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PRECIOUSNESS OF SILENCE
“But Jesus was silent.” Mt 26:63
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The Silence is Meekness.
When you do not defend yourself against offenses;
When you do not claim your rights;
When you let God defend you;
The Silence is Meekness.

The Silence is Mercy.
When you do not reveal the faults of your brothers to others;
When you readily forgive without inquiring into the past;
When you do not judge, but pray in your heart;
The Silence is Mercy.

The Silence is Patience.
When you accept suffering not with grumbling but joyfully;
When you do not look for human consolations;
When you do not become too anxious, but wait in patience for the seed to germinate;
The Silence is Patience.

The Silence is Humility.
When there is no competition;
When you consider the other person to be better than yourself;
When you let your brothers emerge, grow and mature;
When you joyfully abandon all to the Lord;
When your actions may be misinterpreted;
When you leave to others the glory of the enterprise;
The Silence is Humility.

The Silence is Faith.
When you keep quiet because you know that the Lord will act;
When you renounce the voice of the world to remain in the presence of the Lord;
When you do not labor yourself to be understood;
because it is enough for you to know that the Lord understands you;
The Silence is Faith.

The Silence is Adoration.
When you embrace the cross without asking “Why?”;
The Silence is Adoration.
From the Missionaries of Charity prayer book.

I want to THANK Joe at The Divine Lamp Blog for this great comment to my post on Archbishop Raymond Burke yesterday. I LOVE his idea!!!

I propose coining a new phrase in honor of bishop Burke:

“Burking up the right tree.”

or maybe it should be “Burking up the wrong tree…” I’m not sure… in any case, we are so glad to have this Shepherd!

In Wednesday’s general audience at the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI dedicated his catechesis to Origen of Alexandria, a third century historian and “one of the greatest writers” of Church history. The audience was held in St. Peter’s Square in the presence of more than 25,000 people.

The Pope said that Origen “took up the legacy of Clement and carried it towards the future in such an innovative way as to effect an irreversible turn in the development of Christian thought. He was a true master … and an exemplary witness of the doctrine he transmitted.”

The “irreversible turn” effected by Origen, said the Pope, substantially involved “grounding theology in the explanation of Scripture, in other words, the perfect symbiosis between theology and exegesis. Indeed, the characteristic of Origen’s doctrine seems to lie in the constant invitation to pass from the reading to the spirit of Scripture in order to progress in knowledge of God.

Wow, that’s a pretty fine compliment. I thought it might be nice to hear a word from Origen today as a Meditation. So, here is a short excerpt from the beginning of De Principiis, Books I-II by Origen. I am sure it will make you want to hear more from him!

BOOK I. CHAP. I.—ON GOD.

I KNOW that some will attempt to say that, even according to the declarations of our own Scriptures, God is a body, because in the writings of Moses they find it said, that “our God is a consuming fire;” and in the Gospel according to John, that “God is a Spirit, and they who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” Fire and spirit, according to them, are to be regarded as nothing else than a body. Now, I should like to ask these persons what they have to say respecting that passage where it is declared that God is light; as John writes in his Epistle, “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” Truly He is that light which illuminates the whole understanding of those who are capable of receiving truth, as is said in the thirty-sixth Psalm, “In Thy light we shall see light.” For what other light of God can be named, “in which any one sees light,” save an influence of God, by which a man, being enlightened, either thoroughly sees the truth of all things, or comes to know God Himself, who is called the truth? Such is the meaning of the expression, “In Thy light we shall see light;” i.e., in Thy word and wisdom which is Thy Son, in Himself we shall see Thee the Father. Because He is called light, shall He be supposed to have any resemblance to the light of the sun? Or how should there be the slightest ground for imagining, that from that corporeal light any one could derive the cause of knowledge, and come to the understanding of the truth?

My GREAT Archbishop Burke…  Alleluia!!  oh, and THANK YOU Bill Donohue!

Bill Donohue is always SO spot on with his commentary. You are a blessing for us Bill thank you from St. Louis where we have been fighting this story all day in defense of our fine shepherd, Archbishop Burke. The analogy to David Duke is a gem!

April 26, 2007
ARCHBISHOP BURKE SHUNS SHERYL CROW

Pop singer Sheryl Crow is coming to St. Louis on Saturday to perform at the Fox Theater in a benefit concert for the Bob Costas Cancer Center at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center. St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke, who is chairman of the board of governors of the Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation (which raises money for the Medical Center), has resigned from the board in protest of Crow’s participation in this event. Because Crow is an abortion-rights supporter, and because the other members of the board would not accede to his request to cancel her appearance, Burke felt that he could not in good conscience remain on the board.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue defended Burke today:

“Once again, practicing Catholics who do not live in St. Louis are envious of the privileged position that Catholics in that wonderful city enjoy. Time and again, Archbishop Burke has proven to be one of the most prominent voices of moral clarity inside and outside the Catholic Church in the United States.

