aeternus

Giotto. The Visitation. 1302-1305. Fresco. Capella degli Scrovegni, Padua, Italy

What a special and wonderful feast day it is today, the feast of the Visitation. To remember that glorious event when Mary, in faithful happiness journeys to her cousin Elizabeth’s house to celebrate with her not only the incarnation of the word within her, but the beauty of Elizabeth’s womb which contains John the Baptist. Mary’s visit is both a spiritual rejoicing and plainly a womanly rejoice in the conception of human life!

How happy it is for a woman to carry a child, despite any physical trials and difficulties, the fulfillment of a women’s humanity is to conceive and bear life within her. Life is an innate truth dwelling within her to conceive a life beyond her own! I do not suppose that a man can truly appreciate this miracle! Indeed, I grieve for any person who can not experience this beauty, but I know too well myself, the pains involved in not being able to do so. May my angel children, who were too good for this earth be singing the glories of God eternally from above, amen.
So many people take for granted the gift of life. People think they will be able to conceive and have a baby whenever they choose. Like a right granted to them through science or through some physical reality of the world. It is too often thought that children are some sort of commodity, a thing of purchase, and not a grace and gift from God the Father. A child comes from eternity. They are a special and unique being in the mystery of God’s plan for humanity. Each life, each soul, has a purpose and a sacred reality to be lived and experienced on this earth. May we all serve Him as we were made to!

Let me include the canticle of Mary which is prayed each evening during Vespers from Luke [1:46-55]. It is so beautiful…

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 has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.

In the Liturgy of the day from the Office of Readings we hear from St. Bede (remember his feast day was just a few days ago). He has a very beautiful thought on contemplative prayer associated with Mary, the visitation, and her canticle…

“it is an excellent and fruitful custom of holy Church that we should sing Mary’s hymn at the time of evening prayer. By meditating upon the incarnation, our devotion is kindled, and by remembering the example of God’s Mother, we are encouraged to lead a life of virtue. Such virtues are best achieved in the evening. We are weary after the day’s work and worn out by our distractions. The time for rest is near, and our minds are ready for contemplation”

- Saint Bede the venerable, in a homily

The Institution of the Eucharist
c.1474 (50 Kb); Oil on panel; Gallery of the Marches, Ducal Palace, Urbino, Italy

“One day, when I had just communicated, I was shown how the Most Sacred Body of Christ is received by His Father within our soul. So now I understand and have these Divine Persons are there, and how pleasing to God is this offering of His Son, since He delights and rejoices in Him, as we may say, here on earth, for it is not His Humanity that is within us in the soul but His Divinity, and it is not for that reason that He is so pleasing and acceptable to Him and that He grants us such favors.”

- St. Teresa of Avila: Spiritual Testimonies 52 – Vol. 1 pg. 346.

STATION XII – Forsaken (The Crucifixion)
Artist, Kevin Rolly

I just came across this most wonderful exhibit entitled:Tributes for Kings: The Stations of the Cross. The exhibit is now showing at the 930 Gallery in Louisville, Kentucky and is the work of artist Kevin Rolly.

I appreciate Kevin’s work in that it uses both the media of film and painting a process he refers to as an “oligraph”. Together with these practices he is able to help the viewer not only have a realistic view of the Passion, but is able to give us an ethereal view of the mystery of holy paradox contained in Christ’s salvific act for sinful mankind. Rolly’s imagery is very contemporary while still honoring some time kept traditions and perhaps that is why I have enjoyed looking at his work.  I think it important to credit modern artist who explore their creativity by being mindful of the Ultimate Creator.  For FAR TOO LONG have artist been given carte blanch to expose the world to their selfish, individualized and debased notions of what it means to live in the world today.  With their examinations of the physical world we have only seen how shallow and limited humanity can be.  I applaud artists who are able to see through this depthless absurdity and instead look into the “mirror darkly” and see beyond.

I had a look at Kevin’s official artitst website and found some of his imagery to be a bit too rough for family viewing (for instance skip the fashion) but I found his travel section nice to examine.  I wish I was able to see these works in person at the Louisville Gallery, but well, this is 2007 we can visit his work in cyberspace instead.  I hope we will all pray for Kevin to continue his spiritual journey and bring others along the path with him through his art.

The image at the top of the screen here is my favorite from the Stations of the Cross exhibit, here is what the artist has to say about Station number twelve, which he entitles Forsaken:

STATION XII – Forsaken (The Crucifixion)

From the first to the last
there was no other way

Beginnings need ends

In the far off country
no eye can see
you now move beyond words

This world will not listen to words
This world speaks in blood
so you must cry back with your own

The wrath of a thousand thousand wars
and the cries of a billion innocents and lost
call out for a chance
one chance
for hope

Now the horizon of all history
broken and longing
gathers to a knife point
and in a final human breath
you throw yourself first
upon the blade

Ends need beginnings
This is your story
It will not be erased
or the door of Heaven shut
(for those who want of such things)

and nothing…
Nothing
will ever be the same again

My son…
come to me
It is accomplished

GIAQUINTO, Corrado
Justice and Peace
- Oil on canvas, 216 x 325 cMuseo del Prado, Madrid

O dear Jesus,

I humbly implore You to grant Your special graces to our family. May our home be the shrine of peace, purity, love, labor and faith. I beg You, dear Jesus, to protect and bless all of us, absent and present living and dead.

