Let's get really realistic about Vanier.

May he find mercy in abundance through the blood of Christ, 

may the good he did be credited to him, by the merits of Christ crucified,

and by the power of His resurrection, may he rest in peace.

So what level of depravity were you looking for?

Many people online are starting to call out those of us who are disturbed by the Jean Vanier investigations revealing sexual abuse of adult women who worked along side him in l'Arche. Fr. Longenecker* says we need to be more realistic about those we put on pedestals and admire, noting they are human beings with weaknesses, just like us. Indeed.

A friend posted a quote on my site along the same lines as Fr. L's admonitions. He posted:

"If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?" - Solzhenitsyn

It is a quote that is very true, very philosophical, albeit a tad dismissive in this context. These discoveries of another's 'sin' reveal the mystery of our being, our fallen human nature. In fact, after the initial shock of the stories, I for my part, am able to examine my own conscience and find examples of duplicity and hypocrisy. It reminds me of my own need for continual conversion and the forgiveness of my many sins.

This post isn't a 'yes but' deflection, nevertheless the disturbing aspect of the Vanier story, viewed alongside the case of his spiritual father, P. Thomas Philippe, as well as his brother, P. Dominique Philippe, is there was a 'method' to their abuse. The grooming involved, their presentation of a 'new' form of spiritual direction and mystical experience, involving/using sexual touch and acts, presented to the victim as a means to find healing, and to grow spiritually and find union with Christ and Our Lady.

Delusion.

The abuse is so deliberate, so manipulative as to propose a sort of theology of abuse. This 'program' negates the idea that the sexual abuse perpetrated by the 'directors' was simply a fall from grace, or a weakness which trips up a 'wounded healer' otherwise trying to live chastely. This is exactly why such actions are seen as criminal, not just a moral failing. It is not simply human weakness or an act of desperation from a person 'addicted' to sex - it's intrinsically evil. It's not at all normal.

After one acknowledges that, as well as genuine concern for the victims, perhaps then, one can say - without being dismissive - 'there but for the grace of God, go I.'

*If we therefore, have this realistic understanding of human nature we will not be so disappointed, outraged and indignant when we hear that Jean Vanier was a sinner. We will not be so angry and dismayed by the scandal and heartbreak of abusive, corrupt and immoral pastors and priests. We will not be surprised because we were realistic about human nature from the beginning. - Longenecker

Beware of spiritual directors

and exorcists who are

a little bit too

realistic about human nature

and sexuality.

Jean Vanier's Star Has fallen

Befriending the stranger - indeed.

Today, news broke that Jean Vanier sexually abused women under his spiritual direction.  His conduct mirrored that of his spiritual director, Fr. Thomas Phillippe, O.P..  Stunning news for me.  But it's not about me, although almost everyone I have ever admired spiritually turns out to have a past.  It's kind of a consolation actually.  Confirming we are all sinners, in need of a Redeemer.  Thanks be to God.

Knowing that, how much more generous ought we to be towards the faults and failings of others, and never, ever look down on anyone, no matter their moral state.

I said in my alarm;
'no man can be trusted'
all have gone astray,
there is not a good man left -
there is no one who does good,
no, not even one.

Especially not me.

From America:

Internal report finds that L’Arche founder Jean Vanier engaged in decades of sexual misconduct.

In a report that will soon be released conducted by L’Arche, Mr. Vanier is accused of sexual misconduct with six adult, non-disabled women who sought spiritual direction from the late activist, author and philosopher. According to a press release from L’Arche USA, the investigation “reveals that Jean Vanier himself has been accused of manipulative sexual relationships and emotional abuse between 1970 and 2005, usually within a relational context where he exercised significant power and a psychological hold over the alleged victims.” - Finish reading here.

L'Arche: Internal investigation reveals abuses committed by Jean Vanier - VaticanNews

02-20-2020 Centenary of the Death of St. Jacinta Marto

Saint Francisco Marto

(June 11, 1908 – April 4, 1919)

Saint Jacinta Marto

(March 11, 1910 – February 20, 1920)

Feast Day: February 20

One hundred years ago.

So much about Fatima has now been confirmed. Growing up, I was very much attached to the Fatima apparitions, the call to holiness, the promises of Our Lady - especially that she would take Jacinta and Francisco to heaven - although I was sure it would probably not be fulfilled in my lifetime. Yet it is unfolding right now. The example of the three children, especially Francisco and his fidelity to prayer, very much influenced my childhood piety, and as I learned more about prayer as an adult, he has been a guide and model for me to some extent.  Our Lady promised to take them to heaven, and canonization is affirmation of that promise.  I expect Lucia will be canonized soon.

I pray the rosary every day and have done the First Saturdays several times.  I often think about the apparitions, the promises of Our Lady, the spiritual experiences each child had outside of the recorded apparitions and after the events, especially St. Jacinta's experiences.

It seems to me her particular experiences - especially her private visions, one or two specifically  involving the 'Third Secret' and the papacy, one might be able to get a deeper understanding of the totality of the secret.  I happen to believe we are most likely witnessing some of the calamity Jacinta saw.  I also think there is ample room to believe that not just one pope was represented in the visions, but subsequent popes are most likely included.  Of course the Holy See's interpretation suggested all the popes of the 20th century had much to suffer - hence, one might conclude, St. John Paul II was not the only pope connected with the vision.