“For a Catholic leader to give cover to someone who is not just incidentally pro-choice, but is a rabid abortion-rights activist would be morally unconscionable. To wit: Crow recently campaigned in Missouri for the right to clone human beings and destroy nascent human life, thus making her presence at a Catholic event morally incoherent. Those who are now criticizing Archbishop Burke—saying he should demur given the money being raised for a worthy cause—should explain how they would react if David Duke were scheduled to speak at a fundraising event to fight sickle-cell anemia in East St. Louis.

“What Archbishop Burke has done is unfortunately controversial. It is unfortunate because his courage stands in stark contrast to the moral lassitude that is exhibited on a daily basis by religious and secular leaders throughout the nation. It is so ironic to note that the very ones who are already blasting him for being too judgmental have absolutely no qualms about condemning him. Three cheers for Archbishop Burke.”

I know I usually keep this blog for topics of prayer, but this is a very important news event. It is so important for the faithful to understand the truth and to fight against the moral wretchedness of our downspiraling culture. Please pray for our Archbishop and for yours too!

If you would like to hear and see the Archbishop’s official statement, click here!

I thought I would give my impressions from the documentary film, Into Great Silence.

I had learned about this film some months ago and was eager for it to come to my town. So, it was with great and anxious anticipation that I went to see the movie last week. As the movie began, all popcorn eating ceased (thankfully) and the half full theater itself plunged into silence. What a treat, to see a movie with others whom were also eagerly anticipating watching this movie about silence and themselves KEEPING silent! Wow! (I am sure the Holy Spirit was at work here!)

The documentary, for those of whom are unfamiliar with this film’s premise, is centered around the Carthusian Monks (contemplative order founded during the 11th century by Saint Bruno) at the Grande Chartreuse Monastery in the French Alpine Mountains. The location of this monastery is one of God’s great gifts to man for its vistas of the Alps from its location are beyond compare. I can not imagine a soul who’s heart would not swell with passion for God after viewing the earth from this most beautiful venue of His creation. The film captures life at the Monastery for a whole year so we are able to see the four seasons of this mountain paradise in snow white and tranquil green.

The filmmaker, Philip Gröning says of his work:

This transcendent, closely observed film seeks to embody a monastery, rather than simply depict one—it has no score, no voiceover and no archival footage. What remains is stunningly elemental: time, space and light. One of the most mesmerizing and poetic chronicles of spirituality ever created, INTO GREAT SILENCE dissolves the border between screen and audience with a total immersion into the hush of monastic life. More meditation than documentary, it’s a rare, transformative theatrical experience for all.

While I understand completely what the filmmaker is trying to accomplish, I would like to make an observation about how the “silence” was portrayed. I almost got the feeling that the silence itself was more important than the “reason” for the silence — namely Our Creator, God.

Let me try to explain…

The film seems to emphasis only the silence and not really explain why it is necessary. It is a mysterious silence, but perhaps not so explained was the “holiness” of this silence. Its kind of like music without lyrics and so the viewer must concentrate very hard to understand the score. The music is there, and it is definitely “classical” in nature but your not sure if it is a Renaissance piece or some Neo-classical noise.

I think clarity could have come with more attention to the WHY of the silence. It was not until almost the end of the film (nearly 3 hours!) that the audience was first introduced to any formal liturgy (save the late night Matins prays of the hours and the beautiful chanted prayer that accompanied it). It also was not again until the end where we got to hear the most beautiful and contemplative philosophy from the blind monastic and his love of God through his sacrificial life as a member of the community. (O.K. this is the point of the film where I actually could not hold back tears. He was such a beautiful soul that I was overwhelmed!) I guess I’m just concerned that viewers of this film (most of whom would be contemporary secular culturalist who are viewing this “very different life of silence” for the first time.) I just don’t want them to get the wrong idea. But, perhaps though, I am not trusting enough in Divine Providence by saying this!

Well, having critiqued this minor exterior versus interior silence issue I have with the film, I HIGHLY recommend this film to all. And, I even recommend taking your children. I took my 10 year old son with me and though he mumbled to me that he was starving (I would not let him interrupt the silent theater with popcorn eating! – What a mean mother I am, but it was a healthy sacrifice for him!) he truly enjoyed the film. We spent more time talking about it this past week than we have any other film I can remember. It was such a great teaching tool for the contemplative life!

Watch the movie trailer.

See when and where it is playing…

For more information about Carthusian monks, viewers may also be interested in Nancy Klein Maguire’s book An Infinity of Little Hours.

