This has been a busy week which has included a 1 day trip in and out of St. Louis for my husband’s doctor appointment yesterday, so I have neglected my posting.  Although I’m really tired from yesterday, I wanted to write about a lovely experience I had this morning.

Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays are the times when I can get into the therapy pool at the rehab center.  There are a group of us “regulars” who come between the hours of 8:00 to 11:00 to do our various exercises.  It’s gotten to be an uplifting experience of support and encouragement for all of us who are so grateful for the chance to get moving with as little stress as possible.  We often speak of how much worse we feel if we miss our pool time.

Today we were blessed with a newcomer who, due to family schedules, usually comes once a week in the evening.  She is a pre-teen in a wheelchair whose mom brings her and helps her to exercise.  With all her obvious physical limitations, nothing is wrong with her mind or her spirit.  She is everything I love about young people and more – she has the innocence, purity, open-heartedness and joy of youth, yet with a wisdom beyond her years.  This child bears a great physical burden with grace and God, is cheerful and outgoing, and does not fail to inspire.

We spoke freely about our favorite Bible books and how life without God would be unbearable.  She mentioned how God tests us and proves us with our infirmities and how her sister encouraged her to visualize herself doing something she has wanted to do for some time.  The ability to look forward and set goals for herself regardless of the grave challenges she faces, and to do it without a trace of self-pity or hesitation is a gift others with far fewer infirmities would do well to seek.

The three of us, her mother, I, and the girl, agreed that our meeting was meant to be – a real God-incidence. I was pleased to tell of my great fortune of finding a natural health doctor in the area who also might be able to help her with certain aspects of her health conditions and happy that they both are also interested in holistic medicine.  We found we shopped at the same health food stores and chattered about how we dealt with our gluten sensitivities.

I don’t know if we will see each other again, but my takeaway from today is that if we are where we are supposed to be, doing what we are supposed to do, God will send us precious moments like these where He reveals Himself in unexpected ways. Please pray for this remarkable young lady who lights up the place wherever she goes.  She is truly one who suffers with joy.

Over the past couple of months I’ve been thinking of a dear friend, Father Philip Schuster, O.S.B., one of the monks murdered at Conception Abbey on June 10, 2002 by a gunman whose motives will forever remain unknown as he had no connection to any of the monks nor to the abbey and left nothing in spoken word or writing to say why he did it.

Lloyd Robert Jeffress got in his car with an AK 47 and a .22 caliber sawed off rifle and drove a couple of hours from Kansas City to Conception, Missouri to execute as many monks as he could find. Father Philip, age 84 and monastery porter, was shot in the torso and finished off with a shot to the head after he fell.  The bullet hole remains in the hallway floor.  Brother Damian, known as “the weather monk” was also killed.  Two other monks who entered the hallway from their offices were shot, gravely wounded, and recovered after a long time.  When Jeffress couldn’t find anybody else to shoot, he went back down the hall and through the same door to the basilica he had used to enter the monastery, and killed himself.  In the midst of mourning the Abbot re-consecrated the basilica the next day.

I made a some private retreats at the abbey with Father Philip and visited him there with my husband on our way north to see friends.  He had been the novice master of my pastor and he was just the person I needed at that time of my life.  On one of my visits, he gave me a copy of the book he wrote, Seeking God’s Will Through Faith, Hope & Charity, full of the simple wisdom about life only a very prayerful monk with vast pastoral experience could write.

Father Philip was everything a priest should be and solid as a rock theologically.  He set a good example for me in the spiritual life and I often think of things he said in our conferences.  One typical exchange between us happened when I was sitting in his porter’s office and we were discussing the rosary.  Father pulled an old, really old broken rosary out of his breast pocket (it came from a monk who died in 1927 and I have one just like it from the same monk) and waving it in the air said, “I love praying the rosary.  I don’t worry about getting all the prayers in.  Sometimes I just get a good meditation on the mystery and don’t worry about finishing every decade.” In other words, keep to the purpose of what you’re doing and don’t sweat the small stuff. Of the monk who blessed our rosaries so long ago he said, “Father Lucas hung every indulgence under the sun on these rosaries. I don’t mind that it’s broken.  Our Lady doesn’t mind if we pray on broken rosaries.”And Father Philip prayed on his so much he plumb wore it out.

If you boiled down the essence of Father Philip, it would be simplicity and faithfulness in conforming ourselves to God’s will.  He was kind and gentle, but very firm about obeying God’s laws.  He was utterly faithful to his monastic vows and using that old, broken rosary was a perfect example of his approach to the vow of poverty.  He clearly knew what was important and what was not.

Because life itself is threatened with such great intensity from so many sides these days, and peace of soul can be elusive for the person in the world, I decided to read a little of Father Philip’s book again every day and share some passages with you here.  This is a great book that never gets boring no matter how many times you read it. Father Philip was a gift from God to all, but especially to the tortured soul who needs to learn to suffer with joy, and I’m sure he brought many to God.  He lived what he wrote.

From Chapter Two: Faith:

“He who through faith is righteous shall live” (Rom. 1: 17).  In an age when personal freedom is so much stressed, it seems helpful and necessary to try to clarify our notion of faith.

Many of us were born into a Christian family.  Many of us, especially Catholics, were baptized as infants, or when we were very young.  I do not wish to see this practice changed.  I agree with it.  But it does have at least one danger.  We are prone to think that faith, like love, comes easily, naturally, without real effort on our part.  We assume that anyone who professes to be Catholic, and who goes to church, has a deep faith.  I challenge that notion.

It is true that when the child receives the sacrament of baptism, the virtue of faith is implanted in the soul, like a seed.  Whatever else that virtue may be at the time of baptism, it is an inclination, a force, that inclines us, helps us, gives us the attitude of one ready to believe, ready to be taught by God, relying simply on His wisdom, His fidelity, His goodness.  Relying on God who can neither deceive nor be deceived.

“Relying on God who can neither deceive nor be deceived.”  Wherever lies or deception of any kind exists, there is Satan who is the clever master of re-direction and re-definition. We see and hear this every day in the news media.  Something is forever being presented as something it is not and people rely on these deceptions to justify the unjustifiable. A fair question to ask is, am I ready to be taught by God, or do I habitually look elsewhere to be told what I want to hear?

