Day 9

The Christian

Prayer

Dear Lord,

Help me to live as a new Christian, as a beloved disciple and as a child of Mary.

My Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingly power. I love you. Thank you for loving me first.

+ Amen +

Reading

After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tibe′ri-as; and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathan′a-el of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zeb′edee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat; but that night they caught nothing.

Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, for the quantity of fish.

That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his clothes, for he was stripped for work, and sprang into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.

– John 21:1-8

Reflection

At last, we come to the conclusion of the retreat. Over these past 8 days, we have reviewed so much of the faith as children of Dear Mom so we could become beloved disciples of Christ. Today, we will close our retreat and begin our journey as beloved disciples.

As we saw on Day 1, the beloved disciple is the one who:

• Rested on Christ’s chest at the Last Supper (John 13:23);
  Stood by the Cross and accepted Mary as His mother (John 19:26);
  Was always found with St. Peter, the first Pope (John 20:2);
  Carried out his daily duties as a Christian (John 21:7).

Let us go through each in turn.

Rest with Christ

One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was lying close to the breast of Jesus – John 13:23

The beloved disciple lies close to the Sacred Heart of Christ at the Last Supper. Over these past days, we’ve learned to become beloved disciples by honoring God, honoring His name, honoring His day (Sunday), attending Mass, loving the Eucharist, and consoling His Sacred Heart by offering our sufferings to Him.

Stand by the Cross

When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” – John 19:26

The beloved disciple stands by the Cross of Christ and accepts Mary as his mother. Over these past days, we’ve accepted Mary as our own dear Mother, consecrated ourselves to her, learned the Rosary and learned of Our Lord’s Passion and Death.

Remain with the Pope

So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”
– John 20:2

The beloved disciple is always found with St. Peter. St. Peter was the head of the Apostles and the Pope is the successor of St. Peter. So just as the beloved disciple remained with the first Pope, so we too should remain with our Pope. Where the Pope goes, if it is moral, we should go with him.

Daily Life

That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his clothes, for he was stripped for work, and sprang into the sea. – John 21:7

The beloved disciple carries out His duties while still keeping Christ in mind. Over these past days, we’ve learned to do this by committing ourselves to holiness in the form of prayer, contrition and virtue.

The beloved disciple recognizes Christ when others do not. Over these past days, we’ve seen that the Eucharist is Christ. Like St. John, we too must exclaim in our hearts saying, “It is the Lord!” when we see the Eucharist and teach the same to our children.

The beloved disciple points others to Christ with joy. We too must do the same. If we say, “It is the Lord!” with joy rather than, “Believe in God!” with anger, more people will follow Christ.

Leave No One Behind

But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. – John 21:8

Finally, the beloved disciple does his job. Just as St. John and the remaining Apostles did not leave the fish behind when he went to Christ, just as St. Peter hauled the net by himself to shore, we too should not leave our families, the poor or daily duties behind when we go to Christ. Instead, we should haul everything with us to Him.

And among the poor that we must assist, are the poor Souls in Purgatory. Dying as friends of God, they are not yet perfected to see the Beatific Vision of God. This is why they are in purgatory, suffering as their imperfections are purged, so that one day they can behold the face of God for all eternity.

To aid them in their suffering, we can do one simple act after every Mass we attend. Out of love for the souls in purgatory, after Mass and before leaving home, say the Rosary in the church and conclude by saying one short prayer for the intentions of our reigning Pope. In so doing, we merit a partial or plenary indulgence which we can offer to the souls in purgatory to relieve them of their suffering.

The Rule

On Day 4, we talked about the Minim and the Rule. The Minim is the minimum standard life of prayer to achieve in The Little Marian Way. The Rule, however, is the standard. However, because the Rule is a little more difficult, it is recommended for those who complete all five Victories. As a reminder, the five Victories are:

1. Consecration to Christ through Mary (this you have already accomplished)
2. The Brown Scapular
3. Monthly Confession and Spiritual Direction
4. Complete the Devotion of the Nine First Fridays to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
5. Complete the Devotion of the Five First Saturdays to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Once you have completed all five Victories, then read about the Rule and practice it.

Go Forth

Tomorrow, you will be going to Mass as a new Christian: a disciple whom Jesus loves, a child of Dear Mom, a Christian striving for perfect holiness who is most definitely destined for Heaven.

Today’s Task