Private Vows in The Laity/Spirituality

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Our progress in holiness depends on God and ourselves — on God’s grace and on our will to be holy.

We must have a real living determination to reach holiness.

 

 

- Mother Theresa, A Gift for God

 

Quite personally for myself and my own vocation to the single lay state under private vows, I am not at all convinced that holiness is of necessity a blinkered walk via the well beaten path or 'well advertised' path other than the absolute centrality of Mass and The Blessed Eucharist, The Sacraments. Scripture, The Faith and Morals of The Church.  The Guidance of The Holy Spirit.

We surely need embrace a real living daily and consistent hope for holiness with dependence on God's Grace and one's own, hopefully graced, will to be holy and in all circumstances and with determination including through failures.

Happiness is a by product of existing for the Glory and Holiness of God.  Individual holiness brings Glory to God witnesses to His Holiness.

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Just finished watching a movie on Foxtel Go: "Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence".  It is about English and Australian soldiers in a prisoner of war camp in Japanese held Singapore.  At the end of the movie, roles have reversed and Japan has lost the war.  One of the camp's Japanese officers is in jail the night before his execution and the English senior officer visits him, now no longer his prisoner.  I found the scene really moving. 

The Japanese prisoner is pondering why he is being executed (war crimes) when he did what was right to him as a Japanese soldier.  The English officer replies that if it was his decision, he would release him and send him home to his family.  He says to the Japanese officer "You are being executed by those who think they are right.  You once thought you were right.  Truth is neither were right".  I thought there was much truth in that on the human level (not to get ridiculous re absolutes and the existence of Absolute Truth).  It has also set me pondering about the question Pilate addresses to Jesus "What IS Truth?"  It seems that Jesus remains silent.  I haven't come to any conclusions on the latter - it still is just wandering around somewhere or other on a shelf in my mind.

John Chapter 18: "Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."  Pilate said to him, "What is truth?" When he had said this, he again went out to the Jews and said to them, "I find no guilt in him."

I don't know if you will see any connection in the following.  I do ... and then I don't!   And the voice and voices I heard as per the following were definitely NOT Jesus, nor anything remotely heavenly at all.

I am reminded me of a psychiatrist who asked me if I was hearing voices.   I replied in the affirmative.  He then said "You know they aren't real, don't you?"  That struck me as really weird - I was hearing a voice or voices and distinctly hearing them......and the doctor is saying that they are not real.   They may not be real as he understands and experiences reality, but they were a reality to me as I was experiencing them  Another strange to me interaction was when I was asked what the voices were saying.  I replied "Whatever they might be saying".  I wasn't trying to be cute with the doctor although I think he might have thought I was.    I mean at one time they said this and another they said that i.e. an ongoing ever changing (subject and content wise) monologue, although if I attempted some sort of response then it became mutual communication.

Perhaps it's just me!

Edited May 26, 2017 by BarbaraTherese

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For too long we have thought of the Christian life as essentially either involvement in political, economic, social concerns that wear us out and result in depression, or activity which keeps the church intact and doctrinally pure. Our primary orientation cannot be an institution or some great cause or even other people, but first and forever to God. Unless our identity is hid in God we will never know who we are or what we are to do. Our first act must be prayer. To be human is to pray, to meditate both day and night on the love and activity of God.

- John H. Westerhoff III and John D. Eusden, The Spiritual Life

Shalom Place - Dominican Sisters of Peace http://shalomplace.com/seed/

 

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"I've been homesick for countries I've never been, and longed to be where I couldn't be. "

John Cheever

Ahhh the delusion of greener grass over there.............cancelled out by the Peace and Joy in our Doctrine of Divine Providence.   A good read and a spiritual classic of renown: "Abandonment to Divine Providence" by Jean Pierre de Caussade (available free online https://www.ccel.org/ccel/decaussade/abandonment.html)

"Summary God is sovereign.
God is in charge of everything, including the little things.
Not a hair falls from our heads without God's divine will.
We must rest in God's grace, as we are totally unable to contribute to our salvation.
What word pops into people's minds when they hear Christians making the above statements? Calvinist. Usually these beliefs are associated with those of the Calvinist persuasion. However, Father de Caussade was a Roman Catholic Priest who taught that God is truly sovereign, and therefore our whole lives can be lived in the knowledge that all things are working for our good (My note: see CCC 313 HERE)  We may not understand why God does things the way he does, or how our suffering can ultimately be for our good, but we can trust our benevolent Lord, who has decreed all things, is good and just. Reading Abandonment to Divine Providence will help the reader surrender to God's will. The result? Spiritual peace in the arms of a loving God.

