trust in God
Miracles of Forgiveness
September 6, 2010
Ever since I read Imaculeé Ilibagiza’s two books on surviving the 1994 Rwandan genocide a couple of weeks ago I have pondered the many lessons contained in them, most especially the problem of truly forgiving those who have wronged us. Outside of the fact that hatred, resentment and vengeful feelings can wreak havoc on body chemistry leading to all kinds of physical problems, keeping ill-will stoked up slowly poisons the soul.
Is there anyone among us who has not struggled with forgiveness? We all know that Jesus asked His Father to to forgive His executioners “for they know not what they do” in Luke 23:34, setting the example for us. Why, then, is it so hard to follow? What do we need to do to adopt the spirit of Christ in His extremity?
Ilibagiza’s book Led By Faith: Rising from the Ashes of the Rwandan Genocide
Without giving away too much of what she writes, I will highlight a few points that impressed me. First, the Hutus shot her father in the back a few days after they hacked her mother to death with machetes. Her two brothers were also gruesomely murdered as were her uncles and cousins and some aunts. She knew nothing of their deaths because she was in hiding along with some other Tutsi women in a very tiny bathroom for the three months of the genocide. The killers were fellow villagers who had been friends, visited their house and shared meals with the family. Some of the killers had been helped by her parents in many ways, yet it made no difference. It was Hutus against Tutsis with the Hutu majority of 9 million against the Tutsi population of one million. The politics of the situation is covered in Ilibagiza’s book Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust
Second, it was in that tiny bathroom where a couple of the women literally had to sit on top of one another and each had to take turns standing to stretch, that Ilibagiza heard the killers calling her by name in the dark of night. For the three months of their sequestration the women could not speak, only communicating with sign language so that no one else in the house would know that they were there. A mere slip could result in revealing their hiding place. In that case, both the kind minister, who was Hutu and owned the house, and they, would be killed by the roving bands of killers. They lived with little sunlight, often having no food for days, infested with body lice, and hunted daily. Several times the house was raided in the night, but their hiding place was never found.
Third, it was how Ilibagiza spent her time in this prison that made all the difference. Not knowing what happened to her family, she prayed her rosary for them and for all the killers. God gave her the grace to enter into a state of deep prayer for hours at a time while she concentrated on forgiving everyone who had ever wronged her, and all the killers of her fellow countrymen. She often thought of Jesus forgiving from the cross.
God also showed Imaculeé the truth that we are all His children, that He loves all, even when some are doing unimaginable evil. She saw in real terms that people God loves can turn their hearts over to the devil and only His love can turn them back. She saw that she must live this truth entirely by allowing God to reveal His love through her, never returning hate for hate. She developed a deep trust in God, without which forgiveness is impossible.
Fourth, in the state of almost constant prayerfulness, God inspired her to ask the minister to place his large wardrobe in front of the bathroom door by showing her a glowing cross on the door no one else could see. Ilibagiza understood that if the door was blocked they would be safe, and indeed it proved to be so. When the Hutu broke in a couple of times and ransacked the bedroom, they never thought to move the wardrobe and so never found the bathroom door even though they moved furniture in other rooms they searched. Those times, only the narrow wall of the house separated the women from death.
Fifth, some time after the genocide was over and a new government in place, Ilibagiza went to the prison where her father’s killer was incarcerated. He was in terrible condition because the Hutu killers were being drastically punished even before their trials. She took his hands in hers and looking into his eyes she said, “I forgive you.” Other Tutsis could not understand how she could do this and were angry with her. Ilibagiza knew, however, that God saved her from death for the purpose of carrying His message of forgiveness all over the world. She had to start by forgiving the grievous wrong done her by a man she and her family knew.
I won’t tell of all the other miracles God worked for Imaculeé because I don’t want to spoil a good read. Let’s just say they were many and came about because many times in prayer she forgave again and again everyone who had harmed her, part of her quest to make sure she had an absolutely clean heart before God.