My dad passed away last September.  When mom passed away in March one of dad’s files was given to me to sort through.  In it I found this poem he must have discovered on the internet because it was printed from his printer.  According to the Passionist Nuns of St. Joseph Monastery at In the Shadows of His Wings it was written by a Trappist monk. The poem fits perfectly with the purpose of this site and is an indication of the rich interior life my dad enjoyed as he grew older and closer to death.  I appreciate his example and thank God for having given me such a good parent.

St. Dominic Adoring the Crucifixion, 1440s, Fra Angelico (b. ca. 1400, Vicchio nell Mugello, d. 1455, Roma), Fresco, Convento di San Marco, Florence

The Kiss of Christ

Lo, there He hangs, ashened figure -- pinioned to the wood. 

God grant that I might love him -- even as I should.

I draw a little closer -- to touch the face divine.

And then He leans to whisper -- "Oh foolish child of mine.

If now I should embrace you -- my hands would stain you red.

And if I leaned to kiss you -- the thorns would pierce your head."

'Twas then I learned in meekness -- that love demands a price.

'Twas then I knew that suffering -- is but the kiss of Christ.

Thanks to Karinann over at Blessings for The Day for informing her readers about online Eucharistic adoration.  Of course we can pray to Jesus anytime.  He is always with us.  But for us Catholics, adoration is very special.  Under the appearance of bread He is present personally – Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.  The King of creation wills to be with us and wills us to be with Him so that He can continue to nourish us as He did in the Eucharistic celebration on Sunday.  It is by faith we know this to be true.

So many of us are unable to get out much because of our infirmities or other aspects of our life situation.  The site, Savior.org is a wonderful way to spend time with Jesus much more often. Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament is presented live via webcam from the Chapel of Divine Love in Philadelphia (the City of Brotherly Love – how apropos), PA – a source of perpetual Eucharistic adoration by the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters since 1916.

This is an answer to prayer.  I have wanted to be able to spend time in adoration and been frustrated by a number of practical factors.  When I read about fellow bloggers who have stopped for a short visit with Jesus at a chapel, I felt happy for them and sad for me.  Now I can say the Divine Office in His presence, do spiritual reading, or just pray.

Click on the picture above or on the link and it will take you to the live feed. This site has much to offer, too.  Here are some paragraphs from their “About online adoration” section:

A Powerful Channel for the Aged, Lonely and Suffering

The favorite of Our Savior, the aging, lonely and suffering are those in greatest need of His Love. The on-line access available through Savior.org, provides new hope for these individuals stemming from the electronic access they can now have to the Living Presence of Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament. The suffering will have new opportunities to unite their pain with the passion of Our Lord, yielding merits for their souls and the souls of others. The aged, free from the distractions of their earlier years, can now spend increasing hours in the presence of Our Lord strengthening their bond to Him during the twilight of their lives. And the lonely will benefit from the abundance of love and hope poured forth from this Most Faithful of Friends.

Technology is a wonderful thing if used to do God’s will. Join us at Savior.org in ‘taking back the Internet for Christ’.

Suggestions on How to Utilize Savior.org

On-line Adoration - Be with Our Lord, centered on Him wholly and completely. Sit in silence with Him – The Sacred Doctor of human hearts. Utilize some of the many on-line devotional aides to structure a Holy Hour with Him. Or pray your own favorite adoration prayers and meditations.

Liturgy of the Hours and Other Daily Prayers - Enrich your daily recitation of the liturgy of the hours and other daily prayer routines by conducting them in the presence of a live electronic image of Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Invite Our Lord into your day – In your office or at home conducting your daily activities, offer your work as a prayer to Our Lord. We offer a low-bandwidth feed for those who wish to maintain the live feed over an extended period of time, as well as a static image for those who cannot maintain a persistent connection (dialup users).

Family Rosaries - Say your family rosary in the Presence of the Blessed Sacrament on-line.

Saying Goodnight – Our children have quickly adopted a routine of wanting to ’say goodnight to Jesus’ on-line. Before they go to bed, they will ask us to bring up the Blessed Sacrament online, then they will say their evening prayers and say ‘goodnight’ to Jesus as the last act before they climb into bed.

For only $10 you can purchase flowers for the altar and everyone participating will pray for your intentions for that week. I encourage my readers to take advantage of this opportunity to spend more time with Jesus.  Prayer is an important part of wellness.

Recently I was tested by my Natural Health Doctor for gluten sensitivity by means of a saliva test.  It was called the gliadin Av, SIgA test and revealed a mild intolerance or reactivity to Gliadin, a term I had never heard of before.

Gliadins are polypeptides found in wheat, rye, oat, barley, and other grain glutens, and are toxic to the intestinal mucosa in susceptible people.  Polypeptides are chains of amino acids which are the building blocks of proteins. (Now is about the time I wish I had taken chemistry in high school!  Since I didn’t, I have to search a lot to understand important aspects of achieving wellness.)

I learned in my studies that protein is a part of every cell in our bodies, and no other nutrient plays as many different roles in keeping us alive and healthy. We need protein to grow and repair our muscles, bones, skin, tendons, ligaments, hair, eyes and other tissues. Without it, we lack the enzymes and hormones we need for metabolism, digestion and other important processes.

With gluten intolerance we aren’t getting the use of the amino acids present in the grain and we are reacting badly to them, often with a low level inflammation of the intestines.  Why is this important to know?  Any disruption in the gut by inflammation prevents us from absorbing the vitamins and minerals we need to be in balance. Our cells can be starving for proteins and for the enzymes and hormones we need to live and feel healthy.

When I was first diagnosed six years ago with severe fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and other neurological issues my holistic practitioner put me on the Atkins induction program.  It didn’t give me energy nor did it take away the fibro pain, but at some level I felt better and I lost 25 lbs. in three months.  This foray into the high protein/low refined carb way of eating was a revelation.  I never felt like I was starving and it was easy to do.  In retrospect, based on what I know now, I think that because it was  totally gluten free, I felt better.  Part of feeling better was overcoming insulin resistance, which is often a factor in fibromyalgia, and that came from eliminating grain and refined sugar carb intake while increasing fresh vegetables, berries and a variety of nuts.

Gluten Intolerance, Weight Gain, and Fibromyalgia

Some people who suffer from fibromyalgia are downright skinny.  A lot more of us weigh more than we should and have a dickens of a time getting to a normal range.  Is part of our problem gluten intolerance? Over at Gluten Free Fox doctors Vikki and Richard Peterson have written a book called The Gluten Effect that tackles the myth that gluten intolerance is marked by weight loss. (You can find the book in Barb’s Custom Shop under the “wellness” category.) Gluten sensitivity affects 40% of the population while only 1% are celiacs.  They write:

“Contrary to classic medical opinion, gluten intolerance is not associated with weight loss the majority of the time.  In fact, it is simply the opposite. Gluten-sensitive patients are overweight approximately forty percent of the time due to various direct and indirect factors. Because of the misperception that most individuals suffer weight loss when they have gluten sensitivity, a greater number of people go undiagnosed.  This perception needs to change.”