Film Info:
2006 162 mins Color Germany In minimal English subtitled French dialogue
35mm Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 Sound: Dolby SRD

For the Indwelling Of The Spirit

Holy Spirit,
powerful Consoler,
Sacred Bond of the Father and the Son,
Hope of the afflicted,
descend into my heart
and establish in it Your loving dominion.
Enkindle in my tepid soul the fire of Your Love
so that I may be wholly subject to You.
We believe that when You dwell in us,
You also prepare a dwelling for the Father and the Son.
Deign, therefore, to come to me,
Consoler of abandoned souls,
and Protector of the needy.
Help the afflicted,
strengthen the weak,
and support the wavering.
Come and purify me.
Let no evil desire take possession of me.
You love the humble and resist the proud.
Come to me,
glory of the living,
and hope of the dying.
Lead me by Your grace that I may always be pleasing to you.

Amen

Prayer of St. Augustine

Bl. Teresa Mary Manetti of the Cross,
Virgin

OCD: Optional Memorial

She was born at Campi Bisenzio, Florence, where in 1874 she founded the
Congregation of Carmelite Sisters of St. Teresa whom she also sent to
Lebanon and the Holy Land. She lived joyfully, body and soul the mystery of the Cross in full conformity to the will of God and she was outstanding for her love for the Eucharist and her maternal care for children and for the poor. She died at Campi Bisenzio on April 23, 1910.

Prayer:

O God, You sustained the virgin, Bl. Teresa Mary, along the way of the Cross by a most ardent love of the Eucharist, and You gave her a mother’s love for Your little ones and the poor. Through her intercession, grant that, strengthened by the bread of angels, we may delight in sharing the sufferings of Christ, and hasten the coming of Your kingdom through our own works of mercy. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,one God, for ever and ever.

Amen

“Behold this Heart which has loved men so much, and yet men do not want to love Me in return. Through you My divine Heart wishes to spread its love everywhere on earth.” – Jesus to Saint Margaret Mary in a vision

The sacred heart of Christ is an inexhaustible fountain and its sole desire is to pour itself out into the hearts of the humble so as to free them and prepare them to lead lives according to his good pleasure.

From this divine heart three streams flow endlessly. The first is the stream of mercy for sinners; it pours into their hearts sentiments of contrition and repentance. The second is the stream of charity which helps all in need and especially aids those seeking perfection in order to find the means of surmounting their difficulties. From the third stream flow love and light for the benefit of his friends who have attained perfection; these he wishes to unit to himself so that they may share his knowledge and commandments and, in their individual ways, devote themselves wholly to advancing his glory.

This divine heart is an abyss filled with all blessings, and into the poor should submerge all their needs. It is an abyss of joy in which all of us can immerse our sorrows. It is an abyss of lowliness to counteract our foolishness, an abyss of mercy for the wretched, an abyss of love to meet our every need.

Are you making no progress in prayer? The you need only offer God the prayers which the Savior has poured out for us in the sacrament of the altar. Offer God his fervent love in reparation for your sluggishness. In the course of every activity pray as follows: “My God, I do this or I endure that in the heart of your Son and according to his holy counsels. I offer it to you in reparation for anything blameworthy or imperfect in my actions.” Continue to do this in every circumstance of life.

But above all preserve peace of heart. This is more valuable than any treasure. In order to preserve it there is nothing more useful than renouncing your own will and substituting for it the will of the divine heart. In this way his will can carry out for us whatever contributes to his glory, and we will be happy to be his subjects and to trust entirely in him.
Saint Margaret Mary

