suffering
Business as Usual in Haiti
October 19, 2010
Haiti…the beautiful country broken and pillaged for centuries by rapacious, predatory rulers still lies in ruins after January’s earthquakes. The plight of the Haitians has angered me for years. It is diabolical that the systems and conditions under which they have lived continue.
Two days ago the AP had a story featured at msn news titled: $900,000 for a 3-bedroom … in Haiti? When I read it I got angry all over again because it shows that nothing has changed.
The greed of the elite continues as people live under tarps in squalid conditions and politicians continue to accumulate wealth while the people starve. The article recounts:
One senator put up his three-bedroom with panoramic views for $15,000 a month. (Its nine Rottweiler guard dogs are free.)
A Haitian born owner has property but will rent only to NGOs. Here’s what you get from him for $15,000 a year payable in advance:
…on the unpaved, easily flooded cross-street numbered Delmas 33, the lower floor of a two-story with dingy, cracked yellow walls and possibly working plumbing rents for $1,250 a month — payable in a lump-sum of $15,000 for the year. Most Haitians, who live on less than $1 a day, could never afford that. But the Haitian-born owner doesn’t want them.
It seems he won’t make the rent affordable to any Haitians. He likes the money he gets from NGOs. Why the NGOs pay these exorbitant prices I don’t know. Cui bono besides the landlord? How?
When the earthquake happened I decided I would give no money to the US government, the UN, or any aid organizations going into Haiti because of it. But I give regularly to Food for the Poor which has had a presence in Haiti for years and runs an orphanage there where I sponsored a child. Whether he survived the earthquake or not I will never know because his family took him out of the orphanage at age 13 and no doubt, because of poverty, put him to some kind of work, thus ending his education.
The people of Haiti must not be forgotten, but something must be done about the corruption or the disaster will repeat itself. I don’t personally know what the answer is, but we should pray that a good, Catholic leader arises from the rubble and leads the way. Someone who will live not in luxury but simplicity and who will put his people first. Someone who will follow the example of Jesus, who was of royal blood but chose to be born in a stable and die for us.
***About Food for the Poor – I like their Christmas gift catalogue. You can buy cows, goats, sheep, and chickens so people can help themselves and feed their families. That’s the kind of practicality that attracts me to this organization. One Mother’s Day I gave 20 chicks to a Haitian woman in my mother’s name. Mom thought it was a great idea because the last thing she needed was any more “stuff”.
R. Now and forever. Amen.
(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)
A Trip to the Dentist
October 8, 2010
Yesterday was another perfect fall day in Missouri. Just the right temperatures and humidity and glorious sunshine, which made our 3 1/2 hour trip to the Kansas City dental school more than pleasant. While Roger was driving I worked on editing and proofing a friend’s book set to be published next spring.
Too soon, though, it was time to get into the dentist chair and that’s when my back muscles started seizing up – an effect of fibromyalgia which also affects my leg and butt muscles when I walk the dogs or do any other serious walking. Now here was a perfect chance to suffer – a lot – for our country’s deliverance from the pro-death crowd, for the salvation of souls, etc. and, I confess, I blew it.
Considering that the visit was for gum surgery in preparation for the new caps and re-engineering of my bite, I was just plain scared that a twitch at the wrong time would send the intern’s scalpel in some very undesirable direction. Especially since this was his first attempt at this procedure on a living patient! So, although the Novocain that I hate was a given to get through the cutting, I chickened out and asked for nitrous oxide in hopes it would stop the cramping in my back. It did, although I don’t know why.
Now I felt guilty and had to apologize to God for not being willing to step up to the plate in what I knew would be a tough challenge without drugs. Still, there was plenty to offer up as the Novocain wore off on the way home. Really, I hate that stuff, but the alternative is worse.
Today, I have very little pain and haven’t needed any pain meds. You can hardly tell any surgery was done. The intern did a great job under the supervision of the faculty periodontist. No blade went off in the wrong direction. And it will be six weeks before the next ordeal in this saga.
