The Catholic Edge

 Did you ever hear of the Apostolic Pardon?  It's a gift Jesus gave to Peter and all the Apostles.

It's a prayer used as an act of mercy, drawing on the authority given to the Apostles to "bind and loose" (Matthew 16:19)  It is used as a person is dying and not only gives peace to the soul of the dying but to the family and friends, present, assuring them that they have done all they could do to bring a soul closer to the gates of Paradise.  

This used to be called the "Last Rites."  Catholics would carry ID cards, saying "I am Catholic, in case of accident, please call a priest."  It is a beautiful prayer:

May our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave to His blessed apostle Peter the power of binding and loosing, mercifully accept your confession and restore your baptismal innocence.  And I, by the power given to me by the Holy See, grant you a plenary indulgence and remission of all sins; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  By the sacred mysteries of mankind's restoration may almighty God remit for you the punishment of the present life and of the life to come, and may He open to you the gates of Paradise and admit you to everlasting happiness.

This will be one of those moments of holy, sacramental, radiance, where prayer is felt in the heart.

Thanks be to God.

Amen.

Be With The Spirit

 LECTIO:

Eph 5:15-20

Brothers and sisters:
Watch carefully how you live,
not as foolish persons but as wise,
making the most of the opportunity,
because the days are evil.
Therefore, do not continue in ignorance,
but try to understand what is the will of the Lord.
And do not get drunk on wine, in which lies debauchery,
but be filled with the Spirit,
addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts,
giving thanks always and for everything
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.

MEDITATIO:

OMGosh! Is this reading apropos for today.  It seems bad images, temptation, if not plain evil surrounds us.  Movies, books, signs, TV, music, etc., temptations abound. What is to be done?  What can I do?

STUDIUM:

Paul is telling us to discipline ourselves.  Note that Paul advocates temperance, not abstinence.  See 1 Tim 5:23, Prov 23:31.  Act cautiously.  Christian life is doing God's Will, not ours, and that means thoughtfully discerning what God's plan for us.

ORATIO:

Lord, I give you permission to dope slap me.  Have my guardian angel guide me away from excess.  I must learn to discern God's Will.

CONTEMPLATIO:

Speak Lord; I will listen.

The Other way Around

 This morning, I read something that gave me pause.  It said that the Pharisees et el, didn't recognize the Messiah because they thought Jesus was a mere man with pretensions to say He was God.

Yes, they did.  Even today, many see a man.

Actually, it is the other way around.  Jesus is God.  What you see is the Man.  

Remember, God is two natures: human and divine.  

Philippians 2: 5-8, Numbers 23: 19, 1 Samuel 15: 29, Hosea 11:9

Strange enough to learn a new term, hypostatic union. You won't understand it and neither does anyone else.

Vindication

 I guess I'm not naive.  I didn't see the reference to the Last Supper in the opening ceremony of the Olympics and now I found out because it wasn't there.  This is the explanation from the art director.  It was not the Last Supper. It was a depiction of an ancient Greek Bacchanal… because, you know, the Olympics are ancient and Greek. Surprise!

My View on the Olympics

 Right up front, I'll tell you that I love the Olympics.  I like sports and I like to see the highest achievements.  Yesterday, as I watched the opening ceremony, I was flipping channels to watch the Red Sox and Yankees baseball games.  Red Sox and Yankees are always good games.  At first the Yankees were ahead, then the Red Sox, then the Yankees, then they were tied, and finally the Red Sox won.  Great show.

As for the Olympics show, it was too much, too all encompassing, too "over the top", and too confusing.  For the majority of it, I didn't know what I was watching. Venues were shown, e.i., Tahiti, Bordeau, Lyon, Marsailles, Trocadero, etc., and then back to the parade of athletes on the Seine.  The light shows were amazing.  The entertainers were good.  I was amazed at the work that was put into the production of the event.

As I watched, I saw many weird things.  My eyes popped and my eyebrows went up at the manage a trois enactment. I couldn't believe my eyes. Hubby thought the fashion show was weirder.  But he's never seen models walk down the runway at a fashion show.  

