Mary Gardens

I have just recently discovered an old and beautiful tradition of honoring our Lady with what is known as a Mary Garden. This garden is grown with flowers said to represent the Blessed Virgin Mary. This practice is steeped in time and tradition. Here's more:

The Flowers of Mary's Sorrows

Most frequently grown in Mary Gardens are: Mary's Sword of Sorrow:

Iris with "spear like" foilage

(photo credit)

- from Simeon's prophecy to Mary at the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple that her soul would be pierced by a sword that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.



"25And behold there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Ghost was in him.
26 And he had received an answer from the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. 27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when his parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, 28 He also took him into his arms, and blessed God, and said: 29 Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word in peace; 30 Because my eyes have seen thy salvation,
31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples: 32 A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. 33 And his father and mother were wondering at those things which were spoken concerning him. 34 And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother: Behold this child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted; 35 And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed."

~Luke chapter 2 verses 25 to 35.

Amen+

Living Purgatory

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven" (Matt 5:10-12)

Those who are seriously trying to live out the gospel and will not capitulate to the spirit of the world have every reason to expect persecution. It would be expected to meet with persecution from neighbors, co-workers, even family, but the place we would least expect this would be within our very own parishes. This is a most painful affliction indeed.

For where does one turn when their "heaven on earth" has become a living purgatory....or worse. Drive to another parish - 50, 100 or 150 miles? Stay and close your eyes tightly to the "innovations" thrust upon your weary soul? How does one close their ears? What of the scandal given to children? Stay and suffer with the Hidden Jesus? Change parishes? Stay? Go? Just because it valid does that mean we can do NOTHING that is beautiful? Nothing that is reverent?

O Lord, You once told Peter that one day he would be led where he did not want to go. Do Thou shepherd me Lord and save my ears and my eyes from all that offends Thee. Amen+

The Narrow Gate

Virgin of Sorrows by Albrecht Durer

"Enter ye in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who go in thereat. How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it!" ~Matthew 7:13-14

How often we have heard these beautiful words of our Lord. How often we have heard that true devotion of Mary is the fastest, more sure, safest way to become closer to God? We need to turn to Mary, give her all of our selves, sparing nothing and place within her Immaculate Heart all our spiritual and temporal needs. It is within this sacred vessel that we shall oneday break upon the shores of salvation.

Dear Blessed Mother, I ask, wilt thou be for me

and my family the Narrow Gate which leads to Heaven?

Mary, Mother of Sorrows, Mother of God, be our salvation!

O Mater Dolorosa ~ Ora Pro Nobis! Amen+

Vengeance is Mine saith the Lord

( Photo credit)

Recently I had a dream that I saw a dump truck, or perhaps a garbage truck from far above. As it drove along, it looked like garbage was falling out from the back of it onto the road. As I came closer, I realized with horror that what was falling out were dismembered body parts of aborted babies. Then I looked at the ground and it was soaked thickly with blood, as far as my eye could see, the entire ground of the earth was soaked and flooded with dark, red blood.

This prayer I then uttered, or rather exclaimed to the Lord: "O Lord, is now the entire earth soaked with the blood of innocents? How it must cry to you for vengeance!"

How unfathomable is the mercy of the Lord that He would continue to send us rain, to grow our crops, to shine the sun upon us - even to allow us to continue to exist!

"Penance! Penance! Penance!"

~St. Bernadette Soubirous

PARDON PRAYER
MY GOD, I believe, I adore, I trust, and I love Thee!

I ask pardon for for those who do not believe, do not adore,

do not trust and do not love Thee.

~Angel of Portugal to the seers of Fatima

St. Edmund, Martyr VI

(photo credit)


The High Altar at East Barsham Church, England, with the brightly coloured reredos depicting amongst them St. George, St Edmund King and Martyr and Our Lady of Walsingham.

From right to left: St. George, St. Winifred (?), St. Edmund, Our Lady of Walsingham, two unknown female saints and St. Thomas Becket. Anyone recognize the unnamed saints?

Henry VIII stopped here on his pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham to pray for a son and would have heard Mass from this very church. Oddly enough it was this same King, who had once been named by the Holy Father "Defender of the Faith" who through his own lust broke with Rome to form his own church. What all know what a success this has been. I think it was Martin Luther who said "Every man has a pope in his belly." Ironic...

