We are wanting

At the heart of the human condition we are needy.  We want.  From infancy we learn to be so.
A baby cries for food, for warmth,  for comfort, for attention, to have it’s needs met.  As the child grows this is further reinforced through childhood and adolescence as the family and society expressing their care, duty and love continue to pay attention to the developing person; pampering to it’s needs. The child learns to crave attention and limelight,  it gets what it demands most of the time.  Throwing a tantrum when it is ignored.  It is not therefore surprising that as adults that we are not much different, we want.  We want a comfortable home, nice food, good looks, health, wealth, fame, attention, sex, relationships, power, success;  we want.  Even in the church people want.

Most of what we want, that which we crave for only temporarily satisfies, we soon want more, we never have enough.  Our capacity for wanting is insatiable.  We are hardwired and socially conditioned for wanting.

Mary listened to the angel, and submitted to the will of God.  “Be it done to me according to thy word…”  Her acceptance and grace allowed all of humanity the chance of salvation, of freedom and love.

We can slake our insatiable thirst by responding to God’s call like Mary.  If we follow Christ’s example and live for others, love others feed their needs.  Then a remarkable thing happens, we stop wanting, we become satisfied.

"I pray that you and I can be reborn with the grace to love God and others, and our desires be for others and the Christ child."

The heart is willing but the flesh is weak.

The other day I was comforted when reading from A sermon of St Gregory the Great. He writes

“My mind is sundered and torn to pieces by the many and serious things I have to think about. When I try to concentrate and gather all my intellectual resources for preaching, how can I do justice to the sacred ministry of the word? I am often compelled by the nature of my position to associate with men of the world and sometimes I relax the discipline of my speech. If I preserved the rigorously inflexible mode of utterance that my conscience dictates, I know that the weaker sort of men would recoil from me and that I could never attract them to the goal I desire for them. So I must frequently listen patiently to their aimless chatter. Because I am weak myself I am drawn gradually into idle talk and I find myself saying the kind of thing that I didn’t even care to listen to before. I enjoy lying back where I once was loath to stumble.”

My mind is torn too, by the cares of life, the pressures placed on me by my employer, my family and my church. I find it hard to find time to pray or study. It was easy when living in a religious community, but it is a challenge when immersed in life. The people I meet in my daily life can be, coarse, rude, disrespectful to God. Although they appear godless, they are not, they too are made in his image. Unless I engage with their lives, meet them where they are, not put myself above them can I hope to carry Christ to them.

I pray that you and I have the grace despite the pressures on our time to give time to God and being in his presence. Also that we have large hearts to tolerate the weaknesses of others and allow Christ to come them through us.

The Assumption?

The doctrine of The Assumption  teaches that at the end of her life, Mary, the mother of Christ, was taken body and soul into heaven. The church celebrates this feast today 15th August.

Personally, I have always found this teaching, this doctrine, hard to swallow. The empiricist in me questions the metaphysical nature of the Assumption.  The theologian in me believes that because the scriptures do not explicitly state that Mary the mother of our divine Lord died and was buried it does not mean she did not die, it just means the writers of scripture did not think that Mary’s post resurrection life was not important, or central to the purposes of the documents they were writing.  In their eyes the inclusion of details about her life was not necessary to spread the Good News.  Is there a record of Joseph’s death, or Mary Magdalene's?

However, I have no problem accepting, the existence of God, the virgin birth and the resurrection.  I have no problem believing that Mary had to be special to be graced as The Mother of our Divine Lord.  I glory in the communion of saints.  I have no issue with asking Mary or any of the saints in glory to intercede for us.  Yes I can petition God directly, but equally I can ask the saints in glory for assistance too.

Why then do I have an issue?  Perhaps I have no good reason, perhaps I have picked up others prejudice growing up in a protestant environment.  Maybe I just do not understand why in 1950 the then pope thought it necessary to make the doctrine of the Assumption a central tenant of the faith. Maybe my issue is that I see with the eyes and perspective of a man, and a little man at that.

God is God and he and his doings are beyond my understanding.  I can only hope to see and understand a little of the Divine, I am small, discrete and limited.  God is infinite.  Regards the Assumption perhaps I need to go on a little faith.

