Andrew, you responded quickly to Christ's call and brought others to Him. Please bring others to God, today and inspire them to bring others as well.
Saturday, 30 November 2013
A short prayer to St. Andrew, today
St. Andrew, have mercy on those who died in Scotland, the injured, and their families.
Andrew, you responded quickly to Christ's call and brought others to Him. Please bring others to God, today and inspire them to bring others as well.
Andrew, you responded quickly to Christ's call and brought others to Him. Please bring others to God, today and inspire them to bring others as well.
A Quiet Masterpiece
I have written about this book by Benson before as well-None Other Gods. As I wrote about it a long time ago, and have many new readers, I thought I would tie this book in with the perfection series.
Benson understood, and in my humble opinion, experienced the Illumination State, if not the Unitive. No one could have written with the insights he had without some experience.
This book is the clearest novel I have ever read about the three last stages of holiness-the Dark Night, the Illuminative, and the Unitive States.
The last time I wrote about this book, the Evil One who Hates was beginning his onslaught in Ireland. I had read this book for the first time in Ireland in the convent in the Winter of 2011, and was amazed at the similarities between St. Benedict Labre and the main character, Frank. Now, many people who have read this book have not understood the way of perfection, and the last three stages of growth in holiness, therefore, missing the point.
The choices Frank makes are those contrary to the world, the flesh, and the devil. His choices reveal his desire for unity with God.
Please buy it, read it, pass it on. I think it is a quiet masterpiece. Also, if you want to understand supertradmum, you will after reading this book.
Benson understood, and in my humble opinion, experienced the Illumination State, if not the Unitive. No one could have written with the insights he had without some experience.
This book is the clearest novel I have ever read about the three last stages of holiness-the Dark Night, the Illuminative, and the Unitive States.
The last time I wrote about this book, the Evil One who Hates was beginning his onslaught in Ireland. I had read this book for the first time in Ireland in the convent in the Winter of 2011, and was amazed at the similarities between St. Benedict Labre and the main character, Frank. Now, many people who have read this book have not understood the way of perfection, and the last three stages of growth in holiness, therefore, missing the point.
The choices Frank makes are those contrary to the world, the flesh, and the devil. His choices reveal his desire for unity with God.
Please buy it, read it, pass it on. I think it is a quiet masterpiece. Also, if you want to understand supertradmum, you will after reading this book.
Coming to A Head
The book in on line here http://archive.org/stream/lordofworld00bens#page/n5/mode/2up
I have given away copies of this in the past. I hope my friends read it.
It is one of the Pope's favorite books as the Holy Father mentioned recently.
Short of writing about the End Times, I do write that the Church is entering one of the darkest periods of persecution She has ever seen.
I see it in America. I saw it in Europe. Please read my notes on how to prepare for tribulation. Please read the perfection series.
You and I do not have much time.
Signs?
No daily Mass in the closest parish to me. I cannot get to daily Mass.
No Adoration in most churches in this diocese.
The impoverishment of the Church, resulting in closings and the dilapidation of buildings.
The taking over of Catholic hospitals by the pro-death governments-see Ireland.
The hatred of children and mothers, something many of my friends experience almost daily.
The horrible scenes from Argentina, the Macy's parade shambles I linked here, the porn on EU tv.
The mindlessness of Americans, who simply do not see what is happening to undermine the Constitution, the freedoms of individuals and the Church.
The absolute blindness of Obama Catholics.
The evils of lax and even seriously sinning clergy. Why is my pp in Las Vegas on vacation, one of the most evil cities in America?
Priests who refuse to do more than the bare minimum.
The political movements in the EU based on Marxism gaining ground.
The rise of "organized anarchy".
The communism behind the US government policies.
The use of military tactics by the police and the ignoring of the Constitutional rights of search-Boston after the bomb, for example.
The breaking down of the religious aspects of the military, separating duty from duty towards God first.
I appeal to the laity to become holy and accept all suffering as God honoring your prayers for holiness.
