Feast of the Visitation

The last day of May has always been a feast of Our Lady, or so I think as I was born on this day 76 years ago, a Sunday morning. It was the feast of Our Lady, Mediatrix of All Grace; then it was the feast of the Queenship of Mary; and now it is the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth and my favorite.
Mary goes with haste to see her cousin, Elizabeth. She believed the angel and knows that she will be able to help Elizabeth. She is the first missionary as she takes Jesus with her and Jesus communicates with the baby in the womb of Elizabeth who leaped for joy when Mary greeted Elizabeth. Then the words of both women have come down to us. "Blessed art thou among women and blesed is the fruit of thy womb" and Mary's wonderful Magnificat beginning "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord..."
Tonight I am giving a presentation on prayer and beginning with a short prayer service, then a PowerPoint presentation and two prayer exercises. One is a fantasy exercise and ends with Jesus giving a gift. I think that my gift from Jesus is a pair of glasses (I no longer wear glasses) that are invisible but allow me to see the gifts of others, my own faults, and the many daily gifts that I receive from Jesus and that both make me grateful and full me with joy. These invisible glasses will keep me seeing gifts, thanking and rejoicing as I start a new year of life.

Water

The image of water brings Baptism to mind; the Sacrament that gave us God's life in us. We are baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit and every time we see water we can renew the spirit of our Baptismal vows by affirming that we are God's and belong to a God of love. Water cleanses, restores, renews and we cannot live without it.

I guess we have been praying for water in South Florida (and many other parts of the world). Our resevoir is a lake that is getting near the record low and so we are rationed in our use of water until we have a great deal of rain. We have had fires because of the drought. It makes us realize what a gift water is.

When I pray, I often use an image of water to help center me. Sometimes I like to contemplate the vast ocean as a symbol of God's love. It is immense and gives me a sense of the infinite. Other times I go down deep into a pool of still water and find God in the depths of that stillness. I love Miami because we are always aware of water in our canals, lakes, rivers and ocean. Of course, it makes driving an art of knowing how to get across the rivers and canals.

What place do I give to the Holy Spirit in my life?

Today I was thinking that we need to develop our relationship with the Holy Spirit. Jesus has sent us the Spirit to help us, to strenthen us, to enlighten us, and even to pray within us. I think time after Pentecost is given to us to cultivate the presence of the Holy Spirit who will renew the face of the earth.

I am including another prayer today that may help:

Breathe on us, Spirit of Wisdom, so that we may be your divine life alive in the world.
Grow in us, Spirit of Understanding,
so that we may listen and may know how to speak your word.
Move within our community, Spirit of Counsel,
so that every one of our encounters may be filled with your presence.
Inspire us, Spirit of Fortitude,
so that we may always have courage and speak the truth in love.
Fill us with insight, Spirit of Knowledge,
so that we may put on the mind of Christ and see God in all of creation.
Abide with us, Spirit of Reverence,
so that we may be transformed into your image and become holy.
Draw us into yourself, Spirit of Wonder and Beauty,
so that we may worship you and glorify you.
In union with Jesus, who has given us this Spirit, we return to you, loving God, all that you have given us. Amen.

Pentecost Monday & Memorial Day

I am still with the Holy Spirit brooding over the waters. As is custom in our community, we each drew a gift and fruit of the Holy Spirit to pray for during the year; I like to think that it is the gift and fruit that the Holy Spirit wants us to have to help us during the year. I drew fortitude and peace and like both very much.

At our community prayer, we began with the following that I would like to share with you:
Come, Holy Spirit
Replace the tension within us with a holy relaxation.
Replace the turbulence within us with a sacred calm.
Replace the anxiety within us with a quiet confidence.
Replace the fear within us with a strong faith.
Replace the bitterness within us with the sweetness of grace.
Replace the darness within us with a gentle light.
Replace the coldness within us with a loving warmth.
Replace the night within us with your light.
Replace the winter within us with your spring.
Straighten our crookedness.
Fill our emptiness.
Dull the edge of our pride.
Sharpen the edge of our humility.
Light the fires of our love.
Quench the flames of our lust.
Let us see outselves as you see us,
that we may see you as you have promised
and be fortunate according to your word.
Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.

Pentecost

Today is the great feast of Pentecost. The Preface tells us: Today you sent the Holy Spirit on those marked out to be your children by sharing the life of your only Son, and so you brought the paschal mystery to its completion.
Today we celebrate the great beginnings of your Church when the Holy Spirit made known to all peoples the one true God, and created from the many languages of man one voice to profess one faith. The joy of the resurrection renews the whole world . . . .

We have much to pray for today and one of the most powerful lines in the Liturgy for me is from the second reading from Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 12:
Brothers and sisters: No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

Come, Holy Spirit, come!

Today, the eve of Pentecost, I am reflecting on and praying with the Sequence for the Liturgy of Pentecost and feel that I can do nothing better than share it here with you and let you choose your own favorite lines to reflect on today. I do not always like the traslation of the Veni, Sancte Spiritus, but this is what we have.

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
And from your celestial home
Shed a ray of light divine!

Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store!
Come, within our bosoms shine.

You, of comforters the best;
You, the soul's most welcome guest;
Sweet refreshment here below.

In our labor, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.

O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of thine,
And our inmost being fill!

Where you are not, we have naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.

Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away.

Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.

On the faithful, who adore
And confess You, evermore
In your sevenfold gift descend.

Give them virtue's sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
Give them joys that never end. Amen. Alleluia.

I think the Sequence may be what I will pray over for Pentecost and several days more.

