+JMJ
Our whole goal and purpose in life is to be one with God. To live as if there is no separation between us and Him. We are to be seamlessly in love and serving Him. To die in union with Him, in order to spend eternity with Him.
“And the glory which Thou hast given me, I have given to them; that they may be one as We also are one: That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in Me, and I in Thee; that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me.” -John 17:22-23
I, more than anyone, know that this is easier said than done. It is just all too easy to tear myself away from the Lord and interrupt my complete union with Him. To hold onto my attachments in this world. But the Lord did not create me to be detached from Him. My body, mind, and soul was created to be in coherence with His grace.
Casting Lots
The soldiers therefore, when they had crucified Him, they took His garments, (and they made four parts, to every soldier a part,) and also His coat. Now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said then on to another: “Let us not cut it, but let us cast lots for it, whose it shall be”; that scripture might be fulfilled, saying: “They have parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture they have cast lots.” And the soldiers indeed did these things. -John 19:23-24
My Contemplation
I place myself next to the Holy Mother. She is in utter anguish, grief, and sorrow. Tears stream down her face, but she weeps silently. Resigned to the will of her Son.
I take notice of the soldiers casting lots for Jesus’ clothing. A sword pierces the heart of Our Lady as they pass His seamless coat among them. They are fighting over it, each justifying why they should have it.
Here I receive the image of the Holy Mother seated quietly at the loom. Creating that coat for her Son. Her delicate hands nimbly weave the fabric with the greatest care. Her love for Him poured into it. Her devotion and effort shows in the craftsmanship of it. Her perseverance and fortitude are shown in the completion of the piece. Her care and tenderness is shown in the gift, which kept Him warm and protected from the elements.
I can see the Holy Mother’s joy in gifting it to Him, who receives it with the deepest reverence and love for Her.
She watches as this beautiful piece of her love and devotion is dropped in the mud and carelessly passed among the soldiers.
The Soul
I can see that the Lord weaved my soul just like this. With the greatest care, and devotion. Infusing it with His image. Pouring His deepest love into it. Seamless with Him at its creation.
Yet, I treat it so carelessly. Dragging it through the mud. Passing it so haphazardly between my sins. Foolishly leaving it dirty, instead of giving it back to the Lord to be cleaned and mended.
Sin is prevalent and temptation is constant. I tear myself away from God with sins and try to fix it myself.
It reminds me of His words in the Gospel of Matthew:
“And nobody putteth a piece of raw cloth onto on old garment. For it taketh away the fullness thereof from the garment, another is made a greater rent.” -Matthew 9:16 Douy Rheims
Sins “tear” the essence of the soul, and we, ourselves, cannot mend it. We don’t have the proper “fabric” in order to accomplish it. But Our Lord does.
Confession
In confessing and receiving absolution Our Lord mends the “tears” in our souls. We are brought back into union with Him.
As it states in the Catechism of Saint Pius X:
“The sacrament of Penance confers sanctifiying grace by which are remitted the mortal sins and also the venial sins which we confess and for which we are sorry; it changes eternal punishment into temporal punishment, and of which it even remits more or less according to our dispositions; it revives the merits of the good works done before committing mortal sins; it gives the soul aid in due time against falling into sin again, and it restores peace of conscience.” -Catechism of Saint Pius X, page. 83, question 19.
Confession is necessary to our salvation and should be done often. This is in order to take away our sins, but also to receive the graces from our Lord to go forth and “sin no more.” (John 8:11)
This is how we can strive to remain in union with Him. Seamless in His grace through the remittance of our sins.
Haven’t been to confession in awhile? I urge you to make an appointment and go!
The Holy Mother
In the way the Holy Mother gifted this coat to her Son in my contemplation, so should we ask her to offer our souls to Him. She was blessed with singular privileges and gifts by Our Lord, raising her to the highest dignity among His creation.
We must remember that she is so powerful in interceding for us:
“The Blessed Virgin is so powerful, because, being the Mother of God, she cannot but be heard by Him.” -Catechism of Pius X, page 54, question 13.
I urge you to pray the Rosary for the light to know all of your sins, for a deep sorrow for having committed them, the courage to confession them, resolution to sin no more, and perseverance in satisfying the penance you receive.
I continue to find myself in the midst of sin. Sometimes frustratingly so. Why can’t I just “be good?” It shouldn’t be this hard, right? But it is. In our fall from grace things got hard. But the Lord didn’t give up on us, and we shouldn’t either. He masterfully provides ways for us to come back to Him, to be reunited with Him, and be one with Him.
Thrive in Jesus, my Friends!
When was the last time you went to confession? What do you entrust to the Holy Mother specifically? Leave me a comment and let me know!
New to Ignatian Spirituality? Check out the post below to learn more!