Petition: Oh Lord, true glory and holy joy is to glory in thee and not in oneself; to rejoice in thy name and, not be delighted in ones own virtue, or in any creature, save only for thy sake. Let thy name be praised, not mine; let thy work be extolled, not mine; let thy holy name be blessed, but to me let nothing be attributed of the praises of men. Thou art my glory; thou art the joy of my heart (The Imitation of Christ, Book III, 40).

 

Gospel Passage: Mark 2:18-22

 

Now Johns disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and people came and said to him, Why do Johns disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast? And Jesus said to them, Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old garment; if he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but new wine is for fresh skins.

 

Introductory Prayer: All that I have I received from you, and all that I do will be done in your name, O Lord.  Keep my intentions always pure, and help me to seek only your glory and the salvation of souls.

 

1.   Purity of intention: its importance

 

In the prologue to the Rule of St. Benedict we read this exhortation: "At all times we must serve God by means of those gifts which he himself has placed within us." Here arises the importance to recognize the gifts God has given to each of us. "If only you recognized the gift of God" (John 4:10): that all I have, I have received from the loving hand of my Father. I have received them to use them as talents, not for my glory but so that my Father is glorified by me in the way I use and develop them. In Matthew's gospel, Jesus speaks to us of the parable of the talents. Can we say that the one who buried the talent is the one who failed to recognize it as such? Or did he perhaps bury it for himself and not invest it for the Father? Every one of us will be praised at some moment in our lives by our peers for some quality or talent we possess. At these times we need to combat the thoughts that arise from our vanity. We need to purify them. Often a short, spontaneous prayer will help us: "Oh, Lord, they praise your gift" or "But you and I know, Lord, that what they see in me is yours and what honor they give me, I offer to you who gave me these talents."

 

In one of his epistles, St. John has this idea in mind when he writes: "If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater." If I am recognized for ability, a talent, or quality that others see, it is what God has given to me. All that I have I received from you, and all that I do will be done in your name, O Lord.

 

2. We need it

 

Our people are to be select in purity of intention; there are many souls who are well-formed in tenacity, but who unfortunately lack this select formation in the purity of their intentions in all their work and actions. The absence of purity of intention robs Jesus Christ of the glory due only to him, and makes fruitless each and every work of the apostle. You, the men and women of the kingdom of Christ, must follow the example of your supreme leader step by step. He always sought the glory of his Father. Form yourselves selectively in this spirit, and always seek Christs interests. Dont consider your own glory; that would be leprosy, devastation, and the basis of discord, envy, divisions, and the sign of spiritual barrenness. The merits of your good works depend on the purity of intention and love with which you do them (letter of Fr Marcial Maciel, LC, December 1, 1948).

 

3. Its model is our model

 

I have glorified Him and will glorify Him again (John 12:28). The Father is greater than I The words that I speak to you, I speak not of myself (John 14:28,10). And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that my Father may be glorified in the son (John 14:14). I have glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work you gave me to doI revealed your name (John 17:4,6). In the gospels, we often see Jesus working miracles and great signs for the people, and he always lifts his spirit to the Father in thanksgiving. We see this when he called Lazarus forth from the tomb: And Jesus raised his eyes and said, Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me, but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me (John 11:41).

The works I do in my Fathers name testify to me (John 11:25). So Jesus said [to them], When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I Am, and that I do nothing on my own, but I say only what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me (John 8:29). Jesus is the epiphany of the Father, the one sent as the ambassador of the Father, as Heavens pilgrim to reveal the mysteries of God, and even when people made an act of faith in Jesus, he still looked to the Father. I thank you, Father, for you have revealed this to the little ones. We can conclude with the words of St. Paul to the Colossians: Whatever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father by him (Colossians 3:17).

 

Conversation: Lord Jesus Christ, I know that you have given me infinitely more than I deserve. Help me see my complete dependence on you; without you I can do nothing, but with you I can do everything. Purify my heart, so that I long to please only you with all my words and actions, and cleanse it of all inordinate desire to be looked upon or admired by others. Grant me a profound humility, so that I live to fulfill your divine plan over my life and forget my own plans.

 

Questionnaire:

 

1.  Is God the sole motive for all my actions, or do I do good just so that others praise me?

 

2.  Do I enjoy being the center of attention? Under which circumstances do I seek it?

 

3.  Am I disappointed when my actions go unnoticed? Why?