Francesco Productions

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Thursday August 7, 2008

Dear Friends of Francesco,

Greetings peace and Blessings to you and all your families and friends from the New dawn conference in Walshingham England. While preparing for one of the talks I had to give I revisited the virtue and gift of "courage". Brother Webster, ooops, please excuse me, here, that's "Lord Oxford" tells us that courage is "the ability to do something that frightens one;" it's "strength in the face of pain and grief." JP reveals something amazing about virtue in general as he repeats to us today from heaven: "Virtue generates further virtue, grace attracts grace, and the goodness of one saintly man or woman, held in permanent remembrance by a whole people, continues to transmit itself down through the centuries, bringing refreshment, inspiration, and healing to the spirit of succeeding generations. And thus we are helped and encouraged in the difficult ascent to goodness of life."

Wow – helped and encouraged in the difficult ascent to goodness of life. The goodness of life is difficult and the path to this goodness is an "ascent" – "Lord Oxford please": that's to climb, it's the act of mounting upward. This upward striving is ultimately a climb up the hill of Calvary in order to embrace the Cross. The path of this ascent passes through many different places and experiences. This difficult ascent to goodness of life requires the self-surrender that is essential to the Mystery of Love. B16 in his book on Jesus sees the ascent to God as a descent into humble service: "The ascent to God occurs precisely in the descent of humble service, in the descent of love, for love is God's essence, and is thus the power that truly purifies man and enables him to perceive God and to see him…God descends to the point of death on the Cross…We ascend to God by accompanying him on this descending path."

To accompany Jesus on this descending path requires patience; to be patient means to be willing to suffer; to be willing to suffer requires courage. The help we get along this difficult path unleashes the creative power of love, which keeps us going and carries us along. As St. Francis De Sales directs us, both virtues - patience and courage - are necessary for growth in our spiritual lives to help us stay and progress on the path, on the ascent to the perfection of love:

"Be patient with everyone but especially with yourself; I mean that you should not be troubled about your imperfections and that you should always have courage to pick yourself up afterwards. There is no better way…in the spiritual life than always starting over again and never thinking that you have done enough." This reminds me of St. Francis' last word to the brothers once he reached the summit of the ascent to the perfection of love as he lay dying naked on the naked earth in communion with the Naked Crucified: "Brothers let us begin for up to now we have done very little."

Peace and Blessings to you and all your families and friends with love and prayers for you and all your needs and intentions 4 ever in Jesus and Mary…Lord willing talk to ya'll next week…

*** PS ~ LAST CALL for the 2008 3rd Annual JPII Poland Rome Study Pilgrimage Contact Sylvia: e-mail sylmunoz@roadrunner.com or call 310 291 4465

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