Topple the pillar,
You are left standing,
Still.
Eternity is long.
May252019
Monthly Archives: May 2019
May232019
Day by Day
Morning rising, storm clouds approach from the west,
Internal struggles, the sound of perseverance and failures,
Humility, accepting the harmonizing grace of infusion,
Vibration, a song bird sings from where it seems not,
Daily attending, Mass calls through the traditions of centuries,
The storm breaks during the liturgy of the Eucharist,
Within the parish, an elderly grating female voice declares,
The release of attention, surrendering, opening the heart,
Quieting the mind, contrite within the sacrifice, simple,
Thunder crashing, lightening flashing, wind pounding,
Rain showers hard upon colorful stained glass, abstraction,
Our Father, the abrasive voice submits, releasing effort,
Aftermath, the tabernacle key dangles, presence within,
The storm subsides, advancing beyond, toward the east,
A young bearded priest dismisses with a friendly caution.
May202019
Penetrating
All this healing,
All this ceasing,
All this letting go,
All this violence
Unto myself,
All this quieting,
All these thoughts,
Appetites, dispositions, formations,
Dreams of disappearing,
All this settling,
Adoration,
A lack of aspirations,
Moments clouded,
A tabernacle,
Love arising,
Abundant occurring,
Daily within
The sacrifice of the Mass,
Transformation,
Being,
Within the Church,
Sanctuary, altar, Eucharist
Brothers and sisters,
A priest speaking.
May202019
Sunny Sunday
Silence, repetition, establishing a design for daily living, I decided to make a late evening biographic entry. A remarkable Godly moment during Mass, and also a lively moment within the natural realm, marked today. A beautiful sunny day, temperatures in the eighties, I enjoyed a long ride on my Trek touring bicycle. Riding fast on a subdivision street, a fairly large blur in my side-vision and the sound of rushing announced a chasing dog targeting me. Looking back, I identified the fact a pit bull of decent size would soon be upon my heels. I raised my legs in the air to give the dog nothing to latch onto. I scolded the dog, only to be surprised by the return canine expression. The dog disarmed me with a smile, and sheer exultation to be running with me. Biting me was not her intent. I placed my feet upon my pedals, informing her that her idea of fun was a bit startling. She ran alongside with a power and grace that could only be admired. She ran hard and with everything she had. Her owner came up behind us in a van, telling her to go home, and another screaming from the yard ordered her to get home. She gave me a look before turning back. I could only smile. Her owner in the van asked if I was ok. I responded that once we met eyes. it was obvious she was friendly, only wanting to run and play, however I admitted she did give me quite a fright at first. The moment made a lasting impression. I almost feel I made a friend. The Mass moment involved a Homily and The Imitation of Christ. In a previous post, I quoted the Imitation of Christ, Book 1—Chapter 24. I was guided to the reading through the biography: ‘St Louis De Montfort: The Story of Our Lady’s Slave’ by Mary Fabyan Windeatt. The Imitation of Christ reading, amongst many, was assigned by St Louis De Montfort to the young Maria Louise Trichet. Today with a friend, we deep-dived the particular Imitation of Christ reading, spending a great deal time on the idea: ‘…when he (the patient man) does frequent violence to himself and tries to bring the body into complete subjection to the spirit…’ What did it mean to do violence to one’s self? Then during the homily at Holy Rosary in Little Italy, the evening Mass, the priest introduced the idea of warring against sin. Wonderfully, he advanced his ideas with the dramatic thought that battling sin needed to be elevated to the level of doing violence to ourselves. He stressed the aspect of violence in order to efficiently combat sin, broadening the idea with the fact that an addict, one habitually entrenched in a particular sin, must wage extreme efforts upon himself to rid himself of deep-rooted sin. Stunned, I listened to the priest expand upon the exact idea, verbiage identical, I had explored only hours before Mass. What does it mean to do violence upon one’s self in this life, in order to face Christ properly at its end?
