Feast of Our Lady of the Rock (Rocamadour, France) - click for link to visit the shrine

Today is a day dedicated to Our Lady of the Rock, enshrined in Rocamadour in France. Tradition has it, Rocamadour was the home of an early Christian hermit named Zaccheus of Jericho. It is believed that he had conversed with Jesus himself, and that he died around 70 AD. This Zaccheus is said to have been the husband of St Veronica, who wiped the face of Jesus as he climbed to Calvary.

At some point after the hermit's death and burial in Rocamadour, the site became a place of pilgrimage. Some claim the town was named for the hermit because he was a "lover of rock" (roc amator). Zaccheus is also said to have brought a statue of the Black Virgin to Rocamadour, though the statue is generally dated to the 9th century. Due to the double attraction of the tomb of Zaccheus and the statue of the Virgin, pilgrims began to flock to Rocamadour. Many reported experiencing miraculous healings and conversions at the shrine. The Shrine of Our Lady of Rocamadour itself can be traced back to the twelfth century. Over the next few centuries, the numbers of pilgrims continued to increase. Many notable people came on pilgrimages to Rocamadour, including St Dominic and St Louis IX of France, and possibly even Charlemagne, on his way to battle the Moors in Spain.

The shrine eventually became so famous that kings and bishops began granting special privileges to those who made the pilgrimage. As an act of penance, pilgrims would regularly make the entire climb on their knees, as some still do today; 216 steps lead to the top of the rocky plateau on which the Chapel of Our Lady is located. The town suffered with the general decline of pilgrimages in the 17th and 18th centuries, but it was heavily restored and revitalized in the 19th century.

One recent notable pilgrim to Rocamadour was the French composer Francis Poulenc (d. January 30, 1963), who stayed in the city after a religious conversion he experienced there, and in honor of which he composed his Litanies of the Black Virgin (Litanies à la Vierge Noire). Today, the tomb of the ancient saint as well as the ancient image of Our Lady make the shrine at Rocamadour a popular destination; the site receives thousands of devout pilgrims each year.

The altar of Our Lady of Rocamadour

The situation of the shrine is extraordinary, amid medieval religious fortifications giddily perched atop a precipice, surrounded by a spectacular expanse of barren countryside. The miraculous statue is equally remarkable. Our Lady appears to be resting her weight on her hands, which are supported on the arms of her chair; the Child is balanced on her left knee.

 

A major event occurred in 1166, when an ancient grave and sepulcher containing an undecayed body was discovered on the cliff of Rocamadour, near the Chapel of Our Lady. This was believed to be the early Christian hermit St Amadour, who is often equated with Zaccheus. It is said that Amadour, a faithful servant of the Blessed Virgin, came to Gaul and built the first chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary on French soil.

Text adopted after "A Moment with Mary"

Story of Rocamadour from Mary's Pages

Info and directions from Sacred Destinations"

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Carmelite Friars report on the huge crowds draw to venerate the relics of St Therese across UK - click to read

"I will spend my heaven in doing good upon earth" (Story of the Soul)

"If my wishes are granted, my heaven will be spent on earth until the end of the world" (Complete Spiritual Doctrine of St Therese by F. Jamart, OCD)

From the homily of Abp Vincent Nichols  preached at Westminster Cathedral in London at the Farewell Mass upon return of the relics of St Therese to Lisieux:

"Over the past twenty-five days, thousands upon thousands of people have thronged to pray in the presence of these precious relics of St Therese. Today, as we prepare to return these relics to Lisieux , we thank God for the graces and blessings we have received. This has been a time of such wonderful expressions of faith and love in which we have been strengthened and filled with joyful encouragement.

This outpouring of faith had baffled many people. Some secular commentators were not able to make sense of it at all. I have found their incomprehension quite intriguing. Other reports have simply described what was there to be seen: so many people finding encouragement, perseverance and hope through the example and prayers of this most remarkable young woman. But surely they can see, unless they refuse to do so, her testimony to the spiritual dimension of human living, a dimension which takes us beyond that which can be measured and lifts human reasonableness to new levels, and flowers in heroism, sacrifice and perseverance." To read full text click

HERE

Full photo coverage on Catholic Church (England and Wales) photostream

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Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost - click to read

Today we meditate with St Teresa on sin, repentance and life-giving Sacrament of Penance:

Many times the feeling of my great faults is tempered by the happiness experienced in the thought that the multitude of Your mercies may be known (I:65)

I found great consolation in sinners whom, after having been sinners, the Lord brought back to Himself. It seemed to me I could find help in them and that since the Lord had pardoned them he could also pardon me. (I:103)

Oh, what a good friend You make, my Lord! How you proceed by favouring and enduring...You take into account, my Lord, the times when they Love You, and in one instant of repentance You forget their offences. (I:97)

O my Jesus! What a sight it is when You through Your mercy return to offer Your hand and raise up a soul that has fallen in sin....How such a soul knows the multitude of Your grandeurs and mercies and its own misery! (I: 166, 67)

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Special treat for the Feast of St Teresa - Carmelite Rite Mass, 1960 - Aylesford Calced Carmelite Priory, Kent, UK

Carmelite rite is the rite which hermits of Mt Carmel brought to Europe from the Holy Land and the Masses of this rite are offered in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Introit, Kyrie, Gloria.



Credo, Offertory

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Feast of St Teresa - "Mystery of the Church" excerpts from the book by Fr P. Marie-Eugene, OCD 'I am a Daugther of the Church' - Practical Synthesis of Carmelite Spirituality

Union of the will (which is granted to the soul through the perfection of charity) transform the soul and places it at the treshold of a new world, which appears still in a semi-brightness while only partly revealing its grandeur. But the full brightness and splendour of the new world will be reached by the soul in the next mansion. What are these lights that form part of the riches of the union of will...

