Ruth - Week 5 p 80-106

Week 5:  Reflection

p. 80:   I had never thought of taking a motto for my whole life. Elisabeth took "to reestablish all things in Christ." No small task.  She attacked the implimentation of this motto by seetting "goals".
  *  1st, to re-establish her soul in Christ, by prayer, Communion, and meditation; then, her whole life, by penance, charity and the exercise of humility.
  *  To re-establish in people's minds the idea of duty and of family, to prepare their sould .... to solicity the sivine summons by fervent prayers, sacrifices, and her trials.
  *  to make Jesus loved and His Church known, to pour out all efforts untiringly without looking for any results.
Now I wanted to halt and say, "WOW!".  That last line really did not to pour out all efforts untiringly without looking for results.  We are results people but we do know that all results are in the Lord's hand and in His perfect timing.   (But don't we want everything in OUR time?)
While sick, stating that a new life was imposed on her by the Divine Will, she still resolved and committed to deeper recollectedness, to be an apostle of pryaer, to make amends by suffering, sacrifice and mortifications. She wanted to act by words and example upon those who came to her.  She wanted to keep her soul always open to those souls to wished to confide in her, to welcome daily visitors with serenity, to be pleasant and to work and read seriously.
Okay, ladies!  Doesn't this describe what we all want to be and how we all want to live while sick or in good health.  She was always about the care of souls, her own and that of others.   Is that our focus? I have to admit that that is not always in the forfront of my thoughts always I desire and yearn for it.

On p. 82
Elisabeth gives.......
The two foundations of all Christian life:
   Penance and humility
The formula of all Christian life:
   Contemplation, then action, in sacrifice
Is that not something to remember?  ....application is not easy but what fruit this would bear in each of our lives.   We are on the narrow path if we impliment these.
I also liked the statement that "Prayer is the highter form of activity; through it we act directly upon God.  I thought this statement was worth reflecting on.
I loved how Elisabeth wanted to do all for God rather than for the respect or notice of others. She desired to look to Jesus alone for everything.
She desired to hunt down "self" to its last perfidious hiding place and to speak as little as possible of herself.
p. 84 States that while ill she still did not allow herself the slightest movement of impatience, and she fought unceasingly against every inner temptation to irritability. She even wanted to punish and humble herself afterward failing in this area.
I think I can use this as a bit of my Examiniation of Conscience.

p. 85  Powerful thought......"Is there no sweetness in being on our Savior's Cross and, so close to Him, obtaining the grace of salvation or conversion for others, for souls that are greatly loved?  

Maybe I will post more on this section later but this last line calls me to stop and meditation again. It is powerful.