God Bless Pope Francis!

 

March for Life -- Witness to Truth

 

Vespers Witness

Living in Oklahoma—a state where roughly 12% of the population claims to be Catholic*—finding somewhere to go to daily Mass can be a bit of a challenge under the best of circumstances. What Catholics in some dioceses take for granted—a plethora of times and places and choices to pick from—we cannot even imagine. Nevertheless, I am not one to shy away from a good challenge.

Since my home parish doesn’t have a scheduled Mass on Mondays, the first day of the week presents me with the greatest opportunity for searching out new locales. Usually I go to the 11:30 Mass at Tinker AFB Chapel, because it is the closest. However, when the base is closed—on Federal holidays for instance—or Father is unavailable, I go downtown to noon Mass St. Joseph’s Old Cathedral across from the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial. Recently I’ve discovered the little chapel at St. Anthony’s Hospital which also offers a noon Mass and is just a few blocks from St. Joes. If work or other obligations prevent me from getting away until later in the day, there is always 5 pm Mass at St. Gregory’s Abbey in Shawnee, which lies in the opposite direction from my home and depending on traffic is only a 30 minute drive. It’s taken me awhile to learn the schedules and locations of all these different liturgical worship opportunities but I believe it’s all worth it.

Today was one of those days with no Mass at Tinker. Also, I had an obligation at lunchtime which prevented me from going downtown at midday. No problem, I thought, there is always the abbey.

I made sure to wrap up my work in plenty of time, arriving at St. Gregory’s at 4:55. However, when I peaked inside the front door—looking down the long brick nave of the abbey church toward the altar—the pews were empty. What? A young college student came in just as I did and we both seemed to notice the sign on the door at the same time. It read: Week of May 21-25, Mass at 11 am; Vespers at 5 pm. I had driven 30 minutes and it was my last chance of the day to receive Our LORD. I was bereft.

The young woman disappeared into a side alcove and I knelt in one of the last pews. The monks were filing in. They also seemed to ‘disappear’ into their choir stalls in each of the two sides of the transept opposite the altar. If I didn’t move forward it was impossible to see them from where I was. They began chanting. Were they standing or kneeling? I couldn’t remember if I had ever been a part of a formal Vespers service so I wasn’t quite sure what I was supposed to do. The extended leg of one monk who was in a wheelchair was visible, but aside from that it was as if I was alone in that great huge abbey. Where had the young woman gone? My sadness deepened. A tear slipped down my cheek and I didn’t even consider moving closer because I didn’t want anyone to see me crying. How silly I was being.

A man came in. He knelt down. Not too long after, he got up and left. Again I was left with the chanting ... and my own thoughts and silent prayers.

Spiritual Communion is something I talk about all the time.

Well now, here was my chance to ask for spiritual communion. Still it wasn’t what I really wanted. At first the disappointment was palpable. Gradually as I listened the voices washed over me and I felt sorrow give way to acceptance, then peace and finally joy. The invisible voices fell silent and a monk came out to read from the Book of Hebrews.  I felt a thrill of excitement.  I was there—a solitary witness. In fact, I marveled at my blessing and wondered, “Where was everyone else? The whole world should be here.” What had not happened became less important than what I was experiencing at that moment. The reading finished, there was more psalmody, then a rustling of bodies which I imagined to be everyone rising to their feet. Petitions, then, the Lord’s Prayer. I joined in.

Soon it was all over. The monks left, crossing in front of the altar. I knelt again in thanksgiving for all that I had received which was not what I expected, had come for or thought I wanted, but then Who knows best what I need? The young woman emerged from one of the alcoves and looked back in my direction. I suppose she wondered if I had stayed as much as I wondered where she had gone. While she visited with the monk in the wheelchair, I slipped out the back door into the narthex, then into the warm spring afternoon and headed home. Thanks be to God!

‘Then he prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw that the mountainside was filled with fiery chariots and horses around Elisha.’ 2 KINGS, 6:17


*To be honest, I thought the figure was actually much lower—more like 4 or 5%.