Zeal for souls.

"The very soul does not know itself (Vth Mansion, 2:255), writes St Teresa. The change is attended with surprise and even anxiety, when it is produced suddenly by mystical grace. The little white butterfly that has come out of the cocoon, whose wings has grown, no longer has a resting place, for it feels itself "a stranger to things of earth. But where will the poor little creature go?" (Ibid, ;256)

This confusion is not merely the effect of a passing bewilderment . It comes upon a soul already established in detachment, a soul stirred by new and deep desires. True, it may long to return to those obscure regions whence it has come with the certitude: "that God has been in it and it has been in God," (ibid, 1:251) but there is now a burning and painful solicitude for God and for souls, which it had not known before to so intense a degree:

  

Only a few years since - perhaps only a few days - this soul was thinking of nothing but itself. Who has plunged it into such grievous anxieties? (ibid, 2:257) I know that the torment which a certain person of my acquaintance has suffered, and suffers still, at seeing the Lord offended, is so intolerable that she would far sooner die than suffer it (ibid; 258)

This is a new trait that the Saint wants to point out. At some length she reflects upon the Passion of our Lord, who "saw everything and was continually witnessing the great offenses which were committed against His Father," (ibid) and upon jer own ardent desire to suffer and die for the salvation of sinners. This suffering of the soul, due proportion kept, resembles that of Christ; and Saint Teresa says it is essential mark of this spiritual stage:

If anyone told me that after reaching this stage he had enjoyed continual rest and joy, I should say that he had not reached it at all. (ibid; 256)

In these pages where the Saint is treating, with her characteristic logic, of union of will - not with the formal logic of thought but the logic of description which embraces all that is before it - she speaks of the immense work of conversion effected by great saints who had received such favours and corresponded with them (ibid 4:266). Without any doubt, the prayer of union gives the soul  a deep concern for the salvation of souls. This is an important fact that we must remember.

Whence comes this zeal? Saint Teresa answers:

I will tell you. Have you not heard concerning the bride (I said this a little while back, though not with reference to the same matter) that God put her in a cellar of wine and ordained charity in her? Well that is the position here. (ibid 2:257). 

Charity has been ordered by God Himself in the soul, toward its twofold object: God and neighbour. And, commenting on the double precept, the Saint writes:

The surest sigh that we are keeping these two commandments  is, I think, that we should really be loving our neighbour....And be certain that, the farther advanced you find you are in this, the greater the love ou will have for God. (ibid 3:261)

The importance that the Saint now attaches to love of neighbour, even to the point of sacrificing one's devotions for acts of charity (ibid; 263) is an indication of a new state of a soul. It is not long since Teresa was signalizing as a grave danger for the soul the urge to distribute the fruits of its garden. The recipient of that advice had drunk of the third water of perfect quiet, which is the sleep of the powers (Life, 17). After the grace of union, the soul, "having now a clear realization that the fruits of this prayer are not its own, can start to share them and yet have no lack of them itself." (ibid 19). 

Even more is to be said: the soul thus strengthened not only can but must give of its riches, although still with prudence. It feels an urgent need to do so. To explain this profound change by saying that God has ordered the soul's charity this way does not seem sufficient. Why does the ordering of charity actually require that the soul now turn towards its neighbour? Saint Teresa does not explicitly  say why, for she disclaims being a theologian and having the ability to give reasons for many things that she has observed. Yet she gives us the key to the problem. In developing the analogy of the silkworm, she makes this remark, singular at first sight:

When it is full grown, then, as I wrote at the beginning, it starts to spin its silk and to built the house in which it is to die. This house may be understood here to mean Christ. I think I read or heard somewhere that our life is hid in Christ, or in God (for that is the same thing), or that our life is Christ. (The exact form of this is little to my purpose.) (V Mansions, 2)

This surprising statement, connected in no way with what the Saint has previously said, obliges her to explain what we can do, so that "His Majesty Himself [may] be our Mansion as he is in this Prayer of Union"; (ibid) it seems to introduce a new element, increasing the complexity of the description. but this thought is dispelled on a moment's reflection. Actually the statement reveals to us a spiritual experience, most important and of great interest. Saint Teresa was aware that in the prayer of union she entered into the living Christ, and that thereafter Christ was to be the dwelling place where her life would be hidden. What else is this than the discovery of her incorporation into the mystical body of Christ, the Church; the awareness of her belonging to the whole Christ. That incorporation into Christ should be experienced by her at this time as a living reality obscurely grasped is truly a great thing. We can understand the consequent change of attitude in her soul, which we have observed; and we shall not be surprised at a new orientation of her life. A mystery of union, a mystery of darkness, yet the source of resplendent light! Let us pause here a moment to give it thought.

The mystery of the Church

The prayer of union, or union of will, is a seizure of the will by loving Wisdom. The soul thereafter bears the impress of a divine seal, (5th Mansion ii;257) which although not indelible is nevertheless permanent; and it produces a state of self-abandonment and suppleness. We may explain the symbol by saying that Holy Wisdom dwells habitually in the will, to reign there as Mistress. 

Holy Wisdom can reign for no other purpose than to realize the thought of God. She is herself the Thought of God. She extends her conquest, acts, acts and initiates action, only to show forth God's thought for the world, living and concrete, in events and in souls. Through the apostle St Paul we know what is this eternal purpose of God:

...the dispensation of the mystery, which has been hidden from eternity in God, who created all things...which in other ages was not known to the sons of men, as now it has been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; namely, that the Gentiles are joint heirs, and fellow members of the same body, and joint partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus. (Eph 3:5-11)

God design is to save all men without distinction by making them all one with Christ Jesus, in the unity of His mystical body.