I think it's silly how some speculate, or at least wonder as to why the Blessed Virgin didn't mention plagues - specifically the flu.  Spirit Daily just posted something like that with current discussion of the Coronavirus.  Or how some expected that Our Lady ought to have mentioned the idea of papal resignation and 2 popes.  After all, it these matters are included in  other private revelations, more or less.  I always like to point out that the Blessed Virgin never mentioned the Holocaust, for instance.  What did Pope Francis once say about such things?  Didn't he dismiss stuff like that saying that Our Lady is not a news person?  Daily reporting the news and weather?  Something like that.

I'm not an expert, much less a scholar on the subject of Fatima, simply a devotee.  Yet it seems to me, the message of Jacinta allows more room for conjecture and application to our contemporary situation than the general text of the Fatima Secret - one secret in 3 parts.  Perhaps Jacinta understood things about the secret which we may be experiencing today.  I don't know?

The essential Jacinta is for me, wrapped up in the following prophetic statements:

"I saw the Holy Father in a very big house, kneeling by a table, with his head buried in his hands, and he was weeping. Outside the house, there were many people. Some of them were throwing stones, others were cursing him and using bad language. Poor Holy Father, we must pray very much for him." - St. Jacinta

"Look! Don’t you see many roads, paths and fields full of people crying of hunger, not having anything to eat? And the Holy Father in a Church praying next to the Heart of Mary?" - St. Jacinta Marto

"Tell everybody that God grants us graces through the Immaculate Heart of Mary; that people are to ask her for them; and that the Heart of Jesus wants the Immaculate Heart of Mary to be venerated at his side. Tell them also to pray to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for peace, since God entrusted it to her." - Bl. Jacinta to Lucia

St. Jacinta devoted herself to prayer and suffering for the Pope, may she intercede for him in these times of crisis. St. Francisco was deeply contemplative and hidden, praying to console the 'Hidden Jesus' and making reparation for sins. Both Jacinta and Francisco prayed earnestly and constantly for the conversion of sinners. May these little saints, who have now reached full stature and maturity in Christ, intercede for all of us.

Weird Saints

St. Mark Ji Tianxiang 

And me.

A childhood friend of my family said I was weird on FB yesterday.  He was reacting to a piece of art I posted.  I laughed.  

I began thinking about a couple of weird saints I admire, whose stories I will share here.

St. Mark Ji Tianxiang 

Mark Ji Tianxiang was an opium addict. Not had been an opium addict. He was an opium addict at the time of his death.

For years, Ji was a respectable Christian, raised in a Christian family in 19th-century China. He was a leader in the Christian community, a well-off doctor who served the poor for free. But he became ill with a violent stomach ailment and treated himself with opium. It was a perfectly reasonable thing to do, but Ji soon became addicted to the drug, an addiction that was considered shameful and gravely scandalous. 

As his circumstances deteriorated, Ji continued to fight his addiction. He went frequently to confession, refusing to embrace this affliction that had taken control of him. 

Unfortunately, the priest to whom he confessed (along with nearly everybody in the 19th century) didn’t understand addiction as a disease. Since Ji kept confessing the same sin, the priest thought, that was evidence that he had no firm purpose of amendment, no desire to do better.  

Ji’s confessor told him to stop coming back until he could fulfill the requirements for confession.  He couldn’t stay sober, but he could keep showing up.  And show up he did, for 30 years. For 30 years, he was unable to receive the sacraments. And for 30 years he prayed that he would die a martyr. It seemed to Ji that the only way he could be saved was through a martyr’s crown. 

In 1900, when the Boxer Rebels began to turn against foreigners and Christians, Ji got his chance. He was rounded up with dozens of other Christians, including his son, six grand children, and two daughters-in-law. Many of those imprisoned with him were likely disgusted by his presence there among them, this man who couldn’t go a day without a hit. Surely he would be the first to deny the Lord.

But while Ji was never able to beat his addiction, he was, in the end, flooded with the grace of final perseverance. No threat could shake him, no torture make him waver. He was determined to follow the Lord who had never abandoned him. - Finish reading here.

St. Andreas Wouters, Martyr of Gorcum

The Gorkum Martyrs.

In 1572, the Netherlands had fallen culturally and politically into Protestant hands, and Catholics of the country became objects of persecution for Lutherans and Calvinists alike. As town after town fell to Protestant control, the Catholic clergy of the area were arrested and often tortured. The goal of this mistreatment was not death, but apostasy.

The pirates demanded that these nineteen priests and religious deny the Real Presence and the authority of the Pope. They refused, much to their captors’ distress. Despite a plea for leniency from William of Orange, the Dutch prince and leader of the Protestant Rebellion, the Calvinists of Gorcum transferred their prisoners to nearby Brielle, where they were martyred outside of town in a dilapidated shed. Their bodies were horrifically desecrated both before and after their deaths, out of mockery for their priesthood.

One of the secular priests, Andreas Wouters was notorious for his unchastity. When accused of this by his captors, he offered his famous reply, “Fornicator I always was, but heretic I never was.” - Source

To be continued... 

