St Ignatius Loyola

St Ignatius Loyola (1491 - 1556)

Our current pope is a Jesuit.

Ignatius (or Iñigo) was born in Loyola in the Spanish Basque country. He was a soldier, but was wounded in the battle of Pamplona (against the French) at the age of 30. During a long convalescence he read a life of Christ and a collection of lives of the saints, and discovered that his true vocation was to devote his life wholly to God. He was as systematic about this as he had been about his military career: he spent a year’s retreat in a Dominican friary, made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and then set about learning Latin.

  Such enthusiasm in a layman caused grave suspicion in the Spanish authorities, and he was questioned and imprisoned more than once. He moved to Paris in 1528 and continued his studies; and then in 1534 Ignatius and six companions bound themselves to become missionaries to the Muslims in Palestine. By the time they were ready to set out, war made the journey impossible and so the group (now numbering ten) offered their services to the Pope in any capacity he might choose. A number of them were duly ordained and they were all assigned to various tasks.

  Soon it was proposed that they should organise themselves into a regular religious order, and in 1540 the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) was formed. Ignatius was the first Superior General until his death. Soon after their foundation the Jesuits began to meet the challenge of the Reformation: a tough task, given the debilitated state into which the Church had fallen, but one which, as Ignatius said, had to be undertaken “without hard words or contempt for people’s errors”.

  Ignatius had a gift for inspiring friendship, and was the recipient of deep spiritual insight. Soon after his conversion Ignatius wrote the Spiritual Exercises, a systematic step-by-step retreat that can be followed by anyone – and has been followed by many, not all of them Catholics, ever since.

  See the article in the Catholic Encyclopaedia. One of our readers has also recommended this site for the Spiritual Exercises.

Today in the UK we celebrate a Day for life, which is a very good idea.

Day for Life

Day for Life is the day in the Church’s year dedicated to celebrating and upholding the dignity of human life. The Church teaches that life should be protected and nurtured from conception to natural death. This year's Day for Life in England and Wales falls on 28 July 2013. In Scotland, the Day is celebrated on 31 May. In Ireland, it will be celebrated on 6 October 2013. On this site, you will find this year's theme and topics covered in previous years. You can also read documents, released by the Catholic Church and her bishops on pro-life issues.

Check out
http://dayforlife.org/

But let us remember a life is for life, not for a day.  We ought to be pro life and pro God everyday.  We must learn to trust God all day every day.

Prayer

Holy Mary, Mother of Love,
holding in your arms, the fruit of your womb,
graciously look upon our earth and remove from it
all that hardens our hearts and dims our eyes
to the preciousness of human life,
from the moment of conception to natural death.
Through the example of your tenderness
teach us the ways of compassion and love
that we may build up the civilisation of love among us
and a society that is truly worthy of the human person.
Help us to reject all that contributes to a culture of death,
and to work with others of goodwill
in promoting the culture of life.
Bring us ever closer to your Son,
so that we may know the fullness of life that he offers us
and come to know that life more perfectly,
with you, and all the angels and saints,
in the eternal life of Heaven.

Amen

Overthrow the tables of the moneychangers,

We Christians need to get our houses in order.  Our churches which ought to be the home of sinners and communities of love and prayer have become dens of thieves.

It is clear that Pope Francis is addressing some of the financial irregularities in the Roman Church, no doubt he has a long way to go.  But I really felt of Justin Welby the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury.  He spoke out about pay day lenders and money lenders.  He backs small church backed saving and loans schemes only to discover to his embarrassment and irritation that his own church community had invested money with Wonga, a well advertised pay day loan company.

All four Gospels record Jesus rejecting the money lenders from the temple.  This shows that it did happen and that all the authors of the Gospels and their communities saw that this was very important.  Jesus got angry and upturned their tables.

We ought to follow Our Lord's example, get motivated and throw the money lenders out of our Churches.  We need to focus on God, on love not on money.

"And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves."

—Matthew 21:12–13

"Let us pray that we and our church leaders can refocus our church on Christ, to reject worldly things, vain things and money."

Bishop rejects Wonga


http://news.sky.com/story/1120531/welby-defends-wonga-after-church-link-emerges

St Mary Magdalene

Mary of Magdala was healed of “seven devils” by Jesus. She ministered to him in Galilee and was present at his crucifixion. She was in the group of women who were the first to discover the empty tomb, and it was to her that the risen Jesus first appeared.

