Ruth: Week 4 reflection & discussion question pp. 50-79

Did I tell you earlier in a post that I am totally enjoying our book and your posts?  Well, if I did not before, I am now.  

This book blog is a real shot in my spiritual life as I can relate so much to Elisabeth's committment, struggles and efforts.  She is definitely on a deeper walk with the Lord but the Lord is always challenging us to go deeper.  Elisabeth realizes that the work that must be done is on the inside.

Three phrases that Elisabeth repeated from the depths of her soul were:  I believe, I adore, I hope.  She wanted "to be Christian, Christian to the marrow, and transformed by grace."  Isn't that what we all want? ...to be able to say that we no longer live but Christ lives in us.

Elisabeth did not want outside circumstance to affect interior resolutions. She did not want others to see the hurt some offenses caused her.  She was a silent sufferer who intentionally hid her pain while making the lives of those she loved more pleasant. That is tough to do!  What a challenge but I think her depth of prayer and God's grace allowed her to desire and accomplish this difficult feat.

On page 56, I found a challenge for us.....  "May this be a good year for souls and for me; may at least one heart know and love Jesus Christ through me. For that it would be well worthwhile to live and suffer and wait.".... and on p. 57.... "and ask for me only the grace to love God more and more and to be a most humble apostle of Jesus Christ."   Yes, Lord!

She offered:
  1.  Silence in regard to trials
  2.  Silence about her interior life and what God has done unceasingly for her
  3.  Silence about her soul and all supernatural things, about her hopes and faith.
  4.  Resolution to do what God wills, not desireing the task that does not belong to her.
  5.  Preach Jesus Christ only through prayers, sufferings and example.

"But how we need God! And how quickly we should be conquered without His grace!"  We can't live the above without God.

I think we can all work on these but we must also discern what God is calling us to in the circumstances of our lives.  Basically, following Elisabeth's example, we should be living our lives so that people will want to know the source of our strength and love.

Our former pastor emphasised that we should offer penances throughout each day.  Here, on page 59, she says, "Apart from penances prescribed by the Church, I must perform my own, unlike other people's.  I will accept and offer to God those visits and receptions, the contact with indifferent people, those material occupations that are more painful to me than ever during this month.... I will do it so that God alone will know."  She is basically offering up the struggles of her daily life in silence which is something we can all do.  I think the encouragement of this book and the example of others helps me to remember to do this.  The Spirit works in many ways.

There is so much to touch on but one last thing that I want to highlight was the idea of a "wholly interior retreat".  She says, "no one shall know what I am doing or suffer for my spiritual gain. I must, on the contrary, try to be more cheerful and serenely gentle, so that if anyone should by chance guess that God has been this way, such a discovery would not dishonor Him."  Wow!  Making a daily totally interior retreat... not going anywhere special, not saying special prayers but offering each moment, everything we are doing, suffering, etc. to the Lord in an attitude of special unity of spirit with Jesus.  In a way this is the call of daily life but this daily interior retreat phrase make it sound even more intentional.  We can "preach by prayer, sacrifice, and example"daily.

p.63  "O Jesus Christ, my Savior and my God!"

Yikes!  I just see Elizabeth's "Rule of Life" which is she intented to practice each day. Her Rule of Life here was listed as:
  1.  Morning and evening prayer.
  2.  Meditation
  3. Attend Mass often especially on Fridays.
  4.  Go to Confession and Communion often...whenever it can be done without troubling or displeasing anyone.
  
We belong to Teams of Our Lady, a marriage enrichment national organization, and one of the endeavors we are suppose to do is to have a "Rule of Life".....Intentional improvement....
People often struggle with having a "Rule of Life" so I think I will share this page with them.  

Discussion Questions:

1. Are there loved ones in your life that push your tolerance beyond normal limits?  How do you ensure that you provide light for them, as opposed to pushing them further into darkness?

 ..... Yes, there are loved one who I struggle with and tend to avoid rather than shower with love. For my "Rule of Life" with Teams, several time I have intended to have greater contact with the loved ones  so that I could, by my actions, show the Lord's love but my good intentions don't accomplish much. Maybe this is a call to recommit to this "Rule of Life".