I don't think he's too crazy about......

my homemade cranberry relish (he did like the sweet potatoes though as you can see by his face!):

Rejoice! A King is born

Merry Christmas to all of you!  I am thankful for you!  

The Great O Antiphons of Advent

Saturday begins the Great O Antiphons, prayed during the last week of Advent.  You can download and print the O Antiphons at The Crossroads Initiative (a ministry of Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio).  The O Antiphons are used during evening prayer as the antiphon when praying the Magnificat for the Liturgy of the Hours.  Praying the O Antiphons together as a family during the last week before Christmas is a great way to build excitement for our celebration of the birth of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Christmas Day!  Here is what The Crossroad Initiative had to say about the O Antiphons:

Each of the O Antiphons highlights a different title for the Messiah: O Sapientia (O Wisdom), O Adonai (O Lord), O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse), O Clavis David (O Key of David), O Oriens (O Rising Sun), O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations), and O Emmanuel.  Also, each one refers to the prophecy of Isaiah of the coming of the Messiah.  A particularly fascinating feature of the O Antiphons is that the first letter of each invocation, when read backwards, forms an acrostic in Latin: the first letters of Sapientia, Adonai, Radix, Clavis, Oriens, Rex, and Emmanuel in reverse form the Latin words: ERO CRAS.  These can be understood as the words of Christ, responding to his people's plea, saying "Tomorrow I will be there."

Remember to go to The Crossroads Initiative to see the verses of the O Antiphons and download a printable version you can use to pray next week!

May you have a blessed final week of Advent!

Quote of the Day

DS1:  "Mom, all I want for Christmas is a Bible and a $400 lego death star."

:)

Zeal for the Mission

See the New Evangelization in action.  This video was made by a FOCUS missionary who touched so many people with his kindness and love for Christ while living here.  You can learn more about FOCUS here.  And FOCUS missions here.  Curtis Martin, President and Founder of FOCUS, has been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to the Pontifical Council on Promoting the New Evangelization.  He is one of 6 lay Catholics and one of 2 Americans appointed to the 15-member council.




Thanks Jenn for sending this video!

Mother of Hope

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of Hope, pray for us!

Pope Benedict XVI on Mary, Star of Hope:

From the Cross you received a new mission. From the Cross you became a mother in a new way: the mother of all those who believe in your Son Jesus and wish to follow him. The sword of sorrow pierced your heart. Did hope die? Did the world remain definitively without light, and life without purpose? At that moment, deep down, you probably listened again to the word spoken by the angel in answer to your fear at the time of the Annunciation: “Do not be afraid, Mary!” (Lk 1:30). How many times had the Lord, your Son, said the same thing to his disciples: do not be afraid! In your heart, you heard this word again during the night of Golgotha. Before the hour of his betrayal he had said to his disciples: “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33). “Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (Jn 14:27). “Do not be afraid, Mary!” In that hour at Nazareth the angel had also said to you: “Of his kingdom there will be no end” (Lk 1:33). Could it have ended before it began? No, at the foot of the Cross, on the strength of Jesus's own word, you became the mother of believers. In this faith, which even in the darkness of Holy Saturday bore the certitude of hope, you made your way towards Easter morning. The joy of the Resurrection touched your heart and united you in a new way to the disciples, destined to become the family of Jesus through faith. In this way you were in the midst of the community of believers, who in the days following the Ascension prayed with one voice for the gift of the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 1:14) and then received that gift on the day of Pentecost. The “Kingdom” of Jesus was not as might have been imagined. It began in that hour, and of this “Kingdom” there will be no end. Thus you remain in the midst of the disciples as their Mother, as the Mother of hope. Holy Mary, Mother of God, our Mother, teach us to believe, to hope, to love with you. Show us the way to his Kingdom! Star of the Sea, shine upon us and guide us on our way!  ~Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi

Where do you start?

When your house is a mess, is there a place you can always begin that will jump start you into action? Is there a place where you can attend to the task in front of you and then be able to move on to tackle the rest of the mess? This is the only way I can move forward sometimes, otherwise I get completely overwhelmed by the work in front of me.

This task for me is laundry. It is really hard for me to begin cleaning the rest of the house when the laundry is out of control (unfortunately this happens a LOT at our house). For some it's the kitchen. Others start in the bathroom. I can toss all the laundry in an unsorted disaster into another room and ignore it for awhile while "pretending" to straighten up and clean, but my heart is not really into it. I have an underlying anxiety about the unseen piles of clothes waiting to be sorted, washed, dried, folded, and finally put away. The funny thing (or maybe not so funny) is that staying caught up with laundry is not one of my strong suits. Go figure. I think God lets us struggle with precisely that which will give us the most benefit.

I was thinking about this yesterday and today as I have been tackling Mt. Washmore in pursuit of getting to the other side and starting to really clean our home. And as with just about everything that happens in my life, I began to think about this in terms of an allegory to the spiritual life. Where do I start spiritually when my life is a mess? What do I have to tackle first in order to get to the rest of the mess?

The first thing I always have to do before I can receive the Truth of God's Love for me, is to lay down my pride and quit seeking the affections and approval of other people. There, I said it. I am overly concerned with what people think of me, and it is paralyzing. God has healed this in my heart before, and He continues to do so when I begin to forget or begin to let my desire for the affections of others take over my thoughts and actions.

This is what was on my heart when I picked up Seven Deadly Sins Seven Lively Virtues by Fr. Robert Barron, through a Lighthouse Catholic Media display at the local Newman Center. I was inspired to get this CD in part due to the excellent series Mary has been doing at her blog The Beautiful Gate on the seven deadly sins. God is good! Here is what Fr. Barron had to say just at the beginning of this talk:

"We have been loved into existence by God... God doesn't need us.... God can't
be self-interested...Whatever exists, including you, is coming forth right now
as the result of a sheerly generous act, and that's where your worth comes
from."

This and everything else on the CD is exactly what God wants to tell me today. My worth comes from Him and not from anyone else. This is where I begin. I begin from Him. And so do you. So where will you go this week with that knowledge?

If you would like to learn more about what Fr. Barron has to say about the 7 Deadly Sins and the opposing 7 Lively Virtues, you can purchase the CD from Lighthouse Catholic Media. Or go check out a four part series of sermons on the Seven Deadly Sins and opposing antedotes at Word on Fire:

Fr. Barron's Sermon 7: on Pride / Humility

Fr. Barron's Sermon 8: on Envy / Admiration and Anger / Forgiveness

Fr. Barron's Sermon 9: on Sloth / Zeal for the Mission and Avarice / Generosity

Fr. Barron's Sermon 10: on Gluttony / Asceticism and Lust / Profound Respect for the Other

Wyoming Catholic College

Truth with Zeal

The Holy Spirit gives us joy. And He is joy. Joy is the gift in which all the other gifts are included. It is the expression of happiness, of being in harmony with ourselves, that which can only come from being in harmony with God and with his creation. It belongs to the nature of joy to be radiant; it must communicate itself. The missionary spirit of the Church is none other than the impulse to communicate the joy which has been given. ~Pope Benedict XVI, Christmas Address to the Roman Curia, 2008

Wondering where the new evangelization is? Here in our little midwest town, we are witnessing the new evangelization through an amazing group of Catholic missionaries, known as the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS).

Here in our town, Christ has brought the Catholic faith alive for college students across campus and across our community through the efforts of the FOCUS missionaries here. There are between 60 - 80 college students who attend daily Mass at the Newman Center. These students are reverent and love tradition. They are on fire for their faith and are are an inspiration to people in our family and families across the community. The FOCUS missionaries and their student disciples are living the sacramental life without fear and bringing the light of Christ to the darkness of our times.