Maxims for Attaining Perfection
by Saint Alphonsus Liguori

• 1. To desire ardently to increase in the love of Jesus Christ.
• 2. Often to make acts of love towards Jesus Christ. Immediately on waking, and before going to sleep, to make an act of love, seeking always to unite your own will to the will of Jesus Christ.
  3. Often to meditate on his Passion.
• 4. Always to ask Jesus Christ for his love.
• 5. To communicate often, and many times in the day to make spiritual Communions.
• 6. Often to visit the Most Holy Sacrament.
• 7. Every morning to receive from the hands of Jesus Christ himself your own cross.
• 8. To desire Paradise and death, in order to be able to love Jesus Christ perfectly and for all eternity.
• 9. Often to speak of the love of Jesus Christ.
• 10. To accept contradictions for the sake of Jesus Christ.
• 11. To rejoice in the happiness of God.
• 12. To do that which is most pleasing to Jesus Christ, and not to refuse him anything that is agreeable to him.
• 13. To desire and to endeavor that all should love Jesus Christ.
• 14. To pray always for sinners and for the souls in purgatory.
• 15. To drive from your heart every affection that does not belong to Jesus Christ.
• 16. Always to have recourse to the most holy Mary, that she may obtain for us the love of Jesus Christ.
• 17. To honor Mary in order to please Jesus Christ.
• 18. To seek to please Jesus Christ in all your actions,
• 19. To offer yourself to Jesus Christ to suffer any pain for his love.
• 20 To be always determined to die rather than commit a willful venial sin.
• 27. To suffer crosses patiently, saying, “Thus it pleases Jesus Christ.”
• 22. To renounce your own pleasures for the love of Jesus Christ.
• 23. To pray as much as possible.
• 24. To practice all the mortifications that obedience permits.
• 25. To do all your spiritual exercises as if it were for the last time.
• 26. To persevere in good works in the time of aridity.
• 27. Not to do nor yet to leave undone anything through human respect.
• 28. Not to complain in sickness.
• 29. To love solitude, to be able to converse alone with Jesus Christ.
• 30. To drive away melancholy [i.e. gloom].
• 37. Often to recommend yourself to those persons who love Jesus Christ.
• 32. In temptation, to have recourse to Jesus crucified, and to Mary in her sorrows.
• 33. To trust entirely in the Passion of Jesus Christ.
• 34. After committing a fault, not to be discouraged, but to repent and resolve to amend.
• 35. To do good to those who do evil.
• 36. To speak well of all, and to excuse the intention when you cannot defend the action.
• 37. To help your neighbor as much as you can.
• 38. Neither to say nor to do anything that might vex him. And if you have been wanting in charity, to ask his pardon and speak kindly to him.
• 39. Always to speak with mildness and in a low tone.
• 40. To offer to Jesus Christ all the contempt and persecution that you meet with.
• 41. To look upon [religious] Superiors as the representatives of Jesus Christ.
• 42. To obey without answering and without repugnance, and not to seek your own satisfaction in anything.
• 43. To like the lowest employment.
• 44. To like the poorest things.
• 45. Not to speak either good or evil of yourself.
• 46. To humble yourself even towards inferiors.
• 47. Not to excuse yourself when you are reproved.
• 48. Not to defend yourself when found fault with.
• 49. To be silent when you are disquieted [i.e. upset].
• 50. Always to renew your determination of becoming a saint, saying, “My Jesus, I desire to be all Yours, and You must be all mine.”

From St. Alphonsus de Liguori, The Incarnation Birth and Infancy of Jesus Christ, Rev Eugene Grimm Trans., Redemptorist Fathers, Brooklyn, Publishers (1927) pp. 437-439.

O GOD, I love thee, I love thee-
Not out of hope of heaven for me
Nor fearing not to love and be
In the everlasting burning.
Thou, thou, my Jesus, after me
Didst reach thine arms out dying,
For my sake sufferedst nails, and lance,
Mocked and marred countenance,
Sorrows passing number,
Sweat and care and cumber,
Yea and death, and this for me,
And thou couldst see me sinning:
Then I, why should not I love thee,
Jesu, so much in love with me?
Not for heaven’s sake;
not to be out of hell by loving thee;
Not for any gains I see;
But just the way that thou didst me
I do love and I will love thee:
What must I love thee, Lord, for then?
For being my king and God. Amen

Prayer of St Francis Xavier, early Jesuit missionary
translated by Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J.

Today is the Discalced Carmelite feast day of Blessed Mary of the Incarnation. Barbe Avrillot was born in Paris in 1566. At the age of sixteen she married Pierre Acarie, by whom she had seven children. In spite of her household duties and many hardships, she attained the heights of the mystical life. Under the influence of St. Theresa’s writings, and after mystical contact with the saint herself, she spared no effort in introducing the Discalced Carmelite nuns into France. after her husband’s death, she asked to be admitted among them as a lay sister, taking the name of Mary of the Incarnation; she was professed at the Carmel of Amiens in 1615. She was esteemed by some of the greatest men of her time, including St. Francis de Sales; and she was distinguished by her spirit of prayer and her zeal for the propagation of the Catholic faith.

Here is a little bit about her…

Blessed Mary of the Incarnation was born in Paris in February 1565; both of her parents were members of the most ancient families of that great city. Before she was born, several other children had seen the light of day, but all died in their infancy. During the time her mother awaited this child, she vowed her to the Blessed Virgin and Saint Claude, promising to clothe her in white until the age of seven and to offer her in a church of the Blessed Virgin. She was born a very healthy babe, and baptized with the name of Barbara, on the day after the Purification of Our Lady. She was of a gentle temperament and an angelic modesty, and at the age of eleven was placed as a intern student in a religious house of the Order of Saint Clare near Paris, where she had a maternal aunt. She continually advanced in virtue and felt great distaste for all the things of this world, along with an insatiable ardor for those of heaven.

When she returned home at the age of fourteen, she wished to enter a religious Order for the care of the sick in Paris, but her parents opposed this plan. Her mother informed her she would never permit her to become a nun. The young girl believed God was speaking to her through her mother and obeyed.

