Third Day
O Queen of Heaven, you gave us the Scapular as an outward sign by which we might be known as your faithful children. may we always wear it with honor by avoiding sin and imitating your virtues. Help us to be faithful to this desire of ours.
(pause and mention petitions) s)
Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.
From St. Ambrose in today’s Office of Readings:
My father and I will come to him and make our home with him. Open wide your door to the one who comes. Open your soul, throw open the depths of your heart to see the riches of simplicity, the treasures of peace, the sweetness of grace. Open your heart and run to meet the Sun of eternal light that illuminates all men. Indeed that true light shines on all; but if anyone closes his shutters against it then he will defraud himself of the eternal light. To close the doors of your mind is to exclude Christ. Of course he is capable of entering even so, but he does not want to force his way in or seize you against your will…
You see that when the Word of God knocks hardest on your door, it is when his hair is wet with the dew of the night. In fact he chooses to visit those who are in tribulation and trial, lest one of them be overwhelmed by distress. So his head is covered with dew, with drops, when his body is labouring hard. It is important to keep watch so that when the Bridegroom comes, he is not shut out. If you are asleep and your heart is not keeping watch, he will go away without knocking; but if your heart is alert for his coming, he knocks and asks for the door to be opened to him…
It is the soul that has its door, it is the soul that has its gates. To that door Christ comes and knocks, he knocks at the door. Open to him, therefore: he wishes to come in, the Bridegroom wishes to find you keeping watch.
Second Day
Most Holy Mary, Our Mother, in your great love for us you gave us the Holy Scapular of Mount Carmel, having heard the prayers of your chosen son Saint Simon Stock. Help us now to wear it faithfully and with devotion. May it be a sign to us of our desire to grow in holiness.
(pause and mention petitions)
Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.
An interesting music video set to a song from Mr. T – yes, I said a song from Mr. T (h/t: Saint School):
Paul, at Alive and Young, also has a great “Word Made Fresh” satire of Mr. T on Mary and the Rosary.
Speaking of your Mother, today starts the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Novena:
First Day
O Beautiful Flower of Carmel, most fruitful vine, splendor of heaven, holy and singular, who brought forth the Son of God, still ever remaining a pure virgin, assist us in our necessity! O Star of the Sea, help and protect us! Show us that you are our Mother!
(pause and mention petitions)
Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.
The first part of today’s Gospel reading reminds me of this passage from Story of a Soul:
“I understood, too, that Our Lord’s love is revealed as perfectly in the most simple soul who resists His grace in nothing as in the most excellent soul; in fact, since the nature of love is to humble oneself, if all souls resembled those of the holy Doctors who illuminated the Church with the clarity fo their teachings, it seems God would not descend so low when coming to their heart. But he created the child who knows only how to make his feeble cries heard; He has created the poor savage who has nothing but the natural law to guide him. It is to their hearts that God deigns to lower Himself. These are the wildflowers whose simplicity attracts Him. When coming down in this way, God manifests His infinite grandeur. Just as the sun shines simultaneously on the tall cedars and on each little flower as though it were alone on the earth, so Our Lord is occupied particularly with each soul as though there were no others like it. And just as in nature all the seasons are arranged in such a way as to make the humblest daisy bloom on a set day, in the same way, everything works out for the good of each soul.”
I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to little ones. (Mt. 11:25)
A great meditation from St. Josemaria:
Here is a point for your daily meditation: Have I allowed an hour to pass, without talking with my Father God? Have I talked to Him with the love of a son? You can! ~The Furrow, 657
Starting today I will be heading to Atlanta, GA for the Catholic New Media Celebration sponsored by SQPN. Other bloggers attending the event include: Mark Shea, The Curt Jester, Amy Welborn, Rebecca Christian of Catholic in Film School, Clayton Emmer of The Weight of Glory, Pat Gohn of Write In Between, Heidi H. Saxton of Mommy Monsters, Sarah Reinhard of Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering, Rachel Balducci of Testosterhome. and I’m sure there are many others, but those were the only ones listed. There are also many many podcasters.
The Celebration is on Sunday so I’m starting my drive down today. I will also be visiting some of my family in GA. First I will drive down on Sunday night to meet them where they will be vacationing at Amelia Island in FL (!) and then drive back up to GA and stay with them for a few more days before heading back home next Friday. Please pray for my safe travel (and for all the other bloggers and podcasters). I’ve been neglecting this blog lately so I hope to have time to get a few posts in here and there while I’m gone.
