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| Cows in a landscape, 1925 |
Tuesday, 30 April 2013
Compostela by Anonymous Four
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSHUwpTezK0
Our parish priest is on the Camino de Santiago and should be coming back soon.
Here is some music connected with the pilgrimage.
Our parish priest is on the Camino de Santiago and should be coming back soon.
Here is some music connected with the pilgrimage.
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| http://shannonmaywilliams.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/el-camino-de-santiago.html |
Monday, 29 April 2013
My Day Minus Nocturns from Wednesday
I do not have a copy of the schedule in front of me, but it is something like this. This is not exact but close. There are seven hours to sing, plus Mass, plus Adoration, study, lectio divina, private prayer, chores.
5.15am - Rise.
5.30am - Nocturns, silent prayer, reading, breakfast (toast and tea or coffee only).
7.00am - Lauds - morning prayers.
7.30am - Community Mass
9.15am -Terce
9:30 Morning Work
12.00 noon - End of morning work. Adoration or dinner prep depending on personal schedule
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12.10pm - Sext
12.30pm - Dinner
1:30 Afternoon Reflection
2:30 Afternoon work
(rota for Adoration is in all these between times as well) personal lectio divina
3:30 Common time and work
3:15 None
4:30 Vespers
5:00 Adoration and chores
6.30pm - Supper (soup and bread, some fruit), prayer and reading.
7:00 Chores or Adoration
8:15 - Compline - end of day canticles, prayer and benediction.
8.30 Lock up
9:00 to 9:30 bed depending on duties; younger ones or healthier ones do more chores even until 10:00
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A bit of sentiment from an INTJ
My son is helping me go through the list of black and whites for the convent with me. He is helping me pack. Even I am a bit teary over his kindness and gentleness.
He supports me and says, "Mum, think young!"
I am thinking young.
He supports me and says, "Mum, think young!"
I am thinking young.
"The Most Important Day of My Life"
The measure of our love is to love without measure. ~ St. Bernard
On April 28th, 1957, I made my First Holy Communion. On old holy cards, frequently this day was labeled,
"The Most Important Day of My Life".
I thank my parents for passing on the Faith to me. Thank you, Mom and Dad. I thank my son for carrying on the Faith. Thank you, Son. The second most important day of my life was the birth day of my son. Nothing has changed me more to be a better person, outside the sacraments, than having a child.
Stop, think, reflect, pray.
Neo-Church Triumphalists Wake Up--Red Sky in the Morning
And in the morning: To day there will be a storm, for the sky is red and lowering. You know then how to discern the face of the sky: and can you not know the signs of the times? Matthew 16:3 DR
I met so many people in Walsingham who think the Church is about to enter into a Golden Age of evangelization and re-establishment on the earth.
How can I get through to these many disillusioned Catholics (and Anglicans) ? These people honestly do not believe there is a great persecution coming for all Christians, including Catholics, worldwide.
They are not reading, as Christ recommended, "the signs of the times". I have no doubt these nuns, priests and laity think they are living in Faith. Indeed, they tell me so. But, living in Faith does not mean that one creates a comfortable scenario for one's self and family.
It is wake up time, or has been for years. Some of us knew the age of the martyrs was coming years ago.
When I taught religion classes of various kinds, I would open my class with these two statements.
One, "Where are the 25% of the class that should be here?" My students would then ask me why so many had dropped the course. I would answer, no, that is not it. "These members of your generation have been aborted." Silence.
Two, "Are you ready to be martyrs?" Some students would say yes, or they would try, and some would say no.
I am disappointed that so many of my brother and sisters in Christ think the Catholic Church is entering a time of worldly expansion and triumph on earth.
Triumph results from years of persecution, yes. But, expansion of ministries and buildings, no, and quite the opposite.
Those who cannot read the signs of the times may be caught unaware. And, what has happened to their discernment? There are reasons why one loses discernment.
American Persecution Watch and the Myth of a Christian Army
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2013/04/28/Pentagon-Consults-Extremist-Who-Calls-Christians-Monsters-and-Enemies-of-the-Constitution-to-Develop-Religious-Tolerance-Policy
“Today, we face incredibly well-funded gangs of fundamentalist Christian monsters who terrorize their fellow Americans by forcing their weaponized and twisted version of Christianity upon their helpless subordinates in our nation’s armed forces.”