Blessed Charles de Foucauld might be included in the list of weird saints - he founded an order without disciples - yet he was faithful.  Likewise, Matt Talbot, Benedict Joseph Labre, and others - specifically the fools for Christ - whose names I can't recall at the moment, were faithful, a bit odd, and definitely not successful - just faithful. So remember, if you found an order of monks and you are the only member, remain faithful. If you blunder through life, yet remain faithful despite everything, you can stand erect - if you remain faithful.  No one can ever take the last place away from Christ.

So dumb.

I deleted a couple posts by accident.  Gosh darn.

Our Lady of Lourdes

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

A Well Researched Reply to Fr. Z.

From an expert on Fatima.

Kevin Symonds is a man I believe is a reliable expert on Fatima and the writings of Sr. Lucia - I would call him a Fatima scholar.  I don't know him personally but I have read his work and what he writes on his blog.

Symonds responded politely to Fr. Z's post on the vision of the Third Secret, wherein he speculates that it may have foretold two popes in the scenario.  Kevin offered to explain another dimension of the vision which would better accord with the theological exegesis offered by Cardinal Ratzinger.  (More or less.)  He politely asked him to 'refer to the book he had written on the Secret.  Fr. Z seemed to rebuff the idea, and stuck to his theory.

Kevin Symonds wrote a reply.

Actually, posting a separate reply on his blog is a good idea, because if he tried to comment a second time on Fr. Z's site, he might find himself blocked.  That said - I'll post an excerpt from Kevins post.

Under my comment, Fr. Z. responded in his characteristic red comments in brackets: 

[Refer me? Send me the book. And the fact remains: that’s how she described it. Facts are stubborn.] 

In his post, Fr. Z. associates the text “‘something similar to how people appear in a mirror…” with the text after it (the Bishop dressed in white). Thus, Fr. Z. wonders if the phrase is about two popes as in a mirror image.

So, is his interpretation correct? I have some thoughts on this question and submit them to the reader for consideration. 

[...]

(As Cardinal Ratzinger noted) "In the “mirror” of this vision we see passing before us the witnesses of the faith decade by decade." 

It is, therefore, clear that the Church herself understands the “mirror” and “light” analogy to be referring to God. It is not a literal mirror that the Pope passed by and saw a reflection. 

Lastly, if the Pope passed by some mirror in the vision of the third part of the secret, what about the others in the vision? Did they do so as well? It would seem to follow logically. After all, everyone specified in the vision are all headed to the same place–the cross. Curiously, they are not mentioned as having passed by some mirror. 

Conclusion:
Sr. Lúcia lacked theological, spelling and grammatical finesse in her writings, as is generally acknowledged.[4] She was, however, gifted with prophecy and wisdom in her simplicity. As I have said elsewhere, you have to pay attention to mystics as they are subtle people; one can miss something very important if care is not taken. In the present case, it seems plausible that Sr. Lúcia employed the “mirror” analogy in order to explain the manner in which the three visionaries saw the vision that is the third part of the secret of Fátima.  - A Reply to Fr. Z

An Observation:

In his footnotes, Kevin mentioned his appreciation for Fr. Sotello's comment on the more accepted theory of what Sr. Lucia meant in describing the vision as 'seeing people  passing by as in a mirror'.  I was happy with his comment as well, however I believe he misquotes something Our Lady said:  "Rather, she reinforces the phrase made earlier by Our Lady at Fatima, that “the Holy Father will have much to suffer for.”"  I've never read it in that way.  I've always understood Our Lady's words to be, "the Holy Father will have much to suffer", not "suffer for".  To 'suffer for' makes it sound like the Holy Father is being punished.  That was never the sense I had from Our Lady's words.

A Lutheran Convert in Our Lady's Court.

Don't even go there Fr. Z ... please.

Fr. Z sees 2 popes in the Fatima Secret.  No.  No. No.  Gosh!

About that secret.  Cardinal Ratzinger pretty much summed it up.  However, those who do not know how to deal with the retirement of a reigning Pontiff need to see some sort of extraordinary judgment on that.  C'mon.

What bothers me?  Not the part about persecution.  That’s a given.

Speculating on the Third Secret, Fr. Z goes on to observe:

Note that reference to seeing an image like to that of an image in a mirror.
When you see someone pass in front of a mirror, you see two of them, the real one and the image. Two.
Hence, in this case, the vision involved seeing two figures dressed in white, one being the real one and the other being the image of the real one. And, according to the description, Lúcia says she saw whom she took to be the Pope and a figure that was not the Pope but an image like the Pope.
One figure the Pope and the other, close by, as in a mirror, not the Pope but looking like the Pope. - Fr. Z

He tries, I know.  I hope he prays his rosary.  Deeply, and consistently.  Devoutly.  Then Our Lady will never permit silly distortions like this to continue.  Our Lady did not put on a show or a morality tale.

On this day, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, just remember, Our Lady at Fatima never mentioned by name her people who died in the camps.  Our Divine Mother encompasses all of humanity - she never enters into politics, much less the way the Petrine Office is conducted - EXCEPT to request prayers for the reigning Pontiff - at any time in history.

Stop playing with the secret.  Stop manipulating it for your agenda.  Our Lady is obedient to her Son, to the Church He established, and She is Mother of the Church.  Children and simple souls understand her message - they don't ever use it to condemn or judge, much worse, to play Pope against a retired Pope.  The secret is unfolding - no doubt - but not how those who should know better attempt to interpret it.

