Meditation
Note: Saint Louis Marie suggest starting the time of preparation with some Spiritual Exercises (examination of conscience, penance, fasting, prayer, purity of heart) in order to “get rid of the spirit of the world, contrary to the spirit of Jesus Christ.” While a retreat might be the best way to accomplish this goal of purification, it is not strictly necessary. Instead, we recommend dedicating—with joy and a great freedom of spirit—about ten minutes each day to the reading and recollected meditation of a daily passage which you can find here with some corresponding prayers for each of the remaining days of this time of preparation. The time of prayer can be undertaken immediately after viewing the video based on the True Devotion, but could take place later in the day as well.
For the next ten days, the meditation will conclude with the Litany of Humility since we are trying to get rid of the spirit of the world (and humility is the virtue that distinguishes the Christian from worldliness).
To maximize the fruits to be gained during this time of prayer, we suggest you adhere to the following steps during your time of meditation:
1) I will place myself in the presence of God.
2) Then I ask for the grace of having a great desire to be pleasing in the eyes of the Lord, and to have eternal life as the only goal of my most important choices, without letting myself be seduced by the spirit of the world.
3) Finally, read the text below and then spend a brief period of time reflecting on it.
The spirit of world(We will follow Antonio Royo Marín’s, Theology of the Christian Perfection).
What is the world? It consists of the anti-Christian climate that forms between the people who live without thinking about God and who are dedicated only to the things of the earth. The world is therefore an atmosphere that involves people in a way of thinking, of wishing and worrying only about earthly goods, and consequently living a life merely mundane, without considering eternal life. Christ came to teach us the doctrine of his “True Life.”
We read: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins that he might rescue us from the present evil age in accord with the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. (Gal 1:3-5).
The worldly attitude is described still with greater accuracy by Our Lord himself: There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God. (Lk. 12:16-21).
Foolishness consists in dedicating oneself only to attaining worldly goods and not those for eternal life. Consider the example of Jesus on the cross.
4) Pray the Litany. In the first ten days we will ask for the virtue of humility, which distinguished the greatest saints.