O Mary, loving Mother of Jesus, and our Mother, pray to Jesus for our family, for all the families of the world, to guard the cradle of the newborn, the schools of the young and their vocations.

Blessed Saint Joseph, holy guardian of Jesus and Mary, assist us by your prayers in all the necessities of life. Ask of Jesus that special grace which He granted to you, to watch over our home at the pillow of the sick and the dying, so that with Mary and with  you, heaven may find our family unbroken in the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Amen.

ANDREA DA FIRENZE
Descent of the Holy Spirit
1365-68 Fresco
Cappella Spagnuolo, Santa Maria Novella, Florence

Sorry to post this WAY after the fact, but I thought I had still beter post day 9 of this novena! 

NINTH DAY (Saturday, Vigil of Pentecost)

Thou, on those who evermore Thee confess and Thee Adore, in Thy sevenfold gift, Descend; Give Them Comfort when they die; Give them Life with Thee on high; Give them joys which never end. Amen

The Fruits of the Holy Spirit

The gifts of the Holy Spirit perfect the supernatural virtues by enabling us to practice them with greater docility to divine inspiration. As we grow in the knowledge and love of God under the direction of the Holy Spirit, our service becomes more sincere and generous, the practice of virtue more perfect. Such acts of virtue leave the heart filled with joy and consolation and are known as Fruits of the Holy Spirit. These Fruits in turn render the practice of virtue more attractive and become a powerful incentive for still greater efforts in the service of God, to serve Whom is to reign.

Prayer

Come, O Divine Spirit, fill my heart with Thy heavenly fruits, Thy charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, faith, mildness, and temperance, that I may never weary in the service of God, but by continued faithful submission to Thy inspiration may merit to be united eternally with Thee in the love of the Father and the Son. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE.

Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
On my knees before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses, I offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Your purity, the unerring keenness of Your justice, and the might of Your love. You are the Strength and Light of my soul. In You I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against You. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your light, and listen to Your voice, and follow Your gracious inspirations. I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You, by Your compassion to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and looking at His Five Wounds, and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin against You. Give me grace, O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to You always and everywhere, “Speak Lord for Your servant heareth.” Amen.

To be recited daily during the Novena

PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth, the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of Your true disciples and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.

Today is the feast day of 4 wonderful saints. There is the Venerable Father of English History, St. Bede who is quite famous even while he was alive for his writings that they were read in the pulpits of the church. Then we have Pope St. Gregory VII (who started life off as a little known monk names Hildebrand). Also, we shall not forget the great Carmelite mystic, St. Mary Magdalene de’Pazzi who was so well known in her huge cloister of nuns for her raptures in which she was captivated by the WORD, her Lord.

Finally though, then there is another saint of French origin who has a special place in the heart of many St. Louisians because they send their children to one of her schools. It is Saint Madeline Sophie Barat and through her initiative to send one of her closest confidants to America to start mission schools, we came to have our own American saint, St. Rose Phillipine Duchesne. In St. Louis, as I have written about before, we have Villa Duchesne and the Academy of the Sacred Heart. Today the children are celebrating her feast day with a big mass and “gouter” treats. My daughter, who celebrates her birthday today, is very happy to have such a festive day where the whole school celebrates (well, since she is only 7, she kinda thinks that they are mainly celebrating HER birthday…)

Here is a very wonderful, and most mystical quote, from St. Madeline Sophie (it is so mystical that it could have come from Mary Magdalene de’Pazzi!)
“Ah! If we had faith! If we were penetrated by the thought that at this moment Our Lord is on the altar! We would be motionless, we would forget that we have bodies . . . . “ St. Madeleine Sophie Barat

This icon of “Hagia Hesychia” (Holy Silence) is a rendition of a most unusual 18th century icon from Russia of an allegorical representation of Christ as the female “Hagia Sophia” (Holy Wisdom) and the mystical Russian Jesus Prayer.
EIGHTH DAY (Friday, 7th Week of Easter)

Bend the stubborn heart and will, melt the frozen warm the chill. Guide the steps that go astray!

The Gift of Wisdom

Embodying all the other gifts, as charity embraces all the other virtues, Wisdom is the most perfect of the gifts. Of wisdom it is written “all good things came to me with her, and innumerable riches through her hands.” It is the gift of Wisdom that strengthens our faith, fortifies hope, perfects charity, and promotes the practice of virtue in the highest degree. Wisdom enlightens the mind to discern and relish things divine, in the appreciation of which earthly joys lose their savor, whilst the Cross of Christ yields a divine sweetness according to the words of the Saviour: “Take up thy cross and follow me, for my yoke is sweet and my burden light.

Prayer

Come, O Spirit of Wisdom, and reveal to my soul the mysteries of heavenly things, their exceeding greatness, power and beauty. Teach me to love them above and beyond all the passing joys and satisfactions of earth. Help me to attain them and possess them for ever. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE.

Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
On my knees before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses, I offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Your purity, the unerring keenness of Your justice, and the might of Your love. You are the Strength and Light of my soul. In You I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against You. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your light, and listen to Your voice, and follow Your gracious inspirations. I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You, by Your compassion to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and looking at His Five Wounds, and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin against You. Give me grace, O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to You always and everywhere, “Speak Lord for Your servant heareth.” Amen.

To be recited daily during the Novena

PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth, the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of Your true disciples and animate me in all things with Your Spirit.

Amen.

“Trials are nothing else but the forge that purifies the soul of all its imperfections…”

St. Mary Magdalene de’Pazzi

Well, since tomorrow is the great Carmelite’s feast day, I suppose I should meditate on her words and let them sink in. I’m trying not to be frazzled because I just lost a WHOLE afternoon’s worth of my design work on the computer!  Grumble, grumble…
Purify me O Lord and I shall be whiter than snow…

SEVENTH DAY (Thursday, 7th Week of Easter)

Heal our wounds–our strength renews; On our dryness pour Thy dew, Wash the stains of guilt away.

The Gift of Counsel

The gift of Counsel endows the soul with supernatural prudence, enabling it to judge promptly and rightly what must done, especially in difficult circumstances. Counsel applies the principles furnished by Knowledge and Understanding to the innumerable concrete cases that confront us in the course of our daily duty as parents, teachers, public servants, and Christian citizens. Counsel is supernatural common sense, a priceless treasure in the quest of salvation. “Above all these things, pray to the Most High, that He may direct thy way in truth.”

Prayer

Come, O Spirit of Counsel, help and guide me in all my ways, that I may always do Thy holy will. Incline my heart to that which is good; turn it away from all that is evil, and direct me by the straight path of Thy commandments to that goal of eternal life for which I long.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE.

Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
On my knees before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses, I offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Your purity, the unerring keenness of Your justice, and the might of Your love. You are the Strength and Light of my soul. In You I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against You. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your light, and listen to Your voice, and follow Your gracious inspirations. I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You, by Your compassion to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and looking at His Five Wounds, and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin against You. Give me grace, O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to You always and everywhere, “Speak Lord for Your servant heareth.” Amen.

To be recited daily during the Novena

PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth, the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of Your true disciples and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.

Lord of Hosts – aeternus.com

Angelologist Says God Is Beyond Rationality
Warns of Loss of “Mystical Impulse”

ROME, MAY 17, 2007 (Zenit.org).- An exclusive emphasis on rational theology could lead to a weakening of the “mystical impulse” of the Church, according to an expert on angelology.

Father Marcello Stanzione, the president of the Center of Studies of Angelology at the Benedictine Abbey of Santa Maria La Nova in Campagna, Ialy, is the founder of the Catholic association Militia of St. Michael the Archangel, which organizes an annual theological-pastoral meeting on angels.

The third annual meeting will be held June 1-2 with the theme “The Angels of the Mystics.”

The only meeting of its kind, numerous experts will discuss how angles have accompanied the lives of saints in Christian history, like St. Gemma Galgani, St. Francesca Romana, and St. Faustina Kowalska.

In an interview with ZENIT, Father Stanzione, said that one of the reasons for the decline in religious practice, especially in developed countries, is “the weakening of our mystical impulse.”“The theology being taught in schools is based, rightly so, on the intellect — which is important and indispensable — but we must be careful to not fall into the trap of theological rationalism,” explained Father Stanzione.

“By that I mean, that when angels are spoken of one shrugs their shoulders as if to say: ‘Yes, angels exist, the Bible speaks of them and the catechism, but we don’t really know that much about them and they aren’t really that important, and therefore they are of no interest to us,’” he explained.

“It is rare,” he continued, “to find courses of systematic theology about angels and demons, and this is reflected in the preaching of the churches where one rarely hears talk of heavenly spirits.”

Spiritual aridity

“Mysticism,” said Father Stanzione, “helps us to understand that God cannot be contained in our logical comprehension because he is obviously beyond it. The absence of mystics leads to spiritual aridity.”

“The climate of spiritual dryness,” the angelologist explained, “leads to many baptized persons who are educated in the Catholic faith to search for spirituality in Buddhist, New Age, or other meditation groups and alternative religious movements to the Church of Rome.”

“There are very few modern Catholic authors writing about angels,” said the priest who noted that in the past there were many texts written on the subject.

Father Stanzione added: “I am amazed when I enter a bookstore and find that the majority of texts written about angels are written by non-Catholics.”

The mystic is important, Father Stanzione said, because “he lives in constant union with God, and that union is not only an intellectual experience, but an existential experience.”

He quoted Dominican friar Antonin-Gilbert Sertillanges who said that “there is, without a doubt a link between holiness and the existence of angels, but no one has ever become holy because they saw angels, but rather they saw angels because they were holy!”

The prize “Poems to the Angels,” which recognizes artists who include angels in their writings, will be inaugurated at this year’s meeting. Angela Ruggiero of Battipaglia, Italy, will receive the first award.