Already in eternity, God contemplated the whole Christ, the Church, and took His delight in it as in the masterpiece of His mercy. In the exterior works of His creation God moved through all the vicissitudes of the works of His love, toward the realization of His Christ, His Anointed One. Finis omnium Ecclesia, the Church is the end of all things, according to Saint Epiphanius. The very vicissitudes, the fall of the angels, the sin of man, were permitted by God only as an occasion and means for showing forth the whole strength of His arm, the full measure of the love that He would give to the world. Did not Saint Augustine say that God permitted the fall of the of the angels so as to create man? And the sin of man is a felix culpa, a "happy fault," (Liturgy for the Holy Saturday, Exultet) that won for us Christ the Redeemer.

it is through Christ Jesus that God is going to realize His mystery of mercy; through Christ who is generated eternally, for he is the World of God.

He is the image of the Invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. For in him were created all things in the heavens and on the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether Thrones, or Dominations, or Principalities, or Powers. All things have been created through and unto him, and he is before all creatures, and in him all things hold together. (Col I: 15-7)

After the fall of man, the Word became incarnate; and in the new plan of the redemption God gave to Him, to Christ Jesus, the primacy and plenitude of all things:

He is the head of his body, the Church; he, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he may have the first place. For it has pleased God the Father that in him all his fullness should dwell, and that through him he should reconcile to himself all things, whether on the earth or in heaven, making peace through the blood of his cross. (ibid; 18-20)

The Epistle to the Ephesians testifies also to the eternal plan of God to unite all things in Christ:

....so that he may make known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure. And this his good pleasure he purposed in him to be dispensed in the fullness of the time: to re-establish all things in Christ, both those in the heavens and those on the earth. (Eph I:9-10)

In His eternal thought God sees only His Christ; and in Him He sees each one of us, because in Him He has placed us:

Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish in his sight in love. He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ as his sons, according to the purpose of his will, unto the praise of the glory of his grace, with which he has favoured us in this beloved Son. In him, I say, in whom we also have been called by a special choice, having been predestined in the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, to contribute to the praise of his glory, we who before hoped in Christ. (Eph I:4-6, 11-2)

And so, this divine decree that tells us of the eternal love of the Father for His beloved Son, and for us in Christ, causes to surge up from our hearts a hymn of thanksgiving:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing on high in Christ. (Eph I:3)

Christ Jesus came on earth to accomplish this divine decree. (On coming into the world Christ had said: "Behold, I come to do thy will, O God."Heb. 10:7)

More to follow... 

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Commemoration of the 7th Apparition in Fatima - miracle of the sun, Portugal 1917

On October 13, when the crowds saw the ball of fire leave its orbit and race down towards them, their reaction was immediate. They didn't go into a subtle exegesis to convince themselves that this 'sign in the sky' was purely symbolic. Instead, they realized that this fire, if it approached only a second longer, would annihilate them. Just as the people of Israel had seen the fire from heaven race down over Elijah as its holocaust and consume him in the blink of an eye, these people fell on their knees and cried out: 'My God, I believe in you! ' And they asked for forgiveness, pity and mercy.

In their own way they were saying anew: 'It is Yahveh who is God! It is Yahveh who is God! ' (1 Kings 18: 39). Through their conversion and their supplication, they obtained that the chastisement be averted: the sun resumed its place in the sky. And they found, along with faith, the peace and the joy of being reconciled with God.

"The Virgin of Mount Carmel" by Joseph Lethielleux (after 'A Moment with Mary')

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Relics of St Therese to visit England - click to read more

2 Kings 13:21

And as a man was being buried, lo, a marauding band was seen and the man was cast into the grave of Elisha; and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.

Acts 19:11-12

Meanwhile, God worked extraordinary miracles at the hands of Paul. When handkerchiefs or cloths which had touched his skin were applied to the sick, their diseases were cured and evil spirits departed from them.

Dates and venues
Little Flower will bring grace to England

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Annual Rosary Crusade of Reparation 2009 - walk from Westminster Cathedral to London Brompton Oratory

It took place on Saturday for 25th time in reparation for the sins of the world. As usual it was great spiritual experience and I will share some pictures I have taken there:

The participants gathered in Cathedral square and after traffic was closed we proceeded towards London Oratory led by the statue of Our lady of Fatima with the clergy leading the Rosary prayer.

After one and a half hour we have reached the Oratory

We have prayed there and listened to a great sermon on the power of Rosary prayers. This year which is the year of St John Vianney, the Rosary's Crusade intentions were dedicated for all priests. On the side altar the reliquary with collection of relics of the Cure of Ars was displayed for veneration and it was the greatest surprise:

We could also pray the Rosary at the beautiful Altar of Our Lady:

or pray Divine Mercy chaplet at the Altar of Mater Boni Consilii adorned with many ex-voto's placed there in thanksgiving for petitions granted:

As always it was a great day, and please pray for those who organised the Crusade that they will obtain all graces of perseverance to continue this great devotion.

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Feast of St Therese

Beautiful reflections from St Therese on her beloved Church - text after the "Story of the Soul".

I understand that the Church had a Heart and that this Heart was burning with love. I understand it was Love alone that made this Church's member act, that if Love ever became extinct, apostles would not preach the Gospel and martyrs would not shed their blood. I understand that LOVE COMPRISED ALL VOCATIONS, THAT LOVE WAS EVERYTHING, THAT IT EMBRACED ALL TIMES AND PLACES....IN A WORD, THAT IT WAS ETERNAL!

Then in the excess of my delirious joy, I cried out: O Jesus, my Love...my vocation, at last I have found it...My VOCATION IS LOVE!

