Our Lady of all Nations.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Father, send now your Spirit over the Earth.

Let the Holy Spirit live in the heart of all nations, that they may be preserved from degeneration, disaster and war.

May the Lady of all nations, the Blessed Virgin Mary, be our Advocate.

Amen.

Daily Mass Readings.

Weeks ago, when I was giving thought as to how I would observe Lent this year, I decided that I would make every effort to attend Mass every day. In our Parish, there are daily Masses at noon on week days....with the exception of Thursday, when there is no Mass but, a Communion service at 7:00 AM.
It would have been very difficult getting my three year old up and ready for the Thursday Communion service but, there didn't seem to be any problem with me attending the noon Masses.

That plan has hit a snag. I had an accident recently in my wife's car....it's mine now; she bought another. I took the car to the body repair shop last week and at that time it seemed that the car would be repaired by Ash Wednesday. As it turns out, there is damage to the frame and the cost to repair the frame may be more than the value of the car.

As I write this, I have no idea what the insurance company will do, but it looks like no matter what the company decides, I will be without transportation for awhile longer. There's no way I can attend the week day Masses without a vehicle.

In place of daily Mass, I've posted a link to the daily Mass readings on the usccb website.

The readings can also serve as lectio divina.

Ash Wednesday 2009.

Normally, my work schedule interferes with a proper observance of Ash Wednesday. I've always had to make certain changes in order to attend Mass with my family.

In years past, I've taken off early. When I was working 12 hour shifts, my regular time for getting off work was 7:00 PM; Evening Masses usually started at 5:00 and 7:30.

When we changed to eight hour shifts, I landed the 2nd shift (3:00 PM to 11:00PM) and new attendance policies at work kept me from leaving early or coming in late too often. The solution was taking a "vacation day". I had the entire day off, with pay and no penalty. Taking the day off also made fasting and abstinence less of a burden.

This year, the situation is different. I didn't have to take a day off, as we are "laid off" for the week. I'll be getting an unemployment check for this week.

So, there's no excuse not to get a complete Rosary today.....with the entire 20 Mysteries; no excuse not to do a proper Catholic fast.

Salamat Maria. La Naval de Manila 2007

Meditation and Coincidences.

I first began practicing meditation on May 25, 1975.

It's not that I wrote down the date in a diary or marked it on a calendar. As it turned out, there was a lunar eclipse that evening and it's easy enough to get the dates of eclipses on NASA's website.

Another "coincidence" that helps keep that date in my consciousness is that that day happened to be Vesak as well. Vesak is considered by Buddhists as the date of the birth, enlightenment and the passing away of Gautama Buddha.

Discovering this Vesak coincidence after the fact is proof enough, for me at least, that I'm heading in the right direction with my meditation practice.

I've since then returned to my boyhood faith of Catholicism. My meditation has been ever so slightly modified into what Catholic monks call Centering Prayer. A few years ago I discovered yet another "coincidence" regarding my meditation. Playing around with the letters in my full legal name (as given to me by my father) I found an interesting anagram...... "Romes Buddhist master".

The word Rome, of course, can refer to the city in Georgia where I live......or the home of the Roman Catholic Church.

October Rosary.

The month of October is dedicated to the Rosary.
Although I recognize the value of praying the Rosary every day, I haven't lived up to that. I'm resolving say a Rosary every day this month.....and on into November due to the upcoming election. These are not easy times that we live in.
I awoke early this morning. It was after my wife had left for work but before our three year old son woke.I was ending the fourth Mystery as he came into the room......he sat quietly on my lap as I finished the fifth Mystery and said the Hail Holy Queen. He's sat and listened to my wife and I pray the Rosary often enough to know that it is a special time and not the time for play or TV.
Of course, once I finished and made the sign of the cross, he realized it was over and he could ask me to let him watch Thomas the tank engine.

One Year Later.

As I look at the record of my posts on my three blogs, I see that it has been a year since I last posted on this particular one.
Writing about the inner life enhanced by meditation and prayer is not easy.
I'm currently reading Thomas Merton's "The Seven Storey Mountain".....a wonderful example of just how such writing should be done.
Would that I could do as well.
My situation hasn't changed very much in the past year- I continue to practice "centering prayer" twice a day, and pray the Rosary a few nights a week with my wife (with our child beside us). I am still involved with a group that gathers on the first Saturday of each month for a prayer vigil to Our Lady of Fatima and, most importantly, I receive Holy Communion whenever I can. I've tried to be more attentive in going to the church on the first Friday of the month for Eucharistic Adoration.
One change of note. I have recently become an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion at our church. This is a wonderful privilege.
I hope to return more often to this blog.....but writing here is more difficult than writing on my other. I need to be more "serious" here and that doesn't always come easy.