The Virgin and St Francis of Assisi  – 1490s
Tempera and leaf on panel – Nikolaos TSAFOURIS
Byzantine and Christian Museum, Athens

SIXTH DAY (Wednesday, 7th Week of Easter)

If Thou take Thy grace away, nothing pure in man will stay, All his good is turn’d to ill.

The Gift of Understanding

Understanding, as a gift of the Holy Spirit, helps us to grasp the meaning of the truths of our holy religion BY faith we know them, but by Understanding we learn to appreciate and relish them. It enables us to penetrate the inner meaning of revealed truths and through them to be quickened to newness of life. Our faith ceases to be sterile and inactive, but inspires a mode of life that bears eloquent testimony to the faith that is in us; we begin to “walk worthy of God in all things pleasing, and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

Prayer

Come, O Spirit of Understanding, and enlighten our minds, that we may know and believe all the mysteries of salvation; and may merit at last to see the eternal light in Thy Light; and in the light of glory to have a clear vision of Thee and the Father and the Son. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE.

Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
On my knees before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses, I offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Your purity, the unerring keenness of Your justice, and the might of Your love. You are the Strength and Light of my soul. In You I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against You. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your light, and listen to Your voice, and follow Your gracious inspirations. I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You, by Your compassion to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and looking at His Five Wounds, and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin against You. Give me grace, O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to You always and everywhere, “Speak Lord for Your servant heareth.” Amen.

To be recited daily during the Novena

PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth, the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of Your true disciples and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.

“What is a merciful heart? It is a heart on fire for the whole of creation, for humanity, for the birds, for the animals, for demons, and for all that exists. By the recollection of them the eyes of a merciful person pour forth tears in abundance. By the strong and vehement mercy that grips such a person’s heart, and by such great compassion, the heart is humbled and one cannot bear to hear or to see any injury or slight sorrow in any in creation. For this reason, such a person offers up tearful prayer continually even for irrational beasts, for the enemies of the truth, and for those who harm her or him, that they be protected and receive mercy. And in like manner such a person prays for the family of reptiles because of the great compassion that burns with without measure in a heart that is in the likeness of God.”

St. Isaac the Syrian, Bishop of Nineveh 

FIFTH DAY (Tuesday, 7th Week of Easter)

Light immortal! Light Divine! Visit Thou these hearts of Thine, And our inmost being fill!

The Gift of Knowledge

The gift of Knowledge enables the soul to evaluate created things at their true worth–in their relation to God. Knowledge unmasks the pretense of creatures, reveals their emptiness, and points out their only true purpose as instruments in the service of God. It shows us the loving care of God even in adversity, and directs us to glorify Him in every circumstance of life. Guided by its light, we put first things first, and prize the friendship of God beyond all else. “Knowledge is a fountain of life to him that possesseth it.”

Prayer

Come, O Blessed Spirit of Knowledge, and grant that I may perceive the will of the Father; show me the nothingness of earthly things, that I may realize their vanity and use them only for Thy glory and my own salvation, looking ever beyond them to Thee, and Thy eternal rewards. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE.

Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
On my knees before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses, I offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Your purity, the unerring keenness of Your justice, and the might of Your love. You are the Strength and Light of my soul. In You I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against You. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your light, and listen to Your voice, and follow Your gracious inspirations. I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You, by Your compassion to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and looking at His Five Wounds, and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin against You. Give me grace, O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to You always and everywhere, “Speak Lord for Your servant heareth.” Amen.

To be recited daily during the Novena

PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth, the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of Your true disciples and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.

St. Augustine being baptized by St. Ambrose
Nicolo’ di Pietro, 1415
Tempera on wood panel
Vatican Picture Gallery

There is also a certain water which we put into the basin of our soul … It is the water of the message from heaven. Let, then, this water, O Lord Jesus, come into my soul, into my flesh, that through the moisture of this rain the valleys of our minds and the fields of our hearts may grow green. May the drops from You come upon me, shedding forth grace and immortality. Wash the steps of my mind that I may not sin again… You have redeemed the world, redeem the soul of a single sinner.

St. Ambrose — On the Holy Spirit, Book I

FOURTH DAY (Monday, 7th Week of Easter)

Thou in toil art comfort sweet, Pleasant coolness in the heat, solace in the midst of woe.

The Gift of Fortitude

The Gift of Fortitude By the gift of Fortitude the soul is strengthened against natural fear, and supported to the end in the performance of duty. Fortitude imparts to the will an impulse and energy which move it to under take without hesitancy the most arduous tasks, to face dangers, to trample under foot human respect, and to endure without complaint the slow martyrdom of even lifelong tribulation. “He that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved.”

Prayer

Come, O Blessed Spirit of Fortitude, uphold my soul in time of trouble and adversity, sustain my efforts after holiness, strengthen my weakness, give me courage against all the assaults of my enemies, that I may never be overcome and separated from Thee, my God and greatest Good. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE.

Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
On my knees before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses, I offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Your purity, the unerring keenness of Your justice, and the might of Your love. You are the Strength and Light of my soul. In You I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against You. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your light, and listen to Your voice, and follow Your gracious inspirations. I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You, by Your compassion to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and looking at His Five Wounds, and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin against You. Give me grace, O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to You always and everywhere, “Speak Lord for Your servant heareth.” Amen.

To be recited daily during the Novena

PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth, the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of Your true disciples and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.

(image 2000 by Conception Abbey, Inc.- Conception, Missouri)

THIRD DAY (7th Sunday of Easter – and for most, Solemnity of the Ascencion)

Thou, of all consolers best, Visiting the troubled breast, Dost refreshing peace bestow.

The Gift of Piety

The gift of Piety begets in our hearts a filial affection for God as our most loving Father. It inspires us to love and respect for His sake persons and things consecrated to Him, as well as those who are vested with His authority, His Blessed Mother and the Saints, the Church and its visible Head, our parents and superiors, our country and its rulers. He who is filled with the gift of Piety finds the practice of his religion, not a burdensome duty, but a delightful service. Where there is love, there is no labor.

Prayer

Come, O Blessed Spirit of Piety, possess my heart. Enkindle therein such a love for God, that I may find satisfaction only in His service, and for His sake lovingly submit to all legitimate authority. Amen.

Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE.

Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
On my knees before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses, I offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Your purity, the unerring keenness of Your justice, and the might of Your love. You are the Strength and Light of my soul. In You I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against You. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your light, and listen to Your voice, and follow Your gracious inspirations. I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You, by Your compassion to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and looking at His Five Wounds, and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin against You. Give me grace, O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to You always and everywhere, “Speak Lord for Your servant heareth.” Amen.

To be recited daily during the Novena

PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth, the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of Your true disciples and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.

I wanted to make this prayer for the souls I have known who have come, all of them, to what seems liken an untimely end upon this earth. There have been many in these past few months that I am getting a lot of wear out of my black dress. Please remember Marta Frumhoff, Douglas and Mary George, Michael, Lyn, Dorothy and Frank and Robert… Holy Spirit, Bathe them in the peace and calm of Your presence…

Take me away, and in the lowest deep
There let me be,
And there in hope the lone night-watches keep,
Told out for me.
There, motionless and happy in my pain,
Lone, not forlorn–
There will I sing my sad perpetual strain,
Until the morn.
There will I sing, and soothe my stricken breast,
Which ne’er can cease
To throb, and pine, and languish, till possest
Of its Sole Peace.
There will I sing my absent Lord and Love:–
Take me away,
That sooner I may rise, and go above,
And see Him in the truth of everlasting day.

John Henry Cardinal Newman

For Evening Prayer:

Virgo virginum praeclara,
mihi iam non sis amara;
fac me tecum plangere.

Fac ut portem Christi mortem,
passionis fac me sortem
et plagas recolere.

Fac me plagis vulnerari,
cruce hac inebriari
et cruore Filii.

Flammis urar ne succensus,
per te, Virgo, sim defensus
in die iudicii.

Fac me cruce custodiri,
morte Christi praemuniri,
confoveri gratia.

Quando corpus morietur,
fac ut animae donetur
paradisi gloria. Amen

—————————

Chosen Virgin of virgins,
to me, now, be not bitter;
let me mourn with you

Grant that I may bear the death of Christ,
grant me the fate of His passion
and the remembrance of His wounds.

Let me be wounded with distress,
inebriated in this way by the cross
and the blood of your Son

Lest I be destroyed by fire, set alight,
then through you, Virgin, may I be defended
on the day of judgement.

Let me be guarded by the cross,
fortified by the death of Christ,
and cherished by grace.

When my body dies,
grant that to my soul is given
the glory of paradise. Amen.

SECOND DAY (Saturday, 6th Week of Easter)

Come. Father of the poor. Come, treasures which endure; Come, Light of all that live!

The Gift of Fear

The gift of Fear fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread nothing so much as to offend Him by sin. It is a fear that arises, not from the thought of hell, but from sentiments of reverence and filial submission to our heavenly Father. It is the fear that is the beginning of wisdom, detaching us from worldly pleasures that could in any way separate us from God. “They that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and in His sight will sanctify their souls.”

Prayer

Come, O blessed Spirit of Holy Fear, penetrate my inmost heart, that I may set you, my Lord and God, before my face forever, help me to shun all things that can offend You, and make me worthy to appear before the pure eyes of Your Divine Majesty in heaven, where You live and reign in the unity of the ever Blessed Trinity, God world without end. Amen.

Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE.

Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
On my knees before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses, I offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Your purity, the unerring keenness of Your justice, and the might of Your love. You are the Strength and Light of my soul. In You I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against You. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your light, and listen to Your voice, and follow Your gracious inspirations. I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You, by Your compassion to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and looking at His Five Wounds, and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin against You. Give me grace, O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to You always and everywhere, “Speak Lord for Your servant heareth.” Amen.

To be recited daily during the Novena

PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth, the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of Your true disciples and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.