Yes, I have found my place in the Church and it is You, O my God who have given me this place; in the heart of the Church, my Mother, I shall love. Thus I shall be everything, and thus my dream will be realized.

What speak of a delirious joy? No, this expression is not exact, for it was rather the calm and serene peace of the navigator perceiving the beacon which must lead him to the port...O luminous Beacon of Love, I know how to reach You, I have found the secret of possessing Your flame.

I am only a child, powerless and weak, and yet it is my weakness that gives me the boldness of offering myself as VICTIM of Your love, O Jesus!

O Jesus, I know it, love is repaid by love alone, and so I searched and I found the way to solace my heart by giving You Love for Love...I presented myself before the angels and saints and I said to them: "I am the smallest of creatures; I know my misery and my feebleness, but I know also how much noble and generous hearts love to do good. I beg you to ADOPT ME AS YOUR CHILD. To You alone will be the glory which You will make me merit, but deign to answer my prayer. It is bold, I know; however, I dare to ask You to obtain for me YOUR TWOFOLD SPIRIT. 
Jesus, I cannot fathom the depths of my request; I would be afraid to find myself overwhelmed under the weight of my bold desires...Well, I am the Child of the Church and the Church is a Queen since she is Your Spouse, O divine King of kings...What this child asks for is Love. She knows only one thing: to love You, O Jesus. Astounding works are forbidden to her; she cannot preach the Gospel, shed her blood; but what does it matter since her brethren work in her stead and she, a little child, stays very close to the throne of the King and Queen. She loves in her brothers' place while they do the fighting. But how will she prove her love since love is proved by works? Well, the little child will strew flowers, she will perfume the royal throne with their sweet scents, and she will sing in her silvery tones the canticle of Love.
Yes, my Beloved, this is how my life will be consumed. I have no other means of proving my love for You other than that of strewing flowers, that is, not allowing one little sacrifice to escape, not one look, one word, profiting by all the smallest things and doing them through love; and in this way I shall strew flowers before Your throne. I shall not come upon one without unpetalling it for You. While I am strewing my flowers, I shall sing, for could one cry while doing such a joyous action? I shall sing even when I must gather my flowers in the midst of thorns, and my song will be all the more melofious in proportion to the length and the sharpness of the thorns. 
O Jesus, of what use will my flowers be to You? Ah! I know very well that this fragrant shower, these fragile, worthless petals, these songs of love from the littlest  of hearts will charm You. Yes, these nothings will please You. They will bring a smile to the Church Triumphant. She will gather up my flowers, unpetalled through love and have them pass through Your divine hands, O Jesus. And this Church in heaven, desirous of playing with her little child, will cast these flowers, which are now infinitely valuable because of Your divine touch, upon the Church Suffering in order to extinguish its flames and upon the Church Militant in order to gain the victory for it!
O my Jesus!  I love You! I love the Church, my Mother! I recall that "the smallest act of PURE LOVE is of more value to her than all other works together." But is PURE LOVE in my heart? Are my measureless desires only but a dream, a folly?Ah! If this be so, Jesus, then enlighten  me, for You know I am seeking only the truth, If my desires are rash, then make them disappear, for these desires are the greatest martyrdom to me. however, I feel, O Jesus, that after having aspired to the most lofty heights of Love, if one day I am not to attain them, I feel that I shall have taste on the bosom of the joy of the Fatherland, unless You take away the memory of these earthly hopes through a miracle. Allow me to taste the sweet bitterness of my martyrdom.

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Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels

Ex. 23:20-23.

Behold I will send my angel, who shall go before thee, and keep thee in thy journey, and bring thee into the place that I have prepared. Take notice of him, and hear his voice, and do not think him one to be contemned: for he will not forgive when thou hast sinned, and my name is in him. But if thou wilt hear his voice, and do all that I speak, I will be an enemy to thy enemies, and will afflict them that afflict thee. And my angel shall go before thee, and shall bring thee in unto the Amorrhite, and the Hethite, and the Pherezite, and the Chanaanite, and the Hevite, and the Jebusite, whom I will destroy.

Mt 18:1-10.

At that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying: Who, thinkest thou, is the greater in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus, calling unto him a little child, set him in the midst of them. And said: amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greater in the kingdom of heaven. And he that shall receive one such little child in my name, receiveth me. But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of scandals. For it must needs be that scandals come: but nevertheless woe to that man by whom the scandal cometh. And if thy hand, or thy foot, scandalize thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee. It is better for thee to go into life maimed or lame, than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thy eye scandalize thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee. It is better for thee having one eye to enter into life, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

Seven Archangels, Spanish Colonial religious artwork, Mexico, 19th century.

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St Therese - thoughts and resolutions

The Virgin Mary Rushes to My Side.

When I receive Holy Communion, I sometimes imagine my soul as if it were the soul of a three or four year-old child, dinted by play, with my clothes all soiled and my hair disheveled. - These misfortunes befall me whilst I wrestle with souls. - But the Virgin Mary rushes to my side in haste. No sooner has she rid me of my soiled, little apron, tied back my hair with a beautiful ribbon or just a little flower... and this is enough to make me lovely again and allow me sit down at the feast of the Angels without blushing.

After 'A Moment with Mary'

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Novena Prayer to St Therese of Child Jesus starts 24th September - click to read

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St Therese - thoughts and resolutions

From the last poem written by St. Therese:

"Soon, soon, to heaven that waits for us, my soul shall swiftly fly.

O Thou who cam'st to smile on me at dawn of life's beginning!

Come once again to smile on me.... Mother! the night is nigh.

I fear no more thy majesty, so far, so far above me,

For, I have suffered sore with thee; now hear my heart's deep cry!