When repairs are needed.

"Jesus, repair what I have done badly!"

When we fail, when we are tempted to rebel against those who find out our faults and imperfections, we too can remain silent, asking our Lord to undo, to repair what we've done badly, that no one may be lost because of our bad example.  If others are scandalized by our failings, we can have confidence Jesus will repair and draw forth a greater good.  I think this is a secret of His Sacred Heart, as well as the key to the devotion to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots.  When others condemn us, we can even rejoice to be found imperfect and in need of God's mercy!

"A notion which is not widespread and which, nevertheless, is very important is that Jesus, when we ask him with confidence, repairs not only the evil we have done in ourselves, but also the evil we have done around us.

Indeed, he has made all things right in me, but what about the evil I have done to others?  The bad example I have set, the scandal I have given, the good I would have been able to do and did not do, the injustice I committed?  I am set aright myself, but what about the others?

Say then, 'Jesus, from this evil also which I have wrought around me, draw forth good.  Even, I dare to ask you, draw a greater good from it than if I had not done the evil... Jesus, make reparation in me and around me.'" - I Believe In Love, Pere Jean du Coeur de Jesus D'Elbee

Spreading Devotion to the Extraordinary Form of Mass.

Nothing wrong with that.

Yet to make the claim one form of Holy Mass is better than another, or more efficacious, is a big mistake.  Yet that is what devotees frequently do, even Fr. Z and his followers.  Not always overtly, but it is implied - especially in his comment box.  Recently he posted: "A diocese smells the coffee: starts planning for decline of the Novus Ordo and growth of the TLM"

Just the language of the title seems to denigrate, declass the Ordinary Form of Mass, by referring to it as the Novus Ordo - which is understood by most to mean the 'new' Mass.  That is, the Ordinary Form of Mass celebrated by Roman Catholics throughout the world.  TLM stand for Traditional Latin Mass - known after Summorum Pontificum as the Extraordinary Form.  Summorum was not meant to be divisive but inclusive.  I have heard some Catholic claim that if one continues to attend the EF after experiencing the transcendent beauty of the EF, they offend God.  That is the notion I object most to.

Janet Smith posted a supportive link to Fr. Z's post and I responded.  In vain, I dare say.  This was the exchange:

Terry Nelson I hate it when you people promote this - Fr. Z's mentor and patron was not anti-VII, nor anti Novus Ordo. He celebrated the Novus Ordo - promoting Latin and ad orientem - seriously, there was no tangible difference to the ordinary Catholic in the manner Mass was celebrated. I went to talk to Monsignor, confessed to him - I think he would completely disapprove of how Fr. Z promotes this division. 

Janet E. Smith What is offensive or divisive about what was posted? People are gravitating to the TLM. Is that bad or divisive? Are those who stick with the NO divisive? Both are permitted. It not divisive to prefer one or the other. People who keep lamenting “division” are the ones causing it, IMHO.

Terry Nelson Janet E. Smith there is nothing wrong with an attachment to the EF - the OF is the ordinary form in the Church, when celebrated according to rubrics, esp. ad orientem, the OF is fine. To say one is holier than another is mistaken. To devoutly prefer one to another is not bad in itself, but it often degenerates into mockery of and condemnation of the OF. (In the extreme, calling into question the NO sacraments - including Holy Orders.) Fr. Z promotes the OF and encourages 'recruits' to it, if you will. Underlying all of this is the claim the OF is not as holy, that it's an abomination. Read the commentary Fr. Z gets. Holy Mass should not be politicized but that is how it gets treated, the 'liberals' don't like it, the 'conservatives' do, and so on. That's wrong. I grew up with the TLM, I was an altar boy - as Mons. Pope recently pointed out, the EF wasn't always well celebrated either. Wasn't the point of the Summorum Pontificum to help the Ordinary Form? It's been my observation it has been used to oppose the Pope and any authentic reform of VII.

My experience with Dr. Smith is that she is more or less dismissive of anyone who is neither an academic or cleric.  The conversation I began on her site developed further, with other commenters who supported her POV.  Nothing wrong with her opinion BTW, my point was made.  My experience of promoters of the TLM is that they are the divisive element when they think anyone devoted to the OF Mass is ignorant of tradition, and/or protestant.

I love both forms of Mass.  I also love the traditional celebration of the sacraments.  The Ordinary Form of things are just as sacred, just as holy, and no more or less eficacious than the EF.

As I have said before, I believe many people are drawn to deeper devotion in and through the traditional liturgical rites. Nothing wrong with that at all. It is their personal experience, but it cannot be stated that therefore the extraordinary Form is holier or more pleasing to God, when in fact the Church celebrates the Ordinary Form as the central form of the liturgy. (I'm not a liturgist so I'm not sure I expressed that well.) Playing the two forms against one another, or saying one is more efficacious than the other is an error. It seems to me that attitude is also a form of snobbery which is often observable in other areas of the lives of such people. (It's frequently fairly obvious on social media.)

