The Gift of Counsel and the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit: A Roadmap to Holiness

When our children were growing up and didn't particularly like vegetables, I always had them take seven beans or seven peas, etc. and recite the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. I thought of the gift of counsel as the Holy Spirit enabling us to offer wise advice to others. But this morning as I was reading the meditation in my Benedictus prayer book I read this by Fr. Barthélemy Froget, a French Dominican theologian who wrote frequently on the indwelling of the Holy Ghost:

Retire the Fairy Godmother and Watch your Mailbox for the Invitation

Do you sometimes wish you had a fairy godmother who could wave her magic wand and sprinkle her fairy dust to resolve all your problems? I've been thinking about my own challenges (Mother Teresa would never let her nuns talk about "problems;" everything was a challenge or an opportunity.) and it occurred to me that everything, every single thing, is a gift! The alarm on the septic going off, the water in the basement during a heavy thunderstorm, the tick disease that puts you in the hospital -- all those challenges are opportunities. 

As my mom always said, "Offer it up for the poor souls in Purgatory." What an opportunity to put my sufferings to work! Why waste them when they can do so much good?

And if people fail you or condemn you or treat you with disrespect or shun you, or persecute you, those are the gilded invitations, the special ones that take you directly to the feet of the King where you can say, "My Lord, I trust in You. In Your wisdom and love, take care of everything!"

Sunday Meditation: God is not "Mr. Policeman"; He's the Sacred Heart, "Mr. Loving".

When I was a young girl, I had a sadly incorrect image of God. Perhaps it stemmed from reading so much mythology. I think I read every book on Greek, Roman, and Norse gods in the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Doylestown, PA. At any rate, I created for myself a view of God with the lightening bolt, ready to strike if I did something wrong. I guess He was an amalgamation of Zeus, Jupiter and Odin.

I also tended to be a people pleaser and later my view altered to ask myself whether or not I was "doing enough" to please God and make it to heaven. If I had raised these issues with my parents, I'm sure they would have corrected me, but I never did. And so, it wasn't until I moved on into early adulthood, that my false images began to disappear, replaced by the reality that God is love, the Sacred Heart, bleeding, wounded, and on fire for love of me. I'm His daughter, the apple of His eye, whom He loved so much He stretched out His arms on the cross and died.

Will Pope Leo Lead Us Away from the Path of Confusion?

I pray so. It's no fun to be lost, not to know which way to turn, even to wonder whether up is down and down is up. How many pilots have crashed over that kind of spatial confusion?

It’s not an uncommon occurrence for pilots, especially in poor visibility, and it’s incredibly dangerous. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, between 5 percent and 10 percent of all aviation accidents are caused by spatial disorientation, and of those crashes, 90 percent are fatal.

Somber Weather and Somber Thoughts

Another cold and gloomy day. I suppose one should fight the gloom with sunny thoughts. But my thoughts today center around the reality of hell. At least those are hot thoughts unlike the frigid temps we are facing in the coming week. Hell is usually depicted as the unquenchable file, but what if, instead, it's absolutely frigid. Which would be worse do you think?

But I digress.

Of Freezing Temperatures and Cold Spirits!

A cold snap has settled over Camp Kreitzer and the extended weather forecast looks bleak indeed. As I write this morning it's 23 degrees and I'm thanking God for central heating. The next few days promise a daytime rise into the low 40s, but Monday and Tuesday the weatherman predicts highs of 19 with overnight lows of 1 and -1. Goodness! I can't remember such a bitter blast in my oh-so-moderate state of Virginia.

With the snow last week, even the chickens seemed appalled. They usually flock to the door to escape the chicken yard and run wild over what to them must be the vast expanses of the field. After the winter storm last week, however, when I opened the door they gathered at the entrance, took one look at the snow and seemed to be thinking, "What is that awful white stuff?" Then they turned back (even Blackie who bullies the others to be first out) and clung to the safety of their little yard. Only as the snow melted did they once again look forward to escape. But there is more snow in the forecast to dash their hopes.