I do know that hundreds of thousands of souls have found their interface with the Divine through Mary and Marian devotions, asking Mary the Mother of God to intercede with Christ on their behalves.  They have received much consolation and comfort and I have no doubt found their way to Christ by this route.

I am arrogant, assuming I know best, that I am the font of knowledge, when the reverse is true, I know a little, a very little.  Perhaps I need to trust God and the leaders of his Church on earth.  I need to grow in humility and so pray:

Hail Mary,
Full of Grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of death.
Amen.

Rejecting Satan and all his works

If we are to win souls for Christ, if we are to re-fill our churches, if we are to turn society around we must reject Satan, and all his works.   It begins with you and I, we must reject Satan.  Our lives must become true reflections of Christ, we must become the loving reflection of Our Lord in this world.

Rejecting Satan and all his works is not just an act of will, a thing of a fixed moment in time, it is an ongoing act a process.  Few of us are born as saints, we are born sinners and become saints, through the grace of Christ.  We have to work at it, I have to work at it.  Like learning a musical instrument we have to practice, every day for an extended period of time.

Ignatius of Loyal amongst other things left us a useful tool in the struggle, 'The Examen'.  Built into the life of the pilgrim it helps us to progress, day by day, to being a truer reflection of Our Lord.

The Examen is a simple prayer system.  The key thing is that it is done regularly.
Once a day, twice a day, three times a day it does not mater, but regularly.  Each day you see where you are, and see where you ought to be and you strive to change.   Check out this video.

 Reject Satan and all his works, do this.

How Can I Pray the Examen?

1. Become aware of God’s presence. Look back on the events of the day in the company of the Holy Spirit. The day may seem confusing to you—a blur, a jumble, a muddle. Ask God to bring clarity and understanding.

2. Review the day with gratitude. Gratitude is the foundation of our relationship with God. Walk through your day in the presence of God and note its joys and delights. Focus on the day’s gifts. Look at the work you did, the people you interacted with. What did you receive from these people? What did you give them? Pay attention to small things—the food you ate, the sights you saw, and other seemingly small pleasures. God is in the details.
3. Pay attention to your emotions. One of St. Ignatius’s great insights was that we detect the presence of the Spirit of God in the movements of our emotions. Reflect on the feelings you experienced during the day. Boredom? Elation? Resentment? Compassion? Anger? Confidence? What is God saying through these feelings?
God will most likely show you some ways that you fell short. Make note of these sins and faults. But look deeply for other implications. Does a feeling of frustration perhaps mean that God wants you consider a new direction in some area of your work? Are you concerned about a friend? Perhaps you should reach out to her in some way.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it. Ask the Holy Spirit to direct you to something during the day that God thinks is particularly important. It may involve a feeling—positive or negative. It may be a significant encounter with another person or a vivid moment of pleasure or peace. Or it may be something that seems rather insignificant. Look at it. Pray about it. Allow the prayer to arise spontaneously from your heart—whether intercession, praise, repentance, or gratitude.
5. Look toward tomorrow. Ask God to give you light for tomorrow’s challenges. Pay attention to the feelings that surface as you survey what’s coming up. Are you doubtful? Cheerful? Apprehensive? Full of delighted anticipation? Allow these feelings to turn into prayer. Seek God’s guidance. Ask him for help and understanding. Pray for hope.
St. Ignatius encouraged people to talk to Jesus like a friend. End the Daily Examen with a conversation with Jesus. Ask forgiveness for your sins. Ask for his protection and help. Ask for his wisdom about the questions you have and the problems you face. Do all this in the spirit of gratitude. Your life is a gift, and it is adorned with gifts from God. End the Daily Examen with the Our Father.

http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-examen/how-can-i-pray/

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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."

 

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.

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.

Society and the media applaud Sodom and Gomorrah

When I read today that 'the US Supreme Court has struck down a law denying federal benefits to gay couples and cleared the way for same-sex marriage in California' , I cannot help but think again that the society in which we live has and is increasingly becoming like the  cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in the bible.

The media seems to applaud gay rights and ridicule traditional values, when our society  ought to laud family and marriage, life and love.  Our western legislatures and legal systems pass law after law and ruling after ruling contra to Christian belief and practice.

