"Worthy are you to receive the scroll and to break open its seals, for you were slain and with your Blood you purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue, people and nation. You made them a kingdom and priests for our God, and they will reign on earth." Rev 5: 1-10 contiuing from the readings from mass today!
I must start by giving credit where credit is due... these wonderful wedding pictures were taken by Nancy's cousin, Bridget Schwegman... They are so beautiful and I am happy to be able to use them here today, and forward they might be popping up...Thanks Bridget, they are wonderful!
It is always so special to go to Revelations and read about the Lamb! This is huge with the Community that Hallel has joined - the Community of the Lamb! Their motto to live by - Wounded I do not cease to love... It is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world... the innocent helpless Lamb that those around the throne call "The Lion of the tribe of Judah has triumphed..." Who is it?... A Lamb that was slain! That speaks so much of the meekness and humility we are called upon in our own lives and journies!
Oh, that humility prayer! How hard it is, but I find myself at times thinking that I want to be humbled. I want no one to mention that they read my journal/blog... I want no one to even give me any kind of acknowledgement... I am many times gratified with the results of my prayers too! Then there are the times that I pray for an increase in humility in my life, and then when those hurtful thing happen to "make me small," I think, to myself, I got what I asked for, and it is truly miserable! But at those times I am beginning to thank God in the knowledge that I am getting smaller... so that He can be more in control of my life, and that is what I want more than anything! I want the Lamb to rule with LOVE and FORGIVENESS!
Nancy and her precious Godson, Simon Lanoue!
I know that I have shared the Litany of Humility over and over, but it is so important on our walk to remind ourselves of just what it means to be "wounded and continue to love."
Litany of Humility - traditional prayer
From the desire of being esteemed,
From the desire of being loved,
From the desire of being extolled,
From the desire of being honored,
From the desire of being praised,
From the desire of being preferred,
From the desire of being approved,
From the desire of being consulted -
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated,
From the fear of being despised,
From the fear of suffering rebukes,
From the fear of being calumniated,
From the fear of being forgotten,
From the fear of being wronged,
From the fear of being ridiculed,
From the fear of being suspected-
Deliver me, O Jesus.
That others be loved more than I,
Others esteemed more than I,
Others increase and I decrease in the world's eyes,
That others be chosen and I set aside,
Others praised and I unnoticed,
Others be preferred in everything,
That others become holier than I,
Provided that I may become as holy as I should-
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
Meek and humble of heart, Jesus. Meek and humble of heart, hear us. Meek and humble of heart, Jesus."So good to read these words, and to remind ourselves that we are called to humility in our lives, and how contrary it is to what the world tells us that we need to stive to be important, and to be on top, and to make lots of money, and to have many who serve us and work for us, and to be looked up to, and yes to be HOLY... on and on and on... the total flip side of the coin called humility on one side, and on the other power and prestige!
How do we follow the Lamb that was slain? By remembering how humble and helpless and small and wounded He is and yet He Rules With Power and Might! Here is the words from a prayer written by Pope Paul VI addressing the words of Philippians 2: 6-11....."Love until it hurts, Until we feel their pain- To love the way you love, and give the way you gave your life for us to understand your pain. Emptying yourself you became a slave." "Make us worthy, Lord, to serve our fellow men throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger. Give them through our hands this day their daily bread, and by our understanding love give peace and joy. Lord, help us." Pope Paul VI and recited by the Missionaries of Charity - Blessed Teresa's order after receiving communion each day.
It gives me pure joy to see one of the Hallel ( total praise and joy to our God) psalms used in mass or morning or evening prayer... Today the praise to the Lamb that was slain for us to embrace the LOVE... is sung to the highest heavens with Psalm 149 another amazing Hallel psalm... it is so wonderful for us as this is the name that our daughter, Susan, now Little Sister Hallel chose when she took the habit of the Community of the Lamb in August of 2009 in the midst of John's brain cancer! Miracle of miracles... John and I, with one days notice, were able to fly to France, and be there to witness the joyful and powerful occassion of Hallel taking this step in her community! She says of her name... "Whenever anyone speaks my name they are giving our God and Savior the highest of praise! Halleluia!" Psalm 149
Sing to the Lord a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Isreal be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
The Lamb has made us a kingdom of priests to serve our God. (Rev 5:10)
I showed a slide show of Hallel taking this step with her community, and someone commented on their bare feet and dirty from walking up to the platform through the grass and dirt on the path.... it is truly a humble thing to reveal to all there as well as their prostate position... these are the amazing words that are shared in a hymn raised with their gorgreous voices!
"O eternal God, O abyss of charity,
clothe me,clothe me with yourself,
O eternal Truth,
my gentle Lord, O my love.
Whole heartedly I prostrate myself before you, O Lord,
do not abandon me to my own will,
you who have done so much for me,
in your great love have mercy upon me.
O eternal God, O abyss of charity,
clothe me, clothe me with yourself,
O eternal Truth,
my gentle Lord, O my love."
Today in the Gospel is one of those times where Jesus shows His love for us with tears! He then speaks these words; "If you only knew what makes for peace." Luke 19:41-44 Fr Tauler (1361) speaks to this today in the meditation of the day - see http://www.magnificat.com/
""If we give ourselves to God in a state of suffering and do it with all our powers; if we but gladly accept sufferings and do it with all our powers; if we do not seek to escape from suffering when he visits it upon us, but stand fast and firm: when the heavenly Father fiinds us at last thus disposed toward him, then, in due time, he will withdraw all suffering from us and he will bestow on us a comfort divinely joyful. When a man experiences these happy and gracious joys in his espousals with God, he will never again think of earthly joys. The joys even of Christmas and of Easter seem to him to be all merged in the unbroken happiness of his perpetual marriage feast, as God ever comes to him with overflowing supernatural graces." Fr Tauler was a German Dominican priest, a popular preacher, and a mystical theologian.
Jesus, we are filled with a deep sense of our necessary smallness and littleness... as we see that the Lamb is the one that conquers all of our sins and problems due to them... Allow us to embrace the humility we need as we walk this path you have laid out before us! May we decrease so that you can increase! Show us the Light as the door opens for us to walk through into our lives filled with YOUR WAY, YOUR TRUTH, and YOUR LIFE! Jesus, we trust in you! Amen and Halleluia!
Bless-bless, Barb"Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,
Whose trust, ever child-like, no cares can destroy,
Be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,
Your bliss in our hearts, Lord,
at the break of the day." opening hymn from morning prayer
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