The Wednesday morning St Clare Arise gathering proved socially reflective, efficacious in sharing. Soon, I will post the guidelines read before every session. The structure is mature, an emphasis upon contemplation, organized reading, prayer, and silence. Discussion, too much talking, opinion, and commentary are tagged with caution. Reflective response centered within personal experience a part, yet not the focus.  It is not a support group dealing with personal issues, nor a venue for establishing one’s self as a spiritual superior.  Something deeper is presented.   The small gathering, six in number, provides mature Catholic companionship, familial capabilities exercised and possessed. I am convinced my Cleveland experience is being advanced beyond the broken, delusional, single mindset I encountered previously. During mass and the gathering, a reading from St Francis de Sales’ ‘Practical Piety’ processed itself. I post the words.

Mistrust in ourselves arises from the knowledge of our imperfections. It is good to mistrust ourselves; but how would it advantage us to do that were it not to throw all our confidence in God, and to wait on His mercy? The faults and unfaithfulness which we daily commit ought to bring much confusion upon us when we would approach our Lord. Thus, we read that great souls, like St. Catherine or Sienna and St. Teresa, had these great confusions when they had fallen into some fault; and it is very reasonable that, having offended God, we should retire awhile in humility, and remain confused. The same thing often happens to us when we have of fended a friend; we are ashamed to approach him. But we must not stop there; for it would be no great thing, this annihilation and divesting one of self, which is done by acts of confusion, if it was not in order to throw ourselves wholly on God by confidence.