Militia Immaculatae - Asia - Letter No.2
It's all in the will. It is the greatest thing we have to offer.
Dear Knights of the Immaculata!
BLESSED BE THE IMMACULATE!
The bright of the Bethlehem’ night is not gone yet and New Year, a new beginning is already before us. Shepherds were sure that God visited His people and they came back to their flocks. Seemingly nothing has changed. The same hard work and daily troubles wait for us every single day. However, hearts have changed due to the belief in the words of angel and thanks to the love to the baby Jesus. Only love is able to alter everything. It radiates to the duties of estate, relations with other people and it helps to serve God and fellow men. During the worst confusion, love is able to retain confidence that God can give and take back to make love more magnificent. Many of Saints would approve not only that they were happy to suffer for the greater glory of God, but also that it would be an honour to suffer even more.
Our free will is everything we own. It pulled us down so many times that this freedom raises many serious doubts. God does not retract His gifts (we are experts in this field!) so we must know that He does not demand things that are impossible for us. There is only one question here — "do you want to be truly free?” The very similar issue was taken up at 25th March in Nazareth, where a poor young woman gave the reply — "Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word”. She became the Queen of heaven and earth and the Lady of God’s Heart. For such a freedom God earmarks His Saints and we also should not turn it down because of a fake humility, which says „it is not for me, I am too sinful”. Undoubtedly, we are not like angels and we stumble over are weakness and misery all the time. People at every turn need their God who fights for their souls in the fire of worry, because, as Saints knew "if something does not cost anything, it is not worth the bother”.
If we focus on the Holy Family, we will quickly understand how God deals with the most cherished of His Heart. It all starts from an escape throughout the endless wandering, uncertainty, poverty and finally, Calvary. At first glance it seems to be the end, at this moment many of us are prone to think "they lost” and walk away. But when we take a closer look, when we go deeper, we will find the Resurrection, the Ascension and the Coronation. Faith, hope and love will not let us to despair and give up, as Saint Catherine of Siena has emphasized "those who do not fight cannot win, and those who will not win are going to be defeated”.
Our fear is natural. We grow weaker in front of difficulties and temptations. As the inept children we can confidently call "Mother, help!” because we are well aware of the truth about our misery. And here she comes... but She is not alone. On the eve of New Year She gives us the baby Jesus, who can soften the toughest hearts thanks to its sweetness and gentleness, who can bridge the gap between a creature and its Creator.
Jesus blesses us for the new battles and reassures us that "He is with us always, to the end of the age”. He incessantly waits in a tabernacle, wants to uplift our spirits and hear us out as there are no secrets among those who love each other. We all know that the smallest tactlessness can hurt an affectionate heart. The world is continuously scourging Christ so we should do our best to become His safe haven. Of course, He knows that we will bring to Him worries, suffering and everything but joy. Nevertheless, we have the most marvelous gift that we can imagine — we have our will, which probably for too long lay "at the feet of a young man named Saul”. According to Saint Maximilian — we have to start over and over again to become the greatest saints and to compensate time that we have wasted.
PRAYER INTENTIONS
- Prayer for the family of Jo. Return of husband and children to the faith and Catholic practice.
- Please kindly pray to the Immaculate Mother to pray for the family Ro. to return to the Traditional Catholic Faith and to assist them in their difficulty to meet their financial obligation that is due early January.
- Prayer for the family of Vi. and the family of their cousins Ke. Return to faith and Catholic practice.
I ask all Knights of the Immaculata to say at least one "Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, O Mary Conceived Without Sin..." For theses intentions.
With my priestly blessings
Fr. Karl Stehlin
