An Unexpected Treat

I popped into Stella Maris Church this morning for Sunday Mass as I did not want to make the trip to the Co-Cathedral, which is my favorite place for Sunday Mass. I also wanted to see the parish church of Sliema before I left, which will be at the week's end. To my surprise and delight, the Latvian National Woman's Choir was present to sing new liturgical pieces. These are composed by Latvians, two of whom are Didzis Ritnieks and Andris Kontauts. The language was Latin, but the music modern, although I recognized some borrowing of Medieval polyphonic chants.

Here is an example of Kontauts music, although, of course, not from this morning's Mass.

Stella Maris, Mary, Star of the Sea, is one name of Mary I truly love. The Irish and the English also have great devotion to her, and there are two hymns I especially like sung to her in that title. Of course, I could not understand the sermon, as it was a Maltese Mass. But, music transcends language.

Thanks to wiki for this statue photo

Second Poem Revealing The Dark Night

http://www.ccel.org/n/newman/gerontius/gerontius.htm  a beautiful poem about a soul in purgatory and one which reveals a personal experience of purification and longing. This has been put to music by Elgar. Here is one version.

One of Two Poems Revealing A Dark Night

by Bl. John Henry Newman

Praise to the Holiest in the height,

And in the depth be praise,

In all his words most wonderful,

Most sure in all his ways.

O loving wisdom of our God!

When all was sin and shame,

A second Adam to the fight

And to the rescue came.

O wisest love! that flesh and blood

Which did in Adam fail,

Should strive afresh against their foe,

Should strive and should prevail.

And that a higher gift than grace

Should flesh and blood refine,

God’s presence and his very self,

And essence all divine.

O generous love! that he who smote

In man for man the foe

The double agony in man

For man should undergo.

And in the garden secretly

And on the cross on high,

Should teach his brethren, and inspire

To suffer and to die.

Praise to the Holiest in the height,

And in the depth be praise,

In all his words most wonderful,

Most sure in all his ways.

On The Friendship of The Saints

I like St. Martin de Porres, a lay brother of the Dominicans, who, like St. Francis, had the ability to talk to the animals, and these listened!

I like St. Martin as he was a friend of one of my personal patrons, St. Rose of Lima.

My point of this post is that saints need friends. Friendship is a dying art. Too many people look at each other with dollar signs in their eyes, instead of selfless love.

Too many people do not have the proper boundaries for friendship.

Too many people do not have enough personal freedom to allow other such in friendship.

Catholics need friends. Some of us have been abandoned by friends when times get tough. Some people stop being friends when there is nothing to get from the other, so they think. Christ allowed Himself to be abandoned by friends.

But, friendship is a real gift of Christianity to the world.

The first apostles became friends. SS. Francis and Clare were friends. Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati is a blessed because he knew how to make friends in Christ.

That Martin and Rose were friends comforts me. Can you imagine their discussions about Jesus, Mary and Joseph? Can you imagine them planning to help the poor? Did they pray together now and then?

We need friends in Christ. Recently, I had to say goodbye to two dear friends of mine. One is of an age where I am concerned whether I shall ever see her again alive. We would talk about God and religious things for hours and hours, like SS. Benedict and Scholastic on the night of her death.

Talking about the ways of God and encouraging one another to be saints is what friends in Christ do.

Be a friend and help your friends become saints.

Happy Feast of St. Martin de Porres.

Sometimes, do we not feel very small in a big world?

Me on the steps of the little church in St. Paul's Bay, Malta. Sadly, the church was locked when I got there, (not today). I shall have to go again, soon.

I love London in the rain, but not Malta in the rain...

I am in Malta for one more week and the weather forecast is dire...four more days of rain. Rain here is heavy, with lightning and thunder. The charming, but uneven pavements, (sidewalks to Americans), cause one to get splashed up the legs with water and mud. Icky.

My clogs are not the best thing to wear, as water gets in the backs sometimes, but at least I do not slip and slide and can avoid getting the feet all wet.

At this moment, in my neighborhood, it is so quiet one could hear a pin drop. This is highly unusual for this noisy, boisterous country.