Several offers of marriage were presented, and before her eighteenth birthday she married Pierre Acarie de Villemor, a man of great nobility, piety and charity. Six children were born to them, and their pious mother raised them with great care. She taught them never to complain of circumstances or persons, inspired in them horror for lying, and strove to make them recognize in their hearts any sentiments of vainglory. Her three daughters became Carmelites, and her three sons entered, in turn, the magistracy, the priesthood and the military career.

When her husband encountered difficulties of a political nature, his household was seized, and the very furniture where the family was seated at table was removed from beneath them. She accepted these circumstances without growing troubled, and in fact defended her husband in court, drafting memoirs, writing letters and furnishing proofs of his innocence. He was acquitted and enabled to return to the city after three years.

Blessed Mary was so sage in her almsgiving that during a famine the wealthy persons who desired to help the poor caused their alms to pass through her hands, and this holy woman was universally honored. She entered into the spirit of the current reforms of the religious Orders and the foundation of new Congregations which were reviving the spirit of piety in France. Through her efforts she merited the title of Foundress of the Carmelites in France. Six nuns from Spain brought the spirit of Saint Teresa with them, and soon the principal cities of France had a house of this Order. Blessed Mary of the Incarnation also contributed to the works of the first Ursulines in Paris for the education of youth, and to the establishment of the Oratorians of Italy in France.

Her worthy spouse died in 1613; she then requested admission to the Carmelite Order herself. She arrived saying, “I am a poor mendicant who begs of you the divine mercy, and that I may cast myself into the arms of religion.” At Amiens where she dwelt, her own daughter was Superior; and a perpetual contest in humility began, observed by all. She died in 1618, on Wednesday of Easter week, at the age of fifty-two years, loved and praised by all who had known her. She was beatified by Pope Pius VI; her mortal remains are in the chapel of the Carmelites of Pontoise.

Source: Les Petits Bollandistes: Vies des Saints, by Msgr. Paul Guérin (Bloud et Barral: Paris, 1882), Vol. 4.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMJCLtHSm18]

I guess I was so happy to learn how to upload video’s onto my blog that for the second day in a row I will do it. Here is a nice little happy birthday video to our Holy Father on the occasion of his 80th Birthday. Happy Birthday Papa!

Pope Benedict celebrates birthday, gives thanks to God for His Mercy

Vatican City, Apr 16, 2007 / 10:45 am (CNA).- On the eve of his 80th birthday, the Holy Father celebrated Mass with 60 Cardinals, Bishops and Archbishops, and the Metropolitan of Pergamo, sent by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Sunday in St. Peter�s Basilica. Following the proclamation of the Gospel, The Holy Father gave a short homily.

Beginning with a brief history of “White Sunday,” the Pope reminded those present that “on this day, the Neophytes of the Paschal Vigil would put on their white clothes again as a symbol of the light that the Lord had given them in Baptism.” Recently, however, John Paul II “wanted this Sunday to be celebrated as the Feast of Divine Mercy.”

“It is in this word ‘mercy,’” he continued, “that the entire mystery of the Redemption is summarized and interpreted anew in our times.” Despite living under two totalitarian regimes, John Paul II “experienced the presence of God, which is not weaker [than the darkness of the world].” In fact, John Paul II “told us, ‘Trust in the Divine Mercy!’”

Pausing a moment, the Pope thanked all those present as he celebrated a significant day, “I can look back over 80 years of my life.” He especially noted the presence of the Metropolitan of Pergamo, saying that he “appreciate[s] that kind gesture and look[s] forward to a renewed Catholic-Orthodox theological dialogue.”

Conscious that “the liturgy should not be used to speak about me,” Benedict decided to focus on how “life itself can serve to announce the Mercy of God.” Mentioning how much we owe to God the Father, the Holy Father noted that “at the same time, He trusts us because His mercy and goodness, with which He accepts even our weakness, always shine through His justice.”

Turning to the readings for the day, the Pope mentioned that in the early Church, “people would bring the ill into the plazas so that when Peter passed by, his shadow would cover them.” This shadow, the Holy Father continued, is the shadow of a “man with all the weaknesses of a human being, but above all of a man who was filled with a strong faith in Christ, filled with love of Him.” The Pope asked all those present at the Mass to “search for the shadow of Peter today, in order to be in the Light of Christ!”

“The great gift of the multiple mercies of God,” the Pope continued, “is birth and rebirth, an earthly family and the great family of God.” Benedict recalled that when he was ordained in 1951, he felt “consolation in the fact that the protection of God’s saints, of all the living and the dead, was invoked” over him. “I knew that I would never be alone,” he added.

