A.M.D.G.
J.M.J.
A.T.C.
Laudetur Iesus Christus!
Nunc et in æternum! Amen!
Christus resurrexit! Alleluia!
Vere resurrexit! Alleluia!
Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter
I wrote a post over at Defend Us in Battle where I guest blog on occasion … do click here to read mine post on my reaction to Archbishop Vigneron of Detroit’s epic statement about pro-same sex “marriage” “Catholics” receiving Communion.
A.M.D.G.
J.M.J.
A.T.C.
Laudetur Iesus Christus!
Nunc et in æternum! Amen.
One of my favorite photos of Saint Thérèse.
Among her jobs at the Lisieux Carmel, she was sacristan for the convent Mass.
Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent
When I finished The Imitation of Christ a few weeks ago, I needed another book to move onto for my period of spiritual reading I “do” after I pray Office of Readings and Lauds before morning Mass.
BTW, if you haven’t read The Imitation of Christ, you should, it’s a spiritual classic and I regret that I didn’t read it sooner. It seemed like every time I read it, even if it was just a couple sections, it was like the text was written for me. Every single time, something touched my heart.
I looked through my books to see which one caught my eye. That’s really how I picked out Imitation, besides the fact that some had recommended it in the past. I literally scan the bindings of the books on my shelves and see which one piques my interest.
The one that caught my attention was this one …
Click the image to look it over on Amazon (and I get a cut to help with grad school savings and such).
I have had it on my bookshelf for a few years. I got it for Christmas when I was still in college (my grandparents usually pick stuff off my Amazon list and this was on it) because I had heard a friend talking about it or I saw it on her bookshelf and found it intriguing (not enough to actually read it then apparently).
Before I started reading, being the research nut that I am (I love writing papers … yeah, I am that kind of person), I googled the book to see what others thought of it.
One of the sites to which I was referred was from a blog that I follow, Spiritual Motherhood for Priests. It specifically directed me to this post. As I was reading this post, it became clear to me that I had picked the right book for my morning spiritual reading.
As I started reading it, my feelings were confirmed. This is a truly beautiful read.
(Update: I finished it Thursday night at an impromptu trip to Adoration at my parish … YAY!)
Reading this makes me realize that my selecting Saint Thérèse for my Confirmation patroness was not: a.) a fluke (I have learned that there is no such thing as a “fluke”), b.) just because it was the name (French form) of my aunt whom I never met because she died when she was 16, and c.) because when we were picking out patrons for Confirmation, we were not allowed to pick names of saints of the opposite sex (a practice that has thankfully ended since my time).
I also must confess that while I did have an awareness of the life of Saint Thérèse then, I am only starting to appreciate her now.
Maurice Belliere
The book is a collection of letters between Saint Thérèse and a young seminarian/later priest Maurice Belliere who was struggling with formation, past sins, and worldly attachments. It was complied by Bishop Patrick Ahern, who provides commentary and background after each letter. Bishop Ahern, who passed away in 2011, has been considered one of the foremost experts on the spirituality of Saint Thérèse.
(Update: The letters between Maurice and Thérèse go until her death but then there is also included a couple letters from Maurice written to others describing his life in the mission and his struggles. Their inclusion is meant to demonstrate how much he had changed from his first letter to Thérèse and how he trusted that though she was gone, that she was even closer to him and praying for him.)
Maurice wrote to the Lisieux Carmel asking the Mother Superior to assign to him a sister who would pray for him and his perseverance in his vocation (he also aspired to be a missionary in Africa). The Mother Superior at the time was Saint Thérèse’s own sister, Pauline whose religious name was Agnes. She gave the task of spiritually supporting Maurice to Thérèse, who was on her death bed suffering from the end stages of tuberculosis.
In her consoling letters to Maurice, Thérèse, who was well-aware of the fact that her time on Earth was limited and who was going through a period of spiritual aridity, is what can only be described as a mother to Maurice though they call each other “dear little brother” and “dear sister.”