St. Edmund, Martyr V

St Edmund the Martyr crowned by angels

from a manuscript of Bury St Edmunds circa 1130

(photo credit)

No Christian can be surprised that innocence should suffer. Prosperity is often the most grievous judgment that God exercises upon a wicked man, who by it is suffered, in punishment of his impiety, to blind and harden himself in his evil courses, and to plunge himself deeper in iniquity. On the other hand God, in his merciful providence, conducts second causes so that afflictions fall to the share of those souls whose sanctification he has particularly in view. By tribulation a man learns perfectly to die to the world and himself, a work which, without its aid, even the severest self-denial and the most perfect obedience, leave imperfect. By tribulation we learn the perfect exercise of humility, patience, meekness, resignation, and pure love of God; which are neither practiced nor learned without such occasions. By a good use of tribulation a person becomes a saint in a very short time, and at a cheap rate. The opportunity and grace of suffering well is a mercy in favour of chosen souls; and a mercy to which every saint, from Abel to the last of the elect, is indebted for his crown. We meet with sufferings from ourselves, from disappointments, from friends, and from enemies. We are on every side beset with crosses. But we bear them with impatience and complaints. Thus we cherish our passions, and multiply sins by the very means which are given us to crucify and overcome them. To learn to bear crosses well is one of the most essential and most important duties of a Christian life. To make a good use of the little crosses which we continually meet with is the means of making the greatest progress in all virtue, and of obtaining strength to stand our ground under great trials. St. Edmund's whole life was a preparation for martyrdom.

Taken from Vol. III of "The Lives or the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints" by the Rev. Alban Butler

St. Edmund, Martyr IV

The Martydom of St Edmund. St Mary's Church, Bury St. Edmund, England

(photo credit)

The saint's head was carried by the infidels into a wood and thrown into a brake of bushes; but miraculously found by a pillar of light and deposited with the body at Hoxdon. These sacred remains were very soon after conveyed to Bedricsworth, or Kingston, since called St. Edmundsbury, because this place was St. Edmund's own town and private patrimony; not on account of his burial, for in the English-Saxon language signified a court or palace. A church of timber was erected over the place where he was interred, which was thus built according to the fashion of those times. Trunks of large trees were sawn lengthways in the middle and reared up with one end fixed in the ground, with the bark or rough side outermost. These trunks being made of an equal height and set up close to one another, and the interstices filled up with mud or mortar, formed the four walls, upon which was raised a thatched roof. Nor can we be surprised at the homeliness of this structure, since the same was the fabric of the royal rich abbey of Glastonbury, the work of the most munificent and powerful West-Saxon kings, till in latter ages it was built in a stately manner of stone. The precious remains of St. Edmund were honoured with many miracles. In 920, for fear of the barbarians under Turkil the Dane, in the reign of King Ethelred, they were conveyed to London by Alfun, bishop of that city, and the monk Egelwin, or Ailwin, the keeper of this sacred treasure, who never abandoned it. After remaining three years in the Church of St. Gregory, in London, it was translated again with honour to St. Edmundsbury in 923. The great church of timberwork stood till King Knute, or Canutus, to make reparation for the injuries his father Swein, or Sweno, had done to this place and to the relics of the martyr, built and founded there, in 1020, a new most magnificent church and abbey in honour of this holy martyr. The unparalleled piety, humility, meekness, and other virtues of St. Edmund are admirably set forth by our historians. This incomparable prince and holy martyr was considered by succeeding English kings as their special patron, and as an accomplished model of all royal virtues. The feast of St. Edmund is reckoned among the holidays of precept in this kingdom by the national council of Oxford in 1222; but is omitted in the constitutions of Archbishop Simon Islep, who retrenched certain holidays in 1362.

Taken from Vol. III of "The Lives or the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints" by the Rev. Alban Butler

St. Edmund, Martyr III

Beautiful icon showing St. King Edmund with the instruments of his martyrdom: the arrow and sword.