I couldn’t help but think of little Blessed Jacinta Marto who endured chest surgery without anesthesia on purpose back in 1918. She had taken Our Lady of Fatima’s suggestion to heart: suffer for poor sinners who need to convert and accept the redemption Jesus obtained for them. No doubt God gave her the grace to endure it. Why couldn’t I do as much?
Have you ever felt that you chickened out of an opportunity to “offer it up”? Where do we draw the line between taking proper care of our bodies, the temples of the Holy Ghost, and permitting personal suffering for the good of souls and our own spiritual growth?
R. Now and forever. Amen.
(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)
Are Natural Disasters God’s Fault?
September 16, 2010
Crucifixion c. 1648, Giulio Carpioni, oil on canvas, Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice
This is the third and last, for a time, article on redemptive suffering, dealing with public and national sin. Father Remler, who wrote Why Must I Suffer? in 1935, talks about God’s patience with sinful man, noting that (p.10):
...He waited a hundred years before He sent the deluge which He had commissioned Noah to announce; He allowed forty years to elapse between the prediction made by Our Lord of the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the fulfillment of that prediction by the Romans in the year 70; and He spared the city of Nineveh altogether because its inhabitants immediately left off sinning and hastened to do penance at the preaching of Jonas.
God uses many ways to call us to a right relationship with Him. It can be through other persons, a work of art or music, a book, or an event of nature or some other means. He always has the grace ready for us and grants it at our slightest inclination in His direction as St. Faustina wrote in her diary and as he showed St. Therese of Lisieux when she prayed for the condemned man. God is remarkably patient with us, but when sinners grow more bold because their evil deeds have not been chastised at once, eventually the hand of God will descend in justice and the good will suffer along with the bad.
However, we can often trace broad suffering back to their roots, as Father Remler wrote in 1935 (p. 10):
Nor is it always necessary that God send such chastisement for public sins, as He sent the deluge or the destruction of Jerusalem. There are many sins which contain in themselves the gigantic oak. If such sins prevail for a sufficiently long time, unchecked and unrepented, they are bound to produce such conditions in the social order as make certain calamities unavoidable.
Take, for example, the sin of godless education, that is, education of youth without religion. Where such a system has been adopted, the necessary results must be the following: After two or three generations the knowledge of God will disappear more or less completely among the people, the sense of right and wrong will be lost; good will be called evil and evil good; there will be no respect for the moral law; the depravity of youth will grow worse and worse; dishonesty and corruption will prevail in business, in the courts, in the legislature, and in the government itself; taxes will be misappropriated or disappear in the pockets of grafters; heavy expenses will be necessary to maintain the growing number of asylums, juvenile courts, reform schools and prisons; there will be no security to honor property and life; the relations between capital and labor will be strained to the breaking point, so that violence and bloodshed will become inevitable; family life will be disrupted by adultery, divorce and free love; national rivalries, jealousies and hatreds, provoked by commercial greed, grow more and more intense, until they lead to international wars with their unspeakable misery to millions. Nations that sow the whirlwind must reap the storm.
Such prescience! Has he not described our world today almost four generations later?
Consider the example of the poor nation of Haiti. Was God responsible for the terrible carnage of the earthquake earlier this year? Not at all. The seeds of destruction and loss of life were sown from before its founding by the colonialists and carried forward by one corrupt and violent, oppressive government. I am old enough to remember news of “Papa Doc” Duvalier and his Ton Ton Macoutes terrorizing the citizens, and the subsequent governments who continued the evil practices that kept their country in fear and poverty.
After the horrendous Great Kanto earthquake in 1923 in Japan, many countries beefed up construction requirements for earthquake zones. No one can say that such skills as are necessary to design and build earthquake proof structures were not available to Haiti. It was the graft and corruption of the Haitian government that is ultimately responsible for the death and destruction of the quake. It cannot be excused.