As regards exterior things, he (Editor: one who is attached to the grandeur and pomp of the EF) will become unable to dispose himself for prayer in all places, but will be confined to places that are to his taste; and thus he will often fail in prayer, because, as the saying goes, he can understand no other book than his own village. - S. John, Ascent

Sayings

Many times I'm mistaken, presumptuous, and don't know what I'm talking about. So pay no attention to me - I'm a sounding keyboard.

I'm not finished.

I haven't posted much on the blog - but I'll be back.  Soon.

Praying for Cardinal Pell

Cardinal George Pell has reportedly been moved 

from his central prison in Melbourne 

to a high-security facility in regional Victoria 

after a drone had flown over the prison. - Source

This is sad.  I believe Pell is innocent.  He's being moved because they don't want him photographed.  The conditions in the new prison are supposed to be pretty bad. 

"Cardinal Pell knew from hard personal experience how virulent the anti-Catholic atmosphere in Australia had become. As a member of the College of Cardinals and a senior Vatican official, Pell enjoyed Vatican citizenship and held a Vatican diplomatic passport; he could have stayed put, untouchable by the Australian authorities. Yet he freely decided to submit himself to his country’s criminal justice system. He knew he was innocent; he was determined to defend his honor and that of the Church; and he believed in the rectitude of the Australian courts. So he went home." - George Weigel

The Epiphany of Hieronymus Bosch

I thought of the Bosch while meditating on today's Gospel.  The kings represent the Turks, ‘Ethiopians’, and Mongols - reminding me of all the powers interested in the Middle East today.  In the background is the figure of the Antichrist - at the time Herod, the precursor of the Antichrist.  He is depicted as a voluptuous sensualist - vain, narcissistic and corrupt.  He is Antichrist since he wants to destroy the child Jesus.

We read the Magi were warned to not return to Herod and they left by a different route.  We know the Holy Family fled, and that Herod massacred the Holy Innocents to ensure he killed his rival.  How like our times, I thought.  Children, babies, the unborn - are eliminated in our day, legally and illegally.  Others are driven away from their homeland, or exploited and given over to slavery. 

St. John tells us there are many Antichrists among us.  Herod is one prototype.  The Bosch figure is perhaps a warning, a projection of what will be in the end times.  An immoral, corrupt hedonist, rallying 'those who walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise government: audacious, self willed, they fear not to bring in sects, blaspheming.'  (2 Peter 2:10; Douay-Rheims Haydock)

The Epiphany is much more than that, of course.  It is the manifestation of the divinity in Christ, and it is threefold:  To the gentiles in the adoration of the Magi, in the baptism by John in the Jordan, and in the wedding at Cana.  

Imagine - wanting to kill the Messiah, the Savior, the King of the Jews?  As the angel said to St. Joseph: 'Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.' (Matt 2:13)

Many today are out to destroy - in the end, they fail.  "And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail. (Matt. 16:18)

Thoughts and prayers.

That time the Holy Father tripped.

People hate that saying.

I thought I'd use it for the title of this post - just for fun.  I post everything on Facebook and do not take time to write very much on the blog.  On FB you can post a link and quote, as well as a few thoughts, and it's done.  Now that I take care of my friend, I'm always in the same room with him when I'm online, he also watches TV, likes to talk, and needs attention.  That makes it difficult to compose a post.  I'm not complaining - just letting my friends know why I'm not posting so much.

Recent news on the Holy Father incited his critics to condemn him for slapping the hand of a woman who yanked his arm.  The poor woman appeared to have something urgent to say or ask, but the Holy Father nearly lost his balance and was obviously in great pain.  I don't know how he does it - he walks the entire length of the basilica, greets pilgrims, and travels so much - never even taking a vacation. He has one lung, obvious sciatica and most likely painful arthritis, and when he was yanked back, I think there was pain - from the look on his face. I'm certain he was sincerely sorry he offended the woman, I also think he is humble enough to accept being seen as imperfect and just like anyone else who loses their patience under stress.

I'm reminded of St. Therese, whose birthday it is today, when on her deathbed, sisters in her community found her 'imperfect' and not a saint.  Mother Agnes noted a couple of occasions when Therese lost her patience - although we would never have noticed it or thought it an imperfection or a fault.

"Four months before her death, Therese was running a high fever. One of the nuns came in and asked her help in a very delicate piece of painting.  Just for an instant a very slight blush betrayed her effort to keep her patience.  That evening she sent a little note to M. Agnes, humbly admitting her weakness.  'This evening I showed you my virtue, my treasures of patience.  I who am so good at preaching to others.  I am glad you noticed my imperfection.  It does me good ...'"

Later, a lay-sister brought Therese some broth, which she refused because she was so ill it would cause her to vomit.  The sister was offended, and Therese apologized, asking the sister's pardon.  The sister remained disedified and later told another sister, "Sr. Therese is no saint!  She is not even a good religious!"  Later, when Therese was told about it, she rejoiced.  She was happy that she was found to be imperfect, and especially a bad religious - on her deathbed.  Her joy was in knowing that  she too needed the Divine Mercy.

Little Therese told M. Agnes:  "The fact that people find me imperfect brings me real joy, and what brings me even more joy is to realize this myself and to feel the need for God's mercy at the moment of death."

I think Pope Francis is very much like St. Therese, may she obtain for him all that is necessary to lead the Church.

