Sts. Peter And Paul:Light In Christ's Mystical Body

                                           

As St Paul is the patron saint of this blog, I thought it only fitting to post something about him today. His feast is always celebrated with St Peter. So here is a brief reflection from my archives with a link for further reading about these to great apostolic saints.

Peter and Paul were men whose paths actually crossed while on this earth. Peter was one of Jesus' Apostles and chosen by Him as the first pope. Paul never knew Christ while Our Lord walked the earth, but his powerful conversion had the effect as if he had.
I often wonder about these two great saints, who while in their earthly lives became very faith~filled men, were not always saints. Judging from what we know about their personalities, both were extremely strong willed. I wonder what it would have been like to have them both in the same room at the same time. I somehow imagine some holy sparks flying from time to time. Definitely not always as "chummy" as this El Greco painting portrays them.
Both loved Jesus deeply and believed in Him with everything that they were. God in His infinite wisdom raised up these two pillars of our Church at the same time.
Pope St Leo the Great compares Peter and Paul to: "two eyes that bring light to the body whose head is Christ."
On this Solemnity of Sts Peter and Paul, let us ask them to continue to intercede for Christ's Mystical Body, His Church, and may they intercede for each of us and inspire us with their fire and conviction in Spirit.

You can read the rest of Pope St Leo the Great's sermon, as well as the writings of other Doctors of the Church on these two powerful saints here.

Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us!

Quick Bytes #29: Wonderfully

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Today's Psalm is: I praise you Lord because I am wonderfully made!

It is not: I question you Lord because I am overweight, not as good looking as I want, short, not a Nobel Prize winner, bald, poor, angry, sad, etc., etc., etc.

God Bless.
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Fortnight For Freedom

source

Our U.S. Catholic Bishops are calling all Catholics and others of faith, to participate in Fortnight of Freedom starting tomorrow on June 21st until July 4th.  They are calling it "a great hymn of prayer for our country."  During these two weeks, we also celebrate the feast days of brave martyrs who remained faithful to Jesus during persecution and they are:  St. John Fisher, St. Thomas More, St. John the Baptist, St. Peter, St. Paul and the First Martyrs of the Church of Rome.  We are now facing religious persecution if this HHS Mandate will not be overturned.  All Catholics are asked to focus on prayer, study, catechesis and public action during these two weeks.

For more information please go to the USCCB website to learn how you can make a difference in restoring religious freedom to our nation.  American Life League is supporting this effort and you can go to their website for additional information as well.

Mary Immaculate, pray for us!
Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!
St. John Fisher, pray for us!
St. Thomas More, pray for us!
St. John the Baptist, pray for us!
St. Peter and St. Paul, pray for us!
First Martyrs of the Church, pray for us!

Blessings,
Noreen

Quick Bytes #28: Not Tried

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Christianity has not been tried and found wanting;
It has been found difficult and not tried.
                     - G.K. Chesterton

Prayers for those that have not yet tried
Christianity in its fullness.
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Vultus Christi: Thou hast set Thy Heart on us

Thou hast set Thy Heart on us

From Father Mark Kirby at Vultus Christi:

"This he learned not by searching far and wide,
but by abiding there with Mary near the cross,
there to gaze on the 'one whom they have pierced' (Jn 19:37).
This he learned, John the eagle,
gazing unblinking into the Sun
that rose each day before his eyes
in the Breaking of the Bread.
"This is My Body which is given for you.
Do this for a commemoration of Me.
In like manner the chalice also,
after He had supped, saying:
'This is the Chalice, the new testament in my blood,
which shall be shed for you'" (Lk 22:19-20).

Teach us, John of the seeing heart,
how to gaze with unveiled faces
on the Face here veiled,
that we may discern in the Bread broken and given
the Eucharistic Heart, the water and the blood (cf. Jn 19:34)."

Read the rest here.  Thank you Father Mark.

Teach us, St. John, to abide with Mary near the cross, today in honor of her Immaculate Heart, and all days in His Eucharistic Heart.  In the Most Holy Name of Jesus, Amen.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Community of Catholic Bloggers.

One year old today.

God bless.

