Our saintly middle daughter tried to get her learner's permit today. She has waited this long because of her concern about her epilepsy issues (she has only ever had two seizures, the last one was a year ago last February). Her doctor cleared her to get a license if she wanted last fall, but she has really been struggling with confidence and worrying about the epilepsy.
We have been trying to get her to want to drive and hoping that she will be driving by fall, which would make my life so much easier. She could drive herself to class, and possibly even drive her sister since they are taking classes at the same campus. She has been studying the rules of the road book for over a month, but never seemed to be ready to step up and take the test. Part natural shyness, part fear I think.
Anyway, today was her first attempt at the permit test, and she missed one question more than is allowed. She was crushed. I told her that both her brother and sister had to take it more than once, and now that she has seen the questions that they ask she will have some idea of how to study for the next time she takes it tomorrow (I hope).
I wish there was more I could do for her, but realistically all I can do is take her to take the test as often as it takes. I did talk to her a bit about how to take a multiple choice test (eliminating the least likely answers first to cut down the possible choices on the ones you have to guess at).
I really hope she passes it the next time. I don't think she can take another failure.
Pax
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
She Doesn't Want to Create a "Ripple Effect"
The sad backlash of this entire dust up over President Obama being invited to speak at the Notre Dame commencement in May is that sadly, the deserving Dr. Mary Ann Glendon who was to have received the Laetare Medal at that same commencement has declined because in her own words . . .
A commencement, however, is supposed to be a joyous day for the graduates and their families. It is not the right place, nor is a brief acceptance speech the right vehicle, for engagement with the very serious problems raised by Notre Dame’s decision—in disregard of the settled position of the U.S. bishops—to honor a prominent and uncompromising opponent of the Church’s position on issues involving fundamental principles of justice.
Finally, with recent news reports that other Catholic schools are similarly choosing to disregard the bishops’ guidelines, I am concerned that Notre Dame’s example could have an unfortunate ripple effect.
You can read her entire letter to Fr. Jenkins (as it appears on First Things.com) here.
Unfotunatly, rather than leave the Medal unawarded this year, Fr Jenkins has already stated that they will "regift". I am just wondering if there is anyone who is truly pro-life who will be willing to take the dias with the President? I seriously doubt it, for the same reasons as Dr. Glendon found it impossible to do so.
I only wish that President Obama would realize the harm he is doing to the body of Christ and find some state emergency that will keep him away from Notre Dame on the day of commencement, for the greater good. Yeah, like that is likely to happen.
Pax
A commencement, however, is supposed to be a joyous day for the graduates and their families. It is not the right place, nor is a brief acceptance speech the right vehicle, for engagement with the very serious problems raised by Notre Dame’s decision—in disregard of the settled position of the U.S. bishops—to honor a prominent and uncompromising opponent of the Church’s position on issues involving fundamental principles of justice.
Finally, with recent news reports that other Catholic schools are similarly choosing to disregard the bishops’ guidelines, I am concerned that Notre Dame’s example could have an unfortunate ripple effect.
You can read her entire letter to Fr. Jenkins (as it appears on First Things.com) here.
Unfotunatly, rather than leave the Medal unawarded this year, Fr Jenkins has already stated that they will "regift". I am just wondering if there is anyone who is truly pro-life who will be willing to take the dias with the President? I seriously doubt it, for the same reasons as Dr. Glendon found it impossible to do so.
I only wish that President Obama would realize the harm he is doing to the body of Christ and find some state emergency that will keep him away from Notre Dame on the day of commencement, for the greater good. Yeah, like that is likely to happen.
Pax
Mystic Monday: Gonna Take An Orthodox Side Trip
Today dear children we are taking a slight side trip on our mystical journey to the land of the Orthodox church in the east. We shall be visiting with Dionysius the Areopagite (aka Pseudo-Dionysius to his homies c 500).
Very little is known about his life apart from his works which are a synthesis of Christian and Greek thought that created a mystical doctrine that layed the groundwork for all succeeding Christian mystics. They shaped the theology and Spirituality of both Eastern Orthodoxy and Western Christianity (King, Christian Mystics p 54)
Denys, as he came to be called, said that one could not know God, but one could experience God. He can be reached and found if He is sought on the right path.
God must be sought with an eyeless mind. The sould yearns for the union with Him whom neither being nor understanding can contain," who is "Darkness which is beyondLight," and whose visions can only be attained through the loss of all sight and knowledge. (King, p 56)
I am leaving you today with a small section from the introduction of chapter one of Celestial Heirarchy, one of his theological tretises which is very deep, but lovingly written nonetheless.
That every divine illumination, while going forth with love in various ways to the objects of its forethought, remains one. Nor is this all: it also unifies the things illuminated.
'Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of Lights.'[James 1:17]
Moreover, every divine procession of radiance from the Father, while constantly bounteously flowing to us, fills us anew as though with a unifying power, by recalling us to things above, and leading us to the unity of the Shepherding Father and to the Divine One. For from Him and into Him are all things, as is written in the holy Word.
It isn't rocket science; everything comes from God the Father and as such leads back to God because we live and breathe and have our being in God alone.
Pax
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Blessed JH?
The Rector of my Gradual School will be over the moon at the report from the Vatican that the way has been cleared for Cardinal John Henry Newman, the esteemed educator and man of letters to be declared Blessed.
You can read the article here.
Fr. Denis quoted JH Newman often in class (which was an amazing feet since the class I was taking was the History of the Early Church, but he managed). I was also lucky enough to be present at a lecture Fr. Denis did on Cardinal Newman and faith formation. It was evident that he was a devotee of the esteemed Cardinal.
I also had a spiritual director a few years before I went to Gradual School that loved Cardinal Newman. He practically had a shrine to Newman in his office.
I have read Newman, both on my own and for classes in Gradual School. While I found his writing to be complicated and very dense. I didn't have much difficulty understanding it after the second time I read it. I had to read Ratzinger three or four times before I understood what he wrote.
Anyway. I am glad this is moving forward. He deserves sainthood eventually and this is all part of the process.
Pax
You can read the article here.
Fr. Denis quoted JH Newman often in class (which was an amazing feet since the class I was taking was the History of the Early Church, but he managed). I was also lucky enough to be present at a lecture Fr. Denis did on Cardinal Newman and faith formation. It was evident that he was a devotee of the esteemed Cardinal.
I also had a spiritual director a few years before I went to Gradual School that loved Cardinal Newman. He practically had a shrine to Newman in his office.
I have read Newman, both on my own and for classes in Gradual School. While I found his writing to be complicated and very dense. I didn't have much difficulty understanding it after the second time I read it. I had to read Ratzinger three or four times before I understood what he wrote.
Anyway. I am glad this is moving forward. He deserves sainthood eventually and this is all part of the process.
Pax
Friday, April 24, 2009
A Picture of Solitude
Do you have a sanctuary? A place where you find rest? Is it a physical place or a mental place? For me, no matter where I am I have such a place.
When I was growing up we lived just across the street from a really great old estate that was like our private playground. It had been deeded to the city as a public park. The house and gardens at the top of the hill were used as meeting space and for events; but the property leading up to the house was left pretty much undeveloped.
That part of the property includes the brick paved carriage path that begins just across the street from my old house and winds through the woods ending at the mansion and carriage house at the top of the hill. In the middle of the woods there is a small bridge over a ravine where the rainwater would runoff during heavy rains storms. This bridge is my sanctuary. When I was growing up I used to spend a lot of time there playing, reading, sometimes just sitting and thinking.
No matter where I am now, I can seek sanctuary by remembering back to that bridge. The picture in this post is a photograph of a painting of that exact bridge . It was painted by my childhood friend Mark. The painting looks exactly like the bridge of my memory. When I mentioned on his blog that that bridge was my mental sanctuary he offered to send me the painting. He posted the picture to his facebook page so that I could get a preview of what he was sending me.
I am so excited even to think about where I might hang this painting in my house. Now I will have a visual image of a place that I so love. Words can't express how happy this makes me.
Life is so good.
Pax
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
When Your Writing Takes on a Life of Its Own
I have a deep dark secret; well not so dark, actually. A few years ago I started writing a book. It was going pretty well, I had an outline and character studies for the main characters and about six chapters written when Gradual School got so intense and I set it aside.
Earlier this month I had decided that I want to focus on writing more this summer, now that I don't have such an intense program of study for my internship ahead, so I began to write the characters again. Only something interesting happened. The characters began to move in directions that was very interesting, but changed the story line dramatically. In fact an entire story arc just dissolved right in front of my eyes as I worked on a portion of the story this week.
Was I nuts I wondered? All the hard work I had put into the sections I had already written, and all the characters that would now be cut from the story were just decimated. What I had though was an even better, more believable story.
Then something even more amazing happened. When I told a friend of mine in my internship program about it she said that a similar experience to the one I was describing had in fact happened to her. She thought my new story line was really great, and I should definitely keep it.
In fact she even offered to help me out by being my reviewer, so that as I write the sections that deal with emotional issues that I have never personally experienced and she has lived through, she will help me to make sure that they ring true. I am so blessed that she is willing to do this for me because what I am writing about is deeply personal and emotional. I want it to resonate, but also I don't want it to hurt my friend to have to revisit a time in her life that was so emotionally draining and painful.