At our university campus, we have four FOCUS missionaries (two women and two men) who have given their lives radically to Christ and His Holy Church. They disciple students to lead Bible studies and various community activities that evangelize to the Truth of Jesus Christ in the Catholic Church. We are currently supporting two FOCUS missionary families in the United States by giving on a monthly basis, specifically for these two families. There are hundreds of FOCUS missionaries across the country (and now internationally!) that raise their own money for support of their mission work. If you are interested in finding a missionary to support with a one-time or an ongoing gift, go check them out at FOCUSonline.org. This has been the best investment we have ever made, both for the growth we have experienced in our own faith and for the fruit we have seen by Christ's work through FOCUS.

If you have any questions, or would like to know the names of some specific missionaries we know personally that you can support, send me an email at intheirhearts@gmail.com

"Our task is to keep doing what we do and to trust that the battle belongs to God."

If you read anything this week, read this LifeSiteNews article by Michael O'Brien: A Battle to the Death against Moral Relativism.

Refreshment for Our Souls

One of the many things I love about our Catholic faith is the beauty of the liturgical year and various liturgical seasons and special monthly devotions providing a prayerful rhythm for our daily lives. November is a month we especially remember our beloved dead. This past week was the first time I had ever offered special prayers during the first week of November for our beloved souls in purgatory. Our Lord revealed to St. Gertrude:

"I accept with highest pleasure what is offered to Me for the poor souls, for I long inexpressibly to have near Me those for whom I paid so great a price. By the prayers of thy loving soul, I am induced to free a prisoner from purgatory as often as thou dost move thy tongue to utter a word of prayer!"

Four centuries before devotion of Our Lord's Most Sacred Heart was given to the world, Our Lord revealed to St. Gertrude His adorable Heart,

"at one time as a treasury in which all riches are contained; at another time as a harp which is played upon by the Holy Spirit, the sweetness of whose tones ravished the Blessed Trinity and all the heavenly court. Once it was represented to her as a fountain, the delicious and plentiful waters of which refresh the souls in purgatory, strengthen and enrich the just on earth, and fill the blessed in heaven with inebriating delights."

I love the way He revealed His Sacred Heart to St. Gertrude, with the imagery of the fountain providing for the Church Suffering, Church Militant, and Church Triumphant. We are all one Body and what a beautiful gift we have to offer prayers through Christ for one another. It was a blessing to be able to pray with you, and with Our Lady, in a special way last week for indulgences for our beloved souls.


UPDATE: Remember Me is a beautiful remembrance book available for purchase here. Here is a description from the website:

Remember Me is a family heirloom that is sure to be used again and again. It serves as a constant reminder to pray for loved ones who have gone before you. It is our hope that Remember Me will become a focal point of prayer for you and your family each and every month. As you use it, you will be filled with comfort and special memories — so that the souls of our faithful departed will live on and never be forgotten.

In Need of a Savior

On my last post, I should have written that I struggle with acedia and sloth rather than acedia/sloth because I struggle with both.... didn't mean to imply they were the same thing.

A HUGE help for me is Confession. I went to Confession last week the day after writing that post. Then we finally had a weekend at home without too much going on, and we were able to spend a full day cleaning and organizing. I'll admit I am not a particularly organized person, but in order for things not to completely fall apart around here, we have to have some semblance of organization. Procrastination usually comes first for me, and then sloth, finally resulting in acedia. A friend once told me, you are kind of an all or nothing type of person aren't you? Sigh Yes, I guess that is true for me. I'm a sinner in need of a Savior. I trust You Jesus, You are my All in All.

I am thankful for all of your prayers because it is such an encouragement and writing these things here helps me to be accountable. I am most thankful for Jesus Christ giving Himself completely to us in the Sacraments, particularly in the Eucharist and in Confession. Without these Sacraments, I could very possibly still be plodding my way in the Slough of Despond, trying to save myself.

Formation in an Electronic Age

I was searching online for some practical tips in dealing with the sin of acedia/sloth, which I have been struggling with lately. I found a fantastic article by Sr. Prudence Allen at Catholic Culture that I want to share with you:

Formation in an Electronic Age

Please pray for me as I try to combat the sin of acedia/sloth and learn to live out my vocation with vigor and joy. I am firmly convinced that this will not occur unless I change my habits. It seems like common sense, but it is much easier to say than to practice.

Medieval Helpdesk

This may be one of those that everyone has already seen, so I'm posting it here rather than forwarding to everyone on my email list ;) I had not seen it until this morning and I thought it was hilarious!




H/t Joy

Joy and Hope in the Midst of Persecution

Fantastic post by Johnnette Benkovic at Women of Grace. H/t Janet.

Facing the Challenge

by J Benkovic

There is no question that as Catholics living in the culture of our day, we are facing unprecedented challenges. I could write a whole series of blogs about those challenges, but my guess is you know many of them already. Recently, for example, our apostolate was unable to lease space because of a usage clause that prohibited religious purposes.

Not long ago we featured on our program, Father Joseph Esper, author of the book, Spiritual Dangers of the 21st Century . In this book, he identified the stages of persecution as follows:

Stage 1 The group is stereotyped.

Stage 2 The group is marginalized

Stage 3 The group is villified.

Stage 4 The group is criminalized.

Stage 5 Outright persecution ensues.

Father Esper stated that researchers tell us Christians are hovering between Stage 3 and Stage 4. Some would argue, however, that Catholics are hovering between Stages 4 and 5. With the demise of the federal government’s “Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell” policy on September 20, 2011, the continued legislative push for gay marriages to be recognized across state lines, the Obama administration’s hammering to overturn the conscience clause, Catholics are in the cross-hairs.

So much so, that Francis Cardinal George (Archdiocese of Chicago) stated, “I expect to die in my bed, my successor will die in prison, and his successor will die a martyr.” Some wonder if his statement is more prophesy than prediction.

The question, therefore, ought not to be, “Are we facing challenges?” but rather, “How do we meet the challenges we are facing?” I think the answer to this question can be summed up as follows:

1. Admit where we are. George Weigel in an address at St. Patrick’s Church, London, entitled “Benedict XVI and the Future of the West,” said this: “A decisive moment has been reached in the history of the Catholic Church; the catechetical-devotional Catholicism of the counter-reformation is giving way to what may be called Evangelical Catholicism.” He reminded listeners that the Church itself is mission and always about the business of pointing to Jesus Christ as the answer. We must realize that, as laity, we are called to mission activity.

2. Prepare ourselves for the struggle. Many would read this as a call to stockpile food, create safety bunkers, and head for the hills. While such strategies may have value, we must remember that ultimately the battle is not with “flesh and blood,” but with “powers and principalities” (Eph 6:12). As St. Paul instructs in Ephesians, we need to equip ourselves with the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of justice, the belt of truth, the shield of faith, the sword of the Word of God, and the boots of zeal to propagate the Gospel. We do this through our time of personal prayer, attending the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, receiving the Sacraments, and striving to live a virtuous life. Maintaining holy friendships and participating in activities that fortify and strengthen our resolve increase our ability to meet the challenges that confront us.

3. Do not give in to fear, discouragement, or anxiety. These three tactics are the most frequently tried strategies of the evil one. He seeks to disarm us, paralyze us, and overtake us through them. When they tempt you, see them for what they are and call upon the name of Jesus. Quoting Scripture is invaluable in these moments. Of course, this presupposes that you have several good passages committed to memory (Tip: Start with “one-liners” and then move on to more complex passages. A good beginning are these words of Jesus, “Get thee behind me, Satan;” and St. John’s words,”Stronger is he who is in me than he who is in the world.”).