The Judgment of Gloria Polo

Gloria Polo is a dentist in Columbia who was struck by lightning and "died". Here is her remarkable story. I posted a link to a longer version for those who are interested on my blog The Beautiful Gate. The details in Gloria Polo's story are amazing and truly make one think about what happens after we die...our judgment before the Lord. I hope everyone will take a few minutes to read this powerful testimony. The translation is poor but still quite readable.

Quick Bytes #27: Open

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Seen on a church sign:

Now open between 
Easter and Christmas!

As we enter the summer months in the Northern Hemisphere,
now feels like a good time to pray that more Catholics return to the Church.

God Bless.
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World Priest Day 2012

                                    
I posted this over at my own blog, but thought it would be good to post here as well.
This Friday, June 15, 2012 is the Third Annual Rosary Rally for Priests. It is a day when priest around the world will be gathering at various shrines praying the Rosary for each other. The lay faithful are invited to join in as well. Here are some details and a link to the World Priest Day site. 

Friday June 15, 2012 has been designated as World Priest Day by WorldPriest.com in partnership with the American Confraternity of Catholic Clergy. This date is also the feast of The Sacred Heart of Jesus. A Rosary Relay for priests has been organized.  There will be 60 rosaries in 60 countries prayed throughout the day. The rosaries are being prayed by priests for priests.
We, as the faithful, can join in this relay right in our own homes. The World Priest Day site has the schedule of times and locations where each of the rosaries will be prayed. The particular Mysteries being prayed as well as the intentions are listed under each location.
Now more than ever, our priests need our prayers and our support. As we celebrate the feast dedicated to Our Lord's Sacred Heart, let us entrust our priests to His heart through through our Blessed Mother and the Rosary.

Related article at Catholic News Agency

Sacred Heart of Jesus Novena

O, my Jesus, you have said : "Truly I say to you, ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you."  Behold, I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of (insert your request).
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be to the Father.
"Sacred Heart of Jesus I place all my trust in you."

O, my Jesus, you have said:  "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, He will give it to you."  Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of (insert your request).
Our Father.  Hail Mary. Glory Be to the Father.
"Sacred Heart of Jesus I place all my trust in you."

O, my Jesus, you have said:  "Truly I say to you, Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away."  Encouraged by your infallible words I know ask for the grace of (insert your request).
Our Father.  Hail Mary.  Glory Be to the Father.
"Sacred Heart of Jesus I place all my trust in you."


O SAcred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender mother and ours.

Say the Hail Holy Queen and add "St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us."

St. Padre Pio prayed this novena every day.  Please come and join us for the Sacred Heart of Jesus link up Here.

Blessings,
Noreen

A Thought for Corpus Christi

Holy Eucharist in Monstrance

This week the Church celebrated the feast of Corpus Christi.  In many countries it's celebrated on Thursday in commemoration of the Last Supper, but here in the United States we celebrate the feast on Sunday with processions and lots of pomp and circumstance as befits the King of Kings.  

St. Teresa of Avila reflected on the presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist in her usual simple but profound way:

How would I, a poor sinner, who have so often offended You, dare to approach You, O Lord, if I beheld You in all Your Majesty?  Under the appearances of bread, however, it is easy to approach You, for if a king disguises himself, it seems as if we do not have to talk to him with so much circumspection and ceremony.

If You were not hidden, O Lord, who would dare to approach You with such coldness, so unworthily, and with so many imperfections?

Besides, I cannot doubt at all about Your real presence in the Eucharist.  You have given me such a lively faith that, when I hear others say they wish they had been living when You were on earth, I laugh to myself, for I know that I possess You as truly in the Blessed Sacrament as people did then, and I wonder what more anyone could possibly want" (T.J. Life, 38-cf. Way, 34).

St. Teresa reminds me that I should get rid of the "gimmies" and make Jesus be enough.

Come Make A Stand

June 8, 2012, marks the 223rd anniversary of  the day our Founding Father James Madison introduced the Bill of Rights, with its guarantee of religious freedom, to the First Congress.