Now, as I go through what I have written and see what I can salvage, and begin to rebuild, and then write new content things will flow much more smoothly, because this new storyline is fresh and will be fun to write. My goal is to try to write a thousand words a day all summer and see if I can get a working draft by fall.
We shall see where these characters take me next, they have already proven that they are in charge of the story and I am simply the scribe.
Pax
Earlier this month I had decided that I want to focus on writing more this summer, now that I don't have such an intense program of study for my internship ahead, so I began to write the characters again. Only something interesting happened. The characters began to move in directions that was very interesting, but changed the story line dramatically. In fact an entire story arc just dissolved right in front of my eyes as I worked on a portion of the story this week.
Was I nuts I wondered? All the hard work I had put into the sections I had already written, and all the characters that would now be cut from the story were just decimated. What I had though was an even better, more believable story.
Then something even more amazing happened. When I told a friend of mine in my internship program about it she said that a similar experience to the one I was describing had in fact happened to her. She thought my new story line was really great, and I should definitely keep it.
In fact she even offered to help me out by being my reviewer, so that as I write the sections that deal with emotional issues that I have never personally experienced and she has lived through, she will help me to make sure that they ring true. I am so blessed that she is willing to do this for me because what I am writing about is deeply personal and emotional. I want it to resonate, but also I don't want it to hurt my friend to have to revisit a time in her life that was so emotionally draining and painful.
Now, as I go through what I have written and see what I can salvage, and begin to rebuild, and then write new content things will flow much more smoothly, because this new storyline is fresh and will be fun to write. My goal is to try to write a thousand words a day all summer and see if I can get a working draft by fall.
We shall see where these characters take me next, they have already proven that they are in charge of the story and I am simply the scribe.
Pax
The Secret Meaning of my Name
Maggie
Pearl "Latin"
Creative, versatile and imaginative you appreciate beauty in all forms. You have great inner strength and courage and have the ability to accept large responsibilities or challenging situations with patience and humility. Others admire these qualities and follow your lead. You are honest, discerning and self-disciplined and need to have a peaceful environment. Putting others before self your talents are used to make life better for everyone.
Mary
Bitter "Hebrew"
You are charming, talented and have a very positive attitude to life so it is hardly surprising that you attract success and recognition. Focussed and patient you understand that material rewards are a result of discipline. Being so creative and with a need for self-expression you may be drawn towards the arts, travel is also likely to be important. A loyal friend, you are a person who must be allowed freedom and independence.
Loretta
Laurel wreath, bay tree "Latin"
You are both a visionary and a realist able to bring your dreams into a tangible form. Pioneering and ambitious you accept new challenges and the responsibilities which go with them willingly. Your sound judgement, resourcefulness and positive nature means that your progress in life is assured. Certainly your kindness and generosity to others and your inspirational manner attract success as well as many admirers.
Geene
You are fairminded, wise and peaceloving and are always willing to help others. Your mental capabilities and creativity are well marked with wonderful and original ideas which you need to bring to tangible fruition. Perceptive and understanding of others your positive approach to life and influential nature means that you have leadership qualities. There is great potential for success both financially and spiritually.
If you would like to find out what your name means you can go here and try for yourself.
h/t to Teresa for the link.
Pearl "Latin"
Creative, versatile and imaginative you appreciate beauty in all forms. You have great inner strength and courage and have the ability to accept large responsibilities or challenging situations with patience and humility. Others admire these qualities and follow your lead. You are honest, discerning and self-disciplined and need to have a peaceful environment. Putting others before self your talents are used to make life better for everyone.
Mary
Bitter "Hebrew"
You are charming, talented and have a very positive attitude to life so it is hardly surprising that you attract success and recognition. Focussed and patient you understand that material rewards are a result of discipline. Being so creative and with a need for self-expression you may be drawn towards the arts, travel is also likely to be important. A loyal friend, you are a person who must be allowed freedom and independence.
Loretta
Laurel wreath, bay tree "Latin"
You are both a visionary and a realist able to bring your dreams into a tangible form. Pioneering and ambitious you accept new challenges and the responsibilities which go with them willingly. Your sound judgement, resourcefulness and positive nature means that your progress in life is assured. Certainly your kindness and generosity to others and your inspirational manner attract success as well as many admirers.
Geene
You are fairminded, wise and peaceloving and are always willing to help others. Your mental capabilities and creativity are well marked with wonderful and original ideas which you need to bring to tangible fruition. Perceptive and understanding of others your positive approach to life and influential nature means that you have leadership qualities. There is great potential for success both financially and spiritually.