The hound of heaven.
May162019
Recommended reading from St Louis De Montfort
The Imitation of Christ
Book 1, Chapter 24
Learn, then, to suffer little things now that you may not have to suffer greater ones in eternity. Prove here what you can bear hereafter. If you can suffer only a little now, how will you be able to endure eternal torment? If a little suffering makes you impatient now, what will hell fire do? In truth, you cannot have two joys: you cannot taste the pleasures of this world and afterward reign with Christ.
If your life to this moment had been full of honors and pleasures, what good would it do if at this instant you should die? All is vanity, therefore, except to love God and to serve Him alone.
He who loves God with all his heart does not fear death or punishment or judgment or hell, because perfect love assures access to God.
It is no wonder that he who still delights in sin fears death and judgment.
It is good, however, that even if love does not as yet restrain you from evil, at least the fear of hell does. The man who casts aside the fear of God cannot continue long in goodness but will quickly fall into the snares of the devil.
May142019
Month of May
…true devotion to Our Lady is interior
…it comes from within the mind
and the heart
and follows from the esteem
in which we hold her,
the high regard
we have for her greatness,
and the love we bear her.
…it is trustful,
…it fills us with confidence
in the Blessed Virgin,
the confidence that a child
has for its loving Mother.
It prompts us to go to her
in every need of body
and soul with great simplicity,
trust and affection.
We implore our Mother’s help always,
everywhere, and for everything.
We pray to her
to be enlightened in our doubts,
to be put back on the right path
when we go astray,
to be protected
when we are tempted,
to be strengthened
when we are weakening,
to be lifted up
when we fall into sin,
to be encouraged
when we are losing heart,
to be rid of our scruples,
to be consoled in the trials,
crosses and disappointments of life.
In all our afflictions of body and soul,
we naturally turn to Mary for help,
never a fear of importuning her
or displeasing our Lord.
‘True Devotion to Mary’
St Louis De Montfort
Saint of the Day – 28 April – St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716) Priest, Founder, Confessor, Writer, Poet, Apostle of the Holy Eucharist and Adoration, Apostle of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Apostle of the Holy Rosary, Preacher, Missionary Apostolic. St Louis was born on 31 January 1673 at Montfort-La-Cane, Brittany, France – he Died on 28 April 1716 at Saint-Laurent-sur-Sovre, France of natural causes. He was Canonised on 20 July 1947 by Pope Pius XII. Patronages: preachers, Brothers of Saint Gabriel, Company of Mary, Daughters of Divine Wisdom. AnaStPaul.
May122019
Perfect Mold
“But you’ve got to do that, if you want to be a saint quickly. Father Grignion said so. “Now, listen. Suppose you want to make a statue. How would you go about it?”
Mary Lou stared. Had Elizabeth taken leave of her senses?
“I haven’t the least desire to make a statue,” she said uncooperatively. “As for knowing how to go about it…”
“Well, there are two ways you can make one. You can get some stone, and a hammer and chisel, and pound and cut on your statue. That’s the hard way, because one slip of the tools and everything may be ruined. Besides, stone isn’t easy to work with. And it’s expensive, too. Or you can get a mold—one that a real artist has made—and pour in some material, like plaster or clay. When it hardens, you’ll have a perfect statue with scarcely any trouble or expense.”
Then, as Mary Louise continued to stare in silent amazement, Elizabeth went on eagerly to explain. The Blessed Virgin, according to St Augustine and Father Grignion, was “the living mold of God”. Christ had been formed in her without losing any of the divine perfection of the Father or of the Holy Spirit. And a person who wanted to be as perfect as possible—that is, a saint, or another Christ—would do well to remember this.
“Father Grignion says it’s foolish to try to make ourselves perfect just by our own efforts, and even run the risk of failing, when Our Lady is so anxious to do the work for us,” she declared emphatically.
–St Louis De Montfort: The Story of Our Lady’s Slave” Mary Fabyan Windeatt
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