Those who are suffering now are being prepared for the worst. BTW, Msgr. Benson pegged the German Church correctly in 1907.
This is my goal
Philippians 4:12-13 ‘I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.’
For many people, this week has been extremely difficult. There are many Catholics who are suffering for various reasons, including financial crises, difficulties with children, marriage troubles, serious illness.
Some Catholics feel isolated and cut off from community and friends.
Stop and say a prayer for these good people.
Thank you.
For many people, this week has been extremely difficult. There are many Catholics who are suffering for various reasons, including financial crises, difficulties with children, marriage troubles, serious illness.
Some Catholics feel isolated and cut off from community and friends.
Stop and say a prayer for these good people.
Thank you.
Christ's Passion, The Passion of The Church, Our Passion
Again, if we follow Garrigou-Lagrange in his thoughts on the Passion, we see that Christ endured a suffering which encompassed the suffering of those who are betrayed, humiliated, hated, tortured, killed.
He lowered Himself, as God, to the most abject sufferings. In this manner, we may have to come to such a place of accepting a tiny bit of the Lord's Passion.
That the Church will and has suffered with Christ, there is no doubt.
If we come to this type of suffering, not exactly, of course, as we are so far below God, but perhaps sharing in a bit of His suffering, can we do this with love? These brief meditations are merely the beginning of a larger series on such a topic.
The Extreme Sufferings Of The Passion
He lowered Himself, as God, to the most abject sufferings. In this manner, we may have to come to such a place of accepting a tiny bit of the Lord's Passion.
That the Church will and has suffered with Christ, there is no doubt.
If we come to this type of suffering, not exactly, of course, as we are so far below God, but perhaps sharing in a bit of His suffering, can we do this with love? These brief meditations are merely the beginning of a larger series on such a topic.
The Extreme Sufferings Of The Passion
Reply. Christ did not endure all sufferings specifically, because many of them are mutually exclusive, such as burning and drowning. It did not become Him to suffer interior bodily sicknesses, for, as St. John Chrysostom says: "It did not befit Him who healed the infirmities of others to have His own body afflicted with the same."[1780]
But Christ endured every human suffering, because: (1) He suffered something from Jews and Gentiles, from the chief priests and their servants, from the mob, even from friends and acquaintances; (2) He suffered from His friends who abandoned Him, in His reputation, His honor, in His soul from sadness and weariness, in His body from wounds and scourgings; (3) He suffered in all His bodily members, from head to foot, and in all His senses.
Reply to second objection. "As Christ was uplifted above others in gifts of graces, so He was lowered beneath others by the ignominy of His sufferings."
Reply to third objection. "The very least one of Christ's sufferings was sufficient of itself to redeem the human race from all sins." However, because of His great love for us, He willed to offer Himself as a most perfect holocaust for us, and generically endure all sufferings.
To be continued....
To be continued....
I love learning new things
I had missed the publication of Paul Kengor's new book The Communist, on the life of Frank Marshall Davis, Obama's supposed mentor in Hawaii.
Kengor is a writer for Townhall Magazine. I get some of the stuff through email, but I do not have a subscription. The theory is interesting. If anyone would like to get this for me, even having a second-hand copy I could use, let me know. Thanks.
Have any readers read this book? Comments welcome.
Here is Kengor's website. http://townhall.com/columnists/paulkengor/
Kengor is a writer for Townhall Magazine. I get some of the stuff through email, but I do not have a subscription. The theory is interesting. If anyone would like to get this for me, even having a second-hand copy I could use, let me know. Thanks.
Have any readers read this book? Comments welcome.
