Monthly Spiritual Retreat - June

Theme: To meditate upon love, and serve our crucified Savior

I will meditate upon Christ crucified, and unite myself with Him in daily meditation, in prayer, and in the contemplation of the sorrowful mysteries. I will steep myself in His Passion, assimilate it in frequent Communion, and gather the fruits of it in the sacraments and by prayer.

I will love Christ crucified, live at the foot of His Cross, and share His sufferings, soothing by my love the pain of His wounds and pierced Heart. I will give myself to Him without reserve, and consent, if such be His will, to be, in my turn, stretched upon the cross; I will accept suffering of body and soul, uniting it with His suffering; and I will sanctify my death beforehand by associating it with His death, deriving from His heart strength and sweetness.

I will serve Christ crucified by means of prayer, adoring Him, and interceding for the souls He loves and wishes to save, and for the salvation or welfare of which He calls me to labor with Him. I will serve Him by means of penance, by accepting suffering or voluntary mortifications; by penance that prays and penance that makes reparation. I will serve Him by means of charity, giving myself to souls with truly apostolic zeal.

I will bear in mind that love of Christ crucified is the mark of chosen souls; that everything done for me by God constitutes a sort of vocation to works of charity and reparation.

I will show to those around me my love of our crucified Savior, by displaying more true kindness and gentleness, and more intelligent sympathy with the needs, joys, and sorrows of my neighbor. I will not forget that the manifestations of my interior life would be worthless in God’s sight if they did not afterward find expression in toil, good works, and sacrifices.


From “The Secret Diary of Elisabeth Leseur: the Woman Whose Goodness Changed Her Husband from Atheist to Priest,” Sophia Institute Press® Manchester, New Hampshire, © 2002