…This is one of the many reasons we wrote our book.  Not only are 95% of those suffering with celiac disease never diagnosed but the percentage of those with gluten sensitivity who continue to suffer undiagnosed is about 99.8%. This must change as too many people are suffering needlessly.

The same doctors write about fibromyalgia in their book:

“Anecdotally, we have witnessed over and over again the resolution of the classic muscle aches and tender points in response to gluten elimination. Adrenal fatigue, poor blood sugar control and hidden infections round out the most frequent causes of this condition that we find. Among our patients who have enjoyed this response, there is no question as to the link between fibromyalgia and gluten sensitivity.”

This tells me that we have unearthed another major piece of the wellness puzzle that sufferers of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and chronic pain should look at when trying to find their own, individualized approach to health.  The other key pieces that I have explored and found to be significant for me and for others are:

1. the role of thyroid functioning - large percentages of people have underactive thyroids or their cells are unable to use the thyroid their bodies are producing due to
2. iodine deficiency – about 95% of the population suffers from iodine deficiency which prevents cells from operating efficiently and using the thyroid circulating in the blood;
3. vitamin D deficiency – the range of D3 in the blood needs to be 50-65, not 30+ as some labs say is “normal”;
4. Adrenal gland fatigue and other endocrine gland imbalances;
5. Not enough intake of flouride and chlorine-free water;
6. Type of food eaten;
7. Need for probiotics;
   
8. Stress, stress, and stress and not enough intake of vitamins and minerals for our particular needs.

Our doctors are trained to treat symptoms, but some symptoms point to so many possible diseases that a systemic approach is a much better strategy.  We aren’t going to die of fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue, but we can get to feeling better if we can find a good Natural Health Doctor who will help us diagnose the whole body and apply the remedies that work the best for us.

Since starting on the gluten-free diet several weeks ago, I have a slight increase in energy and a slight decrease in pain levels.  It looks like it can take 5-6 months to experience the good effects of this program in full.  For more information go to The Gluten Doctors blogspot.

Comments?

You might enjoy my related posts:

Adrenal fatigue, gluten intolerance, and war on ignorance

A holistic approach to treating depression

A fairly cheap way to feel better – iodine

Guaifenesin vs. iodine in treating fibromyalgia

Usually I wouldn’t create a long post, but Bishop Slattery’s landmark sermon at the Solemn Pontifical Mass April 25th on the fifth anniversary of Pope Benedict’s ascension to the chair of St. Peter fits so perfectly with the purpose of this blog I include all his words. Celebrated at the Shrine of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC, the Mass was a work of exceeding beauty, glory and praise, with a lesson to all who call themselves Christian.  This homily will go down in the history of the Catholic Church in America as one of the most profound and spiritual ever given by a bishop.

We have much to discuss – you and I …

… much to speak of on this glorious occasion when we gather together in the glare of the world’s scrutiny to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the ascension of Joseph Ratzinger to the throne of Peter.

We must come to understand how it is that suffering can reveal the mercy of God and make manifest among us the consoling presence of Jesus Christ, crucified and now risen from the dead.

We must speak of this mystery today, first of all because it is one of the great mysteries of revelation, spoken of in the New Testament and attested to by every saint in the Church’s long history, by the martyrs with their blood, by the confessors with their constancy, by the virgins with their purity and by the lay faithful of Christ’s body by their resolute courage under fire.

But we must also speak clearly of this mystery because of the enormous suffering which is all around us and which does so much to determine the culture of our modern age.

From the enormous suffering of His Holiness these past months to the suffering of the Church’s most recent martyrs in India and Africa, welling up from the suffering of the poor and the dispossessed and the undocumented, and gathering tears from the victims of abuse and neglect, from women who have been deceived into believing that abortion was a simple medical procedure and thus have lost part of their soul to the greed of the abortionist, and now flowing with the heartache of those who suffer from cancer, diabetes, AIDS, or the emotional diseases of our age, it is the sufferings of our people that defines the culture of our modern secular age.

This enormous suffering which can take on so many varied physical, mental, and emotional forms will reduce us to fear and trembling – if we do not remember that Christ – our Pasch – has been raised from the dead. Our pain and anguish could dehumanize us, for it has the power to close us in upon ourselves such that we would live always in chaos and confusion – if we do not remember that Christ – our hope – has been raised for our sakes. Jesus is our Pasch, our hope and our light.

He makes himself most present in the suffering of his people and this is the mystery of which we must speak today, for when we speak of His saving presence and proclaim His infinite love in the midst of our suffering, when we seek His light and refuse to surrender to the darkness, we receive that light which is the life of men; that light which, as Saint John reminds us in the prologue to his Gospel, can never be overcome by the darkness, no matter how thick, no matter how choking.

Our suffering is thus transformed by His presence. It no longer has the power to alienate or isolate us. Neither can it dehumanize us nor destroy us. Suffering, however long and terrible it may be, has only the power to reveal Christ among us, and He is the mercy and the forgiveness of God.

The mystery then, of which we speak, is the light that shines in the darkness, Christ Our Lord, Who reveals Himself most wondrously to those who suffer so that suffering and death can do nothing more than bring us to the mercy of the Father.

But the point which we must clarify is that Christ reveals Himself to those who suffer in Christ, to those who humbly accept their pain as a personal sharing in His Passion and who are thus obedient to Christ’s command that we take up our cross and follow Him. Suffering by itself is simply the reminder that death will claim these mortal bodies of ours, but suffering in Christ is the promise that we will be raised with Christ, when our mortality will be remade in his immortality and all that in our lives which is broken because it is perishable and finite will be made imperishable and incorrupt.

Crucifixion of St. Peter, 1600, Caravaggio (b. 1571, Caravaggio, d. 1610, Porto Ercole), Oil on canvas, Cerasi Chapel, Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome

This is the meaning of Peter’s claim that he is a witness to the sufferings of Christ and thus one who has a share in the glory yet to be revealed. Once Peter grasped the overwhelming truth of this mystery, his life was changed. The world held nothing for Peter. For him, there was only Christ.