From a sermon by St. Anthony of Padua:
The man who is filled with the Holy Spirit speaks in different languages. These different languages are different ways of witnessing to Christ, such as humility, poverty, patience and obedience; we speak in those languages when we reveal in ourselves these virtues to others. Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak. We are full of words but empty of actions, and therefore are cursed by the Lord, since he himself cursed the fig tree when he found no fruit but only leaves. Gregory says: “A law is laid upon the preacher to practice what he preaches”. It is useless for a man to flaunt his knowledge of the law if he undermines its teaching by his actions.
But the apostles spoke as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech. Happy the man whose words issue from the Holy Spirit and not from himself! For some men speak as their own character dictates, but steal the words of others and present them as their own and claim the credit for them. The Lord refers to such men and others like them in Jeremiah: So, then, I have a quarrel with the prophets that steal my words from each other. I have a quarrel with the prophets, says the Lord, who have only to move their tongues to utter oracles. I have a quarrel with the prophets who make prophecies out of lying dreams, who recount them and lead my people astray with their lies and their pretensions. I certainly never sent them or commissioned them, and they serve no good purpose for this people, says the Lord.
We should speak, then, as the Holy Spirit gives us the gift of speech. Our humble and sincere request to the Spirit for ourselves should be that we may bring the day of Pentecost to fulfilment, insofar as he infuses us with his grace, by using our bodily senses in a perfect manner and by keeping the commandments. Likewise we shall request that we may be filled with a keen sense of sorrow and with fiery tongues for confessing the faith, so that our deserved reward may be to stand in the blazing splendour of the saints and to look upon the triune God.
I must have been reading Pope Benedict’s mind when I wrote the post, Be Imitators of Christ, on Tuesday. His June prayer intention: “That all Christians may cultivate a deep and personal friendship with Christ, in order to be able to communicate the strength of His love to every person they meet.” (h/t: American Papist).
June mission intention: “That the International Eucharistic Congress of Quebec in Canada may lead to an ever greater understanding that the Eucharist is the heart of the Church and the source of evangelization.”
I got word today that our dearly beloved nursing home resident, Dorothy, finally passed away yesterday afternoon at the ripe old age of 92. Doctors gave her no more than a day to live on May 23. So she really fought to remain here as long as she could! And that’s just like her, too. Mom and I visited her in the hospital last Saturday and her daughter told us that that morning Dorothy told her, “grab my hand and pull. I want to get out of here.”
Fr. Lueckenotte, the most humble and gracious priest who is in charge of visiting all of our nursing homes and hospitals, has been constantly at Dorothy’s side over the last week and a half. This morning he told me that he used to say to Dorothy a quote from St. Thomas More to his wife before he was martyred, “Pray for me as I will for the that we may merrily meet in heaven.” Unable to remember the exact quote, Dorothy’s version went, “I’ll pray for you, you pray for me and we’ll hippity hop up to heaven.”
Dorothy is better known as “Grandma” of Grandma’s Cool and Zesty Salad Dressing. Always a shameless self promoter, I’m sure Grandma would be delighted if bottles of this great tasting cole slaw and salad dressing (her very own recipe) were purchased in her honor. She often starred in her own TV commercials, and did regular TV and radio interviews (even during the last few years) promoting what she called her “dream come true.” You can purchase Grandma’s dressing or find it in a store near you.
She was as faithful, as spirited and as stubborn as they came and I’m sure she is hippity hopping her way into the arms of the Lord as we speak.
v. Do not remember my sins, O Lord,
r. When you come to judge the rold by fire.
v. Direct my way in your sight, O Lord, my God,
r. When you come to judge the world by fire.
v. Give her eternal rest, O Lord, and may your light shine on her forever,
r. When you come to judge the world by fire.
v. Lord, have mercy.
r. Christ, have mercy, Lord have mercy.
all:
Our Father…
v. From the gates of hell,
r. Deliver her soul, O Lord.
v. May she rest in peace.
r. Amen.
v. Lord, hear my prayer,
r. And let my cry come to you.
Let us pray
Lord, welcome into your presence your daughter Dorothy, whom you have called from this life. Release her from all her sins; bless her with eternal light and peace; raise her up to live forever with all your saints in the glory of the Resurrection. Through Christ our Lord.
May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.
The other day I read this passage from 1 Corinthians:
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold fast to the traditions, just as I handed them on to you. (1 Corinth 11:1-2)
It immediately caused me to examine my conscience and discern whether I, too have been an imitator of Christ and ask God how I can bring the love of Christ to others. The answer came as I read in the Gospel of St. John:
Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me…As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. (Jn. 15:4, 9)
We cannot radiate what we do not possess within us. In order to imitate Christ, we must always seek an intimate union with Him. This comes through constant prayer and fidelity to the Sacraments.