Madison's original proposal for a bill of rights provision concerning religion read: ''The civil rights of none shall be abridged on account of religious belief or worship, nor shall any national religion be established, nor shall the full and equal rights of conscience be in any manner, or on any pretence, infringed.'' 1 The language was altered in the House to read: ''Congress shall make no law establishing religion, or to prevent the free exercise thereof, or to infringe the rights of conscience.'' 2 In the Senate, the section adopted read: ''Congress shall make no law establishing articles of faith, or a mode of worship, or prohibiting the free exercise of religion, . . .'' 3

Religious freedom is something we here in the United States think of as a birth right, something we take for granted. But religious freedom here in the United States is under attach.

As most of us are well aware, on January 20, 2012 the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), under Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, unveiled a new policy which has come to be known at the “HHS Mandate.”
The new Mandate would requiring nearly all private health insurance plans to include coverage for all FDA-approved prescription contraceptive drugs and devices, surgical sterilizations and abortion-inducing drugs—drugs that interfere with implantation in the womb and therefore destroy the life of a human being in the earliest stage of development.

 The Pro-Life Action League and Citizens for a Pro-Life Society are pleased to announce that the next Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally will take place on Friday, June 8, in cities and towns across the United States.

Please come out and support this rally at a location near you. Call a friend or family member and invite them along with you. If there isn't a location near you ,or you are unable to attend, join our efforts in prayer and fasting this day.

Stand up for Religious Freedom
 The First Amendment Overview

Heavenly Trinity Earthly Trinity

“The Heavenly and Earthly Trinities” by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo.

"Murillo, The Heavenly and Earthly Trinities, about 1675-1682 Photo © The National Gallery, London”.

Our priest mentioned this painting in his sermon today. He explained that the Trinity is difficult to understand for a lot of people. How can God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit be three persons in one.

He said that this painting shows the Holy Trinity with God at the top, the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, and Jesus holding Mary on His right and Joseph on His left. Jesus, Mary and Joseph being the Earthly Trinity.

What is important, the priest said, is that Joseph is looking at us and inviting us in the Earthly Trinity.

By accepting who Jesus is, as well as His Mother and Father, we would also, in time, be accepted in the Holy Heavenly Trinity.

Jay Leno is a Catholic?

A friend informed me, today, that Jay Leno is a "devout Catholic who is very outspoken in his Faith".

With all due respect to Mr. Leno, this really surprised me.

I was stunned that someone who has spent their entire career "talking trash" and "feeding the depraved desires of the flesh" of the millions of "voyeurs" who wish to "get a little piece of the action" of Hollywood, sex, drugs, gossips, and politically-correctness, would be a "devout Catholic".

This caused me to wonder something; which is why I am posting it here...in the hopes that you will share your thoughts with me.

It caused me to wonder how a person could justify a career that is so wrought with outward sinfulness and sometimes base and offensive words and/or actions that clearly contradict God's ways.

It caused me to wonder, further, if people, "in general", consider God and their career as co-existing. By this, I mean, doesn't everyone (at least all Christians and most especially "devout" Catholics) ask themselves if the job they are accepting is going to "jive" with their beliefs, convictions, and faith?

Or, is it just me?

Have I taken for granted that we should always make sure the employment we choose is not offensive to God; or, does not have a tendency to lead people astray?

I have been confronted with topics before where the answer was "less than clear" for me; such as:

I have a friend whose husband is a driver for a delivery service. He is a Christian. Well, very often, the packages he delivers to people's doorsteps contain their monthly subscriptions or bulk orders of pornography. My friend's husband needs his livelihood; obviously. They have family to support.
He is the driver. He does not read the materials. Yet, he feels AWFUL every time he leaves this garbage on someone's front porch. Usually, the way he has been able to deal with it, is that he prays for the resident of the home; that he/she will be convicted to stop using pornography and turn their hearts toward the Lord.

I honestly think I'd have to find another job. But, I speak out of turn because I've never been the sole bread-winner for a growing family; so, I don't really know WHAT I'd do in that situation.

Anyway, that's a bit of a divergence from Mr. Leno; however, not really, because it's sort of all lumped together under "What is our obligation, as Catholics, when it comes to the careers we choose...and/or do we HAVE any obligation, to begin with"?


What say you?

Imagine ...

Imagine you are face to face with St Peter at the Gates of Heaven.

He asks you: "Have you enjoyed life on earth?"

What do you answer?

Why?