She gently teaches him her “Little Way” of living a holy life by taking every little occurrence in one’s life as an opportunity to show God one’s love for Him. She also consoles him with constant reminders that while the seriousness of sins is not to be de-emphasized, the mercy and love of God overcomes the power of sin when it is sought by the soul. Love is a powerful force in the face of sin and death.
Reading this book is teaching me what it is to be a spiritual mother. In my years of discernment, one of the “things” I know rather certainly as a part of my vocation is my call to spiritual motherhood, of priests in particular. Therefore, I have incorporated it into my spiritual life in a unique way.
Priests are our spiritual fathers, their whole lives are dedicated to being “other Christs” for us. When they offer Mass or celebrate the sacraments, they do so in persona Christi, in the person of Christ. When we see the priest at the altar, we may see the priest but it’s really Christ using the priest as an instrument (we are all instruments in the hands of God) to make Himself present to His Church. When we are making our confessions to a priest, we are really making our confession and receiving absolution from Christ in the person of the priest.
As a side note, the priest being an alter Christus is one of the reasons why I think ad orientem worship is so great. When the priest offers Mass versus populum, even if he does not mean to in anyway, the priest can kinda become the center of the action rather than the actions of the priest being the center of attention. We can become focused the priest rather than what the priest is doing. I think it may have to do with the face-to-face nature of versus populum worship.
When the priest is facing the same direction as the people (“backs turned on the people” … ha ha ha ha ha!) … facing God, that is … the personality and person of the priest is taken up in his role as an alter Christus. I have heard some call the “problem” that arises when Mass is offered versus populum a matter of the priest becoming a “Master of Ceremonies” of sorts. Like he is the host of the gathering, meal, whatever non-sacrificial term they use nowadays (Yes, the Mass is a meal but the Sacrifice aspect trumps that by a smidge or so …;) ).
I have this poster. The former director of vocations for the AOD gave it to me. I think it’s cool.
Priests are pretty amazing. They pray for everyone pretty much every day. They have given their whole lives and beings as victims for us. Yeah, pretty amazing.
They have sacrificed the possibility of getting married and having a family so that they can be full-time fathers for our souls. And, please, don’t give me the “Priests ought to be able to marry” schtick. Don’t go there with me. Yes, I know it’s a discipline of Holy Church, not a doctrine but I am a proponent of the saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
They pray and make sacrifices for us. They are spiritual fathers to us. But who does the like for them? Do we pray and make sacrifices for them (mindful that no penance is too small to effect some grace)? Are we supportive of them? Do we encourage them? Do we love them?
The Good Lord has given me the gift of knowing a great many priests. Some I have known for many years, others I have only known for a few years. I am blessed to have a priest in my family: my great-uncle on my mother’s side (my grandfather’s brother) is an Augustinian priest. He baptized me (in the old-school bapistery at SJA … foreshadowing my traddy-ness?) and he gave me my First Holy Communion (received Him before everyone else so I got to go up at weekly class Mass … lol). My dear spiritual director is a priest. All have been and are spiritual fathers to me.
When I hear people talking trash about priests, it cuts me to the quick. Now, by “talking trash” I mean talking negatively undeservedly and uncharitably. I try not to have an idealized view of priests since they, like everyone else, are human and prone to flaws. Of course, that does not mean that we should not call them (or anyone else) on their faults (when done properly, it is an act of charity).
If a priest is preaching heresy or if he is being a milquetoast when it comes to the Truth, don’t publicly decry him or correct him, that does no good. Pray for him. Talk to him privately (and make sure you have objective evidence, not “you’re a meanie with your mean-ness!”).
I think my knowing so many priests has helped me to have a more human view of them. Some people are scandalized when you are comfortable talking about non-Church-y things with priests. Ha! I love it. Some of my priests are geeks so we talk technie things. Others love Red Wings hockey, so we talk about the last game.