O Key of David...Free the Prisoners!

 

In many ways we are all prisoners in this valley of tears. Only death can free us.

Sunday Meditation: We're Making the Total Consecration to Mary Today!

My husband and I have been preparing to make the total consecration to Mary according to the method of St. Louis de Montfort. I made it years ago, so this is a reconsecration for me. 

During the past 33 days leading up to the consecration we read the method, wrote out the consecration, and will make it today after Mass. 

The fastest way to Jesus is through Mary. Aren't we called to imitate Jesus? Didn't He come to us through Mary? To deny Mary's role in salvation is an act of hubris.

 Protestants will tell you they don't need Mary because they go directly to Jesus. But what if Jesus wants them to come to Him like little infants in the arms of His mother?Didn't He come to us that way, carried in the womb and then in the arms of Mary? How can anyone think that ignoring and disrespecting His mother pleases Jesus?

Join in the St. Andrew's Christmas Novena.

Today begins the traditional Christmas novena to St. Andrew. Rather than the usual nine days, it lasts for 25, but what a blessed opportunity to get to know St. Andrew better. I hope you'll join me in praying it until Christmas. St. Andrew is one of my favorite saints. I want him to bring me to Jesus like he did with his brother, St. Peter. Benedictus has a wonderful meditation in this month's issue. I'll share just a bit:

The Mad Rush to Christmas!

Don't Let Thanksgiving be Lost in the Rush to Christmas!

When I was growing up, Christmas arrived in the secular world the day after Thanksgiving. The turkey was hardly off the table before Santa came riding in on his sleigh behind the reindeer. The worldly holiday fuss obliterated Advent completely. Despite the world's mad rush to Christmas, many Catholic families waited in the quiet for Emmanuel, God with us. They lit the Advent Wreath every evening, sang Come, O Come, Emmanuel and prayed together.

Sunday Meditation: From Here to the New Year -- 1 Corinthians 13

For a few weeks I've thought about choosing an extended Bible focus on 1 Corinthians 13. What a wealth of thoughts for meditation! The vocation of a Christian is love. Love God first; and then, out of love for God, love for yourself and for your neighbor. St. Paul give a pretty complete list of the attributes of love. Some are positive describing what love IS; and some are negative describing what love IS NOT. According to St. Paul, these attributes 

define love:

• Love is patient, 
• Love is kind. 
• Love does not envy.
• Love does not boast.
• Love is not proud. 
• Love does not dishonor others (Love is not rude.)
• Love is not self-seeking.
• Love is not easily angered. 
• Love keeps no record of wrongs. 
• Love does not delight in evil. 
• Love rejoices with the truth. 
• Love always protects.
• Love always trusts. 
• Love always hopes.
• Love always perseveres.
•  Love never fails.

Sunday Meditation: On this Feast of the Most Holy Trinity, Let Us Pray This Litany for Peace in Our Families and In the World

                

                        The Litany of the Most Holy Trinity

For Private Use Only.

Blessed be the holy Trinity and undivided Unity;
We will give glory to Him, because He hath shown His mercy to us.

V. O Lord our Lord, how wonderful is Thy Name in all the earth!
R. O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God!

What's Your Advent Plan? Mine is to "go and see."

Heinrich Hoffman  1824-1911

Mine is to read St. Francis de Sales' Sermons for Advent and Christmas. The first sermon is about the witness of St. John the Baptist, the herald of Advent. I began the book at adoration this morning. Wow! Talk about food for thought.

Have you ever wondered why St. John sent his disciples to Christ to ask if He was the Messiah? John knew exactly Who Jesus was. They were cousins, after all, and John knew Jesus from the womb. He also must have met him at least occasionally during their growing-up years, particularly when Mary and Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem, "every year" as St. Luke tells, for the Passover.

Wanted: Real Men to Answer the Call: Into the Breach, Godly Men!