The Western tradition is that Mary Magdalene is also “the woman who was a sinner” and the sister of Martha and Lazarus of Bethany. There is no evidence either way, and the tradition is tenuous enough for even such authorities as St Ambrose to hold, with the East, that they are three different people. It seems, therefore, that although the Western tradition is to be respected and is a real inspiration, it may not necessarily be historical. This kind of ambiguity is inevitable in a religion such as Christianity, which is founded on definite historical events rather than myths which can be adjusted into logicality. We need not worry about it too much: if it had been harmful to us to celebrate the tradition of heroic penitence, the Holy Spirit would not have allowed it.

Even without the extra tradition, Mary Magdalene is a unique and important character in the story of the Resurrection, chosen by Christ as one of the first witnesses of the event that changed the world.

  See the article in the Catholic Encyclopaedia.

 

I have a lot in common with this woman, whoever she was.  Like the rest of us I too am a sinner, not deserving of forgiveness, but given it through the grace of Christ.  I too am a witness to the cross and the resurrection, but she was there.  I pray,

"Lord, give me her faith"

and 

"Lord, show others their need for you, your forgiveness and your love, so like Mary they turn to you."

 

Quiverful, every child is a blessing from God

It comes to something that to really understand the Catholic Church's teachings on contraception, you have to read web pages of mainly protestant Christians who some of whom quite rightly espouse the concept of 'Quiverfull'.

Today when I sit in my local Catholic church I will not see pews stuffed with children,  families eager to Love God and their neighbour.  I fear most Catholic couples have been seduced by the family planing mentality.

"Quiverfull"  is the idea that truly godly families will “trust the Lord” with their family planning. 

Children are viewed as unmitigated blessings. “As arrows in the hand of the mighty man, so are the children of ones youth, happy is the man who has his quiver full of them” and as such, the couple is willing to have as many children as the Lord chooses to bless them with. Artificial or chemical birth control such as the Pill or IUDs are equated with abortion ~ the sin of murdering your own offspring. “Natural” birth control such as Natural Family Planning is not actually “natural” because a couple must abstain at the very time of the month when the woman is naturally more desirous of physical intimacy. All methods of “conception control” is considered a lack of trust in God to provide for the “children of the righteous.”

Quiverfull is radically Pro-Life.

It is this ideal which has results in quiverfull families having quite a few more than the average number of children. Why do some Christians seek to limit the size of their families through the use of chemical birth control? The truth be told, our reasoning generally parallels that of the abortion culture – additional children will cause inconvenience, financial hardships, lifestyle constraints – all this coupled with the desire to separate sex from procreation. How can the Church expect to speak with any moral authority on the evils of abortion when we ourselves are guilty of the very anti-life values fuelled by the family planning mentality?" Vyckie Garrison

Although, the quiverfull movement is not without it's problems, lack of love in some families and churches has led to dreadful situations and far from Christian, shameful, practices taking place.

Those of us who are called to marriage should welcome every child as a blessing.  We should trust God a little more.  We need to be pro life and pro God.

Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
children a reward from him.
Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one's youth.
Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their enemies in the gate.

Psalm 127:3-5 (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

Everybody else, those who are not called to Christian marriage are called to celibacy, where or not they are priests, lay people, gay or straight.
 

 

What car would Jesus drive?

I was delighted the other day when I heard that the Pope was encouraging trainee priests and nuns to be modest in there life styles.

He told them to cycle where possible, to share cars and use modest cars.  He practices what he preaches,  gone is the Mercedes Benz and the specially adapted cars in favour of a production line Ford Focus.

He eschews all the trappings of wealth and power, encourages all of us to focus on spiritual matters rather than the trappings of the consumer society.  We need to allow ourselves to be seduced by God rather than the consumer society.

Christians reflection in the world must be that of Christ, if we are to convert the world.  We must reflect Christ not the world, we must have integrity.  The sinner and the child will detect our fraud if are not humble in every aspect of our lives.  We must change if we want to win this world for Christ.

Christ Jesus ...Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

rather, he made himself nothing

by taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

by becoming obedient to death—

even death on a cross!

Philippians 2  

What car do you drive?


Pope in a Focus 

Abortion

The church teaches us that abortion of the unborn is a mortal sin.  Simply it it wrong.  It is not for me to judge my sisters who follow this path, that is for God, our loving father.  Abortion is an emotive subject.  The whole arena is full of pain, judgement and guilt.

I know of many people who were themselves unplanned or unwanted pregnancies, myself included.  Whose mothers could have opted for terminations what a loss to society had their mothers chosen abortion.  But their mothers opted for life.

In my mind abortion as a means  of contraception is wrong.  Those who go down this root are misguided and need love, care and education.  Those who encourage this are also clearly wrong.

When I read about the Texan legislature restricting abortion I feel this is so right. I applaud them for choosing the harder route.  When I read about Ireland clarifying it's legislation I feel this is right too.  It is not the laws that are wrong , but how people misuse them.

We, each of use need to follow our own conscience to do the loving thing.  It is not for us to condemn the sinner, but to free them to be with Christ.  We need to love the sinner and hate the sin.

Each of us needs to be an example of true Christian charity,  in every area of our lives, to help educate people away from unwanted pregnancies.  We need to show that celibacy for every one who is not married is a virtue, that children are a gift from God, Life and Love and precious.

I thank God for Matthew, who is getting married this year.  He was born to a sixteen year old mother, unplanned, but not unwanted, very much loved.  Sue chose the harder path.  He is getting married this summer.  I pray

"I thank you God for Matthew,  I pray that Sue's witness can show that there is another way, a better way, God's way."

Pain?

As I write this it is a lovely day outside my window, but today I woke up with a headache and a pain in my arm.  These are minor ailments, I am in truth very fortunate.  However they make me think?

Why does God allow people, whom God loves to suffer, why does he permit pain?

It is a mystery. The omnipotent, loving God permits pain and suffering?  I can think of no good answer.   I cannot explain it.  I do not understand.

But, I do know how great Christians have dealt with pain in  their lives.

Brother Laurence in common with many of the saints would ask us to accept it.  It is a given.  Thank God for it, and ask for the grace to endure it,  and that it may last no longer than is necessary.  It has a purpose, let that purpose run.

Being a true witness for Christ to non believers sometimes involves reacting to pain and suffering in a true Christian way.  Bearing our own personal pain, with grace and reacting to the pain of others with charity and love.  When you encounter others suffering it is an opportunity to be the Good Samaritan, to be the body of Christ in the world.

When you pray the Lord's prayer and you are encountering suffering, think on the words, 

"....Thy will be done...."

I am a sinner, I am fallen

I am a sinner, I am fallen, I am no better than anybody else.   I am in no position to judge or condemn, the alcoholic, the violent, the prostitute, those living in same sex relationships.

I too am fallen, I am no better than anybody else.

I am called to love them, love them as I love myself.   

I have to admit I find it hard, it is easy to judge to condemn.  I find society's acceptance and encouragement of same sex relations abhorrent.  But the people in those relationships are just that, people, fallen like me and loved by God like me. I am called to love them, the very people I those actions I have difficulty with. 

Love the sinner, hate the sin.

God give me grace to love those around me who sin, give me grace to forgive them, as you forgive them.

God give me grace to love you better, in that becoming a beacon for your love I might draw them to you, so that they can change their ways.

The Church of England is so soft

I cannot believe the Church of England is so soft, so quick to follow societies whimsies.

The church ought to promote traditional family values, promote marriage and celibacy for everybody else who is not married.   Church schools ought to promote love, discourage bullying of all types, they ought to be bastions of love, but they ought to be very clear same sex relationships, along with many other practices are wrong.

Church of England goes soft

It is all about other

During growth group this week I had a revelation.  Nothing new, just something that became clearer to me.  Christianity our call, our way is all about other.  Primarily it is about God and our personal relationship with him.

We must

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind and all you strength....

We are firstly called to deny ourselves, all our selfish whimsies and wishes, dreams and desires, focus on Our Lord.  Love God, Love God, Love God.

Secondly, we then partially express this in Love of our neighbour

.... Love you neighbour as yourself.

Most of us focus on the love thy neighbour part, because it is easier it understand, tangible and more visible.  We ignore the more import part about Love of God with ALL our being.


If we wish to truly be Christian, if we truly want to be witnesses in this ungodly world, we need to take this on board.  When we love God with all our might then we can be beacons of light in a sin filled world.  We must take up our cross's deny our selves, deny our personal passions and appetites and live for God, live for others.  Love God, Love others.

Lord wash away my self,
give me the courage and strength to turn to you
to Love you with all my power.
Give me the will to focus on you always,
to be with you always.

Change my pride into humility,
my selfishness to love.

Help me to constantly turn to you, and when I fail, when I am distracted remind me of my sin, that I can return to you.