Becoming a priest doesn’t make him less human. Remember, he was “Mr. So-and-so” before he became “Father So-and-so.” Odds are, they will still have the same interests they had before ordination. They will probably still have the same personality and sense of humor they had before ordination. Just because the bishop laid hands on them does not mean that they became “Stepford Priests.” Then the priesthood would be boring and altogether interactive (this is a woman talking about the “attractiveness” the priesthood … lolz).
In her letters to Maurice, Thérèse loves and supports him but she also helps him correct his erring ways and thoughts. He dwells on his past sins, she reminds him of the Mercy of God. He fears his own inadequacy because of his fallen-ness, she reminds him that the Lord will provide all that he needs to accomplish His will.
That is what I want to do. That is what I feel called to do. Thérèse promised Maurice that she would remember him always in her prayers and in her thoughts. It was obvious from the beginning of their correspondence that Maurice had a very special place in her heart.
While I am still in the process of discernment of where precisely God wants me (kinda hoping Archbishop Vigneron approves of that formation program for consecrated virgins in the AOD), I know with relative certainty that spiritual motherhood for priests is part of my vocation, no matter where it may lead me.
Furthermore, I, like Thérèse, feel called to “adopt” a couple specific priests to be spiritual sons/brothers of mine for whom I will offer special prayers and penances The more I have prayed about this, the more it “feels” right. I just need the Lord to show me who I am to take as such. He will do so as and when he sees fit.
Even if I do not end up being a biological mother, I can always be a spiritual mother and I think that being a spiritual mother of priests can yield much grace for them.
We always have to remember that after Our Lord and Our Lady, the Devil hates priests the most. Why? Because they are Christ’s special representatives on Earth. When a man is ordained a priest, He is united in a singular way to the High Priesthood of Christ and are thus given the ability to confect the sacraments especially the Eucharist where He becomes substantially present and in the sacrament of Penance where Christ cleanses the soul of the penitent from the stain of sins (take our sins of scarlet and make them white as snow).
Click for a Catholic Answers article; “The Devil Hates Priests.”
The Devil hates that. He wants us to be in Hell with him. The priest is on the front line leading us to Christ as we fight the world, the flesh, and the Devil. The priest stands for everything the Devil hates: God’s Love, His Mercy, and His Truth so of course, he is going to do anything and everything in his power to undermine the resolve of the priest. And the Devil has quite the arsenal against the priest: he will play on the weaknesses of the priest (who remains a human being after ordination, btw) be it his personal proclivities (you know, those ugly rearings of the head of concupiscence), loneliness, doubt, spiritual aridity and darkness, etc.. Heck, he’s attacked priests physically. I think there are stories of the Devil attacking Saint Jean Marie Vianney (universal patron of parish priests) and Saint Padre Pio.
The Devil will do anything to make a priest fall because then that would mean one less soldier of Christ fighting against Him and it leaves a portion of the flock more vulnerable. Priests are the leaders and the healers as “other Christs.” They lead us to Christ and they help us to become more like Christ by encouraging us and by being instruments of God’s Mercy. If the Devil can cut off even one of those channels of grace, to him, he is gaining an upper-hand.
Of course, we all know how it ends: the Devil will be overcome by Christ. Those who were faithful to Christ through thick and thin and followed His teachings as best they were able will be given their just reward. Those who rejected Christ and His love will be given their just consequence for their choices (God sends no one to Hell, He permits us to go there by how we choose to live our lives).
We must love our priests. We must pray for our priests. We must support our priests. We must encourage them. We must thank them. We must encourage other young men to follow after the Great High Priest and discern the call to the Holy Priesthood.
Remember, without the priest, there is no Eucharist. No Eucharist, no Church. We can show our love for the Eucharist by loving and supporting those chosen men who bring the Lord down to us at the words of consecration.
Have you ever considered how beyond amazing it is that God, omnipotent being that He is, deigned to give His priests, in themselves fallen human beings, the ability to call down His Spirit upon simple bread and wine and be the instrument through which He becomes present in a substantial way?!