Oh! let me tell thee face to face, dear Virgin! how I love thee;

And say to thee forevermore:

thy little child am I."

“Sometimes I find my self saying to the Holy Virgin: “Do you know, O cherished Mother, that I think myself more fortunate than you? I have you for Mother and you have not, like me, the blessed Virgin to love … You are, it is true, the Mother of Jesus but you have given Him to me, and He, from the Cross gave you to us as our Mother, so we are richer than you. Of old it was your desire that you might be the little handmaiden of the Mother of God; and I, poor little creature, I am, not your servant, but your child: you are the Mother of Jesus and you are my Mother.” (Thoughts of Saint Therese, 154-5)

“O Mary, if I were Queen of heaven and thou wert Therese, I fain would be Therese to see thee Queen of Heaven!” - September 8, 1897

After Mary's Vitamin

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Novena Prayer to Holy Guardian Angel starts on 23rd of September - click to read

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The Indwelling God - excerpts from "The Sixth Trumpet" by Solange Hertz, prominent writer for 'The Remnant" Catholic Newspaper

"I am the Almighty God: walk before me and be perfect" (Gen 17:1)

God wants us to remain in His Presence, it is certain, as He told Abraham these words: "I am the Almighty God; walk before me and be perfect". Whether we want it or not, we actually walk in His presence. As St Paul told the pagan Athenians, He's "not far from any of us, for in Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:27-28). How can there be any difficulty about locating God, who is naturally everywhere and closer to us than we are to ourselves? As the Psalmist acknowledged, "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy face? if I ascend into heaven, thou art there: If I descend into hell, thou art present...My bone is not hidden from thee, which thou hast made in secret!" (Ps 138: 7-8, 15).

By power, knowledge, and essence God is present even in pagans and sinners, because if He weren't, they would simply cease to exist; but in the soul of the baptized in the state of grace, the three Persons of the Blessed Trinity dwell substantially through incorporation with the Second Person, Jesus Christ, in a manner which is wholly supernatural, utterly beyond their nature. God is more than just accessible to these souls, because through faith, for them the Beatific Vision actually begins here and now on earth. as

the theologian Matthias Scheeben  points out in 'The Glories of Divine Grace',  "We shall do better to follow the Holy Scripture and call all creation the foodstool of God, on which the hem of His garment falls, while we call the soul of the just the throne of God, being filled with the divine splendour."

It is the realization of this truth that led Pope Leo to exclaim, "Recognize, O Christian, thy dignity!"Every time a Catholic makes the Sign of the Cross, he proclaims the abiding presence of God within him. Our Lord revealed this to us when He said, "If any one love me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and will make our abode with him" (John 14:23). Only willful mortal sin can drive God's substantial presence from us.
St Teresa of Avila, a mystical Doctor of the Church, was granted several visions confirming the truth of the divine indwelling. In her "Relations" she says: "The living God was in my soul. To know this truth is of very highest gain; and as I was amazed to see His Majesty in a thing so vile as my soul, I heard: 'It is not vile, My child, for it is made in my image'" (Chapter 9;17). In her autobiography she explained, "In the beginning it happened that I was ignorant of one thing - I did not know that God was in all things: and when He seemed to me to be so near, I thought it impossible. Some unlearned men used to say to me that He was present only by His grace. I could not believe that, because....He seemed to me to be present Himself: so I was distressed. A most learned man of the order of the glorious St Dominic delivered me from this doubt, for he told me that He was present, and hos He communed with us: this was a great comfort to me." (Life, 18:20).

"On the last great day" of the feast of Tabernacles before He suffered, our Lord proclaimed in a loud voice, "He that believeth in me....out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water", to which St John adds, "Now this he said of the spirit which they should receive who believed in Him" (John 7:37-39), teaching clearly that our sanctification has no other source than the divine Indwelling. As God told St Catherine of Sienna in "A Treatise on Prayer", "I am that fire which purifies the soul, and the closer the soul is to Me, the purer she becomes, and the further she is from me, the more does her purity leave her: which is the reason why men of the world fall into such iniquities, for they are separated from Me, while the soul who without any medium unites herself directly to Me, participates in My Purity."

As our Lord exclaimed to the Samaritan woman, "If thou didst know the gift of God!" (John 4:10). It is in our own souls, and not elsewhere, that the Holy Ghost enlightens each one of us, just as he did at Pentecost when, although He "filled the whole house," yet His tongues of fire "sat upon each one" of the disciples, bestowing His special gifts on each individually. From that day forth the Spirit of Christ has never ceased to direct the piety of the faithful inwardly, inspiring their activity and warning them of potential dangers. That great spiritual master Fr de Caussade assured his penitents, "Perfection is neither more nor less than the faithful cooperation of the soul with this work of God, and is begun, grows and is consummated in the soul unperceived and in secret." (Abandonment to Divine Providence, Bk I, sec.4)

More to follow..

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Dying to self

“She stood at the foot of the Cross: not to mourn –that would have been far too small, far too remote from Him, for the sharing in the Passion which was her part –she came there to die – to stand quietly by the cross and die.” The Reed of God, C. Houselander.

Meditation:

St. Benedicta of the Cross in her book, The Science of the Cross, explains “to take one’s cross upon oneself, means entering into the dark night actively.” She then provides the directions given by St. John of the Cross:

1) Sustain always the desire to imitate Christ in all things and to bring your life into conformity with his. You must therefore study his life in order to imitate it and behave always as he would.

2) In order to do this well, you must deny yourself every pleasure that presents itself to your senses, keep it far from you if it is not solely directed to the honor and glory of God.

St. Benedicta concludes this part of the chapter with a final quote from St. John reminding the reader that God needs to do the work in the soul in addition to personal effort.

“No matter how much individuals do through their own efforts, they cannot actively purify themselves enough to be disposed in the least degree for the divine union of the perfection of love. God must take over and purge them in that fire that is dark for them.”

The Science of the Cross, (ICS Publications: 2002), 48, 49.

Resolution:

To begin the process of dying to self, in imitation of Our Lady, I will read the gospel today to study His life and learn to imitate it.

St Louis de Montfort Fourteen rules to follow in carrying one's crosses

Main text after 'Mary's Vitamin'

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SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

In the Introit of the Mass, the justice and mercy of God are praised. "Thou art just, O Lord, and Thy judgment is right. Deal with Thy servant according to Thy mercy. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord."(Ps. 118). Glory be to the Father, etc.

Prayer

Grant to Thy people, we beseech Thee, O Lord, to avoid the contagion of the devil, and with a pure mind to seek Thee, the only God. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, etc.

EPISTLE Eph. 4:1-6

I therefore, a prisoner in the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation in which you are called, With all humility and mildness, with patience, supporting one another in charity. Careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. One body and one Spirit; as you are called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all.

Practice

The words, "one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all," confound those who assert that a man may be saved in any belief. There can be but one true religion; they who profess it should be united by the bond of true charity, and their lives be worthy of their vocation to the true faith.

GOSPEL Matt. 22:35-46

And one of them, a doctor of the law, asking him, tempting him: Master, which is the greatest commandment in the law? Jesus said to him: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind.

This is the greatest and the first commandment. And the second is like to this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40 On these two commandments dependeth the whole law and the prophets. And the Pharisees being gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying: What think you of Christ? Whose son is he? They say to him: David's. He saith to them: How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying: The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand, until I make thy enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a word; neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

Why is this commandment to love God and our neighbour called the great commandment?

Because in these two are contained all the others, so that he who fulfils these fulfis the whole law. For whoever loves God with his whole heart does not murmur against God; does not dishonour His name by cursing and swearing; does not desecrate the Sabbath-day, because he knows that all this is offensive to God. On the contrary, he hopes in God; gives thanks and praise to God; sanctifies the Sundays and holy-days, because he knows this to be pleasing to God; observes the precepts of the Church, because he knows it to be the will of God that he should hear the Church; honours his parents; does no injury to his neighbour; does not commit adultery; does not steal; slanders no one; bears no false witness; pronounces no unjust judgment; it is not envious, malicious, unmerciful, but rather practices towards every one the corporal and spiritual works of mercy; and all this because, out of love of God, he loves his neighbour as himself. Thus love fulfils all the commandments.

What is the meaning of the question, "What think you of Christ?"

Christ put this question to the Pharisees in order that, by their own answer, He might convince them that He was not merely a lineal son of David, but that he was the Son of God, begotten from eternity, on which account He called Himself David's Lord. That Christ is the Son of God, our Lord, our Teacher, our Lawgiver, our Redeemer and Saviour, we Christians know well, for we daily profess it; but how many of us, in deeds, deny it, since we do not follow His teaching nor observe His commandments! What, then, will Christ one day be to such? What but a judge to condemn, and a God to punish?

Why must we love our neighbour?

Because we are all, not merely by descent from Adam, but much more through the grace of Jesus, children of God and members of one family. As children of God, we bear in us the likeness of God. But God loved and still loves all men; for the salvation of all He gives up His only Son, that all may be saved; shall we then love and hate another, and yet think to be like God? Through the grace of Jesus we are all redeemed, made members of His body, yes, partakers of His body and blood. Therefore St. Paul admonishes us: "You are all one in Christ"(Gal 3:28), "be therefore careful to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace"(Ephesians 4:3). How natural is it for the members of one body not to wound each other! Jesus, our Redeemer, gave His life for us when we were His enemies (Romans 5:10), and even on the cross prayed for His murderers. We are His disciples. But can we be allowed to call ourselves so without possessing this mark of His discipleship? (John 18:15). Thus everything incites us to love: the law of nature and of revelation, the example of Christ, all the promises and hopes that we have. In truth, how, without love, could we hope to enter the kingdom of love? There can be no answer to this reasoning: "Would you be a disciple of Jesus, an heir of His Kingdom?" then love like Him; and He has shed His blood for His mortal enemies.

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Consolatrix Afflictorum - Ora Pro Nobis!

Consolatrix afflictorum - miraculous image of Our Lady of Kevalear

Be of good comfort, my children; cry to the Lord and He will deliver you. (Bar. 4:21)

My delicate ones have walked rough ways (Bar. 4:26)
Be of good comfort my children....for as the neighbours of Sion have seen your captivity from God, so shall they also shortly see your salvation from God, which shall come upon you with great honour and everlasting glory.
My children, suffer patiently the wrath that is come upon you....for He that hath brought evils upon you shall bring you everlasting joy again with your salvation (Bar. 4: 21, 24, 25, 29)

We all have afflictions, and for that reason this land of exile is termed a valley of tears. The happiest and most light-hearted will sooner or later have trouble and care. Oftentimes those who seem to have the least to bear have the most, for it is not always external trials that weight the heaviest on the heart. And we often have to endure our sufferings in silence for want of any one who can enter into and understand them; for to speak of them to unsympathetic ears only adds to the poignancy of our grief. In such straits where shall we turn if not to her who is the consoler of the afflicted? Whatever may be the cause of our sorrows, it will not be beneath her notice, for our Mother's heart is, above all, a compassionate...Let us go to Mary and reveal to her all that is in our hearts, telling her our troubles in a simple, childlike way, and through the rent made by the cruel sword place them in hers. it is large enough for them all. for great as the sea was her affliction. Our trials may come from others - we may be ill-treated, wronged, misunderstood; or from fortune - poverty and want may be our share; or from ourselves - oftentimes our own character, tempers, humours, are our greatest affliction; or again they may come to us through the sorrows of those we love. Be they what may, tell them to Mary; but surely, if there be one more than another that she can sympathize with, it will be this last. Was not compassion for her Son that pierced her heart? Let her be our refuge in grief. Let us say with the wise man: "I took her to live with me, knowing she would be a comfort in my cares and griefs." Our Lady will not only listen to us, but will help us is we let her. She will often show us, though with the utmost gentleness, that what seems a misfortune is in reality a blessing. If we have lost riches, she will let us see they might have proved a snare to our souls. If a friend is taken from us by death, she will whisper that Jesus covets the place in our hearts which that friend once occupied. If ill-health be our lot, she will lead us to recognize that it cuts us off from many dangerous pleasures and amusements; and in this way we shall become so consoled by her that we may end by positively rejoicing over those things which cause our tears. But there is one grief, Mother mine, which even thou must find difficult to assuage. How comfort those who mourn and weep that Jesus. their beloved, is hated without cause? Useless to bid them cease, for who could do so when the dearest of all who are dear to them is being mocked, ridiculed, driven from the hearts of men, nay, even crucified afresh, and that not once, but many times as there are mortal sins committed in a day? Yet even in this, the grief of griefs, she can whisper words of consolation, even amidst her own tears - for did not her seven swords of sorrow springs from the same source, and did she not realize this more than all the lovers of Jesus put together? - and remind such souls that he had said: "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." For one day they will see that all these things will in the end redound to His greater glory, as showing forth the unspeakable love of that Sacred Heart shich, knowing what was before Him and all that would come upon Him, with full deliberation left His heavenly home and braved it all for the sake of rescuing from eternal misery those who were willing to listen to His voice and yield Him their hearts. Our heavenly Mother will teach such souls that, while mourning that he is hated without cause, they can also, at the same time, rejoice in the thought that He is infinitely good.
But there is yet another realm than earth where Mary exercises her power as comforter of the afflicted, and that is in purgatory. Oh, how those poor prisoners must welcome the sight of their august Queen, when from time to time she visits them, bringing consolation and renewed hope in her train! And what can she say to ease these sufferings, the greatest of which must be that of seeing how we have wasted our substance - the many graces bestowed on us - and disappointed the Sacred Heart by not attaining to that perfection and to that degree of glory which He had planned for us, and for which He gave us the means? Well, she can comfort them by putting before them that at any rate their present sufferings will make at least some atonement for the past, and thus they will learn some even to love those grievous torments; while those whose chief pain consists in the sense of loss will be reminded that compared with eternity their sojourn is not for long, and that soon they will be joined to the happy throngs awaiting them in the heavenly kingdom. "Be of good comfort, my children....for as the neighbours of Sion [your eternal home] have now seen your captivity from God, so shall come up you with great honour and everlasting glory." (Bar 4).
But Mary will have more than words to offer these suffering exiles. Can we think she will ever visit them without bringing a royal pardon for many of their number who will follow joyously in her train, speeding aloft towards Him whom they love and to whom their whole beings craves to be united?
And cannot we share in great measures our Mother's office of "Consolatrix Afflictorum"? Surely yes. Let us put self aside and enter lovingly into the sorrows of those around us, consoling, comforting and sympathizing with every form of suffering, no matter whence its source. Be it they have brought it on their own heads, that is no reason for hardening our hearts. Self-condemnation is one of the bitterest forms of trial; let us not add to it by our censoriousness. Who has appointed us to judge over them?
Then again for the souls in purgatory we can do most real work. Has not holy Church placed in our heands the means of paying their debts, giving us they key of the treasury of the Precious Blood, which on easy conditions we can sprinkle broadcast into the fierce flames, assuaging their heat and releasing their prisoners?
Here indeed we can be co-operators with our Mother Mary. Not a day passes but we can put a treasure into the hands with which to ransom those beloved one of God, many of whom we may have known in life, and who must often wonder at our not exerting ourselves more to obtain their release. Could time be better spent than freeing these holy prisoners who will bring immediate glory to God by their praise of Him, and who will surely in their turn not forget us, but will plead our cause before "the great white throne," when our time comes to pay the penalty of our neglect of grace?
Finally.before leaving our Mother Mary, whom we have considering under so sweet and consoling an aspect as that of a universal consoler, let us call to mind that she was privileged to be the comforter of God Himself. Did she not share the griefs of her divine Son, the Man of Sorrows, and by her deep sympathy bring consolation to His Sacred Heart, from Its first pangs of disappointed love in the cave at Bethlehem, when It realized that the creatures for whom He was prepared to do so much cared naught for Him, to Its last sigh on the cross they had prepared for Him? And how she longs for us to imitate her in this loving compassion for the sorrows of the Sacred Heart! "Comfort Him, all you who are round about Him," she whispers; and Jesus, when He sees us approach Him, more full of His griefs and wrongs than our own, will recognize us as true children of Mary, and virtue will go out from Him into our souls, and we shall become more truly His friends than we have hitherto been, for in times of common sorrow hearts become knit together by strong and lasting lies.

            Comforter of the afflicted, pray for us.