Mother Teresa's 'Dark Night'.

Just in time for the anniversary of her birth, the news services were reporting the story of the publication of a book of letters written by Mother Teresa. According to the reports, this book will show that she was plagued by doubts and possibly a loss of faith throughout most of her life.
The reasoning behind the secular media publishing these reports now are obvious, of course.They'll look for any excuse to cast doubt in God's existence and even better....in their view....if they can discredit a holy person and the Catholic church all in one fell swope. Some even supposed that this new information could put her canonization in jeopardy.
When an email was sent to me regarding the book, I realized right away that Mother Teresa had been under-going what is known in spiritual circles as "the dark night of the soul". Further reading of comments from Church leaders confirmed what I had thought.
Using the "logic" of those inclined to believe "The Da Vinci Code", one would think the Catholic Church would have suppressed the letters, but it was Father Brian Kolodiejchuk -the head of those pushing for her sainthood- that insisted on saving the letters and publishing them.
The book is due to be released in September. At present, Time Magazine has exclusive rights to excerpts.Their online article can be found here.
A good understanding of the Catholic Church's view can be found in this article from Zenit.

My prayer life....cont.

The month of May has brought about a small change in regards to my prayer life.Saturday,being the first Saturday of the month,we went to the regular Fatima prayer and we prayed the Rosary at home Sunday...the first time in over a month.Maybe things are turning around.With my new work schedule and the possibility that my wife will start a new job may make it more difficult to pray the Rosary together daily, but I'm sure we can pray it as a family on the weekends.
Still,planning my meditation times around my infant son remains a challenge.Even though my new schedule has changed how and when we can do the Rosary and meditation, I'm able to attend Mass every Sunday and can receive the Eucharist and for that, I'm grateful.

My prayer life.

April has not been a good month for me in terms of keeping up my prayer life.While we were in Philippines,it was easy enough doing my morning meditation;I'm an early riser,so the house was always quiet enough.The afternoon meditation was different.There were always people roaming about....the T.V.,radio.There was far too much noise and I couldn't bring myself to ask someone to be quiet in their own home.I was the visitor.We did even worse in keeping up the Rosary.That was most surprising to me since we were in a Catholic home.It should have been easy to find time before bed for that,but we did not say the Rosary once while we were in Dumaguete.
We haven't done better here at home since our return.My work schedule has changed and so has my sleep pattern.The difficulty lies in not being able to get a 1 1/2 year old child to be quiet at the right times.
Now that my work schedule has changed, we no longer pray the Rosary before going to bed at night.Every day I think this will be the day we get back to doing it properly.So far,it hasn't.Maybe putting this down will be the push that I need.
I hope so.

Thanks

Thanks to God and His servant, Saint Jude Thaddeus, the passport arrived in time and we left for Dumaguete as planned.It will be difficult for me to write in three blogs while I'm here so I will only write in sorryalltheclevernamesaretakenfor the next few weeks.

Saint Jude Thaddaeus

There's been some many delays and contradictory stories concerning my son's passport that I felt a need to appeal to the patron saint of lost causes.St. Jude Thaddeus is known as the patron saint of desperate causes. He is believed to be able to intervene in such cases and create miraculous solutions. Novenas (prayer services) are often dedicated and/or directed to St. Jude.The following is a popular prayer to St. Jude:

May the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ
be adored, glorified, loved,
and preserved throughout the world,
now and forever.
Sacred Heart of Jesus,pray for us.
St. Jude, helper of the helpless,
pray for us.
St. Jude, worker of miracles,
pray for us.

Seven Sorrows Devotion

From OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY LIBRARY (www.olrl.org)

The Seven Sorrows Devotion

The Blessed Virgin Mary grants seven graces to the
souls who honor her daily by saying seven Hail Mary's
and meditating on her tears and dolors. The devotion
was passed on by St. Bridget.

HERE ARE THE SEVEN GRACES:

1. I will grant peace to their families.
2. They will be enlightened about the divine mysteries.
3. I will console them in their pains and I will accompany
them in their work.
4. I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does
not oppose the adorable will of my divine Son or the
sanctification of their souls.
5. I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their
lives.
6. I will visibly help them at the moment of their death, they
will see the face of their Mother.
7. I have obtained (This Grace) from my divine Son, that those
who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors, will
be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness
since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son and I will
be their eternal consolation and joy.

The SEVEN SORROWS of our BLESSED MOTHER

1. The prophecy of Simeon: "And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother: Behold this child is set for the fall and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted; And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that out of many hearts thoughts may be revealed" (Luke II: 34-35).

