Bl. Hyacinth Marie Cormier, O.P.

Bl. Hyacinth Marie Cormier, O.P.

It's late.  I just got in from a meeting, but I just have to write down my thoughts.  Today, in the Dominican Liturgical Calendar, is the Feast Day of Blessed Hyacinth Marie Cormier, O.P.  I just love his life story because of the way he allowed the Holy Spirit to move.  He just stepped out of the way and let God do His stuff.

Bl. Hyacinth was of such delicate health that he was given the religious name of "Hyacinth."  It seemed that he was always hemorrhaging.  In fact, his hemorrhaging kept him from being professed as a Dominican friar.  The friars didn't want to do it.  Hyacinth appealed to the Pope.  The Pope said that if Hyacinth could stay hemorrhage free for a month -- 30 -- days, he would be professed.  And Hyacinth almost made it.  He was perfectly healthy for 29 days.  Then on the 30th day he hemorrhaged.  It was so bad a hemorrhage, that he was close to death.  As he lay dying, the friars finally professed him.

Then he got well.  Ha!  The Holy Spirit wanted Hyacinth to be a Dominican friar.  Not only was Hyacinth a friar; he was ordained a priest; he was elected prior; he was elected prior provincial; he was elected Master General of the Dominican Order.  You just can't stop the Holy Spirit.

Bl. Hyacinth Marie Cormier founded the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas in Rome, known as the Angelicum.  Not bad for a sickly kid.

I'm telling you, the Holy Spirit moves as it wills.  You might as well yield to it; it always wins.

h/t Moniales     and   the   Dominicans in Australia

The Spirit is willing...

Easy meditation today: I was watching my 10 month old granddaughter.  She's an expert crawler.  A good stander.  But the balance between the two haven't connected yet.  In other words, she's not walking.

She wants to.  You can see that she really, really wants to walk into your arms.  She'd love to please you and clap with everybody.  Hooray!

She wants to -- her spirit is willing.

But her physical body just can't.

The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Like everyone else, she'll have to keep trying.

The Apostle of Prisons

Image via Wikipedia

Why have I been so discombobulated, today?  It's because my mind's been on the Apostle of Prisons.  Every since I've learned that Pere Marie Jean Joseph Lataste, OP has been favorably considered for beatification, I can't wipe the smile off my face.  I'm so happy!  All we "Latasties" are celebrating.

My "cloistered brothers," and others who follow the spirituality of Pere Lataste are thrilled.  The Dominican Sisters of Bethany, (Lataste founded them) I'm sure, are planning a party.  And I want to go.

Who is he?  Pere M. Jean-Joseph Lataste, O.P. was a French Dominican Friar who lived in the nineteenth century.  He had a vision for the rehabilitation of prisoners through God's love.  He saw something marvelous happen during the first retreat that he gave at Cadillac prison in 1865.  He saw redemption, not as an abstract concept, but right in front of him.  The Holy Spirit not only touched the women prisoners, but also his own heart.  You can see the tone of his retreat change, as he nears the middle of his talk.  He was one of the converts, himself!  

Since the time was the nineteenth century, his converts had a hard time finding work, once released from prison.  What jobs could women do then?  They didn't want to go back to the old ways of life that had landed them in prison.  They needed a community for support.  Hence, the Dominican Sisters of Bethany was born.  And it wasn't easy.  I can just imagine the look on the Dominican friars' faces, at Lataste's proposal: "What!  You want to put a prostitute in a Dominican habit!"  Pere Lataste had what my "cloistered brothers" would call "theological cojones."

But you know, if it's the work of the Holy Spirit, it will happen.  And so it did.

My "cloistered brothers" tell the same story when they tried to set up a Lay Dominican Chapter.   They still have the "cease and desist" letter from the Archdiocese of Boston, in their archives.  There's an online book about my brothers' journey called A Word of Hope, if your interested.

Everyone who follows Pere Lataste's teachings is known as a Latastie.  We Latasties are celebrating now.  We have been praying for Pere's beatification for awhile.  He already was made venerable in 2007.  In fact, I made up a prayer, for his beatification   

O Lord of all that is good and holy. You see those of us who love and serve You faithfully. If it be Your Will, I ask you to glorify Your faithful friar, Father Marie Jean-Joseph Lataste, O.P. He exemplified Jesus' teachings on mercy, forgiveness, and love. He taught the forgotten, the poor, the marginalized, and the imprisoned, that all Your people are loved equally by You. Pere Lataste said that the prisoner was loved the same as a priest, in Your eyes. His clear and courageous preaching of Your Truths converted many hardened hearts to embrace the Faith. His love for the Blessed Mother moved many to love Your Son. He inspired the lives of the women prisoners in Cadillac, France, to establish the Dominican Sisters of Bethany. He gave his all for You, zealously bringing people to You. His will was to do Your Will.
Lord, if it be Your Divine Will, I ask you to glorify Your loving and faithful servant, Father Marie Jean-Joseph Lataste, O.P. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord and Savior. Amen


Deo Gratias!  It is God's Will.