Andrew Hanson
CCEL Intern "

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http://dailygospel.org/main.php?language=AM&module=saintfeast&id=10151&fd=0

Saint Anselm (1033-1109), monk, bishop, doctor of the Church
Proslogion, 26 (trans. Sr Benedicta Ward)
 

"So that your joy may be complete"

My Lord and my God, my joy and the hope of my heart, tell my soul if this is that joy which you spoke to us about through your Son: “Ask and you will receive that your joy may be full”. For I have found a fullness of joy that is more than full. It is a joy that fills the whole heart, mind, and soul, indeed it fills the whole of my being, and yet joy without measure still remains. The whole of that joy cannot enter into those who rejoice, but those who rejoice can enter wholly into that joy.

Speak, Lord, to your servant in the depths of his heart, tell him if this is that joy your servants enter into when they enter into “the joy of their Lord” (Mt 25,21)? But of course, that joy in which your chosen ones will rejoice “eye has not seen and ear has not heard, nor has it entered the human heart” (1Cor 2,9)... So, my God, I pray that I may so know you and love you that I may rejoice in you.

And if I may not do so fully in this life, let me go steadily on to the day when I come to that fullness. Let the knowledge of you increase in me here and there let it come to its fullness. Let your love grow in me here, and there et it be fulfilled, so that here my joy may be in great hope, and there in full reality. Lord, you have commanded, or rather advised us, to ask by your Son, and you have promised that we shall

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Difficulties and obstacles are God’s challenges to faith.

When hindrances confront us in the path of duty,

we are to recognize them as vessels for faith to fill with the fullness and all-sufficiency of Jesus.

 

- A. B. Simpson

Edited May 30, 2017 by BarbaraTherese

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John Chapter 13

"This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another"

 

 

Communicators must "reject prejudice towards others and foster hope and trust", Pope Francis said on Sunday, marking the World Day of Social Communications, Zenit reports.

Pope Francis (CNS) HERE

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Truth in the above if in my book much too harsh.  In today's workforce with all its stresses and strains and the expense of the cost of living, caring for families etc. etc. - and when I think of the disabled and the unemployed, the homeless, those suffering in war torn regions and those suffering in so many ways in our world..........anxiety is not an offense against God so much as simply our poor, weak and beloved by God humanity clicking into place.  I think if one never experiences real anxiety, there is no way one can truly empathise with those who do.  One could be truly compassionate and considerate..........but not really empathise.

Where absolute holiness is concerned and anxiety only a mild concern, if that, in the most difficult of times, that sort of real holiness is not built in a day short of a miracle - I think we need to be content and at Peace wherever we might be with trust and confidence in God as we journey that with trust and confidence we will be where we are meant to be, even as we stumble and mumble, trip and fall, get up and go on only to stumble and fall again.  I think there just might be a very real sort of strange or weird holiness in that sort of perseverance and journey in the face of consistent failures.  I sure hope so!

A priest once told me that God Loves abundantly those who would get top marks for effort, if not for success.  Then there is that truly beautiful and profound prayer from Thomas Merton:

“My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.”

 

 

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31st May 2017 - Feast of The Visitation

I think of the Visitation as a special opportunity to ask The Lord to please grant an increase of

Love of God and of neighbour

Catholic Culture website - Feast of The Visitation https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2013-05-31

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Mary visits her cousin, Elizabeth, at the Visitation - both are expectant mothers.  Mary is the mother of Jesus and Elizabeth mother of John The Baptist.   This is the beautiful scene from Luke Chapter 1:

(The angel says to Mary at The Annunciation) "And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived  a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren for nothing will be impossible for God."

Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her. During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord ¹⁴ should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed ¹⁵ that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."

And Mary said:

(The Magnificat)

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.         

https://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/prayers/magnificat.htm

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THE VISITATION - 31st May 2017

Scripture: Luke 1:39-45  (alternate reading: John 17:11-19)

39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."

Meditation: Do you recognize the indwelling presence of the Lord Jesus in your life? Blessed are you if you see and recognize the Lord with the "eyes of faith". The word "blessed" [makarios in Greek] literally means "happiness" or "beatitude". It describes a kind of joy which is serene and untouchable, self-contained, and independent from chance and changing circumstances of life.

God gives us supernatural joy with hope in his promises
There is a certain paradox for those "blessed" by the Lord. Mary was given the "blessedness" of being the mother of the Son of God. That blessedness also would become a sword which pierced her heart as her Son died upon the cross. Anselm, a great teacher and Archbishop of Canterbury (1033-1109), spoke these words in a homily: "Without God's Son nothing could exist; without Mary's son, nothing could be redeemed."  To be chosen by God is an amesome privilege and responsibility. Mary received both a crown of joy and a cross of sorrow. Her joy was not diminished by her sorrow because it was fueled by her faith, hope, and trust in God and his promises.

Jesus promised his disciples that "no one will take your joy from you" (John 16:22). The Lord gives us a supernatural joy which enables us to bear any sorrow or pain and which neither life nor death can take away. Do you know the joy of a life given over to God in faith and trust?

They were filled with the Holy Spirit
What is the significance of Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth before the birth of Jesus? When Elizabeth greeted Mary and recognized the Messiah in Mary's womb they were filled with the Holy Spirit and with a joyful anticipation of the fulfillment of God's promise to give a Savior. What a marvelous wonder for God to fill not only Elizabeth's heart with his Holy Spirit but the child in her womb as well. John the Baptist, even before the birth of the Messiah, pointed to his coming and leaped for joy in the womb of his mother as the Holy Spirit revealed to him the presence of the King to be born.

The Lord wants to fill each of us with his Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is God's gift to us to enable us to know and experience the indwelling presence of God and the power of his kingdom. The Holy Spirit is the way in which God reigns within each of us. Do you live in the joy and knowledge of God's indwelling presence with you through his Holy Spirit?

"Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me joy in seeking you more earnestly. Increase my faith in all your promises, my hope in the joy of heaven, and my love for You as my All."

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SUBSCRIBE

247. Why is the one Mystery of Christ celebrated by the Church according to various liturgical traditions?

The answer is that the unfathomable richness of the mystery of Christ cannot be exhausted by any single liturgical tradition. From the very beginning, therefore, this richness found expression among various peoples and cultures in ways that are characterized by a wonderful diversity and complementarily.

Further reading: CCC 1200-1204, 1207-1209

248. What is the criterion that assures unity in the midst of plurality?

It is fidelity to the Apostolic Tradition, that is, the communion of the faith and in the sacraments received from the apostles, a communion that is both signified and guaranteed by apostolic succession. The Church is Catholic and therefore can integrate into her unity all the authentic riches of cultures.

Further reading: CCC 1209

249. Is everything immutable in the liturgy?

In the liturgy, particularly in that of the sacraments, there are unchangeable elements because they are of divine institution. The Church is the faithful guardian of them. There are also, however, elements subject to change which the Church has the power and on occasion also the duty to adapt to the cultures of diverse peoples.

Further reading: CCC 1205-1206

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To the individual believer indwelt by the Holy Spirit there is granted the direct impression of the Spirit of God

on the spirit of an individual,

imparting the knowledge of His will in matters of the smallest and greatest importance.

This has to be sought and waited for.