Meditation: How great was the shock to Mary's Heart at hearing the sorrowful words, in which holy Simeon told the bitter Passion and death of her sweet Jesus, since in that same moment she realized in her mind all the insults, blows, and torments which the impious men were to offer to the Redeemer of the world. But a still sharper sword pierced her soul. It was the thought of men's ingratitude to her beloved Son. Now consider that because of your sins you are unhappily among the ungrateful.

2. The flight into Egypt: "And after they (the wise men) were departed, behold an angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying: Arise and take the child and His mother and fly into Egypt: and be there until I shall tell thee. For it will come to pass that Herod will seek the child to destroy Him. Who arose and took the child and His mother by night, and retired into Egypt: and He was there until the death of Herod" (Matt. II: 13-14).

Meditation: Consider the sharp sorrow which Mary felt when, St. Joseph being warned by an angel, she had to flee by night in order to preserve her beloved Child from the slaughter decreed by Herod. What anguish was hers, in leaving Judea, lest she should be overtaken by the soldiers of the cruel king! How great her privations in that long journey! What sufferings she bore in that land of exile, what sorrow amid that people given to idolatry! But consider how often you have renewed that bitter grief of Mary, when your sins have caused her Son to flee from your heart.

3. The loss of the Child Jesus in the temple: "And having fulfilled the days, when they returned, the Child Jesus remained in Jerusalem; and His parents knew it not. And thinking that he was in the company, they came a day's journey, and sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And not finding Him, they returned into Jerusalem, seeking Him" (Luke II: 43-45).

Meditation: How dread was the grief of Mary, when she saw that she had lost her beloved Son! And as if to increase her sorrow, when she sought Him diligently among her kinsfolk and acquaintance, she could hear no tidings of Him. No hindrances stayed her, nor weariness, nor danger; but she forthwith returned to Jerusalem, and for three long days sought Him sorrowing. Great be your confusion, O my soul, who has so often lost your Jesus by your sins, and has given no heed to seek Him at once, a sign that you make very little or no account of the precious treasure of divine love.

4. The meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross: "And there followed Him a great multitude of people, and of women, who bewailed and lamented Him" (Luke XXIII: 27).

Meditation: Come, O ye sinners, come and see if ye can endure so sad a sight. This Mother, so tender and loving, meets her beloved Son, meets Him amid an impious rabble, who drag Him to a cruel death, wounded, torn by stripes, crowned with thorns, streaming with blood, bearing His heavy cross. Ah, consider, my soul, the grief of the blessed Virgin thus beholding her Son! Who would not weep at seeing this Mother's grief? But who has been the cause of such woe? I, it is I, who with my sins have so cruelly wounded the heart of my sorrowing Mother! And yet I am not moved; I am as a stone, when my heart should break because of my ingratitude.

5. The Crucifixion: "They crucified Him. Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, His Mother. When Jesus therefore had seen His Mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, He saith to His Mother: Woman: behold thy son. After that he saith to the disciple: Behold thy Mother" (John XIX: l8, 25-27).

Meditation: Look, devout soul, look to Calvary, whereon are raised two altars of sacrifice, one on the body of Jesus, the other on the heart of Mary. Sad is the sight of that dear Mother drowned in a sea of woe, seeing her beloved Son, part of her very self, cruelly nailed to the shameful tree of the cross. Ah me! how every blow of the hammer, how every stripe which fell on the Saviour's form, fell also on the disconsolate spirit of the Virgin. As she stood at the foot of the cross, pierced by the sword of sorrow, she turned her eyes on Him, until she knew that He lived no longer and had resigned His spirit to His Eternal Father. Then her own soul was like to have left the body and joined itself to that of Jesus.

6. The taking down of the Body of Jesus from the Cross: "Joseph of Arimathea, a noble counselor, came and went in boldly to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. And Joseph buying fine linen, and taking Him down, wrapped Him up in the fine linen" (Mark XV: 43-46).

Meditation: Consider the most bitter sorrow which rent the soul of Mary, when she saw the dead body of her dear Jesus on her knees, covered with blood, all torn with deep wounds. O mournful Mother, a bundle of myrrh, indeed, is thy Beloved to thee. Who would not pity thee? Whose heart would not be softened, seeing affliction which would move a stone? Behold John not to be comforted, Magdalen and the other Mary in deep affliction, and Nicodemus, who can scarcely bear her sorrow.

7. The burial of Jesus: "Now there was in the place where He was crucified, a garden; and in the garden a new sepulcher, wherein no man yet had been laid. There, therefore, because of the parasceve of the Jews, they laid Jesus, because the sepulcher was nigh at hand" (John XIX: 41-42).