Today we begin the most ancient Novena of the Church. The novena is in a prayerful rememberence of the Apostles (and our mother Mary), who upon following out the orders of Jesus, they gathered together for 9 days of prayer in Jerusalem after the Ascension. So, from today until Pentecost, when God the Father sends down his Holy Spirit of enlightenment, we pray for that same Holy Ghost to come to our Church today. We pray to receive this light, love, strength and courage that the Apostles did.

Let us carry on this tradition by praying the Novena but also, I would encourage you to read the amazing poetry of Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. I wrote about her yesterday. Her reflections called Verses for a Pentecost Novena are just beautiful. And, you can hear them too via the Meditations from Carmel PODCAST.

Let us begin our Novena Prayer:

Novena to the Seven Gifts Of The Holy Spirit

FIRST DAY (Friday, 6th Week of Easter)

Holy Spirit! Lord of Light! From Your clear celestial height, Your pure beaming radiance give!

The Holy Spirit

Only one thing is important — eternal salvation. Only one thing, therefore, is to be feared–sin· Sin is the result of ignorance, weakness, and indifference The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Light, of Strength, and of Love. With His sevenfold gifts He enlightens the mind, strengthens the will, and inflames the heart with love of God. To ensure our salvation we ought to invoke the Divine Spirit daily, for “The Spirit helpeth our infirmity. We know not what we should pray for as we ought. But the Spirit Himself asketh for us.”

Prayer

Almighty and eternal God, Who hast vouchsafed to regenerate us by water and the Holy Spirit, and hast given us forgiveness all sins, vouchsafe to send forth from heaven upon us your sevenfold Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of Holy Fear. Amen.

Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE.

Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
On my knees before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses, I offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Your purity, the unerring keenness of Your justice, and the might of Your love. You are the Strength and Light of my soul. In You I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against You. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your light, and listen to Your voice, and follow Your gracious inspirations. I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You, by Your compassion to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and looking at His Five Wounds, and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin against You. Give me grace, O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to You always and everywhere, “Speak Lord for Your servant heareth.” Amen.

To be recited daily during the Novena

PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth, the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of Your true disciples and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.

Please remember my friend Marta Frumhoff in your prayers. She died suddenly this week.

REQUIEM aeternam dona ei  Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei Requiescat in pace. Amen.

Today is Ascension Thursday and it makes me a little sad. I feel like we are loosing a bit of our Catholic tradition and heritage by transferring the celebration of this remembrance to Sunday. I understand some of the reasoning, but by doing that, we miss the opportunity to celebrate the greatest and most ancient of Novena’s we have in our church. If we celebrate Ascension on Sunday there are only 7 days to squeeze in a 9 day prayer before Pentecost. I don’t see how that is possible. I guess though we should remember that God is infinite and so our earthly time-line doesn’t really matter to Him!

So, to prepare for our Novena, I thought it might be nice to pray along with some of the beautiful prose of the great Carmelite Saint, Teresa Bendicta…

A little about Saint Teresa Benedicta:

Near the end of her life, Saint Edith Stein (why do we find it necessary to always denote both her given name and her religious name?), wrote several meditative works, which have only recently been translated into English and published. The young German philosopher entered a Carmelite monastery, where she continued to write. She was killed at Auschwitz in August 1942, and was canonized October 11, 1998.

Among her final works is an incomplete “novena” for Pentecost, consisting of seven stanzas in poetic form, collected in The Hidden Life, hagiographic essays, meditations, spiritual texts, Volume IV of the collected works of Edith Stein, translated into English by her great-niece, Waltraut Stein, and published in 1992 by the Institute for Carmelite Studies, Washington DC. The work is copyrighted by ICS Publications and is available on its web site.

I think reading (or listening ) to this novena would be a great way to prepare for the Pentecost Novena which starts tomorrow. You can Listen to Verses for a Pentecost Novena at the Meditations from Carmel Podcast

By Saint Edith Stein
Here is Saint Teresa Benedicta’s verse:

Who are you, sweet light, that fills me
And illumines the darkness of my heart?
You lead me like a mother’s hand,
And should you let go of me,
I would not know how to take another step.
You are the space
That embraces my being and buries it in yourself.
Away from you it sinks into the abyss
Of nothingness, from which you raised it to the light.
You, nearer to me than I to myself
And more interior than my most interior
And still impalpable and intangible
And beyond any name:
Holy Spirit eternal love!

Are you not the sweet manna
That from the Son’s heart
Overflows into my heart,
The food of angels and the blessed?
He who raised himself from death to life,
He has also awakened me to new life
From the sleep of death.
And he gives me new life from day to day,
And at some time his fullness is to stream through me,
Life of your life indeed, you yourself:
Holy Spirit eternal life!

Are you the ray
That flashes down from the eternal Judge’s throne
And breaks into the night of the soul
That had never known itself?
Mercifully relentlessly
It penetrates hidden folds.
Alarmed at seeing itself,
The self makes space for holy fear,
The beginning of that wisdom
That comes from on high
And anchors us firmly in the heights,
Your action,
That creates us anew:
Holy Spirit ray that penetrates everything!