I shall not get to Church today for two reasons. One, my foot is still not healed and has swollen up today, plus the ugliest church in the world is the closest one. Oh well..I need a quiet, down day and I am getting it.

Malta in the rain...but is is clearling up, for a bit....It is 72 Fahrenheit and it will be up to 80 on Tuesday...this is nice, very nice.

But, the rain, oh well. Here is a little information for those facing wintry temperatures.

SORT BY:°C°F

RESORT	TEMP
TENERIFE	19°C
ALGARVE	16°C
MAJORCA	14°C
LANZAROTE	21°C
RIVIERA MAYA	25°C
GRAN CANARIA	21°C
SHARM EL SHEIKH	23°C
FUERTEVENTURA	21°C
BENIDORM	15°C
ALBUFEIRA	15°C
CANCUN	25°C
COSTA DEL SOL	14°C
PAPHOS	18°C
CRETE	17°C
TENERIFE SOUTH	21°C
MALTA	17°C
IBIZA	16°C
MALAGA	16°C
MENORCA	15°C
OLU DENIZ	10°C
BARCELONA	13°C
MARMARIS	15°C
RHODES	17°C
MARRAKESH	17°C
PLAYA DE LAS AMERICAS	21°C
SIDE	16°C
ANTALYA	15°C
TORREMOLINOS	16°C

Pray for one of these poor souls today, please

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/child-survivor-sahara-tragedy-bury-2667043#.UnRO47az2zM.twitter

Keeping the Goal in Mind in The Dark Night

Before I move on to more on the Dark Night of the Senses and Spirit, I shall share a positive goal, which many need to remember when going through such suffering.

Here is St. John of the Cross on this goal.

If a model for the painting or retouching of a portrait should 
move because of a desire to do something, the artist would be unable to 
finish and the work would be spoiled. Similarly, any operation, affection, 
or thought a soul might cling to when it wants to abide in interior peace 
and idleness would cause distraction and disquietude, and make it feel 
sensory dryness and emptiness. The more a person seeks some support in 
knowledge and affection the more the soul will feel the lack of these, for 
this support cannot be supplied through these sensory means.

10.6. Accordingly, such persons should not mind if the operations of their 
faculties are being lost to them; they should desire rather that this be 
done quickly so they may be no obstacle to the operation of the infused 
contemplation God is bestowing, so they may receive it with more peaceful 
plenitude and make room in the spirit for the enkindling and burning of the 
love that this dark and secret contemplation bears and communicates to the 
soul. For contemplation is nothing else than a secret and peaceful and 
loving inflow of God, which, if not hampered, fires the soul in the spirit 
of love

These blessings are attained when by means of this night the soul 
departs from all created things, in its affections and operations, and 
walks on toward eternal things. This is a great happiness and grace: first, 
because of the signal benefit of quenching one's appetite and affection for 
all things; second, because there are very few who will endure the night 
and persevere in entering through this narrow gate and treading this 
constricted road that leads to life, as our Savior says [Mt. 7:14].

On The Dark Night Again....series continued on purgatory

The passive purgation of the soul is just that-passive. One is not in charge and one does not direct one's own path.

Let me compare this with being in purgatory. At the particular judgement, one meets God and sees the great imperfections and sins in the soul. One is then allowed a time to be purified outside of the Presence of God. One has actually been in the Presence and now is cast out. 

How much pain this must be...

And, so it is in the Dark Night. One is in the pain of feeling the separation from God, whom one loves and who one desires.

But, God removes Himself, as one is not pure enough for His sustained Presence.

Passive purification means that one is not in control, period. Christ allowed Himself to be at the mercy of men, and they were not merciful. 

I have experienced this more and more in the past week, with details I am not free to give at this point.

God takes over the will, the mind, the memory, the understanding and the body.

If one is humble and lets Him do this, there is merit and growth. If one rebels, one is set back even years.

There is no consolation at this point and no one can look for it.

Such would be the state of purgatory. Purgation on earth or purgatory...choose.

This section is from St. John of the Cross

I shall continue later....