This is, as you know, quite a dramatic shift for the man who three times denied Our Lord, the man to whom Jesus said, “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Christ’s declaration to Peter that he would be the rock, the impregnable foundation, the mountain of Zion upon which the new Jerusalem would be constructed, follows in Matthew’s Gospel Saint Peter’s dramatic profession of faith, when the Lord asks the Twelve, “Who do people say that I am?” and Peter, impulsive as always, responds “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”

Only later – much later – would Peter come to understand the full implication of this first Profession of Faith. Peter would still have to learn that to follow Christ, to truly be His disciple, one must  let go of everything which the world considers valuable and necessary, and become powerless. This is the mystery which confounds independent Peter. It is the mystery which still confounds us: to follow Christ, one must surrender everything and become obedient with the obedience of Christ, for no one gains access to the Kingdom of the Father, unless he enter through the humility and the obedience of Jesus.

Peter had no idea that eventually he would find himself fully accepting this obedience, joyfully accepting his share in the Passion and Death of Christ. But Peter loved Our Lord and love was the way by which Peter learned how to obey. “Lord, you know that I love thee,” Peter affirms three times with tears; and three times Christ commands him to tend to the flock that gathers at the foot of Calvary – and that is where we are now.

Peter knew that Jesus was the true Shepherd, the one Master and the only teacher; the rest of us are learners and the lesson we must learn is obedience, obedience unto death. Nothing less than this, for only when we are willing to be obedient with the very obedience of Christ will we come to recognize Christ’s presence among us.

Obedience is thus the heart of the life of the disciple and the key to suffering in Christ and with Christ. This obedience, is must be said, is quite different from obedience the way it is spoken of and dismissed in the world.

For those in the world, obedience is a burden and an imposition. It is the way by which the powerful force the powerless to do obeisance. Simply juridical and always external, obedience is the bending that breaks, but a breaking which is still less painful than the punishment meted out for disobedience. Thus for those in the world obedience is a punishment which must be avoided; but for Christians, obedience is always personal, because it is centered on Christ. It is a surrender to Jesus Whom we love.

For those whose lives are centered in Christ, obedience is that movement which the heart makes when it leaps in joy having once discovered the truth.

Let us consider, then, that Christ has given us both the image of his obedience and the action by which we are made obedient.

The image of Christ’s obedience is His Sacred Heart. That Heart, exposed and wounded must give us pause, for man’s heart is generally hidden and secret. In the silence of his own heart, each of us discovers the truth of who we are, the truth of why we are silent when we should speak, or bothersome and quarrelsome when we should be silent. In our hidden recesses of the heart, we come to know the impulses behind our deeds and the reasons why we act so often as cowards and fools.

But while man’s heart is generally silent and secret, the Heart of the God-Man is fully visible and accessible. It too reveals the motives behind our Lord’s self-surrender. It was obedience to the Father’s will that mankind be reconciled and our many sins forgiven us. “Son though he was,” the Apostle reminds us, “Jesus learned obedience through what He suffered.” Obedient unto death, death on a cross, Jesus asks his Father to forgive us that God might reveal the full depth of his mercy and love. “Father, forgive them,” he prayed, “for they know not what they do.”

Christ’s Sacred Heart is the image of the obedience which Christ showed by his sacrificial love on Calvary. The Sacrifice of Calvary is also for us the means by which we are made obedient and this is a point which you must never forget: at Mass, we offer ourselves to the Father in union with Christ, who offers Himself in perfect obedience to the Father. We make this offering in obedience to Christ who commanded us to “Do this in memory of me” and our obediential offering is perfected in the love with which the Father receives the gift of His Son.

Do not be surprised then that here at Mass, our bloodless offering of the bloody sacrifice of Calvary is a triple act of obedience. First, Christ is obedient to the Father, and offers Himself as a sacrifice of reconciliation. Secondly, we are obedient to Christ and offer ourselves to the Father with Jesus the Son; and thirdly, in sharing Christ’s obedience to the Father, we are made obedient to a new order of reality, in which love is supreme and life reigns eternal, in which suffering and death have been defeated by becoming for us the means by which Christ’s final victory, his future coming, is made manifest and real today.

Suffering then, yours, mine, the Pontiffs, is at the heart of personal holiness, because it is our sharing in the obedience of Jesus which reveals his glory. It is the means by which we are made witnesses of his suffering and sharers in the glory to come.

Do not be dismayed that there many in the Church have not yet grasped this point, and fewer still in the world will even dare to consider it, but you know this to be true and it is enough, for ten men who whisper the truth speak louder than a hundred million who lie.

If then someone asks of what we spoke today, tell them we spoke only of the truth. If someone asks why it is you came to this Mass, say that it was so that you could be obedient with Christ. If someone asks about the homily, tell them it was about a mystery and if someone asks what I said of the present situation, tell them only that we must – all of us – become saints through what we suffer.

During a recent trip to the Dallas area I had occasion to purchase Roy Shoeman’s excellent book, Salvation Is from the Jews: The Role of Judaism in Salvation History. In another post I will write a review, but today I want to bring you some words of St. Edith Stein he highlighted that have special significance for those seeking to understand suffering and death in today’s world.

As many contemplatives do, Carmelite nun Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (what a prescient choice of name in religion that was!) kept notes on insights she obtained during prayer.  As a Jewish convert to Catholicism, she saw what the Nazis were doing to the Jews in light of the Cross. She wrote of a prayer she made during a holy hour in the convent:

I spoke with the Savior to tell him that I realized it was His Cross that was now being laid upon the Jewish people, that the few who understood this had the responsibility of carrying it in the name of all, and that I myself was willing to do this, if He would only show me how.  I left the service with the inner conviction that I had been heard, but uncertain as ever as to what “carrying the Cross” might mean for me.

Later she wrote:

I understood the Cross as the destiny of God’s people, which was beginning to be apparent at the time (1933).  I felt that those who understood the Cross of Christ should take it upon themselves on everybody’s behalf…. Beneath the Cross I understood the destiny of God’s people.

St. Edith Stein (Teresa Benedicta of the Cross) 1938 passport photo

All religious write a final testament and St. Teresa Benedicta’s spirituality is evident in hers, penned in 1939:

I joyfully accept in advance the death God has appointed for me, in perfect submission to His most holy will.  May the Lord accept my life and death for the honor and glory of His name, for the needs of His holy Church — especially for the preservation, sanctification, and final perfecting of our holy Order, and in particular for the Carmel of Cologne and Echt — for the Jewish people, that the Lord may be received by His own and His Kingdom come in glory, for the deliverance of Germany and peace throughout the world, and finally for all my relatives living and dead and all whom God has given me; may none of them be lost.