Forgiveness in our hearts is a path to miracles in our lives. Jesus had a reason for including in the Our Father, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”. God blesses the forgiving and merciful in ways impossible to imagine. With simple faith, let us imitate Christ and Ilibagiza and start forgiving those close to us who have hurt us, the political leaders who are damaging us personally and our country, the businesses which are ruining our health and destroying our food sources, and the religious ideologues who want to enslave us. Pray for the grace to do this and keep on praying no matter how long it takes.
Both of Ilibagiza’s books are available through my Amazon store. Just click on the “store” tab at the top of the page and go to the end of the “Blessed Virgin Mary” category.
R. Now and forever. Amen.
(Click on the link above to read why I end my posts this way.)
Seek Ye Therefore First the Kingdom of God…
August 30, 2010
Last week I wrote no posts due to many factors including sheer exhaustion. Today is the beginning of a new week and, I hope, one where I can get some of the things I put off accomplished.
Last Monday started off with a wasp sting which happened during my asparagus bean daily harvest. It wasn’t bad and the pain went away quickly when I applied a homeopathic remedy I keep in the medicine chest. The sting reminded me of what every sin does to the soul, and how God’s grace takes away the pain and swelling affecting nearby areas. A single sin is like a wasp sting. It only takes a minute but it causes trouble in the soul beyond the small entry wound.
Many stings make for a very bumpy and sick soul. The habit of many small sins eventually will kill the soul unless we submit to God’s remedy of repentance and forgiveness. Getting stung made me resolve to be more vigilant in my spiritual life and to avoid situations where I might get stung so that I will have a smooth, clean soul to present to the Father. There’s no avoiding the asparagus beans, though. Every stinging insect in the area loves them for the nectar from the flowers, but they usually leave me alone. God just wanted to teach me a lesson Monday morning about how sin hurts us, and somebody at that moment needed grace from the discomfort I offered to Him.
Last Tuesday I went to get my teeth cleaned and learned that my bottom front teeth need to be capped, at an exorbitant price I might add. My husband called the Kansas City Dental College and we made a day trip there on Thursday for a second opinion. It turns out that if I don’t replace the 32 year old caps on the top and let them re-engineer my bite, capping the bottom two won’t last. So for more than double the cost of two caps, I’ll get six caps and a fix that will last the rest of my life. We will scramble to find the money somehow and we will have to make several more all-day trips to get it done over the next three months. The quality and workmanship will be superb, but I wish I didn’t need it done.
On the way home Thursday, warning lights showed up on the dashboard. Great. It turns out something is wrong in the brake system and the fix will be around $900. Is it safe to get out of bed yet? I want to hide under the covers.
Along came the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost and Jesus had the right words for me in the Gospel of Matthew. In an exhausting and disappointing week, He gave me the reminder to trust in the Father and not to stress out, even though I am so tired of being so tired and so tired of big bills lately: Mt. 6: 25-27 and 32-34:
Therefore I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat; nor yet for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life a greater thing than the food, and the body than the clothing? Behold the birds of the air: they do not sow, nor reap, or gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you of much more value than they? But which of you by being anxious about it can add to his stature a single cubit?
…for your Father knows that you need all these things. But seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things shall be added unto you.
These words renewed my spirit and could not have been more timely. My desire for the rest of my life is to detach from the world and trust in God while suffering with joy. Have you noticed that whenever you ask God to help you acquire a virtue He sets up ways to give you plenty of practice?
R. Now and forever. Amen.
*click on the link to read why I’m ending all my posts with this.
Sabbath Moments
August 14, 2010
Hosted by Colleen at Thoughts on Grace, Sabbath Moments are the times during the week when we were quiet in our souls, even if we are outwardly active. I like this meme because it forces me to think often during the week about practicing the interior life, as the great spiritual directors have written. Without the internet, we would not know of fellow Catholics on this journey, nor would we be able to encourage one another to closer union with Christ. Every person who participates in this meme contributes to the building up of the Body of Christ, and individual examples inspire the many.
I wish more people would participate in this meme for the good of all, but I also understand that many people don’t feel comfortable publicizing their interior life. I myself would not do it if it were not for the fact that I firmly believe that we must uphold one another, comfort one another, and encourage one another towards sainthood. Part of being Christian is also to rejoice with others in the gifts God gives them. It is not up to me to judge what about myself will help others, but to step out in faith and let God’s grace on the reader do His work.