What?

The Fifth Day of Christmas

Gabrielle Van Der Mal's 8th Birthday!

Happy Birthday Gabs.

Her namesake.

Her patroness.

An old Christmas Story

The extraordinary account of animal behaviour that first Christmas.
.
Although it is not recorded in the Bible, the story of how the lesser beasts behaved at the birth of the Infant Jesus has been handed down through generation upon generation in the animal kingdom, and the stories have varied little no matter what country one finds oneself in. Humans only know the story from their pets, the cats and dogs many people consider members of their family. Of course animal behaviourists like to claim that the animals' stories had been adapted from watching their masters set up a creche in their homes, and that they overheard the tale while the family piously read the Christmas story to children.
.
Perhaps - but I tend to doubt it, for why would, say a wolf in the forest know the exact same story? Or a country field mouse collect fir needles to festoon his nest with every Christmas Eve, and bring out the pine nuts he had stored up, only to be enjoyed for the twelve days of Christmas? In fact, it is the mice and rabbits who seem to have the most accurate stories of all. Of course the cats never forget a detail, therefore they deserve a great deal of credit as well. The dogs know the story, and tell it to their pups, but otherwise they don't talk about it much, they prefer to lay by the hearth and simply ponder the story quietly.
.
Oh I know, I know. People think it is the other way around, that dogs are boisterous and talkative, especially little dogs, that they would yap and yap about the story repeatedly throughout the Christmas season. They will argue that cats are more recollected and contemplative - but that theory doesn't hold up in this case. You see the cats acted in a most peculiar manner that first Christmas, and they are quite proud of it, since they feel their reputation for being ferocious and devious creatures had been redeemed that night. I will tell the cat's version of the story here.
.
How the cats took part in the birth of Jesus..
On that first Christmas eve, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of the holy Virgin Mary - and before anyone else knew about it, even the shepherds, the stray cats of Bethlehem gathered around the stable. They were hiding in the hay and behind the sleepy ox, one kitty slept on the back of donkey because it was warm, a couple of others cuddled up against St. Joseph who seemed to be asleep - although most mystics insist he was really in ecstasy.
.
The holy Virgin was kneeling upon a fleece laid over a bit of fresh straw, off in a pleasant corner of the stable, protected from view by the large sleeping ox and a low wall made of willow. The Blessed Virgin was in ecstasy as well, when suddenly a great light shone, and upon the fleece was a lovely newborn Infant, glistening as if bathed in star dust. No sooner had He appeared than the Blessed Mother swiftly wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in the manger nearby. As if from nowhere, the tiniest angels appeared, about the size of bees, encircling the newborn in the manger, while strains of heavenly music could be heard, along with the gentle singing of heavenly choirs.
.
Joseph awakened by the humming of the tiny angels, made his way very slowly into the enclosure, his head bowed, tears streaming down a face made radiant by the light emanating from the Holy Child and his Blessed Mother. He knelt next to his wife, adoring the Holy Infant. The ox noticed and rose partially, although just enough to kneel, facing the Holy Family. The donkey did likewise. The cats, naturally shy and accustomed to being shooed away, kept their distance until they noticed all the other little animals; mice, chipmunks, rabbits, gathering in awe at the foot of the manger, completely unconcerned about any sort of threat the cats posed.
.
Now, as you know, stray cats are always hungry and always looking for prey - which is why many people who dislike cats, tolerated them in the first place, since they kept their homes free of pests. Amazingly, albeit unnoticed by all, the cats simply watched all the critters assembling, it seemed to them it was a living banquet being laid out before their eyes. However, grandpa cat whispered that this was not the moment or place for feasting. He proceeded to explain to the other cats that they had all just witnessed a miracle:  Indeed, God Himself, our Creator, had come down that very night to live amongst men; first of all choosing to be with the animals, the least of the creatures of earth. Grandpa nodded to all the little animals who had assembled, particularly the mice, and reminded the other cats of the scriptures which referred to the Christ when it foretold, "In that day the kitty cat will lie down with the mouse." (Grandpa cat knew the scriptures because he sneaked into Temple every Sabbath. He quickly related how the Virgin would be found with Child, that her Child is the Redeemer and Saviour, who brings peace to all the world, renewing nature itself, and so on.)
.
With renewed confidence all the cats crept out of their hiding places, their attention rapt upon the Divine Child. The kitties were neither distracted by the mice and other animals, nor were they a bit perturbed when the shepherd's dogs arrived... the atmosphere being so permeated with peace and joy that silent night. A few of the older cats cuddled near the Madonna and the feet of St. Joseph to warm them. As it was a very cold night that first Christmas, Our Lady picked up a very fat mommy cat and another beautiful Siamese cat, placing them gently near the Child Jesus, to help warm Him and console Him by their purring.
.
The End

A New Christmas Story

Chapter Two

One day last week, before Saturday, but after Thursday, I went out to the grocery store to pick up a few things for the weekend.  The store was busy with shoppers.

As I turned to go down one of the aisles, I detected a foul odor - similar to a garbage dumpster, I looked at a customer as he passed by, to see if he showed any reaction to the smell, but he seemed not to pay attention.  I looked ahead of me and saw the source of the odor.