Here is Kengor's website. http://townhall.com/columnists/paulkengor/
More on St. Thomas Aquinas, Suffering And Us
Fourth Article: Whether Christ Ought To Have Suffered On The Cross
Reply. The answer is that it was the most fitting for Christ to have suffered on the cross; (1) because Christ gave us an example of virtue, so that no kind of death ought to be feared by an upright man; (2) "so that whence death came [from the tree], thence life might arise, and that He who overcame by the tree, might also by the tree be overcome";[1773] (3) and (4) that dying on a high rood, He might purify the air and prepare our ascent into heaven; (5) the fact that Christ died with outstretched hands signifies the universality of redemption; (6) because, as St. Augustine says, "The tree on which were fixed the members of Him dying was even the chair of the Master teaching";[1774] (7) because there were very many figures in the Old Testament of this death on the cross.
First objection. In this kind of death the fire pertaining to holocausts is wanting. St. Thomas replies by saying that, "instead of material fire, there was the spiritual fire of charity in Christ's holocaust."[1775]
Second objection. Death on the cross is most ignominious. St. Thomas replies to this by quoting St. Paul: "He endured the cross, despising the shame,"[1776] so that by His humility, He made reparation for our sins of pride.
Third objection. Death on the cross is a death of malediction. St. Thomas again quotes the following text from St. Paul: "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us,"[1777] that is, He took upon Himself the penalty of sin.
All these remarks clearly manifest the fittingness of the Passion, and they better illustrate both God the Father's love and Christ's love for us. As the Evangelist says: "For God so loved the world, as to give His only-begotten Son."[1778] As St. Paul says: "He that spared not even His own Son but delivered Him up for us all."[1779] Therefore our redemption is predominantly a mystery of love.
Again, to clarify the purpose of this mini-series of posts, I can point out that what Christ experienced in the Passion is what we are all called to do under times of severe trial.
Look at these points from Garrigou-Lagrange and recall that in the long perfection series, which was based on one of his books, the need for perfection dictates that we cannot truly suffer as we ought to do without undergoing purification first.
The type of extreme suffering endure by Christ demanded an Innocence, a Purity unknown to men before His Coming.
The curses of death and the law were lifted from all the souls of all men who follow His way.
The mystery of love for us is this-that if we love Christ and His Church, we shall be willing to undergo purification and severe suffering.
To be continued....and more here.
Again, to clarify the purpose of this mini-series of posts, I can point out that what Christ experienced in the Passion is what we are all called to do under times of severe trial.
Look at these points from Garrigou-Lagrange and recall that in the long perfection series, which was based on one of his books, the need for perfection dictates that we cannot truly suffer as we ought to do without undergoing purification first.
The type of extreme suffering endure by Christ demanded an Innocence, a Purity unknown to men before His Coming.
The curses of death and the law were lifted from all the souls of all men who follow His way.
The mystery of love for us is this-that if we love Christ and His Church, we shall be willing to undergo purification and severe suffering.
To be continued....and more here.
Friday, 29 November 2013
I hope your kids did not watch the Macy's Parade
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/29/kinky-boots-macys_n_4360035.html
Not for kids, again.....
So, Catholics are still asleep?
Not for kids, again.....
So, Catholics are still asleep?
VERY Big Post Day Again
As I do not know when I am on line, or even where I shall be, I am giving readers tons to digest....enjoy.
Persecution Watch, Great Britain
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/christian-bb-owners-lose-supreme-court-appeal-forced-to-sell-business-after
What about Catholic b and bs? What about b and bs run by charities?
What about Catholic b and bs? What about b and bs run by charities?
Real Men
http://the-hermeneutic-of-continuity.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/culture-war-and-joy-of-gospel.html
Thanks to Father Tim Finigan for this horrible video. God have mercy-coming to a church near you.
NOT for children. Warning: vivid sex. Sadly, there are too many Catholics who do not want to know about the reality of persecution.
Thanks to Father Tim Finigan for this horrible video. God have mercy-coming to a church near you.
NOT for children. Warning: vivid sex. Sadly, there are too many Catholics who do not want to know about the reality of persecution.
Father Z and the Apostolic Exhortation Economic Section
A superb discussion on the economic part of the Papal exhortation is found here. There is one comment from this blogger there.
