Salutations

 My "cloistered brothers" love the fact that St. Paul was a prisoner.  Also, that due to his confinement, he wrote letters.  We owe the New Testament to Paul, because much of the New Testament were letters Paul wrote, while in prison.

These letters follow the same form: who the sender is, to whom the letter is for, a greeting, then the purpose of the letter.  For example, look at Romans 1: 1-2,7.

Let's try it.

Greetings from Faith, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be a disciple and set apart to proclaim the Word, as a Lector, to bring the word to prisoners, beloved of God and called to holiness, grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I know this is a run-on sentence, but I was copying Paul.  You should try reading aloud to the congregation, these run-on salutations.

Lacordaire

 Here is the link, in case the picture doesn't translate well:                 https://scontent-bos5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/449101648_10161583695858769_4851068321055628318_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=aa7b47&_nc_ohc=lZRuLtdEkjcQ7kNvgHpUCwv&_nc_ht=scontent-bos5-1.xx&oh=00_AYD4WbvBCT4FXMtqkEIjUYgMWKn2gBIgrG0_aYES2ccfmg&oe=66849B69

because I love this picture.  Notice that his collar is askew.  Why?  I guess to show that the man wasn't perfect, or that this isn't a strict formal picture, or to portray naturalness.  What's your guess?

Next, does the face have a smile?  It's just enough of a smile to give the viewer a glimpse of the personality of the man.

Note his hands.  I think they portray a relaxed, casual attitude.

Now the background, what do you think--a monastery, a church, rabble?

The top right show two people.  Since this portrait is of a man belonging to a religious order, called Order of Preachers, the two people, actually three, show the various stages of the Order of Preachers' formation.  The man with the tonsure is either a Postulant or Novice.  The one with the black hood is wearing the exact same cloak as our subject, only he has his hood up.  So, the artist wanted to showcase the Order of Preachers. I bet the artist was a member of this Order.

Addendum: The Order of Preachers is colloquially known as "Dominicans," because their founder was St. Dominic.

This is a portrait of Father Henri Jean-Baptiste Lacordaire, OP.  He lived during the French Revolution, which banned religion.  Father Lacordaire is credited (at least by Dominicans) with keeping France Christian during the French Revolution.  If the background does portray the rabble of a church, then the portrait is portraying Lacordaire as working to fix the church.

What I also find interesting, is that Lacordaire never wanted a portrait of himself.  It is said, he had one done once--as he was seated at his desk, working.  Therefore, this portrait is imagination. Thinking about this, that would explain the background--imagination.

Well done.

Keep Practicing

 Over the years, I read James Carroll's articles and have admired his skill in wordsmithing.  He is an excellent writer.  I've just finished reading his book, Practicing Catholic.  Again, he is skilled in conveying his thoughts, which if you agree with him, you like the book.  Otherwise...

Practicing Catholic is autobiographical.  Since James Carroll and I are about the same age, I enjoyed the reminiscing.  I didn't know the back stories about Cardinal Cushing and Father Feeney.  I didn't know about the feud between cardinals Cushing and Spellman. I didn't know anything about the religious order--the Paulines.  

However, what I did know was an opposite take.  Carroll is very harsh with Benedict XVI.  Carroll as a priest raised my eyebrows: no pews?  red carpets and cushions?  Was he operating a brothel?  

Was the Eucharist the center?

That's my criticism of James Carroll's take on the church.  All his criticisms are on exterior trappings and people.  These things come and go.  He will come and go, himself, I'm sure.

But the Eucharist is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  That's why I'm Catholic.  No bum priest is going to keep me away from the Eucharist.  No bad pope, or pastor, or any person, can stop me from loving Jesus. People are people, but God is divine.

Hagar

 Am I the only one who always felt compassion for Hagar, Sarah's slave?  She was Egyptian and a slave to a Hebrew woman.  She was really out of her element, never mind how Sarah treated her.  Not much is recorded how she was treated, except we know that Hagar ran away because of Sarah's treatment of her.  (Genesis 16: 6 )

Hagar was also given to Abraham to have intercourse until she became pregnant.  Do you wonder what Hagar thought about this?  Then when she becomes pregnant, Sarah mistreats her--that is why Hagar ran away.  No details as to what Hagar was saying or acting, which would cause Sarah to mistreat her.  But Hagar was pregnant!  Did Sarah have no concern about the baby, Sarah was carrying for her?

I haven't even mentioned that Sarah insisted on banishing Hagar, with her son, Ismael, forever!

Praise God.  He had other plans for Sarah.  When Hagar ran away, an angel appeared to her and told her God wanted her to go back to Sarah.  This is the first time in the Bible that an angel appears. (Genesis 16: 7-9) 

Note that God cares for Hagar.  God knows who she is.  God knows what happened to her.  Doesn't that give you hope?  (Genesis 16: 13)

Hagar was again saved by God when she was thrown out of Abraham's camp.  I can't even imagine how she felt.  This is heart wrenching (Genesis 21: 15-16)

If God cares and takes care of Hagar, then He will take care of us.

