IGNITIUM

Reverence

Posted: 17 Jun 2013 02:30 PM PDT

Reverence (noun): a feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe; veneration. 
Reverence has always been a topic of discussion for me and a friend, especially where the Mass is concerned. I think that if it were up to us, we would do a Mass every day in Latin and ad orientem, which is when the priest faces away from the parishioners. We have this fascination with the old ways, believing that it was a more reverent way of saying the Mass. Of course, from time to time, parishes will celebrate Mass this way; it hasn’t been abolished or banned.

The reason that we want this kind of Mass is because of our idea about what it represents: that the Mass is not about you, the parishioner, but about the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ and what He has given us: the Bread of Life. I heard a homily once where the priest told us about a time when he tried to explain the Mass to a non-Catholic. He had a difficult time explaining in layman’s terms, so finally he said: “It’s Holy Thursday through Easter Sunday all wrapped in one.”

Yes.

Holy Thursday was the Last Supper and the first Mass. Good Friday was the Sacrifice. Easter Sunday is the Resurrection. All of this is re-presented in the Mass. Of course, I could break down the Mass and go on and on about it, but I won’t. Instead, I ask what would it be like if we treated every Mass like we did the Sacred Triduum and Easter Sunday? Catholics turn themselves inside out over those consecutive four days, and rightly so. So what if we turned ourselves out for the one hour a week that we’re obligated to attend Mass? What if people kept Sunday mornings as reverent as they do the Triduum and Easter? What kind of transformation would that mean for our hearts?

If one truly participates in Lent, Holy Week, and finally Easter, there is definitely a feeding of the flames for our souls. But how often does the energy die down over the following weeks, like a New Year’s Resolution gone wrong? How often do we wonder, why can’t I get that energy back?

That is why the Mass is there. That is why the Apostles celebrated the Mass every day, even after Christ had left. One: he told them to. “Do this in memory of me” (Luke 22:19). Two: they knew that it was necessary for their spiritual growth and the growth of their followers. In Acts, we read about how, every day, they “broke bread” (Acts2:42).

Over the years, the order of the Mass was brushed up to give us what we have today. We first have the Liturgy of the Word, where we hear three readings from the Bible, giving us the story of redemption and God’s teachings. They give us a model of how to live our lives (John 13:15). Then we have the Liturgy of the Eucharist, where our souls are fed with the Bread of Life, and bringing grace inside of us.

If we treated every Mass we attended as if we were partaking in the Triduum again, the Mass would mean more to us. The fire in our souls would keep burning.

Also, if we were to view the Mass as something as reverent as we do the Triduum and Easter, we would prepare for it as we should. We would examine our consciences for mortal sin. We would make sure we were cleaned up and dressed appropriately. We would pray and fast some before, to allow us to reflect on what we are going to be an audience of. If we had some role to play during the Mass: choir, extraordinary minister, altar server, lector, etc, we would give nothing but our best to the task.

This has been on my mind, not only because my friend and I keep talking about it, but because I know that sometimes I do not treat the Mass as I should. I attend Daily Mass often, but the downside is that some days I am callous towards it. I have to remind myself just what exactly is going on here. I have to remind myself that this is the Triduum and Easter wrapped up in one presentation.

Then there is what comes after Mass. We step out of an anachronistic realm and into the 21st Century. We become technocrats with busy lives. We try to keep up with the one hundred and one things going on in our lives and maybe feel a little guilty after the week has gone by and we’re back in Mass the following Sunday and we realize that we haven’t given God much thought throughout the week. We think about all the times we should have said “thank you, God for this”, or “I trust you Lord, for that.”
The Triduum plays it up to remind us that we are a part of something grander than the world around us. Just as the Apostles were revived into ministry at the sight of the risen Lord, we should be as well when we come into the presence of the risen Lord within the Eucharist at Mass.

THIS DAY'S . . .

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Prayer Requests

You will find, as you look back upon your life, that the moments that stand out, the moments when you have really lived, are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of Love.    Henry Drummond

 

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us,

  

Titus 3:5
The King James Version

THIS DAY'S . . .