Another factor we cannot overlook contributing to the Haitian’s post-earthquake plight is the fact that Haiti cannot afford to feed itself. Why not? Because Bill Clinton, to keep Arkansas rice farmer’s crop prices stable cut a deal with the Haitian government which made the costs for Haitian rice crops too high to sell and importing Arkansas rice attractive. It was low cost or free to the Haitian government. Thus, a country with much fertile land and the capability to feed itself was reduced to the status of beggar. The United States government subsidized (paid for) the Arkansas rice and through corrupt politicians from both countries, ensured increased poverty and international dependency of the Haitians. The United Nations and other countries are involved in preventing self-sufficiency.
Just how long the Haitian people will continue to suffer in unsanitary and starving conditions remains to be seen, but progress is next to nil in clearing the wreckage from the quake and restoring adequate food and water. From this disaster to Hurricane Katrina to the tsunami in Indonesia striking at about the time Terri Schaivo was publicly murdered and Pope John Paul II died, we can see that normal events of nature have been occurring in the extreme and all are afflicted – both innocent and guilty.
Yes, God permits natural disasters. He is, after all, the Lord of all. But often these disasters are much worse than would have been necessary because of the need to atone in this world for public and national sins and our failure to do so. When are people everywhere going to stop blaming God and look to their own behavior?
Our world needs many people who will quietly offer up pain and suffering, fasting and praise to God so that a real conversion of heart will happen world wide. Christians know that God can and does intervene in our lives, and that if He was willing to spare the inhabitants of Sodom if only ten just men were found (Gen. 18: 22-32), we know that small numbers of devout people can bring down God’s grace of conversion on all. The chastisements due us for public and national sin can be ameliorated by the faithfulness of a few.
And when we find ourselves in a situation such as Haiti, Katrina, and other natural disasters, let us not chafe at the bit of suffering but instead offer it up in atonement for our sins and those of the world – those sins that cannot be expiated in the next world.
Readers, ask your priests to speak on this subject and invite as many people as possible to join in the great work of Christ, redemptive suffering, for deliverance of our country and the world from the grip of the Adversary. Ask God for the grace to endure joyfully whatever He sends you, knowing that your example can inspire others.
We are all His children. There is not one whom God does not love and desire to turn to Him with humility and confidence in His mercy and goodness. Follow the Fatima message of repentance and conversion and pray every day for mercy for this world.
To the King of ages, Who is immortal, invisible, the one only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen (Tim. 1: 17).
R. Now and forever. Amen.
(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)
For the previous two articles on public and national sins click on:
Expiating Public and National Sins
A Public and National Sin Requiring Atonement
A Public and National Sin Requiring Atonement
September 14, 2010
Crucifixion c. 1648, Giulio Carpioni, oil on canvas, Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice
Today is the feast of the Exhaltation of the Holy Cross, the instrument by which we are saved. This series on redemptive suffering is a fitting subject for the week in which we contemplate the power of the Cross and the Seven Sorrows of Mary in the Church’s liturgical calendar.
Government Complicity in Disease and Killing from Genetically Modified Foods
While pro-life groups are focused on the need for redemptive suffering to atone for public sins of abortion and euthanasia, a direct and obvious killing of our fellow human beings, another more subtle attack on our fellow humans comes from the corruption involved in bringing genetically modified foods to market and the negative effect these foods have on humans and animals.
***
Let me interject here: I am an American who loves her country and is grateful to God for allowing me to be born and live here. Speaking of the public and national sins of our government is a patriotic call to stop the corrupt practices in the legislatures and courts leading to suffering and death around the world. We were founded on Christian principles but today those principles have been abandoned by all too many. I am part of the “me” generation responsible for the fulfillment of anti-God secular humanist ideas that are bearing poisoned fruit and feel I must speak out against them and for the restoration of Christ’s Gospel of Life in every heart.
***
I bring up the evil fruit of the genetically modified food practice as an example of a great injustice done by corporations and governments (not just America) in complicity to enrich themselves at the cost of the health and lives of those affected by it. Dr. Mercola has a number of articles on the subject at his web site, and suffice it to say, trusting the government regarding foods raised, sold, and consumed is hazardous to your health and ultimately to the future of man. This is, of course, gravely morally wrong from so many angles I can’t name them all.