4. Read the lives of the saints, especially the martyr saints. These holy men and women show us that “nothing is impossible with God,” even giving the ultimate witness. Ask them to intercede for you as you seek to live your life as a witness of the truth in this our day and time. Their lives also give us keen insight and inspiration regarding the realities of trial, persecution, and travail.

5. Know that God is with you. Jesus tells us He will never abandon us. And He won’t . The Holy Spirit dwells with the soul that is in the state of grace and provides every spiritual blessing in the heavens we need to live out our call and mission. In addition, the peace that surpasses understanding wraps us in the certainty of God’s presence and love. He never calls us to a task or a mission without giving us the grace we need to meet it. He is our Father and our provider.

6. Be joyful. There is a certain joy that accompanies struggle and challenge. It is the joy in knowing that when our sufferings are united to the Cross of Jesus, we share in the merit accomplished through that Cross. Such is the Father’s will and pleasure. We find something else in that Cross as well: power. The Cross of Christ is the very Power of God (1 Cor.1:18). So, when the cross is presented to you, rejoice! God’s own power can be yours!

These words of St. Pio of Pietrelcina give us good advice:

Being subjected to a trial is not under a soul’s control at all, and no one can directly do anything to be subjected to a trial; it depends exclusively on God’s will. I advise you to remain peaceful and not to be the least bit concerned about what will happen. Everything will be resolved to the glory of God and the sanctification of your soul.

…Give infinite freedom to the action of divine grace in you, and let it always serve to be for his glory and for the salvation of your soul and the souls of others. Never forget that heavenly favors are granted not only for your sanctification but also for the sanctification of others. (To Raffaelina Cerase, Feb. 23, 1915, taken from Padre Pio’s Spiritual Direction for Every Day)

Subsidiarity in Action

My daughter was quizzing me from a set of Brainquest cards the other day (it's nice to know I'm so good at 5th grade questions). One of the questions was something like "This organization improves conditions for employees in the workplace." And the answer on the card was "labor union".

So we had a little discussion about labor unions and how they were very important and are still, except that they have been corrupted by power and seem to have lost their mission. In addition, we discussed how labor unions actually give a great deal of money to anti Catholic organizations, such as abortion providers like Planned Parenthood. Our children know what Planned Parenthood is because they have prayed for an end to abortion in front of a local Planned Parenthood clinic as part of a local 40 Days for Life campaign. Anyway, after the discussion went back and forth for awhile, my daughter said, "Oh, I wish I wouldn't have asked that question!" Clearly, she had enough, but it was a good discussion to have with her.

Anyway, in talking to a friend (H/t Suzanne) about this, she told me about Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIII's encyclical on Capital and Labor. I have it bookmarked, but have not had a chance to read it yet. She also told me about the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty, which is named for Lord Acton, who said, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power absolutely." The Acton Institute looks like a helpful place to sort through all the news reports regarding the Pontifical Council for Peace and Justice call for a central World Bank. Many of these news reports say the Vatican is calling for this, when in actuality it is not the Vatican itself, but the Pontifical Council.

So thus, this post about subsidiarity. But as the mother of 5 young children, I cannot write as much as I would like about this subject (lucky for you, especially if you have already made it this far into this post). If you are interested in learning more, I would recommend The Acton Institute, and with all the labor disputes that seem to be occurring around the globe, it would be good to read Rerum Novarum as well.

I thought when soccer ended, there would be more time to write posts here, but, alas, it is not so. Michael has started crawling!! It looks like he may be an artist (when he is not sailing of course) as he loves paper and has a blue face this morning after finding our 3 year old's marker.

So, I leave you with the principal of subsidiarity in our house right now: "Whoever is closest to Michael is responsible for making sure there is nothing around him to put in his mouth." We are in zone defense right now, that is the only way to survive.

Wisconsin Personhood Amendment

For my Wisconsin readers:

From Prolife Wisconsin, h/t Badger Catholic:

On Wednesday State Representative Andre Jacque (R-Green Bay) began circulating for co-sponsorship the Wisconsin Personhood Amendment, legislation that would amend the Wisconsin Constitution to apply personhood rights to preborn children at all stages of development. Click here to read the amendment language, and click here to view PLW’s legislative memo.

From a pro-life perspective, the Wisconsin Constitution contains a glaring error at its outset. In specifying the beneficiaries of its human rights, our state constitution leaves out the preborn. It applies rights to only those people who are “born.”

Representative Jacque is proposing a minimal but absolutely essential correction, a personhood amendment, to make the Wisconsin Constitution cover all people, every person, at any stage of development. The amendment seeks to extend the inalienable right to life found in the Wisconsin Constitution to all preborn children from the beginning of their lives.

Should Roe v. Wade be overturned someday and the abortion issue remanded to the states, an activist Wisconsin Supreme Court could use the word “born” in our current state constitution to deny the right to life of the preborn by interpreting an independent right to abortion in that document. In so doing, the court could nullify any present or future pro-life laws in our state. The changing makeup of the Wisconsin Legislature could also jeopardize any pro-life laws in our state. Every two years our state election process determines the majority party in Madison. Legal protection of the preborn should not (and must not) be contingent upon which party controls the state legislature. The right to life should not be subject to the whims of a politicized supreme court or an ever-changing legislature.

The introduction of the Wisconsin Personhood Amendment is a watershed moment in the history of the pro-life movement in our state. It seeks to end abortion in Wisconsin, not to regulate or restrict it. We have been working toward the introduction of such an amendment for the last five years, and we thank Representative Jacque for demonstrating the courage of his convictions in finally making it a reality.

The personhood amendment will face stiff opposition from the pro-abortion industry. Shockingly, the strongest opposition to the bill at this point is coming from Wisconsin Right to Life (WRL). In February WRL published a position paper vowing to oppose any effort to grant Wisconsin’s pre-born babies full constitutional rights as persons, labeling such efforts a “threat to [the] protection of Wisconsin unborn children.” They worked hard to ensure a personhood amendment was never introduced. Having failed in that effort, they are now calling every state legislator demanding that they not sign on to the bill. WRL admits that their legal reasoning for opposing a state personhood amendment is speculative. WRL offers no case law to back up their asserted problems, admitting that they are only “probable”. Pro-Life Wisconsin, on the other hand, offers recent Wisconsin case law clearly demonstrating that the proposed amendment is not a risk to our current, pre-Roe abortion law (Section 940.04, Wisconsin Statutes) by “implied repeal” or otherwise. Click here for PLW’s legal analysis rebutting their misguided objections.

The pro-life movement is founded on the bedrock principle that all human beings, at all stages of their development, deserve full protection under the law. Why oppose proactive people of good will endeavoring to provide full and lasting legal protection for preborn children? Pro-Life Wisconsin remains committed to constitutionally protecting Wisconsin’s preborn children, regardless of opposition from the abortion industry or from within the right to life movement.

Click here to find out how you can help!

Faithful Lay Catholics in El Paso

I am originally from El Paso, TX, so this is of great interest to me. Please pray for my family living in El Paso.

This is just too cool.....

Rachel Balducci, over at Testosterhome posted a picture of an image viewed out the window of her parents home "as a result of shading and reflection off of the window" as seen from their window (from a commenter). It looks like the Immaculate Heart of Mary! Absolutely amazing!

While we are at it, does anyone know the artist of the picture below? Maybe I should already know this, but I don't! Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you :) Also, do you know if there is a corresponding image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus that goes along with this image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary?

