Tag: catholic

80) Praying for the Dead

November is a month dedicated to prayer for the dead, with visits to a cemetery on my “to do” list.  I’m grateful for the wisdom of the Church to teach me about this, with the reality of communion with the holy souls awaiting our prayers to speed them on the way to purification and union with the Trinity.  Knowing that they in turn are praying for us, for me, is a source of comfort and deep gratitude as I acknowledge the truth of the communion of the saints!  The veil is often so very thin, and I’m especially aware of this amidst the gravestones.

     I’ve always loved cemeteries!  This was especially true during the covid isolation days.  We couldn’t congregate indoors, and the parks and public spots available for social distancing were often crowded.  I desired more space, and found the cemeteries to be the perfect answer – quiet, few people around, and the awareness of being on holy ground with the saints 🙂  I’ll stop and read some of the epithets, wondering what their life on earth was like, and what it’s like to be united now with those who have gone before them.  Homecoming celebrations in Heaven are the best kind!

     Again and again I’ve been reminded of the great value of “remembering death,” memento mori.  This last week our Marian Servant community was blessed with a Day of Reflection led by Fr Daniel Klimek, who confirmed this beautifully as he spoke of the value of meditating on Christ’s Passion, uniting our sufferings with His on the Cross. This leads so naturally to the reality of our own death, and desiring the help of the saints to live this life well and so be united with Christ in Eternity.

     I’m headed out soon to pray in the cemetery at our parish church, and   one day this week I’ll join a friend to pray by her husband’s grave.  Mentally I’ll spend some time visiting the family graves back in my hometown, praying for the repose of their souls, and seeking their intercession for family and friends who don’t yet know the Lord, His Love and care for them.  

    Lord God, may I be ever mindful of the shortness of this earthly life, grateful for this gift of life, especially eternal life with You!  May my prayers help to speed holy souls on their journey to you, even as they offer prayers for us here and now.   “Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon them.  May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  Amen.”

70) In Persona Christi

70)  In Persona Christi        6/23/24

     The Church teaches that our priests are “in persona Christi,” in the very person of Christ.  This has come home to me in a way that reinforces the reality of God’s personal knowledge and love for little me; He recognizes and knows me! 

      It’s always a delight when I meet someone I haven’t seen for a while and their face lights up as we recognize each other!  It’s obvious that they remember me, and that they’re happy to see me 🙂 (Me too!)  Gathering for family celebrations, meeting at conferences, and just bumping into people at the grocery store are all opportunities the Lord provides to bring His children together as family.

      The ones that have really spoken to my heart are when a holy priest (or even a bishop!) recognizes little me, and their look conveys a warm welcome.  There are so very many people that call for the attention of our pastors, I often marvel that they are able to keep us all straight!  As I enter my late 70’s, I’m that much more aware of seeing people that look familiar, and searching my memory files to identify how we’re connected 🙂  When the name and relationship come in to focus, it’s a real gift!

    As the Lord has been reminding me again and again, He really knows ME, and He provides circumstances and  happy surprises to confirm that in my heart 🙂  I think of going to Mass in a small town far from home, and as I approached the pastor to receive Jesus, he recognized me, and said my name, Ann!  He had prepared me for entrance into the Catholic Church 40 years ago, and I hadn’t seem him in a long time.  In my spirit, I heard Jesus through this good priest call my name, and smile at me.   

     I remember a special Bishop remembering my name as we headed on the Quo Vadis boat to Holy Name Retreat House at Chambers Island; we hadn’t seen each other in several years, but he remembered me, and called me by name!  

     Going to Mass in another small town away from home, there was my spiritual director as the celerbrant – he knows me well, but was surprised to see me there, and his happy and inviting greeting came to me as straight from Jesus; this priest was in persona Christi.  

     The most recent was at the a very large Mass with the Bishop presiding.  My friends, who were ahead of me in the communion line, switched to the Bishop’s line, and I followed them.  When he raised the Host, speaking those precious words, “the Body of Christ,” his eyes met mine, and lit up enough for me to know that he too recognized me, remembered me, and that it was a happy memory for him!  Again, we hadn’t seen each other in several years, but had some written correspondence that had been a blessing for us both, and had created that bond of friendship that is centered on Christ.  Once again I was reminded, “God Himself knows you, He remembers you, and He’s delighted to bless you again with a gift that would be meaningful only to you.  He loves YOU!” (ME!!!). My heart sings with gratitude to the Good God Who can never be outdone in His generous love for His little children!

