From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   On the Corruption of Nature and the Power of Grace  [VI]   
      
   Your grace is my strength, my counsel, and my help. It is more   
   powerful than all my enemies, and wiser than all the wise. It is the   
   teacher of truth, the instructor of doctrine, the light of the heart,   
   the consoler of affliction. It banishes sorrow, drives away fear,   
   fosters devotion, and moves to contrition. Without grace, I am nothing   
   but a dry tree, a barren stock (Ecclus.6:3) fit only for destruction.   
   Therefore, O Lord, let Your grace always lead and follow me,   
   (Collect,Trinity 17) and keep me ever intent on good works, through   
   Your Son Jesus Christ. Amen.   
   --Thomas à Kempis --Imitation of Christ Bk 3 Ch 55   
      
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   January 16th - Happy Feast Day of Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres!   
      
   On January 16th, 1635, as Mother Mariana was given the great grace of   
   knowing the day and the hour of her death, she prepared her community   
   for her death. She had written a Last Will and Testament to be used as   
   a guide for the Conceptionist Monastery for all time. She read it   
   aloud to all of her daughters from her deathbed on this day.  She died   
   at 3:00 PM--the hour of Our Lord's own expiring.  Those who love Our   
   Lady should also take these words to heart.  Always be close to Our   
   Blessed Mother beneath the Cross!   
      
    In the 3rd Clause of Mother Mariana's Last Will and Testament she   
   speaks of the great devotion to Our Lady of Good Success in this way   
   (taken from the Admirable Life of Mother Mariana Vol. 2) :   
      
   “When the Divine Master was hanging from the ignominious gibbet of the   
   Cross, on which He expired amidst His almost infinite sufferings and   
   torments, the 4th word, or testament, that He left to redeemed   
   humanity was that He left His own Mother to us so that She might be   
   our mother. Directing Himself to the Virgin Mother, He said: “Woman,   
   behold your son," the beloved disciple. And, directing Himself to the   
   apostle, He said: “Behold your Mother." Appropriating that fourth word   
   of my dying Spouse, I, your dying Mother, directing to you from my bed   
   of agony my last words, tell you, my present-day daughters and those   
   throughout time until the end of the world: Behold your Heavenly   
   Mother, Mary Most Holy of Good Success. She will always give you good   
   successes....   
      
   Have a great love for the Blessed Virgin. Imitate her virtues, above   
   all her profound humility and her ardent love for God and poor   
   sinners; love each other with a childlike simplicity and candor which   
   allows no guilt or hypocrisy in souls. Preserve and propagate devotion   
   to Our Lady under the tender invocation of Good Success, so that She   
   might obtain whatever you ask of Jesus and Mary...   
      
   Know, also, daughters and sisters of all times, that the holy Statue   
   is consecrated with Holy Oils and is under the care of the three   
   Archangels: St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael. Thus the   
   treacherous demon can not cause it harm. For, seeing himself oppressed   
   and this devotion and invocation snatching many souls from him, the   
   demon will always attempt to destroy it. But all in vain! God watches   
   over His works. But you should also take supreme care of your true   
   treasure and strive to make Her known and loved by the greatest number   
   of souls possible, assuring them that, with this devotion, they will   
   always attain good successes in time and in eternity.   
      
   Have recourse to Her in all your spiritual and temporal needs. When   
   your souls are suffering temptations and hardships, and if the star of   
   your divine vocation, by divine permission, is hidden from your soul's   
   sight, run to Her with confidence and say: Star of the tempestuous sea   
   of my mortal life, make Thy light shine so that I do not stray from   
   the road that will lead me to Heaven."   
      
   “I am Mary of Good Success whom you invoked with such tender   
   affection. Your prayer has pleased me very much. Your faith has   
   brought me here. Your love has invited me to visit you."   
   ( Our Lady of Good Success to Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres from “Our   
   Lady of Good Success Novena and Prayer Booklet")   
      
   The Apostolate of Our Lady of Good Success   
      
      
   Saint Quote:   
   Your first task is to be dissatisfied with yourself, fight sin, and   
   transform yourself into something better. Your second task is to put   
   up with the trials and temptations of this world that will be brought   
   on by the change in your life and to persevere to the very end in the   
   midst of these things.   
   --St. Augustine   
      
   Bible Quote:   
   In thy sight are all they that afflict me; my heart hath expected   
   reproach and misery. And I looked for one that would grieve together   
   with me, but there was none: and for one that would comfort me, and I   
   found none. And they gave me gall for my food, and in my thirst they   
   gave me vinegar to drink."  (Ps. 68:21-22)   
      
      
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   Are you troubled? think but of Jesus, speak but the name of Jesus, the   
   clouds disperse, and peace descends anew from heaven. Have you fallen   
   into sin? so that you fear death? invoke the name of Jesus, and you   
   will soon feel life returning. No obduracy of the soul, no weakness,   
   no coldness of heart can resist this holy name; there is no heart   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)