Meditation: Consider the sighs which burst from Mary's sad heart when she saw her beloved Jesus laid within the tomb. What grief was hers when she saw the stone lifted to cover that sacred tomb! She gazed a last time on the lifeless body of her Son, and could scarce detach her eyes from those gaping wounds. And when the great stone was rolled to the door of the sepulcher, oh, then indeed her heart seemed torn from her body!

A Novena of Rosaries

While I believe that the continued practice of contemplative prayer along with regularly receiving the Eucharist will fill your soul and your awareness with the Holy Spirit, I believe I may have sinned in assuming that, because of this increased presence, I would receive everything I wanted.Everything that I have is a gift from God but it is He who determines which gifts I receive.As a penance I will be doing a novena of rosaries. I already pray the rosary with my wife every evening, but for the next nine mornings, after my first meditation, I will pray the complete 20 Mysteries each day as well.

Dominique's Way of the Cross photos

I was visiting one of my favorite blogs today.... villageidiotsavant written by a Filipino named Dominique Cimafranca.His most recent entry was about his visit to San Juan Bautista Church south of Metro Manila.He posted a link to photos he took of gigantic reliefs of the Stations of the Cross on the church grounds.I was so impressed by the photos that I sent the link to a number of my friends.I've put the link here.... Dominique's Way of the Cross photos.
I wanted to include one of his photos here, but, I couldn't download it so, I put in this painting of the crowning with thorns by Hieronymus Bosch

Sunday Mass

It may seem an odd subject for a Meditation blog, but this entry will be about my work schedule.For more than eleven years, the company I work for has tried to maintain a 24/7 work schedule using alternating 12 hour shifts to do this with as little overtime pay as possible.As a result, there's been 4 shifts...A,B,C and D and we've had to work an odd rotating schedule.So, for eleven years I've had to work every other weekend with alternating weekends off.For about two years we've been having to take extra days off due to slow business but these off days were either on Monday or Friday.I didn't want to work Sundays and miss Mass and it seemed crazy to me that with our short-time schedule that we've have to work on that day.Now, after praying for it regularly,our schedule has been changed starting April 2nd.I'll be working Monday thru Friday and I can finally attend Sunday Mass every week.

Catholic Home Study Service

Lent is a time for spiritual renewal.This week, the first week in Lent,our parish has had the privilege of hearing a series of talks given by the Director of Catholic Home Study Service, Fr.Oscar Lukefafr;C.M..According to their website,Catholic Home Study Service (CHSS), is sponsored by the Vincentian community and the Missouri Knights of Columbus and has been offering free courses on the Catholic Faith for more than sixty years. There are currently seven courses available with an eighth to be added soon.These free courses are available not only in the United States but a number of other countries as well.I would recommend these books to any Catholic wishing to have a better understanding of the Church's teachings.

Stations of the Cross

In our parish,we have Stations of the Cross every Friday during Lent.Normally, my job prevents me from attending each week.My regular schedule requires me to work on alternate Fridays and I can't go the days I work.For several months, we've been off work every Friday because business has been slow.I was expecting to be able to go to church every Friday this time, but as luck would have it, now that Lent has arrived, the manager has changed the work schedule.....again. Now, he's returned it the "normal" schedule and I can only attend the Stations on alternate Fridays, as before.
If we can go to Philippines according to plan,we'll be in Dumaguete during Holy Week and we can do Via Crucis the way it should be done.

Ash Wednesday

Looking back,I see my father as the strongest influence on my Catholicism.It was he who sent us to the nuns to learn the catechism.He took us to confession every Saturday and Mass every Sunday.
But,it's odd.....he never took us to midnight Mass at Christmas or Mass on Ash Wednesday.Today is Ash Wednesday and I can't imagine not going to Mass .My wife will be there with me and we will take our son.Was my father too busy with work then or did he not appreciate the significance of the day?Some many things I want to ask him but can't.
All I can do now is pray for him and for my mother.He's been dead nearly forty years....my mother, almost twenty seven years.
Memento homo, quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris

The most important thing

Commenting on my previous post on Sr. Lucia, Oberon asks,"What is the most important thing?".If I were to confine my answer to a one sentence response I would say the most important thing is developing your relationship with God.There are certainly several paths available and I'm not going to argue which one is the best for everyone but instead write about what I feel is the best way for me.
Number one is receiving the Eucharist on a regular basis.
Twice- daily Meditation and daily Rosary are important.
Attending not only Mass on Sunday but on Holy Days of Obligation is something I strive to do.
Reading is high on my list as well....not only the Bible, but writings by a wide variety of religious and philosophical writers.
"And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."