An old man with a beat up fedora type hat, a tattered overcoat, ragged, filthy clothes, pulling an old wire shopping cart, duck taped together, with a much used black garbage bag containing his 'stuff'.  In a sort of wire-basket attachment, I noticed some groceries, yet only a bag of Frito's stood out.

As I moved closer, the stench was more intense. Almost like moss and earth with a pronounced odor of organic decay.  I glanced to see his face but it was dirty, unshaven, his glasses so smudged I was unable to see his eyes.  I moved quickly to pass by, the odor was revolting.  At the end of the aisle, I stopped to look back, and saw him pass by other customers who seemed to be oblivious to the man, not even a reaction to the odor, which seemed to fill the aisle, much less the bizarre specter of his appearance.

I stood there for a moment, wondering what sort of apparition I had just seen.  Save for the fact I had seen the same man at the same store in the exact same circumstance last summer, I might have thought the man was a Dickensian ghost, whose appearance was some sort of warning to me.  His appearance reminded me of a character I sometimes pastiche from the work of George Tooker, into my own compositions.  That said, his visage was more frightening to me than it was repulsive.

I can't forget him, and have speculated upon his reality.  Did I alone see him, was I the only person to perceive the decayed effluvia which surrounded him?  Was he a hallucination?  An apparition?  Or was he real?  Could he be a sort of hermit dwelling in the reeds across the playing field opposite the store, along the shore of the lake?  Perhaps he's a sort of iuródivyi, or fool for Christ?  The holy fools, pilgrims and mendicants, were not sweet smelling and finely dressed - their poverty was real.  The poor today are real... was he real?

I am now ashamed I was repulsed by him, wondering if he needed help, or money?  I reasoned he must be known to the store employees, since no one seems to react to his eccentric demeanor.  By the time I got to the register, the man was gone, leaving no tell-tale scent behind.  I was unwilling to ask the cashier if he had seen him, not knowing how to describe him with an appropriate empathy, and without expressing any sense of dread.

It still haunts me, perhaps he is my personal ghost of Christmas future?  What if he be a portent of what is soon to come?  Is there more to it?  Or did I just imagine it?

Pity me not, but lend thy serious hearing
To what I shall unfold. - Hamlet, Act 1,5,740

A New Christmas Story

Foxwood Tales by Cynthia and Brian Patterson

Chapter One

It was the Saturday before Sunday, and we were already afraid of Monday, because Christmas Eve was on Tuesday, and we thought we had to work that day, but we are retired and no longer work.

Today, instead of cleaning or getting the house ready for Christmas, I stared outside, waiting for the solar lights to come on at dusk.  The 'seed' lights are woven through an artificial garland of pine and woodland greens, with real pine cones, arching over the Madonna relief, mounted on the trellis.  It is the only light in the garden, until Sunday night, when the Christmas lanterns are lighted.

Inside, the Christmas tree is up, lighted and decorated of course, and Christmas candles in every window, although I need to tidy up, dust and clean, but I keep putting it off.

Oh look!  The solar lights came on!  Maybe I'll continue to stare at them for the rest of the evening.  It is so Christmassy!  The rabbits come out to look and marvel, along with all the other critters in the yard, while they weave the ivy strands into wreaths and garlands for their little cottages.  Since I enjoy watching the rabbits play in the garden, I've been putting off spraying repellent upon the hedge - which keeps the rabbits from devouring the bark.  They've trampled the snow, so it looks as if a series of guests had been wandering all over the yard and garden.  I prefer the snow to be undisturbed, but rabbits do as they please.

Perhaps the rabbits are trying to convey a message?  Maybe the messy snow is a reflection of the interior of my house?  I suppose I really do need to clean.

Which reminds me of a story I can't remember.  When I was little there was a children's book about a mouse who didn't keep house.  The home kept getting dirtier and dirtier until it blew up.  That's all I can recall, but I wonder if it blew up when she tried to light the oven?  I know.

I have to clean my oven too.

Tomorrow is another day.

Today: "The Expectation of the Parturition of the Blessed Virgin Mary"

A little feast from the old Calendar.

The feast or commemoration seems to have originated in Spain, establishing the Marian character of Advent, if you will.  The Expectation of the Birth of the Lord, pondered by Mary ever virgin, Mother of God.  

This Feast, which sometimes goes under the name of Our Lady of O, or the Feast of O, on account of the great antiphons which are sung during these days, and, in a special manner, of that which begins O Virgo virginum (which is still used in the Vespers of the Expectation—see below, together with the O Adonai, the antiphon of the Advent Office), was kept with great devotion in Spain. - Adapted from The Liturgical Year by Abbot Gueranger

The Marian character of Advent.

The Expectation says it all, Our Lady expected the Messiah, as revealed to her by the Angel Gabriel.  It makes me think, how in our times we are in a sort of Marian era.  As if Our Lady is calling us to expect the Messiah, the return of Christ.  She exemplifies the conduct and disposition of soul we ought to cultivate in ourselves.  Full of hope, with a love 'beyond all telling', going within to meet him.  I don't know, of course, but it is good for me to take refuge in Our Lady.

"The Virgin, weighed
With the Word of God
Comes down the road:
If only you will shelter her." - John of the Cross 

From Marialis Cultus.