And people say that miracles don’t happen every day.
Yes, they do. There is a miracle at every Holy Mass. God becomes SUBSTANTIALLY present to mankind in the words of the priest.
Pretty amazing, isn’t it?
Well, this post has gotten long enough. Can’t believe it’s going to be Holy Week! Lent went by pretty quickly. Do try to assist at as many of the Holy Week/Triduum liturgies as you can, they are the most beautiful liturgies of the Church year.
A.M.D.G.
J.M.J.
A.T.C.
Laudetur Iesus Christus!
Nunc et in æternum! Amen.
Pope Francis I!
Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
I woke up this morning in a good mood, my first thought: “Today’s the day. I think we’re gonna have a new Pope today!” Went to Mass and I said that I thought that today was the day. I was told that it was too soon. Never mind the fact that Pope Benedict XVI was elected on the fifth ballot which is pretty early from what I have read of conclaves.
Walking home after Mass, I prayed my daily Rosary and then listened to some Tchaikovsky and Mozart (I had my classical playlist on shuffle) and I started to whistle along. Yes. I was in a really good mood. As soon as I realized that I was whistling happily, I thought, “Yep, we’ll have a new Pope today.”
Got home, got some stuff done, then turned on EWTN to watch the coverage. They had picture-in-picture with a box with the chimney at the Sistine Chapel showing in case smoke came out during normal programming.
I got a headache so I decided to lay down for a bit. Just as I could feel myself drifting into a nap, my eyes catch the caption on the tele: “Habemus Papam.”
I guess that nap has just been shelved.
Checked Twitter. Habemus Papam.
Checked Facebook. Habemus Papam.
Checked my feed reader. Habemus Papam.
Yep. We have a new Pope!
Then the messages started coming. My phone was buzzing constantly. Notifications up the wazoo on my Facebook. Twitter updates constantly. My inbox was filling with stuff from the various Catholic groups I follow. ’twas hard to keep up with it all.
Then this happened:
Witnessing all of this made me even more proud to be Catholic. In Holy Mother Church we have everything: Tradition, continuity, Truth, and so much more. All of that built on the Rock of Peter with Christ as her Head. You can’t go wrong with that.
The only thing that sucked about today? Besides the headache that came back, that is …
This, which is what was the closing song at Mass this morning. Everything was just fine until this hit:
“Sing a new church into being?!” What?! How is this a legit song for liturgical worship when the theology is soooo bad?! Last time I checked, the Church that Christ founded is just fine, thankyouverymuch.
Don’t feel like subjecting yourself to an auricular penance today and would rather have a penance that must be read?
Have fun!
Summoned by the God who made us
rich in our diversity
Gathered in the name of Jesus,
richer still in unity.Refrain: Let us bring the gifts that differ
and, in splendid, varied ways,
sing a new church into being,
one in faith and love and praise.Radiant risen from the water,
robed in holiness and light,
male and female in God’s image (yes, but they are not the same. They compliment each other. Step away from the stole, lady.),
male and female, God’s delight.Refrain
Trust the goodness of creation;
trust the Spirit strong within.
Dare to dream the vision promised,
sprung from seed of what has been (Ditch tradition? Hmmm).Refrain
Bring the hopes of every nation;
bring the art of every race.
Weave a song of peace and justice;
let it sound through time and space.Refrain
Draw together at one table,
all the human family;
shape a circle ever wider
and a people ever free
How did this song get approved? Seriously. Banality and thinly-veiled agenda much? Or maybe it just me being a rigid trad. I dunno.
But I don’t care anymore because we have a new Pope! Yay!
I have not been able to find any information on our new Papa’s stance on the Extraordinary Form. Just a curiosity. If anyone has any legit information on that, please share it in the comments with a source cited.