Certain thoughts are prayers.  There are certain moments when, whatever the attitude of the body, the soul is on its knees.    Victor Hugo

The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?    Psalm 27: 1 The New King James Version

 

The problem with spending your life climbing up the ladder is that you will go right past Jesus, for he's coming down.

John Ortberg

PRAYERS FOR THE POPE

Did our Holy Father’s visit to the United States inspire you? Prayers for the pope help us to remember the importance of praying for him as he prays for us! During his visit, chronicled here, Pope Benedict XVI called prayer “hope in action.” He pointed out on one occasion that time spent in prayer is never wasted!

In our prayers for the pope, such as this one below, we can ask our Heavenly Father to help guide our Holy Father to be a worthy Vicar of Christ (His “representative”) as he tends to the spiritual needs of over one billion Catholics worldwide.

O God, the Shepherd and Ruler of all Your faithful people, mercifully look upon Your servant [name of Pope], whom You have chosen as the chief Shepherd to preside over Your Church. We beg You to help him edify, both by word and example, those over whom he has charge, that he may reach everlasting life together with the flock entrusted to him. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

This prayer ties in nicely with the Gospels. Just as our Lord called St. Peter the rock on which He would build His Church (Matt 16:18-19) so too did he instruct him before His ascension into Heaven to “feed my sheep” (John 21:17). He chose Peter to be in charge of his flock, his Church. According to scripture and Church history, as documented in part here, our Holy Father is indeed the successor to St. Peter!

As such, Pope Benedict must guide the Catholic Church in conformity with what is called the magisterium. This is the teaching authority of our faith, as handed down to us from our Lord and His Apostles to the Early Church Fathers, and to other theologians and religious as well over the centuries.
In light of Benedict’s awesome responsibilities as an administrator, teacher, and ambassador for our faith worldwide, the following two prayers for the pope seem most appropriate.

Almighty and Everlasting God, have mercy on Your servant [name of Pope], our Supreme Pontiff, and direct him, according to Your loving kindness, in the way of eternal salvation, that with Your help he may ever desire that which is pleasing to You and accomplish it with all his strength. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord Jesus, shelter our Holy Father the Pope under the protection of Your Sacred Heart. Be his light, his strength and his consolation.

Speaking of strength, didn’t Christ remind us in the Gospels that we are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:30-31; Luke 10:27)? Certainly our Holy Father has sought that level of holiness!
Although Pope Benedict is a formidable theologian, and author of numerous books, articles, and two wonderful encyclicals, his genuine humility and good nature won him many admirers on his visit here, even among our non-Catholic Christian brethren.

He inspired us to follow his example in showing Christ’s love and in being, as he put it “a people of joy, heralds of the unfailing hope (cf. Rom 5:5) born of faith in God’s word, and trust in his promises.”
As an example of his humility, Pope Benedict referred to himself as the end of his homily at the Mass he celebrated for priests, deacons, and members of religious orders at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on April 19, 2008 as “the poor successor of Saint Peter.” (The pictures above and below were taken by a Cathedral volunteer on our staff who was fortunate enough to be in attendance there!)

Our Holy Father then continued, “I will try to do all that is possible to be a worthy successor of the great Apostle [Peter], who also was a man with faults and sins, but remained in the end the rock for the Church.”

He movingly acknowledged his need for assistance in fulfilling his formidable divine duties as head of the Catholic Church today by concluding “It is also your prayers and your love which give me the certainty that the Lord will help me in this my ministry. I am therefore deeply grateful for your love and for your prayers.”

Note also that in addition to these prayers above, it is always good to pray for our Holy Father’s intentions during a morning offering or perhaps during the Rosary. (The Apostleship of Prayer lists his intentions for each month on their website.) In all our prayers for the pope, let us pray that the Holy Spirit gives him the guidance he needs as he tends to his flock, our Church!

PRAYER FOR MEDICAL TESTS

A PRAYER FOR MEDICAL TESTS

This prayer for medical tests can help you receive our Lord’s graces when you might need them most: in a time of great uncertainty when you might be tempted to see only darkness around you

Dear Lord, as my loved ones and I await the results of medical tests about my affliction, let us offer you our anxieties for our good and your glory. Calm us in our worries, knowing these don’t add wisdom but rather stress to this situation. Enlighten us, though the power of your Spirit, to make wise decisions as to treatment. Help us not to turn away from You in these fragile, painful moments, but rather towards you for grace and strength.