"Then He breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive people's sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.' " John 20: 22-23.

Why?

Why would Jesus and the Disciples not forgive sins?

Quick Bytes #26: Holy Spirit vs Google

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Then: The Disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to preach in different tongues.  They walked hundreds of miles during their lifetime to convert people, often one by one.

Now:  Google lets us translate anything into any language with just a click.  We can reach millions of people at once with just one tweet - from the comfort of our couch.

Who was more effective?
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Veni Creator Spiritus

While I love the scriptures chosen for Pentecost Sunday, an excerpt from The Divine Consolation of Blessed Angela Foligno was especially helpful for understanding personal relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit, Stained Glass Image

The Holy Spirit appeared to her and said, "I have not willed to send thee another messenger.  I am the Holy Spirit, who am come unto thee to bring thee such consolation as thou hast never before tasted . . . I will bear thee company and will speak to thee all the way . . . My daughter who are sweet unto me, my daughter who art my temple:  My beloved daughter, do thou love Me, for I do greatly love thee and much more than thou lovest me . . . . My beloved and my bride, love thou Me!  All thy life, thy eating and drinking and sleeping and all that thou dost is pleasing unto Me, if only thou lovest Me."

In a later appearance the Holy Spirit said to her, "Infinite is the love which I bear thee, but I do not reveal it unto thee -- yea, I do even conceal it . . . . for I desire that in this world thou shouldest hunger and long after Me and shouldest ever be eager to find Me. . . . So great is the love I bear thee that I no more remember thy sins, albeit Mine eyes do see them, for in thee have I much treasure."

Blessed Angela was overwhelmed by the consolations when she perceived so strongly her sinfulness.  She asked the Holy Spirit for a sign, for a ring.

The Holy Spirit told her, "Therefore will I give thee another sign, better than the one thou seekest, and which will be forever with thee, and in thy soul thou shalt always feel it.  The sign shall be this:  Thou shalt be fervent in love, and the love and the enlightened knowledge of God shall be ever with thee and in thee.  This shall be a certain sign unto thee that I am He, because none save I can do this."

Beautiful, right?

Some scripture references for the Holy Spirit:

Joel 2:

28	"And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.
29	And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

Numbers 11:

27	And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”
28	So Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, one of his choice men, answered and said, “Moses my lord, forbid them!”
29	Then Moses said to him, “Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!”

Ezekiel 36:

26	“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27	“I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
28	“Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.

John 20: (institution of Sacrament of Confession)

21	So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you."
22	And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
23	If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.

John 7:

37	On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
38	He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.
39	But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

John 14:

15	If you love Me, keep My commandments.
16	And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-
17	the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

25	These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.
26	But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
27	Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Acts 2:

1	When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2	And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3	Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.
4	And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5	And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven.
6	And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language.

Psalm 51:⁹ Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
¹¹ Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
¹³ Then I will teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners will return to thee.

Pope Benedict XVI on June 8, 2011 greeted young people in Vatican City telling them the Holy Spirit will make them "fearless witnesses of Christ".

He told them and tells us, "I exhort you, dear young people, to frequently invoke the Holy Spirit who makes you fearless witnesses of Christ."

Prayer to the Holy Spirit:

Holy Spirit,

Open our minds to know Jesus.

Open our hearts to receive His Love.

Holy Spirit,

Send your cleansing wind.

Blow away our doubts and fears.

Give us the wisdom to know

Your will and the courage to follow it

Give us the mind of Jesus.

Holy Spirit,

Ignite your holy fire in our souls.

Burn away anger and resentment

Warm us with love for You and for

one another.

Make us all one as you, the Father

and the Son, are one.

Holy Spirit,

Send us Your light.

Drive out confusion and despair.

Teach us to know Your truth.

Teach us to understand one another.

Holy Spirit,

lead us on the path

of justice and peace.

Holy Spirit,

send us forth to witness to the

Gospel by word and example.

May all who have been redeemed

by the blood of Christ, come to

know You, the one true God,

and Jesus Christ, whom

You have sent.

Amen!

Arrival in Wind and Fire

                             

Jean Restout's: Pentecost

I wrote the following reflection Pentecost Sunday two years ago. It has remained at the top of my "Most Visited" posts for some time now. I thought in celebration of Pentecost this year, I would share it here.
A very Happy and Blessed Birthday to our Catholic Church!