Yet until a soul is placed by God in the passive purgation of that 
dark night, which we will soon explain, it cannot purify itself completely 
of these imperfections or others. But people should insofar as possible 
strive to do their part in purifying and perfecting themselves and thereby 
merit God's divine cure. In this cure God will heal them of what through 
their own efforts they were unable to remedy. No matter how much 
individuals do through their own efforts, they cannot actively purify 
themselves enough to be disposed in the least degree for the divine union 
of the perfection of love. God must take over and purge them in that fire 
that is dark for them, as we will explain.

apologies for spacing problems--router goes on and off here...

any privacy left....?

http://rt.com/usa/facebook-tracking-mouse-cursor-008/

What is detachment from venial sin?

In my long perfection series based on Garrigou-Lagrange and on the great Doctors of the Church, I have referred to the need for perfection in this life in order to go straight to heaven, a call for all people.

Today, on All Souls' Day, one can obtain a plenary indulgence for a soul in purgatory by fulfilling certain criteria found on the websites of the previous post.

But, I want to highlight one of the criteria for such a gaining of that indulgence-the detachment from venial sin.

Detachment is learned in the Dark Night of the Soul. This detachment is a complete rejection of the things of the world, the flesh, and the devil, which take us away from our goal of being one with God.

Detachment must be sought and willed. One cooperates with grace given freely.

This state of detachment is hard, but not impossible.

Working on one's particular, predominant faults helps one break away from detachment to venial sin. Those posts can be found in the perfection and dark night series.

But, one must understand what venial sin is in order to become detached. Venial sins are usually habitual sins, learned even in childhood. Such sins as lying, selfishness, vanity, anxiety (not trusting in God), negativity and judgement towards others (which is a common sin in Great Britain, unfortunately, almost a national weakness), eating too much, drinking too much, buying for the sake of buying, and so on.

It is possible to become detached. God gives His grace for destroying these detachments. But, one must cooperate.

I have found that surrounding myself with people who want to do the same is helpful, and that being around those who do not care to be perfect can be deadly. This is a challenge.

A great priest I know told me last year that to be around the rich and famous for a person he knew was a horrible temptation. The rich and famous, he told me, have so many attachments that it is a hard life from which to remove one's self.

I know a rich and famous person who has virtually become a hermit in order not to become involved in attachments to sin. She has overcome many obstacles in her family to try to strive for holiness.

Another person I know is working on attachments, but because of habits of attachment from years of great prosperity, this is a hard journey for him.

Another man I know in Ireland was a millionaire. He lost everything a few years ago, including his wife, who left him after his business failed. Now, he is an apartment maintenance man. God is detaching him. And, do not judge the homeless or those who have failed. God is working in and with them for their benefit and for yours.

Hopefully, this man is cooperating with grace. Daily mass and frequent confession help.

Cooperate with grace. Pay attention to those small warnings and ideas which come into one's head as reason helps us with the way of perfection. Those who are detached from venial sin gain plenary indulgences for others.

A good reason to strive for perfection.....

Praying for The Dead

Many people are confused on the meaning and value of praying for those who have died. We can pray for anyone who has died.

We should especially pray for members of our families who have passed on and having masses said are the best prayers of all.

Plenary indulgences may be gained for the souls in purgatory. So can partial indulgences. Make sure that you are reading the new indulgences from the changes under Blessed John Paul II, as indulgences have been made a bit harder to obtain than before.

If you are a reader in America, plenary indulgences are explained here in this book, which is published by the USCCB and costs quite a bit, which is unfortunate.

http://www.usccbpublishing.org/productdetails.cfm?PC=705

Sadly, there is a lot of outdated and false information on the web.

If you are not in the States, phone your chancery office for details, or look at the websites of your particular countries bishops' conferences. Father Z has a helpful blog this past week on indulgences found here.

Do not assume that indulgences are the same for all bishops' conferences or the same as before the pontificate of Blessed John Paul II.