Just because we can do something does not mean we should do it.
Just because we can alter DNA does not mean we should, even if the project starts out with the most noble of purposes, such as addressing world hunger. The means does not guarantee the desired end, and to embark on paths without proper care and proof that the path taken is morally right calls motives into question and leads to unintended consequences.
What are a few unintended consequences of the proliferation of GM crops?
Studies on third generation hamsters fed GM soy show that nearly all were sterile and hair grew inside their mouths. A study on rats by Russian scientists showed that more than 50 percent of the babies from mother rats that were fed GM soy died within three weeks, compared to a 10 percent death rate among the controls. What will happen with humans?
GM crops of cotton, soy, corn, sugar beets, canola, etc. were bred to resist Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup and other weed killers. The high percentages of these crops coming to the grocery stores is putting people at risk, both in the consumption of fresh vegetables and in processed food. The ubiquitous use of high fructose corn syrup is spreading the genetic modifications to food everywhere.
Genetically modified seeds are escaping farms and growing uninhibited in the wild, unable now to be controlled. Wildlife won’t eat GM foods. They seem to recognize something is wrong. But the GM foods can choke out natural food sources and wildlife will starve.
Monsanto contaminates the fields, trespasses onto the land taking samples, and then sues, saying they own the crop. Meanwhile, Monsanto is taking many other steps to keep farmers and everyone else from having any access at all to buying, collecting, and saving of normal seeds:
1. They’ve bought up the seed companies across the Midwest.
2. They’ve written Monsanto seed laws and gotten legislators to put them through, that make cleaning, collecting and storing of seeds so onerous in terms of fees and paperwork that having normal seed becomes almost impossible.
3. Monsanto is pushing laws that ensure farmers and citizens can’t block the planting of GMO crops even if they can contaminate other crops.
4. There are Monsanto regulations buried in the FDA rules that make a farmer’s seed cleaning equipment illegal because it’s now considered a “source of seed contamination.”
Monsanto has sued more than 1,500 farmers whose fields had simply been contaminated by GM crops.
Monsanto has inserted a gene in it’s genetically modified seeds that render the offspring’s seeds sterile, forcing farmers to buy new seed every year. Doesn’t this cause food price inflation, interfere with the farmer’s profit margin and ability to provide for their families? Doesn’t this increase government costs of food stamp programs our taxes support? How many other ways is this immoral?
A little known but significant consequence of the collusion between Monsanto, the American government and the government of India is the high suicide rate among Indian farmers.
According to AlterNet, a leftist (progressive) activist news site that accuses “right wing” news media of vitriol and “hate talk” (just because a media outlet is admittedly “left wing” does not mean we cannot glean useful information from it):
“Since GM seeds are patented by Monsanto, their repeated use each year requires constant licensing fees that keep farmers impoverished. One bad yield due to drought or other reasons, plunges farmers so deep into debt that they resort to suicide. One study estimates that 150,000 farmers have killed themselves in the past ten years.”
In Dr. Mercola’s September 3, 2010 article: Blood on our Farms: Is Monsanto Responsible for 1 Suicide Every 30 Minutes? he writes:
According to the National Crime Records Bureau of India, more than 182,900 Indian farmers took their own lives between 1997 and 2007. It estimates 46 Indian farmers commit suicide every day. That equates to roughly one suicide every 30 minutes!
Some will argue that natural events are to blame, such as lack of rain, but crop failures have occurred before, and it didn’t push thousands of farmers to end their lives by drinking pesticide.
No, the increased desperation can be traced directly back to the use of patented, and therefore expensive, seeds, and the unconscionable tactics of Monsanto.
Monsanto has been ruthless in their drive to use India as a testing ground for genetically modified crops. Over the past decade, millions of Indian farmers have been promised radically increased harvests and income if they switch from their traditional age tested farming methods to genetically modified (GM) Bt cotton seeds.
So, they borrow money to buy GM seeds, which need certain pesticides that were previously unnecessary, which requires even more money. When rain fall is sparse, the GM crops actually fare far worse than traditional crops – a fact that these farmers oftentimes don’t learn until it’s too late and they’re standing there with failed crops, spiraling debts, and no income.