The Holy Spirit's Arrival in Wind and Fire

What must it have been like to be in that room among the 120 or so disciples of Christ along with His Blessed Mother? Jesus' Apostles were there, but also many who witnessed Him after His resurrection. They all believed, but their faith was at various stages and degrees. Despite that, there they all gathered waiting for the arrival of the Holy Spirit; Jesus' last promise before He ascended to His Father.
The atmosphere of that room must have been one of excitement, anticipation. and maybe even a little fear. After all, once the promised Spirit arrives, what next? And arrive the Spirit did in a driving wind and in tongues of fire descending upon all those gathered.
Pentecost is an ancient Jewish feast, so there were many Jews from various places all gathered in Jerusalem for the feast; not everyone spoke the same language. When the disciples emerged from the room and began preaching, everyone understood in their native tongue. The division that God had inflicted at Babel was now being transformed into unity in the coming of the Holy Spirit~ even if would just last for that day. In that moment, the prayer of Jesus seemed to be answered~ they were all one.
Our Church today is the "one holy, Catholic and apostolic Church", yet there still remain divisions. This Pentecost let us take up the prayer of Jesus and pray that the Church and all Christians will be one. Let us ask the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of Life, to continue to breathe life into the Church.

St Augustine's Prayer To The Holy Spirit

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy. Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy. Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. 

Amen.

Sunday's Prayer Throughout the Week

Hi everybody!  I've been out of order for some time now with various infections, struggling to get the garden started, and generally coping with weakness and fatigue, which is why I haven't offered anything for some time.  But now I'm trying to turn over a new leaf and show up here a little more often.

This past Sunday we celebrated the "Sunday After the Ascension" in the 1962 liturgical books.  Here is the lovely prayer which is repeated throughout the week during the Divine Office:

Almighty and everlasting God, make us always bear towards Thee a devoted will, and serve Thy Majesty with a sincere heart.  Through our Lord Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end, Amen.

Sometimes the short prayers are the ones chock full of food for meditation, so I hope you will find inspiration from it.

In defence of Judas

Judas' name has gone down in history as the betrayer of Jesus. A man with no redeeming features whatsoever.

But when we consider the story of the last days before the Crucifixion we can't help but wonder. Did Judas have a choice?

Was Judas actually following God's plan in betraying Jesus? Was Christ's death dependant on there being a betrayal?

In John 17:12 Jesus prays for His disciples. He says: "While I was with them, I kept them safe by the power of your name, the name you gave me. I protected them, and not one of them was lost, except the man who was bound to be lost—so that the scripture might come true."

What does Jesus mean here? Does He imply that Judas was following the will of God and it was his destiny to betray Christ?

We know how the story ends. Judas hangs himself.

Was this an act of desperation? Or was there remorse involved too?

Did he seek God's forgiveness for what he had done? And was he forgiven I wonder?

These, and many other questions may still surround the name of Judas. But more pertinant. Here's a question for us all to ponder.

How about us? How many times have we betrayed Jesus by what we have done and said; or omitted to do or say?

There are more ways of betraying the Son of God than through a kiss.

At the Gates of Heaven

This post has been written especially at the request of Mary who, in turn, has written a very serious post which, I believe, we should all read. Please visit Mary HERE.

 

One day I died and went straight to Heaven where I was met by St Peter at the Gates.

“Ah … you’ve arrived!” he said looking at his electronic notepad, “it says here that you claimed to have a sense of humor when alive … let’s test that shall we?

“Tell me a joke … make me laugh and I’ll let you in!”

I was astounded at his attitude on such a solemn occasion; I stumbled to find the right thing to say.

“Ah … not so funny now, are you?” continued the Saint.

“But … ehm …” I mumbled sensing my throat getting drier with nervousness.    

“So … what will it be? A funny joke … or will you go straight down without a parachute?” chuckled St Peter through his thick beard.

“You’ve just laughed … a little …” I pointed out sheepishly, but not without a modicum of forlorn hope, “surely that counts as a joke!”

“That’s true …” replied St Peter, “you’ve always been ridiculous to look at anyway … so I’ll let you in.”