The Love of Christ

 

LECTIO:

2 Cor 5:14-17

Brothers and sisters:
The love of Christ impels us,
once we have come to the conviction that one died for all;
therefore, all have died.
He indeed died for all,
so that those who live might no longer live for themselves
but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

Consequently, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh;
even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh,
yet now we know him so no longer.
So whoever is in Christ is a new creation:
the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come.

STUDIUM:

Paul is talking about his ministry and how we should all think about ourselves and each other.  We aren't to think like the world thinks about people.  We are to think like Jesus, act like Him, and better, love like He does.

MEDITATIO:

Jesus died for us. We must accept this and thank Him by transforming ourselves to behave as Jesus would.  We are His disciples.

ORATIO;

Lord, help me see through Your eyes.  Help me not to judge by today's standards, but by love.

CONTEMPLATIO:

I wish to please You, Lord.

The Unnamed Woman

 One of my fellow Scribblers, is a minister in the AMC church.  Her name is Zenobia Silas-Carson. Every morning, she bubbles up "Good morning All! Hear my happy wind chimes and sweet summery breeze...yada yada yada."

Sigh.

What can I say.  I'm not a morning person.  But I enjoy her attitude and it helps me wake up.  One particular morning, she asked everyone who their favorite woman was, in the Bible.  She received the usual: Sarah, Rachel, Tamar, Deborah, Hannah, Ester, etc.  No one said my favorite woman. 

 Well, no wonder.  My favorite woman has no name, although she is in three Gospels.  I guarantee you, every Christian female, thinks of her, at least once every month. She is in Matthew 9: 20-22, Mark 5: 25-34, Luke 8: 43-48. Three out of four Gospels should tell you how important she is.

Her name is..., well no one knows, probably because she was suffering from Menorrhagia, which is abnormally long and heavy menstrual periods. I assure you that every girl who has every read Matthew 9: 20-22, Mark 5: 25-34, Luke 8: 43-48, instantly prays that Menorrhagia doesn't happen to her.  And guaranteed, every month, every female thinks of this unnamed woman, with the utmost empathy.  

It is no wonder, this poor woman has no name.  She was Jewish.  Blood in the traditional Jewish religion is considered polluted.  In fact, according to this ancient law, women who bleed, have to separate themselves from the rest of society, and go live in the Red Tent.  Here they take refuge during menstruation and births.  This poor woman must have lived there permanently.

If she left, she would have been called out, like a leper, "unclean, unclean!" 

Somehow she hears of this miracle worker, named Jesus.  

What has she got to lose?

She sneaks out and finds Jesus.  He is surrounded by a crowd.  That's a good thing, for her.  She won't stand out.  She doesn't want to face him and ask for healing.  What if He asks her what her illness is?  As soon as she said she constantly bled, people and probably Jesus, Himself, would be repulsed and pull away from her.  

So she comes up unnoticed, behind Jesus. She bends to just barely touch one of the tassels on His prayer shawl. Immediately, her body feels healed.  The bleeding has stopped.

Unfortunately, Jesus felt some power leave Him.  He asks, "Who touched me?"

"Oh no!" 

She probably wished the ground would swallow her up.  She didn't know what to do or say.  The crowd responded, "Are you kidding? The crowd is crushing us, how can we tell?"  

But the woman realized that Jesus would know anyway.  She should thank Him and acknowledge what she did, and so, "she came forward, trembling.  Falling down before Him, she explained in the presence of all the people why she had touched Him and how she had been healed immediately."

A millisecond of silence was deafening.  Then Jesus, shook His head affirmingly and smiled.  He said, "Daughter, your faith has saved you.  Go in peace."

Whew!  What a ride!  From the shame of rejection, to taking a chance, to holding onto hope, to an unthinking proaction of reaching out to barely touch a fringe of a prayer shawl, to being called out, to embarrassment, to finding the courage to own up to what you did, to acknowledgement of the deed, to acceptance, forgiveness, and finally peace.

Is it no wonder, I empathize with this woman?

Whatever her name is!

                                           Rev. Zenobia Silas-Carson

Kidnapped Protagonist

 Jordi's second book is out, A Lover's Passion by J. Albert Reus. This is Book 2: Martina Steward, of The Julian Bacardi Trilogy.

It's taking forever for Juli's laicization.  He's still a priest, only in name.  He's not giving sacraments or celebrating Mass.  He's a man who has been kidnapped by his former secretary, Isabel.  The first book ended with her arrest.  Here she walks in the beginning of the story.  It seems she's a government agent.  She's after the bad guys and needs Juli to help.  

The reader gets a lot of background on Isabel, Martina, Anna, and Sofia.  Juli's love is Sofia; he wants to marry her.  But Isabel's love is Juli and she works her womanly wiles to seduce him.  

The story is fast paced.  It is a thrilling page turner.  We travel from Spain to Italy. We find out that the bad guy is the Bishop.  (He would be a Borja.) Sofia tries to save Juli.  But in the end, ... to be continued.

Ugh!  Maddening!  We have to wait.