The fact that all the Popes of the last 150 years have condemned socialism is a fact ignored by the vast majority of the Catholics with whom I have briefly discussed this document. That some Catholics want a government to do what each one of us should be doing, that is, giving to charities and personally being involved in charity is a serious aberration of the Teaching of the Church back to Pius IX.
That this discussion includes both sensitivity to the horrible poverty in Latin America (I think of the Garbage Dump People who live off the refuse of the rich) and the problem with confusing a capitalist solution with a socialist one is excellent.
One other problem I see in my area is the Politics of Envy, which should be addressed by clergy. That is, those who are lower or middle, middle-class frequently fall into hatred of the rich, which is just another prejudice. The Politics of Envy has been stoked by the Obama administration.
May I add one more point? The Papal view is not that of the American Dream, a dream which has failed miserably because Americans have forgotten Who is behind prosperity-not themselves, but God, Divine Providence. Too many Americans read Francis in light of the American Dream, which has denied the value of suffering and created discontent among those who feel cheated. Only a foundation in Catholicism, which accepts financial suffering as not an intrinsic good, but one which can lead to holiness can change the Politics of Envy.
We need a lot more discussion on the Papal exhortation and we need to be able to look at the world, and not just the States for solutions. But, socialism, communism and unbridled capitalism are not the answers.
Evangelii Gaudium could be read alongside of Nostis et Nobiscum, Quod Apostolici Muneris, Graves de Communi Re, Notre Charge Apostolique,Ad Beatissimi Apostolorum, Mater et Magistra, (the first encyclical I ever read), Centesimus Annus, Deus Caritas Est and other documents from past popes.
For Parents Who Still May Not Be Listening
I was one line and I saw a pink Ouija board for little girls for sale. I was astounded.
The other things I saw were Harry Potter games and Twilight paraphernalia in a toy section of a drug store near things for little girls, like Hello Kitty stuff.
For over 13 years, there have been warnings, including my own a long time ago in a home schooling magazine.
Did you know, American Catholics, that Cardinal Ratzinger, now our dear Pope Emeritus, made a statement on Harry Potter books? The report was in Europe, but not here.
Please parents, listen to both Fr. Chad Ripperger and Fr. Gabriele Amorth on such topics.
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive/ldn/2006/mar/06030104
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive/ldn/2006/mar/06030104
http://www.sensustraditionis.org/
There is nothing which is neutral in the world.
Either something brings us closer to God or something brings us far away from God.
The occult and anything connected to it is not neutral.
Boycott this store to start with....... http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2266493
The other things I saw were Harry Potter games and Twilight paraphernalia in a toy section of a drug store near things for little girls, like Hello Kitty stuff.
For over 13 years, there have been warnings, including my own a long time ago in a home schooling magazine.
Did you know, American Catholics, that Cardinal Ratzinger, now our dear Pope Emeritus, made a statement on Harry Potter books? The report was in Europe, but not here.
“It is good that you enlighten people about Harry Potter, because those are subtle seductions, which act unnoticed and by this deeply distort Christianity in the soul, before it can grow properly.”
Cardinal Ratzinger
Also, the Vatican warned against Twilight and, frankly, I am tired of pointing this evil out to parents who should know better. These tales confuse good and evil.
Monsignor Franco Perazzolo of the Pontifical Council of Culture, "The theme of vampires in Twilight combines a mixture of excesses that as ever is aimed at young people and gives a heavy esoteric element. It is once again that age-old trick or ideal formula of using extremes to make an impact at the box office. This film is nothing more than a moral vacuum with a deviant message and as such should be of concern."
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive/ldn/2006/mar/06030104
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive/ldn/2006/mar/06030104
http://www.sensustraditionis.org/
There is nothing which is neutral in the world.
Either something brings us closer to God or something brings us far away from God.
The occult and anything connected to it is not neutral.
Boycott this store to start with....... http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2266493
Lies and Myths
Something happened to three friends of mine who are all highly intelligent, delightfully charming, and attractive male persons.
Something happened and I do not understand exactly what did happen, but I know this.