She was, with her sister Rosa and a train transport composed entirely of baptized Jews, murdered at Auschwitz.

When reading her words I could not help thinking of the condition of our nation today – the blatant attacks on human life by those in power, the war on marriage and the family waged by perverted souls and government bureaucrats, the corruption of the power elite, and all those who become co-operators in the various evils designed to separate man from God, for that is the final goal of the Enemy. The similarities between the leaders and supporters of Nazi Germany and America’s leaders and their supporters today are much too close in spite of the vigorous denials given voice by the press.

As St. Edith Stein did in her day, do we understand what our society is doing and becoming in the light of the Cross? Underneath all the ideologies of the day, the war is between man and the principalities and powers as St. Paul wrote in Eph. 6:12. A reversal of the path our most powerful leaders are currently on calls for extreme sacrifice. Are we ready as St. Edith Stein was to “joyfully accept in advance” what God has chosen for us to suffer, even death, for the salvation of souls, for our country, for the conversion of sinners?

In the February 2010 issue of Inside the Vatican Robert Moynihan wrote on this subject - that suffering and the cross is “a mystery hidden at the heart of the faith which we must not minimize.”

Agony in the Garden, c.1587, Jacopo Ligozzi (b. 1547, Verona, d. 1627, Firenze), oil on panel, private collection

He points out that “since the Second Vatican Council, when many have rightly stressed that Christians are ‘a Resurrection people,’ but wrongly neglected that…we are a ‘crucifixion people’ with all that implies,” we have, as Catholics, minimized this great mystery. The overwhelming “happy talk” from many pulpits has resulted in a failure by many to comprehend the salvific value of suffering as Pope John Paul II wrote about in Salvifici Dolores. (If you have not read the Pope’s Apostolic Letter, click on the title and you will go to it on the Vatican web site.  It is excellent.)

In his editorial, Moynihan quotes New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan on the condition of Haiti:

Haiti is the broken, bloodied body of Christ….Yes, we all have a share in the Resurrection, but as a race redeemed, we also sometimes take part in His Passion.  Christ scourged.  Christ crucified.

Somehow suffering frees us from worldly attachments if we adopt the right disposition. As we discover our lack of control over our worldly plans and desires, if we submit to God and embrace what He sends us no matter how burdensome, if we fix our eyes on the cross, we see more clearly our dependence on God in a rightly ordered way. He is the one who will deliver us and not we ourselves.  This ascent into truth, as it were, is an ascent into holiness if we learn to desire what God wants for us.

It’s easy to forget in the midst of pain and frustration that God wants only our good and that every obstacle He sends us is a sign of love and an opportunity to train our wills and hearts to desire “Thy will be done.” A great good and a great privilege is to be invited by Christ to ascend the cross with Him, to offer up our sufferings with His for the redemption of souls. Let us carry this message of hope to those who have never heard of this way of thinking, that they may find the purpose in their pain and the special place they have in God’s plan.

Holy Trinity, 1430, Master of the Votive Picture of Sankt Lambrecht, Museum mittelalterlicher österreichischer Kunst, Vienna

“O Lord,” I prayed, “Help me to grow more patient and trust You more.”

“Are you sure?” He asked.

“Yes, Lord.”

“Okay, I’ll give you fibromyalgia and everything that goes with it,” He said.

“Whoa!  What is that, Lord?” I asked.

“You’ll find out, and I’ll be with you every step of the way,” He replied.

Six years or so ago when I was diagnosed my body was burning from the bottom of my feet to the top of my head.  I couldn’t stand to wear my glasses and couldn’t see without them.  Every morning I got up, dressed, had breakfast and promptly collapsed into bed again.  After awhile I gave up on dressing and stayed in my nightgown.  My mind was in a stupor such that I could hardly pray and I lay there simply clutching my rosary.  When I had a conversation with my husband I forgot what I wanted to say after three words were out of my mouth.  I gave up driving and stopped going anywhere except to church, which finished me off for the rest of the day.

A couple of years went by and I found myself completely discouraged and wanting to go to bed never to wake again.  It seemed that everything the doctor told me to do and prescribed for me only helped marginally.  Yet as sick as I was, I never lost the feeling that this condition was God’s will for me, although I did think for awhile that maybe He might have picked a less unpleasant way to get His point across.

One day I said, “Well, Lord, I don’t get it.  Here You have smacked me over the head with a 2×4 and I still don’t get it.  What is it you want of me?”

“I want all of your pain and suffering.  Give it to Me with joy for the restoration of the Traditional Catholic Mass.  Give it to Me for the priest I have chosen to be your next bishop.  Give it to Me for the redemption of others and to expiate your sins.  Give it to me for My priests who are troubled,” He said.

“OK, Lord.  Whatever you say.  I want to do Your will.  But Lord, why did You have to teach me patience and trust this way?” I asked.

“Because  you were too full of yourself and your talents and ambitions were misplaced. I could not work through you the way you were.  I want you with me for all eternity.  I want you to know and understand Me better, to trust Me more through your helplessness and pain and to share what you are learning on this journey with My other children who are suffering even worse than you,” He said.  “I want you up here on the cross with Me.  I want you to witness to My message of hope and love, and the joy that comes from doing My will.  I want you to understand the fullness of My love for you.”

Morning sun over the ocean, Shizuoka Prefecture, (c)Tomo.Yun (www.yunphoto.net/en/)

And so I didn’t give up, and after accepting two new hips from Him through a good surgeon, and after slowly regaining some physical and mental equilibrium from remedies He showed me through knowledgeable holistic practitioners, I started this blog and put it in His hands.  I blessed Him for giving me this miserable disease and for putting me through the added great pain of hip degeneration; for making me aware that I have to depend on Him for every breath, every blink, and every beat of my heart.  I blessed him for giving me a high maintenance body because I know He wants me to learn how to care for it properly and share what I learn with others. I blessed Him for showing Himself to me both through pain and through the many forms of beauty that reflect His being.  Most of all, I bless Him for loving me enough to have created me and for having put all the wonderful people in my life whom I would never have met had I not become disabled.

At the offertory of every Mass we offer ourselves and our lives in union with Christ, the perfect Victim, to our heavenly Father.  Lent is a time to consider deeply our own sufferings and those of Our Lord, asking God to purify us and to make us whole in His good time.