Mercies in Disguise

Practicing Patience

Last week humility :)

So, I was planning to write a beautiful, insight-filled post on the virtues of prudence and courage and how we need one with the other, especially as it applies to standing up for our Catholic beliefs in an increasingly secular world. Really, just go read Archbishop Chaput, he's all over it.

But, instead, I have the definition of torture:

Sitting in a closed van with a restless 3 year old that cannot sit still or sit quietly, a crying baby, and a 5 year old boy that has to go to the bathroom while waiting for piano lessons for the older two to finish. There was the option of watching a DVD, but I was trying to save gas and... oh.... well.... another long story having to do with leaving the van running too long and batteries dying and piano teachers being late to pick up their own children....

I thought that it would be a great time to sit and finally finish writing those thank yous. What used to take an afternoon to finish, now takes weeks, wait scratch that, months to complete. Guess I'll have to finish those thank yous another time. It was not prudent to think that this was a good time to write thank you notes. I guess the courage part comes in sitting that long in a van with a restless 3 year old, a 5 year old with an incontinent bladder, and a baby that doesn't like the sun in his eyes.

This. is. so. much. fun!

next up: magnanimity and confidence as we go to play in the park next week instead of waiting in the van.

What'd You Do?

Sigh

I really want to write a spiritual post. I want, no desire, a beautiful homeschool filled family day with smiles and learning and good food and such. Some kind of sign that yes, I am exactly where God wants me to be on this beautiful blustery First Friday Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. But instead, this is what I have (warning, from Tommy Boy):



Why? Well, because it was what came to mind on my way home from a delightful First Friday Mass with the kids (just us, hubby was at work) and play time for the kids in the gym afterwards. We brought a few treats, and on our way out of the Church, DD1 was carrying the bag with leftover coffee cake in it with explicit instructions from me on how to hold it so that the aluminum tray wouldn't bend in half and the napkins and plates wouldn't fall out. I opened the van doors for her while wrestling with DS3 in my arms and trying to kick DS2 off of hanging on the diaper bag because he was hurting my shoulder (automatic doors are so cool).

But alas, I forgot that it was windy out. Since we haven't been too faithful about keeping the van clean, everything blew out of the van and the kids (bless their little souls) went running all over the parking lot and Church grounds chasing little socks and papers and cups and burp cloths. Right about that time, I noticed DD1 had given DD2 the bag of left over coffee cake. DD2 did not get the memo about how to hold the bag and tray, so I literally leaped over to her (while still wrestling with DS3) to help her, and I managed to let the bag open just enough for all the cute little paper plates I picked out at the grocery store fall out and go flying all over the parking lot and Church grounds. DS3 is squealing in delight at this point; who knows, maybe he'll be a sailor since he seems to like the wind so much (by this time, the blanket that I had so carefully covered him with was nowhere to be seen).

So what does all this have to do with Tommy Boy? Well, when I finally did get to my door to get in and start the van, I opened the door and it practically blew off and all I could think of was that scene from Tommy Boy when Chris Farley tells David Spade, "What'd you do?" when the door falls off. I was laughing out loud all the way home, and the kids kept saying, "Mom, what's so funny?"

There's more. So much more. But the day is young, and I am going to try to retrieve what I can of it. Have a blessed Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary today, and if you think of it say a little prayer for us today, we need it.

This made me laugh

HT Marion

On this Feast of the Archangels

As we celebrate the Feast of the Archangels today, here is a must read post by Father Gordon MacRae: To Guard You in All Your Ways: The Archangels on These Stone Walls. I highly recommend reading the posts on the Archangels Michael and Gabriel linked over at These Stone Walls.

Recently, I wrote A Noble Purpose which touched on the story of the Archangel Raphael in the Book of Tobit:

In Tobit is the beautiful account of the Archangel St. Raphael sent to aid in the healing of Tobit's blindness and to heal Sarah's grief on losing seven husbands, each dying before consummation of their marriage. Unbeknownst to each other, both Tobit and Sarah had cried out in anguish to God at the same time, and in God's great Mercy He answered their prayers of grief and sorrow with blessing.

In the prayers of Tobit and Sarah, they praised God and cried out with faith in His Mercy despite being deeply grieved in spirit. The Archangel St. Raphael led Tobiah, Tobit's son, to Sarah and they became husband and wife. Then they returned to Tobit and God healed his blindness.

Before consummating their marriage, Tobiah and Sarah prayed together, begging for God's mercy and deliverance. I have always loved this prayer since the first time I heard it. What a humble and wise way to begin a marriage:

Blessed are you, O God of our fathers,
praised be your name forever and ever.
Let the heavens and all your creation
praise you forever.
You made Adam and You gave him his
wife Eve
to be his help and support;
and from these two the human race
descended.
You said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone;
let us make him a partner like himself.'
Now, Lord, you know that I take this wife of mine
not because of lust,
but for a noble purpose.
Call down your mercy on me and on her,
and allow us to live together to a
happy old age.

They said together, "Amen, amen," and
went to bed for the night.

~Tobit 8:5-8

Last year, a friend gave me a book about St. Raphael by Angela Carol. In the book, it is mentioned that St. Raphael is, among other things, the patron of happy and holy marriages. May St. Raphael guide us along in our journey, encourage us in our faith and in our marriage, and aid us in opening our hearts to God's healing power.

St. Gabriel, pray for us! St. Michael, pray for us! St. Raphael, pray for us!

New Kid on the Block

Thanks to the Crescat for hosting the final Catholic Cannonball Awards and thanks to everyone who voted for this blog! Since I have won the best average New Kid on the Block blog award, and this is the last Cannonball, then I can always be the new kid on the block and always have that as my excuse as to why I don't have a lot of fancy stuff here and that one of these days I will update things when I'm not so new anymore. [Update: I can tell I was tired and excited when I wrote this as it is a major run-on sentence]

Now I can always be new, or something like that.

Anyway, it is late, I am tired, and it's been a long week! Oh wait, it's only Tuesday. It feels like it should be at least Friday. Well, such is life. Thanks for coming by and I hope to see you again.

UPDATE: And the official Award Graphic from Vincenzo:

And here is a complete list of the winners. Congratulations everyone and thanks to the Crescat!

Best Blog by a Religious: Fr. Longenecker’s Standing on My Head

Best Political Blog: Adrienne’s Catholic Corner

More Catholic Than the Pope: Real Catholic TV

Best Armchair Theologian:Little Catholic Bubble

Best Visual Treat: Betty Beguiles

Most Church Militant: It’s a tie! Defend Us in Battle, and Cleansing Fire

Best New Kid on the Block: Heart For God

Best Blog by a Heretic: Bad Vestments

Best Under Appreciated Blog: Barefoot & Pregnant

Best Spiritual Treat: Blessed is the Kingdom

Bat Shit Crazy: I Have to Sit Down

Best Potpourri of Popery: Shoved to Them

Snarkiest Catholic Blog: Acts of the Apostasy

Most Hifreakinlarious: another tie! Acts of the Apostasy and The Ironic Catholic

Blog that Needs to be Updated More Often: Recovering Dissident Catholic

A Handmaid Who Eagerly Watches

Lord, grant me the gift of pure attention to You, to become the handmaid who eagerly watches.

My head and heart are a big cloud full of doubt and discouragement. Why? The week started out well enough, normal craziness, but here I am again, back in the pit. Why? After trying to take a nap today, I decided to go back in my journal and this is what I found from a Silent Retreat a few years ago:

If you find yourself losing recollection, stop what you are doing and go back into recollection, ask Him to return you there. Are we interiorly aware of His Love for us at every moment?