The people, relying upon the faith of treaties, thought themselves secure, and were unprepared. However, the good king raised what forces he could, met the infidels, or at least a part of their army near Thetford, and discomfited them. But seeing them soon after reinforced with fresh numbers, against which his small body was not able to make any stand, and being unwilling to sacrifice the lives of his soldiers in vain, and grieving for the eternal loss of the souls of his enemies, who would be slain in a fruitless engagement, he disbanded his troops and retired himself towards his castle of Framlingham, in Suffolk. The barbarian had sent him proposals which were inconsistent both with religion and with the justice which he owed to his people. These the saint rejected, being resolved rather to die a victim of his faith and duty to God, than to do anything against his conscience and religion. In his flight he was over taken and surrounded by infidels at Oxon, upon the Waveney: he concealed himself for some short time, but, being discovered, was bound with heavy chains and conducted to the general's tent. Terms were again offered him equally prejudicial to religion and to his people, which the holy Icing refused to confirm, declaring that religion was dearer to him than his life, which he would never purchase by offending God. Hinguar, exasperated at this answer, in his barbarous rage caused him to be cruelly beaten with cudgels, then to be tied to a tree and torn a long time together with whips. All this he bore with invincible meekness and patience, never ceasing to call upon the name of Jesus. The infidels were the more exasperated, and as he stood bound to the tree, they made him a mark wantonly to shoot at, till his body was covered with arrows like a porcupine. Hinguar at length, in order to put an end to the butchery, commanded his head to be struck off. Thus the saint finished his martyrdom on the 20th of November, in 870, the fifteenth of his reign, and twenty-ninth of his age; the circumstances of which St. Dunstan learned from one who was armour-bearer to the saint and an eye-witness. The place was then called Henglesdun, now Hoxon, or Hoxne; a priory of monks was afterwards built there which bore the name of the martyr.

Taken from Vol. III of "The Lives or the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints" by the Rev. Alban Butler

St. Edmund, Martyr II

The holy king had reigned fifteen years when the Danes infested his dominions. Hinguar and Hubba, two brothers, the most barbarous of all the Danish plunderers landing in England, wintered among the East-Angles; then, having made a truce with that nation, they in summer sailed to the north, and landing at the mouth of the Tweed, plundered with fire and sword Northumberland, and afterwards Mercia, directing their march through Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, and Cambridgeshire. Out of a lust of rage and cruelty, and the most implacable aversion to the Christian name, they everywhere destroyed the churches and monasteries; and, as it were in barbarous sport, massacred all priests and religious persons whom they met with. In the great monastery of Coldingham, beyond Berwick, the nuns, fearing not death but insults which might be offered to their chastity, at the instigation of St. Ebba, the holy abbess, cut off their noses and upper lips, that appearing to the barbarians frightful spectacles of horror, they might preserve their virtue from danger; the infidels accordingly were disconcerted at such a sight, and spared their virtue, but put them all to the sword. In their march, amongst other monasteries, those of Bardney, Crowland, Peterborough, Ely, and Huntingdon were levelled with the ground, and the religious inhabitants murdered. In the Cathedral of Peterborough is shown a monument (removed thither from a place without the building) called Monks'-Stone, on which are the effigies of an abbot and several monks. It stood over the pit in which fourscore monks of this house were interred, whom Hinguar and Hubba massacred in 870. The barbarians, reeking with blood, poured down upon St. Edmund's dominions, burning Thetford, the first town they met with, and laying waste all before them.

Taken from Vol. III of "The Lives or the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints" by the Rev. Alban Butler

St. Edmund, Martyr - Ora Pro Nobis!

St. Edmund Martyr I

St. Edmund is the third from the left in armor. Photo credit - aisle of St. Andrew's Church, Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire England

I know I did a series on this saint before, but can you learn too much about the lives of the saints? I don't think so...My own devotion to this saint grows stronger with each passing day and so I here wish to honor him. All my searching for a medal, picture or holy card of St. Edmund Martyr have proven fruitless. If you know of any, please contact me!