Dr. Paul Takashi Nagai

One who captured this spirit of unity with the Lamb who was slain and who brought peace to his suffering fellow citizens was Dr. Paul Takashi Nagai, who survived the bombing of Nagasaki.  The bishop of the area announced plans for an open-air Requiem Mass to be held next to the ruins of the Cathedral of Maria in the suburb of Urakami, Ground Zero.  Crushed into rubble by the blast and then consumed by a raging fire that evening, the once beautiful cathedral called to mind the book of Revelation as Nagai pondered what he would say at the bishop’s invitation to speak at the Mass. Looking at the fallen and blackened timbers as he sat in the rubble, he suddenly knew the message had to be the redemptive dimension of suffering and death.

On November 23, 1945 he faced his burned, bandaged, emaciated and demoralized fellow parishioners who had gathered to pray for their dead in the ancient sacred liturgy of the Church. This is what he said:

On the morning of August 9, a meeting of the Supreme Council of War was in session at Imperial Headquarters, Tokyo, to decide whether Japan would surrender or continue to wage war.  At that moment the world stood at a crossroads.  A decision had to be made…peace or further cruel bloodshed and carnage.

And just then, at 11:02 A.M., and atom bomb exploded over our suburb.  In an instant, eight thousand Christians were called to God, and in a few hours flames turned to ash this venerable Far Eastern holy place.

Cathedral of Maria restored exactly as it was before the atom bomb of August 9, 1945

At midnight that night, our cathedral suddenly burst into flames and was consumed.  At exactly that same time in the Imperial Palace, His Majesty the Emperor made known his sacred decision to end the war.  On August 15 the Imperial Rescript, which put an end to the fighting, was formally promulgated, and the whole world saw the light of peace.  August 15 is also the great feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.  It is significant, I believe, that the Urakami Cathedral was dedicated to her.  We must ask: Was this convergence of events, the end of the war and the celebration of her feast day, merely coincidental, or was it the mysterious Providence of God?

I have heard that the atom bomb…was destined for another city.  Heavy clouds rendered that target impossible, and the American crew headed for the secondary target, Nagasaki.  Then a mechanical problem arose, and the bomb was dropped further north than planned and burst right above the cathedral… It was not the American crew, I believe, who chose our suburb.  God’s Providence chose Urakami and carried the bomb right above our homes.  Is there not a profound relationship between the annihilation of Nagasaki and the end of the war?  Was not Nagasaki the chosen victim, the lamb without blemish, slain as a whole burnt offering on an altar of sacrifice, atoning for the sins of all the nations during World War II?

Nagasaki atom bomb - the photo that terrified me as a child

We are the inheritors of Adam’s sin… of Cain’s sin.  He killed his brother.  Yes, we have forgotten we are God’s children. We have turned to idols and forgotten love.  Hating one another, killing one another, joyfully killing one another!  At last the evil and horrific conflict came to an end, but mere repentance was not enough for peace….  We had to offer a stupendous sacrifice…. Cities had been leveled, but even that was not enough…. Only this hansai [holocaust] in Nagasaki sufficed, and at that moment God inspired the Emperor to issue the sacred proclamation that ended the war.  The Christian flock of Nagasaki was true to the Faith through three centuries of persecution. During the recent war, it prayed ceaselessly for a lasting peace. Here was the one pure lamb that had to be sacrificed as hansai on His altar…so that many millions of lives might be saved.

Happy are those who weep; they shall be comforted.  We must walk the way of reparation… ridiculed, whipped, punished for our crimes, sweaty and bloody. But we can turn our minds’ eyes to Jesus carrying His Cross up the hill of Calvary….  The Lord has given; the Lord has taken away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord.  Let us be thankful that Nagasaki was chosen for the whole burnt sacrifice! Let us be thankful that through this sacrifice, peace was granted to the world and religious freedom to Japan.

Our large and small sacrifices this Lent are expiation for our sins and those of the world. We cannot know at this time how God will use what we freely offer, but in the next world we will see all those who were lifted up because of them.  Dr. Nagai’s words are timeless as truth is timeless.  Lord let me always bless you and never complain about anything for the rest of my life!

Today Sandro Magister of chiesa features the content of a very challenging presentation by a Catholic bishop in the depths of the Bible Belt.  Here are a couple of excerpts from Archbishop Chaput’s March 1, 2010 address at the Baptist University of Houston on the vocation of Christians in American public life:

Fifty years ago this fall, in September 1960, Sen. John F. Kennedy, the Democratic candidate for president, spoke to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association. He had one purpose. He needed to convince 300 uneasy Protestant ministers, and the country at large, that a Catholic like himself could serve loyally as our nation’s chief executive. Kennedy convinced the country, if not the ministers, and went on to be elected. And his speech left a lasting mark on American politics. It was sincere, compelling, articulate – and wrong. Not wrong about the patriotism of Catholics, but wrong about American history and very wrong about the role of religious faith in our nation’s life. And he wasn’t merely “wrong.” His Houston remarks profoundly undermined the place not just of Catholics, but of all religious believers, in America’s public life and political conversation. Today, half a century later, we’re paying for the damage.

Archbishop Chaput is the foremost American bishop on the subject of Catholic life and politics and is an ardent pro-life advocate.  In his talk he continues to lay out the historical development of secularism in our country, starting with the great divorce between religion and politics that was already happening and that Kennedy voiced in 1960.

Early in his remarks, Kennedy said: “I believe in an America where the separation of Church and state is absolute.” [The pernicious construct] Given the distrust historically shown to Catholics in this country, his words were shrewdly chosen. The trouble is, the Constitution doesn’t say that. The Founders and Framers didn’t believe that. And the history of the United States contradicts that. Unlike revolutionary leaders in Europe, the American Founders looked quite favorably on religion. Many were believers themselves. In fact, one of the main reasons for writing the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause – the clause that bars any federally-endorsed Church – was that several of the Constitution’s Framers wanted to protect the publicly funded Protestant Churches they already had in their own states. John Adams actually preferred a “mild and equitable establishment of religion” and helped draft that into the 1780 Massachusetts Constitution.

