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TO LOVE WITHOUT MEASURE! Pauline-Marie Jaricot wrote a great deal during her life. Among her writings, she left us the “Story of Her Life” which she wrote at the request of her confessor Abbe Wurtz when she was not yet 25 years of age. She spoke at length of her conversion. Young, intelligent, pretty, rich and having an ardent and passionate heart, she was caught up in the easy life and attached to the things of this world. A high spirit, who had never known or loved anything but God, she was taken in by the illusions of the world. She allowed herself to be snagged and sank into a state of mediocrity from which she could not escape. Slacking in her duties, she was seduced by a world that flattered her, and vanity took hold of her heart. Pauline was divided. She did what the moral law strictly required without thought or regard for the love of God. Her faith became shallow, and she remained outside of the dimension of God’s Love which is below the surface and its very foundation, the spring-board from which a living relationship developed with the One who loves us. As long as it was not forbidden by law even though it caused the cooling of her spirit and was to be a source of temptation, she did not give it up. This resulted in the thickening of her tender spirit and it became hard for her to distinguish vice from virtue. Moreover, she abandoned prayer. Oh! If one could open the gates of hell and interrogate the reprobate, how many souls would be found to be there precisely because they had ceased to pray. (HV p.13) Deep in her heart, she was not happy. The life of ease and luxury, idleness and self, did not satisfy her heart, which was made for God. Pauline’s poor heart was not happy. It possessed a thirst which could not be quenched. Nothing pacified the boredom and anxiety which followed her at all times. She found no pleasure from the world, nor any consolation from God. She was neither of the world nor of God. “I desired nothingness and damned my existence.” With hunger, she searched for something that could fill the immensity of her heart. (HV p 45) God pursued her unceasingly. She fled from Him without repenting. Pauline was confused by her infidelities, yet she continued to elude His Love. He sent signs of His love, but she would not surrender. A warning was given to her at her First Communion ~ her portrait fell from the wall and was shattered. She recognized this as a sign, but it was not enough to bring her back to a life of fervor. God sent her a grave sickness but that was not enough to bring her back to Him. However, God did not tire of her resistance. She continued to escape from Him, but He did not tire of seeking her. Pauline asked herself, “Why do you waste your time dancing? Who will return that time to you? You shall die”, said the voice of Truth, “and if you die, what will be your eternal destiny? Where will your immortal soul be found?” She was tortured. The decisive stroke which established definitively her destination was a sermon preached by the Abbe Wurtz on vanity. It was on Sunday in the season of Lent 1816 that the Rev. Father Wurtz, Vicar of the parish, spoke on the subject of vanity. Pauline was overtaken by this sermon and at once made a holy confession. Overcome by the force of love, her despair changed into conversion and everything in her life was seen in a different light. She saw God everywhere. The spirit of Pauline was totally engulfed by this supernatural light. Her heart was purified and changed. She felt her heart, once so immense that all the creatures of the whole world could not fulfill it, had become too narrow, too much limited in its ardor to love by its own will, to be filled with infinite love of God. (HV p 66) In finding God, Pauline found true happiness. She was 17 years old and, from then on, her life became an infinitely agreeable ascent towards God. Immediately after her conversion, with unequalled generosity, she broke with her old habits. Pauline put on the clothes of a poor worker. “I took the extreme position because it was so terribly hard for me to break with my old habits of luxury and wealth.” During the first months, I suffered cruelly to appear in public in rags. My brother Philias, told me, “You take the soup too hot Pauline, go forward with more moderation.” But, NO! Nothing is too difficult or too big for the One I love! Oh, My Beauty, Oh Jesus, Oh Love! Soon after her conversion, Pauline’s eyes were opened. She could find and see God the Creator everywhere. God had not changed but it was Pauline who had changed. As soon as Pauline had given up the pleasures of the world, the scales fell from her eyes. “I saw God everywhere, in the trees, in the stars, in the moon. It is our sin, which impedes God’s penetration. Faith is not an abstraction but the revelation of God speaking to us of the universe which carries within it the imprint of His mystery. Called from the deep out of nothing, clothed in God’s rare beauty, a mirror of eternal life, we are joined one to the other, a reflection of the imprint of God’s eternal mystery.” Pauline wanted to kiss the leaves of the trees as she saw them as coming from the Creator’s Hands. The holy Bible inspires us to contemplate the Infinite Love with which God shaped the earth and forecasted the coming of His own Divine Son to the Virgin Mary. “God saw that it was good!” |
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THE GIRDLE OF SELF-CONTROL Behold, two rival hosts who are opposed to one another are engaged in war. The one, which by superior courage and bravery destroys the other, will be the victor. “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself. No man can serve two masters.” It is impossible to be zealous and faithful in the service of Jesus Christ and to indulge the flesh and serve the maximums of the world. We must renounce what God forbids. Three things which bring about moral ruin are: inordinate love of pleasure, lust of the flesh, and greed for money: renounce them all! A universal longing after luxury, immoral reading and movies, dread of work, and idleness are frequently fatal to the soul. Conquer yourself! Without constant self-denial, no other virtue and no true happiness can be attained. There is no other way to life and true internal peace but the holy way of the Cross. No mortal can avoid the cross. With great humility, accept the cross which Our Lord has destined for you; desire no other, learn to bear it from your youth and, gradually, it will become light and sweet. Never allow yourself to be drawn into quarrels and strife. When you are irritated, hold back that angry word. Learn to be silent, gentle and forgiving. Resist the evil, do no wrong; learn to suffer and be strong! |
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Share Your Gift of FaithFor centuries, our cherished Catholic faith has been passed from person to person, parent to child, etc. Each of us carries in our heart a special memory of how God first graced us with the knowledge of the faith and how Our Blessed Mother, Saint Philomena, Venerable Pauline Jaricot and other saints changed our lives and brought us closer to Christ. In our work in the Universal Living Rosary Association, we see first hand how millions of souls are currently living without that knowledge of God and are living outside of His grace. We have been given a beautiful opportunity to carry out Christ’s work and pass on our faith and blessings to others who would otherwise never be introduced to Our Lord, the Savior of all mankind. Just as we pray for the souls in Purgatory who have no one to pray for them, we should also make it a part of our life’s mission to pass on our faith to as many souls as possible who have no one else to pass it on to them, who don’t know Our Lord and His promise of salvation.
This is the box we send out to the foreign Missions $77.95. It contains Rosaries, Scapulars, Miraculous Medals, Cord & Oil, Newsletters, Calendars, Catechism books, 2 TAN books, large color prints, lists and encouragement for our Promoters. |
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