Are you the spirit’s fullness and the power
By which the Lamb releases the seal
Of God’s eternal decree?
Driven by you
The messengers of judgement ride through the world
And separate with a sharp sword
The kingdom of light from the kingdom of night.
Then heaven becomes new and new the earth,
And all finds its proper place
Through your breath:
Holy Spirit victorious power!

Are you the master who builds the eternal
cathedral,
Which towers from the earth through the heavens?
Animated by you, the columns are raised high
And stand immovably firm.
Marked with the eternal name of God,
They stretch up to the light,
Bearing the dome,
Which crowns the holy cathedral,
Your work that encircles the world:
Holy Spirit God’s molding hand!

Are you the one who created
the unclouded mirror
Next to the Almighty’s throne,
Like a crystal sea,
In which Divinity lovingly looks at itself?
You bend over the fairest work of your creation,
And radiantly your own gaze
Is illumined in return.
And of all creatures the pure beauty
Is joined in one in the dear form
Of the Virgin, your immaculate bride:
Holy Spirit Creator of all!

Are you the sweet song of love
And of holy awe
That eternally resounds around the triune throne,
That weds in itself the clear chimes
of each and every being?
The harmony,
That joins together the members to the Head,
In which each one
Finds the mysterious meaning of his being blessed
And joyously surges forth,
Freely dissolved in your surging:
Holy Spirit eternal jubilation!
For more information on St. Teresa Benedicta, you can read Sister Joan Gormley’s considerate article for Women of Faith and family on Edith Stein and the Contemplative Vocation.

Also, remember that Saint Teresa Benedicta is Co-Patroness of Europe as proclaimed by Pope John Paul II in October 1999. Here is his speach from that day. Here is an interesting painting of these Co-Patronesses that I found:

Well, sometimes it is O.K. to be a little silly, right? Even for prayerful people? Maybe?

So yesterday when I had to do some shopping, my son and I noticed these towels in the center aisle. We were actually looking for a beach towel, but these caught our eye instead. Why do you ask did they catch our attention? Well, don’t they look like the beautiful saris that the Missionaries of Charity wear?! So, even though they were not beach towels, we decided to purchase them. I talked to the register lady who at first did not get my comment to her saying “don’t these look just like Mother Teresa’s habit?” At first she just politely smiled. It took her a couple of minutes more, but then she “got it”.  I think maybe she just wasn’t that familiar with our Blessed from Calcutta.  Anyway, the cashier was then really happy to see the “holy towels” at her store.  She too was going to get some!

So, who knew WallMart was evangelizing?

Oh, and for further silly behavior, after swimming the children could not help but dress up the dog!

“What a piercing beam of light does to a diamond in the dark, so does the indwelling Lord do to a soul entirely purified from all selfishness. Just as one jewel differers from another, so also do those at the contemplative summit vary in the splendors they receive from God…

We never reach a point on earth at which we can say “enough”. Just as fire in wood can grow hotter, with fiery flames shooting out from it, so also can our love deepen and flare out.

Although the fire has penetrated the wood, transformed it, and united it with itself, yet as this fire grows hotter and continues to burn, so the wood becomes much more incandescent and inflamed, even to the point of flaring up and shooting out flames from itself.”

Quotes from: Fire Within and The Living Flame of Love

I am in the midst of studying Carmelite Spirituality through the very insightful book by Fr. Thomas Dubay called the Fire Within. I feel that Father can help us to understand so well the intricacies of St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross with such clarity. When a soul is able to read and understand the teachings of these two Saints, or any contemplative really, there is a “knowing” which comes about in the soul and this knowing most often times defies words. Father Dubay, however, is able to point out some very important points in Carmelite spirituality and links them together so well with our treasured Gospels and sacred liturgy.

Let me pull out this great quote which struck me so well today. The quote is all about L O V E and love is really what life is… to see and acknowledge the love in everything at every time (even when it seems impossible to do so you can!) Anyway, here is the quote:

“In the transforming union the person is now “all love”, all her actions are love. By this John means that love is not restricted simply to formal times of prayer and to ejaculations scattered through the day. Rather everything – seeing, hearing, tasting, working, resting, playing – triggers love in and through all things. This person is quite literally fulfilling the greatest of all the commandments; she is loving God with her whole hear, soul and mind. “The soul easily extracts the sweetness of love from all the things that happen to her, that is, she loves God in them. Thus everything leads her to love.” Whether her daily experiences are delightful or bitter, she finds the Beloved in them and “knows nothing else but love” for Him in each of them”.” Fire Within — Fr. Thomas Dubay Chapter 10

But let me get back to this giant notion that we know but don’t know anything…

St. John of the Cross writes in his Spiritual Canticle that “One of the outstanding favors God grants briefly in this life is an understanding and experience of himself so lucid and lofty that one comes to known clearly that God cannot be completely understood or experienced. This understanding is somewhat like that of the Blessed in heaven: Those who understand God more understand more distinctly the infinitude that remains to be understood; those who see less of him do not realize so clearly what remains to be seen.”