All three of them, all of them from another country, grew up surrounded by lies and myths regarding their own families. These lies and myths were either exaggerations of reality regarding the importance of their families, lies covering up serious sins in their parents and grandparents' lives, and lies concerning the identity of their respective families. They either tried to rebel against these lies and failed, or they tried to make reparation and failed, as in either case, they were not free.
To break out of familial lies takes a gigantic move of courage and will-power. I can say that all three of these highly talented men have lived lives in a half-light, half-shadow reality.
Because of the lies and even hatred of their mothers, or fathers, they have been unable to see who they are and who God is. They all had completely unrealistic expectations of themselves, not because they are not extremely talented, but because they came from dysfunctional families.
I know these men very well. They have been my close friends. I have loved them dearly and have wanted to see them free from the past evils of the lies and myths of their families.
Two have lost their parents; one of these men has become freer since the passing of a parent who did not let him be who he really is.
The other two men live in the grey, shadow world of living, but not really living. The sins perpetrated against them in their dysfunctional families scarred them to the point where they are older middle-aged, alone, unhappy.
I pray for them. They need the power of the Resurrection in their lives.
A special courage is necessary to break away from family myths of grandeur or greatness. One must find a central core of being which is peaceful and humble to withstand such lies and, yes, psychological abuse.
I am sure you know people like my friends, who, sadly, are now separated from me by great distances.
Courage is a virtue. One must step back and say, "My family has lived in lies." Sometimes, this type of honesty seems so drastic, so scary, that people think they will lose themselves by admitting the past was full of lies and myths.
To break away and to create alternative ways of living can seem like miracles. I have come to realize that some homeless people are homeless, because, either they had the courage to break away, or they were discarded by these dysfunctional families.
Pray for my dear friends and those like them, so that they can discover who they really are, and rejoice in the creation God has made when He made them. In all cases, these men never found their true vocations. They have not known who they are, and what they were supposed to do in this life. They are the lost souls of dysfunction. They are not mentally ill, but spiritually bound up by the sins of others.
I quote Newman's prayer....
God knows me and calls me by my name.…
God has created me to do Him some definite service;
He has committed some work to me
which He has not committed to another.
I have my mission—I never may know it in this life,
but I shall be told it in the next.
Somehow I am necessary for His purposes…
I have a part in this great work;
I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection
between persons.
He has not created me for naught. I shall do good,
I shall do His work;
I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth
in my own place, while not intending it,
if I do but keep His commandments
and serve Him in my calling.
Therefore I will trust Him.
Whatever, wherever I am,
I can never be thrown away.
If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him;
In perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him;
If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him.
My sickness, or perplexity, or sorrow may be
necessary causes of some great end,
which is quite beyond us.
He does nothing in vain; He may prolong my life,
He may shorten it;
He knows what He is about.
He may take away my friends,
He may throw me among strangers,
He may make me feel desolate,
make my spirits sink, hide the future from me—
still He knows what He is about.…
Let me be Thy blind instrument. I ask not to see—
I ask not to know—I ask simply to be used.
from Meditations and Devotions,
"Meditations on Christian Doctrine,"
"Hope in God—Creator", March 7, 1848
Something happened and I do not understand exactly what did happen, but I know this.
All three of them, all of them from another country, grew up surrounded by lies and myths regarding their own families. These lies and myths were either exaggerations of reality regarding the importance of their families, lies covering up serious sins in their parents and grandparents' lives, and lies concerning the identity of their respective families. They either tried to rebel against these lies and failed, or they tried to make reparation and failed, as in either case, they were not free.
To break out of familial lies takes a gigantic move of courage and will-power. I can say that all three of these highly talented men have lived lives in a half-light, half-shadow reality.
Because of the lies and even hatred of their mothers, or fathers, they have been unable to see who they are and who God is. They all had completely unrealistic expectations of themselves, not because they are not extremely talented, but because they came from dysfunctional families.
I know these men very well. They have been my close friends. I have loved them dearly and have wanted to see them free from the past evils of the lies and myths of their families.