Do not ever, ever fall into false practices concerning the dead. Even in England, a friend of mine met someone in Walsingham who claimed she could get in touch with my friend's dead grandmother. This is a serious mortal sin of necromancy and that person is more or less a false seer. This happened at a charismatic conference.

The other thing one must not do is worship the dead. Again, especially among our Hispanic brothers and sisters, there is confusion on this point.

St. Ambrose forbade St. Monica from putting food offerings on the graves of the dead. This had been her custom and she was corrected.

More correction needs to be done on this custom, which confuses many.

A Dark Night Post

This post will not be long. I am very tired fighting some type of flu. Please continue to pray for me.

In the Dark Night, one of the key points is darkness concerning God's Plans. This darkness involves, as I have mentioned, the stripping of self, imagination, will, memory. Those who have experienced this have a difficult time explaining this to those who have not.

It is as if one is a baby again, in some ways. The darkness creates the need to totally trust in God, no matter what.

Total trust in Divine Providence is a sign of the workings of the Holy Spirit in the Dark Night. This darkness causes both pain and joy, as the pain is the realization that one is helpless and must give up the will, relying totally on God's Plans and not on one's own. The joy is a quiet knowledge that God is in charge.

When one loves someone, one trusts that person. So, too, in the Dark Night, trust grows as one is purified.

Today's readings include...

1 JN 3:1-3

Beloved:
See what love the Father has bestowed on us
that we may be called the children of God.
Yet so we are.
The reason the world does not know us
is that it did not know him.
Beloved, we are God’s children now;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.
Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure,
as he is pure.

To be continued....

God Makes New Doughnuts Everyday

Remember my little phrase from community life? Well, today in St. Julian's, to where I have moved from Sliema for the rest of my stay here, there was a huge storm. I have never seen such lightning and heard such thunder before in several trips to Malta.

But, just as I opened by little patio door to let in fresh air, I saw a brilliant rainbow and a faded second rainbow. The brilliant rainbow lasted at least 20 minutes and was complete.

Hope springs eternal.

All Saints' Day, 2013

To be a saint is hard. There is no easy way to become holy. This is merely because of the results of Adam's First Sin in us. Baptism gives us new life, takes away Original Sin and makes us children of God.

All children of God have a chance to become saints. All men do.

Remember today to pray for those who are outside the Church, that they may desire God and His Truth.

Pray for all the saints on earth suffering martyrdom daily. Pray for those who suffer in silence.

This is not your day, yet....do not let any modernists priests wish you happy saints' day.

Only the perfect see God....so allow Him to perfect you on earth. Then, when you see Him face to face in your particular judgement, if you have allowed Him to make you one with Him, you will be a saint.

There are too few saints. The world and the Church needs saints. Become a saint. Ask your personal patrons for help in becoming a saint.

This is the first day in my life I shall have to miss a Holy Day of Obligation Mass because of circumstances beyond my control. Pray I may get to Mass in Malta late in the day. Please pray. I do not want to miss Mass.

Please Pray to Benedict Labre for Me--Thanks

For David From Kavi

Confession is not like going to a psychiatrist--said the Pope

See Independent Catholic News for the entire talk...
http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=23489#.UnI0F5JEGdY.twitter

“This is the struggle of Christians. It is our struggle every day. And we do not always have the courage to speak as Paul spoke about this struggle. We always seek a way of justification: ‘But yes, we are all sinners.’ But we say it like that, don’t we? This says it dramatically: it is our struggle. And if we don’t recognize this, we will never be able to have God’s forgiveness. Because if being a sinner is a word, a way of speaking, a manner of speaking, we have no need of God’s forgiveness. But if it is a reality that makes us slaves, we need this interior liberation of the Lord, of that force. But more important here is that, to find the way out, Paul confesses his sin to the community, his tendency to sin. He doesn’t hide it.”

Confession of sins, done with humility, is something the Church requires of all of us, Pope Francis noted, citing the invitation of Saint James: “Confess your sins to one another.” Not to get noticed by others, the Pope explained, “but to give glory to God,” to recognise that it is God Who saves me. That, the Pope continued, is why one goes to a brother, a “brother priest” to confess. And one must do as Paul did – above all, confessing with the same “concreteness”.