Crucifixion, 1503, Cranach, Lucas the Elder, pine panel, Alte Pinakothek, Munich

Secularism is poisonous to life itself. It’s why this day the terminally ill, mentally challenged, disabled and elderly have reason to fear for their lives.  There is no place for valuing suffering outside of the Christian construct, and no place for respect for life or person. The times we live in are more dangerous to our souls, our country and the world than ever before.  Struck loose from Judeo-Christian moorings, life purpose becomes utilitarian and hopeless.  Chaput brings forth the challenge to Christians today:

…Christianity is not mainly – or even significantly –- about politics. It’s about living and sharing the love of God. And Christian political engagement, when it happens, is never mainly the task of the clergy. That work belongs to lay believers who live most intensely in the world. Christian faith is not a set of ethics or doctrines. It’s not a group of theories about social and economic justice. All these things have their place. All of them can be important. But a Christian life begins in a relationship with Jesus Christ; and it bears fruit in the justice, mercy and love we show to others because of that relationship. [Yes, Yes, and Yes!]

In closing Chaput said:

We live in a country that was once – despite its sins and flaws – deeply shaped by Christian faith. It can be so again. But we will do that together, or we won’t do it at all. We need to remember the words of St. Hilary from so long ago: “Unum sunt, qui invicem sunt”, they are one, who are wholly for each other. May God grant us the grace to love each other, support each other and live wholly for each other in Jesus Christ – so that we might work together in renewing the nation that has served human freedom so well.

If ever we are to stand up and be counted as genuine, visible followers of Christ doing the very difficult to counteract the spirit of the world, now is the time.  The helpless, sick and suffering, by uniting with the sufferings of Christ can be a silent, invisible, potent army of support to those seeking to restore all things in Christ.

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My thoughtful husband brought this book home from the library, knowing my great interest in Japan and World War II.  At the age of 14 or 15 I read John Hersey’s Hiroshima: The Story of six human beings who survived the explosion of the atom bomb over Hiroshima. Putting it in today’s slang, the book freaked me out.  As a child of the Cold War, which I believe began immediately after Hiroshima and Nagasaki though historians will disagree, the fear of a repeat of August, 1945 has been bound to my psyche for life.

A monumental and heart rending work,The Last Train from Hiroshima: The Survivors Look Back (John MacRae Books) tells in graphic detail the results of the most horrific attack man has ever made upon man.  Charles Pellegrino’s scientific explanations of the atom bomb’s effects melds with his compassionate portrayal of the survivors whom he quotes in their own words.  He reports the instant devastation of people vaporizing before they even knew what was happening to them, buildings disappearing, and many bizarre effects.  Some survivors had the patterns of their kimonos permanently dyed into their skin; others had eyesight corrected.  A teacher who was inside and facing the direction of the flash carried the imprint of a student’s writing on her face for the rest of her life, yet the student who wrote it vanished completely with the others outside on the playground.  Shadows of people, plants, and objects were burned forever into telephone poles, trees, streets, and walls even as those that made them disappeared without a trace.

In the confusion and chaos of the flattened city, survivors and the dying were overcome with a terrible thirst.  As the black rain containing radioactive isotopes fell they opened their mouths to take it in and hastened their deaths.  Ferocious tornados of fire chased people into the river only to become waterspouts and then emerge as fire on the other side.

Pellegrino spares nothing describing the hellish scene and reporting the words of the survivors who were forbidden by their government to speak publicly about their experiences for many years.  To this day scientists cannot explain some of the phenomena after the blast, but this book gives far more scientific information and understanding than any previous work, especially to the average person.

Prominently featured are unforgettable characters who survived both Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs. They were the ones who staggered over the radioactive wasteland to the train station to catch the only transportation out of Hiroshima to what they thought was safety only to be caught in the second blast three days later over Nagasaki.  Some of them were dead in six weeks from radiation poisoning while others lived many years. Most died from cancer caused by radiation effects.

Tsutomo Yamaguchi, RIP - link to Facebook page

The last survivor, Tsutsomo Yamaguchi, died January 4, 2010 at age 93, the only “official” recognized-by-the-government survivor of both atom bombs.  He suffered leukemia, cataracts, and finally stomach cancer from the radiation effects.  Yamaguchi traveled to New York in 2006, bringing comfort to families who lost loved ones at ground zero on 9-11 as only he could.  Like Dr. Takashi Nagai who survived Nagasaki, he unfailingly brought a message of love and forgiveness to the world.  It is sad that when he addressed the United Nations with this message, asking for a ban on nuclear weapons, some people rolled their eyes.

I must say that even though the recounting of deeply disturbing aspects of this story left me with feelings of horror, Pellegrino also brought out the heroism of ordinary people, too.  This book answered some questions I’ve had for a long time about what led to Japanese aggression and how the United States arrived at the decision to drop atom bombs to end the war in the Pacific.  The role communist Russia and Stalin played was not insignificant, as I have suspected for some time.

We are now over three generations past the events of August 6^th and 9^th of 1945, but this story must not die.  In this age with Sharia governments threatening nuclear war, the lessons from Japan demand attention. What Pellegrino records is very painful to read, but essential to understanding what happened then and what could happen today with far worse effects.  I believe the book should be required reading in history classes.

Dr. Takashi Nagai

Last Sunday I found a book at the church library.  It wasn’t on my top ten for Lent, but it was about Japan and a Japanese holy man who transformed others’ lives by his gentleness and forgiveness. Since I am interested in Japanese history, especially in what transpired to cause the terrible aggression that drew so many into World War II, I checked it out.  What I ended up with is a moving conversion story that brings Christ’s teachings to life in a unique way and that has enriched my Lenten prayer.

A Song for Nagasaki: The Story of Takashi Nagai-Scientist, Convert, and Survivor of the Atomic Bomb tells of Dr. Paul Takashi Nagai, an extraordinary man raised in the rural area of Mitoya according to the teachings of Confucius and the Shinto religion which imbued him with filial reverence for ancestors and heroic stoicism.  His mother and father taught him a love of learning by their example, and generous giving by their care for the medical needs of the peasants and townspeople often without payment.

Nagai entered into a spiritual quest while he attended medical school in Nagasaki – a quest that led him from Shintoism to atheism to Catholicism and ultimately to marriage with the daughter of the family which had been at the heart of the underground Church for the centuries of government persecution of Christians.  The biography reveals how Nagai’s medical studies, service as a medic in the Japanese army during the occupation of Manchuria, and his return to become a pioneer of radiology research at Nagasaki University formed his spiritual growth.

Before the bomb exploded over the city that fateful August day, Nagai already had developed leukemia from his radiation exposure, yet he had refused to quit working.  The cancer did not stop him from caring for victims of the inferno although he was wounded himself, and to his surprise and that of his fellow medical practitioners, his disease went into remission for a couple of years because of his exposure to the bomb’s radiation.