ST EDMUND, KING of ENGLAND AND MARTYR—A.D. 870
Feast: November 20

Though from the time of King Egbert, in 802, the Kings of the West-Saxons were monarchs of all England, yet several kings reigned in certain parts after that time, in some measure subordinate to them. One Offa was King of the East-Angles, who, being desirous to end his days in penance and devotion to Rome, resigned his crown to St. Edmund, at that time only fifteen years of age, but a most virtuous prince, and descended from the old English-Saxon kings of this isle. The saint was placed on the throne of his ancestors, as Lydgate, Abbo, and others express themselves, and was crowned by Humbert, Bishop of Elman, on Christmas Day, in 855, at Burum, a royal villa on the Stour, now called Bures, or Buers. Though very young, he was by his piety, goodness, humility, and all other virtues, the model of good princes. He was a declared enemy of flatterers and informers, and would see with his own eyes and hear with his own ears, to avoid being surprised into a wrong judgment, or imposed upon by the passions or ill designs of others. The peace and happiness of his people were his whole concern, which he endeavoured to establish by an impartial administration of justice and religious regulations in his dominions. He was the father of his subjects, particularly of the poor, the protector of widows and orphans, and the support of the weak. Religion and piety were the most distinguishing part of his character. Monks and devout persons used to know the psalter without book, that they might recite the psalms at work, in travelling, and on every other occasion. To get it by heart St. Edmund lived in retirement a whole year in his royal tower at Hunstanton (which he had built for a country solitude), which place is now a village in Norfolk. The book which the saint used for that purpose was religiously kept at St. Edmundsbury till the dissolution of abbeys.

Taken from Vol. III of "The Lives or the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints" by the Rev. Alban Butler

The Writing on the Wall

"Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared, and began to write on the plaster of the palace wall, directly behind the lamp-stand" (Dan 5:5)

The prophet Daniel was brought in to explain the strange writing:

"The writing reads: Mene, Mene, Tekel and Parsin. The meaning of the words is this: Mene: God has measured your sovereignty and put an end to it; Tekel: you have been weighed in the balance and found wanting; Parsin: your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and the Persians." (Dan 5:25-28)

We must choose sides, you either serve God or satan the other fallen. As for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord. Amen+

Hours of Mary

A kind gentlemen sent me a book called "Servants of Mary" which is a reprint (with permission) of the Servite Manual which is a treasure for those with a devotion to the sorrows of Mary. Most readers of this blog will be acquainted with Office prayers of the church. I used to pray the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary but fell away from the practice. In the Servite Manual there is published a little known "Little Office of our Lady of Seven Dolors" This is posted below:

Matins

First Dolor - The Prophecy of Simeon

Hail Mary...

V. O Lord, open Thou my lips. R. And my mouth shall declare Thy praise.

V. O God, come unto mine aid. R. O Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Alleluia.

From Septuagesima to Easter, instead of Alleluia, is said:

Praise be to Thee, O Lord, King of everlasting glory.

Hymn

HAIL to Thee, Christ's Mother dearest,

Who, by sad prophetic word,

In the sacred temple hearest

Of the keen heart -piercing sword,

Make me mindful of Thy sorrow,

Guard me, that, the valley past,

I may, in the eternal morrow,

Give Thee thanks in heaven at last.

Antiphon: LAM ii. 13: To what shall I compare thee, or to what shall I liken thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? To what shall I equal thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Sion? For great as the sea is thy destruction.

V. Thine own soul a sword shall pierce.

R. That out of many hearts thoughts may be revealed.

Let us pray

O Lord Jesus Christ, we beseech Thee that the blessed Virgin Mary, Thy Mother,whose most holy soul was pierced by the sword of sorrow in the hour of Thy Passion, may appeal for us to Thy clemency, now and at the hour of our death. Through Thee, Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world, who with the Father and the Holy Ghost, livest and reignest, world without end. Amen+

PRIME

Second Dolor - The Flight into Egypt

Hail Mary...

V. O God, come unto mine aid. R. O Lord, make haste to help me.

V. Glory Be... R. As it was in the beginning, etc. Alleluia or Praise be to Thee, O Lord, King of everlasting glory.

Hymn

HAIL, thou Christ's sweet Mother, flying

From an angry tyrant's hand,

In thy heart's deep sorrow sighing,

Banished from thy fatherland.

O thou Queen of blessed spirits,

Exiles never seek in vain;

Safe from evil man inherits

Grant me with thy Son to reign.

Antiphon: LAM i. 20: Behold, O Lord, for I am in distress; my bowels are troubled, my heart in turned within me, for I am full of bitterness: abroad the sword destroyeth, and at home there is death alike.

V. Lord, all my desire is before Thee.

R. And my groaning is not hidden from Thee.

Prayer as above

TERCE

Third dolor - The Loss of the Child Jesus

Hail Mary...