God-enforced Sabbath Moments: This week I had a couple of episodes of serious fatigue where I was so wiped out I couldn’t do anything but lie in bed. These are always opportunities to meditate and pray. They are also reminders that God is in charge and what I want to do isn’t always what He has in mind for me at the moment. These events are great opportunities to practice abandonment to Divine Providence and detachment from self-will.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this forced quietude is the fact that I had been asked this week to take on something that would require a great deal of energy and time. I told the person I would pray about it and asked God to let me know what He wanted. He did. He flattened me. God is so good and generous. He knows I won’t get it unless He applies a 2×4 and that’s fine by me.
Vengeance is Mine
August 9, 2010
Last week I wrote about how hackers had cost me both money and peace of mind. Admittedly, my first reaction was to think of some colorful curses like the well-known Arabic one: “May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits.” I even came up with a few highly applicable and intricate ones of my own. But St. Paul writes in Romans 12: 17-19,
To no man render evil for evil. Provide good things, not only in the sight of God, but also in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as is in you, have peace with all men. Revenge not yourselves, my dearly beloved; but give place unto wrath, for it is written: Revenge is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.
It’s clear the Lord’s message is, “Forget about it and let Me take care of it.” Now that is not so easy, but it surely is best. After all, it’s a trillion to one odds that I would ever be able to get direct satisfaction from these predators. But what of future wrongs? Until we’re dead, we always have the opportunity for someone to work us over. How can I develop the mindset God wants me to have so I can really let go and leave things up to Him?
As I was pondering these things, it so happened that my Bible fell open at Psalm 9B (10). How this occurred I don’t remember, but it seems that the lesson was meant for me and I have been mulling it over all week. Human nature hasn’t changed in the thousands of years since this prayer was written. But this psalm surely can bring consolation to the abused and afflicted. In fact, it describes daily life in a corrupt society we must all deal with and still stay Christian. As you read this, fill in your own blanks to see how it applies.
1. Why, O Lord, do you stand aloof? Why hide in times of distress?
2. Proudly the wicked harass the afflicted, who are caught in the devices the wicked have contrived.
3. For the wicked man glories in his greed, and the covetous blasphemes, sets the Lord at naught. The wicked man boasts,
4. “He will not avenge it”; “there is no God,” sums up his thoughts.
5. His ways are secure at all times; your judgments are far from his mind;
6. all his foes he scorns. He says in his heart, “I shall not be disturbed; from age to age I shall be without misfortune.”
7. His mouth is full of cursing, guile and deceit; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.
8. He lurks in ambush near the villages; in hiding he murders the innocent; his eyes spy upon the unfortunate.
9. He waits in secret like a lion in his lair; he lies in wait to catch the afflicted; he catches the afflicted and drags them off in his net.
10. He stoops and lies prone till by his violence fall the unfortunate.
11. He says in his heart, “God has forgotten; he hides his face, he never sees.”
12. Rise, O Lord! O God, lift up your hand.
13. Forget not the afflicted! Why should the wicked man despise God, saying in his heart, “He will not avenge it”?
14. You do see, for you behold misery and sorrow, taking them in your hands. On you the unfortunate man depends; of the fatherless you are the helper.
15. Break the strength of the wicked and of the evildoer; punish their wickedness; let them not survive.
16. The Lord is king forever and ever; the nations have perished out of his land.
17. The desire of the afflicted you hear, O Lord; strengthening their hearts,
18. you pay heed to the defense of the fatherless and the oppressed, that man, who is of earth, may terrify no more.
Since Holy Scripture is of the Holy Spirit, these inspired words show clearly how God regards those who prey upon the poor. This psalm is both a caution never to throw in with evildoers, and a consolation to the oppressed. If our eyes are unwaveringly fixed on God, the evil men of this world and the demons of hell behind them cannot terrify us. Yes, I trust in God to deal with the hackers, scammers, murderers, liars and thieves in life as St. Paul urged, and will pray this psalm often that they be prevented from harming others. I pray also never to be their useful idiot.
