, that we be truthful with God”. He further declares that, although “to know our selves is the hardest thing in the world”… “It is of so much consequence to know ourselves where religion is concerned that if we not only do not take any pains after self-knowledge, but even rather get out of its way, we can hardly blind ourselves to the fact that we are not in earnest about our souls"3. As it is only through our active cooperation with the graces that we pray for and obtain, primarily, through the Sacraments and our presence at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, of course, but also through our praying of the Holy Rosary, that we can ever hope to make any progress at all toward our goal of Holy Truthfulness, it would seem to me that these devout practices certainly go hand in hand.
When praying the Rosary, as we reverently reflect upon the supernatural truths contained in the Sacred Mysteries, we naturally find ourselves confronted with “the supernatural”. Dr. Alice von Hildebrand reminds us that “The supernatural is the warp and woof of Christianity: “Christianity stands or falls with it” 4. This truth filled and profound assertion of this great Catholic lady, should serve to inspire us to carefully reassess, in the true spirit of Holy Truthfulness, our belief in what “the real world” must always mean and be for us, pilgrimaging now, as we are, through an age of increasing materialism and moral relativism, where attempts are consistently made by a vast and growing array of sources, to convince we Christians of the benefits of being a “down to earth” person and of “living in the real world” as “the world” defines it. As we prepare for Our Lord’s coming at Christmas and for our participation in the “New Evangelization”, we are compelled, by the spirit of Holy Truthfulness, to boldly and fearlessly ask ourselves if we accept, believe and are “receiving” the Sacred truths of the Supernatural with the Faith, Hope, Love and trust of “a little child” (St. Luke 18 :17), and if not, are we willing to take the necessary actions, in cooperation with the graces granted to us by Christ Jesus and given through the hands of Our Blessed Mother, “to change and become like little children” (St. Matthew 18:3). We must decide if we are we truly willing to “empty ourselves”, “to take the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:7), and to “do the Will of the One Who sent Him” (St. John 6:38), in imitation of our Blessed Lord.
In following this path, we surely will be more prepared to humbly approach, greet and adore Our Infant King of Kings on Christmas Day and in addition, we will be that much more open to receive “the revealed truths of His Kingdom”, “as little children’” (St. Matthew 11:25), and so be truly enabled to be “a light to those living in darkness” (St. Matthew 4:16), and to serve as a faithful guide for them to a truly new encounter with Jesus Christ.
References-
1 Fr. Fredrick William Faber, D.D., (1978), “Spiritual Conferences”, pg. 134, Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford, Illinois
2 Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, of the Holy Father Francis to the Bishops, Clergy, Consecrated Persons and the Lay Faithful On the Proclamation of the Gospel In Today’s World, (2013), pg. 4, Paragraph 3, Vatican Press
3 Ibid
4 Alice von Hildebrand, (2010), Man and Woman: A Divine Invention, pg. 159, Sapientia Press of Ave Maria University, Ave Maria, Fl.
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About the Author
Frank Lloyd is a New York born Roman Catholic Father of five, Grandfather of eight and a lifelong student of History and Comparative Religion. He holds Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science and is certified to teach the Social Sciences for Grades 6-12 in the State of Florida.
Now retired after twenty-five years, working in the Telecommunications Industry, Frank and his wife Anna now reside in Florida and he is blessed and privileged to serve as an Extraordinary Minister of the Blessed Sacrament in the Diocese of St. Petersburg. His primary interests are in making whatever contribution, through Our Lord's Grace, that he can to the "New Evangelization", writing and teaching and in furthering his education.
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