If you would like to find out what your name means you can go here and try for yourself.
h/t to Teresa for the link.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Making a Rainbow Connection
Sh'ma Ysrael YHVH Eloheynu YHVH Echad! Deut 6:4
The above verse is taken from the Torah and is at the core of Jewish prayer. It can be loosely translated Listen God-wrestlers, IS/WAS/WILL BE is OUR DIVINE SOURCE, IS/WAS/WILL BE ONE!
The greatest bit of knowledge comes from listening to the syllables of the Sh'ma itself.
Shhhhhhhh-mmmmmmmmmmm- aaaaaaahhhhhhhhh
Shhh -- the sounds of silence, quieting our inner voices if you will so that we can hear that still small voice.
mmmm -- the sound of grateful fullness and abundance, of having enough no matter what our circumstance
ahhh -- the release into wonder, the unknown, letting go of all we hold dear to be filld once again with life giving spirit.
We are asked to listen to a God who is bigger than any one dimension or faith tradition or belief system. Who can speak to us in many and varied and unexpected ways.
Listen, what do you hear?
(excerpted from a reflection by Rabbi Shawn Israel Zevit in Listen A Seeker's Resource for Spiritual Direction International April 2009, Vol 3 Issue 2.)
Just after I read the above passage yesterday I drove to pick up my daughter from her class. It had just stopped raining and the sun was shining. As I drove through the Shining sun A huge rainbow, probably the largest one I have ever seen in my lifetime, appeared on the horizon in front of me as I crested a hill just before the turn. It was totally awe inspiring and a perfect example of what I had just read. Sh'ma!
Somehow I understood that prayer in a way I never had before because of the words I had read and the rainbow in the sky. My senses were full of the majesty of God. I was awestruck and humbled, and felt very loved all at the same time.
God is so good. I just wanted to share with you.
Pax
Monday, April 20, 2009
Who Knew I Had Such a Competitive Streak?
My old friend Mark is having a contest on his blog and I want to win and I need your help!!!!
Click on this link and leave a comment saying
angelmeg sent me to Oldman's.
If three people do this for me before three people do for anyone else I will win.
I can't believe I want this so much (well, not so much The Tuxedo, but the signed print I would love to have because I love his cartoons).
So, come one you guys, I only need three of you to go right over there and leave a message.
I WON!!!!! THANKS TO ALL MY WONDERFUL FRIENDS I HAD MORE THAN ENOUGH COMMENTS . I RECOMMEND THAT THOSE OF YOU WHO WENT THERE TO LEAVE THE ONE COMMENT BOOKMARK HIS SIGHT AND VISIT OCCASIONALLY. NOT ONLY ARE HIS CARTOONS HILARIOUS, BUT YOU CAN LEARN A THING OR TWO ABOUT MARTIAL ARTS AS WELL.
Pax
Click on this link and leave a comment saying
angelmeg sent me to Oldman's.
If three people do this for me before three people do for anyone else I will win.
I can't believe I want this so much (well, not so much The Tuxedo, but the signed print I would love to have because I love his cartoons).
So, come one you guys, I only need three of you to go right over there and leave a message.
I WON!!!!! THANKS TO ALL MY WONDERFUL FRIENDS I HAD MORE THAN ENOUGH COMMENTS . I RECOMMEND THAT THOSE OF YOU WHO WENT THERE TO LEAVE THE ONE COMMENT BOOKMARK HIS SIGHT AND VISIT OCCASIONALLY. NOT ONLY ARE HIS CARTOONS HILARIOUS, BUT YOU CAN LEARN A THING OR TWO ABOUT MARTIAL ARTS AS WELL.
Pax
Mystic Monday: Divine Mercy Edition
Yesterday was Divine Mercy Sunday, a relatively new feast day in our Catholic Tradition, but one that is very special to many people, most especially John Paul the Great our late Pope. He had a great devotion to the Divine Mercy of Jesus, and spoke often using one of my favorite images of God's love as an Ocean of Mercy.
So, in honor of Divine Mercy Sunday yesterday dear children we will visit with a beautiful young woman today, St Faustina, to whom our Blessed Saviour sent the image of His Divine Mercy. She spoke of it in her autobiography in this way:
"In the evening, when I was in my cell, I became aware of the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand was raised in blessing, the other was touching the garment at the breast. From the opening of the garment at the breast there came forth two large rays, one red and the other pale. In silence I gazed intently at the Lord; my soul was overwhelmed with fear, but also with great joy. After a while Jesus said to me, 'paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the inscription: Jesus, I trust in You.'"
She painted the image, just as she had seen it, and we know it today as the Divine Mercy.
This is how Our Lord Himself described the image to her:
"The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous; the red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls. These two rays issued forth from the depths of My most tender Mercy at that time when My agonizing Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross....Fortunate is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him."