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Apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the mountain of La Salette, Imprimatur by Mgr. Bishop of Lecce - click to read

Today we remember the Apparition of Our Lady at La Salette. She appeared there to a peasant boy and girl, Melanie and Maximine in 1846 in the mountain located in the French Alps south-east of Grenoble in the village of La Salette. Only sixteen years previously, the Blessed Virgin appeared to Catherine Laboure, a novice in the community of the Daughters of Charity in Paris. During the conversation Mary said to her, “My child, I am going to give you a mission”. Our Lady gave us then through St Catherine the Miraculous Medal, an extraordinary help in obtaining abundant graces. Appearing in La Salette Our Lady brought serious warnings for sinners to repent. Hence, Our Lady of La Salette is also known as Reconciler of Sinner. Soon after, in 1858, Our Lady appeared to St Bernardette in Lourdes. This time Our Blessed Mother brought us graces of extraordinary spiritual and corporeal healings. Let us meditate carefully on the message of Our Lady of La Salette, as relevant to us today as it was 163 years ago, on our unworthiness, the mercy of God, His love and care for us manifested through these three most famous apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, sole Dispenser and Mediatrix of All Grace and help of sinners -
"From day to day, from moment to moment, she increased so much this twofold plenitude that she attained an immense and inconceivable degree of grace. So much so, that the Almighty made of her the sole custodian of His treasures and sole dispenser of all His graces, so that she might ennoble, exalt and enrich all she chooses. She can lead them along the narrow path to Heaven and guide them through the narrow gate to life. She can give a royal throne, scepter and crown to whomever she wishes. Jesus is always and everywhere the Fruit and Son of Mary, and Mary is everywhere the true tree that bears the Fruit of Life, the true Mother who bears that Son." (from "True Devotion to Mary" St Louis Grignion de Montfort)

“Well, my children, you will pass this on to all of my people.”

....Simple reproduction without commentary or controversy of the original edition of Lecce in 1879.

Only the witness herself, Melanie, can, along with Maximin, give an account of the apparition. After giving it by word of mouth an incalculable number of times, she decided to write it all down in 1878. It was published at Lecce on the 15th of November 1879 – with the “Imprimatur” of Bishop Zola - and reprinted “ne varietur” at Lyon in 1904, a few months before Melanie's death. This slim booklet is now a rarity. The text is followed exactly here.....

From 'A Moment with Mary - Mary of Nazareth' on Our Lady of La Salette, Reconciler of Sinners

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Pastoral letter from the new Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols - click to read more

In the reading from the letter of St James, which we have just heard, the Apostle gives us a realistic picture of family and parish life. He describes our daily struggles, “these wars and battles between yourselves” (4.1), arising from conflicting ambitions and desires. He speaks of the wisdom “that comes down from above” (3.17) and the enduring kindness and compassion to which it gives rise, overcoming our temptations to
favouritism and hypocrisy.

This wisdom of which he speaks is, of course, Christ himself. So St James insists that our relationship with Christ, expressed in prayer, is central to the stability and fruitfulness of our lives. A sound practice of daily prayer is essential for our well-being.

Three people who illustrate this truth very clearly are being held before us in the weeks and months ahead.

The first is St Thérèse of Lisieux, well known as The Little Flower. She teaches us that prayer can indeed be part of our daily routine, knitted into the regular tasks of the day. Through her own prayer she came to understand that her vocation was to love.

She wrote in ‘The Story of a Soul’: “I had discovered where it is that I belong in the Church, the niche God has appointed for me. To be nothing else than love, deep down in the heart of Mother Church.” Her direct, wholehearted love of the Lord has meant that the hidden life of St Thérèse has become a gift to people all over the world. Everyone who seeks to know God in their own heart can draw inspiration from her example. True love such as hers is always creative.

The relics of St Thérèse – the tangible remains of her holy life – are coming to the Diocese during October. On Sunday 11th October, they will be in the Parish Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Kensington Church Street. From 12th -15th October, the relics will be in Westminster Cathedral. Many people find that, in her presence, their faith is strengthened, their prayer is deepened and they turn to God afresh, through repentance and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I encourage you most earnestly to come to her in these two places during these few days. A plenary indulgence may be gained, in the presence of these relics, under the normal conditions of Reconciliation, Holy Communion and prayers for the Holy Father.

The second person being held before us at this time is Cardinal John Henry Newman. He is to be Beatified, most probably, in early summer 2010, the first English person to be recognised as a ‘Confessor of the Catholic Faith’ for over 600 years.

As you know, he came only gradually to the fullness of Catholic faith. It was a difficult journey for him. Yet, in his own words, he came to recognise our faith as “a working religion”, not concerned with ideas or vague generalities, but taking us up into the true worship of Christ himself. At the heart of Newman’s sense of the realism of our faith was the real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, “as real”, he said “as we are real”.

For thirty years, John Henry Newman was a Catholic parish priest in Birmingham. When he died, in August 1890, over 20,000 people lined the streets for his funeral procession. They came to pay tribute to a fine and devoted parish priest. It is so providential that his Beatification will take place during this Year for Priests, established last June by Pope Benedict XVI....

During this Year for Priests, we are asked to pray for our priests in a special way, to thank and encourage them. The life of a priest has its own particular demands and we all know the crucial leadership given by the priest in the parish. So, I ask you, cherish your priests and care for them. Remember not only the sacrifice priests have made but also the gift of sacramental life they bring to you through their ministry and the pastoral care they give.

St Thérèse had a special love for priests. John Henry Newman was a great example of a faithful, hardworking priest. The third person in our sight at this time is St John Vianney, the famous Curé of Ars. He is the patron saint of priests. He too reminds us of the centrality of prayer and repentance in our lives, and of the astonishing gift we are given in the Real Presence of the Lord in our churches.

May these holy men and this holy woman pray for us. May these coming months bring blessings on our families and parishes. And from those sources of strength and encouragement, may we be renewed in our faith and in our generosity towards all in need.

Archbishop of Westminster

Very encouraging letter, nice thoughts about St Therese. I would love to read more about St John Vianney, patron Saint of all priests.

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