V. O God, come unto mind aid. As above.

Hymn

HAIL, to thee, Christ's Mother sweetest,

When was lost thy Son, thy King,

Thou, with mother's woe completest,

Three days sought Him sorrowing.

Ne'er be this remembrance over,

Let me find thy Son by grace,

And when I have found my lover,

Hold Him in a long embrace.

Antiphon: LAM i. 2: Weeping she hath wept in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: there is none to comfort her among all them that were dear to her.

V. He hath made me desolate.

R. Wasted with sorrow all the day long.

Prayer as above

SEXT

Fourth dolor - The Meeting of Jesus carrying His cross

Hail Mary...

V. O Lord, come unto mine aid. As above

Hymn

HAIL, Christ's sweetest Mother, looking

While thy Son was led along,

And from cruel hands was brooking

Blows and thorns and torture-thong.

By the pains which ne'er another

Bare as He, may we find peace;

By the love of His dear Mother

Suffering, may our love increase.

Antiphon: LAM i. 9-10: Behold, O Lord, my affliction, because the enemy is lifted up: the enemy hath put out his hand to all her desirable things.

V. Who will give water to my head and a fountain of tears to my eyes?

R. And I will weep day and night.

Prayer as above

NONE

Fifth Dolor - The Crucifixion & Death of Jesus

Hail Mary...

V. O God, come unto mine aid. As above

Hymn

HAIL, Christ's sweetest Mother sighing

'Neath the cross predestined tree,

When thy Son, so sadly dying,

Turned His eyes to look on thee.

By the sword of bitter sorrow,

Which then cleft thy soul in twain,

Grant that I love's might may borrow,

and o'er death the victory gain.

Antiphon: LAM i. 12: O all ye that pass by the way, attend and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow.

V. All they that passed by the way have clapped their hands at thee.

R. They have hissed, and wagged their head at the daughter of Jerusalem.

Prayer as above

VESPERS

Sixth Dolor - Christ's descent from the Cross

Hail Mary...

V. O God, come unto mine aid. As above

Hymn

HAIL, Christ's sweetest Mother, craving

Dead, thy Son, let down fron rood,

In thine arms to bear, and laving

Him with thy tears' holy flood.

May the power of that great anguish,

Mary Mother full of grace,

Keep me, when in death I languish,

Till I se my Saviour's face.

Antiphon: RUTH i. 20: Call me not Noemi (that is, beautiful), but call me Mara (that is, bitter), for the Almighty hath quite filled me with bitterness.

V. A bundle of myrrh is my Beloved to me.

R. He shall abide between my breasts.

Prayer as above

COMPLINE

Seventh Dolor - The Burial of Jesus

Hail Mary...

V. Convert us, O God our Saviour.

R. And turn off Thine anger from us.

V. O God, come unto mine aid. As above

Hymn

HAIL, Christ's sweetest Mother, weeping

Jesus hidden in the tomb,

Done to death and lowly sleeping,

Thou dost mourn His early doom.

By the might of anguished hours,

Suffered with a constant heart,

'Gainst the force of evil powers,

Help us bear a manly part;

Till with Saints on heavenly towers

We may join thee where thou art.

Antiphon: LAM i. 16: Therefore do I weep, and my eyes run down with water, because the Comforter, the relief of my soul, is far from me.

V. My eyes have failed with weeping.

R. My bowels are troubled.

Prayer as above

Offering

To thee, O Blessed Virgin, I recite

Prayers that are fitting for each holy rite;

May'st thou with loving mother's heart by nigh

To be my help, what time I come to die. Amen+

At the Foot of Christ's Cross

Please do not forget to say a prayer today to console Mary who was crucified in spirit.

In the Desert

Ok, I've not been posting in awhile, I know. Partly it is due to my not having anything of value to say. During this Lent for many reasons I have been in what I call the "desert of the soul". I have no virtue, no fortitude, nothing to impart which is worth reading. I'm praying this will pass after Easter, so then I plan to return to regular posting.