3. During Advent there are many liturgical references to Mary besides the Solemnity of December 8, which is a joint celebration of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, of the basic preparation (cf. Is. 11:1, 10) for the coming of the Savior and of the happy beginning of the Church without spot or wrinkle.[11] Such liturgical references are found especially on the days from December 17 to 24, and more particularly on the Sunday before Christmas, which recalls the ancient prophecies concerning the Virgin Mother and the Messiah[12] and includes readings from the Gospel concerning the imminent birth of Christ and His precursor.[13]

4. In this way the faithful, living in the liturgy the spirit of Advent, by thinking about the inexpressible love with which the Virgin Mother awaited her Son,[14] are invited to take her as a model and to prepare themselves to meet the Savior who is to come. They must be “vigilant in prayer and joyful in…praise.”[15] We would also remark that the Advent liturgy, by linking the awaiting of the Messiah and the awaiting of the glorious return of Christ with the admirable commemoration of His Mother, presents a happy balance in worship. This balance can be taken as a norm for preventing any tendency (as has happened at times in certain forms of popular piety) to separate devotion to the Blessed Virgin from its necessary point of reference — Christ. It also ensures that this season, as liturgy experts have noted, should be considered as a time particularly suited to devotion to the Mother of the Lord. This is an orientation that we confirm and which we hope to see accepted and followed everywhere. - St. Paul VI, Marialis Cultus

There are four Marian Dogmas.

Virgin birth.

Do you know them?

Sometimes I wonder how many Catholics know the four Marian Dogmas. I expect those who want a fifth Marian dogma would know them well. It seems to me that they also know that Catholic Tradition has always recognized Our Lady as co-redemptrix and mediatrix - without making a dogmatic proclamation.

That said, there is one dogma that I truly believe many Catholics do not understand, receive, or accept. The perpetual Virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. As St. John Paul II expressed it:

"“Mary was therefore a virgin before the birth of Jesus and she remained a virgin in giving birth and after the birth. This is the truth presented by the New Testament texts, and which was expressed both by the Fifth Ecumenical Council at Constantinople in 553, which speaks of Mary as ‘ever virgin’, and also by the Lateran Council in 649, which teaches that ‘the mother of God…Mary…conceived [her Son] through the power of the Holy Spirit without human intervention, and in giving birth to him, her virginity remained incorrupted, and even after the birth her virginity remained intact.” - General Audience of Jan 28 1987

These are the four Marian Dogmas:

The Divine Motherhood; Mother of God.

Perpetual Virginity; virgin before, during and after the birth of Jesus.

Immaculate Conception; Our Lady was conceived without original sin.

Assumption of the BVM; Our Lady was raised body and soul into heaven, she did not undergo the corruption of the tomb.

This is our faith.

Loving Mother of the Redeemer,
who remains the accessible Gateway of Heaven,
and Star of the Sea,
Give aid to a falling people
that strives to rise;
O Thou who begot thy holy Creator,
while all nature marveled,
Virgin before and after
receiving that "Ave" from the mouth of Gabriel,
have mercy on sinners.

Isaiah 7:14

What?

Just think, Our Lady appeared as the Great Sign in the Americas

Who is she that comes forth as the morning rising, 

fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in array?

Rejoice, O Virgin Mary,

you alone have destroyed all heresies in the whole world. - Little Office

La Guadalupana

Our Lady left a "permanent sign" as proof of her appearance. 

The inexplicable preservation of the tilma and mysterious image is considered miraculous.
I recall some Mariologists pointing to the apparitions at Rue du Bac to St. Catherine Laboure as initiating the Marian era of the Church.  It seems to me, the apparition and sign left by Our Lady of Guadalupe might have even greater significance.  Opening a new era, as it were, in the Church. 

San Juan Evangelita on Patmos, by Gregorio José de Lara y Priego. 

The Virgen apocalíptica depicted as la Virgen Morena, 

encompassing the tremendous mystery of the Immaculate Conception

and the 'Great Sign' seen by St. John in the

Book of Revelation.

The dead are very close to us in Advent...

Because we the living, along with the souls of the departed, await the coming of Christ together.

Don't over think what I'm trying to say.  Don't get all theological or dogmatic about it - especially who is saved or who is not, or where the departed are now. 

This morning at prayer the thought came to me that the dead are very near.  I thought of people I hadn't thought of for a long time, not just relatives either.  People I met briefly, or knew for a time and then lost track of - they come to mind.  Sometimes I think they need prayers, and I do what I can.  Other times I wonder if they are near to help me prepare for my own death.

They are near, I'm sure of it.  They go before us, we are left behind, but they encourage us to 'catch up' ... every Advent reminding us that together, we await our Savior.

The Immaculate Conception and St. Juan Diego

St. Juan Diego's feast day falls on the anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady at dawn on December 9, 1531.  Providentially, today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception as well.  The Blessed Virgin left her image imprinted on the Tilma of Juan Diego, miraculously preserved today.  The image resembles Spanish prototype images of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption. 

"Know for certain, littlest of my sons, that I am the perfect and perpetual Virgin Mary, Mother of the True God through Whom everything lives, the Lord of all things near and far, the Master of Heaven and earth." - Our Lady to St. Juan Diego

Escorted out ...

I guess they do walk around dressed like this.