True Faith vs. Intellectual Pride
August 9, 2010
In my post Seeking God’s Will I introduced readers to my dear friend Father Philip Schuster, OSB (RIP). I am reading his book again as part of my ongoing journey of suffering with joy. His simplicity of heart was very inspiring and it opened my eyes to having greater trust in God. We will never achieve the holiness God desires for us if we don’t learn this lesson because our intellectual pride will always block our surrender to Him. To the extent we refuse to surrender we limit our ability to love.
Three Children of Fatima
Saints are not made overnight. Achieving great charity, and that is the meaning of being a saint, is done minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour, day-by-day with much toe-stubbing, ankle-twisting and knee-skinning along the way. The first step seems to me to empty ourselves of our intellectual pride - and sometimes that’s like bailing out a boat with a leaky bucket – so that we follow the exhortation of Jesus: Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a child, shall not enter into it. (Lk. 18: 17). Faith is to be received Jesus tells us, simply, as a child believes his parents, with open-hearted trust in God and an emptying of self. If we do not become child-like, we make no room in our hearts for faith.
Here is that beautiful, child-like simplicity from Father Philip:
Human reason or intellect enters into faith and has a very important place. But in faith, reason isn’t there to question what God has said or to determine what is true. For by faith we already know what is true. God has told us. Reason is there to study the meaning of it all, to see the beauty and goodness of it all, to make the truth my own, to respond to it and live it. But not to question it! For we know it is true, once God has revealed it.
As soon as you question what God has said, you indicate little faith or no faith at all. Consider what happened to Zechariah (see Luke 1:20). Faith demands that I keep an open mind to what God has to say, and that when I believe, I believe simply because God has spoken…
It just may be true that saying we believe is not necessarily proof of real faith. Perhaps we often accept some truth or some moral law, not because we are convinced that God has taught it, but because it seems right to us and fits our desires at present. Proof of this, at least proof enough for us to take warning, comes from the fact that if something taught by the Church today doesn’t seem reasonable to us, we hesitate or even refuse to accept it. Which more or less proves that we are guided all along by our own reasoning power and not by faith. For again, faith is essentially a simple accepting because God has spoken.
Father Philip cuts to the heart of the matter. When I think of the times I doubted in the past, it was because I allowed the devil to confuse me. He only does this when our willfulness rules us and we press forward into sin because we want to indulge. I can truthfully say that any time I asked God for a deeper understanding of a truth of the Faith, He always answered me. Sometimes He made me wait awhile. Sometimes He showed me right away. But He never denied me the grace to see the beauty, goodness, and harmony of it all, nor the grace as Father Philip writes, “to respond to it and live it.”
I’ll be back with more from Father Philip soon.
Prayer from 8th Sunday after Pentecost
July 20, 2010
The Church prays her sacred liturgy as the words of all true believers. We can never go wrong when we address God through her official prayers. They are chanted in the name of all in her Body, which is the mystical Body of Christ. The thought that all the baptized are members of this Body is truly awesome to contemplate, and we should do our best to help others to become part of it that they may find the great spiritual joy we have.
From the rising to the setting of the sun all over the earth, the Holy Sacrifice is re-presented to our heavenly Father and we benefit from all the graces that come from this perpetual offering. There is not one moment in time that the Church is not praying and there is not one prayer in the sacred liturgy that fails to show a right relationship with our Father. By praying these words attentively and with all our heart, we are imitating Christ just as much as we imitate Him by doing good to others.
When we pray the sacred liturgy we need never fear that our prayers are not good enough, or that we are praying for the wrong thing, or that our prayers lack sufficient merit, because it is Christ Himself offering the prayers. This is why our sacred liturgy is infinitely pleasing to the Father. With this in mind I take great comfort in the Sunday collect (prayer) which is prayed often in the liturgy throughout the week. This past Sunday’s prayer is much needed in our day.
Graciously grant to us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the spirit to think and do always such things as are rightful: that we, who cannot exist without Thee, may be enabled to live according to Thy will. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.