Comfort us in seeking you now as we place all our concerns in your loving hands as we say “Thy Will Be Done.”

We ask ourselves when scheduling an MRI or CAT scan (or some other such procedure) for ourselves or others “what will the outcome be? How will this affect my family or friends?” Those who live alone without such a support group probably wonder, “How will I manage if this is serious?”

It has been said that God is closest to us in our sufferings and wishes to be the most help to us then. As St. Padre Pio once wrote to someone in pain “You suffer, but believe that Jesus Himself suffers in you and for you.” Yet, while some may indeed turn to Christ in this situation, perhaps for the first time in a while, others may push Him away.

Still, Jesus wishes to help us through this time of anxiety about the future. The Divine Physician can give us His Divine Anesthetic, His grace, if we are open to receiving it through prayer. It might not take away all pain and worry, but His grace can certainly make troubles more bearable. St. Alphonsus Liguori once wrote that he who bears his cross with patience lightens its weight.

Our prayer for medical tests can help you remember that our Lord wishes us to have His peace even in uncertain times. When did He say these words “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you…do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27)? At the Last Supper, with His arrest and death were imminent.

Jesus was no stranger to anxiety. At Gethsemane, only a few hours later, He experienced enough dread over His upcoming Passion to sweat drops of blood! Yet, He prayed then, “Father, if you are willing, take this chalice away from me. Yet truly, let not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).

In the midst of your worries, offer them up to Christ on the cross. John Marie Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests once wrote that “The Cross gave peace to the world; and it must bring peace to our hearts.”

Remember that anxiety can feed on itself as well. Keep in mind Jesus' famous advice in His Sermon on the Mount when He told His listeners not to worry about tomorrow as it would take care of itself (Matt 6:34).

We hope this prayer for medical tests, and others like it, can help relieve your stress. Our Lord is there with you in the midst of it and, as St. Padre Pio once said, He’ll “extend his hand to steady you.”

Keep in mind these inspiring words from St. Paul as well: “Have no anxiety, but in every prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Phil 4:6).

DEEP THOUGHTS .....

I never know what to expect when I awaken each morning.  I try and try to return to my slumber because I just don't want to face the day.  It usually fails and I drag myself up, drag myself to make my bed, and then drag my self to my favorite thing of the morning, my Keurig coffee maker.  I make a double in a large cup.  I no longer turn on Headline News; it's too dreary and I'm depressed enough.  All I want is a respite, better yet, a happy ending.

 I walk around my day, doing errands, doing nothing, and all the while, prayers come softly from my lips.  My tear ducts have a magical dam that stops them from falling into a salty nothingness.  My lifelong affliction with "worry" has reared its ugly head and is constant, ever day.  I have periods in my days where I do not think of the one who worries me most.  And then, there it is; that thought of love, longing and missing.

When one has had a lifetime trait, one that has been there since I was a toddler, how does one change it?  

I have prayed to my God, to Jesus Christ, prayers asking the Holy Mother to interceded for me and to protect my children and grandchildren.  I pray for mending and healing; I simply pray "help me".

I read much on The Church and my Faith.  I read and absorb positive scriptures and quotes.  They are only fleeting in the moments it takes to read them.  Why can I not take them into my heart and keep them there before "worry" shoves them out?

My therapist says to pray for the Graces of Strength and Patience, and so I do.

I have no doubt that God has me in this abysmal place for His purpose.  If we are Christian to the very core of our souls, then we are instruments of His Peace.  O God, make me an instrument of your peace, and in doing so, bring peace to me. Amen.

I have many plans made for the near future that are going to be, I know, loads of fun with family, in a place away from my sanctuary - my home.

My Guardian Angel, Barnard, has been with me, along with a silent angel, for quite some time. For months I have caught his smokey essence in my peripheral vision, only to turn and look and find nothing.  I know this sounds unbelievable to some, but he has begun to give me a soft, single whistle which is very clear to my ears.  I turn and whistle back in acknowledgment.  He is playful, good company, and protective.  In his playful times, I will drop things while cooking or putting away dishes over and over and over, until I finally say, "Barnard, I love you so much. Thank you for being with me, but I don't feel like playing.  I need to finish this."   And thus, his presence goes silent, but he is still there.

