Surrender to me does not mean to fret, to be upset, or to lose hope, nor does it mean offering to me a worried prayer asking me to follow you and change your worry into prayer. It is against this surrender, deeply against it, to worry, to be nervous and to desire to think about the consequences of anything. It is like the confusion that children feel when they ask their mother to see to their needs, and then try to take care of those needs for themselves so that their chi ldlike efforts get in their mother’s way. Surrender means to placidly close the eyes of the soul, to turn away from thoughts of tribulation and to put yourself in my care, so that only I act, saying “You take care of it”.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)
Mother, I am yours now and forever. Through you and with you I always want to belong completely to Jesus.
The Feast of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist – A Christmas Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart
As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.
Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”
Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…
From the Holy Gospel of St. John 20:2-8
On the first day of the week Mary of Magdala came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb’ she said ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.’
So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. Simon Peter who was following now came up, went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths on the ground, and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed.
What word made this passage come alive for you?
What did you sense the Lord saying to you?
Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:
On the first day of the week Mary of Magdala came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb’ she said ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.’
So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. Simon Peter who was following now came up, went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths on the ground, and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed.
What did your heart feel as you listened?
What did you sense the Lord saying to you?
Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:
On the first day of the week Mary of Magdala came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb’ she said ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.’
So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. Simon Peter who was following now came up, went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths on the ground, and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed.
What did your heart feel as you prayed?
What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
May the Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen
Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.
Episode 9 – The Passion of Saint Thérèse – St. Thérèse and Marie: The Story of Two Cousins with Fr. Timothy Gallagher
St. Thérèse of Lisieux
**The last 30 minutes of this episode contains graphic descriptions that some might find disturbing. Listener discretion is advised.**
Fr. Timothy Gallagher and Kris McGregor examine the profound and often overlooked suffering of St. Thérèse of Lisieux during the final months of her life in 1897. The narrative begins with the context of her perpetual profession as a Carmelite and the subsequent public ceremony where she received the black veil, marking her definitive commitment.
He goes into Thérèse’s deteriorating health, marked by severe tuberculosis, which inflicted immense physical and spiritual pain. Despite the excruciating treatments and the lack of adequate pain relief, Thérèse maintained a remarkable composure, often displaying humor and unwavering faith. Her spiritual struggle, characterized by a profound darkness of faith, is juxtaposed with her outward calm and readiness to embrace suffering and unite it with Christ.
These struggles also took a significant emotional toll on her family and the Carmelite community, reinforcing the deep love and admiration they held for her. These accounts shed light on the lesser-known aspects of Thérèse’s final journey, revealing the depth of her suffering and the strength of her faith.
Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions
Self-Denial and Saving Souls: How can we practically apply Thérèse’s teaching on self-forgetfulness and saving souls to our lives, balancing self-care and self-sacrifice within Catholic self-denial?
The Hidden Suffering of a Saint: How does the delayed revelation of Thérèse’s suffering deepen or challenge our understanding of her “Little Way” and redemptive suffering?
The Body as Temple: Medical Details and Overall Understanding: How do Marie’s medical details about Thérèse contribute to an overall understanding of her, connecting to the Catholic view of the body as a temple?
Discerning Encouragement and Prioritizing Well-being: How do we discern between encouraging perseverance through suffering and prioritizing well-being, especially when caring for others?
The Spirituality of the Holy Face and Finding God in Suffering: How does meditating on Christ’s suffering (the “Holy Face”) inform our understanding of suffering and our relationship with God in difficult times?
Marie Guérin
About this Series
Fr. Timothy Gallagher reflects upon the enduring legacy of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, exploring how her life and spirituality were deeply influenced by her family and how it offers profound insights into everyday holiness. He examines the role of family and spiritual friendships in nurturing faith, the importance of compassionate care for others, and how Thérèse’s example can inspire listeners to seek sanctity in their daily lives. He also brings forth more details of the spiritual bond between the Martin and Guérin families, offering a model for fostering deeper connections within one’s own family and community.
Father Timothy M. Gallagher, O.M.V., was ordained in 1979 as a member of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, a religious community dedicated to retreats and spiritual formation according to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Fr. Gallagher is featured on the EWTN series “Living the Discerning Life: The Spiritual Teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola.” For more information on how to obtain copies of Fr. Gallaghers’s various books and audio, which are available for purchase, please visit his website: frtimothygallagher.org
Did you know that Fr. Timothy Gallagher has 14 different podcast series on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts?
Visit here to discover more!
¿Por qué se confunden al preocuparse? Dejadme a mí el cuidado de vuestros negocios y todo mantendrá la calma. Le digo que todo acto de verdadera, ciega y completa rendición a mí me produce el efecto que deseáis y que resuelve toda complicada situación.
O Jesús, yo me entrego a Ti, ¡ocúpate de todo! (Repítelo 10 veces)
Madre, soy tuyo ahora y siempre.
A través de ti y contigo siempre quiero pertenecer completamente a Jesús.
Amén
Para la versión completa en audio de 9 días de la Novena del Abandono a la Voluntad de Dios visite aquí
Esta Novena fue compuesta por el Padre Dolindo Ruotolo (1882-1970) un sacerdote de Nápoles, Italia, para ayudar a quienes la rezan a entender que el Señor quiere que confiemos en Él sin importar cuál sea nuestro problema. Solo podemos elevarnos a este nivel de confianza a través de la gracia de Dios y la ayuda del Espíritu Santo. Debemos dejar de lado nuestros problemas, dejar de preocuparnos y tratar de resolverlos nosotros mismos. Debemos creer, confiar y permitir que nuestro Señor nos rescate de nosotros mismos y suplir nuestros deseos, necesidades y resolver nuestros problemas como solo Él puede. “Jesús, cuídalo tú”, deben ser las primeras palabras que nos vienen a la mente y brotan de nuestros labios.