- G. Campbell Morgan

("A Daily Spiritual Seed" - Shalom Place Dominican Sisters of Peace HERE)

 

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Your faithful prayer in the midst of the struggles and difficulties you are having today

will develop 

the Graced strength and determination, the courage

you will need for your tomorrows

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Daily Reflection

St Vincent de Paul Society

 

May 31, 2017

“We should assist the poor in every way and do it both by ourselves and by enlisting the help of others…

to do this is to preach the gospel by word and by work.”
– St. Vincent de Paul

A child asked his father, "How were people born?" So his father said, "Adam and Eve made babies, then their babies became adults and made babies, and so on."

The child then went to his mother, asked her the same question and she told him, "We were monkeys then we evolved to become like we are now."

The child ran back to his father and said, "You lied to me!"

His father replied, "No, your mom was talking about her side of the family"

 

http://www.laughfactory.com/jokes/clean-jokes

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Teacher: "If I gave you 2 cats and another 2 cats and another 2, how many would you have?"

Johnny: "Seven."

Teacher: "No, listen carefully... If I gave you two cats, and another two cats and another two, how many would you have?"

Johnny: "Seven."

Teacher: "Let me put it to you differently. If I gave you two apples, and another two apples and another two, how many would you have?"

Johnny: "Six.

"Teacher: "Good. Now if I gave you two cats, and another two cats and another two, how many would you have?"

Johnny: "Seven!"

"Teacher: "Johnny, where in the heck do you get seven from?!"

 

Johnny: "Because I've already got a freaking cat!"

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A "cloistered ghetto of pious fantasies" (Thomas Merton)

The above quotation from Thomas Merton is not a sweeping generalisation but it sure has some truth in it in my book and from my experiences.  In the same work as above, Thomas wrote about the necessity of liberating the imagination in the spiritual life.........and he added something very similar to - "and I don't mean by itsy bitsy pious holy pictures either"...........and I know what he means by that too.

Memory tells me "Contemplation in a World of Action" is the book by Merton from which the above quotes are taken

Edited June 2, 2017 by BarbaraTherese

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"Contemplation in a World of Action"

Purchase HERE

"The spiritual and psychological insights of these essays were nurtured in a monastic milieu, but their issues are universally human. Thomas Merton lays a foundation for personal growth and transformation through fidelity to -our own truth and inner being.- His main focus is our desire and need to attain -a fully human and personal identity."

 

My note:  This work was written at a time when religious life was under review and renewal (more or less all up in the air at that time) including in monastic life and Merton was a monastic and advisor to Vatican 2.  Be that as it may, I don't think it takes all that much imagination at all to glean from his writings, including the work above, what is applicable to life in the laity.  What one can tweak a little here and there to embrace Merton's theories wholeheartedly and fully - translating his thoughts for a quite ordinary life in the laity.

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Reading back over this page, it occurred to me that it is the thread of a person worlds away from the realities and horrors that our ambulance people, medical people in general, our police and military for example see and experience.  I felt glum for a little while and a bit ashamed.

But then it occurred to me that each person is fitted for their vocation whatever it might be.  I mean the vocations I mentioned above could read this page and be possibly even revolted by the naivety and simplicity in a complex world of many horrors I imagine and I can understand someone possibly feeling that way - because the author knows nothing whatsoever really of the horrors and sufferings of others as the above vocations do.

The author of these pages (me) has never been gifted with the gifts of the above vocations.  Frankly, suffering and also bloodshed fill me with horror and I could not endure such realities either by sight nor experience - I am not so gifted as others might be.

We all have our gifts and our place in God's Eternal Plan......some gifts are absolutely remarkable and astounding as in the above vocations - other gifts are not readily evident gifted to quite ordinary people - and can pass unnoticed........the greatest and the most minute have a unique, important and invaluable place in God's Eternal Plan.   I give thanks to The Good Giver of All Gifts.  Amen.

The nun who taught me explained it to me something like this:  God's Eternal Plan is like a beautiful tapestry in the process of completion, God is the weaver and we are his tapestry materials - if even one tiny factor is not as it was meant to be, it will spoil the finished work.  It is of course, not precisely like that..... but her basic meaning did click home with me and meaningfully.

All the above is why it is so very important to discern our gifts and to place them at the service of others somehow - from there a very special journey unfolds.

Hope the above makes some sense.

 

Edited June 2, 2017 by BarbaraTherese