BLESSED ARE THE PURE OF HEART, for they will see God.

INTRO As we gather once again to understand the beatitude of life let us reflect on the purity of heart that makes us a child of God not only to see God but to understand the quality of his creation. Let us look around and see. The world is pure and it reflects Gods purity in the air we breathe, in the light we see, in the beauty of earth, the flowers, fruits and mountains and sea. Yet it is a miracle to experience the purity of God from within and around. Who are the clean of heart? Those who have absolute integrity in word and action • have pure intentions, • Have purity of words and deeds • are sincere, transparent • have selfless motives They put God first in their lives and nothing comes in between. Their commitment to a cause is Absolute. The clean of heart are characterized by their – simplicity, single mindedness, single priority sacrifice, solitude None of us has a pure heart spontaneously; if we attain it one day, it will be at the cost of great effort. Thus, it is primarily a question for us aspiring to purify our hearts. Our first concern is therefore to show the way of this purification: through what stages will we have to pass that our hearts may become as clear waters which will reflect the image of God? Jesus has a terrible observation to make about our impure hearts: `Whatever comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and it is this that makes someone unclean. For from the heart come evil intentions: murder, adultery, fornication, theft, perjury, slander. These are the things that make a person unclean' (Matthew 15:18—20 NJB). Our hearts are the source of the pollution which spreads through both our inner and outer selves. In the very centre of our life of prayer there is an inexhaustible reservoir of disturbance, noise, agitation and of fog clouding our eyes as we seek the divine light. That is the heart we have to purify. It would be foolish to want to deal at a stroke with this source of impurity without first disposing of all those external actions which make us blind. The first stage on the journey to purity of heart is interior silence. To ensure that our actions regain a genuine integrity, and above all to bring order into our thoughts and imaginations: this is the first, indispensable purification if we want to rediscover our hearts, hidden and buried as they are by the rush and bustle within us. Even if our imagination has fallen silent and our thoughts become stilled, we shall find in the depths of ourselves a kind of fundamental instability, an inexhaustible fount of anxiety, a seedbed of judgments, condemnations and fear. If we are truly to have a strong desire to purify this heart, we must first experience its impurity and feel the radical need to transform it, if we are one day to see God. It is then that we make our own, as though addressed to us personally, the word that God spoke to Israel through Ezekiel: `I shall pour clean water over you and you will be cleansed; I shall cleanse you of all your filth and of all your foul idols. I shall give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you; I shall remove the heart of stone from your bodies and give you a heart of flesh instead. I shall put my spirit in you, and make you keep my laws, and respect and practise my judgements.' (Ezekiel 36: 25—27 NJB) “I now no longer live Christ my Lord lives in me” We must cleanse ourselves of sin so we may be able to call upon the Lord with a pure heart 2 Tim 2:21-23 Therefore, if anyone cleanses from these things, hey will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Mother Clara’s call is a testimony for her vocation. Let us Love God and God alone… What is Life? GOD What is our nourishment? The Cross What is our achievement? The Sacrifice “Courage then! Hands to the work without slackening living solely for God, having but one heart and one soul for him” “You do not live among angels, but creatures who cannot be absolutely perfect. We are all mortals and we are weak. So accept one another in charity without being astonished at the defects of your sisters”. For purity of heart, we must confess our sins regularly seeking forgiveness 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness To maintain fellowship with God requires a pure heart James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. HYMN Purify my heart, Let me be like gold and precious silver Purify my heart, Let me be like gold, pure gold, Ch Refiner’s fire, my hearts one desire is to be holy, Set apart for you Lord, I chose to be holy, set apart for you my Master, Ready to do your will… Purify my heart, cleanse me from within, and make me holy, Purify my heart, cleanse me from my sin, deep within. The converted are pure in heart. Matt 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. To be “pure in heart” is to be clean and pure of sin, having a sincere and earnest devotion to God. Purity of heart is to have a pure longing for God, serving Him only (Mat 6:24). Purity of heart is accomplished only with the help of God (Ps 51:10; Act 15:9). There is a commitment to totally clean our hearts from sin (Mat. 12:34-35). Novena 6th day To You all honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen Lord our God "Many and marvellous are the wonders you work upon us" (Ps. 39). Through the intercession of Your Servant, Mother Clara, through whom You revealed to many Your love, give heed to our prayer, and once again manifest Your goodness, granting us the grace we ask for. Glory be to the Father… Lord Jesus, You who ask us "Be perfect as Your heavenly Father is perfect" (Mt. 5:48), enkindle in us the desire to imitate You. In the example of Mother Clara who filing the edges of her defects, went on perfecting herself ever more, grant us a good heart and the grace of obtaining what we ask of You. Glory be to the Father… Lord, You who motivated Mother Clara to live with an ever grateful heart, advising us to "be generous towards You, as You have been generous towards us", through Your intercession, listen to our supplication in Your great generosity. Our Father... Glory be to the Father... To You all honour and all glory... Prayer Asking For The Canonization Of Mother Maria Clara Of The Child Jesus Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for your greater honor and glory, for the good of the Church and the world, deign to glorify here on earth your servant Mother Maria Clara of the Child Jesus who in her life time dedicated herself to care of the children the poor and all those who suffered. Adorn her Lord with the aureole of glory, which the Holy Church places before us as models of virtue to imitate and listen to supplication, which through her intercession we address to you granting us the grace we ask for. To You all honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen