Happy Lent 2011 everybody... This looks like its going to be a big year, it feels like we need to prepare in special ways. Perhaps we can share here what we are doing for preparation this Lent, that might be different from previous Lents. I remember Padraig said he started Lent early this year. So did I, Have been praying the Divine Mercy every day since last weekend and will continue through Divine Mercy Sunday, adding the Novena too of course. Plus I started my usual Lenten fasting a week early. I'm not good about keeping 2 fast days a week going all year (yet), but when Lent comes around I always do much better with the Wed-Fri fast that Mary asks us to do. I also am doing the five First Saturdays starting last Saturday, and will also try keep First Fridays starting last friday. I am not a routine daily Mass attendee, but I go sometimes. I am going to try to go at least twice a week during Lent, and to say at least one rosary every day. I have fallen out of that habit too here lately (seems like I go in waves with my faith practices, something I need to work on). So for me, this Lent is a time to renew all my good faith habits and to take on a few new ones. I am also studying about the Secular Franciscan Order...and that is a daily thing also for me this Lent. There is a group of SF's close by and I have contacted them about my interest. And I will pray for Rain's mother as I receive ashes tonight with my husband at Mass. Let's see, I am also getting a bunch of beeswax candles, having them blessed, sending some to my kids and stocking up for myself and my mom too - just in case. We may actually need them soon, you know? Sending my son and his Jewish wife a lovely traditional Chanukah Menorah as a small Marriage gift, and sending priest-blessed candles to put into it! How's that for a Catholic/Jewish mingle? They will love it, as they are into the traditions and are trying to find ways to merge everything, you know? I pray to God to help them with that. Who knows, they may end up being more right than us...after all, Jesus was Jewish! They keep reminding me of that! Bless their hearts. I am also sending along a book I found, called "Why is there a Menorah on the Alter? The title says it all.
Funnily enough ,Connie I have my own little Menorah and candles whcih I got brand new from a second hand shop. They were bought in Tel Aviv. WhenI was in Jerusalem a guy from the Italian Synagogue there, Avcram gave a most beautiful Jewish prayer shawl as a gift. I used to love wearing in praying the rosary. I always figured it turned my prayer place into a kind of Church or [lace of Worship ( I am not sure if this is how our Jewish sisters and borthers think of using the shawl). It pleases me to think that Jesus and the Apostles may have prayed like this, with a prayer shawl and is one thing I am a little jealous of Judaism for having, which we have not. In the mornings at the minute ,after Mass I am spending a long time every morning in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. I am reading a series of Lenten talks by the Holy Father. Yestreday I was reading his on the importance of Faith, how Lent is a Faith journey. ..and how Christ's blood has purchased us. It was beautiful watching the Church lights turn out and the candles, blue and red burning before the golden gates of Our Ladies Shrine. I count 27 angels, marble, around the tabernacle wall behind the altrar. Two very tall ones ,I am particualrly fond of, both and six foot high with huge wing stand about forty feet above the altar. I love the feeling of being the last one in Church when everyone has left. I thought the other mornig how Jesus would be left alone when I left. Then I was consoled by the thought that all the angels would still be there to keep Him company. But then Jesus disagreed saying, 'You know Padraig I didn't come down here from heaven for the angels. I came down from heaven to be with you ( mankind). The angels are well and good, but heaven is full of them, I come to be with you'. Which I though was nice but kinda sad when you see the empty Churches, just Jesus and the angels. The Spring sun has started shinning through the stained glass and I notice it hitting the wonderful staue of St Joseph full on so that its marble altar seems to glow. So I find myself admirong Joseph so much before going on to work. ..and from the little side altars, the Sacred Heart and St Gerald Majella and all the statues of the saints, St Anthony, St Therese, gathered round like a little crowd of old friends. To pray anywhere is marvellous, but to pray in an old Church , in front of the Blessed Sacrament in a very old, beautiful Church with so many prayer aids is just heaven. Inside Clonard, view from where I usually sit. But the angels and saints are not the only ones that join us in the desert for our Lent. The devil takes an interest too. Sometimes a BIG interest. Yesterday night I had the usual dream of being in an old house empty and dirty waking us in the dream and finding the devil there and fighting away with him. praying to keep him at a distance. But this time, horrifyingly as I began to wake from the dream I found the devil standingthere in a really huge rage beside my bed. It is hard to describe the rage of Satan. If only we knew. It is beyong rage, it is an infreno. If it were possible he would destroy us all in an instant. Only our GUardian angles stop him form doing this..and you know it is not only our bodies he would rip limb from limb but our very souls he would rent assunder..and this in an instant. We, on the other hand are so proud of our scince, our technolgy, our laerning, our culture our military might, yet beofre the fallen angels we less than a stray flea in power. It is only the love of God in sending his angels that means we can exist. Psalm 91:11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; I was I confess so terrified I could not even pray for protection for a while , just lying there like a little scared rabbit in the head lamps of a huge oncoming truck. But then I found my words in the form of an old Psalm .hymn I love, reminding us that God is our Stronghold, Our Saviour: Psalm 62 My Soul Waits for God Alone To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. 62:1 For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. 2 He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. 3 How long will all of you attack a man to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence? 4 They only plan to thrust him down from his high position. They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. Selah 5 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. 7 On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. 8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah 9 Those of low estate are but a breath; those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath. 10 Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them. 11 Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God, 12 and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work.
