IHS - School of Sanctification The Holy Spirit wants to give Christians a new and divine holiness at the Dawn of the Third Millennium - Pope John Paul II THE INNER CLOISTER- Lynne Bauer, JMJ In Vol. 17 of the Book of Heaven (8/9/24) Jesus tells us of the souls that live in the celestial sea of the Supreme Volition, These souls are the hidden inhabitants of the celestial waves which live for the honor and for the enrichment of the infinite sea of my Will. And as fish are hidden imperceptibly in the sea to nourish man, so also do these souls remain hidden in the divine sea, silent, yet still forming my greater glory in creation. For the souls that lives and works in my Will, I, more than a tender mother, hide it in my Will. Volume 5, June 30, 1903: I saw the Queen Mother, and prostrating myself at Her feet, I said to Her: My most sweet Mother, in what terrible constraints I find myself deprived of my only good and of my very life. I feel I am touching the extremes. While saying this, I was crying, and the Most Holy Virgin, opening Herself at the place of Her Heart, as if She were opening a tabernacle, took the Baby from within it and gave Him to me, telling me: My daughter, do not cry here is your good, your life, your all. Take Him and keep Him always with you; and as you keep Him with you, keep your interior gaze fixed on Him. Do not be embarrassed if He does not tell you anything, or if you are unable to say anything. Just look at Him in your interior, and by looking at Him you will comprehend everything, you will do everything, and you will satisfy for all. This is the beauty of the interior soul: without voice, without education, since there is no external thing that attracts her or upsets her, but all of her attraction, all of her goods are enclosed in her interior, by simply looking at Jesus she easily comprehends everything and does everything. In this way, you will walk up to the top of Calvary; and once we reach it, you will no longer see Him as a Baby, but Crucified, and you will remain crucified together with Him. 1
Luisa once was inside a garden where there were various rose bushes. Some were beautifully in bloom, shaped just right, about half open. Some of the other roses, however, were losing their petals; as soon as the gentlest breeze came along, they began shedding their petals until nothing but the stem was left. She was told, The first roses are those souls that act interiorly. These roses display a beauty, a freshness, and a steadfastness that prevents any petal from falling to the earth. Their half-closed petals are a symbol of the opening that the interior life of the soul makes to the external world. Having life within them, their works are perfumed with Holy Charity; like lights, they shine forth to God and to their neighbor. The second roses are external souls: the little good that they do is done on the outside for all to see. Their petals are fully opened; that is, they do not have God and His Love as their sole aim. And where this does not exist, the petals (that is, the virtues) are weakly attached. As soon as even a gentle breeze of pride comes along, the petals fall to the ground-likewise for pleasure, self-love and human respect. (Volume 5, 10/2/1903)...to be able to rest in God, inner silence is necessary... But what is this inner silence? It is to silence our own passions by holding them in check; to impose silence on desires, inclinations and sentiments; in summary, on everything which does not call God. (Volume 3, 5/20/1900)...in the interior souls there should not be disturbance. And if it enters there, it is because they come out of themselves, and doing so, they act as executioners of themselves. By going out of herself, the soul holds on to so many things that do not benefit her and that are not God, and sometimes, even things which do not look after the true well-being of the soul. Wherefore, by returning to herself and carrying things which are extraneous, the soul tears herself from herself, and with that she comes to weaken herself and weaken Grace. For this reason always stay in yourself, and you will always be calm. (Volume 3, 8/31/1900)...why are you looking for Me outside of yourself - as you could more easily find Me in yourself? When you want to find Me, enter into yourself, reach into your nothingness... (Volume 3, 8/3/1900) My daughter, all human lives are in my Humanity in Heaven as though inside a cloister; and since they are inside my cloister, the regime of their lives comes from Me. Not only this, but my Humanity, being the cloister, conducts the lives of each soul. What joy is mine when souls remain in this cloister, and the echo that comes from my Humanity blends with the echo of each human life of the earth? (Volume 6, December 28, 1903) St. Faustina was told by her confessor, Let God push your boat out into the deep waters, toward the unfathomable depths of the interior life. 2