The Pope then directed his attention of the words of the Gospel, in which the Apostle Thomas “is allowed to touch His wounds, and thereby recognizes Him; he recognizes Him beyond His humanity as Jesus of Nazareth, in His true and most profound identity, “My Lord and my God!” Because Jesus kept His wounds, “He is a wounded God; He; remains wounded by love of us.”

“The mercy of God accompanies us day by day,” the Holy Father said while concluding his homily, “all we need is a vigilant heart to perceive it.” The Pope concluded with a prayer by Pope Leo the Great that he had written on the holy cards for his Episcopal Ordination, “Pray to our good God, that he might strengthen faith, multiply love and increase peace. May He make me, his miserable servant, capable of doing His will, and useful for your edification, and may He allow me to carry out His service so that, along with the time He has given, my devotion may grow. Amen.”

Mother Teresa – Advice from a saint – Poverty of the Heart
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbLS-vivKf0]
An inspiration to all…so inspiring in fact that I learned how to include video in this blog because of it!

“Today bring to Me the Souls who have become Lukewarm, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: ‘Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will.’ For them, the last hope of salvation is to run to My mercy.”

Most compassionate Jesus, You are Compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm souls into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart. In this fire of Your pure love, let these tepid souls who, like corpses, filled You with such deep loathing, be once again set aflame. O Most Compassionate Jesus, exercise the omnipotence of Your mercy and draw them into the very ardor of Your love, and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond Your power.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls who are nonetheless enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Father of Mercy, I beg You by the bitter Passion of Your Son and by His three-hour agony on the Cross: Let them, too, glorify the abyss of Your mercy.

Amen.

St. Catherine of Siena

While in a state of ecstasy, the secretaries of St. Catherine compiled the words she spoke (not unlike the Carmelite, Saint Mary Magdalen de’Pazzi).  In 1370 they published these words together with an account of her death.

St. Catherine explained the means which the soul takes to arrive at pure and generous love; and here begins a Treatise of Prayer.

…These are they who sit at the table of holy desire, having been more anxious to slay their own will than to slay and mortify their own body. They have indeed mortified their body, though not as an end in itself, but as a means which helps them to stay their own will, as I said to you when explaining that sentence that I wished few words and many deeds, and so ought you to do. Their principal desire should be to slay their own will, so that it may not seek or wish anything else than to follow My sweet Truth, Christ crucified, seeking the honor and glory of My Name and the salvation of souls. Those who are in this sweet light know it, and remain constantly in peace and quiet, and no one scandalizes them, for they have cut away that thing by which stumbling-blocks are caused, namely their own will. And all the persecutions, with which the world and the Devil can attack them, slide under their feet, standing, as they do, in the waters of many tribulations and temptations, and do not hurt them, for they remain attached to Me by the umbilical cord of fiery desire.

“Today bring to Me the Souls who are in the prison of Purgatory, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice.”

Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said that You desire mercy;
so I bring into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls in Purgatory, souls who are very dear to You, and yet, who must make retribution to Your justice. May the streams of Blood and Water which gushed forth from Your Heart put out the flames of Purgatory, that there, too, the power of Your mercy may be celebrated.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in Purgatory, who are enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. I beg You, by the sorrowful Passion of Jesus Your Son, and by all the bitterness with which His most sacred Soul was flooded: Manifest Your mercy to the souls who are under Your just scrutiny. Look upon them in no other way but only through the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to Your goodness and compassion.

Amen .

I think the following passage especially useful for not only Religious, but for those under the vow of marriage.  Mother’s seem to understand the ideals proposed with in this writing far more easy than most, for we naturally place ourself behind our children (though find it difficult to sometimes humble ourselves to our spouse!)  I think it is a great meditation.

Those who clearly understand the spiritual life know well that self-love is an impediment to our perfect union with Christ. Self-love may be defined as that inordinate love which makes us seek our own convenience, our own satisfaction, our own honor and interest, without regard to God and right reason.

Human nature seeks its own convenience and satisfaction. The predominant passion is ever present. In one it is sensuality, in another it is pride. In the man or woman of the world who prescinds from God, self-love manifested by the predominant passion shows itself in the grossest forms. In the Religious who seeks God’s love and shuns sin as the greatest of evils, self-love manifests itself in milder ways.

A Sister gives herself to God, but human nature ever remains with her. She is fervent and eager to serve her Divine Spouse, but self-love must ever be fought, for she must remember hat human nature was not left outside the convent door. This self-love ever accompanies her and ever urges her to seek her own convenience, her own satisfaction, and her own honor and interest.

Spiritual writers tell us that self-love and the love of God are irreconcilable enemies; that love of God is perfect only when self-love has been entirely extinguished. This cannot be accomplished unless, with the help of God’s grace, we resolutely set our wills to practise self-denial.