Nyoko-do

Nagai lost his beloved wife in the bombing of Nagasaki on August 9^th, 1945, but his children who were farther from ground zero survived.  Not long after, he moved into the rubble of the ruined city to study the effects of radiation on all life forms, constructing a tiny dwelling on the ground where his house once stood.  He called his little abode “Nyoko-do“, meaning “as yourself hall” taken from Jesus’s words: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  It was one 6×6 room with a porch built by friends.  He lived there with his children until he died.

Throughout the book Glynn interweaves Japanese history and customs into Nagai’s story, giving the reader a good understanding of the depth of this man.  He describes well how Nagai brought not only physical healing but spiritual healing to the suffering and war-weary people.  Determined not to be bitter or vengeful, he wrote articles and powerful books as a legacy for his children that became best-sellers throughout Japan.  During the last four years of his life, he accomplished this lying on his back because of weakness and abdominal swelling caused by the cancer.

This book above all, is a story of love and forgiveness, of sanctity brought forth from horror. Many people from around the world, including Helen Keller journeyed to meet this unassuming man, who gave most of his earnings for the education and care of war orphans. His example continues to inspire and he is considered a saint by many Japanese people of all faiths.

If you are attracted to conversion stories, this book will not disappoint you.  It is filled with the wonders of God’s grace and inspiration to overcome all bitterness, resentment, and desire for vengeance that plague the human heart.  Nagai truly suffered with joy.

Rule of St. Bruno approved by Jesus, the Blessed Virgin and St. Peter, fresco, Museo della Certoso, Milan

A priest friend of mine suggested I add this gorgeous Carthusian blog to my blogroll.  The pictures are lovely and the short meditations wonderful.  I especially like their subtitle:

Rejoice, because you have escaped the various dangers and shipwrecks of the stormy world. Rejoice because you have reached the quiet and safe anchorage of a secret harbor. -  Saint Bruno’s letter to his sons the Carthusians

We are fortunate that men of deep prayer like the Carthusians exist and that we have a site like Sacred Harbor to bring their spirituality to us.  Following Pope John Paul II’s recommendations that the Church make better use of the media enriches us all.  Since it is difficult for most Catholics to have a spiritual director, we have to fend for ourselves.  Thank God for the opportunities He gives us with these kinds of blogs.

If you love sacred art, you will love seeing the photographs of the frescos of St. Bruno at Milan.  Sacred art and all true beauty aids us in suffering with joy for God.  Contemplating it is prayer.

*****

Another topic: I received an email from a friend which encouraged all people of America to  say a prayer for our country each night at 8:00 Central time.  This initiative is like the one Winston Churchill went on radio to promote in Britain during World War II when their country was bombed nightly by Germany.

Please invite all your friends to participate in this daily effort.  America must return to the principles on which she was founded or she will perish. Darkness already envelopes much of the world.  Let us plead before God that Christ reign in all hearts and that our individual lights lit by Him truly shine among men.  The best ammunition we have against the powers of darkness is prayer.

*****

I invite you to visit my Custom Shop to see books, CDs, and DVDs about the Blessed Mother, saints, and the faith.  If you have suggestions for additional items I might stock, please let me know.

St. Jane of Valois

Today we honor St. Jane of Valois, surely an example of humility, persistence in prayer and also great charity. She was born in 1464 and died in 1505. A daughter of King Louis XI and Charlotte of Savoy, she was hated by her father from birth because he wanted a boy. Not only did he not get a boy, Jane was sickly and had some physical handicap. The king banished her to a country place where she was raised in a condition of grave neglect. But God had plans for His spurned and despised creature.  She developed a deep devotion to the Blessed Mother, especially in the mystery of the Incarnation.  The Angelus was her favorite prayer.  One day Our Lady revealed to her that she would found a religious community dedicated to her.

St. Jane could not escape being a pawn in the hands of her father.  Although he despised her, in a political scheme he betrothed her to his second cousin, Louis, Duke of Orleans, at the age of two months. They were married when Jane was nine.  She remained his loyal and devoted wife for twenty-two years.  Unfortunately, the Duke did not return her devotion.  He had not wanted the marriage and hated her even though she was instrumental in obtaining his release from prison for treason. Upon taking the throne as Louis XII, he publicly humiliated her by treating her ill in front of the court, repudiating her and seeking an annulment of his marriage from Rome. He got the annulment on the grounds that the marriage had not been consummated and that he had not consented to it. St. Jane saw this as a great blessing and used her situation to found the Order of the Annunciation.

The charism of her order is to practice the ten virtues of Our Lady as found in the Gospels.  They are:

• Most Pure (Mt 1:18, 20, 23; Lk 1:27,34)
• Most Prudent (Lk 2:19, 51)
• Most Humble (Lk 1:48)
• Most Faithful (Lk 1:45; Jn 2:5)
• Most Devout (Lk 1:46-7; Acts 1:14)
• Most Obedient (Lk 1:38; 2:21-2, 27)
• Most Poor (Lk 2:7)
• Most Patient (Jn 19:25)
• Most Merciful (Lk 1:39, 56)
• Most Sorrowful (Lk 2:35)

St. Jane also charged her community to pray for her husband, her father, and her brother as her legacy.  Such forgiveness after the cruel treatment she received is awe-inspiring.  St. Jane would be a great patron to ask for help in mastering the virtue of forgiveness. When she died, she was buried with the royal purple and a crown under her habit.

The Angelus, 1857, oil on canvas, Jean-Francois Millet

During St. Jane’s lifetime the Angelus prayer spread throughout France, helped by Pope Sixtus IV who was the first to attach an indulgence to it in 1475.  Devotion to this prayer continues today, and is enshrined in the great Impressionist painting of  Jean-Francois Millet (1814-1875) of the Barbizon school of landscape painting. 

It is interesting that almost  two-hundred years after Pope Sixtus encouraged the praying of the Angelus a painter named Jean-Francois created a work expressing the devotion to Our Lady that St. Jane (Jeanne) of Valois, whose spiritual directors were Franciscans, practiced.

We cannot escape suffering in this world so we might as well profit from it spiritually as did St. Jane, who though queen, was humiliated repeatedly by the very people who should have loved and cherished her.  She is a great example of suffering with joy.

If you would like to know how to pray the chaplet of the Ten Virtues of the Blessed Mother, go here.