Join Dan Burke and Melissa Elson as they reflect on the meditations of Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen on Good Friday and the Passion and death of our Lord.
Topics/Questions Covered in the Show:
Dan's advices everyone to watch the movie, The Passion of the Christ, today to better reflect on the reality of the suffering and agony of Jesus in his last hours on earth. Fr. Gabriel suggests that we voluntarily accept suffering and unite our sufferings to those of Christ. The Agony in the Garden presents us with the extreme abandonment and desolation Jesus experienced in His soul and the weight of all the sins of mankind. St. John of the Cross speaks of self-mortification as the way to pick up the cross and follow Jesus. In order to imitate Christ, we need to come to know Him by studying His life, which has been proclaimed through the gospels. St. John says we must renounce any sensory satisfaction that is not purely for the honor and glory of God. St. John advises that if we practice detachment of earthly pleasures and resist our will, we will experience "great delight and consolation." St. John leads us to Christ through the way of "nothing."Resources:
Spiritualdirection.com - website EWTN Global Catholic Radio Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation EWTN Religious Catalogue - online Divine Intimacy by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen The Ascent of Mount Carmel by St. John of the Cross 1 Thessalonians 5:23 - USCCB Bible link Questions? Send an e-mail to Questions@myavila.com or call 818-646-7729. Please leave your name, location, and question(s).