I have some friends who are sad that their favorites didn’t get elected. First, I tell them that the Holy Spirit knows better than we do; He’s God like that. Then, I tell them that there is always next time. Some of my friends (myself included) liked Cardinal Tagle who I considered a wild card because many thought that while he was among the papabile, he was too young at 56 years old. Of course, JPII was about that age too. I think that, if the Good Lord wants it, it will happen. Pope Francis was allegedly second after Pope Benedict in 2005 and see what happened. God is with His Church always. He’s at the helm. Not anyone else.
All right, I have to get rid of this headache. I have another post I have been working on for a week but it needs tweaking. lol But I had to post on the new Papa!
Viva il Papa Francesco!
A.M.D.G.
J.M.J.
A.T.C.
Laudetur Iesus Christus!
Nunc et in æternum! Amen.
Thursday of the Second Week of Lent
“Many thanks, Pope Benedict! We will miss you! We love you!”
Well, today’s the day. Needless to say, I’ve been watching everything on EWTN. I watched the Holy Father’s final general audience yesterday morning. My eyes welled up and a lump formed in my throat. I watched his arrival at Castel Gandolfo after leaving the Vatican for the final time this morning. Same thing happened. I also witnessed the last blessing he bestowed as Pope. Ditto. Now awaiting the coverage for the sealing of the main door to the Papal Apartments.
Let me let this out …
I stole this from a friend’s Facebook but I think it illustrates things rather well …
I woke up this morning depressed. Not like “My life is a dark abyss of sadness, woe, and emotive sighing” but more like sadness because I really love and admire this Pope. I have admired him since before he was “Pope-d.” I am a devoted reader of his books (they got me through high school “religion” classes) and when he became Pope, I was just beaten down with gids (did a victory dance around my desk when it was announced in 2005).
Needless to say, I had many high hopes for Papa Bene. He didn’t let me down (like that matters). He is such a wonderful teacher who can take the most profound and complex truths of the Faith and explain them in the most simple and cogent ways without watering it down (which, sadly, is what happens many times to the detriment of the Faith and the faithful). He has been such an example of humble obedience to the will of God and a stalwart for the fullness of the Truth against the contagion from without and within the Church.
One thing that I particularly appreciate is his great devotion to the Sacred Liturgy. He has helped the “reform of the reform” with his promotion of greater reverence of the Holy Mass. He has increased the availability of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (aka the TLM) so that those who feel an attachment/devotion to it may be able to assist at it and incorporate it as a greater part of their spiritual lives.
With all that and so much more in mind, I don’t understand some people.
My home parish is having Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament all day today so people can come in through the day and pray for the outgoing Papa Bene, for the cardinals who will be meeting in conclave, and for the man whom the Holy Spirit will guide them to elect as our new Pope. Adoration began after Mass so I just chillaxed with the Savior for a bit longer after Mass ended. Prayed my Rosary and just spent some QT with the Lord.
Afterward, I had to head into the office to check on something so I made my way over there before heading home.
While in the office, I started talking to some people; we were talking about the Pope leaving and I said how sad I was.
They didn’t seem to understand why I was sad to begin with. Like it was no big deal (historic-ness aside).
As we kept speaking, they kept making it seem like my sadness was a waste of time since it was really about nothing.
But then I thought, “Well, having known this person for a rather long time, they probably don’t think it’s such a bad thing because they never really cared for this Pope to begin with what with his whole thing about ‘orthodoxy’ in the arena of teaching and ‘orthopraxy’ when it comes to the Holy Mass.”
I hate to say it. But I think I am right. Those who disagree with the Holy Father and/or have a deep animus for him are either: a.) flat out celebrating his abdication or b.) treating it like it’s no big deal (while celebrating internally).
In my lay opinion as an outsider, I do think that Papa Benedict has been such a great Holy Father. He has been such a great example for all of us of humility, true obedience to the will of God, and of faithfulness to the Truth even in the face of resistance and those who wish ill upon us (if you ever want to see the very depths of vitriol, look at some of the responses to the Pope’s Twitter … absolute classless hate-imbued trash … saddest thing? These are the people who claim to be so loving and tolerant. *facepalm*).