I am not shamed to say that, when I was dusting furniture recently, I began singing.  I do this a lot.  Sometimes its a theme that everyone knows, like "Daisy Daisy", but instead, I put my own words of "Dear God, Dear Jesus, give me your answer true. I'm half-crazy over my love for you."  Or I sing my mantra which comes from one of the Psalms sung at Mass:  "Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble; Be with me, Lord, I pray", and it goes on and on until I feel better.

I pray outside, A  LOT!  I have a lovely covered patio, with palms and flowers, and trees all around beyond the perimeter of my home.  I hold my hands out and look to the sky as I pray.  A breeze with flow and I wonder, "is it He who answers me?"  I look to the sky talking to "Mother" and wishing I could see her face, but know that I am not so worthy.  HOWEVER, praying outside where there is a huge array of voices of birds singing, the rustling of the leaves from the breeze, the little barking dog somewhere nearby, and I say, "THIS! YOU CREATED ALL THIS!"

I look at a little ant crawling across the concrete and I think, "God, you made him and where does he fall in the so-called 'food-chain'?"  We have the most beautiful little lizards that come every year and their little bodies turn the color of whatever they might happen to be walking upon.  And then there are the wood bees who love to eat into the support beams of the upstairs deck.  My husband gets so irritated.  Funny thing, he came outside the other day with a caulking gun.  He squished caulk into a hold and apparently trapped a wood bee.  He felt pretty high and mighty that he'd conquered the little thing; but, the next day when I walked out to the patio, I saw a scattered pile of caulking on the patio beneath the hole he had closed.  I had to laugh.  But when he came home, he said, "those little suckers even ate through my caulking", and I'm dying with laughter because this tiny little bee got the best of my tall man.

Back to my Faith, I'm doing something wrong.  I only need ask, give it to Him and then forget about it.  Why am I not able to do this?  Do I believe I must beg day after day to the Almighty Father to "please" answer my prayer.  In my mind, I know that once is enough.  I have knocked, and He has opened the door.  All I have to do is walk through it.  I am standing on the threshold and trying with all my might to take that one step, the one that will change my life forever and for the better.

I won't stop trying; I won't give up or give in.  Satan is all around me and I banish him daily in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ!  Things have changed a lot around my household, so I think between the Holy Water from Medjugorje that was a gift to me over 25 years ago and my "In the name of Jesus Christ, Satan get behind me" and "Leave this house, Jesus lives here!", perhaps he's not as intent as he was and has moved on.  Yes he has moved on, but he moved on to one of my most precious family.

I'm fighting a very difficult battle.  Yes, I'm a survivor because I have lived one helluva life, but I need the big guys for this.

In summary, if you're reading this, I ask that you stop for five seconds and speak that banishment of the evil one on my behalf and for the sake of my family member.  I want them to be well again, and as long as that evil devil is in their head, they will be sick.

I'm so tired, but God never gives one more than one can handle, right?  RIGHT!

God bless you all and the peace of the Lord, Jesus Christ be with you!

Lovingly,
Abbey ♥

GENTLE SHEPHERD PRAYER

Gentle Shepherd

Jesus, gentle Shepherd,

Bless Thy lamb to-day;

Keep me in Thy footsteps,

Never let me stray.

Guard me through the daytime.

Every hour, I pray;

Keep my feet from straying

WHICH ARCHANGEL ARE YOU?

I was perusing inspiration on the internet and happened upon this website. I'm not finished reading there, but I wanted to post the link to this interest and fun "test" to see Which Archangel Are You.  Go ahead an take the test and let me know your results, please!

Here is my result:

You are Michael, Archangel of the South.

You are the only angel identified as an archangel in the New Testament Bible, the strong and brave leader of all other archangels. In the Christian faith, you are best known for wielding a sword and conquering the serpent during the battle in Heaven (Revelation 12:7-12); in the Jewish faith, you are best known as the patron of Israel. Courageous, authoritative, and fearless, you are passionate about protecting others and helping them overcome temptation. Those who seek constant vigilance and encouragement to follow laws look to you as their patron. You share an archangel feast day with Gabriel and Raphael on September 29.