Providentially, the Dominican Sisters of Bethany have constructed a new chapel for Fr. Lataste's remains.  He is buried there and pilgrims can visit.  MMmmmmm.......wouldn't that be the perfect place for a celebratory ceremony?

Glorious NEWS!!!!!

Sister Ruth sent this email, this morning:

dear Ruth and dear brothers of Norfolk
I don't know if you receive the great news from Rome, yesterday : trial on miracle for the beatification of our father Lataste is finished, cardinals voted yes ! We have to wait the pope's decree and to organize the bigest feast of Bethany's story !
yours sincerely
fr. Jean Marie Gueullette, o.p.
Couvent de la Tourette
B.P. 105
69591 L'Arbresle Cedex
Tél direct : 04 72 19 15 24


Thank you Lord!  

The Common Good May Not Be So Good

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It always rubs me the wrong way when a leader claims that his decision was for the "good of the whole."

And I don't know why.  

That is, until I read Acts 6: 1-7.

Acts 6: 1-7 is the first reading for this Sunday--the Fifth Sunday of Easter.  In this reading, we don't see the Apostles telling the Hellenists that "for the good of the whole" you have to do what we say; "for the good of the community, you have to behave like we tell you."  They did something different.  They listened.  The Apostles listened to the Hellenists.

"...the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected..."

Not only did they listen, but they heard, and they understood.  The Apostles also didn't say that they determined that this particular solution is best.  They had the Hellenists work out their own problem, their own way.  

Look at the names of the men that were chosen to serve the widows: Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas.  These Greek names show that the Hellenists were solving their own problem.  They are each called by name.

That's Christianity for you, and that's what bothers me about "for the good of the whole."  It's Marx, Engels, Lenin, Castro, and other atheists that tout "for the common good." It's Christianity that teaches us that each individual is important.  Each individual's worth and dignity are valued.  Each is listened to and has a say in shaping their own life.  That's suppose to be the blessing about having a free will, whereas, commands imposed by an administration "for the common good," are not taking into consideration the lost sheep, the one hair on the head, each child of God, the individual.

“I believe in person to person. Every person is Christ for me, and since there is only one Jesus, that person is the one person in the world at that moment.”  Mother Theresa of Calcutta 

Grace through Suffering

I'm home sick today with a cold.  It's rattling around in my chest, and I thought I'd rest up, drink plenty of fluids and consider it a "P and P Day."  "P & P" stands for "Pray and Play."  Today the "Play" translates into "Read" since I don't feel like Playing.

And the Prayer has become Lectio Divina.  That's because yesterday in Chapter, we  discussed Grace through Suffering.  Specifically, accepting suffering as uniting ourselves with Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit suffering is transformed into resurrection.

Huh?

Yeah, you see instead of simply suffering and bitching about it, lumping it, enduring, sucking it up...all bad, accept  it and what you perceive as the "bad," returns as grace.       Think about it.

As a Christian, I can believe it; I can see it.

That was yesterday's Chapter.  Last night, I finished reading Markus Zusak's The Book Thief.  Now, there's a book about suffering.  Wait a minute, upon reflection I'll rephrase that; now there's a book about grace.

Yes, there's untold suffering throughout the book.  I used quite a few tissues--but then I do have a cold.  With every cruel, evil occurrence, there was always a moment of grace.  The very first heart rendering death of Liesel's brother resulted in Liesel's redemption--a book.  That's how the story goes.  The grace is there.

Today, I finished reading The Death of Magister Aycardus, by Fr. Michael Demkovich, O.P.  This is a mystery about Meister Eckhart.  Near the end, Gianna tells everyone, "Only a woman who has given birth truly knows the mystery of suffering."  There you go!  Money quote!  Perfect example of Grace through Suffering.

Oh yeah, also being home sick has givin me this opportunity to post about Grace through Suffering.

God is Good.  All the Time!

A Song of Redemption Angels Can't Sing

My brothers pray for their victims
     singing a harpists' new song
a new hymn before the throne,
    before mankind, before God,
before the four living creatures,
     and before the elders.

They sing a hymn not learned
    by all except by those
following the Lamb.  They
   are the ransomed, forgiven,
absolved, and have the Father's
  name written on their foreheads.

h/t The Preacher Poets, 4th Annual OPrize p. 91