“Some say: ‘Ah, I confess to God.’ But it’s easy, it’s like confessing by email, no? God is far away, I say things and there’s no face-to-face, no eye-to-eye contact. Paul confesses his weakness to the brethren face-to-face. Others say, ‘No, I go to confession,’ but they confess so many ethereal things, so many up-in-the-air things, that they don’t have anything concrete. And that’s the same as not doing it. Confessing our sins is not going to a psychiatrist, or to a torture chamber: it’s saying to the Lord, ‘Lord, I am a sinner,’ but saying it through the brother, because this says it concretely. ‘I am sinner because of this, that and the other thing.

Remember the Flight into Egypt

Prayer for Immigrants and Refugees

            Jesus, you were born in flight and your family fled to Egypt as refugees soon after. We pray for all those who are forced to flee from their homes and homelands due to war, violence, oppression, hunger, or economic desperation.  Help us, many of whom are ourselves immigrants to this land, to see and serve you in the twelve million undocumented immigrants in our country, and to work for a humane and just immigration policy.  Amen. 

The Mystery of Pain

The Trials of Job by Leonaert Bramer

I have had many conversations of late with a good, gentle person who believes that all pain is an illusion and merely in the mind.

He thinks I am an empiricist because I am a Thomist. Sigh, such is the heritage of Plato.

This good and spiritual person thinks that one can will away and think away pain. Now, there is a small bit of truth in that statement, in so far as we do not have to dwell on pain and can transcend our pain barriers, which athletes train themselves to do. Too many people pay too much attention to pain.  However, this is not what this man means.

He means that all negativity is not real, and he does not believe in Satan or hell. He does believe in God and in the journey of perfection so that one can become one with God. However, one does not discuss cancer or an injured ankle with this kind person.

He even believes that fleas, bed bugs and other insects can be willed away from someone's presence.

As a person who insects usually hate and avoid, even Midwest kamikaze mosquitoes, I have been surprised at a type of Maltese insect which has taken a liking to me. In fact, these bites are not only painful, but last weeks. I have welts on both legs and on one arm.

I still have not figured out what insect is attacking me, but these poor creatures cannot be discussed with my friend.

As my son said, these "poor, little insects are totally unaware of their nonexistence." He has a sense of humor.

But, pain is real and so are these bites and so are these insects. Why they like me and not him, if we are walking out at night, for example, is a mystery as well. I think they are sand fleas.

As a good Catholic girl, I can offer up these bites and welts for priests, sems, and whoever has asked for prayers.  I can even offer these up for the person who does not believe that these insects are real or that I need to be bitten.

I join myself with St. Francis and St. John of the Cross who endured sand fleas and other things. I join myself in a very small and little teeny way to the Cross of Christ, who endured God-like pain for the sake of the entire human race.

The welts are there for several reasons.

One, to remind me that I am mortal and not a disembodied spirit. My friend denies the body beyond Catholic teaching. To endure bodily discomfort is a result of Original Sin and to be expected to a certain degree. My friend claims I did not have to have cancer or Hashimoto's Disease either, as I could have willed those away. I see illnesses merely as a result of sin and corruption.

Two, pain is remedy for sin and is also grist for the prayer mill. When one joins with Christ is discomfort, one finds a peace and calm, even in serious illnesses, such as cancer. I tried to explain to my friend that when I was going through the cancer op and results, I felt like I was on retreat daily for weeks. God was very close, the Crucified One was with me the whole way.

Three, pain purifies and keeps our priorities straight.

Four, pain is humiliating, which is a good thing. Unlike my friend, who apparently can control bad things, I submit to the discomforts and learn humility through the realization that my body is far from perfect. Such predominant faults as pride and vainglory can be dealt with through pain.

Five, Christ, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity and the Son of God willed pain in His life. He did not escape the results of Original Sin but willed to join us in what we experience daily. His redemptive suffering raises pain to a level of Godliness, which is a mystery.

There are more reasons for the mystery of pain and suffering. This discussion will continue....