To Conchita (Ven. Maria Concepcion Cabrera de Armida), Jesus speaks of the inner cloister : (Conchita, A Mother s Spiritual Diary,8/15/1897) I want to make you a saint known to Me alone. That is why I take care of you, advise you, direct you, watch over you...i want you to be a mirror of hidden virtues...nothing external. You are to live cloistered in the very inner sanctuary of your souls, for there is where dwells the Holy Spirit. It is in this sanctuary you must live and die. There are your delights, your consolations, your repose. Do not look elsewhere for it. You will never find it. From today on, enter into the innermost regions of your soul, into those areas so unknown to so many others, but where is found that happiness which I am. Enter into it never to leave it. And here is the path which will lead you there: the inner... Here is your cloister, your religious perfection. It is not enough to immure your body, to be a nun...the inner cloister is essential for the sanctification of the soul within to be all Mine. You must never leave this inner sanctuary, even in the midst of your outside obligations. There, in this sanctuary, which no one sees, is found true virtue and consequently the contemplation of God and the dwelling of the Holy Spirit. In order to be able to remain united to God in the midst of external agitations and daily tasks, Conchita took refuge in her inner cloister, as did St. Catherine of Sienna in her inner cell, where she constantly found Christ through faith and love. Under diverse forms, they are the same instructions for union that Christ gives to all His disciples, as in His Last discourse to His Apostles: Live on in Me, as I do in you. No more than a branch can hear fruit of itself apart from the vine, can you bear fruit apart from Me? (John 15:4-5). He said again and again to Conchita: I do not want you to expend yourself externally with creatures. No, your mission is other than that. You must correspond with it with an extreme fidelity. No more useless conversation and words. You are to live cloistered in the very inner sanctuary of your soul, for there is where dwells the Holy Spirit. It is in this sanctuary you must live and die. There are your de lights, your consolations, your repose. Do not look elsewhere for it, you will never find it. It is for this purpose I have created you specially. From today on, enter into the innermost regions of your soul, into those areas so unknown to so many others but where is found that happiness which I am. Enter into it never to leave it. And here is the path which will lead you there: the inner, of which I have spoken to you so many times, offering you as your Mistress, Mary. 3
There, you will find absolute purity, you will measure the amplitude of this virtue in all its fullness. There, you will discover a divine reflection in the purity of the soul. There, will await you the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit for your own sanctification and, through you, for the glorification of God. There, your soul will put on the wings and the might to go and lose yourself in this immensity of God of which you have had some experience. A much vaster field of virtues awaits you there that you may practice them and that you may comprehend them on letting yourself be crucified. You seek perfection to come closer to Me. You have there a practical path to reach it. The pure and recollected soul lives in Me and I in it, not confusion and pride, but in interior solitude and in the sacrifice of contempt of self. Mother Louise Margaret Claret de la Touche (1868-1915) spoke about the interior life in her book containing messages from Our Lord, The Love and Service of God Infinite Love. She says, The interior life does not consist, as some people wrongfully think, in the suppression of all activity; if that were so, it would be incompatible with good works, which are the fruit of charity. The interior life can be established and maintained in the midst of the most exacting employments, and many Saints who have added luster to the Church have prove this by their lives which were filled with holy works and, which were at the same time, altogether interior. She goes on to say, Let us unite ourselves with the Virgin Mary and, like her, completely recollected in our interior, let us seek Jesus, Who reposes there in silence and in peace. Let us think of the sentiments of Mary, and like her, detaching our souls more and more from the exterior, passing things of time, let us live with the Divine Master that interior life which will be for us a prelude of the life of happiness in Heaven. Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity speaks of interior silence saying, It seems to me, that to keep one s strength for the Lord is to unify one s whole being by means of interior silence, to collect all one s powers in order to employ them in the one work of love, to have this single eye which allows the light of God to enlighten us. A soul that debates with its self, that is taken up with its feelings, and pursues useless thoughts sand desires, scatters it forces, for it is not wholly directed toward God. Its lyre does not vibrate in unison and when the Master plays it, He cannot draw from it divine harmonies, for it is still too human and discordant How indispensable this beautiful inner unity is for the soul that wants to live here below the life of the blessed. In a letter written just a few weeks before her death in the year 1906, a young Carmelite nun declared to a friend: "My beloved Antoinette, I leave you my faith in the presence of God, of the God who is all Love dwelling in our souls. I confide to you: it is this intimacy with Him 'within' that has been the beautiful sun illuminating my life, making it already an anticipated Heaven: it 4
is what sustains me today in my suffering. This young nun, Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, has since been given such titles as "the prophet of the presence of God,""the Saint of the Divine Indwelling," or "the Saint of one idea," because of her strong experience of the indwelling of God in her soul. Even the Catechism of the Catholic Church cites a prayer that she composed and addressed to the Trinity whom she knew dwelled in her soul. The Catechism cites Blessed Elizabeth's prayer to illustrate the truth that even now we are called to be a dwelling for the Most Holy Trinity": 'If a man loves me, says the Lord, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him. (John 14,23)" Blessed Elizabeth had a profound and living experience of this great truth of our faith, also expressed in St. Paul's words to the Corinthians: Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? (1 Cor 3.16) She cites these words as she writes to a friend of hers. I am going to give you my 'secret': think about this God who dwells within you, whose temple you are ; St. Paul speaks in this way, and we can believe it. This young mystic understood God's constant presence within her as a sign of his great love for her. She writes to her mother: "Oh, may the Master reveal to you His divine presence, it is so pleasant and sweet, it gives so much strength to the soul; to believe that God loves us to the point of living in us, to become the Companion of our exile, our Confidant, our Friend at every moment." This theme of being the "house of God," then, was at first closely associated with the mystery of the Eucharist in the mind of Elizabeth. In a poem that she would later write to commemorate the seventh anniversary of her First Communion, she meditates upon the day: When Jesus made in me His dwelling place, when God took possession of my heart, so well that since that hour, since that mysterious colloquy, that divine and delicious meeting, I have aspired to nothing else but to give my life In order to return a bit of His great love to the Beloved of the Eucharist who reposed in my feeble heart, Inundating it with all of his favors. Likewise, Elizabeth once wrote the following words to a friend who had just made her First Communion: "If He came this morning into your little heart, it was not to pass through it and go away, but to remain there always." It seems that the future Blessed understood that by giving Himself to her in the sacrament of the Eucharist, Jesus had come to dwell within her in a new way. 5