This self-denial is to be shown by never murmuring if food and the conveniences of life are primitive and unsatisfactory from the worl’s viewpoint. Self-denial will prompt us to seek the poorest of the common supplies and ever to leave the best for others. It will inspire us to offer ourselves for the lowest of portions, and to rejoice when our talents seem to be underestimated and others are chosen for those positions or duties to which some little honor or distinction may be attached.

Self-love seeks honor and distinction; self-denial shuns them. Self-love is hurt and is resentful when neglected or admonished, while self-denial rejoices at neglect and when admonitions are given to help our spiritual progress and to perfect God’s work.

A Sister embraces the Religious state in order to strive for a perfect love of God. She realizes that God is worthy of her every thought, word, and action. Love is not a mere matter of sentiment. It is shown by deeds and not by words or feeling. It consists essentially in a union of wills, hence self-love, which seeks only its own convenience and satisfaction, is an impediment to a perfect love of her Divine Spouse.

If a Sister studies her Divine Model she will understand that there can be no room for self-love in her daily life. She sees Christ poor and rejected; she sees Him suffering and crucified. She will recall that , in her annual Retreat, when she meditated upon the Three Degrees of Humility, she begged the grace to be faithful to her desire to be like Christ, poor and contemned; and that she chose to be deemed useless and foolish in this world, because He was held to be such on her account. The motive that then sustained her in her practice of the Third Degree of Humility was an ardent, personal love of Jesus Crucified. This same ardent love must show itself, day by day, in the deeds that prove she has cast far from her all that savors of blinding self-love.

from Spiritiaul Retreats for Sisters

Rev. Charels J. Mullaly, SJ

1937

Today bring to Me the Souls who especially venerate and glorify My Mercy, and immerse them in My mercy. These souls sorrowed most over my Passion and entered most deeply into My spirit. They are living images of My Compassionate Heart. These souls will shine with a special brightness in the next life. Not one of them will go into the fire of hell. I shall particularly defend each one of them at the hour of death.

Most Merciful Jesus, whose Heart is Love Itself, receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who particularly extol and venerate the greatness of Your mercy. These souls are mighty with the very power of God Himself. In the midst of all afflictions and adversities they go forward, confident of Your mercy; and united to You, O Jesus, they carry all mankind on their shoulders. These souls will not be judged severely, but Your mercy will embrace them as they depart from this life.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls who glorify and venerate Your greatest attribute, that of Your fathomless mercy, and who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls are a living Gospel; their hands are full of deeds of mercy, and their hearts, overflowing with joy, sing a canticle of mercy to You, O Most High! I beg You O God:

Show them Your mercy according to the hope and trust they have placed in You. Let there be accomplished in them the promise of Jesus, who said to them that during their life, but especially at the hour of death, the souls who will venerate this fathomless mercy of His, He, Himself, will defend as His glory.

Amen.

Cor, Arca Legem Continens

O Heat of Jesus, holy Ark
That holds the later law divine,
Not as of old, a service dark,
But mercy, grace, and love benign;

Thou are indeed the dwelling place
Of God’s mild law and tender might,
the temple of our-pouring grace
That radiates all the world with light.

Eternal mercy willed the blow
That gave the wounds, O Hear, to thee,
That man shall ever feel and know
The love that suffered on the tree.

For Christ, eternal Priest and Lord,
Offers his love by holy sign
Upon the cross and at the board,
The twofold sacrifice Divine.

We love thee, Jesus, Lord most high,
We lift our hearts to thine above,
And to thy sacred bosom fly,
That everlasting home of love.

All praise and power and glory be
To God the Father and the Son,
And Holy Spirit unto thee,
Forever reigning three in one.

Early Christian Hymns: Translations of the Verses of the Most Notable Latin Writers of the Early…

By Donahoe, Daniel Joseph

Published 1908
The Grafton Press
271 pages
Original from the New York Public Library

This hymn is now part of the Divine Office and it is part of the canonical hour of Vespers, being the hymn which comes toward the end. This particular Vespers hymn is taken from the Feast of the Sacred Heart. Though I thought it quite appropriate for Easter as it was Jesus’ most Sacred Heart which allowed Him to fulfill His sacred mission on the cross of redemption. If you would like to see the Latin Translation and Music for it, you can see that here.

“Today bring to Me the Meek and Humble Souls and the Souls of Little Children, and immerse them in My mercy. These souls most closely resemble My Heart. They strengthened Me during My bitter agony. I saw them as earthly Angels, who will keep vigil at My altars. I pour out upon them whole torrents of grace. I favor humble souls with My confidence.”

Most Merciful Jesus, You yourself have said, “Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart.” Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart all meek and humble souls and the souls of little children. These souls send all heaven into ecstasy and they are the heavenly Father’s favorites. They are a sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God; God Himself takes delight in their fragrance. These souls have a permanent abode in Your Most Compassionate Heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and mercy.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon meek souls, upon humble souls, and upon little children who are enfolded in the abode which is the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls bear the closest resemblance to Your Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth and reaches Your very throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg You by the love You bear these souls and by the delight You take in them: Bless the whole world, that all souls together may sing out the praises of Your mercy for endless ages.