What is it like to live life with a recollected heart? How can I have a receptive heart in the midst of the craziness?

• Well, first, do not be surprised if there is opposition to the silence required to enter recollection.
• Ask God for a recollected heart; ask Him to calm our hearts.
• Let God Love us first. If we start out trying to love Him first, we will not enter recollection. Love is the fact that He first loved us.

I know your heart, it is good, and I Love you.

He Loves me. We know we have found recollection when we it is all about Him, His beauty, His Love, His goodness. We encounter everything through the vision of the cross of Jesus Christ.

For in her is a spirit intelligent, holy, unique,
Manifold, subtle, agile, clear, unstained, certain.
Not baneful, loving the good, keen, unhampered, beneficent, kindly,
Firm, secure, tranquil, all-powerful, all-seeing,
And pervading all spirits, though they be intelligent, pure and very subtle.
For Wisdom is mobile beyond all motion,
and she penetrates and pervades all things by reason of her purity.

~Wisdom 7: 22-24

I highly recommend an Ignatian Silent Retreat at Broom Tree Retreat and Conference Center, nestled in the beautiful rolling hills of the Missouri River Valley in Eastern South Dakota.

+JMJ+

OK, so......

So, well, there's this Cannonball Awards thing over at The Crescat. I'm really not very competitive, but usually can't pass a challenge by.... I know, walking contradiction. The last time I posted about this, I only had like 20 votes which was already a shock, and then when I woke up the next morning, there were 90 votes for this blog!!! Thanks to all of you who are voting for me, I appreciate it :)

While you're at it, vote for These Stone Walls for Best Under Appreciated Blog. This one really is the best, both for content and for the people doing the work required to put it all together for Fr. MacRae.

It's a long shot for me to get the New Kid on the Block award, but hey, it's worth a try!!

UPDATE: I deleted some of what I originally posted here. I know this is all in good fun, but somehow, I feel guilty telling you to vote for me more than once and that "Chicago mob style rules." Seems I've taken the lead again.... but honestly, I'm not sure if there are that many people who even read this blog. This blog is a work in progress, and it's great to win the most average new kid on the blog award, but I'd rather come by it honestly. So thank you to all who have voted for me, and voted for me again, but you don't have to vote unless it's your first time and you really like this blog :) And I'm sorry I waited this long to say that. Should have said it last night before getting back in the lead.

Vote here.

Thanks! :)

Pope Benedict XVI on Faith

From Pope Benedict XVI In Erfurt, Germany Friday, September 23, 2011:

But the faith of Christians does not rest on such a weighing of benefits and drawbacks. A self-made faith is worthless. Faith is not something we work out intellectually or negotiate between us. It is the foundation for our lives. Unity grows not by the weighing of benefits and drawbacks but only by entering ever more deeply into the faith in our thoughts and in our lives.

link

HT Vincenzo at Sancte Pater

Have you ever been snipe hunting?

Once, in high school when I first moved to Tennessee some people offered to take me snipe hunting since I had never been. I was looking forward to it until my grandpa told me what was really going on.

And then there was the time I was chosen as band sponsor for homecoming. And I wasn't even in the band! I kid you not. But this is way cooler than that :) I think! See category Best New Kid on the Block.

There was also that time that my husband told me that the word gullible was not in the dictionary.

I know, I'm just a little paranoid. And don't get me started on meme tag anxiety.... I'll save that for another post.

Thanks Cathy!

Auxiliary Bishop Roger Gries asks for support of Priests for Life

The Most Reverend Roger Gries, OSB, Auxiliary Bishop of Cleveland, has issued a letter asking for continued support of Priests for Life. You can read the letter here.

HT Vincenzo at Sancte Pater

Sacred Sounds

AWESOME new blog, Sacred Sounds. Here's a little of what Daniel Beiter had to say in their first artist spotlight, on Mumford and Sons:

If they show one thing, it is that honest, inspired, and passionately played, beautiful music will always draw people in. These four men have arenas packed with humanists and Christians alike, singing together: "Awake, my soul. You were made to meet your maker."

It is music that sings of our need for grace and of the pain that comes in life. These are songs of the desire to break out of our little selves, out of our fear of death, out of our broken love, and they are sung as such. They are songs sung which profess our need for heaven. They are songs sung in the poetry of the grand English tradition of Shakespeare.

Wow. I am really looking forward to reading and listening to more at this blog. I love music. Can't think of a better way to say it. I just love music. Period. Go check out Sacred Sounds.

HT Marc Barnes at Virtuospla.net via Fr. Erik Richtsteig at Orthometer

I'm with Swissy

Image from Vincenzo

We are excited because swissmiss and her family are coming to visit this weekend! :) We have never actually met in person, so I am kinda nervous too!

The kids keep asking, when will swissmiss be here? Maybe they think she will bring them some hot chocolate or something.

They wonder if we will talk to each other on our computer screens while in the same room. Er, no probably not, we're too old to do that :)

Happy Birthday James Fulton

Thanks to Joe (oops I mean Joseph :) ) at Defend us in Battle for posting Mystery of Prayer. He links to 61 minutes, a must read by Bonnie Engstrom, that gives us much needed hope about the power of intercessory prayer. Please go read her post!! It is amazing.

All praise and glory to God! Thank You for the trust and hope of all who seek You and for all the Angels and Saints You give us to pray for us.


And while you're at it, go check out Joseph's post as a new contributing blogger at Virtuospla.net, an awesome new Catholic blog!

For Our Lady of Sorrows

Litany for Our Lady of Seven Sorrows:

Lord, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
Holy Virgin of virgins, pray for us.
Mother of the Crucified, pray for us.
Sorrowful Mother, pray for us.
Mournful Mother, pray for us.
Sighing Mother, pray for us.
Afflicted Mother, pray for us.
Foresaken Mother, pray for us.
Desolate Mother, pray for us.
Mother most sad, pray for us.
Mother set around with anguish, pray for us.
Mother overwhelmed by grief, pray for us.
Mother transfixed by a sword, pray for us.
Mother crucified in thy heart, pray for us.
Mother bereaved of thy Son, pray for us.
Sighing Dove, pray for us.
Mother of Dolors, pray for us.
Fount of tears, pray for us.
Sea of bitterness, pray for us.
Field of tribulation, pray for us.
Mass of suffering, pray for us.
Mirror of patience, pray for us.
Rock of constancy, pray for us.
Remedy in perplexity, pray for us.
Joy of the afflicted, pray for us.
Ark of the desolate, pray for us.
Refuge of the abandoned, pray for us.
Shiled of the oppressed, pray for us.
Conqueror of the incredulous, pray for us.
Solace of the wretched, pray for us.
Medicine of the sick, pray for us.
Help of the faint, pray for us.
Strength of the weak, pray for us.
Protectress of those who fight, pray for us.
Haven of the shipwrecked, pray for us.
Calmer of tempests, pray for us.
Companion of the sorrowful, pray for us.
Retreat of those who groan, pray for us.
Terror of the treacherous, pray for us.
Standard-bearer of the Martyrs, pray for us.
Treasure of the Faithful, pray for us.
Light of Confessors, pray for us.
Pearl of Virgins, pray for us.
Comfort of Widows, pray for us.
Joy of all Saints, pray for us.
Queen of thy Servants, pray for us.
Holy Mary, who alone art unexampled, pray for us.

Pray for us, most Sorrowful Virgin, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray, --- O God, in whose Passion, according to the prophecy of Simeon, a sword of grief pierced through the most sweet soul of Thy glorious Blessed Virgin Mother Mary: grant that we, who celebrate the memory of her Seven Sorrows, may obtain the happy effect of Thy Passion, Who lives and reigns world without end,
Amen.