I smiled, wiping the cold sweat from my brow.

“Not so fast … not so fast …” said St Peter standing at the doorway blocking my view of who was already there. “I need to check a few things first to see whether you need to spend some time at the Purification Center.”

“Purification Center?” I asked.

“Yes …” he replied with a chuckle, “you Catholics call it Purgatory. It’s like a car-wash to make sure everyone who enters here is cleansed.”

I gulped and waited as he tapped furiously on his electronic notepad. It bleeped once or twice and then he said.

“I see that a few years ago you prayed an indulgence to St Victor; your namesake. I remember he was quite pleased about it at the time. Not many people tend to mention him in prayers and for weeks he went around with a big smile on his face. Normally people pray to the more popular Saints … First Division Saints, you know.

“It works both ways I suppose. It’s nice to get so many prayers and requests; but quite honestly I get so many that I hardly have time to read them all.

“Anyway … for your indulgence to St Victor you get one week off from the Purification Center.”

I smiled silently.

“What’s this I see … you also started another indulgence to some obscure Saint I’ve never met. This place is so large it’s just full of Saints. You can hardly walk a few yards without bumping into one. But I’ve never met this one.”

I tried to remember that particular indulgence but couldn’t.

“That’s a pity …” said St Peter, “you never finished the indulgence. So it doesn’t count. In fact I’ll have to add two extra weeks in the Purification Center.”

I began to despair when the telephone in the little guard-house by Heaven’s Gate rang. He answered it and then said.

“Hmmm … it looks like you have friends in high places here. I’ve been asked to let you in.”

I smiled and moved forwards a few feet; but he blocked my way yet again.

“You’ll have to get changed first.” he said, “Go behind that curtain and put this white gown on … we all wear them here!”

“But …” I hesitated gaining a little confidence, “this looks very much like the gowns they give you in hospital … it is all open at the back!”

“That’s right …” he replied, “it is exactly the same gown. As I said, we all wear them here … just don’t stand too close to a hot radiator, and watch out when you sit on a cold park bench!” then he chuckled very loudly once again.

He saw my hesitation and then continued in a much gentler voice with as serious a face as he could muster.  

“We like people to be helpful to each other here in Heaven; it’s not a selfish place you know. When you wear this gown, go around and find someone who is very handy with a thread and needle and ask them to sew it up at the back. That’s what everybody does. Help each other.

“In time, you’ll learn to sew and then you too will be able to help newcomers.

“Also, this gown will teach you humility. You’ll be able to swallow your pride and ask others for help. You’ve always been a bit proud and a little independent … Now’s the time to learn how to rely on other people and to accept their offer of help. Oh … and be grateful too when they help you. Don’t forget to say: Thank you!”

“I will … I will …” I replied timidly.

“Remember” he said, “this gown open at the back will teach you to help one another, will give you humility, make you accept people’s offer of help, and remind you to say Thank you! You’ll also learn how to sew, and of course how not to stand too close to a hot radiator!”

He laughed heartily once again and then said, “So, what will it be? Will you wear the gown or are you going down with no parachute?”

I grasped the gown from his hands and woke up in a cold sweat clutching the bedcovers tightly in my hands.

I must stop having cheese and whisky before bedtime!

What does God want?

WHAT DOES GOD REALLY WANT?

Many people spend their lives in prayers. Rosaries recited times on end. Preferred prayers and litanies from Saints. Novenas repeated ad infinitum. Or even just talking to God (with little listening perhaps) and asking Him over and again for our needs and wants.

But … apparently, this is not enough.

Others spend their lives reading about the Saints and other learned books about Christianity and our Faith?

Is this enough … or not yet?

Others attend Mass regularly, perhaps daily, take Communion, go to Confession and do as the Church teaches and commands.

Are we getting there … do we have a pass to Heaven or not yet?

Some people immerse themselves in good deeds. They do good works in Church. Attend Committee Meetings, help with the day to day running of the place, clean the church and do whatever else is needed.

How is our score now? Enough good points to enter Heaven?

And then … there are people who visit the sick, the elderly, the prisoners … they feed the poor and the down-and-outs and spend a lifetime of generosity both in time and effort as well as in financial terms doing as Christ commanded.