Why do you confuse yourselves by worrying? Leave the care of your affairs to me and everything will be peaceful. I say to you in truth that every act of true, blind, complete surrender to me produces the effect that you desire and resolves all difficult situations.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)
Mother, I am yours now and forever. Through you and with you I always want to belong completely to Jesus.
“On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Two Turtle Doves …” which represent the Old and New Testaments, which bear witness to God’s relationship with all mankind. God’s relationship is begun in the New Testament in His covenant with Abraham and his Descendants and is fulfilled in the New Testament by the new covenant of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, who came to earth through Your Son Jesus Christ we thank You for the gift of your Son, Your new covenant that we may have an intimate relationship with You, and the gift of Your Word. As we exchange gifts, Father, let us recognize and bear witness to the fact that You have given the greatest gifts of all. Amen.
The Feast of St. Stephen the Martyr – A Christmas Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart
As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.
Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”
Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…
From the Holy Gospel of St. Matthew 10:17-22
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Beware of men: they will hand you over to sanhedrins and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the pagans. But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes; because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you.
‘Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name; but the man who stands firm to the end will be saved.’
What word made this passage come alive for you?
What did you sense the Lord saying to you?
Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Beware of men: they will hand you over to sanhedrins and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the pagans. But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes; because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you.
‘Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name; but the man who stands firm to the end will be saved.’
What did your heart feel as you listened?
What did you sense the Lord saying to you?
Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Beware of men: they will hand you over to sanhedrins and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the pagans. But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes; because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you.
‘Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name; but the man who stands firm to the end will be saved.’
What did your heart feel as you prayed?
What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
May the Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen
Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.
How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings glad tidings,
announcing peace, bearing good news,
announcing salvation, and saying to Zion,
“Your God is King!”
Hark! Your sentinels raise a cry,
together they shout for joy,
for they see directly, before their eyes,
the LORD restoring Zion.
Break out together in song,
O ruins of Jerusalem!
For the LORD comforts his people,
he redeems Jerusalem.
The LORD has bared his holy arm
in the sight of all the nations;
all the ends of the earth will behold
the salvation of our God.
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.
A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world,
and the world came to be through him,
but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own,
but his own people did not accept him.But to those who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God,
to those who believe in his name,
who were born not by natural generation
nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision
but of God.
And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father’s only Son,
full of grace and truth.
John testified to him and cried out, saying,
“This was he of whom I said,
‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.’”
From his fullness we have all received,
grace in place of grace,
because while the law was given through Moses,
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God.
The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side,
has revealed him.
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: A Partridge in a Pear Tree ….” The partridge symbolizes Jesus, the Christ. He is symbolically presented as a mother partridge that feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless chicks.
Prayer: Oh Lord who sacrificed for us, so that we may live in the safety of the knowledge that our death is not the end but only the beginning, we rejoice! We rejoice in the knowledge that your heavenly city is awaiting us. We rejoice in the beginning of the season that brings all men together to fulfill your great commandment of love. We rejoice in the season of giving so that we might reveal Your love to all men through our generosity and your endless grace and sacrifice. Amen.
The crib showing the nativity, in all the cities and villages and Catholic homes of the world, is not only there to commemorate Christ’s first coming to earth, it is there as a symbol of Christ’s birth in us.
Christmas does not only mean that God became man and was born as a human infant on a certain night in Bethlehem, two thousand years ago; it means that, but it means equally that because of that, Christ is born in us today.
Christ is born in all the cities and villages, all the streets and homes of the world today. He is born in prosperous cities, lit up and noisy with pleasure, where, as in Bethlehem, His crying is not heard; He is born among the ruins of devastated cities, where few would recognize Him without His crown of thorns.
He is born in New York, Warsaw, Paris, London, everywhere where a single human soul repeats, even perhaps almost doubting it, Our Lady’s fiat: “Be it done to me”
Christ is not only born at Christmas, though it is at Christmas that we keep the Feast of the Incarnation. He is born day after day, in ever infant or adult as they are baptized, in every sinner who is sorry for sin and is absolved, in everyone in whom God’s grace quickens the supernatural life (which is the Christ-life) for the first or the millionth time.
Commentary: On this holy Christmas Day, Caryll Houselander leads us to see beyond the historical birth of Christ to its ongoing mystery: Christ is born anew in each of us today. The crib, displayed in homes and churches around the world, is a symbol not only of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem but also of His continuous birth in every heart willing to receive Him. This message invites us to recognize that Christ lives wherever a soul, like Mary, says “yes” to Him. Whether in places of joy or sorrow, prosperity or ruin, the miracle of the Incarnation is happening now, in our world and in our lives. Houselander reminds Catholics that every act of faith, every baptism, every confession, and every encounter with grace is a re-birth of Christ in us, a fresh arrival of His love.
Personal Reflection: As you celebrate Christmas, consider how you are invited to let Christ be born in your heart today. How can you, like Mary, offer a “yes” that allows His presence to take root within you? Reflect on the ways in which Christ can live through you in each moment, making His love visible in the world.
Quote taken from – Caryll Houselander The Passion of the Infant Christ, Sheed & Ward, 1949