The Seven Sorrows of Our Lady

1. The Prophecy of Simeon
2. The Flight into Egypt
3. The Loss of Jesus in the Temple
4. Mary meets Jesus Carrying the Cross
5. The Crucifixion
6. Mary Receives the Dead Body of Her Son
7. The Burial of Her Son and Closing of the Tomb.

Consecration to Our Lady of Sorrows

Most holy Virgin and Queen of Martyrs, Mary, would that I could be in Heaven, there to contemplate the honors rendered to thee by the Most Holy Trinity and by the whole Heavenly Court! But since I am still a pilgrim in this vale of tears, receive from me, thy unworthy servant and a poor sinner, the most sincere homage and the most perfect act of vassalage a human creature can offer thee.

In thy Immaculate Heart, pierced with so many swords of sorrow, I place today my poor soul forever; receive me as a partaker in thy dolors, and never suffer that I should depart from that Cross on which thy only begotten Son expired for me.

With thee, O Mary, I will endure all the sufferings, contradictions, infirmities, with which it will please thy Divine Son to visit me in this life. All of them I offer to thee, in memory of the Dolors which thou didst suffer during thy life, that every thought of my mind, every beating of my heart may henceforward be an act of compassion to thy Sorrows, and of complacency for the glory thou now enjoyest in Heaven.

Since then, O Dear Mother, I now compassionate thy Dolors, and rejoice in seeing thee glorified, do thou also have compassion on me, and reconcile me to thy Son Jesus, that I may become thy true and loyal son (daughter); come on my last day and assist me in my last agony, even as thou wert present at the Agony of thy Divine Son Jesus, that from this painful exile I may go to Heaven, there to be made partaker of thy glory.
Amen.

Forward this to 10 friends or else....

Decided this one can wait until after the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. Yesterday was kind of a rough day (coinciding with the Triumph of the Cross) and I wasn't thinking when I posted it last night. Will post it back later in case you missed it!


OK, here it is, back again:




One of the reasons I started blogging, so if anyone wanted to read the cr-- I write, they could do it of their own free will without having to clog up their email account ;)





HT Suzanne on the Smiley Bus and Pretty Moms!
HT Vincenzo on the Weird Al Stop Forwarding that Cr-- to me video

Coming Together with the Heart of the Church

Recently, news of Archbishop Patrick Zurek asking Fr. Frank Pavone to cease public ministry outside of the diocese of Amarillo due to financial concerns has been in the pro life and Catholic blogosphere. This post is not about Fr. Frank Pavone, but his situation is what finally gave me the courage to write it.

In speaking of this with a friend, she made a point about what happens to the priests who aren't well known who become accused?

We must not abandon our Spiritual Fathers. Yes, I do believe we must pray, always we must pray, and fast for our priests. But to put love into action requires a bit more. When a priest is accused, first, he deserves the presumption of innocence until a full investigation takes place. In this presumption of innocence, he deserves the public support of his diocese, and the Church at large. I do not mean blind support, but support with the Heart of the Church, with Mercy and Love as our foundation, always taking into account the great hurt that may have been committed against the victim.

We have recourse to our Mother Mary, who will not abandon us or any of her children who flee to her for protection. If guilt is found, we must follow Mary as our guide and still must not abandon our Spiritual Fathers. We all desperately need the Mercy of Christ. Forgiveness is a necessity for healing, even for, especially for, the victim. Justice cannot be served without repentance and forgiveness. Believe me, this is something that I have lived and know.

This past Sunday, we heard about forgiveness in the Gospel. We cannot control the response of other people, but we can our own. It is my prayer that we will come together and support our priests in a public way, with the presumption of innocence to begin, and with mercy and forgiveness always, both for the priest and the accuser. If we come together in loving support and become stronger when this happens, maybe, just maybe, some of the nonsensical false accusations will cease. If not, then those who make false accusations are only accomplishing what they mean to do and that is to tear us apart. Our mercy must also extend to those who are making false accusations; however, mercy does not mean standing by and letting a great wrong persist just to keep from offending people who are hurting. It does no good to real victims of crimes to let a false accusation stand.

For more information about falsely accused priests, visit Fr. Gordon MacRae's blog These Stone Walls. He had a wonderful post a few months ago, If Night Befalls Your Father, You Don't Discard Him. You Just Don't!

Also at Fr. MacRae's blog is commentary, including an article about priests who have been found guilty and who have been "discarded." Let us not abandon our priests ever. This does not mean condoning or accepting horrible crimes. This means living with the reality of Christ's call to repentance in our own lives, and to forgive as we have been forgiven. God's mercy is greater than all of this.

St. John Vianney, pray for us! St. Joseph, terror of demons, pray for us! St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle! Our Lady of Good Help, pray for us! Christ, have Mercy on us!

UPDATE: Read Fr. MacRae's latest post: SNAP Judgements Part II: Ground Zero of the Catholic Scandal.

Nickel Creek - This Side

Love this music!



Thank you Kim!

Pray for Persecuted Christians

Read a good article that reminds us to pray and offer sacrifices for our Christian brothers and sisters being persecuted in Muslim lands:

After Regensburg, the Silence is Deafening by Douglas Murray at The Catholic Herald.

HT Worm

It's time to go to the grocery store again.

So, DS1 took matters into his own hands this afternoon and made himself a snack:


oyster crackers mixed with peanut butter and rainbow sprinkles.


Gotta give it to him, that's even better than chocolate chips and marshmallows. I think...

And it won't break my heart to say goodbye...

For the lonely, the sad, and the forgotten on this day of September 11, 2011:

Good News... Bad News... Good News

Good news: I am officially no longer a political junkie :) I totally forgot about the debate tonight. In fact, really it never even entered my radar screen. Hooray!!! Plus I haven't followed politics in several months. Take that off the curiositas list..... Don't get me wrong, it is good to be informed, but really our country needs so much more than what any politician can provide. At this point, I'd rather commit it to prayer and trust God knows what He is about.

Bad news: I started trying to read St. Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologica. This came about because we uploaded it onto our kindle awhile back, and I am trying to understand the seven capital sins better as it relates to an examination of conscience I have just started using. Honestly, it's over my head. I just do not think that way. Maybe I'm just a little freaked out about how sinful I really am....

Good news: Was going to say I started trying to read St. Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologica as good news, because it should be good news, but I'm just not there yet. Maybe I need to get more sleep. So instead I will say that the good news is I'm going to bed early to read Mother Teresa's No Greater Love. That I can understand :) Have I told you how much I liked that book?


Your lucky, I was going to try to make some cute Summa type objection, narrative, reply to objection about how I don't just don't get it, but I figured that I would mess it all up and then might win this award:

Blog Most Likely to Make You Ask: I Don't Know WT- They are Saying But It Sure as Hell ain't Aquinas!


thanks to Cathy.
She's back!! :) :) :)

Fraternal Correction - Two Kinds of Humility by St. Bernard of Clairvaux

I am trying to sort out the call to fraternal correction weighed against the sin of detraction. This is not as simple as I had hoped. It is so easy to cross the line from valid discourse or valid criticism into the sin of detraction. I do not think that our Lord wants us to sit by and not speak up when we see a wrong, but it really takes a prayerful heart to call out and respond with charity. And charity is what seems to be lacking somewhat in the current age where technology allows us to communicate information instantly, be it by blogs, social media, telephone, texting, email and so forth.

The first step seems to be to go directly to the person with whom you have a disagreement. In my own life, I have often skipped this step completely, and am now convicted that this step is absolutely crucial. Of course, authority comes into consideration as well, because maybe I do not have the authority to say anything in the first place, so does this mean I should not say anything at all?