Surely they at the very least deserve Heaven.

The thing is … we really don’t know, or have not been taught WHAT GOD REALLY WANTS.

Christ made His commandment clear:

Love God and love one another as I have loved you.

But is this really possible? Has He set us an impossible task?

How can you love someone who has wronged you and continues to do so?

How can you spend your time helping others less well off than yourself when in reality there are times when you’d rather be at home with your family doing something else more pleasant?

How can you keep up doing good deeds and sacrificing yourself for others when you feel that you owe it to yourself (so they tell you) to be happy and to have it all? Being selfless and always thinking of others seems so unachievable at times.

The real reality is that we cannot love like Christ.

Because He is Christ, the Son of God, and we are not.

He loved and forgave His enemies on the Cross; but this is a step too far for most of us.

We are humans and He is God. He lived and died and was Resurrected again as God.

He loved and still loves as God. And His mercy and caring for us are the fruits of the love of God.

We cannot, nor are we meant to, love one another as He has loved us.

So we satisfy ourselves with acts of devotions, prayers and “too much religiosity”. We try to be kind and charitable and forgiving towards each other – and often fail to reach the standard required of us. But we try again, and should continue to do so.

We aim, and perhaps fail again, to achieve Sainthood. For His sake, For His mercy. And for His love.

But I suspect that Saints are made and not born. We are born sinners and through our deeds and actions we strive to walk the road to Sainthood.

Only He, through His Grace, can make us Saints.

Our job is to take the first step, in Faith, in Trust, and let Him do the rest.

Quick Bytes #25: Magnify

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Mary said  "My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior"

What a beautiful image.  Our Holy Mother as a magnifying glass ... expanding God's light throughout all creation.

We can do that too.

The funny thing, though, is that when a magnifying glass is pointing the wrong way it condenses light instead of expanding it.
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Calling Doctor Therese! Paging St. Therese!

"We live in an age of inventions.  We need no longer climb laboriously up flights of stairs.  And I was determined to find an elevator to carry me to Jesus, for I was too small to climb the steep stairs of perfection.  So I sought in Holy Scripture some idea of what this lift I wanted would be, and I read, 'Whoever is a little one, let him come to me' (Lk 8:16).  I also wanted to know how God would deal with a 'little one' so I searched and found:  'As one whom a mother caresses, so I will comfort you, you shall be carried  . . . ' (Is 66:12-13) Ah!  Never did words more tender and more melodious come to give joy to my soul.  It is your arms, Jesus, which are the elevator to carry me to heaven.  So there is no need for me to grow up.  In fact:  just the opposite.  I must become less and less." - St. Therese of Lisieux, Story of a Soul

So many of us in this Community have been helped by our beloved St. Therese.  If you would like to share how St. Therese's little way of great love has been a blessing to you as you seek to grow in deep love of our Lord, please do so in the comments, inclusive to sharing links to posts you have on this great saint.

Patricia, whose profile name at I Want to See God is "littlesoul2" has written meany beautiful posts especially on St. Therese's Act of Oblation to Merciful Love.  

Recently she was sharing and teaching me more about St. Therese in the comment box to one of her posts.  If you do take the hyperlink that is to the offering itself.  There is a series of beautiful posts leading up to it that you may want to review first.  You can see all of them if you hit St. Therese in the tag cloud at the bottom of her blog page.

Many of us are drawn to St. Therese, and even Fr. Gaitley in Consoling the Heart of Jesus uses her as an example of how all of us little souls can follow her example of love to grow in holiness.  Not to discourage anyone from following her Little Way of Great Love for fear of suffering, but rather to help us appreciate her great love for Jesus and souls more, I wanted to share with all of you what Patricia taught me.

Regarding St. Therese, you are absolutely correct about the great trials she suffered, and the many trials which all of those who truly wish to love Our Lord will no doubt encounter. Therese used to pray, “Jesus, make me resemble You.” Because, the beloved of Jesus seeks to be like her Divine Lover…she too is “thirsty” for souls, and desires to unite any sufferings God permits in her life to those of Jesus to “help” win souls for Him.