How can our heavenly Father not grant this to us? We are asking that our minds and bodies be infused with the Holy Spirit so that we do only that which is just in His eyes and think only of that which is in accord with His law. We can be confident that God will give us what we ask for because we are asking for exactly what He wants to give us. This prayer opens our hearts to Him, He who is deserving of all our love, honor, and worship.
In today’s age with the supreme arrogance of man wafting over airwaves and satellite day and night, the Church admits (and we with Her) that we cannot exist, and in fact would not exist at all without the power of our Creator. This humble acknowledgment is the simple truth, and when we pray in total humility, we honor our Father who is offended by those who act as if all power comes from themselves. Moreover, this just prayer benefits all humanity. We ask these things from God not only for ourselves, but for all our fellow men everywhere. As God was willing to spare Sodom and Gomorrah if Abraham could find only ten righteous men (Gen. 18), so the humble prayers of the few bring grace to the many.
We ask to be enabled to live according to the Father’s will. We can do this only if we practice daily surrender to His providence and keep our eyes fixed on Christ, our Teacher and Savior. The entire world becomes a better place when even one person becomes better at thinking and acting like Christ, doing the Father’s will. It’s the ripple effect of good that, if strong, can collide with and turn back the ripples of evil. The effects of this prayer will be hidden from those who have eyes that do not see (Ez. 12: 2, Jer. 5: 21, Ps. 135: 16, Ps. 115: 5) but will be obvious to those who strive towards God, trusting in His care.
A Path to Holiness
July 5 2010
St. Josemaria Escriva
One of my favorite bishops in this country is Robert Finn of the Kansas City-St. Joseph diocese in Missouri. On the feast of St. Josemaria Escriva at Our Lady of Good Counsel parish he preached a great sermon that reinforces the “Little Way” of St. Therese of Lisieux and “The Work” of St. Josemaria which is very like the “Little Way” applied to modern times in the world.
When St. Augustine wrote that “Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee,” he was speaking of man’s search for peace, joy, and meaning in life. These desires can only be fulfilled by the all-holy God who fills us with His holiness when we open our hearts to Him. As a practical matter, doing this is not easy because with all the cares of the world we often become side-tracked, chasing after everything else but God. It is just this condition that makes St. Josemaria’s message so appealing for the modern person who is not called to the cloister, the hermitage, or the priesthood. Holiness is for everyone.
Here are some excerpts from Bishop Finn’s sermon:
I know that one of the primary things that has attracted me to St. Josemaria is his humble devotion, his fidelity to the Church at a time when there was much upheaval, and his simple plan to help us see all of our most everyday tasks and efforts, our daily work, as a path to holiness…
And he was given such a profound God’s-eye view of the way that ordinary men and women, lay faithful, family men and women, and diocesan priests as well, could be holy in accord with God’s plan: not by leaving the world but precisely by living close to God in the world – and offering all that happens, and all they do as a gift to God for the end of sanctification…
We can reach heaven surely and safely by being contemplatives in the middle of the world. This is so important because, in fact it is the vocation of probably 95% of humanity!…[So important for the sick, suffering, disabled, and war-torn to understand. Our lives are not useless or meaningless no matter what the politics of the day may say.]
Emblematic of the simplicity and depth of St. Josemaria’s vision for holiness is the truth that God is our Father… [And trusting in Him is fundamental. "Ours not to reason why, ours but to do and die..." - Kipling's "Charge of the Light Brigade".]…
[Jesus] has a Father, and…we can call Him “Our Father.”…this truth is not for a few. It is for all the sons and daughters. It is for you and me. WE have a Father. We must never forget it. We must, again and again, surrender ourselves onto His lap, into His arms…
We are, as St. Josemaria said, like God’s donkey, quietly pulling the load and doing the work. [Donkeys are beautiful (to me), dependable, and sure-footed. One bore Christ into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Being a donkey bearing the Son of God to others through daily work seems like a very good thing to me.]
To read the entire sermon visit The Catholic Key blog, written by the staff of the diocesan paper for Kansas City – St. Joseph. I promise that if you liked these excerpts, you will like all the rest.
