Monday, September 11 : Saint Charles de Foucauld

Jesus: “Remember the courage with which, in the very midst of My enemies even whilst they were plotting to take Me, I proclaimed, aloud to their faces, crying out loud, the true doctrine, and these very truths that I knew to be the most odious and unbearable to them… Remember with what courage I performed in front of them, in their midst, these miracles, these healings, these acts which transported them with rage and made them swear to put me to death… I did it for you, for your good, in order to preach the truth very loudly and in order to give all men a lesson in courage in the fulfillment of religious duties in particular; in order to give the pastors of souls a lesson in courage in preaching. Do not hide the truth, whatever the cost; if you are martyrs of it, so much the better: you will rather reign with Me in the house of My Father… But, remember the example I am giving you. I am the light, I have no right to put myself under a bushel: I must enlighten men, even in spite of themselves, until My Father strikes the hour of My rest; you likewise, you who are pastors of souls; I put you on the candlestick (…); you are obliged to sow the seed that I entrusted to you, to shout from the housetops the doctrine that I entrusted to you in your ear. Cry, sow, preach; do it with a joy that is all the sweeter because by doing it, you not only obey Me, but you imitate Me… Whether you are listened to or not, always preach, and always pray that your words will bear fruit; if they do not yield any, continue without sadness or discouragement, with a certain joy at this failure, since, having no success, you share My fate…”

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team