During times of trail for my soul, I find my only consolation, verily my only hope for my own salvation lies in the wearing of my scapular. With every shred of my will, I place my hope in the mercy of God, through the prayers of Mary in the wearing of her scapluar. Amen+

Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary II

"The title of 'Sorrowful' belongs therefore to the Heart of My mother, and more than any other, this title is dear to her because it springs from the union of her Heart with Mine in the redemption of humanity. This title had been acquired be her through her full participation in My Calvary, and it precedes the gratuitous title 'Immaculate' which My love bestowed upon her by singular privilege." Jesus to Berthe Petit, 1920

Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary

"The title of "Immaculate" belongs to the whole being of My mother and not specially to her Heart. This title flows from my gratuitous gift to the Virgin who was to give Me birth. My mother has acquired for her Heart the title of "Sorrowful" by sharing generously in all the sufferings of My Heart and My Body from the crib to the Cross. There is not one of these Sorrows which did not pierce the Heart of My mother. Living image of My crucified body, her virginal flesh bore the invisible marks of My wounds as her Heart felt the Sorrows of My own. Nothing could ever tarnish the incorruptibility of her Immaculate Heart." Jesus to Berthe Petit, 1920.

Easygoing weakness of Catholics

Michael by Albrecht Durer

"In our time more than ever before the greatest asset of the evilly disposed is the cowardice and weakness of good men, and all the vigor of Satan's reign is due to the easygoing weakness of Catholics. Oh! If I might ask the divine Redeemer, as the prophet Zachary did in spirit: 'What are those wounds in the midst of Your hands?' the answer would not be doubtful. 'With these I was wounded in the house of those who did nothing to defend Me and who, on every occasion, made themselves the accomplices of My adversaries.' And this reproach can be levelled at the weak and timid Catholics of all countries." Pope St. Pius X (Beatification of Joan of Arc, December 13, 1908).

I grabbed this wondrous quote at La Salette Journey, go here for the complete post.

What a stark, and horrifying true statement of this time spoken in a time when the lawlessness of Mankind was not nearly as bad as today.

Persevere under discipline

"Persevere under discipline. God dealeth with you as with his sons; for what son is there, whom the father doth not correct?" ~Hebrews 12:7

Courage

"I think modern life, including life in the Church, suffers from a phony unwillingness to offend that poses as prudence and good manners, but too often turns out to be cowardice. Human beings owe each other respect and appropriate courtesy. But we also owe each other the truth—which means candor. " —Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., Rendering Unto Caesar: The Catholic Political Vocation, February 23rd, 2009, Toronto, Canada

Dear Mother of God, please obtain the grace from your Divine Son the grace of more bishops such as this one. Amen+

Solace

I must join with many of you who feel as if the ship is sinking - Catholic and otherwise. I am so very vulnerable to fear. This fear is harder and harder to set aside but with my will I try often to set aside my fear and place my trust in the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Sorrowful Heart of His Mother.

I found the following quote very helpful:

“Think of a life in which you depend on no one emotionally, so that no one has the power to make you happy or miserable anymore. You refuse to need any particular person or to be special to anyone or to call anyone your own. The birds of the air have their nests and the foxes have their holes, but you will have nowhere to rest your head in your journey through life. If you ever get to this state, you will at last know what it means to see with a vision that is clear and unclouded by fear or desire. Every word there is measured. To see at last with a vision that is clear and unclouded by fear or desire. You will know what it means to love. But to come to the land of love, you must pass through the pains of death, for to love persons means to die to the need for persons, and to be utterly alone.

How would you ever get there? By a ceaseless awareness, by the infinite patience and compassion you would have for a drug addict. By developing a taste for the good things in life to counter the craving for your drug. What good things? The love of work which you enjoy doing for the love of itself; the love of laughter and intimacy with people to whom you do not cling and on whom you do not depend emotionally but whose company you enjoy. It will also help if you take on activities that you can do with your whole being, activities that you so love to do that while you’re engaged in them success, recognition and approval simply do not mean a thing to you. It will help, too, if you return to nature. Send the crowds away, go up to the mountains and silently commune with trees and flowers and animals and birds, with sea and clouds and sky and stars…At first this will seem unbearable. But it is only because you are unaccustomed to aloneness. If you manage to stay there for a while, the desert will suddenly blossom into love. Your heart will burst into song. And it will be springtime forever; the drug will be out; you’re free. Then you will understand what freedom is, what truth is, what God is. You will see, you will know beyond concepts and conditioning, addictions and attachments. Does that make sense?” (Anthony de Mello, Awareness pp. 173-174)

Go here to read the entire blogpost - I highly recommend this.

