God of our fathers,
you gave Saints Joachim and Ann
the privilege of being the parents of Mary,
the mother of your incarnate Son.
May their prayers help us to attain
the salvation you have promised to your people.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
– Amen
“Lift your heart up gently whenever it falls.
Humble yourself before God,
but do not be astonished by your fall
since it is not surprising that
weakness is weak,
frailty is frail
and misery is miserable!”
St Francis de Sales
Do you know this too?
You are in the middle of a cheerful party,
When a sudden stillness takes hold of you,
And you hastily have to leave the happy hall.
Back in your bed you lay awake,
Similar to someone suffering a sudden heartache.
The fun and laughter disappear like smoke,
And you break into tears:
Do you know this too?
Herman Hesse
‘Sunset From Home’ Charles Hamm
Knowing that I always feel better when I was in the presence of couples who loved each other in a healthy way, I decided when praying alone to ask for the presence of Joseph and Mary, who were the healthiest couple that ever lived. So, I began asking Jesus to take me home with him and share with me his experience of growing up in the atmosphere of healthy love between a man and a woman. I would see myself entering Jesus’ birthplace in Bethlehem or his home in Nazareth and hear his family greet me. Then I would breathe In the atmosphere of their love for one another, and breathe out any feelings of fear or darkness. Gradually, I began to take in Mary’s healthy feminine identity and feel that I deserved to be treated as lovingly and trustworthily as Joseph treated her. I began to breathe in Joseph’s trustworthy love and know that other men would be equally trustworthy.
After several months of prayer and of being in the presence of healthy relationships, all my symptoms of sexual abuse disappeared. I no longer felt frightened, frozen, guilty or full of grief. During one prayer time, the ‘iron knot’ in my abdomen seemed to dissolve, and I never felt it again. I began to dress attractively and stand up straighter. People who had not seen me for several months told me I seemed like a different person. And that is how I felt. —Healing the Eight Stages of Life
Grace naturally arising,
An unguarded moment ordinary,
Extraordinary realizing pleasure,
Satiation caressing without knowing,
Tickled into unaware submission,
Standing on the shoulders of Saints,
Nothing declarative,
Unique in simplicity of thought,
St Jude pray for me,
I am so helpless and alone,
A moment of being fully human,
Surrender, defeat, humility on a higher plateau,
Cutting away premeditation, pretense, delusion,
Beyond all the bondage that promotes self,
Desire and needs usurped,
Properly forming identity within immersion in the moment,
Reposing into the luxury of accumulated spiritual exercising,
Stone by stone,
Breath by breath,
Lord do to me that which hurts.
Give up learning, and put an end to your troubles.
Is there a difference between yes and no?
Is there a difference between good and evil?
Must I fear what others fear?
What nonsence!
Other people are contented,
Enjoying the sacrificial feast of the ox.
In spring some go to the park, and climb the terrace,
But I alone am drifting not knowing where I am.
Like a new-born babe before it learns to smile,
I am alone, without a place to go.
Other have more than they need,
but I alone have nothing.
I am a fool.
Oh, yes! I am confused.
Other men are clear and bright,
But I alone am dim and weak.
Other men are sharp and clever,
But I alone am dull and stupid.
Oh, I drift like the waves of the sea.
Without direction,
like the restless wind.
Everyone else is busy,
But I alone am aimless and depressed.
I am different.
I am nourished by the great mother.
Unknown poet
The bride says:
On my bed at night I sought him whom my heart loves
I sought him but I did not find him.
I will rise then and go about the city;
in the streets and crossings
I will seek Him whom my heart loves.
I sought him but I did not find him.
The watchmen came upon me as they made their rounds of the city:
Have you seen him whom my heart loves?
I had hardly left them
when I found him whom my heart loves.
Song of Songs
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