OH Padraig, I love to hear your accounts of things that happen to you and your loving look at things...like how you see so much in an empty church! I too have a Menorah that I picked up at a second-hand store. I initially thought I would send it to the kids, but it is a 7 candle menorah, a Temple menorah. I found out that these are not used for Chanukah and in fact many Rabbi's forbid their use as they are a reproduction from the original temple menorah. But I do notice that many Catholic churches have variations of 7 candle menorahs in them, so I decided to keep it as a special item for my home and I put blessed candles in it. I plan to use it and to pray by it if we ever have a scary time or a bad storm or something. It is a charming old brass one and I carefullly disassembled it and cleaned it throughly, polishing it as best as I could, so now I am quite attached to it. I hope God will be okay with my using it someday, it feels right and good. I found a much prettier silver plated 9 candle Chanukah menorah for the kids...more fitting as a marriage gift than this one. Oh, your dream sounds so frightening! I know he torments you because you are bringing souls to God. Like he tormented many of the saints. Maybe I shouldn't say this, but on sunday at Marytown, I was talking with a man there who is living with the priests, discerning his vocation. He began talking about how his spiritual advisor was such a great help to him, and how important it was to have a good one. Well, part of my thing too right now is I am trying to discern my vocation, and when we talked about this, I had to tell him that I don't have a spiritual advisor. Our new priest maybe could be someday, but not yet. He looked sadly at me, and then I thought, and said, "Well, right now the closest thing I have to a spiritual advisor is a forum I post on and the people in it. Actually, I guess in a way, the moderator of the forum, a wonderful man from Ireland, is probably filling that role for me more than anyone else..." It is true, you and the people here are my spiritual advisors. Best ones I have ever had, I think!
I have had 2 dreams recently showing me incidents from the past that I didnt really confess. One was in relation to envy. I think the Lord is like a schoolteacher I had one time who used to put the questions that would be in a forthcoming exam on the blackboard a few weeks in advance to give us a chance the have the correct answers. Thank God I havent had old red legs in my dreams. Now that would be scary. Mary
Funnily enough I was thinking that a first hand experience of the devil might do some good for a lot of people. For hwere would a lion that hunted us be most dangerous? Hiding behind a bush or out there in the open where we could see him? I would say better out i nthe open. On the other hand as Jesus said, Luke 12:48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. So that those who had the special grace of seeing the devil might be expected to have avoided sin more as a consequence on judgement day than those who had not. But wether he crouches behind a bush or is out in the open he is always there and never gives up right to the last breath. But speaking of SPiritual Directors, I am reading the most beautiful book on Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, whom many in America will know as the Italian lady from Lombardy wh odid so much to help set up the Catholic school system in the USA: (I must say she had the most beautiful eyes, like head lamps to her soul) Anyhow when Frances was still a child her confessor was the local parish curate who encouraged her, when she had a spiritual question to seek out the answer herself. This, apparently stayed with Frances through life and was a big help to her in her very active missionary life when she could rely on no one herself. I mention this because when my own Spiritual Director died of cancer, on his death bed he candidly told me that I should go directly to Jesus for advise as he said, 'There is no one I can trust to Direct you'. Which might sound pretty terrible..but I have to say looking back he was right. The Church is in a very.very awful state, people don't realise. So very,very many clerics are imbued with the Spirit of theis world and the Spirit of this Age and frankly are not to be trusted with the care of souls. On many , many occasions I have had to block my ears rather than listen to the most horrible 'sermons' which left me shaken and depressed... ]