Sunday Snippets – A Catholic Carnival
July 4, 2010
Happy 4th of July to all my readers. I praise and thank God for having allowed me to be born in the USA, raised Catholic, and blessed with the skills and calling to “blog for Christ” as I think of it. One of the greatest aspects of working on our relationship with God is that He always has a job for us, and often it is a new job, no matter how old we get. He’s the only employer that never fires anybody (although some people up and quit). That’s how I ended up blogging. As He closes some chapters in our life, He starts new ones with us until He is ready to finish our temporal book with the final words, “Not The End, but The Beginning”.
Please join us at RAnn’s This That and the Other Thing blog where we get to enjoy reading other Catholic bloggers’ posts. If you’re not a blogger but want to participate, you’re invited to leave a comment anyway. If you are a blogger, create a “Sunday Snippets” post, link to This That and the Other Thing, and be sure to leave a link back to your site at RAnn’s page.
This week I posted two portraits I painted using lessons on digital painting. Each are unique and emphasized the uniqueness of the subjects. The first one is about my friend Lynn’s horse, Asti, The Horse with One Blue Eye. The second one is Francie’s Story, a post about our young rescue dog.
I wrote a couple of health related posts: Simple Tips to increase Fat Burning and Improve Conditioning and Simple Way to Stop Mid-back Pain with people like me and my husband in mind. You’re never to old to do easy stuff to feel better, even if you’ll never have a 25 year old body again.
In Thoughts on the Feast of the Visitation I wrote about how Mary and Elizabeth gave us lessons on trust in God. If you’re like me, there are never too many lessons on this subject.
Thanks for visiting.
Cheerfulness in Adversity
June 18, 2010
Today the dryer quit. In the middle of drying a particularly large load of clothes. My wonderful husband is loading up the wet clothes and going to a public facility to finish the load. Meanwhile, the repair guy can’t come until Monday.
Time will tell the lesson God has in mind for this inconvenience. Maybe we will have to buy a new dryer after 20 years and trust that God will give us the money for it. Another opportunity to practice abandonment to Divine Providence. The immediate opportunity is to practice cheerfulness. I am so cheerful I just whipped up a batch of corn bread so Roger can have some to enjoy when he gets back.
I have put all kinds of extras into cornbread, from jalapeño peppers, chili seasoning and grated Mexican cheese to blueberries and a little sugar. Today I went the blueberry route because I had no jalapeños. To stay gluten-free I used soy flour and a little whey protein. The basic recipe came from my Mom’s very old Betty Crocker cookbook.
Rejoice in the Lord, always! Again I say, rejoice. (Phil. 4: 4 – Introit for the Third Sunday of Advent.)
A Paid Project for God
June 17, 2010
This week I have neglected you, my dear readers, but not because I don’t care about sharing. For the first time in 7 years I have a paid project to do – writing a study guide for my friend, Lynn Baber’s book, Amazing Grays – Amazing Grace, and the deadline is tight. It has to be ready by next weekend for a homeschooling conference in Austin, Texas. Lynn and I work as a team and I have to re-read each chapter, develop questions based on the content, and devise suitable exercises for readers to apply the lessons. She’ll edit and add necessary horse-related stuff.
This work is very like what I did in my business career when I developed training programs and training manuals. Thinking is hard work and very time consuming when I am putting something like this together, just as when I write blog posts. I always want to bring something useful to readers. It also takes prayer.
The project made me reflect on the value Sunday’s collect (prayer) has for me each week. I pray the 1962 Short Breviary daily and unless we celebrate a particular feast, the prayer at the end of each hour is Sunday’s collect. It so happens that last Sunday’s collect (the Third Sunday after Pentecost) fits with Lynn’s message of obedience to God and the right relationship with Him.
O God, the protector of those who put their trust in Thee, without Whom nothing is strong, nothing holy; multiply upon us Thy mercy, that with Thee as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we may not lose those which are eternal. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, who livest and reignest in unity with the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.
I can’t think of a better prayer for each of us as we set out to do God’s will daily. As for the study guide, as of this evening I have only 10 chapters to go!
