I forgot my prayer book at mass yesterday morning and ended up in Church just around 5p to find it and bring it home... the sun was coming in the window directly behind the huge crucifix that hangs in the starry heavens in our newly remodeled church! It was a stunning and powerful sight to me of the light that filled the world through the sacrifice of God on the Cross - this horrific tool of torture beyond enduring, became the new Tree of LIFE- replacing the one of the fallen Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden! We can regain heaven and eternal LIFE through Christ, and embracing our Most Cherished Cross, and following the path that He has laid out before us!
The KING arrayed in Gold and Jewels! Today in the Gospel from Luke it is the calling of St Peter in the story of the fishermen, who take Jesus out to preach to the crowds and then he tells them to lower their nets for a catch. Although they caught nothing all night they hesitantly follow his command and almost sink their boats with the catch... "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." Luke 5: 1-11
Of course, the prayers today were for our Pope, who is carrying on the throne of supreme servanthood of St Peter. And when we pray for our Pope and the servant-leaders of our Church - our Bishops and Priests... we come to praying for our amazing wonderful Church! In the meditation for today in the Magnificat - Madeleine Delbrel (1964) writes about the call of Peter and the Church
"We must continually strive to make the Church lovable... It is a sin of omission not to give witness to the fact that the Joy of being a child of God is something we possess in her, our Mother. There ought to be a certain family resemblance with the Church that shines in our lives. There is a certain witness to eternal life that comes only in our being a sound in the Church's voice. We must continually strive to make the Church loving. Her love is to a great extent in our hands.
"It is in her souls that the Church is beautiful," says St Ambrose. In our lives, the Church ought to be good; in our lives, the Christ-Church ought to love as he wishes, according to the movement of his love, acccording to the rules of his love, according to the demands of his love.
Another big day of canning - 53 quarts of tomato soup! A sudden thunder storm just rained for about 10 minutes out the window. The air feels much cooler and fresher!
Servant of God Madeleine Delbrel continues with this beautiful thought - "The direction of this love is a movement, an elan. From the movement Christ took to the road, he never again left it; at the end of the road was called the way of the Cross." I googled the french word elan - it means to hurl or throw.
"To St Peter, to whom he said, 'You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church,' the first word he addressed to him was 'Follow me.' The final command he gave the Apostles was, 'Go...,' 'I have brought you together in order that you could go out...' This love is like an elan vital, surging out toward all the ends of the earth, whether they be geographical or social ends. This love is like an internal elan that surges out toward what is seperated by sin and error. This love is like an elan seeking to find once again those whom Christ first set himself to pursue: the little ones, those who suffer, the poor." Servant of God Madeleine Delbrel
How we need to hurl this LOVE and Truth of the Church at the world! Watching what little on the Democratic convention that I have is really making me sad at how far apart we are in this country, and how the Truth has been trodden upon!
Lord, may the Truth of your calling to share in the suffering of your Cross... be known through our LOVE. It hurts so badly to see how the values of life and family are taken so lightly by the world. To see how the lies of Satan have misled so many into thinking that they world revolves around them and what makes them feel good and happy for the here and now. The passing pleasures and accomplishments are here and gone... we just must keep acquiring more and more. But if we give up of our selves and put others first and most of all allow Christ's mind to take over within us and our lives - we find a small slice of heaven on earth. May we be a force of forward movement - an elan - as we walk forward through all the obstacles and pain that is awaiting us as we carry our Most Cherished Cross, and follow your example of being the Way, the Truth, and the LIFE! Jesus, we trust in you. Amen and Halleluia
Bless-bless, Barb
"In the evening at that moment when the sun seems to bathe itself in the immensity of the waves of the sea, leaving a luminous trail behind, I went down to the huge rock. Then I recalled the touching story of the 'Golden Trail.' I contemplated this luminous trail for a long time. It was to me the image of God's grace shedding its light across the path the little white-sailed vessel had to travel... I made the resolution never to wander far away from the glance of Jesus in order to travel peacefully toward the eternal shore!" St Therese, Story of a Soul
Rose learning about candy from older sister, Mary.
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