We also have a chaplet of Divine Mercy which is said on a standard Rosary and asks for reparations not only for our own sins, but also for the sins of the whole world. It is one of the most beautiful prayers that I have ever heard sung. There is a place on the click through page to hear it sung, it is worth the time to click on the YouTube link and listen, I promise you.
Pax
Thursday, April 16, 2009
A New Kinda Pain
So, I have decided that I really need to get serious about getting in shape, and the WiiFit is great but I need a little more incentive to get it in gear.
A really great friend of mine is a member of Curves and she loves it, so I joined two weeks ago. The workout is set up so that you don't have to think about what you are doing, you just do the circuit and you get a total body workout with cardio and stretching in 45 minutes, which is great for me. Besides that, the Curves that I joined is right down the street from the school the angelbaby attends and both of the campuses that make up the Community College where the other girls are taking classes. Not the least bit out of my way. Since I pass by the place almost every day without really going that far out of my way it really is a convenient and helps me stay motivated and showing up.
While I wouldn't say I am enjoying the workouts I haven't had any trouble at all getting there at least five days each week. I am hoping to jump start getting in shape by really working hard to get things going. I have been working with the Curves Smart program this week, which is a computerized tracking system that helps me not slack off on any of the machines on the circuit because it tells me how hard I have to work and how many reps I have to do on each machine each day.
The really nice thing about Curves Smart is that I get immediate feedback after each workout by placing my tag in the computer at my Curves when I am done. The computer tells me how many calories I burned, and how hard I worked each muscle group for that specific workout and then it compares that to the last ten workouts. It shows the percentage of effort I put forth for each muscle group based upon my range of motion that was tested when I started the program (and then each workout it gets a little more strenuous).
I hate to love this new workout regime, or love to hate it I suppose. I enjoy the company of the other women who are there to work out when I go in, and I know that I am getting a well rounded workout and I can tell that I am working very hard every day and that is rewarding. I am hoping to see results very soon. It has only been not quite three weeks after all.
Pax
A really great friend of mine is a member of Curves and she loves it, so I joined two weeks ago. The workout is set up so that you don't have to think about what you are doing, you just do the circuit and you get a total body workout with cardio and stretching in 45 minutes, which is great for me. Besides that, the Curves that I joined is right down the street from the school the angelbaby attends and both of the campuses that make up the Community College where the other girls are taking classes. Not the least bit out of my way. Since I pass by the place almost every day without really going that far out of my way it really is a convenient and helps me stay motivated and showing up.
While I wouldn't say I am enjoying the workouts I haven't had any trouble at all getting there at least five days each week. I am hoping to jump start getting in shape by really working hard to get things going. I have been working with the Curves Smart program this week, which is a computerized tracking system that helps me not slack off on any of the machines on the circuit because it tells me how hard I have to work and how many reps I have to do on each machine each day.
The really nice thing about Curves Smart is that I get immediate feedback after each workout by placing my tag in the computer at my Curves when I am done. The computer tells me how many calories I burned, and how hard I worked each muscle group for that specific workout and then it compares that to the last ten workouts. It shows the percentage of effort I put forth for each muscle group based upon my range of motion that was tested when I started the program (and then each workout it gets a little more strenuous).
I hate to love this new workout regime, or love to hate it I suppose. I enjoy the company of the other women who are there to work out when I go in, and I know that I am getting a well rounded workout and I can tell that I am working very hard every day and that is rewarding. I am hoping to see results very soon. It has only been not quite three weeks after all.
Pax
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Cast Not These Pearls . . .
Last summer during our self imposed exile in Florida we fell in love with a comic strip called Pearls Before Swine that was a daily fixture in the local paper. Our plucky youngest child (the angelbaby) has missed it so that she not only found it in book form at our local library and has read every compilation in print, but she also found it on the net, and now can read each new strip as they are published since we don't get it in our local paper.
It is awesome in the most politically satirical, lowbrow humor kind of way that really tickles my funny bone and makes me laugh until I, well, embarrass myself in ways only women will understand.
Then, through the website we found out that Stephan Patis, the creator of this awesome strip actually has a blog!! You have to check this out! It is absolutely hilarious. Just as funny as the strip, and very informative about his process, which is great for someone who is a total geek about that kind of thing (the creative process I mean).
It has also given me the most awesome idea for the angelbaby's next birthday cake; I can't wait to order that Shalom Stan cake with a Menorah on it in the middle of May!!!!!! Don't tell her though, I want it to be a surprise.
I am adding his blog to my blogroll. A word of warning; don't be drinking any liquids while you read his entries. Trust me on this one.
Pax
It is awesome in the most politically satirical, lowbrow humor kind of way that really tickles my funny bone and makes me laugh until I, well, embarrass myself in ways only women will understand.