Sister Milded Mary Ephrem Neuzil spoke about the inner cloister as the divine indwelling : Our Lady spoke to me about the Divine Indwelling. It was her life and she lived it perfectly, always conscious of His presence, never forgetting that all her greatness came from within, from Him Who dwelt there, working, loving, and doing good through her. This is what Our Lady means when she speaks of reformation, renewal. It is this about which she is so concerned, namely, sanctification from within. Cloister Echoes on the Divine Indwelling by Sister Mildred Mary Ephrem Neuzil: O Mary, Immaculate Queen, You who were always conscious of the Presence of God within you, obtain for me the Grace of an ever-increasing awareness of the Indwelling Trinity abiding in my soul. May this Divine Doctrine so penetrate my heart that I may realize, in truth, I am the veritable house of God sheltering within myself the Divine Being who is the source of all sanctity and holy living. May I never forget that I am the living temple of God. Help me, then, O peerless Virgin, to be ever mindful of my dignity. Let me remember also that all, even the most derelict of men, were redeemed by the same God, and are, therefore, worthy of my respect and honor. Obtain for me also that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, The Fountain Head of Grace, may exercise so great an influence upon my life, that I may become, as it were, another savior going about doing good. May I, too, carry Christ, as you carried Him, O faithful Virgin, and thus become a means of repentance and greater holiness to others. May I be a channel of Grace to those to whom Grace, perhaps, would never be able to penetrate. May the Hand of the Father, who created me, work through me. And may the voice of the Word, become Man, who redeemed me, speak through me. May the Love of the Holy Spirit, who is my continuous sanctification, bring holiness to others through me. Amen. 6
From the writings of St. Louis Marie de Montfort: Because Mary remained hidden during her life, she is called by the Holy Spirit and the Church, Alma Mater, Mother hidden and unknown. So great was her humility that she desired nothing more upon earth than to remain unknown to herself and to others, and to be known only to God. Luke 17:20: The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, Look, here it is or there it is. pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:19: And Mary kept in mind all these things and PRAYER OFFERING IN THE DIVINE WILL HEAVENLY FATHER, I COME TO YOU TO BE FUSED IN THE DIVINE WILL BY THE MERITS OF JESUS MY LORD AND SAVIOR. THROUGH THE INTERCESSION OF THE MOTHER OF GOD, I ASK YOU TO FUSE ME INTO THE HOLY TRINITY AND TAKE ALL MY ACTS, WORDS, AND THOUGHTS AS PRAYERS IN THE ROUNDS OF ETERNITY FOR YOUR GLORY! I GIVE YOU MY LOVE, THANKSGIVING FOR ALL OF CREATION, PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE. MAY MY DAY THAT YOU HAVE GIVEN ME BE A JOY FOR YOU AND ALL OF HEAVEN AND ALL CREATURES. ALL CREATURES ARE IN YOUR SINGLE ACT. I NOW ASK IN THE NAME OF THE ENTIRE HUMAN FAMILY FOR YOU TO END OF THE REIGN OF THE HUMAN WILL. I PLACE AN I LOVE YOU, I ADORE YOU, I COMPASSIONATE YOU FOR YOUR SUFFERINGS; I MAKE REPARATION FOR EVERYONE. I OFFER YOU 7
YOUR MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD AS THE TOKEN FOR THE SALVATION OF THOSE WHO CAN STILL BE SAVED. I ENTER INTO EVERY CREATIVE ACT THAT YOU MADE AS A GIFT TO MANKIND AND THANK YOU. I RECEIVE FOR THEM ALL THE SUSPENDED GIFTS YOU HAD FOR THEM AND NOT TAKEN BY NOW, THANKING YOU AND OFFERING THESE GIFTS FOR THE BLESSINGS AND GOOD OF ALL IN TIME. MULTIPLY THESE DIVINE ACTS IN A CONTINUAL ACT OF ADORATION AND REPARATION. THERE IS NO ACT THAT I DO NOT INTEND TO SATISFY YOUR LOVE FOR. LET NOTHING ESCAPE FROM THIS DESIRE OF MY HEART. I ALSO RE-DO ALL THE ACTS OF LUISA IN TIME, OUR LADY, QUEEN OF THE DIVINE WILL, AND MY LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST YOUR SON. LET HEAVEN AND EARTH REJOICE! FATHER, THESE ACTS ARE A JOY FOR YOU. I AM HAPPY I CAN BRING BACK TO YOU YOUR FIRST INTENTION TO HAVE CHILDREN TO SPOIL AND ENJOY. JESUS, SEAL THESE BLESSINGS AND MAKE THEM A PERMANENT REPARATION FOR ALL. MOTHER OF GOD, MY DELIGHT AND HOPE, BRING THE LIGHT OF THE DIVINE WILL AND CLOTHE ME IN IT SO YOUR SON JESUS WILL TAKE DELIGHT. TEACH ME TO LIVE AND MAINTAIN MYSELF IN THE CLOISTER OF THE DIVINE WILL IN ETERNITY. KEEP ME FROM THE DARKNESS OF THE HUMAN WILL AND COVER ME WITH THIS HOLY GARMENT OF LIGHT SO THE INFERNAL SERPENT DARE NOT PENETRATE INTO THIS EDEN TO MAKE ME FALL BACK INTO THE HUMAN WILL. I THANK YOU FATHER FOR CREATION, AND JESUS FOR REDEMPTION, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT FOR THE FIAT OF SANTIFICATION. COME LORD JESUS COME! LET YOUR WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. I BEG YOU FATHER IN HEAVEN TO ALLOW YOUR MERCY TO OUTDO YOUR JUSTICE BY THE MERITS OF JESUS YOUR SON, OUR MOST HOLY MOTHER OF SORROWS, LUISA, YOUR DAUGHTER AND ALL THE SAINTS WHO NOW PRAY IN THE DIVINE WILL. ALL HONOR, POWER, GLORY, STRENGTH, WISDOM BELONG TO OUR GOD. Ron Lee JMJ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ READ THINK FUSE ACT PRAISE THANKSGIVING ACT TRUST YOUR MOTHER 8