Therese, wishing to leave ALL to God’s Will did not desire to ask for greater suffering, (as some Saints have done), but rather to accept whatever joys and sorrows the Will of God destined for her. Her genius, inspired by the Holy Spirit, was to say to God, through her Act of Oblation, that she wished to live her entire life as “one act of perfect love”….her life would be the “holocaust,” and God’s Love would be the Fire. She begged Him to consume her unceasingly, so that she would become a “martyr to Your Love, O my God.” She desired that the “waves of infinite tenderness” rejected by others would flow into her, and God’s Heart would be relieved of this Love “locked within.” Her great grace was to believe so confidently in His Love…the immensity and tenderness of It, and His “need” to find someone to receive it. But again, if we are to have this deep love relationship with Jesus, He will share with us His Passion..the greatest expression of His Love… but our suffering will have untold merit, because it will be so intimately united with His Own.

Therese spent the last 18 months of her life, enduring a horrendous trial of faith…she even wrote out the Creed in her own blood. In addition, she suffered immensely from the pains of tuberculosis which caused her unbearable agony, and the Prioress at the Carmel would permit no morphine or any pain medication recommended by the doctors.

She truly resembled her beloved Jesus in His experience of abandonment and torture on the Cross. She clung to Him in her darkness and pain and died making an act of love…”Oh, I love Him..my God, I love You!”

Thank you, Patricia!  I told you that this was so beautiful it would help others, and this is my attempt to share it.

There has just been a book published by a survivor of sexual abuse, Dawn Eden, that also gives beautiful insight into the wisdom of our beloved doctor of the church, St. Therese.  While trying to find an image for this post I stumbled on a review of her book that included the following beautiful and helpful excerpt from Chapter 4.  Reflecting on it gives me a glimpse of how St. Therese came to find joy and peace in the midst of suffering.

The Love that Transforms:Learning the true meaning of spiritual childhood with St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Most of what we know of St. Thérèse (1873–1897), a nun of the Carmelite convent at Lisieux, France, is from The Story of a Soul, a collection of autobiographical writings. In 1895, Thérèse began the work in obedience to an order given by the prioress of her community, Mother Agnes, who happened to be her real-life sister Pauline. Mother Agnes had enjoyed hearing Thérèse speak of her childhood memories and wanted to have a permanent record of them.

Thérèse, although only twenty-two, was already well advanced on the path to holiness at the time she began her autobiography. She saw her sister’s order as an opportunity to "begin to sing what I must sing eternally: ‘The Mercies of the Lord.’"

With those words, Thérèse shows us the proper role of memory. Memory is not to be feared; it is to be purified in the white heat of divine love. As divine love’s light enters into the wounds left by past sorrows, we come to realize how the divine mercy carried us even during the times of our lives when we felt abandoned by God.

That is why, in the opening pages of her autobiography, Thérèse stresses that she is thankful for the gift of remembrance: "God granted me the favor of opening my intelligence at an early age and of imprinting childhood recollections so deeply on my memory that it seems the things I’m about to recount happened only yesterday."

Her memories were inseparable from her gratitude for divine providence. All the things that had happened to her, whether pleasurable or painful at the time, were now visible to her only through the light of God’s loving plan for her life. This is a saint who, even while enduring the most intense physical sufferings on her deathbed, was able to say, “everything is a grace” and really mean it.As she continues her story, it seems Thérèse stresses her gratitude partly to steel the reader for the many childhood sufferings she will recount. One could say, in a sense, that she sees her life as the story of a soul who went from suffering without God to suffering with God.

Of course, as Thérèse would be the first to say, God is never truly absent from us.However, we can will to deny him entrance into our heart. When we hold onto resentment that our own will is not being done, we become locked in a solitary prison of self-pity.

Thérèse herself experienced the interior pain of this prison. The key that freed her is what she wants to share with us: the realization that, to the degree that we can say “Not my will, but thy will be done,” suffering can become the foundation for a closer union with God. Thérèse spoke of this during her final illness: “I have suffered very much since I have been on earth, but, if in my childhood I suffered with sadness, it is no longer the way I suffer. It is with joy and peace."

Excerpted from My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints by Dawn Eden. Copyright 2012. Ave Maria Press Notre Dame, IN. www.avemariapress.com. All rights reserved.