In case you haven't ever seen a designer's fashion show, they are exotic. They are bizarre and only for fashionistas.  They're mostly for advertising, getting noticed. No lay person would wear those clothes.  This is what the fashion show at the Olympic opening was showing.  The models were modeling out of this world clothes and accessories.  Only Lady Gaga would wear these clothes, and only when performing, certainly not when mucking out the barn. The runway walk is exaggerated.  It's a type of sashay, stomach out first, tottering on unfamiliar shoes trying not to fall on your face, walk. And as each model finished her walk, she sat on the side of the runway.  

That's what I observed.

This morning, I read reviews condemning the mocking of the Last Supper.  ?????What?  When I saw the picture comparing the fashionistas to Jesus and the Apostles, I could see it, but to tell you the truth, if it weren't pointed out to me, I would never have noticed.

The picture is certainly taken out of context.  The people were models who had performed and sat on the side of the runway.  There were many, many, not just thirteen.

I also learned that the theme of the opening ceremony was France's historical culture: the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Am I too American provincial not to appreciate the "manage a trois", and the Last Supper references?

If so, good.  Let's get to the gymnastics and swimming.

Lectio Revision

 My Lectio Divina needs a face-lift.  I have six steps!  I don't always use the last one, but still.  That's a lot. Lectio, Studium, Meditatio, Oratio, Contemplatio, and Resolutio.

Lately, I've been meditating what I need to know about the Reading, before I do some googling, and reading.  How do I know what's going on, so I have to think before I search.  What I'm trying to say, I'm switching Meditatio before Studium.  

Sometimes, depending on the Reading, there is no Resolutio.  There's no behavior change involved.  Here's the revised steps:

Lectio:

Meditatio:

Studium:

Oratio:

Contemplatio:

Resolutio:

St. Dominic Has His EyesOn You

 There is a depiction of St. Dominic, where his face is scrunched up in consternation. Admittedly, it’s odd. My grandchildren do not like to look at it and even say its creepy. So they’ve turned this little bust of St. Dominic around, so it’s not looking at them. 

Today, as we we’re outside, I heard an exclamation, “oh no, Dominic is 👀 at us with disapproval.”

I looked in that direction, and she was correct. There in the window was St. Dominic with that worried visage. 

We had to laugh. 

The Lord is Our Rescurer

 

LECTIO:

Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

STUDIUM:

Originally, this was an acrostic poem.  It is a thanksgiving.  In this psalm one letter is missing and two are in reverse order.  The psalmist, having been rescued can encourage us, to trust in God.

MEDITATIO:

This reminds me of Saint Faustina's "Lord, I trust in You."  Even though, the Divine Mercy message confuses me, I do get the "Lord, I trust in You."  It's an easy prayer.

ORATIO:

Lord, I trust that You have a plan for me and that it will be good.  I trust You.

CONTEMPLATIO:

My life reveals Your care for me.  I should always just trust You.

Eucharistic Congress

 What do you think of the Eucharistic Congress 2024 that was just held in Indianapolis?  My diocese didn't have much of any effort into organizing a pilgrimage to go.  Today, someone said because it was too expensive, besides, they just talked to the choir.  I take that to mean it consisted of conservatives talking to conservatives.  

I guess time will tell whether it pleased God.  

The Favor

 Funny how you can hear the same story and come to a different realization.  I heard the story of Eduardo Bonnin and the two prison inmates before.  But only yesterday, when one of my “cloistered brothers” told the story of the beginnings of Cursillo, again, was I impressed with "the favor". I tried “googling” but the story I read is nowhere to be found. I am not surprised, since a prison has a prominent place in the beginnings of Cursillo. 

The setting is Spain, 1949.  For many years, Eduardo Bonnin and some friends were trying to bring people to Jesus.  The War in Spain made things difficult.  Bonnin and his friends were laymen.  They wanted to bring others to Christ.  They had retreats to introduce people to Jesus.  They had faith formation.  But nothing seemed to attract people.

Coincidentally, a prison chaplain was trying to minister to two men on death row.  But they wanted nothing to do with the priest.  The chaplain asked a local parish priest if he knew any lay people who would could try to minister to the condemned men.  

This is where Eduardo Bonnin and friends come in. They wanted to help, but how was a big question. This is what they did.

They met the two inmates and asked them for a favor. You may ask, what kind of favor could two men, soon to be executed in hours, do? 

Since they were about to meet God face to face, all too soon, Bonnin asked them to request of God to grant the Cursillo movement special graces to be effective.

You see the result.  It is now 2024 and Cursillo is still going strong.  Prison inmates love it.