Feast of the Sacred Heart
June 11, 2010
The Catholic Church established the feast of the Sacred Heart to encourage people to be more devoted and zealous in the practice of the Faith, inspired by the love Jesus has for us which he showed in His suffering and death.
Here is the beautiful collect (prayer) from the feast:
O God, Who in the Heart of Thy Son, wounded by our sins, dost mercifully bestow on us infinite treasures of love: grant we beseech Thee, that whilst we render It the devout homage of our affection, we may also fulfill our duty of worthy satisfaction. Through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, Who livest and reignest in unity with the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.
The entire Gospel for this feast is longer, but here are the last verses of it from St. John, chapter 19:
But one of the soldiers with a spear opened His side, and immediately there came out blood and water. And he that saw it hath given testimony: and his testimony is true. And he knoweth that he saith true, that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture might be fulfilled: You shall not break a bone of Him. And again another Scripture saith: They shall look on Him Whom they pierced.
Both the feast of Divine Mercy and the feast of the Sacred Heart are intimately related. Both derive from the John 19. Having these feasts are great reminders of the love our heavenly Father has for us, that He sent us the promised Messiah who delivered His people (us) from their sins. I am constantly awed by God’s love and faithfulness, His mercy and power. If only the whole world would accept His love, trust in Him, and live accordingly.
Sunday Snippets – A Catholic Carnival
June 6, 2010
Welcome to Sunday Snippets, a gathering of Catholic bloggers who get together at This That and The Other Thing to share our favorite posts. Whether you are a blogger or not, you are welcome to join us.
This week I posted a short poem called The Kiss of Christ, written by a Trappist monk, which I found in a file belonging to my dad.
Most Catholics know of St. Pio da Pietrelcina. I posted St. Pio’s Prayer After Communion for those who are interested. I gave 100 copies of it to a local hospital chaplain to give to people when he takes patients Holy Communion.
At Sabbath Moments I wrote about Felix Mendelssohn’s oratorio Elijah and the beautiful aria, “O Rest in the Lord”, including a YouTube video for those who would like to hear it. No kidding, it is gorgeous.
At Praying the Psalms – Psalm 21, I wrote short comments on a few of the verses. Psalm 20 and 21 go together in the exaltation of the King and victory in battle.
And now I am going to enjoy the work of my fellow bloggers.
Praying the Psalms – Psalm 21
June 5, 2010
Jenny at Just a Minute hosts a weekly “Praying the Psalms” meme and all are invited to join her and fellow bloggers to consider Psalm 21 this week.
This psalm speaks of King David in the literal sense, but the King of Kings in the spiritual sense. We are co-heirs with Christ of the great blessings the Father bestows on His Son, and we, in this fallen world, pray that all mankind exalt our Lord and Savior. That is the purpose of celebrating the feast of Christ the King in our sacred liturgy.
The splendor and majesty bestowed on our souls at Baptism will one day allow us to share in the glory of the King if we continue to strive to make Christ first in our lives.
Verses 5-7, 13:
His glory is great through thy help; splendor and majesty thou dost bestow upon him.
Yea, thou dost make him most blessed forever; thou dost make him glad with the joy of thy presence.
For the king trusts in the Lord; and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.
Be exalted, O Lord, in thy strength! We will sing and praise thy power.
We belong to God – what comfort to know that if we are faithful, we will be most blessed forever in the presence of the Holy Trinity. Moreover, on earth we enjoy the presence of the King in the tabernacle as He fulfills His promise, “I will be with you always.”
Jesus gave us the example of trusting in His Father. If we put our trust in men, chariots, or horses (the government, weapons, possessions, etc.) we will be disappointed. But we know in this psalm that with the steadfast love of the Most High, we shall not be moved to sell our souls for transient gains and thus be overcome by the great Adversary. God will always give us the grace we need to remain faithful.
In all we do, let us sing and praise the power of the King who is one with the Father and the Holy Spirit. It is only by His exalted strength that victory over the evils in this world is ours.
I think often of the quote from Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta: “God does not ask us to be successful. He asks us to be faithful.” (Not the exact words, but the idea.)
