Each one of us is called to become a 'holy house', like Mary. Each individual soul can be emptied of self and filled instead with God's love. As the Book of Life says,
'This is the object of our formation: to enable each person to arrive at a true spirit of docibilitas... totally surrendered to the Father's action in the events and reality of one's life'
If we are truly accepting of the reality of each day - with all the ups and downs, difficult as well as easy things we face all the time - we can gradually say 'yes' to what Our Lord is asking of us, with Mary's help. However, ultimately God needs our consent in order to act. Only when we take part ourselves as a student as it were, being teachable and open to learning, will God the Formator be able to come in and do what He is waiting to do in our souls.
Docibilitas, being teachable, is necessary but this means every moment, every situation in our lives, no matter how small, presents the possibility of becoming usable by God to teach us and show is His will for us.
To become a holy house is to be empty enough of our own desires and will to be teachable and filled with His love and loving action on our souls.
St. Elizabeth of the Trinity is a beloved patron of COLW and her words below suggest what we are called to be in this regard and how she lived it out herself:
“Let us be for him, in a way, another humanity in which He may renew His whole mystery.
I have asked Him to make His home in me as Adorer, as Healer, and as Saviour, and I cannot tell you what peace it gives my soul to think that He makes up for my weaknesses and, if I fail at every passing moment, He is there to help me up again and carry me farther unto Himself, into the depths of that divine essence where we already live by grace and where I would like to bury myself so deeply that nothing could make me leave”
Letter 214, Complete Works vol 2, Letters from Carmel p. 179, quoted in the Book of Life, page 12.
We can pray the COLW prayer daily, to ask for this grace to listen for the teachable moments and the courage to say 'yes'!
O Mary, teach us always to say 'yes' to the Lord,
Every day of our lives,
O Mary, teach us to give thanks to the Lord,
Every day of our lives.
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