The following Prayer in Union With Jesus has become a favorite of mine as I strive to empty myself so as to be filled with Christ:
Lord Jesus, grant me the grace to empty myself and be filled with Your love, peace, patience, compassion, mercy, forgiveness and understanding. Let every beat of my heart and every breath that I breathe be for You. Let every word that I speak be reflective of You. Let every glance I give be a mirror of You. Let every hand I touch feel Your gentle care. Let every step I take be on Your path toward Your Light. Let every word of praise I may receive be directed to You in humble thanksgiving. Let every angry word said to me or against me be returned with words of love and mercy not anger and revenge. Let every desire I have be for You. Let my will conform to Yours. Touch every cell of my body, Lord, and make me the person, the servant You want me to be. Amen.
I found this prayer on the back of a prayer card from the from Hopedale, OH. The prayer can be found online here.
Today’s office of readings featured that famous and beautiful passage from the Confessions of St. Augustine that is always worth reading and meditating upon:
Late have I loved you, Beauty so ancient and so new, late have I loved you!
Lo, you were within,
but I outside, seeking there for you,
and upon the shapely things you have made
I rushed headlong – I, misshapen.
You were with me, but I was not with you.
They held me back far from you,
those things which would have no being,
were they not in you.
You called, shouted, broke through my deafness;
you flared, blazed, banished my blindness;
you lavished your fragrance, I gasped; and now I pant for you;
I tasted you, and now I hunger and thirst;
you touched me, and I burned for your peace.
When at last I cling to you with my whole being there will be no more anguish or labour for me, and my life will be alive indeed, alive because filled with you. But now it is very different. Anyone whom you fill you also uplift; but I am not full of you, and so I am a burden to myself. Joys over which I ought to weep do battle with sorrows that should be matter for joy, and I do not know which will be victorious. But I also see griefs that are evil at war in me with joys that are good, and I do not know which will win the day. This is agony, Lord, have pity on me! It is agony! See, I do not hide my wounds; you are the physician and I am sick; you are merciful, I in need of mercy.
Is not human life on earth a time of testing? Who would choose troubles and hardships? You command us to endure them, but not to love them. No-one loves what he has to endure, even if he loves the endurance, for although he may rejoice in his power to endure, he would prefer to have nothing that demands endurance. In adverse circumstances I long for prosperity, and in times of prosperity I dread adversity. What middle ground is there, between these two, where human life might be free from trial? Woe betide worldly prosperity, and woe again, from fear of disaster and evanescent joy! But woe, woe, and woe again upon worldly adversity, from envy of better fortune, the hardship of adversity itself, and the fear that endurance may falter. Is not human life on earth a time of testing without respite?
On your exceedingly great mercy, and on that alone, rests all my hope.
Today we remember those who have given their lives for the cause of freedom, the protection of their country and their fellow man. That includes some priests! I saw an interesting documentary last week about a military chaplain who was killed in Vietnam, Servant of God Fr. Vincent Capodanno, The Grunt Padre:
In a very special way today I remember Lance Cpl. Darin Settle, a very good friend of mine from high school who died in Iraq two years ago:
And Lee McCoy who lost his battle with cancer last week. Lee was a Vietnam Vet who served on the USS Pomodon SS486 submarine. He was a good friend and collegue of my parents’ in the ag media industry. See a tribute to Lee here and here.
For more on Darin see my previous post Lance Cpl. Darin Thomas Settle. You can also view and sign Darin’s legacy guest book or his fallen heroes guest book.
For our fallen soldiers:
God our Father,
Your power brings us to birth,
Your providence guides our lives,
and by Your command we return to dust.Lord, those who die still live in Your presence,
their lives change but do not end.
I pray in hope for my family,
relatives and friends,
and for all the dead known to You alone.In company with Christ,
Who died and now lives,
may they rejoice in Your kingdom,
where all our tears are wiped away.
Unite us together again in one family,
to sing Your praise forever and ever.Amen.
From JPII’s “Meditations on the Book of Genesis at the Threshold of the Sistine Chapel”
This End is also the summit of transparency
such is the path of all generations.“Non omnis moriar” (Not all of me will die).
What is imperishable in me
now stands face to face with Him Who Is!
No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (Jn. 15:13)
I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.
Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever. (Jn. 6:51, 53-58)
Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you.” (Lk. 22:19-20)
The weather was not great this morning so there was no Eucharistic procession for us today. Fr. Z has photos from the Mass and procession in Rome last Thursday (the traditional feast of CC). A good article from Zenit: Pope: Eucharist Linked to Marriage
After visiting the nursing homes yesterday I found out that one of our most beloved residents, 92 yr. old Dorothy, AKA Grandma, seems to have reached her final days. Please pray for her and her family.
Find out more about Grandma on this post.