EXHORTATION We are called before Time to live in God s secret cloister being total protected and provided for His Purpose and Glory. Each act in the Cloister bears eternal fruit for souls and Joy for God our Creator Father. The Saints have been called to totally die to the human will. The desire begins the process! Firm commitment and knowledge of how the Holy Spirit will recreate in you New Heavens is God s Work. You have to be faithful an attentive. It is process and does not happen overnight. (Vol. 1 Dec./28/1903) How all lives are in Christ After I struggled very much, my blessed Jesus came for just a little, and made me see many human souls inside of His Humanity; and while I was seeing this, He told me: My daughter, all human lives are in my Humanity in Heaven as though inside a cloister; and since they are inside my cloister, the regime of their lives comes from Me. Not only this, but my Humanity, being the cloister, conducts the lives of each soul. What joy is mine when souls remain in this cloister, and the echo that comes from my Humanity blends with the echo of each human life of the earth! And what bitterness is mine when I see that souls are not content, and go out of it! Others remain, but forced and unwilling; they do not submit to the rules and the regime of my cloister, therefore my echo does not blend with theirs. Ron Lee, JMJ Prayer Saint Michael, protector of the Children of God. Send forth your angels to defeat the work of the Enemy. Help teach us who we are in the Divine Will and be thankful to our Father in Heaven for such a sublime Gift of the Divine Will. Our Lady, Victorious Queen of the Divine Will, show us your power. Empower us to be true Ambassadors of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth as in Heaven. Come Lord Jesus! We ask with true humility to be admitted into the inner cloister of the Divine Will. We confess our sinfulness and request your Mercy and Light to be totally free of the kingdom of self. Fill us with your Light and take us by the hand to your Holy Mother to be taught. Yes, Jesus, we want the work of the hand of the Father to restore us to the original beauty of the Divine Will and ask you to do your work of re-creation now. Holy Spirit of God, take this prayer of your eternal tongue to all of Heaven. FIAT. All honor, power, glory, power, wisdom, strength be to the Lamb of God. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Inner Cloister Acts IT IS YOUR MOVE NOW: Learn the knowledge that will propel you into the celestial seas of God now and forever. You have an opportunity to learn from a few masters that Our Lord taught the importance of the silence or inner cloister that all souls have and can experience if they will die to self and begin the journey of the Divine Desire. Many do not make this journey for the kingdom of self reigns in the human will, but some do not because they are afraid to be alone. Learn now that you are never alone. God is with you and listens to each thought and desire. God provides for you and is even aware of the loss of one hair of your head. Now is the time to trust in God s mercy and love and begin by the Consecration 9
to the Divine Will. It costs you everything and you gain everything. God desires to give you the gift of the Divine Will more than you want to receive it. It is the purpose of creation and your obedience to Him allows you to be intimately part of creation, redemption and sanctification, the three Fiats of God. At the end of this course, you may begin to even sense the proof of the change that will take place in you. God will give you Grace and Light to understand spiritual things, particularly writings on the Divine Will. You will be prompted by the Holy Spirit to pray more and be content with silence. God takes care of everything providing you are surrendering your will and strive to live for His Glory. It is the work of God, and Jesus himself wants to work within you. One moment he gives love, next suffering, next healing, next knowledge, and on and on. Our Lady is very busy forming her Children of the Divine Will into corresponding nine choirs. The knowledge of the Divine Will is the key how she can play your voice in all things forever. THE SACRAMENTS DO NOT DISAPPEAR. CONFESSION IS KEY TO KEEP YOU MOVING IN THE CORRECT PATH. FREEQUENT RECEPTION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT, AND DOING YOUR ROUNDS THAT YOU WILL LEARN. An excellent handbook for living in the Divine Will is Be Faithful and Attentive. Ron Lee, JMJ 10
11