Love in the Heart of the Church

Therese as a novice

Today is the 114 anniversary of the death of St. Therese of Lisieux, also known as "The Little Flower."  Tomorrow, October 1, is her feast day. When people hear that I have an affection toward St. Therese, and have read all her works, the conversation always seems to come around to receiving roses as an answer to prayers. I can honestly say that I have never ever received a rose from Therese, nor flowers of any kind. I like roses and I would love to receive one or more,  but I don't think receiving a sign is what's really important nor do I think that was what Therese had in mind when she wrote, "After my death, I will let fall a shower of roses. I will spend my heaven doing good upon earth.  I will raise up a mighty host of little saints. My mission is to make God loved..."

Therese, in her short life, came to realize that her vocation was to be "Love in the Heart of the Church." But what did Therese mean to "be" Love? She sees herself as a "victim" to God's merciful Love. She surrenders all she is to the Love of Christ, her joys, her work, her relationships, and most of all her suffering. Her aim in this surrender is to serve Christ and through serving Christ to serve the Church. Her motto, taken from John of the Cross, is "Love is repaid by love alone." In her singular devotion to Christ, in her Love for Him, she becomes Love.  It's all mystical theology and I don't claim to fully understand it, but as  Doctor of the Church Therese's theology of Love and the Little Way certainly has influenced many Catholics. 

What Therese teaches us in her "Little Way" is to make Love the focus of all that we do and all that we are.  Although Therese was a nineteenth century Carmelite, I am sure she would agree with Holy Father Benedict who wrote in his Rule in the sixth century, "Prefer nothing to the Love of Christ." The "roses" that Therese sends may not be the kind that grow in gardens, but they are petals of Divine Love that through her intercession God showers down upon those who Love.

If you have never read "The Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux," I highly recommend that you add it to your reading list.  The Therese you meet between the covers of the book is not the saccharine saint that is depicted on holy cards and statues, but a young woman who despite tremendous suffering and the Dark Night of the Soul, remains faithful and continues to BE LOVE in the heart of the Church today.

POST SCRIPT:  This afternoon after writing this I went to the store to buy some things to celebrate my husband's birthday this evening. I picked up an inexpensive bouquet of fall flowers to put on the table. Not really looking at it closely, I chose the bouquet because of the asters and mums that were prominent. As I unwrapped the cellophane surrounding the bouquet, to my surprise there were two red roses hidden in the center.

I didn't really need a sign, but thanks Therese.

Read the Bible

St. Jerome by Caravaggio

St. Jerome, whose feast day is today, is noted for translating the Scriptures from the original languages into Latin, what is called the Vulgate.  He is also noted for the quote, "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." I believe that this statement rings true more than most people would think.

In my ministry of educating adults, I am surprised how little people know about the scriptures, especially the younger adults. In the Scripture classes I teach, the stories and people I learned about in elementary school are often are unfamiliar to my students. More and more of them have never actually read the Scriptures and their only contact with the inspired word of God is what they hear at Mass on Sunday or from the bible "documentaries" found on television, which are often filled with inaccuracies and conjecture. Yet after hearing the stories of our faith history and "meeting" the personalities in the written word, my students eyes are opened up to the beauty of the Scriptures and the awareness that there is more to the Bible than just what they hear on Sunday.  This also happens, sometimes in a dramatic way, in RCIA with those in the process who are discovering the Scriptures for the first time.

I agree with St. Jerome.  You can't really know Christ without reading the Scriptures, and that holds true for the Hebrew Scriptures as well as the Christian Scriptures. The stories in the Old Testament point to Christ, they prepare us for His coming. Many years ago I heard at a parish mission that BIBLE stands for "Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth." I thought is was cute and wrote it inside the front cover of my bible. Years later, every time I look at those words, I realize how true it is. There is a reason the Bible has been the best selling book of all time. Within those pages are  the tools and teachings we need to live a good Christian life and to come to truly know Christ.  Add prayer and meditation to the reading of Scripture and our reading becomes not static words on a page but a loving conversation with God. Add to that the wisdom and tradition of the Church, and the Scriptures become part of our lives as Catholic Christians. 

There was a time when all families had a Bible.  Inside was often kept family records, births, marriages, deaths, and despite what some people think, Catholics did read it and were encouraged to read it. I don't think the family bible is something that is important anymore, and I am sure there are many families that don't even own one.  Christmas is less than three months away, why not give someone you love the gift of coming to know Christ in the pages of the Holy Bible.

BATTLE

One of my favorite scenes in the film Michael is when John Travolta, playing the quirky but lovable archangel Michael, goes literally head to head with a bull. "Battle" he cries out as he confronts his foe much to the horror of those accompanying him. He of course ignores their warnings and runs into the bull and defeating him. 