Sr. Lucia said late in her life that the final battle would be over the family. And who do we need to fight in that battle? Godly men! Men have always been called to defend the family: to stand in the breach to prevent the annihilation of their wives and children. Today, many men not only fail to defend the family, they become the aggressors attacking their own children. That has to end and Bishop Thomas Olmsted is a leader in helping men take their rightful places as spiritual heads of the family and defenders of their families. Here is the first paragraph of Bishop Olmsted's powerful exhortation:

I begin this letter with a clarion call and clear charge to you, my sons and brothers in Christ:

Never Lose Hope -- Behold the Holy Face of Jesus

I've spoken to many people lately who are so downhearted about the state of the world and Holy Mother Church that they are tempted to lose hope. God forbid!  I agree that poor Holy Mother Church is a battered bride. Many of the blasphemies uttered against her spout forth from the mouths of men wearing Roman collars, her spiritual spouses. Rather than discourage us, that fact should remind us that 1/12th of Jesus' apostles betrayed him without repentance and the other 11/12ths abandoned him in the crisis. Happily, eleven of the twelve returned to suffer and die in the faith, all but one a martyr.

How many anointed men are in the Church today? I don't know, but perhaps as many as 1/12th are Christ's unrepentant (at least at present) betrayers. Fr. Hardon once said that Jesus allowed Judas so the flock would not be surprised when Church leaders acted like Judas.

So, rather than being scandalized and losing hope when we see the state of the world and our religious leaders hob-nobbing with the enemy, we should remember Christ crucified, betrayed, and abandoned by his closest friends. Then we should run to the cross, embrace it, kiss the feet of Jesus and lift our heads to gaze up at his Holy Face.

I'm Back from Retreat, and Feeling a Longing Not to Be.

I miss my retreat already. There is something so wonderful about silence. All the ladies on the retreat were very good about keeping the silence this year, and it's amazing how it opens up possibilities to hear God. When your life isn't filled with chit-chat, the radio, social media, TV, blogging, etc. you can enter into the exhortation, "Be still and know that I am God." I'm longing for it to continue.

This year my re-entry into the noisy world was abrupt. I'm taking part in a conference on "end of life" issues and had to leave the retreat early. To go from complete silence to seeing old friends and meeting new ones, hearing stories discussing serious issues in the culture of death -- well...it's exhausting. I want to go back to the chapel and sit with the Lord and let the world go to hell in a handcart on its own without me.

Lent is Coming......

...How will you observe it?

The three traditional areas of focus are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. What will you do in each of these areas to grow closer to the Lord Jesus who died for you? Will the end of Lent find you unchanged from Ash Wednesday or will you be able to look back and praise God for opening your heart more fully to His will?

"Remember, man, that thou art dust and unto dust you will return."

What really matters in this life?

One thing to fast from is shopping at Target. They are offering "adult toys" based on the pornographic film Fifty Shades of Grey in their stores where any child can pick them up and ask Mom, "What's this for?"

We live in a cesspool of lust. What can you offer this Lent in atonement for the degradation so many poor souls are choosing? Lust always leads to violence whether it's to individual acts of lust like rape and seduction or communal acts of violence like the horror of the French Revolution.

One thing I'm praying for this Lent is to imitate Mary more: her purity, her holy innocence, her complete union to the will of God.

All you holy angels and saints, pray for us!

Lives of the Saints and St. Joseph de Clairval Abbey

St. Ignatius' conversion began with an injury on the battlefield that left him laid up in bed for months. The only reading material he had was Scripture and the lives of the saints. He preferred the romances of the time about knights and their adventures, but when he compared the fleeting entertainment of those stories with the examples of true love and courage reflected by the saints, he was changed forever.

On retreat we listen to readings at meals from the Imitation of Christ and the lives of the saints. What a blessing to be filled with true examples of those who conformed their lives to Christ and became living witnesses to His love.