Anyway, while trying to do a little research on this subject, I found a gem by St. Bernard of Clairvaux on fraternal correction and two kinds of humility, Sermon 42 on the Song of Songs. It does not really address the sin of detraction, but it speaks to fraternal correction and two types of humility, one stemming from charity, and one stemming from truth. I am definitely not a theologian, so I will not even try to use my own words to paraphrase even more than that. It is quite long, but well worth the read. I put it all here so that I can refer back to it. You can also find it at this site to read later if you would like. And if you have any suggestions of where I can go to discern this a little better, please leave that info in the comments!

From St. Bernard of Clairvaux:

Fraternal Correction - Two Kinds of Humility

Sermon 42 on The Song of Songs

"While the king was on his couch, my nard gave forth its fragrance.'' These are the bride's words that we have left until today. This is the answer she gave when rebuked by the Bridegroom, not to the Bridegroom however but to his companions, as can easily be gathered from the words themselves. For since she does not address him directly and say: "When you were on your couch, O King," but: "when he was on his couch," it is clear that she does not speak to him but of him. Try to imagine therefore how the Bridegroom, seemingly after he had reproved or repulsed her, sees the blush of shame that covers her cheeks and departs from the room to give her the opportunity to express her feelings freely. If, as often happened, she yielded more than was becoming to dismay and depression, his companions would console and re-assure her. Not that he omits to do this himself, but he waits for the opportune moment. And to show clearly how pleasing to him she was even while correcting her, for she bore that correction becomingly and in the proper spirit, he could not depart till he had praised the beauty of her cheeks and neck in words that came from his heart. Hence those who remain with her, knowing what the Lord has in mind, try to charm her out of her sadness and present her with gifts. Her words then are addressed to them. This is how they fit within the context.

2. But before attempting to extract the kernel of spiritual truth from this shell, I make one brief remark.

Happy the Superior who finds a reaction to his reprimand similar to the example given here. Far more desirable that there should never be a need to reprimand! That would be the better thing. But because "we all make many mistakes," and duty obliges me to correct those who err, I may not remain silent; and indeed love impels me to act. And if, in the fulfilling of my duty, I do correct someone only to see that my reprimand fails entirely to achieve its purpose, echoing its futility back to me like a javelin that strikes and recoils, what do you think, brothers, are my feelings then? Am I not frustrated! Am I not angered! Because of my own lack of wisdom let me quote the words of a Master: "I am caught in a dilemma and know not what to choose." Should I be complacent about what I have said because I have done my duty, or perform a penance for what I have said because I have failed in my purpose? For I wished by overthrowing an enemy to rescue a friend, and did not do so; rather the contrary happened, I have offended him and set him deeper in the wrong. He now despises me. "They will not listen to you," said the Prophet, "because they will not listen to me. Note the greatness of him who is involved in this contempt. Do not imagine that you have despised only me. The Lord has spoken, and what he said to the Prophet he also said to the Apostles: "He who despises you, despises me." I am neither prophet nor apostle, but I dare to say that I fulfill the role both of prophet and apostle; and though far beneath them in merits I am caught up in similar cares. Even though it be to my great embarrassment, though it put me at serious risk, I am seated on the chair of Moses, to whose quality of life I do not lay claim and whose grace I do not experience. What then? That one must withhold respect for the chair because the man sitting there is unworthy? But even though the Scribes and Pharisees be seated on it, Christ has said: "Do what they tell you."

3. Quite often impatience is joined to the contempt, so that the man rebuked not only neglects to amend but is even angry with his corrector, like a madman who spurns his doctor's hand. What extraordinary perversity! While refusing to be angry with the archer who shot him, he is angry with his physician! That one who shoots in the dark at the upright of heart has now shot the death-blow into your own self; and you fail to react against him? Yet you are annoyed with me when all I want is to put you right! "Be angry but do not sin," Scripture says. If your anger is directed against your sin, not only do you not sin but you destroy the sin you had committed. Now however you add sin to sin by spurning the remedy in this senseless fit of anger; this is a sin of special malice.

4. Sometimes the anger is spiced with impudence, as when the correction is not only met with impatience but the error impudently defended. This is obvious recklessness. God can say to such a man: "You have a harlot's brow, you refuse to be ashamed;" and again: "My jealousy will depart from you, I shall be angry with you no more." Merely to hear these words makes me shudder. Do you not feel how perilous it is, how horrible and frightening, to defend one's sin? For God also says: "All whom I love I reprove and discipline." If God's jealous anger has turned away from you, so also has his love; if you think yourself unfit for his chastisement, you will not be fit for his love. It is when God does not show his anger that he is most angry: "We have shown favor to the wicked," he says, "and he does not learn righteousness." This kind of favor is not for me. To be spared on these terms is worse than any anger, it leaves me shut off from the paths of righteousness. Better for me to follow the Prophet's advice and learn discipline, lest the Lord be angry and I fall away from the true path. I prefer that you be angry with me, O Father of Mercies, but with that anger by which you put the sinner right rather than drive him off the path. A correction benignly administered begets the former, an ominous concealment of your anger leads to the latter. It is not when I am ignorant of your anger but when I feel it, that I trust most in your goodwill for me, because when you are angry you will remember to be merciful. "You were a forgiving God to your people," according to the Psalmist, "but an avenger of their wrong-doings." He is speaking of Moses and Aaron and Samuel whom he had previously mentioned, and considers it a mercy that God did not spare their waywardness. But you? Go on defending your error and condemning the correction, and cut yourself off from this mercy forever! But that is surely to call evil good and good evil. And out of this odious impudence shall we not soon see emerging the buds of impenitence, the mother of despair? For who will repent of what he thinks good? Woe to them the Prophet says. And that woe is for eternity. It is one thing for a person to be tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire, but quite another to freely pursue evil as good, to speed toward death with a false security as if on the way to life.

For this reason I should sometimes prefer to remain silent and pretend I had not seen some wrong being done, rather than to bring about so great a calamity by a reprimand.

5. Perhaps you will tell me that my good deed will redound to my welfare; that I have freed my own soul and am innocent of the blood of that man in speaking and warning him to turn away from his evil path that he might live. But though you give me countless reasons they will not comfort me because my eyes rest on a son who is dying. It is as if by that reprimand I sought to achieve my own salvation rather than his. Where is the mother who will be able to restrain her tears when she sees her ailing son at the point of death, even if she knows she has devoted all possible care and attention to him, but in vain, since all her efforts now come to nothing? She weeps because death takes him from her for a time. How much more should I weep and lament for the eternal death of a son of mine even if I am conscious of no failure on my part, even though I have warned him? You see then how great the evils from which a man delivers both himself and me when he responds with meekness on being corrected, submits respectfully, obeys modestly, and humbly admits his fault. To a man like this I shall in all things be a debtor, I shall minister to and serve him as a genuine lover of my Lord, for he is one who can truly say: "while the king was on his couch, my nerd gave forth its fragrance."

6. How good the fragrance of humility that ascends from the valley of tears, that permeates all places within reach, and perfumes even the royal couch with its sweet delight.