Two have lost their parents; one of these men has become freer since the passing of a parent who did not let him be who he really is.
The other two men live in the grey, shadow world of living, but not really living. The sins perpetrated against them in their dysfunctional families scarred them to the point where they are older middle-aged, alone, unhappy.
I pray for them. They need the power of the Resurrection in their lives.
A special courage is necessary to break away from family myths of grandeur or greatness. One must find a central core of being which is peaceful and humble to withstand such lies and, yes, psychological abuse.
Courage is a virtue. One must step back and say, "My family has lived in lies." Sometimes, this type of honesty seems so drastic, so scary, that people think they will lose themselves by admitting the past was full of lies and myths.
To break away and to create alternative ways of living can seem like miracles. I have come to realize that some homeless people are homeless, because, either they had the courage to break away, or they were discarded by these dysfunctional families.
Pray for my dear friends and those like them, so that they can discover who they really are, and rejoice in the creation God has made when He made them. In all cases, these men never found their true vocations. They have not known who they are, and what they were supposed to do in this life. They are the lost souls of dysfunction. They are not mentally ill, but spiritually bound up by the sins of others.
I quote Newman's prayer....
God knows me and calls me by my name.…
God has created me to do Him some definite service;
He has committed some work to me
which He has not committed to another.
I have my mission—I never may know it in this life,
but I shall be told it in the next.
Somehow I am necessary for His purposes…
I have a part in this great work;
I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection
between persons.
He has not created me for naught. I shall do good,
I shall do His work;
I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth
in my own place, while not intending it,
if I do but keep His commandments
and serve Him in my calling.
Therefore I will trust Him.
Whatever, wherever I am,
I can never be thrown away.
If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him;
In perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him;
If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him.
My sickness, or perplexity, or sorrow may be
necessary causes of some great end,
which is quite beyond us.
He does nothing in vain; He may prolong my life,
He may shorten it;
He knows what He is about.
He may take away my friends,
He may throw me among strangers,
He may make me feel desolate,
make my spirits sink, hide the future from me—
still He knows what He is about.…
Let me be Thy blind instrument. I ask not to see—
I ask not to know—I ask simply to be used.
from Meditations and Devotions,
"Meditations on Christian Doctrine,"
"Hope in God—Creator", March 7, 1848
On The Suitability of Certain Suffering-The New Passion of The Church
Those of you who have read this blog know that I have in hundreds of posts, tried to unpack Garrigou-Lagrange's book on the way to perfection.
This great Dominican is also known for his excellent commentary on the Summa. I do not know if I shall have time to cover his examination on this blog in the near future, but I do want to highlight today the commentary of St. Thomas Aquinas on the Passion of Christ.
I am quoting a selection here and will unpack this a bit, as we are going into a new era of persecution. Those Catholics in the past, who endured suffering, isolation, marginalization, exile and even death, came to understand the Passion of Christ in their own minds, spirits and bodies.
Unless we can join with Christ in His Passion, we shall not be able to withstand the winds of hatred which have begun to blow across the entire world.
I shall put the sections I want to highlight in boldface type. From this site--http://www.thesumma.info/saviour/saviour59.php
Third Article: Whether There Was Any More Suitable Way Of Delivering The Human Race Than By Christ's Passion
Reply. The answer is that there was no other way more suitable; (1) because by Christ's passion man knows how much God loves him and is thereby incited to love Him in return;[1769] (2) because thereby Christ gave us an example of obedience, humility, constancy, justice, and the other virtues;[1770] (3) because Christ by His passion not only delivered man from sin, but also merited grace and glory for him; (4) because thereby man is all the more bound to refrain from sin;[1771] (5) because in this way, it was in Christ that as man by dying, He conquered the devil and vanquished death.[1772]Suitable is a wonderful word for the acceptance of suffering which Christ endured for our sake. For something to be suitable, it must be appropriate, for a particular purpose.
The Passion of Christ absolutely fulfills this definition-and only God could have arranged the perfect means of salvation for us.