This is infinitude of knowing you don’t know anything is called, as St. John says the “I-don’t-know-what” since it is beyond our understanding. I like that St. John says to us that even the Blessed in heaven do not fully comprehend. I suppose that is why they never grow tired of repeating the Sanctus, that glorious chant that unites our voices with those of the angels and powers of heaven that we pray in the Te Deum and at mass…

SANCTUS, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua. Hosanna in excelsis. Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis.

The angels repeat this song of praise because at each second as they look upon God they see something new and fascinating about Him. They are so overwhelmed with joy and amazement they can not stop singing!  I imagine this may be like the loving the “I don’t know what” because there in is contained a love so great and vibrant that words and emotion and knowing just sort of fail…

Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. says: “the angels keep adoring God as the one who is absolutely unique. No one is like Him because everything comes from Him and everything else has been made for Him.”

How brilliantly wonderful this “I-don’t-know-what” is!

I think for today I will leave it here — to meditate on the unity of our personal will to Gods almighty and loving will and to keep watch with Him in adoration and love……

view the website of this beautiful icon.

I was thinking today about my silent retreat a few weeks ago where we were lucky enough to recieve conferences on the “Indwelling Presence of God” and “Purity of Heart” from a Discalced Carmelite Friar. Father was just wonderful in leading us from the virtues of purity through the life of a soul who is in practice of a contemplitive life of prayer which is dwelling within us.

If we are striving for perfection then we are already mindful of the practice of virtue. And, if we are mindful of these practices then we also realize that the practice of humilty (which if we can bend our wills enough) will eventually lead to purity in all of our actions. Living in this purity of heart we will find the virtues only a labor of love for we can see the Father and love the Father through all our actions and all our silent and prayerful witness as His sons and daughters. As Jesus says, “He that hath my commandments and keepeth them; he it is that loveth me. And he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father: and I will love him and will manifest myself to him.” [John 14:21] So if we act with love we will live with love. Also, St. John of the Cross continually exhorts to us that only the pure can commune deeply with the all-pure One. As we purge ourselves free of impurity we draw closer to the flame of love in God. St. John of the Cross in Book II of the Ascent of Mt. Carmel says:

“He that is not born again in the Holy Spirit will not be able to see this kingdom of God, which is the state of perfection; and to be born again in the Holy Spirit in this life is to have a soul most like to God in purity, having in itself no admixture of imperfection” [Bk II Ch 5 #5]

To speak further on this purity, let us consider an excerpt from the Institution of the First Monks [1280]. The whole emphasis of spirituality for these desert monks is focused on withdrawal and on the contemplative life. The Institution of the First Monks lays the foundations of Carmelite spirituality which has developed through many writers over the centuries. We read of these monastics living in the most dry and desolate conditions and finding great consolation in the living waters of God who constantly showered them with His love:

“As in a dry and weary land where no water is; so I have looked upon thee in the sanctuary” By thus choosing to remain in a dry and weary land were no water is, and so come before God “in the sanctuary” that is , with a heart free from sin, he indicates the firs end of the solitary life chosen by him, which is to offer a holy heart, free from all acutal sin.” (which is a pure heart!) “And this purity of heart is attained with the help of divine grace through our efforts and virtuous works. And through purity of heart and perfection of love, the second is attained, namely, an experiential knowledge of the divine presence and the glory of heaven… the second end of this life, which is to experience somewhat even in this life, or to see mystically in the heart, the intensity of the divine presence and to tast the sweetness of the glory of heaven” (WOW!)

This writing from the desert is also very similar to another mystical writing, The Cloud of the Unknowing”. In the chaper I am about to present, the author teaches about God as Holy Spirit. You will have to bear with the “older language” it is so beautiful though — think Chaucer or Shakespeare as you read! Anyway, the author shows us how we too are spirit and how we may prayerfully unite our spirit deeply within the Father. The author invites us to,”bring thee out of the boisterousness of bodily feeling into the purity and deepness of ghostly (spiritual) feeling; and so furthermore at the last to help thee to knit the ghostly (spiritual) knot of burning love betwixt thee and thy God, in ghostly (spiritual) onehead and according of will.

Thou wottest well this, that God is a Spirit; and whoso should be oned unto Him, it behoveth to be in soothfastness and deepness of spirit, full far from any feigned bodily thing. Sooth it is that all thing is known of God, and nothing may be hid from His witting, neither bodily thing nor ghostly. But more openly is that thing known and shewed unto Him, the which is hid in deepness of spirit, sith it so is that He is a Spirit, than is anything that is mingled with any manner of bodilyness. For all bodily thing is farther from God by the course of nature than any ghostly thing. By this reason it seemeth, that the whiles our desire is mingled with any matter of bodilyness, as it is when we stress and strain us in spirit and in body together, so long it is farther from God than it should be, an it were done more devoutly and more listily in soberness and in purity and in deepness of spirit.”
The Cloud of Unknowing – Chapter 46

I think that is a fine meditation on the day, but I think I will post some pictures from my retreat to “pretty up this post” a bit. Oh, and get yourselves down to the Mt. Carmel Retreat Center in Dallas for some great conferences!