Today is the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael,  the three Archangels whose names come to us through the scriptures.  Michael is probably the most well known, probably because he does battle for the Lord, the most famous being the battle with Satan that we heard in today's reading from the book of Revelation.  He is the patron saint of police officers, soldiers and basically anyone who is called upon to protect humanity.  He is also the patron saint of bakers which stumps me but perhaps someone out there knows the reason why.

People have always been fascinated with angels, those heavenly creatures created by God to serve Him and to serve humanity. I learned in elementary school there are nine choirs of angels listed from the lowest to the highest.: Angels, Archangels, Principalities, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Thrones, Cherubim, Seraphim. Some of the angels are sent to earth to keep to guard us, to protect us, and to serve as God's messengers.  The higher choirs serve God alone. But angels have also been "transformed" in recent years into kinds of "new age" energy forces that often keep God out of the picture. We have to be reminded that angels have no power on their own aside from what has been allowed by God. And, like all power, it can be used for evil as well as for good. Remember Satan and his minions were once heavenly angels who rejected God and work constantly to turn humanity against Him.  But we must also remember that we have the protection of St. Michael and the other angels.  We should call upon them every day to be with us in our battle against the forces of evil.

St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Amazing Grace

I have read where it could happen that when an ovary is removed a hormone imbalance can occur and the woman can feel a bit of depression.  It has been a week since my surgery and today I am feeling that sense of depression.  Part of it I can probably attribute to cabin fever.  I did venture out a bit this past weekend but maybe I did a bit too much because today I feel a bit of discomfort and tiredness. Part of it could be because I have had enough of doing the same thing day after day. Part of it is loneliness as I haven't had any visitors.  I would venture that a big part of it is restriction of my busy and active life.

This got me to thinking about all those who are homebound, hospitalized or confined to nursing homes or assisted living facilities.  Many spend hours and hours alone, with no one visiting them, with nothing to do.  Many elderly experience depression.  I am experiencing it after a week but I know that I will be back to work by Sunday and hopefully be cleared to engage in my regular activity.  Most of these people face this day after day for years until the Lord finally takes them home. How difficult it must be for them.

Perhaps it is a grace that God is allowing me to experience some of this.  I have to pray with it, but what is it that God is telling me, what is God asking of me through this experience. Perhaps He is calling me to expand my ministry or just calling me out of my own selfishness and look toward the needs of the lonely.  I am not sure.

Grace works in strange ways sometimes.  Sometimes it is subtle and sometimes it hits us like a brick.  I know I like to think of Grace as something gentle, a wonderful consolation that comes to us and evokes good feelings and joy.  Yes, Grace can be like that, but it can also be something that comes crashing in on us, it could hurt and make us feel like running away from it.  This second kind is what Dietrich Bonhoffer calls "costly Grace."  He writes in the Cost of Discipleship:

Costly grace confronts us as a gracious call to follow Jesus, it comes as a word of forgiveness to the broken spirit and the contrite heart. It is costly because it compels a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and follow him; it is grace because Jesus says: "My yoke is easy and my burden is light."

I have been confronted this week with many new feelings and experiences. As I continue to heal my body, I know that God is also working on healing my soul.  Yes, Grace is amazing, isn't it.

Climbing the Ladder

Jacob's Ladder by Marc Chagal

Yesterday in our thrice yearly reading of the Holy Rule we began Chapter 7, the chapter on Humility.  It is one of my most favorite chapters in the entire Rule and St. Benedict gives us twelve steps to achieve genuine humility.  In a previous post I quoted the section of this chapter where Holy Father Benedict compares the journey of our ascent to heaven to Jacob's Ladder (Gen. 28).  He says "we descend by exaltation and ascend by humility." I won't go into detail, but during my many hours alone at home following my surgery last Monday, the Lord made it clear to me that I need a good dose of humility before I can get a good footing on that ladder.

This realization did not occur overnight and it does not come easy for me to accept. I had to pray through it and am still praying through it.  The first step of humility is to "keep the fear of God always before our eyes."  God sees all and knows all and we simply can't ignore that.  If I am to climb that ladder, I have to be constantly aware of God's presence, His very intimate presence in my life each and every day. I have to put Him above everything else, and that means going beyond my own comfort level and fear so that I am being all that God wants me to be. It is not easy for me.

In the story of Jacob's Ladder, God promises Jacob something that He repeats and repeats throughout the scriptures and still makes clear today,  "Know that I am with you." (Gen 28:15)  God chastises us, and makes clear to us our faults and the areas of our lives where we keep Him out.   Here we have a choice.  We can accept the fact that God is calling us to change and out of genuine "fear of the Lord," that is fear of offending Him who has given us life and calls us to live that life in union with Him, or we can remain as we are.  The latter is the easiest course, but the question to ponder is where does it lead us in the end? Will the course I choose to follow lead me up the ladder, or will I be stuck on a rung somewhere in between because the climb seems to difficult?  The funny thing about this "ladder" is that just when I think I am reaching the heights of my ascent God shows me that there is still a long long way to go. The higher I go, the ladder grows more rungs. Sometimes it seems an impossibility to continue. Can I hold on, do I have the strength, will I ever reach the top, will I be able to continue after I fall a few rungs, or God forbid tumble down to the bottom? It all comes back to the promise, "I will will never leave you until I have done what I promised you." (Gen 28:15) On my part, I just have to keep climbing.