And by next season, they have to do it all over again because the GM seeds cannot be saved and replanted. They must be purchased again.
India has started a government program for families whose farmers have committed suicide from these policies. Is this not an incentive to kill oneself if one wishes to provide for his family and is prevented from doing so by corporations in collusion with government? The Indian government is subsidizing suicide. Do you think American legislatures, courts and congress are blameless in this? I don’t.
Redemptive Suffering Atones
This discussion on public and national sin with Monsanto and other corporations engaged in similar actions is just a vehicle to show the drastic state of affairs in this world regarding our offenses toward God. I write this to demonstrate the need for faithful and loving souls who are daily developing their relationship with God to offer themselves in union with Christ on the cross to our heavenly Father.
The problems I’ve identified are too big for a single person to solve, but God in His mercy can solve everything. We need mass conversions to Christ and people living in a loving manner towards each other. We need trust in God and living His law of the dignity of the human person, a dignity trampled upon every day in ways we cannot even imagine. Let us never think that because we are not cloistered monks or nuns we cannot affect the world for good. St. Therese of Lisieux and St. Jose Maria Escriva showed us the little way. The lover (us) counts no cost in giving himself to the Beloved (God) any more than Jesus did not count the cost in sacrificing Himself for us.
Whatever God asks of us, He give us the grace to do. Each of us has a spiritual and temporal work to do that no one else can. Let us always seek to do God’s will in joyful trust. Especially let us ask God to see ourselves as He sees us, and to see the world as He sees it.
More articles will follow soon on expiating public/national sin. If you want to learn more about GMOs visit Dr. Mercola’s web site and search “genetically modified foods” for many more articles.
R. Now and forever. Amen.
(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)
The Question of Suffering – Expiating Public and National Sins
September 13, 2010
This is the first in a series of articles on expiating public and national sins through redemptive suffering. I am not writing on this subject to depress people, but to inspire readers to give joyfully to God all the pain in life that comes your way in imitation of our Savior on the cross for the sake of others less blessed. Also, I want to share understanding I’ve gleaned from spiritual reading and sacred scripture on the problem of suffering.
Why does God permit natural disasters such as the earthquake in Haiti, hurricanes Katrina and Ike, the tsunami in Indonesia, the floods in Pakistan, etc?
Why are evil dictators allowed to remain in office, killing their own people?
Why all the endless massive suffering in the world?
Why must innocent people suffer along with the wicked?
Why must I suffer?
These questions are reasonable for any thinking person to ask, and for the prayerful Christian, questions that must be asked.
Crucifixion c. 1648, Giulio Carpioni, oil on canvas, Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice
Christians know that Christ, the Son of God, came to earth to suffer and die so that the gates of heaven would once again be opened to man after the fall of Adam and Eve.And because we all have the tendency to sin, we all have the need to repent, and we all must suffer in this life, imitating Christ, because of our own sins and the sins of others. He was innocent; we are not. Christ’s sufferings were sufficient to redeem every person created, but while God presents all of us with the opportunity to take advantage of Christ’s sacrifice, not everyone will accept it.
Sin has consequences we cannot escape. This world is full of pain and anguish and will continue so until the end of time because of original sin. Nobody escapes.
Redemptive suffering is the offering we make to God of our suffering for the conversion of others and for expiation of all sins. It’s not that Christ did not suffer enough, but that because He suffered and commanded us to follow in His footsteps we must, in joy (because God loves a cheerful giver), suffer in unity with Him. St. Paul puts it this way in Col. 1:24: I rejoice now in the sufferings I bear for your sake; and what is lacking of the sufferings of Christ I fill up in my flesh for His body, which is the Church.”
Jesus Himself said, Whoever does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple (Lk. 23:26).
Lately I’ve been pondering one of the surprising (to me) reasons why we must suffer and offer it up cheerfully. The many news articles on various subjects I’ve been reading lately give plain examples of how public and national sins affect everyone.