Look at this passage above-Christ's Passion freed us from sin, merited grace and merited glory. His Passion completely conquered the legions of hell, and, in addition, Christ overcame death. We can look forward to life everlasting because of this Passion.
What has this to do with the times? We are all heading for a new Passion of the Church. We shall be part of this, and, indeed, some are already experiencing this Passion.
We have been warned for over 100 years of this coming time of trial. We should be surprised or taken unaware.
Christ prepared for His Passion, and if we are to face the suitable passion which God will allow us to experience, we must prepare.
To be continued....on Saturday
I am not going shopping today
Ok, can anyone remember what individuals and families did on the day after Thanksgiving before Black Friday became so important?
I remember having parties on the Friday night with my teen friends. I also remember the beginning of the Christmas cookie baking season as initiated on the weekend after Thanksgiving.
With my Byzantine friends, the Saturday after Thanksgiving was a great day for starting the making of pierogies, sold by the parish all through Advent. I love making and eating pierogies.
As an older youth, I remember getting together with friends and going out to a movie, or a concert on that Thanksgiving weekend.
Shopping was not such a big deal, although when I was a teen, there use to be a shopping train between Chicago and Davenport. One could go up for the day and back again.
I did that once with my mom when I was about 17. I got frostbite in my fingers....the Windy City can be really cold and catch people off guard.
What do you remember before Black Friday was "it", or can you not remember that there was such a time?
Repeat Post for A Friday
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
A quick post on being Benedictine and lay
Someone asked me today how to incorporate the Rule of St. Benedict into the lay and even family life.
First of all, do not read any books on this, as there are none which are not contaminated by New Age nonsense.
Second of all, the idea is not new and for years there have been Oblates, who are lay men and women connected to a monastery. The problem is that one has to live within at least driving or train distance in order to be involved.
So, here are a few ideas, which are not connected to the Oblation.
One, simplify your life. Benedict knew that poverty allowed for energies and time to be dedicated to prayer.
Too much stuff and too many activities ruin the Benedictine atmosphere, even in monasteries. Some monasteries are just too busy.
Two, set aside, daily, regular time for prayer and the reading of Scripture. If you cannot manage an hour, manage a half hour of each, meditating, for example, on the Mass readings, one of those, of the day. Meditation should be, at first, active, using the imagination and not contemplation.
Three, make a schedule. Benedict, as I have noted elsewhere, invented time management. Without a schedule, there is no discipline for prayer and work.
Four, understand that the prayer time overflows into the work time, if one can maintain both silence and a reflective manner and mood. Talking ruins the rhythm of work and prayer.
Five, cultivate silence in the home, even with children. Children do not have to be loud all the time. They, also, need to learn reflection and being silent, which is possible at ages earlier than most people realize.
Six, get rid of the television. As Thomas Merton notes, we are geared to passive intake of knowledge, which happens at the contemplative stage, but if our minds are full of goo from the television, we shall never learn either meditation or contemplation.
Seven, stay in one place, or simplify your travel. This is very hard in our day because of the need for commuting, but one must learn to be still and stay put.
Eight, learn to cultivate the quiet space in your mind and soul and not to let things around distract you. This requires patience and practice, but is a very useful tool for praying during the day.
Nine, value working with your hands. Sewing, cooking, gardening, cleaning, etc. can all be part of the rhythm of prayer and work. Benedict knew the value, as well as the necessity, of labour.
Ten, do not pretend to be a hermit. Being a recluse does not automatically make one holy. One is made holy in relationships with other people and with God.
Eleven, read the Rule.
Twelve, have family meals together and discuss things quietly. Try to discuss God and holy things.
Thirteen, eat well, but simply.
Fourteen, be honest with yourself and others in your family or circle of friends. Humility is the mark of the Benedict soul.
Fifteen, never pass up the chance to go to frequent Confession and daily Mass is possible. Pray at least morning prayer or evening prayer as in the Breviary. Make a habit of prayer.
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