Of Folk Songs and Psalms

Convalescing from my very successful surgery with no pain and very little discomfort, I find it difficult to keep sitting quietly and letting my body heal.  Yet last night I found myself glued to the television watching a documentary on PBS about folk singer Pete Seeger.  Although I didn't know it at the time, the music of Pete Seeger had a tremendous influence  my own love of music.  

My earliest recollection of listening to music was my parents collection of Sinatra, Perry Como, Rosemary Clooney, and big bands.  Then in the summer of 1962 I began to attend CYO Day Camp in Coney Island, where I was introduced to folk music by a beautiful blond music and art counselor whose name I do not remember.  She played guitar and over the five summers I attended the camp, she taught us songs she heard in Greenwich Village by rising folk singers by Peter, Paul and Mary, Bob Dylan, and others.  I was immediately captivated by the songs, This Land is Your Land, If I Had a Hammer, This Little Light of Mine, Puff the Magic Dragon, Leaving on a Jet Plane and many more. 

Dad noticed my interest in folk music and bought me my first guitar. He loved to hear me sing and often asked me to sing for guests. His favorite request was Where Have All the Flower's Gone.  In retrospect I don't think he realized that it developed into a Viet Nam war protest song, and I was too young to even understand the conflict going on at the other end of the world from my innocent summers in Brooklyn and Long Island. But the music found its way into my soul and last evening's documentary brought back such wonderful memories that go beyond camp to 7th and 8th grade in Long Beach Catholic School and St. Agnes High School where my friends and I would play guitars and sing the songs that we grew up loving. By then we knew the importance of the words we were singing.  They evoked emotions, they made statements, and they defined a generation.

Folk music is still around, but it is not as popular as much of the noise that masquerades as music today.  Folk music had, has heart.  It speaks of the struggles of humanity, and it also speaks of hope and the perseverance of the human spirit.  It brings to my mind the Psalms of the ancient Israelites.  The longer I pray the Psalms, the more I come to appreciate their importance in the Judeo/Christian tradition  The Psalms are like folk songs. They come from the oral tradition of a people who were oppressed, who suffered, they are songs of lament and of sorrow. But they are also songs of joy and of hope in the Lord.  They speak of a common tradition, culture and history. They are songs that have endured by a people who have endured, and they will continue to be sung where and whenever there are men and women who have faith and a need for God. They are the songs who define the People of God.

I haven't played guitar in a long time, and my Guild twelve string is a ten string for the moment.  I haven't been singing much either, except as part of the assembly at Mass.  Yet the Psalms I pray several times a day. They bring to the forefront of my mind every human emotion, every fear, every joy, every desire. Like the folk songs I grew to love, they have become part of who I am as a Christian and as a Child of God. 

Patience and Healing

Healing the Bleeding Woman
Catacomb of St. Peter and St. Marcellinus

My surgery for tomorrow (Monday) has been delayed a few hours.  That's good and bad. The good news is I can sleep later and go to Mass in the morning. The bad news is that I still have to fast from 11:00 tonight.  I am usually asleep by 10 PM so that is not a problem, but if I don't have my coffee and at least something for breakfast then I get a headache and feel sick until I get the cup of java and some protein.  I can't even receive communion at Mass.  As the sisters would always say, "Offer it up."  I guess there is some wisdom there. So I will offer it for those who go hungry each and every day.

So the Lord is asking me to be a bit more patient.  I have been OK anticipating the surgery and it seems half the people I have asked to pray for me have had this surgery or knows someone in their family who has. I have received a lot of advice with regard to recovery, the most important being not to do much at all for the first three days or longer.  I am not the kind of person who could lay around all day doing nothing, but I am being forced to. I will have to have patience with the healing process.

It seems that it's important to be patient when seeking spiritual healing as well. For most of us, spiritual healing doesn't happen in a flash of a moment, but slowly after a period of time.  During this time we need to be open to the Spirit working in us and on us to bring about what we need to grow in our relationship with God, to heal from what ever it is that may keep us from being all that God wants us to be. But it takes faith and trust. Just as the woman who sought healing by touching the hem of Jesus' cloak, so too I must approach the Lord knowing that whatever I ask He will give me if it is in accord with His will for me. 

Perhaps during this time of physical healing, instead of spending hours watching HGTV and useless talk shows. I could spend time focusing on the Lord. I am sure He has a lot to say to me. Hopefully I will do some painting as I started a new canvas, and catch up on some reading and writing as well.  All these things are good for my spiritual well being. Maybe I will uncover something or grow in the creative gifts the Lord has given me...and that would be very good.