Then, through the website we found out that Stephan Patis, the creator of this awesome strip actually has a blog!! You have to check this out! It is absolutely hilarious. Just as funny as the strip, and very informative about his process, which is great for someone who is a total geek about that kind of thing (the creative process I mean).
It has also given me the most awesome idea for the angelbaby's next birthday cake; I can't wait to order that Shalom Stan cake with a Menorah on it in the middle of May!!!!!! Don't tell her though, I want it to be a surprise.
I am adding his blog to my blogroll. A word of warning; don't be drinking any liquids while you read his entries. Trust me on this one.
Pax
Monday, April 13, 2009
Pauline Year Message from the Paulists
Pray to have the zeal of an apostle!
When you read this you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to human beings in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. ~ St. Paul, Ephesians 3: 3-6
Wednesday I said Mass in the Mamertine prison, in which St. Peter was confined by order of Nero; and also St. Paul. The pillar is there to which they were chained, and the fountain remains which sprang up miraculously at their feet, in whose waters they baptized their jailors and twenty-seven soldiers. There were with me four American students, and you can easily imagine that I prayed earnestly in Holy Mass to obtain for us all the zeal of the Apostles for the conversion of our country.
~ Father Isaac Hecker, Servant of God, founder of the Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle (1819 - 1888)
Mystic Monday: Dyngus Day Special
The Monday after Easter is known as Dyngus Day. In honor of that I am offering a special Mystic Monday. Today dear children we will visit with a Polish saint, St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe, a dear friend of mrangelmeg's and mine.
This particular saint may not be one who would be at first considered a mystic, but he did in truth have a mystical vision early on in his life. He saw the Blessed Virgin while at prayer. This is what he said later of that experience:
"That night, I asked the Mother of God what was to become of me. Then she came to me holding two crowns, one white, the other red. She asked me if I was willing to accept either of these crowns. The white one meant that I should persevere in purity, and the red that I should become a martyr. I said that I would accept them both."
He went on to become a Franciscan who worked as a great evangelist, and used radio and new technologies of the time to spread the Good News. During the early years of the Second World War he hid many Jews, protecting them from persecution and death at the hands of the Germans. For this he was eventually arrested and sent to Auschwitz where he died in the stead of another man in a retributional killing by the guards.
I leave you, dear children with this prayer of Maximilian's as he was being led away by the Gestapo with his brother friars.
Courage, my sons. Don’t you see that we are leaving on a mission? They pay our fare in the bargain. What a piece of good luck! The thing to do now is to pray well in order to win as many souls as possible. Let us, then, tell the Blessed Virgin that we are content, and that she can do with us anything she wishes” (Maximilian Mary Kolbe, when first arrested).
Pax
Sunday, April 12, 2009
The SEASON of Easter Begins Today
Wake Up Folks, Easter isn't just a Sunday, it is a season of the Church year.
For seven weeks we celebrate the resurrection of Christ and what that means to us. For fifty days (even longer than the Lent we just passed through, we enter into a new kind of apprenticeship of our journey with our loving Saviour; for in the resurrection stories we learn something new about Jesus.
As Father said at Mass this morning, quoting from Fr. Larry Gillick SJ (of Creighton University ) The risen Christ plays a game of Now you see me, Now you see me in a new way in the stories we hear during the Easter season. Each new encounter draws us deeper into the mystery that is our union and communion with Him in faith and belief. We become so enamoured of the Good News that we cannot keep it to ourselves; like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, who after their encounter with the Risen Lord ran all the way back to Jerusalem to report the Good News to the others with the phrase "Were not our hearts burning within us?" (Luke 24: 5-34)
Or like the Apostles at Pentecost, we are so emboldened by the Holy Spirit that we cannot keep silence, and are called out of our hide-away to preach what we know to be true to the crowds, some of whom I am sure weren't receptive to the message. (Acts 2)
And also like our friend Steven the first martyr for the faith. Steven teaches us that we must be bold enough too stand up for the truth, and our faith even in the face of the most crushing contempt and unbelief. We must be willing to do so even if it means doing so at our very own peril. (Acts 7)
So my dear children, enter into this season of Easter with Joy and thanksgiving. Allow yourself to seek the Lord where he may be found and draw strength from Him while He is still near. Grow strong and bold in your faith, because I can tell you that dark days are ahead when even your own brothers and sisters will reject you because of your faith in Christ.
Do not be swayed, stand up for the truth and be bold in proclaiming in loudly. You have a right in this country to the free expression of your religious faith. Use that right.
Pax
For seven weeks we celebrate the resurrection of Christ and what that means to us. For fifty days (even longer than the Lent we just passed through, we enter into a new kind of apprenticeship of our journey with our loving Saviour; for in the resurrection stories we learn something new about Jesus.