Those words were recently written by Mikey Weinstein, founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), in a column he wrote for the Huffington Post. Weinstein will be a consultant to the Pentagon to develop new policies on religious tolerance, including a policy for court-martialing military chaplains who share the Christian Gospel during spiritual counseling of American troops.
and
Weinstein also supports Lt. Col. Jack Rich, the Army officer who wrote to subordinate officers that soldiers who hold traditional Christian beliefs agreeing with organizations on SPLC’s “hate group” list are incompatible with “Army values" and should be carefully watched and excluded from military service.
and
Weinstein also supports Lt. Col. Jack Rich, the Army officer who wrote to subordinate officers that soldiers who hold traditional Christian beliefs agreeing with organizations on SPLC’s “hate group” list are incompatible with “Army values" and should be carefully watched and excluded from military service.
Read more....like this
Sally Quinn’s Post column also approvingly quotes MRFF Advisory Board member Larry Wilkerson as saying, “Sexual assault and proselytizing, according to Wilkerson, ‘are absolutely destructive of the bonds that keep soldiers together.’”
Did you get that? They say having someone share the Christian gospel with you is akin to being raped. Weinstein makes sure there are no doubts, being quoted by the Post as adding, “This is a national security threat. What is happening [aside from sexual assault] is spiritual rape. And what the Pentagon needs is to understand is that it is sedition and treason. It should be punished.”
Spiritual rape?
"Build a cell inside your mind, from which you can never flee."
The title of this post is Catherine's advice on becoming a contemplative in the world.
Although she had great gifts of prayer and mystical experiences, God sent her into the world. Please remember, dear readers, that she was a lay person, a lay person who is a Doctor of the Church.
I have already written about Catherine, the great Doctor of the Church here in the perfection series and in other posts. I repeat a few here below.
Before I do that, I would like to note that out of all the Doctors of the Church, she seems particularly important for our times, and I find myself quoting her more than the others.
If you have not read her Dialogue, stop and do so. Here are some of my back entries on this great saint
08 Feb 2013
I close this section on Catherine of Siena with two notes. First of all, she was a lay person, not a nun or a sister. So those who think the way of perfection is not for us only have to look at her own life. God gives His graces to the ...
01 Feb 2013
Second selection from St. Catherine of Siena on bad priests. Posted by Supertradmum. Because of the news from .... Third selection of message to St. Catherine Siena ... Second selection from St. Catherine of Siena on ba.
01 Feb 2013
Last reference to The Dialogues and other writings of St. Catherine of Siena. Posted by Supertradmum. In some translations of her treatises and Dialogue, the sins referred by Christ regarding His priests point to the fact that if
08 Feb 2013
Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, Therese of Lisieux and Hildegard of Bingen. I am concentrating on their holiness and some of the writings. The reason a person is declared a Doctor of the Church is sort of like an honorary ...
01 Feb 2013
Christ words in the Dialogues of St. Catherine of Siena on good and bad priests: “You should love them therefore by reason of the virtue and dignity of the Sacrament, and by reason of that very virtue and dignity you should ...
21 Jun 2012
The Delphic Oracle and St. Catherine of Siena have something in common, which is not unusual, being that God works through many means to bring us all to perfection. Garrigou-Lagrange in the post yesterday, was ...
28 Jan 2013
The entrance into the illuminative way, which is the second conversion described by St. Catherine of Siena, Blessed Henry Suso, Tauler, and Father Lallemant, is called by St. John of the Cross the passive purification of the ...
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| By Batoni, who did my favourite Sacred Heart; thanks to wikimedia |
18 Nov 2012
St. Catherine of Siena was a great player in the world, despite or because of her intense interior life. How can we do this, while working or studying, or commuting? Of course, the singing of the seven hours and the silence is ...
18 Jul 2012
Posted by Supertradmum. St. Catherine of Siena's Mystical Marriage. To you, young people, I say: if you hear the Lord's call, do not reject it! Dare to become part of the great movements of holiness which renowned saints have...
30 Jul 2012
Catherine of Siena is quoted by Garrigou-Lagrange. She states, " O cursed pride, based on self-love, how hast thou blinded the eye of their intellect, that while they seem to love themselves and be tender to themselves, they...
23 Feb 2012
It is crucial for the entire world that the Papacy remains independent of any other country or nation. St. Thomas Becket knew this. St. Catherine of Siena knew this, which is why she begged Pope Gregory XI to leave Avignon,
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| With St. Lawrence |
All should be allowed out of Obamacare
"It’s no surprise that Democrats would want to exempt themselves from the train wreck they created in Obamacare," McGuire continued, "but Sen. McConnell believes the entire country should be exempt from this historic mistake. The law is a disaster and needs to be repealed.”
More here http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/04/25/mcconnell-entire-country-should-be-exempt-from-obamacare
More here http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/04/25/mcconnell-entire-country-should-be-exempt-from-obamacare
Sunday, 28 April 2013
The Millennials and Vocations
A sister, not in "my" order, told me last week that there is a problem in vocations about which I have never thought.