Amen.

A Hymn attributed to St. Ambrose:

In paschal joy the moring sun
Drive from the world the gloom of night;
The faithful see the Holy One
Shining with new and glorious light.

The wounds within his flesh appear
Like stars amid the heavens aflame;
The brethren rise, and void of fear,
The Christ, their risen Lord, proclaim.

Most clement Jesus, tender King,
Posses our souls that, all aglow,
The tounge may fitly say and sing
The love that unto the we owe.

Be with us evermore, O Lord,
And let they resurrection be
Our paschal joy; from crimes abhorred,
In loving mercy make us free.

Paschale Mundo Guadium

“Today bring to Me the Souls of those who have separated themselves from My Church and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. During My bitter Passion they tore at My Body and Heart, that is, My Church. As they return to unity with the Church My wounds heal and in this way they alleviate My Passion.”

Most Merciful Jesus, Goodness Itself, You do not refuse light to those who seek it of You. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Church. Draw them by Your light into the unity of the Church, and do not let them escape from the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart; but bring it about that they, too, come to glorify the generosity of Your mercy.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Son’s Church, who have squandered Your blessings and misused Your graces by obstinately persisting in their errors. Do not look upon their errors, but upon the love of Your own Son and upon His bitter Passion, which He underwent for their sake, since they, too, are enclosed in His Most Compassionate Heart. Bring it about that they also may glorify Your great mercy for endless ages.

Amen.

It would be very difficult for me to put into words the sacredness and beauty of which the Holy Triduum of Holy Week was celebrated at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. From Holy Thursday’s mass of the Last Supper (which included an immense plethora of Religious Orders of Priests and Friars, Diocesan Priests, Deacons, Seminarians and Altar Boys) to Tenebrae solemnly chanted by our newly ordained transitional Deacons from Cardinal-Glennon Seminary (those young men are ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!) to Good Friday’s gathering to venerate the holy crucifix to the beauty of Easter Vigil and walking into the dark Cathedral carrying our small candles as the Choir chanted and the happiness of our new Catholic family being received into the Church to Easter’s Alleluias with trumpets blaring and timpani in classic percussion it was MAGNIFICENT. –WHEW, that was a long sentence!

Much, much thankfulness for this sacred beauty goes out to ALL those who organized and participated in this Easter Celebration (they all know who they are) and the leadership of this Archdiocese of St. Louis is a beacon of light toward which all Catholics may look to affirm their faith in our Church and reaffirm the beauty and integrity of the sacred liturgy. Praise God for His goodness to us here!

Some photos from Easter at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis

For Easter Vigil, the mass begins with the Easter Fire outside of the Cathedral.

Archbishop Burke blesses the Paschal candle outside the Cathedral during the beginning of Easter Vigil Mass.

Inside the Cathedral as the congregation makes their way inside a dark church (to represent the dark tomb of Jesus). You can see that the entire church is lit only with candle light.

Candlelight on someone special.

After the Sunday Easter Mass, Archbishop Burke, priests, deacons and altar servers congregate on the steps outside the Cathedral to recite a closing prayer in thanksgiving for Mass. What a beautiful custom.

“Today bring to Me those who do not believe in God and those who do not know Me, I was thinking also of them during My bitter Passion, and their future zeal comforted My Heart. Immerse them in the ocean of My mercy.”

Most compassionate Jesus, You are the Light of the whole world. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who do not believe in God and of those who as yet do not know You. Let the rays of Your grace enlighten them that they, too, together with us, may extol Your wonderful mercy; and do not let them escape from the abode which is Your Most Compassionate Heart.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who do not believe in You, and of those who as yet do not know You, but who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Draw them to the light of the Gospel. These souls do not know what great happiness it is to love You. Grant that they, too, may extol the generosity of Your mercy for endless ages.

Amen.

“Today bring to Me all Devout and Faithful Souls, and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. These souls brought me consolation on the Way of the Cross. They were a drop of consolation in the midst of an ocean of bitterness.”

Most Merciful Jesus, from the treasury of Your mercy, You impart Your graces in great abundance to each and all. Receive us into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart and never let us escape from It. We beg this grace of You by that most wondrous love for the heavenly Father with which Your Heart burns so fiercely.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon faithful souls, as upon the inheritance of Your Son. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, grant them Your blessing and surround them with Your constant protection. Thus may they never fail in love or lose the treasure of the holy faith, but rather, with all the hosts of Angels and Saints, may they glorify Your boundless mercy for endless ages.

Amen.