As Father said at Mass this morning, quoting from Fr. Larry Gillick SJ (of Creighton University ) The risen Christ plays a game of Now you see me, Now you see me in a new way in the stories we hear during the Easter season. Each new encounter draws us deeper into the mystery that is our union and communion with Him in faith and belief. We become so enamoured of the Good News that we cannot keep it to ourselves; like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, who after their encounter with the Risen Lord ran all the way back to Jerusalem to report the Good News to the others with the phrase "Were not our hearts burning within us?" (Luke 24: 5-34)
Or like the Apostles at Pentecost, we are so emboldened by the Holy Spirit that we cannot keep silence, and are called out of our hide-away to preach what we know to be true to the crowds, some of whom I am sure weren't receptive to the message. (Acts 2)
And also like our friend Steven the first martyr for the faith. Steven teaches us that we must be bold enough too stand up for the truth, and our faith even in the face of the most crushing contempt and unbelief. We must be willing to do so even if it means doing so at our very own peril. (Acts 7)
So my dear children, enter into this season of Easter with Joy and thanksgiving. Allow yourself to seek the Lord where he may be found and draw strength from Him while He is still near. Grow strong and bold in your faith, because I can tell you that dark days are ahead when even your own brothers and sisters will reject you because of your faith in Christ.
Do not be swayed, stand up for the truth and be bold in proclaiming in loudly. You have a right in this country to the free expression of your religious faith. Use that right.
Pax
Friday, April 10, 2009
Holy Week with John of the Cross
I didn't post on Wednesday or Thursday due to too may commitments outside the house. I will just skip adding those reflections and continue with my Friday John of the Cross meditation:
Where have you hidden ,
Beloved, and left me moaning?
You fled like the stag
After wounding me;
I went out calling you, and you were gone.
This is the way it feels in a Catholic Church after Holy Thursday Mass, when the Tabernacle is emptied, its light extinguished, and the altar is bare. Jesus has fled [to the altar of repose] . The church is somehow more quiet, more cold than it normally is. Something palpable is missing.
My mother used to say, Jesus is in hiding until Holy Saturday Mass when the consecration happens again and the balance is restored.
We are on our way toward the Resurrection, Happy Good Friday.
Pax
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Tuesday of Holy Week: More John of the Cross
From The Spiritual Canticle:
Pax
Do not despise me;
For if, before you found me dark,
Now truly you can look at me
Since you have looked
And left in me grace and beauty.
This verse is a very personal verse to me. Again John could be writing my journey with these words.
Before I was closed off, unable to receive the grace that God was freely offering. Now I am open to the grace and beauty that God has given me. Now I can see myself more clearly as God sees me.Pax
Monday, April 06, 2009
Mystic Monday: Holy Week Edition
Each Holy Week I spend my days in pursuit of a lofty goal; something I wouldn't do on any other normal day. Last year I read a poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins each day of Holy Week. The sprung rhythm was a wonderful addition to my contemplation of the days as I moved toward Easter.
This year I have decided to delve more deeply into the poetry of John of the Cross. I am going to attempt to resisit the urge to read the commentary (you might not know this, but John wrote commentary for every line of poetry he wrote.) and just savor the words themselves without explanation.
Here is the stanza I have chosen today from The Spiritual Canticle:
This year I have decided to delve more deeply into the poetry of John of the Cross. I am going to attempt to resisit the urge to read the commentary (you might not know this, but John wrote commentary for every line of poetry he wrote.) and just savor the words themselves without explanation.
Here is the stanza I have chosen today from The Spiritual Canticle:
Now I occupy my soul
And all my energy in his service,
I no longer tend the herd
Nor have I any other work
Now that my every act is love.
Without any commentary I believe that I understand this verse. Do any of you, dear children understand the feeling that one's life of work changes dramatically when one encounters He that is Love Personified?
Pax
Holy Week
It is so hard to believe that Holy Week is already here. It seems like just yesterday was Ash Wednesday and now we are just a few days shy of the end of Lent and the start of my favorite season of the Church year The Triduum.
Remember: Lent ends Wednesday Night! Thursday begins an entirely new season of the Church. If you have been fasting or have given up something, that fasting can end on Thursday if you so choose. My parents when I was growing up made us wait until Easter morning to end our fast from television, or candy or whatever it was we had given up. But also remember that Friday is a day of solemn fasting in honor of the day that Christ died on the cross.
I was telling Fr. Bill yesterday after Mass that I could set up a cot in the back of church and just live in the church from Thursday until Sunday I love those liturgies so much. If you have never taken the time to explore the liturgies of Holy Week I recommend that you do. There is so much symbol and presence in the liturgies of the Triduum, from the Stripping of the Altar on Holy Thursday to the veneration of the Cross on Good Friday to the lighting of the New Fire on Holy Saturday and then, my personal favorite the singing of the Exultet which is an ancient hymn that recounts our need for salvation and our need for Resurrection.