 

SILENCE ... and THE WORD

During this year's message for World Communication's Day*, Pope Benedict spoke of the need for a balance between silence and word: "When word and silence become mutually exclusive, communication breaks down, either because it gives rise to confusion or because, on the contrary, it creates an atmosphere of coldness; when they complement one another, however, communication acquires value and meaning."

Recently, a friend was describing her children's frustrations with the way their own peers conduct themselves on facebook, the popular social medium of the day. Gossiping around the well or over the backyard fence has now been taken to a global and instantaneous level. Where are the checks and balances allowing for caution, calm, discretion, and self-control for these young people? When do they experience true silence? Will they ever find peace if they don’t learn to take time out from the world to go IN looking for God?

It is especially fitting the Holy Father's message for World Communications Day is delivered on the feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of writers and journalists. St. Francis lived during the years just following the Reformation. Besides being a Bishop and Doctor of the Church, he is known for two important books, An Introduction to the Devout Life, a work intended to lead "Philothea", the soul living in the world, into the paths of devotion, that is to say, of true and solid piety. Everyone should strive to become pious, and "it is an error--even a heresy--to hold that holiness is incompatible with any state of life". The second work, Treatise on the Love of God, an authoritative piece, reflects perfectly the mind and heart of Francis de Sales as a great genius and saint and leads the reader in twelve progressive chapters through the history, theory, practice, and eventual conformity to the Will of God.

I can just imagine St. Francis deploring much of the noise which passes for communication in the modern world. Let us join him and the Holy Father in silent prayer today that our society may learn true communication through a balance between silence and word.

Perhaps this Lent may we consider a fast from unnecessary sound and excessive entertainment... Less word allowing for more WORD.




*World Communications Day, the only worldwide celebration called for by the Second Vatican Council (Inter mirifica, 1963), is celebrated in most countries, on the recommendation of the bishops of the world, on the Sunday before Pentecost. The announcement of the theme is made on September 29, the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Raphael and Gabriel, who has been designated as the patron of those who work in radio. The Holy Father's message for World Communications Day is traditionally published in conjunction with the Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, patron of writers (January 24), to allow bishops' conferences and diocesan offices sufficient time to prepare audiovisual and other materials for national and local celebrations.

Catholics Come Home

Blessings on the Feast of Saints Simon & Jude

Today is the Feast Day of Saints Simon and Jude.

This is the second time I’ve done the novena to St. Jude. I save St. Jude for really difficult and/or perplexing problems. But whenever I do the novena to him, I make sure and pile on every other little problem or trouble facing me and everyone I know.

I figure so long as I’m praying to the Saint of ‘Desperate Situations and Hopeless Cases’, why not? St. Jude is generous. Can one have ‘greediness’ for spiritual graces and favors for loved ones?

At Mass today the Gospel was the calling of the Twelve Apostles,

“Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God.

When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.” (Luke 6:12-16)

Then Father told us an interesting story about the building of the great Cathedral at Chartres.

A man went to visit the site while they were still in the midst of building the cathedral and he began to ask the people he saw there what they were doing to contribute to the effort of constructing the great edifice of Chartres. He asked the first person he encountered what he was doing and that man said he was the stonemason and it was his job to craft the rough rock into smooth pieces of stone. Then the man asked the next person what he was doing and he said he was a glassmaker and he prepared the stained glass for the beautiful windows. The next man he came to said that he did the carving of the gargoyles and another said his job was to do the woodwork for the stairs leading up to the tower.

Each person had their part and each part was essential to the completion of the cathedral. Finally he came to an old woman who was pushing a broom sweeping up the debris that everyone else had left lying around. The man finished his questioning by asking her, “And what do you do here ma’am?” She looked at him and said, “I’m building a great cathedral,” and she went back to pushing her broom.

Sts. Simon and Jude are the least known of the twelve apostles. They probably ‘pushed the broom’ so to speak, but they built God’s Kingdom even so.

Thank you St. Jude for your many prayers to Jesus on my behalf. I know it was your intercession that made the difference.

P.S. Do you think it's a coincident that my dearly beloved father-in-law's name is Jude? Happy Feast Day Dad! ☺

180

Watch a video which might just change your thinking ... 180 degrees.