Marriage is no longer about life long commitment and fidelity, a loving environment to raise children.  Marriage has become about the most lavish party the couple can afford, a mark of being financially stable, rather than a man and a woman declaring their love and commitment in front of God and the world.  This in the same society where abortion has become a way of birth control rather than abstinence and celibacy.

In the face of this anti-christian wind of change  we each need to reflect Christ to the best of our ability.  We need to be the most loving and best reflections of Christ and his love in this world.   In our home, schools and work places  we need to promote Christ by being good witnesses in all we do, in every aspect of our lives.

As I attempt to do this I pray "That each of us is graced by Christ, to be worthy witnesses for his sake to the world."

Mortal vs Venial Sin

Before I made a real commitment to Christ I had a light conscience.  My sin rarely bothered me.  When having to confess I struggled to even remember my faults.

Now, after I have made a real commented to Christ. Now that I have started to Practice the presence of God, as often and as hard as I might try there is a change.  I feel when I have sinned, immediately, I know when I have done wrong.  I am embarrassed and exposed in front of Christ.

Some actions and just that embarrassing, I apologise and put them behind me, my beloved Lord immediately forgets.

Others actions place a barrier between myself and Christ, cutting me off.  Stopping me from Practising the presence of God.  An awful cloud, like a very bad destructive atmosphere between myself and our Lord.  When I feel like this the only solution will be to attend the sacrament of confession.

The feeling generated by Mortal sin is a real deterrent.

Forgiveness

I went and confessed my sins,  how I was feeling.  I did not feel absolved immediately.  Shortly after I completed my penance the vale of darkness which had descended upon me dissipated.   It seems I will have to do my utmost to avoid sining again,  but when I do fail I will have to confess as soon as is possible.

"Lord, thank you for the Cross, Thank You for you love and forgiveness."

Quod Erat Demonstrandum

It is clearly evident that the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, or more accurately part of my spirit is willing and I am weak willed.

To grow further I must commit to Christ.  Commit to practice the Presence of Christ at every and each possible moment, in every situation.  That I also need to reject all vain things and practices.  I must askew all things that do not promote building a loving relationship with God.

I pray

"Dear God, I commit myself afresh to be present to you.  Further, I commit to rejecting vanities, to stopping those practices that turn my face from you and that cause you pain.

Lord grant me the grace to resist temptation and to be strong in faith and will, so that in humility I my enter your presence and stay there."

"Thy will be done"

Oh God come to my aid

What a pain I have in my heart.
I have made a commitment to Christ, to practice the presence of God.
Of course I have not done well.
I have failed, been distracted.
Thought of other things, entertained vain thoughts and dreams.
I have held and said uncharitable things.
I have entertained lust.

I feel pain that I have failed.

For the first time in all my fifty three year catholic life I feel a real need for confession.  I MUST confess my failure.  My sin has washed away any good I have done.  I feel the weight of my sin, it is like a dark shadow, between me and God.  This is new to me and I do not like it.

Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, only say the word and I shall be healed.

The Cost of Commitment

Last week I made a commitment.  To practice the presence of God.  I remember God at every opportunity I can.  Well I have done well, not very well but a good start.  BUT, after I sin, after any mistake or lack of attention to God, I feel so guilty and sinful.  What a sting in the tail, or is an encouragement? 

Please prayer I can repent, be strong and learn to love with ALL my heart.

Failed Again

I did not sleep well last night.  Yesterday, I did not attend to my chores diligently. My work cleaning the kitchen was shoddy.  This caused my long suffering wife to sin by losing her temper with me.  Later when she apologised I grudgingly accepted her apology.

I failed.  I gave poor service to God by my shoddy work.  I caused my wife to sin, later when she apologised I did not reflect Christ acceptance and forgiveness.  I failed.

All I can do is pray not to sin again, and pray for the gifts to be a better reflection of Christ.

I am sorry for my sin, Lord help me not to sin again.

Lord, I am not worthy to receive you

Lord, I am not worthy to receive you
Only say the word and I shall be healed

Lord, I do not know what this world is all about.

Lord, I do not know what this world is all about.

Lord, please give me the grace to do your will.

Lord, your will, not mine.