On the Corruption of Nature and the Power of Grace [VI]

On the Corruption of Nature and the Power of Grace  [VI]

Your grace is my strength, my counsel, and my help. It is more
powerful than all my enemies, and wiser than all the wise. It is the
teacher of truth, the instructor of doctrine, the light of the heart,
the consoler of affliction. It banishes sorrow, drives away fear,
fosters devotion, and moves to contrition. Without grace, I am nothing
but a dry tree, a barren stock (Ecclus.6:3) fit only for destruction.
Therefore, O Lord, let Your grace always lead and follow me,
(Collect,Trinity 17) and keep me ever intent on good works, through
Your Son Jesus Christ. Amen.
--Thomas à Kempis --Imitation of Christ Bk 3 Ch 55

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18 September – Blessed Salvador Chuliá Ferrandis 
Also known as
Ambrosio María del Torrent

 Priest and Martyr of the Spanish civil War. Blessed Ambrosio was a
religious Friar and Priest of The Amigonian Friars. He was a man of
deep piety, a devotee of the Eucharist, a great apostle of the
confessional and a competent director of souls. Born on 16 April 1866
in Torrent, Valencia, Spain and died by being shot at dawn on 18
September 1936 in Torrent, Valencia, Spain.

The Amigonian Friars and Sisters, are a religious institute of
religious founded in Spain during the 19th century which specialises
in working with young boys facing issues of juvenile delinquency and
drug addiction. They follow the Rule of the Third Order Regular of St
Francis. The Friars follow a spirituality based on the vision of St
Francis of Assisi, given to them by their founder, a Capuchin Friar
Minor. They also model themselves on the role of Our Lady of Sorrows,
who stood at the foot of the Cross, sharing her Son’s agony and love
for the world. She is a model to the Friars, of the generosity, mercy,
strength and tenderness needed in the mission of serving their
charges.

Salvador Chuliá Ferrandis, which was his civil name, was born in
Torrent (Valencia) on 16 April 1866. He studied ecclesiastical studies
at the Conciliar Seminary of Valencia but, once he received the
diaconate, he entered the Capuchin Tertiary. On 4 April 1892, he was
Ordained a Priest, making his perpetual religious vows on 5 July 1898,
taking the name Ambrosio María de Torrent.

A man of broad culture but rather gentle in character and of little
authority, he was always more inclined to exercise obedience than to
command. In his pastoral ministry, he manifested himself as a man of
council and spiritual director of the fraternity, confessor of
religious and students.

Captured in his father’s house on 21 August 1936, he was taken to La
Torre prison, in his hometown. In that prison, Father Ambrosio and
nine other Capuchin Tertiaries practically led community life. From
the street, you could hear them sing the Sorrows of the Virgin and the
wounds of Saint Francis.

In the early hours of 18 September 1936, he was executed in the area
of La Mantellina, Torrent, along with seven other Priests and Friars.
Father Ambrosio, despite his shyness, was the one who bravely faced
Martyrdom and encouraged his companions by raising, at the final
moment, his hands to bless and forgive the executioners.

When trying to delineate his spiritual silhouette, the various
biographers agree that Father Ambrosio was a little Franciscan flower
– simple, humble, conciliatory, poor, obedient, silent, sparing in
words, that he did not speak ill of anyone and that he always looked
to find the good in all. Likewise, they define him as a man of deep
piety, a devotee of the Eucharist, a great apostle of the confessional
and a competent director of souls.

His mortal remains rest in the Chapel of Los Mártires, in the parish
of Nuestra Señora de Monte Sión de Torrent (Valencia), where they are
frequently visited. Blessed Ambrosio was Beatified by Pope John Paul
II together with 232 others who were Martyred during the Spanish Civil
War. 

see
https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/18/


Filial and Servile Fear

“We should not be afraid of God because He is our greatest benefactor
and loves us infinitely.
When we are lost, He searches for us as a loving father would search
for a wandering son.
Because they think only of the majesty and justice of God, some people
keep themselves at a distance from Him, as Adam did, after he had
sinned.
This false fear of God, dries up our piety and lessens our trust in His mercy.
It can lead to moroseness, to scrupulosity and to discouragement….
We should avoid this excessive fear which separates us from God.
Even though we are sinful and unworthy, we should remember, that God
is our loving Father, Who is always ready to help us and to grant us
forgiveness.
We should recall, moreover, that out of love for us, He did not spare
His own Son, (Cf Rom 8:32) but gave Him to us for our redemption.
If Jesus shed His blood and died for us, how can we doubt His love?”
by Antonio Cardinal Bacci


“Lord what will Thou have me do?
Behold the true sign of a totally perfect soul –
when one has reached the point
of giving up his will so completely
that he no longer seeks,
expects or desires to do ought
but that which God wills.”
--St Bernard (1090-1153)


Bible Quote:
Be not overcome by evil: but overcome evil by good.  (Rom. 12:21)  DRB


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Prayer Against Envy

O my God, Thou so lovest the world that Thou gaveth Thy only begotten
Son so that all who believe in Thee might not perish, but may have
eternal life. Thou maketh the sun rise upon the good and the bad, and
Thou raineth upon the just and the unjust. Yet I am filled with
jealousy while others prosper. I want everything to come to me, and I
am saddened by my neighbor's least good fortune! O what inhuman
malice! O infernal poison! Forgive, o most loving Father what up to
this point has been my sin. Gentle is Thy mercy. From the depths of
that mercy, grant that henceforth I may be robed in kindness as a
chosen one of God. May I also, above all, strive to have charity,
which is the bond of perfection. (Col. 3:14)