Sabbath Moments
June 5, 2010
Sabbath moments are the moments we rest in God, when we take time to just Be with God rather than Do. Sabbath moments are those times when we live in the moment and find the holy in the ordinary. Join Colleen at Thoughts on Grace to read of other Sabbath Moments.
Ever since I started participating in this theme, the words of the second alto aria from Felix Mendelssohn’s great oratorio Elijah have echoed in my brain. “O rest in the Lord” is one of the most beautiful and simple (not to sing!) in composition, with the melody evoking the feeling of the words.
The setting occurs when an angel has come to Elijah in the wilderness after he has fled Jezebel. He is lying under a tree, exhausted, and asks the Lord to take his life because his suffering is so unbearable. He falls asleep and is awakened by an angel who gives him bread and water. He then falls asleep again and again the angel wakes him, this time giving him enough food to survive forty days (there’s that forty days again) in the wilderness. This aria refers to the second appearance of the angel who encourages Elijah to persevere in doing the will of God in evil circumstances.
Mendelssohn gives the angel these verses taken from Psalm 37: “O rest in the Lord. Wait patiently for Him and He will give thee thy heart’s desires. Commit thy way unto Him, and trust in Him, and fret? not thyself because of evildoers.”
It seems that the angel’s words to Elijah can apply to all of us in today’s world. Bad news and evil doings abound. We can’t find any media which is not pontificating on all of it, and much of the hot air is ignorant, vicious, and duplicitous. It is tempting to engage ourselves in the fray, but does that not, for some of us, take us away from a focus on God and the mission he has given us individually in this life? The angel sings to us as he did to Elijah: “O rest in the Lord…and fret not thyself because of evildoers.”
If you would like to hear the aria I have embedded a YouTube upload with orchestra so you can hear it as Mendelssohn wrote it except that the conductor is using a faster tempo than usual. The aria should be about 3:40 but this recording comes in under 3 minutes. It was, however, the best of the ones that could be embedded. The one most faithful to Mendelssohn’s prescribed tempo had the embedding code disabled. 
Whenever I listen to oratorios or sacred choral music, for sure I am “resting in the Lord.”
Praying the Psalms – Psalm 20
May 29, 2010
Jenny at Just a Minute hosts a meme called “Praying the Psalms” on Saturdays. Since Colleen is taking a break from hosting “Sabbath Moments” today, and since this is Memorial Day weekend when we remember our fallen soldiers, I joined Jenny to consider Psalm 20.
1. The Lord answer you in the day of trouble! The name of the God of Jacob protect you!
7. Some boast of chariots, and some of horses; but we boast in the name of the Lord our God.
8. They will collapse and fall; but we shall rise and stand upright.
9. Give victory to the king, O Lord; answer us when we call.
Adoration of the Name of Jesus, 1578-79, El Greco (b. 1541, Candia, d. 1614, Toledo), Oil on canvas, Chapter House, Monasterio de San Lorenzo, El Escorial
This psalm was sung as part of the Israelite ritual before battle, vocalizing the spiritual unity of king and people bonded to God in the Old Covenant. It is a prayer of worship and warfare all in one.
The enemies of Israel had more modern weapons than she, but Israel had the greatest weapon of all, the Name of the Lord. How many times Israel was miraculously victorious over much stronger forces as God prepared His people for the coming of the Messiah!
Today earthly war in all its forms is still the age-old war for our souls. We battle in the public place both literally and figuratively – the battle of the Church Militant – and our most powerful weapon is the holy name of Jesus, before Whom every knee shall bend. We will always triumph over temptation and fulfill our earthly duties well with the name of Jesus on our lips, and if we ask God for the grace to always remember to call upon His name when we are afflicted, He will grant it.
This psalm is eschatological, too. By asking God for victory for the King, Who first obtained victory by rising from the dead, we are also asking for the victory of His Second Coming. The great Adversary will “collapse and fall” while those who in humility know that victory is impossible without God will “rise and stand upright” on the last day.
This weekend is a good time to ask God to protect our living troops, grant them victory amidst the evil they combat, and gather the fallen who are in purgatory to His heart… In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
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