Lord God, how grateful I am for the repeated reminders of Your personal intimate love for me; that You know me, remember me, and delight in surprising me with this gift, offered especially through Your holy priests, “in persona Christi!”  May You speak to each of their hearts so personally also, as they bring Your love and mercy to Your children…

60). Covid Communion

     During Covid when the churches were closed and we weren’t able to receive the Sacraments, our parish responded by offering appointments to come to the church singly and receive the Eucharist.  How we missed our daily Mass and the easy access to communion!  What a gift it was for our pastor to make this arrangement to allow us to receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament!

     I’m often at church lately when it is empty (one of my favorite times and places 🙂 and the memory of that blessed Encounter always touches my heart.  We had to enter by the front door, one at a time with a designated  appointment. The church was empty and silent; the only person present was our pastor, who sat in the chancel near the tabernacle and awaited each solo arrival.

  

  I arrived at my appointed time and entered the front door.  Before me was the long aisle, with empty pews on both sides – the aisle seemed so long!  The silence was palpable, and my footsteps seemed so loud as I gingerly made my way toward the chancel and the communion rail. It seemed such along way to walk!  Fr Joseph rose from his chair, and awaited me as I knelt down to receive the Blessed Sacrament.  It was a holy moment, with not a breath stirring in the church.  Jesus came to me, from the hands of this holy priest, and I was so aware of the sacredness of this Encounter.  A short pause, and then I exited by the side door as another soul came to receive the Eucharist.

     How grateful I am for this memory, and how I want each reception of the Eucharist to carry the same reverential blessing as my Covid reception! How blessed I am to have an unlocked church where I can come in the quiet of its emptiness and stand there at the entrance, reliving this moment!  

     Lord God, how blessed we are to be able to receive You in the Blessed Sacrament!  Thank you for the creative and generous ways your Church responded to the Covid desert, through the goodness and holiness of your priests!  May I never take the reception of communion for granted, and keep this memory alive in my heart…

58) Visio Divina with Mary in Advent

Visio Divina with Mary

     Visio Divina is a complement to Lectio Divina, spending time with an image in the company of the Holy Spirit, and allowing Him to speak to my heart through the image.  A recent prayer opportunity has been a precious blessing to me in this second week of Advent.  

     

I spent several minutes focused on the image below, allowing my eyes to travel around the parts of the picture and be drawn to particular portions of it.  It’s a unique experience, as the Lord evokes particular thoughts and memories perfectly suited for each individual engaging in this prayer.  I did it with a group, and was blessed as each person shared what part of the image stood out for them, what particular word or Scripture came to their mind, and what they felt the Lord was revealing to them.

     My eyes were drawn to the center of the picture, where the bright Light was shielded by Mary’s hand.  It brought to my mind the word GLORY! And the Scripture, “All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (NASB 2 Cor 3:18) I thought of Christ’s resurrection Glory, of the moment when His dead human body was transformed as by a huge cosmic explosion into His glorified Body, producing a tremendous burst of Light and Power!  This was the image that was miraculously imprinted on the Shroud of Turin, and the image that is imprinted on my own soul, and on the soul of every baptized Christian.  The image that is sacred, is holy, and is to be respected and reverenced.

     I noticed how gently Mary held her hands, shielding and cradling the Light.  They seemed so tender, so very fragile yet strong.  There seemed to be a group of holy souls in the lower corners of the picture, the cloud of witnesses, adoring and marveling at the glowing and growing Light about to be born into the world.  

     I was blessed too to hear what the Lord was revealing to other group members.  Other words received were Grace, Peace, Purity, Longing, Contentment, Receptive, Focused, Caressing, a Love beyond all telling.  

The Lord was pouring out His grace on us as we prayed together in silence, and then shared the fruit of this sacred time together.

     You are invited by Jesus to spend time during Advent to be with His Mother, to prayerfully focus on an image or passage of Scripture of your choosing, and to receive His Love in preparation for the celebration of His birth.  May it be a time of blessing for you, drawing you more deeply into His Sacred Heart, through the Heart of the Blessed Mother, and into the Heart of the Father. 

Lord God, thank you for the the gifts of words and images, created in cooperation with Your grace, that help us to receive and share Your tremendous Love.  Grant us the desire and space to enter in to this sacred time with You, and more fully experience the Joy of Christmas!