Defend yourself against the demonic

"Try this: The next time you face a temptation, remind yourself that you're cooperating with the malevolent will of a highly developed insect that hates you yet wants to be with you forever. You'll find your old reliable sins lose a little of their allure."

Go here to read an excellent article by Tom Hoopes about the demonic - those who have experience direct and open assault from the minions of evil and how to combat your spiritual enemies.

Sword of Justice

(photo credit)

Last night in prayer, I was contemplating Jesus as Christ the King, seated in majesty upon His throne. I am a bit of a history buff as well as an admirer of Kings, as a result of this I have grown to have a devotion to Christ the King. In prayer, I will spiritually bow low before my Heavenly King in worship and offer to Him my prayer of awe. Last night and this morning, I imagined Christ's hand resting upon a great sword - His Sword of Justice. Make no mistake, our King is no wimp, no feminine, weak, powerless victim. Oh no, He is all powerful, all knowing - all things are in His hand. He has a right to our devotion, love and worship. We must strive to remember at all times of every word, thought and deed before Him we will give account.

Your Majesty Jesus, my Lord and King, on that terrible day I beg you, have mercy upon me a poor sinner, upon me pass a light judgment. Amen+

She will crush the head of the serpent

"They also oppose the truth–people of depraved mind, unqualified in the faith. But they will not make further progress, for their foolishness will be plain to all." -2 Timothy 3:8

Thought for the weekend, in these times of darkness, where sin seems to rule the world, remember our Mother gathers an army of prayer warriors and with them she will crush the head of the serpent. Those who serve the devil in these times reveal themselves and whom they serve - have nothing to do with them but still pray for them. All sin and evil will be conquered, but first we must pass through the fire. Our Lord and our Lady will not abandon us, they are as close to us as our own breath.

May Mary's prayers go with you always. Amen+

"Shall I see You no more?"

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Can you hear your sorrowful mother say "Beloved Son, shall I see you no more?"

We ought not be afraid of entering into the desert of our own sorrow in loss and trial. The Lord is pleased to thus purify and soften us. To those He loves He gives a portion of His cross, therefore within every suffering there is a great blessing. Let us strive to be not attached to our God's sweetness and consolation for it is in fire that gold is purified.

Lord, in your Sorrowful Mother's Immaculate Heart I place myself forever, there to be purified by the fire of Thy love. Do with me what You will, I surrender myself unto Thee. Amen+

From the Throne of Peter V

"When man has hardened his heart and hate has overrun the earth, when fire and sword convulse the world and make it resound with clash of arms and wailing, when human plans have prove misleading, and when all social well-being is upset, faith and history point to Mary as the only refuge." - Benedict XV, To the Consistory of Cardinals and Bishops, December 24, 1915

From the Throne of Peter IV

"She is the best of Mothers, our safest confidant and in fact the very motive of our hope: she obtains all she asks for and her prayers are always heard." - Pius VII, Exultavit cor Nostrum, November 21, 1851

From the Throne of Peter III

"Almighty God enriched the Blessed Virgin with the gifts of his grace more abundantly than He enriched any other creature. He chose her from all mankind and at the word of an angel elevated her to the ineffable dignity of dignity of the Mother of God." - Benedict XIV, Gloriosae Dominae, September 27, 1748

From the Throne of Peter II

(photo credit - Holy Cards for Your Inspiration)

"...by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, for the honor of the Holy and undivided Trinity, for the glory and adornment of the Virgin Mother of God, for the exaltation of the Catholic Faith, and for the furtherance of the Catholic religion, by the authority of Jesus Christ our Lord, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own; We declare, pronounce and define that in the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary , in the first instance of her Conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful." -Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus, December 8, 1854

From the Throne of Peter I - She Commands

Central panel of Masaccio's Pisa Polyptych

"When she approaches Her divine Son's throne, as Advocate She begs, as Handmaid She prays, but as Mother She commands." - Pius IX, tanto studio, February 19, 1805

Our Lord Jesus Christ will deny her nothing. Mary Mother of God - ora pro nobis!

God Bless our Holy Father

"The Church… intends to continue to raise her voice in defense of mankind, even when policies of States and the majority of public opinion moves in the opposite direction. Truth, indeed, draws strength from itself and not from the amount of consent it arouses." —POPE BENEDICT XVI, Vatican, March 20, 2006