I am offering you these links to the Three Holy Days so that if you choose you can prepare yourself and your family for these days.
Holy Thursday
Good Friday
Holy Saturday
I also want to give you a gentle reminder that Easter, dear children, is a Season of the Church year and not just a Sunday. We in the Church celebrate Easter for 50 days, from the Sunday of Christ's resurrection until Pentecost. Don't be stingy with your celebration.
We are an Easter People after all.
See you in Church.
Pax
Remember: Lent ends Wednesday Night! Thursday begins an entirely new season of the Church. If you have been fasting or have given up something, that fasting can end on Thursday if you so choose. My parents when I was growing up made us wait until Easter morning to end our fast from television, or candy or whatever it was we had given up. But also remember that Friday is a day of solemn fasting in honor of the day that Christ died on the cross.
I was telling Fr. Bill yesterday after Mass that I could set up a cot in the back of church and just live in the church from Thursday until Sunday I love those liturgies so much. If you have never taken the time to explore the liturgies of Holy Week I recommend that you do. There is so much symbol and presence in the liturgies of the Triduum, from the Stripping of the Altar on Holy Thursday to the veneration of the Cross on Good Friday to the lighting of the New Fire on Holy Saturday and then, my personal favorite the singing of the Exultet which is an ancient hymn that recounts our need for salvation and our need for Resurrection.
I am offering you these links to the Three Holy Days so that if you choose you can prepare yourself and your family for these days.
Holy Thursday
Good Friday
Holy Saturday
I also want to give you a gentle reminder that Easter, dear children, is a Season of the Church year and not just a Sunday. We in the Church celebrate Easter for 50 days, from the Sunday of Christ's resurrection until Pentecost. Don't be stingy with your celebration.
We are an Easter People after all.
See you in Church.
Pax
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Please Join Us.
My dear friend John, who has battled Multiple Myeloma now for over two years and had been in remission since late last fall has had a setback and is battling Poindexter again. You can follow his battle at the weblog Me and Poindexter.
We have begun a prayer petition to Blessed Pope John XXIII that he might intercede on John's behalf that John might be cured of this illness, but also that there might be a cure found for the disease alltogether so that all who suffer from it might be cured. To that end I have added a picture and petition on my sidebar that links directly to John's blog. Please consider praying with us for a cure to this horrible disease.
Pax
We have begun a prayer petition to Blessed Pope John XXIII that he might intercede on John's behalf that John might be cured of this illness, but also that there might be a cure found for the disease alltogether so that all who suffer from it might be cured. To that end I have added a picture and petition on my sidebar that links directly to John's blog. Please consider praying with us for a cure to this horrible disease.
Pax
Friday, April 03, 2009
Retreating
I leave this afternoon for a short Retreat with the Elect from St. Paul who are completing their journey into full communion at Easter. Our theme this year is:
Your Spiritual Garden
My talk is on Saturday at 12:30 and concerns what to do in times of Drought or Spiritual Dryness. I know what the Holy Spirit wants me to speak about, but every time I try to sit down and type up some notes or set out and outline something comes up and I don't get it done. By now I am skilled enough at retreats to know that I simply have to trust that whatever happens will be what was meant to happen for this group at this retreat, but I would feel a bit less queasy if I could at least have a few notes in front of me.
The way things are going I may be sitting up late tonight trying to get something down on paper. To my credit I do have an ending and a beginning and I am fully aware of how much time I have to fill. so I will just trust that the Holy Spirit is capable of adding the middle of the content, so long as I stay out of the way. Maybe there is something that is going to happen during the talks that come previous to mine that will alter what I need to say.
Right now it is time to get dressed and go get in a workout and get my tire checked out because it keeps losing air. Then shopping for retreat essentials, and packing and taking my daughter to her volunteer job and a bit of clean up around home and getting the kids situated so I can be gone overnight, and then I will be off.
If you get a chance, say a quick prayer for my talk tomorrow. I will appreciate the presence.
Pax
Friday Fun?
In an effort to "warn" everyone about the disturbing web content that is out there I bring you this-- I am not sure what to call it.
I found it disturbingly funny. Which either shows that I have some serious mental issues or a very miss-spent youth. I think I will leave that to my loving and compassionate God to untangle.
h/t to a newly reconnected childhood friend Mark at Oldman's Boobishi for the link.
Pax
I found it disturbingly funny. Which either shows that I have some serious mental issues or a very miss-spent youth. I think I will leave that to my loving and compassionate God to untangle.
h/t to a newly reconnected childhood friend Mark at Oldman's Boobishi for the link.
Pax
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