This good head of her order told me that the younger ones coming in do not last in novitiate because of a lack of stamina.
This point is very interesting. The sister told me that the Millennials lack the staying power or the ability to keep up with schedules.
Now, this is in England. It would be interesting if I could find out if the same is true in America.
Why would Millennials lack stamina? It is possible that their lifestyle is more sedentary. My generation did lots of physical labor: ironing, doing dishes, cleaning, cooking, shopping, taking care of younger siblings, walking to school, bicycling, etc.
I think the lack of doing chores may be one of the things which creates a lack of stamina.
Stamina may be learned when one does not get immediate results from activity.
Here is a link from a group on the Millennials and the work ethic. Here are two independent sources.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/larissafaw/2011/11/11/why-millennial-women-are-burning-out-at-work-by-30/
http://www.slideshare.net/Jerry-28/millennials-13509180
This present young generation do not have as much stress in some ways: they are surrounded by technology which does things easily and fast; they are not used to waiting for anything.
This good head of her order told me that the younger ones coming in do not last in novitiate because of a lack of stamina.
This point is very interesting. The sister told me that the Millennials lack the staying power or the ability to keep up with schedules.
Now, this is in England. It would be interesting if I could find out if the same is true in America.
Why would Millennials lack stamina? It is possible that their lifestyle is more sedentary. My generation did lots of physical labor: ironing, doing dishes, cleaning, cooking, shopping, taking care of younger siblings, walking to school, bicycling, etc.
I think the lack of doing chores may be one of the things which creates a lack of stamina.
Stamina may be learned when one does not get immediate results from activity.
Here is a link from a group on the Millennials and the work ethic. Here are two independent sources.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/larissafaw/2011/11/11/why-millennial-women-are-burning-out-at-work-by-30/
http://www.slideshare.net/Jerry-28/millennials-13509180
This present young generation do not have as much stress in some ways: they are surrounded by technology which does things easily and fast; they are not used to waiting for anything.
An afternoon at Polesden Lacey
The most wonderful thing for me in this house today, was the Perugino Institution of St Mary Major oil painting in superb condition. A small gem...no copy on the web that I could find. A true masterpiece.
The second most wonderful thing was the collection of Meissen China dating back to the early 18th Century.
The third most remarkable thing were the Crown Imperial Fritillaries, truly magnificent flowers. If one can see into the flowers, one sees the parts which look like pearls.
On Catholic Identity Again
From experience and reflection, I want to share some thoughts on what Catholic identity is and is NOT.
Bear with me while I outline a few ideas here. This is not an exhaustive list and much is repetition However, one cannot say these things too often.
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| My mom used this and so did I and there was another one for Lent and Easter. |
Firstly, remember that I am old enough to remember what Catholic identity was in the 1950s and 1960s. I have a few posts on the old days of organized community and parish life which most people have never experienced. These ideals can be reinvigorated.
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| I used this all the time |
Everyone knew everyone in the 12% of Catholics in our city of 80% Lutherans and a few Presbyterians.
The Catholic community was not only strong, but vigorous before Vatican II.
Choirs, charities, youth groups, adult study groups, (yes, including Bible study), women and men's groups all happened before the seventies.
Secondly, Catholic identity starts in the home. This identity takes work. Sadly, so many converts who have never experienced mothers baking special cakes for holy days, or name days (saints' days) or having small home devotions do not know what this entails. Christmas customs have been largely lost, as well as Easter ones.
In the 1950s, the parish priest went from home to home and consecrated the families and house to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Usually, there were pictures on the wall bought for this occasion one of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and one of the pierced heart of Mary. Because of the number of priests, the parish priests could visit houses for sick calls as well. We would meet the priest at the door with lit candles as he brought the Eucharist to the sick person. Every house had a sick call set, and I did as well.
The family rosary was said in our house when I was young in October and May. This custom dwindled later on, but I remember this, and my son remembers his parents praying the rosary out loud at night when he was a baby.
Catholic identity meant studying and my parents did this as well in parish groups. I remember the first meetings which involved using the St. John's Collegeville bible series (some are not so good, and some are). To say that Catholics did not read the Bible is a huge overstated lie.
Fourthly, Catholic identity involved modesty, about which I have many posts, and also a decorum, about which I have written as well on this blog. Catholic children learned to be ladies and gentlemen. We were counter-cultural in our behavior. This was all part and still should be part of the life of the virtues for the formation of children.
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| A 1950s girls' Catholic choir |
Fifthly, Catholic identity meant going to Confession regularly as a family on Saturdays. Daily Mass, if possible, and the awareness that the sanctifying grace of the sacraments was necessary for supernatural life was passed down from mom and dad.