Evil Exists

 Pax Christi pulls me one way--nonviolence.  But, damn it!  It's just not reality.  Read Genesis.  

Evil exists and you can't avoid it, sometimes, unless you violently smack it down.  Think Hitler, et el.

When Donald Trump was shot, it brought to mind other assassinations.  They are not just political, think of President Reagan's attempted assassination.  John Hinckley shot at the president to impress an actress.  Lincoln's, was political and stupid.  The president who held the country together was shot for doing just that.

IOW, there's no accounting for evil.  Because evil is irrational, humans have to be prepared for the worst, hope for the best, but not be naive about it.  Even Eden had evil in it.

Serving the Lord

 LECTIO:

Proverbs 9: 1-6

Wisdom has built her house,
she has set up her seven columns;
she has dressed her meat, mixed her wine,
yes, she has spread her table.

She has sent our her maidens; she calls
from the heights out over the city:
"Let whoever is simple turn in here";

"Come, eat of my food,
and drink of the wine I have mixed!
Forsake foolishness that you may live;
advance in the way of understanding."

STUDIUM:

The book of Proverbs opens with nine chapters on procedures, behaviors, and directions, for servants.  These verses offer an image of preparation for a banquet.  She knows how to party, no?

The subject is Wisdom.  Therefore, this is a lesson.  The seven columns are figurative.  Seven represents perfection.  The banquet offers delights and the attendants are instructed to be courteous and behave in a mature manner.  They are also told to learn how to put their knowledge towards the good of others.

MEDITATIO:

This passage reminds me of Faith Formation. People have to learn their faith.  Their religious formation should mature in understanding, which should show in how people treat others.

ORATIO:

https://youtu.be/t-W5HEVPJT8?si=L6qNohHte7G4sIBQ

CONTEMPLATIO:

Lord, may I serve You well.

RESOLUTIO:

I resolve to pray before I act.

The Two Hands

 There's a saying, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."  Reading Voyage of Mercy, The USS Jamestown, the Irish famine, and the remarkable story of America's First Humanitarian Mission," by Stephen Puleo,  proves that saying true.

This is a non-fiction book.  It relates how the people in USA helped the people in Ireland, during their famine.  Two people are memorable.  One is the sea captain, Captain Robert Bennet Forbes.  He rallied the people to help donations.  He sailed the ship Jamestown to Ireland and made it in record time.  That alone was quite a feat because that ship wasn't in that great condition and his crew wasn't that experienced.

The other hero was Father Theobald Matthew.  He fed the hungry and poor, besides ministering to their spiritual needs.  He ruined his health, in so doing, too.

I was appalled at the hostility the English had towards the Irish.  I was also surprised how on one hand we Americans were generous in helping the Irish, and on the other hand didn't want the immigrants to come here.  That's what I meant by "the more things change, the more they stay the same."

Nowadays, the USA frowns upon immigrants.  The same complaints as then, is now.  It's a wonder, humanity ever progresses. 

Claude Monet

 Claude Monet was a French artist (1840-1926).  One of his favorite themes was water lilies.  Being a passionate gardener, Monet purchased land with a pond in Giverny, France.  He intended to build and add to the pond scape, for the pleasure of aesthetic enjoyment and also give him motifs to paint for the rest of his life.

Monet ended up painting approximately 300 versions of water lilies--the common theme was the mingling of the lilies with reflections of other vegetation on the pond's surface.

Often on my walks with friends, we pass by water lilies.  I often think of Claude Monet whenever I see them.  Yesterday, I wrote a poem about water lilies.  It is written in rhyming couplets, with each couplet separated from the previous one, and the next.  The rhythm is a combination of iambic and anapest meter.

Water Lillies

 We walked along the edge of the pond,
Absorbing the beauty we happened upon.

Flowers, ferns, butterflies, birds, and trees,
But one of the best, were the water lilies.

Claude Monet was hypnotized by their beauty
Sailing on a water palette where all eyes could see.

No wonder these peaceful aquatic flowers obsessed-
Floating along, drifting on the dancing ripples' crests.

We paused our walk and felt the spirit of Monet.
Watching the rhythm of the water lilies' ballet.

Early Morning Mistake

 This morning hubby staggered into the kitchen, with half opened eyes, and started to prepare his usual breakfast. 