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit comes to enpower us.

As we are preparing for Pentecost, it is good to remember that today, the Feast of St. Madeliene Sophie Barat, Foundress of the Society of the Sacred Heart, she still leaves us her strong message of living attentive to the Holy Spirit. Sophie was from the little town of Joigny in France. She always stayed in touch with who she was and where she came from and she lived and preached humility all her life. She had a vision and prayed and worked to see that it was carried out. She wanted to glorify the Heart of Jesus and urged her daughters to live in union with Jesus.
She was and is concerned with each of the members of the Society in whatever part of the world we find ourselves. I remember her coming to me in a dream my first year in Chile and, while I no longer remember her words, I do know that I woke up full of peace and joy and felt that she had come to give me direction in my dream. May she help us all to live attentive to the Holy Spirit.

Mary's Greatness

In his first encyclical, "Deus Caritas Est" the Holy Father tells us that when Mary exclaims, "My soul magnifies the Lord", she is giving us a program for life. She does not set herself at the center, but has space for God, who is encountered both in prayer and in service of others. Mary's greatness is just this, she desires only to magnify the Lord. Her whole being rejoices in the Lord. She was a woman of faith, of hope, and a woman who loves. Her love for us is constant and true. During this month we honor her in a special way as she is the one who leads us to Jesus.

I have found this year that saying the rosary aloud as I drive the 25 miles to the University and then again the 25 miles home in evening traffic, is something that keeps me peaceful. I do it as a mark of love, but I find it has a real influence on my whole approach to the day in the morning and definitely keeps me relaxed on the way home. Anyone who knows Miami drivers will recognize that the gift of peacefulness amid the chaos is truly a great blessing. I wonder why it took me so long to discover that praying the rosary in the car would be so helpful. I do always try to start any drive by saying the Memorare, my favorite prayer to Our Lady. For those who may not know this wonderful prayer, I will add it here but from memory:

O most gracious Virgin Mary, never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother. To you I come; before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen.

God wants to forgive us

After reading the two excellent articles on the Sacrament of Reconciliation in last week's America, I set up an appointment to receive the Sacrament. I am one of those who still want to receive the grace of this Sacrament at least a few times each year. It is good to look back as we are finishing a period of the year; it is good to take stock of the ways our lives are going. I think that we are invited to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation not only during the seasons of Advent and Lent, but before some Feasts and special anniversaries. The Sacrament calls us to conversion and gives us the grace to make a difference in our lives for we so often fail to do the good we want to do and do the evil we do not want, as St. Paul tells us.
Sometimes we hesitate to ask for the Sacrament, but God is waiting to forgive us. Maybe we do not know what to say and need to ask Jesus to show us. When I do this, I see the times I have acted to please myself, the times I have not consulted God, the times I have failed to thank, the times I have failed to love. Then my heart tells me that I want to ask forgiveness in a more concrete way and receive it through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. God waits for me; God wants to forgive; God loves to forgive us. What are we waiting for?

More Thoughts on Prayer

If prayer is a personal response to God's presence, it starts with a deep awareness of that presence. Concentrate on God. His love for us is much more important than our love for Him. Prayer is not thinking about God; it is being with Him. We pray as we can, not as we can't; the best way for us to pray is the way we pray best. Sometimes I speak to God; sometimes I just listen. Words are not necessary so we may just sit in silence and look at each other. We may feel loved and feel a response to this love. Sometimes I am overwhelmed with gratitude and joy in God's presence. At other times I feel only a deep peace. There are, of course, times when one feels nothing and holds on in faith. The point is to let God act in us and surrender ourselves to his love. How does an apple ripen? It just sits in the sun. (I think this is from Thomas Merton.)

Yesterday, someone sent me a card with this quote:
With all your heart you must trust the Lord and not your own judgment. Always let Him lead you, and He will clear the road for you to follow. Proverbs 3:5-6)

Thoughts on Prayer

Prayer is an expression of our relationship with God. All the rules of a relationship apply. Sometimes we forget that prayer is really a response to God who loves us. We need to start by being aware that He is present to us. We need to listen to Jesus. Sometimes He allows us to feel His Presence, to experience His Love. At other times we know He is present but are left waiting in silence. One book on prayer that I read over fifty-five years ago is still a powerful classic. It is The Prayer of Faith by Leonard Boase, S.J., Loyola, 1950 but reprinted in 1985 with a forward by Thomas Green, S.J. When I picked it up today, I opened to the Morning Offering of the Apostleship of Prayer, something that I used to say every day and cannot imagine why I stopped as it is a prayer that makes our whole day supernatural - full of grace for all that we do is given to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
For those too young to know it, I am copying it here:
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You the prayer, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of Your divine Heart in the Holy Mass. (That is the version from the book, but I seem to remember a longer one.)

7th Sunday of Easter & Ascension of the Lord

Luke begins the Acts of the Apostles by explaining that his first book, his Gospel, dealt with all Jesus did and taught until "the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the Apostles whom he had chosen." He tells them that they will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

The Apostles do not understand; they are still asking him if he is going to restore the kingdom to Israel now. Jesus again tells them that they will recieve power from the Holy Spirit and then "he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight."
They stood there, looking up at the sky and suddenly two men dressed in garments are there asking them why they are just standing there. The homily for today said that we are not to just look but go do something if we have active faith. I think the Apostles were bewildered and lost without Jesus. It was a time of waiting, remembering, and praying together for the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Church gives us this week before Pentecost to do the same! Come, Holy Spirit, and renew the face of the earth!