Sixthly, Catholic identity did NOT include dissent, but solemn questioning and examining and finally, conformity with the teaching of the Church at the adult level. It also involved missionary activity with the realization that we had to convert the world, as Jesus commanded. This was not seen as a option or non-politically correct attitude.
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| From The Mission |
What Catholic identity is NOT are these few points.
Firstly, Catholic identity is not part time, but full time. One does not have a split personality of being Catholic at home and secular at work, for example.
Secondly, Catholic identity is not an identity of negativity or argumentation. In other words, it is being for the Church and not merely against the prevailing culture or other religions. A person who identities themselves in negativity or argument will never grow spiritually.
Thirdly, Catholic identity is not the proliferation of devotions, visionaries, medals or statues one collects, but a conforming of the mind to the mind of the Church. Too many people here in England (and some in Malta) think that in order to be Catholic one has to believe any new so-called revelations. Absolutely not.
Even the writings of the visionaries who are saints are not infallible.
Fourthly, Catholic identity is NOT automatic, simply because one's family is Catholic or one's surroundings. It is an interior disposition to holiness and putting on the Mind of Christ, which is the mind of the Church. As an Irish priest reminded me not too long ago, the Irish loss of faith was a long time happening owing to the lack of adult appropriation of the faith-no study and no effort leads to secular attitudes.
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| Nuns passing guards on the way to see Pope Pius XII’s body. Photograph by Mark Kauffman. Rome, Italy, October 1958. |
Lastly, Catholic identity is NOT being more Catholic than Rome. Extremist groups on both the left and right cannot be truly Catholic, as the Church is one, holy, true and apostolic, and therefore solidly balanced. To fall into liberal camps, such as being a socialist, which one cannot be and be Catholic, or to fall into far-right camps which add teachings to those of the Church, such as cultic dress or following false seers, are not part of Catholic identity but errors of modernism and gnosticism.
I could add more points, but most of these things I have discussed here on this blog in the past. I shall only add that Catholic identity means teaching your children the Faith in season and out of season.
For the doubters-- terrorist mother and son discussing jihad on phone
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/27/dzhokhar-tsarnaevs-mother-terror-database-us-inves/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS
"The CIA declined to comment Saturday." Duh. Three dead and 270 injured, many losing arms and legs and there is no comment.
And, a heads up on this from Morocco-fatwas for Muslims converts to Christianity.
http://www.bosnewslife.com/28041-morocco-fatwa-demands-death-sentence-for-christian-convert
And sexual slavery in GB...why? Is this a civilized country? Sexual slavery is condoned in the Koran.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2315224/Ipswich-sex-slave-case-Judges-fury-jails-trio-men-abducted-girl-13-forced-sex-slave.html?ICO=most_read_module
"The CIA declined to comment Saturday." Duh. Three dead and 270 injured, many losing arms and legs and there is no comment.
And, a heads up on this from Morocco-fatwas for Muslims converts to Christianity.
http://www.bosnewslife.com/28041-morocco-fatwa-demands-death-sentence-for-christian-convert
And sexual slavery in GB...why? Is this a civilized country? Sexual slavery is condoned in the Koran.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2315224/Ipswich-sex-slave-case-Judges-fury-jails-trio-men-abducted-girl-13-forced-sex-slave.html?ICO=most_read_module
Fountains Poem 32
Deer in the park remind me of the freedom
of youth, innocence long gone, resting in the
grey stones of the Fair Lady of the West Riding.
She waits, like a dowager queen, for attention,
knowing that some pay her homage in small
tokens of love, like tickets at the gate.
So long, at the gate, the porters opened doors
for the guests, the rich, the poor, the lost
wanting the security of the arms of Mary.
She, too, waits, for England to return
to her. She waits for her sons and
daughters to find themselves again.
Lost children walk the paths of old
prayers and longings for God.
But, they are too busy to know
the quiet of the place, which is only
found inside and not in the bustle
of pilgrimage or holidays...
Time is speeding up
and all is shortened..
visions truncated
by the lack
of love.
For Mary and for My Mother, Charlene
They walk in silence,
the men in white robes.
thinking of beer and cheese
in the dark evening..
They sing in darkness,
lighting candles at nocturnes
waiting for the intonation
before the bird's chorus..
They pray in lightness,
waiting for those who
bring their horses
into the sanctuaries
of the Nine Altars,
trampling the Body
of the Vulnerable God
unwilling servants
of the Visitators, who
bragged to Cromwell
(the first one) of such
sacrilege and hate.
They draw water from
other wells and die in
small cottages of those
who take them in
the sheepherders who
are not afraid of the
King's Men, sensing
where God is..
Mary's springs still seep
from the hillsides and
down into the small
Skell, rippling in the wind.
Our Lady of Fountains,
I love you...
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