We Dare To Say Podcast - The Catholic Podcast We Dare To Say

Old Testament: "Gebirah" - The Great Lady/Queen Mother
Queen Mother Purpose
1. Establish their son on the throne
2. Exercise their authority for the benefit of the kingdom
3. Intercede on behalf of the subjects of the king
Luke 1:28
"Hail" - Only for royalty
Does honoring Mary take away from honoring our Lord?
Mary always pointed us to God in the Scriptures, and she always will.
She points to God and magnifies Him.

The Assumption reminds us of our final goal.

What reasons are there to believe in the Assumption?
1. Sacred Tradition has told us that after Mary slept, all that was left were flowers.
2. Revelation 12 references a woman clothed with the sun. The Church has interpreted this to mean Mary.
3. In the Old Testament, Enoch and Elijah were taken up into heaven. It has happened before,
4. Why wouldn't Our Lady be taken up into heaven?

St. Francis de Sales - An Introduction to the Devout Life
“All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” ― Blaise Pascal, Pensées

Purity of Intention - To do all things for love of God and His glory and to unite our will with His will
Vainglory attempts to steal glory from God for yourself. It sneaks in later on to ruin good things, like eating to excess after originally eating for necessity
"Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you." - Matthew 6:1-6
But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work." - John 4:32-34
"Render service with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not to men and women" - Ephesians 6:7
Remedies for Vainglory
1. St. Bernard says to recognize it before it gets you, saying vainglory only kills those who are inconsiderate and negligent.
2. "Never say any thing of yourself that may redound to your praise, though the person you speak to should be one of your most familiar friends; but on the contrary endeavour to hide all your virtues, with more care than you take to hide your vices and imperfections." - St. Bernard (Bern. in formulâ honestæ vitæ)
3. Hide your good actions so that only God knows about it.
4. If you are not able to hide your good actions, purify your intention and offer all your thoughts, words, and actions.
5. Know yourself. It will lead to humility to fight vainglory.
How do we know when we have a pure intention?
1. Not envious when others do well: But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy." - James 3:14-17
2. A holy indifference to whatever we are assigned in our state of life, as long as follow God's will.

Humility is the root of all other virtues and the foundation of charity.
"You aspire to great things, begin with little ones; you desire to erect a very high building, think first of the foundation of humility. The foundations are always sunk proportionally to the intended weight of the building; and the higher one intends it, the deeper must the foundations thereof be laid." St. Augustine - Serm. x. de verb. Dom.
- Without humility "everything else is like a huge heap of hay which we have piled up, but which with the first gust of wind is blown over and scattered far and wide. The devil has little respect for those devotions which are not founded on humility, because he knows well that he can get rid of them whenever he pleases." - St. John Vianney, Sermon on humility
Humility is the basis of charity. St. Augustine says "the dwelling place of charity is humility."
"To remain little is to acknowledge one's nothingness and to expect everything from the good God, as the child expects everything from its father." - St. Thérèse of Lisieux
"What pleases Jesus is to see me love my littleness and poverty, the blind hope that I have in His mercy. This is my only treasure." - St. Thérèse of Lisieux
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." - Matthew 11:28-29
"True humility, however deep it may be, neither disquiets, nor troubles, nor disturbs the soul; it is accompanied by peace, joy, and tranquility . . . It enlarges it, and makes it fit to serve God better." - St. Teresa of Avila
"[F]alse humility only disturbs and upsets the mind and troubles the soul, so grievous is it. I think the devil is anxious for us to believe that we are humble and, if he can, he will lead us to distrust God." - St. Teresa of Avila
 
Song Credit: Star Visions Of A Champ (KieLoKaz ID 103) by KieLoBot
Website: https://wedaretosay.com/
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"You owe such a great debt to your Father—God! He has given you life, intelligence, will... He has given you his grace: the Holy Spirit; Jesus, in the Sacred Host; divine sonship; the Blessed Virgin, the Mother of God and our Mother. He has given you the possibility of taking part in the Holy Mass; and he grants you forgiveness for your sins. He forgives you so many times! He has given you countless gifts, some of them quite extraordinary...
Tell me, my son: how have you corresponded so far to this generosity? How are you corresponding now?" - St. Josemaría Escrivá, The Way, 11
1. Reflect on your past year in the light of four categories:
- Physical
- Spiritual
- Mental
- Emotional
2. Begin with general goals (e.g. reach heaven, I want to eat better, I want to be in better shape).
Cassian relates that the Abbot Moses, one day, in a spiritual conference, asked his religious, What was it they aimed at by alt their praying, fasting, watching, and other austerities? When they answered, That it was the kingdom of heaven: he replied, I know very well that heaven is your last and great end; but what is the immediate and particular object by which you mean to attain your last end? (Cassian Col. V. cap. iii. and iv.)
A certain man, says he, having a field, which was all overrun with briers and thorns, sent his son to stub and clear it. The young man, perceiving the laborious task imposed on him by his father, lost courage, and fell asleep the first day, and the second day he did the same, for which his father reprehended him, saying, Son you must not look upon this work all together, and in the gross, as if you were to do it all at once; but you must undertake every day as much as you can easily perform. The son followed the father's advice, and in a short time the whole field was cleared.
3. Break the general goal down into small, specific pieces.
4. Schedule in your tasks, especially with prayer and exercise.
5. Move toward the goal every single day.
Other example areas of growth:
- Exercise
- Eating right and well
- Prayer time, specifically mental prayer, but also other devotions like the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and the Liturgy of the Hours
- Sacrament Participation
- Reading the Bible
- Spiritual Reading
- Daily Journaling
- Nightly Examination of Conscience
- Morning Offering
"Be definite. Don’t let your resolutions be like fireworks that sparkle for a moment, to leave behind as hard reality a blackened, useless stub that one throws disgustedly away." - St. Josemaría Escrivá, The Way, 247
"Make few resolutions. Make them definite. — And fulfil them with the help of God." - St. Josemaría Escrivá, The Way, 249
"I listened in silence as you said, ‘Yes, I want to be a saint.’ Though usually such a vague and general statement seems nonsense to me." - St. Josemaría Escrivá, The Way, 250
Recommended Spiritual Reading for Beginning a Habit of Prayer
- The Ignatius Bible: Revised Standard Version - Second Catholic Edition (My Favorite Bible) https://amzn.to/2SvAuTx
- Searching for and Maintaining Peace by Fr. Jacques Philippe (My Favorite) https://amzn.to/2RiZUX9
- Interior Freedom by Fr. Jacques Philippe https://amzn.to/2BQGnDA
- Time for God by Fr. Jacques Philippe https://amzn.to/2LIsL1I
 
Song Credit: Star Visions Of A Champ (KieLoKaz ID 103) by KieLoBot
Website: https://wedaretosay.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wedaretosay/