I receive a monthly newsletter from Saint Joseph de Clairval Abbey in France that each month features a particular saint (or saint in the making). Some are well known like the children of Fatima or St. Damien or St. Therese of Lisieux, but many of those featured are lesser known. Their stories are inspiring and often riveting. If you want wonderful bedtime reading, ask to be put on their mailing list. Think of going to bed contemplating the life of men or women who loved Christ enough to give their lives completely to Him. Each story is short, only four pages, but a wonderful introduction to a hero or heroine. Here's an example of a favorite saint of mine, Margaret Clitherow, one of the English martyrs, a wife and mother executed for nothing other than loving the Mass and letting priests say it in her home. You can read about her here.

I regularly have masses said for my loved ones at the Abbey. Their newsletters have been such a gift to me that I want to return the favor by supporting them.

Chesterton's Philosophy of Gratitude

Chesterton is certainly an apostle of Joy! Among my other Lenten reading is the book Lent and Easter: Wisdom from G.K. Chesterton which offers a daily quote from Chesterton, a scripture passage, a prayer, and a suggested action. It's a lovely book and a stimulus for introspection. I particularly liked yesterday's reading taken from Chesterton's autobiography:

I invented a rudimentary and makeshift mystical theory of my own. It was substantially this; that even mere existence, reduced to its most primary limits, was extraordinary enough to be exciting. Anything was magnificent as compared with nothing. Even if the very daylight were a dream, it was a day-dream; it was not a nightmare. The mere fact that one could wave one's arms and legs about...showed that it had not the mere paralysis of a nightmare. Or if it was a nightmare, it was an enjoyable nightmare....[N]o man knows how much he is an optimist, even when he calls himself a pessimist, because he has not really measured the depths of his debt to whatever created him and enabled him to call himself anything. At the back of our brains, so to speak, there was a forgotten blaze or burst of astonishment at our own existence. The object of the artistic and spiritual life was to dig for this submerged sunrise of wonder; so that a man sitting in a chair might suddenly understand that he was actually alive, and be happy.

If I had to summarize Chesterton's philosophy it would be,

New Year's Resolution: Pray Liturgy of the Hours

I'm happy to say that I kept my new year's resolution in 2012 not to buy any new clothes. I even kept out of the thrift stores and didn't buy any used clothes either. Yesterday at Costco was the first time I've purchased an item of clothing. After a year, I'll leave you to guess what I bought. I also found some sparkly pink slippers on sale at Kohl's for 80% off. Why should the little ones get all the glittery fun?

This year's resolution is a work in progress. I'm going to follow in the steps of St. Catherine of Sienna and pursue joining the Third Order Dominicans, something I've thought about for years. (Yes, St. Catherine was a third order LAY member of the Dominicans, not a nun as many think.) I met with the novice master and went to my first community gathering last week. One of the commitments is to pray Morning and Evening prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours. I had the book already because I've tried (unsuccessfully) to do it in the past. My discipline was lacking as well as the confusion of the one-volume book. But the internet is a big help. I check where I think I'm supposed to be with the schedule online and if I'm in the wrong place, get myself back to the right one. After the Eucharist, the most importance practice in the Church is Liturgy of the Hours. (Although, I think the practice a person follows through on is the most important in practical terms.)

But there is something particularly exciting about praying through the day with the Church knowing millions of others are in union with you. That union is one of the signs of the Church, or maybe two. We are one and we are Catholic (universal). I am happy to be with the one true Church that surrounds the entire globe praying in union with my spiritual brothers and sisters. Kind of exciting, don't you think? Of course we do that every day at Mass as well and daily Mass is the most important spiritual work anyone can do.

You don't have to be a member of a religious or lay order to pray Liturgy of the Hours. Just buy a copy of it and refer to the help sites on the internet. Actually, you don't even need to buy the book. You can pray it on-line and even download it to your I-pad or I-phone. If I'm not mistaken there's an app if you have technology to support one.