Later, he complained that the refrigerator wasn’t working properly because the cream cheese was too liquidy. But he spread it on his bagel, anyway. 

Today, he noticed his mistake.  

Maybe both eyes were open, this morning. 

An Oldie but a Goodie

 My library has been conducting book suggestions for the year.  This month's was a doozy!  I am to read a book written in the year I was born!!  My library had ONE, on its shelves.  That one is The King's General by Daphne Du Maurier.  

The King's General is a historical novel, based on true characters and events.  The romance isn't real.  But the setting, the war, the people, are true.  The story begins with Honor Harris celebrating her 18th birthday.  Coincidently, Lord Buckingham arrives and comes to the manse.  Honor tries to curtsy to him and gets stuck.  Everyone laughs.  Richard Grenvile helps her.  He takes her aside and teaches her to curtsy.  He also gets her drunk.  Honor throws up, but he is not disgusted; on the contrary, he's amused.  He really is quite a knave.  Richard is much older than she is and his experience wins her over.  Honor's family is appalled and forbids their courting.

The family has arranged a marriage for Honor.  She runs away.  She goes to Richard and lives with him.  On a hunt, the group is chasing prey when Honor gets into a horrible accident and is crippled for life.  She thinks her life is over and sends Richard away.

This is a time of the English Civil War, in the seventeenth century.  About 15 years have gone by, since Honor's accident.  She's managing quite well.  She is still as beautiful as she was when she was 18 and gets around on a wheelchair.  Her home has been wrecked by the war and she is currently living with the Rashleighs.  

Meanwhile, Richard has married and divorced.  So, he's a free-wheeling bachelor. He's fighting on the King's side, hence, the title.  They meet again and take off where they left off.

BTW, Honor has to change residences, quite a few times.  Du Maurier crafts suspense into these old English residences.  There are secret passages, locked rooms, creaky floorboards, and ghostly sounds.  

Eventually, the war ends.  Du Maurier ties up the story and the Postscript explains the historical background and what happens to the characters.

Perhaps a Mistake

 It took forever to listen to the Audible Book.  It was very long.  More importantly, I may have listened to it for nothing.  This was (I thought) a book club recommendation for the Fall.  I may have gotten the title wrong.  I listened to The Bee Sting by Paul Murray and maybe I should have been listening to The Bees by Laline Paull.

Anyway, The Bee Sting by Paul Murray is a page turner.  Can I say that about an audible book?  There were many times when I arrived home and just sat in the car listening to the end of the chapter (I listen in the car.) 

The time is pretty current, with cell phones and digital games.  The setting is Ireland.  The protagonists are the Barnes. The family, thanks to the grandfather is well off.  They owned car dealerships.  We meet the family: Dickie is the father, Imelda is the mother, Cass is the teenaged daughter-with all her teenage angst, and lastly is P.J., a twelve year old digital gamer.  There's also Elaine-Cass' best friend, Frank who was Imelda's fiance and Dickie's brother, who died in a car accident.  The grandfather is Morris. Big Mike is Elaine's father.

The action starts when there's a financial down-slide and the car dealerships lose money.  Dickie eventually loses the dealerships.  Morris comes in to save what he can and puts Big Mike in charge.  

There is sex intertwined in the story.  I'm not very good in writing sex scenes, nor describing them, but the sex will surprise the reader.  Throughout the story, we learn what is going on with each character.  The character heads each chapter.  Their problems are recognizable.  The reader will groan, even laugh, because they're so normal.  All the characters come together in the last chapter for a surprise ending.

What drove me crazy is that the characters never opened themselves up to each other.  They talk but not soul talk.  No one knew what the other was going through.  Unfortunately, that can happen in real life, too.

Vacation's Over

During vacation, I read two books and listened to one audible book.  The first book was James Martin's Learning to Pray.  I think I will be recommending this book to people who are interested in learning how to get closer to God.  Many ask how to pray.  

No, I didn't learn any new techniques but I was reinvigorated in my own prayer life.  I was also prompted to go back to some practices, I'd forgotten about.  

Learning to Pray has everything, from beginner to advanced.  He offers great ideas.  My favorite parts and Martin's personal stories.  He often related his own difficulties and what he tried to overcome them and the advice his spiritual directors gave.

 Reading Learning to Pray made me want to pray better.  I hope it will do that for you.