The nard is an insignificant herb, said by those who specialize in the study of plants to be of a warm nature. Hence it seems to be fittingly taken in this place for the virtue of humility, but aglow with the warmth of holy love. I say this because there is a humility inspired and inflamed by charity, and a humility begotten in us by truth but devoid of warmth. This latter depends on our knowledge, the former on our affections. For if you sincerely examine your inward dispositions in the light of truth, and judge them unflatteringly for what they are, you will certainly be humiliated by the baseness that this true knowledge reveals to you, though you perhaps as yet cannot endure that others, too, should see this image. So far it is truth that compels your humility, it is as yet untouched by the inpouring of love. But if you were so moved by a love of that truth which, like a radiant light, so wholesomely discovered to you the reality of your condition, you would certainly desire, as far as in you lies, that the opinions of others about you should correspond with what you know of yourself. I say, as far as in you lies, because it is often inexpedient to make known to others all that we know about ourselves, and we are forbidden by the very love of truth and the truth of love to attempt to reveal what would injure another. But if under the impulse of self-love you inwardly conceal the true judgment you have formed of yourself, who can doubt that you lack a love for truth, since you show preference for your own interest and reputation?

7. Convicted by the light of truth then, a man may judge himself of little worth, but you know this is far from the equivalent of a spontaneous association with the lowly that springs from the gift of love. Necessity compels the former, the latter is of free choice. "He emptied himself, taking the form of a servant," and so gave us the pattern of humility. He emptied himself, he humbled himself, not under constraint of an assessment of himself but inspired by love for us. Though he could appear abject and despicable in men's eyes, he could not judge himself to be so in reality, because he knew who he was. It was his will, not his judgment, that moved him to adopt a humble guise that he knew did not represent him; though not unaware that he was the highest he chose to be looked on as the least. And so we find him saying: "Learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart." He said "in heart;" in the affection of the heart, which signifies the will, and a decision arising from the will excludes compulsion. You and I truly know that we deserve disgrace and contempt, that we deserve the worst treatment and the lowest rank, that we deserve punishment, even the whip; but not he. Yet he experienced all these things because he willed it; he was humble in heart, humble with that humility that springs from the heart's love, not that which is exacted by truthful reasoning.

8. So then, I have said that we attain to this voluntary humility not by truthful reasoning but by an inward infusion of love, since it springs from the heart, from the affections, from the will; you must judge whether I am right. But I also submit to the scrutiny of your judgment the rectitude by which I attribute this to the Lord, who under love's inspiration emptied himself, under love's inspiration was made lower than the angels, under love's inspiration was obedient to his parents, under love's inspiration bowed down under the Baptist's hands, endured the weakness of the flesh, and became liable to death, even the ignominious death of the cross. And one more thing I ask you to consider: whether I have been correct in assuming that this humility, aglow with love, is symbolized by that lowly plant, the nard. And if you do assent to all these opinions - and you must give assent to evidence that is so manifest - then if you feel humiliated by that inescapable sense of unworthiness implanted by the Truth that examines both heart and mind in the very being of one who is attentive, try to use your will and make a virtue of necessity, because there is no virtue without the will's co-operation. You will achieve this if you do not wish to appear externally in any way different from what you discover in your heart. Otherwise you must fear that you will read your fate in words like the following: "He flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated." For "diverse weights and diverse measures are both alike an abomination to the Lord." What am I getting at? Will you despise yourself in your own heart when you weigh yourself in the balance of God's truth, and yet deceive the public with a different estimate by selling yourself to us at a greater weight than Truth has indicated? Let the fear of God prevent you from attempting anything so despicable as to commend the man whose unworthiness is revealed by God's truth: for this is to resist the truth, to fight against God. You must rather submit to God and let your will be docile to the Truth; and more than docile, even dedicated. "Was not my soul subject to God," said the Psalmist.

9. It counts for little, however, that you are submissive to God, unless you be submissive to every human creature for God's sake, whether it be the abbot as first superior or to the other officers appointed by him. I go still further and say: be subject to your equals and inferiors. "It is fitting," said Christ, "that we should in this way do all that righteousness demands." If you seek an unblemished righteousness, take an interest in the man of little account, defer to those of lesser rank, be of service to the young. Doing this you may dare to say with the bride: "My nard gave forth its fragrance."

That fragrance is the fervor of your life, the good repute in which all men hold you, so that you might be the good odor of Christ in every place, seen by all, loved by all. Such influence is beyond the man whose humility is compelled by the truth; he is so caught up in self-interest that it cannot flow out so that it will spread abroad. His life bears no fragrance because he lacks fervor, his humility is neither free nor spontaneous. But the bride's humility, like the nard, spreads abroad its fragrance, the warmth of its love, the vigor of its fervor, the inspiring power of its good name. The bride's humility is freely embraced, it is fruitful and it is forever. Its fragrance is destroyed neither by reprimand nor praise. She has heard: "Your cheeks are beautiful as the turtle dove's, your neck like strings of jewels." When promised pendants of gold she acquiesced with humility; the more she is honored the more she humbles herself in all things. She does not boast of her merits nor forget her humility when she hears her praises multiplied. Under this name of nard she humbly vows her lowliness in the spirit of the Virgin Mary's words: "I am unaware of any merit that would warrant all this honor, except that God has been pleased with the lowliness of his handmaid." What else can she mean by saying: "My nard gave forth its fragrance," than that my lowliness was pleasing to him? It was not any wisdom of mine, not any nobility, not any beauty, for these meant nothing to me; it was my humility alone that gave forth fragrance, in its accustomed way. God is habitually pleased with humility; the way of the Lord is to look down lovingly on the humble from the heights of heaven; and therefore while the king was on his couch, in his dwelling-place in the heavens, the fragrance of my humility mounted even to the presence of him of whom the Psalmist says: "He dwells on high and takes account of the lowly things in heaven and on earth."

10. Therefore: "while the king was on his couch, my nard gave forth its fragrance."

The king's couch is the heart of the Father, because the Son is always in the Father. Never doubt of the mercy of this king, whose eternal resting place is the abode of the Father's love. What wonder that the cry of the humble should reach to him whose dwelling-place is at that source of all kindliness, where his happiness is most intimate and his goodness consubstantial with that of the Father; for he receives all that he is from the Father, and the timorous glance of the lowly will see in his royal power nothing that is not fatherly. Therefore the Lord says: "Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan, I will now arise." The bride knows this because she is a well-loved member of his household; she knows that her Bridegroom's favors will not be limited by the poverty of her merits, for she puts her trust solely in her lowliness. Yet she gives him the title of king, for while smarting from the reprimand she does not dare to call him Bridegroom. He is said to dwell on high, but this does not weaken the trust that permeates her humility.

11. You may very suitably apply the text of this sermon to the early church, if you recall those days when, after the Lord had ascended to where he was before and seated himself at the Father's right hand, on that ancient, magnificent and glorious couch, the disciples came together in one place, persevering with one mind in prayer along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and his brothers. Do you not feel that was a time when the nard of the tiny and timorous bride gave forth its fragrance? And when suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind and filled all the house where they were sitting, could she not say in her littleness and indigence: "While the king was on his couch my nard gave forth its fragrance"? All who lived in that place clearly perceived the ascent of that fragrance of humility, so agreeable and so welcome, and the immediate response of a rich and glorious reward. Nor was the bride ungrateful for that favor. For hear: no sooner is she possessed by the ardor then she professes herself ready to endure any evil for the sake of his name, for the following text runs: "My beloved is to me a bunch of myrrh that lies between my breasts." But I feel too weak to speak any further. I shall say that under the name of myrrh she includes all the bitter trials she is willing to undergo through love of her beloved. Some other time we shall continue with the remainder of the text, provided that the Holy Spirit will be attentive to your prayers and enable me to understand the words of the bride, since he himself has inspired and composed them in a way befitting the praises of him whose Spirit he is, the Church's Bridegroom, our Lord Jesus Christ, who is God blessed for ever. Amen.