In 1935 Franciscan Herald Press published the book, Why Must I Suffer? - A Book of Light and Consolation by Father F. J. Remler, C.M. Shortly after I was diagnosed with severe fibromyalgia and a number of other health issues I read this book, now in print again through Loreto Publications. Among the fifteen reasons Father Remler listed as to why we must suffer is to expiate public and national sins.
He writes on page 9:
As a member of society and a citizen of your country, you must unite with the rest in making the atonement and reparation which Divine Justice requires for the public and national sins committed in the community in which you live.
By public and national sins we understand certain sins of a graver nature which are committed on so large a scale and by so many persons in a community, be it a city, or a province, or an entire nation, that they are attributed to the community as a body and not merely to this or that individual.
Among the public sins he listed are:
- Irreligion and forgetfulness of God
- Godless education of the young
- Profanation of God’s Holy Name
- Cursing, blasphemy and perjury
- Desecration of the Lord’s Day
- Immodest and scandalous fashions
- Dishonesty, injustice and oppression of the poor
- Murder and genocide
- Immoral art, literature and amusements
- Adultery sanctioned by state laws
- Wild orgies of gross immorality and unrestrained license which periodically disgrace public festivities and celebrations, or occur in connection with balls, dances, banquets and the like.
In 1935 abortion was not discussed publicly nor was it legalized, but today abortion and euthanasia should be added to the list along with waging unjust wars.
Technology has made it possible to sin as a nation through actions of our legislatures and lobbyists, and in this regard I am thinking specifically of companies such as Monsanto who have devised a diabolical scheme to force dangerous genetically modified foods on the world, and of market manipulation by Wall Street and finance companies. We should also note the harmful drugs and vaccines approved by the FDA and deals cut by the government with pharmaceutical companies to forbid lawsuits by those who are injured by them.
What others would you list as public and national sins under Father Remler’s definition?
On p. 11 he remarks:
Public and national sins must be expiated in this world for the very simple reason that they cannot be expiated in the next. In the world to come families, cities, provinces and nations will have no continued corporate existence. There, men and women will exist merely as individuals, without being united by those social, civil, political and national bonds which are necessary in this life for the welfare and preservation of the human race. In eternity, they will individually enjoy the fruits of their life on earth – the good will possess the kingdom of God in heaven, while the wicked shall suffer for their evil deeds in the unquenchable fires of hell. But as public sins require public expiation, and this expiation cannot be made in this next life, it is clear that it must be made on this side of the grave.
OK, so a certain amount of suffering in this world is something we have to live with because of corporate/national/public sin. Moreover, what do we do about it other than bear the consequences? Will our suffering in imitation of Christ mitigate the consequences of these sins?
Come back tomorrow for the next article in the series and the beginning of the answers to the questions I’ve posed. Father Remler’s book is available in Barb’s Custom Shop. Just click on the link on the sidebar and it will take you there.
For the sins of His own nation
Saw Him hang in desolation
Till His spirit forth He sent.
(verse, Stabat Mater attributed to Jacapone da Todi, c.1230-1306, follower of St. Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226)
R. Now and forever. Amen.
(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)
A Real God-incidence
August 19, 2010
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.
Seeking God’s Will
July 23, 2010
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
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?
The Kiss of Christ
June 2, 2010
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.
Online Eucharistic Adoration
May 17, 2010
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.
Gluten Sensitivity, Weight Gain, and Fibromyalgia
May 11, 2010
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
“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:
- 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
- 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;
- vitamin D deficiency – the range of D3 in the blood needs to be 50-65, not 30+ as some labs say is “normal”;
- Adrenal gland fatigue and other endocrine gland imbalances;
- Not enough intake of flouride and chlorine-free water;
- Type of food eaten;
- Need for probiotics;
- 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
The Heart of Personal Holiness
May 5, 2010
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.
Judaism and the Holocaust – St. Edith Stein
April 28, 2010
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
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?
Suffering and Holiness
March 16, 2010
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.
A Little of My Story
March 5, 2010
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.
The Way of Reparation
March 2, 2010
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!
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