No, dear Holy Father, you are not alone. We are all with you.
I will miss Papa Bene but now, the Lord has called him to the next step in his journey to the Lord. Instead of being the visible head of Christ’s Church, he will now be like Our Lady or Saint Joseph, quietly dwelling in the background praying for the Church and offering sacrifices for the Church. Never doubt the power of prayer and sacrifice. There is no doubt in my mind that this holy man has been living this already but I think this will now be his way of ministering to the Church and to souls. I have heard that he shall not write anymore books which, while it makes me sad, makes sense though his writings have made such an impact on Holy Church.
I am still conflicted about my feelings about the Holy Father leaving. We all know that he has spent countless hours praying and discerning about this. He didn’t just wake up one morning and decide, *with a thick German/Italian accent* “I think I am tired of being Pope now. Yeah. I am done now.” He has probably been wrestling with this for a very long time in addition to dealing with all the issues that are affecting the Church from within and without. He is 85 years old. He’s not a young priest anymore. He has the zeal, that much is abundantly obvious, but his body is just unable to deal with the stress of the office.
Such humility he has. Here he is, the Vicar of Christ. The Visible Head of the Church (Christ being the invisible Head) on Earth. He could continue one but he has realized that as he is now, he could not execute his duties as Pope to the degree that he sees them as deserving (being the head of the 1 billion member Church is no cake walk … ever).
What do we do next? We pray for the outgoing Pope and ask the Lord to bless him and keep him, a faithful son of God and servant of the Church. We pray for the Cardinals who will be meeting in conclave very soon. We pray to the Holy Spirit to guide the Cardinals in selecting a new Pope: that the Spirit will give us the Pope we need during this rather harrowing time within and without the Church.
All right. It’s almost time. Offer prayers and sacrifices. Let us always rely on the Lord Who, as Papa Bene puts so often, is the Supreme Pastor of the Church knowing that He will never abandon His Bride, the Church, nor will He allow the gates of Hell to prevail against her.
Yes, dear Papa Bene, we will miss you. I know I will.
A.M.D.G.
J.M.J.
A.T.C.
Laudetur Iesus Christus!
Nunc et in æternum! Amen.
Second Sunday of Lent
So, we’re about two weeks into Lent, how are things going with your penitential practices? Doing pretty well? Have you screwed up a bit? If you have, what have you done? Have you thrown up your hands and said, “Meh.” Or have you picked yourself up and kept going with it?
I’ve been pretty good. I have forgotten or just yutzed out a few times. But I usually catch myself and amend it.
I gave up soda so that means no Coke and no Shirley Temples with extra grenadine and cherries. Been drinking lots of Pellegrino because I love the fizz and all it is is fancy Italian mineral water. One of my priest friends got me hooked on it years ago and I always become a Pellegrino junkie during Lent.
Helps me get my fancy fizz fix during Lent.
I am very hydrated this Lent.
I also drank this stuff like crazy when I was in college and when I was in the convent. Both times because the tap water was not so great … the city water in Grand Rapids is … nasty. I would fill a glass in case I got thirsty during the night, I would wake up and see all the crud settled on the bottom. *shudder* Made me miss tasty Detroit water (which is apparently some of the best in the country).
Besides abstaining from soda (Pellegrino is not cheating, thankyouverymuch), I decided to continue a tradition that I have had since I was a young un but made my own during college.
Since I was a little girl (not much has changed height-wise), my family has always gone to Stations of the Cross on Fridays during Lent. We would always arrange our Friday evenings around it. It became tradition and I think that’s one of the things that led me to develop a devotion to the Passion of the Lord.
That and I have probably served hundreds of Stations services. Even when I was in college and technically retired, if I was home and they didn’t have anyone, I would pinch hit.
There is something beautiful about walking from station to station, meditating on each and coming to a more profound understanding and more importantly, appreciation of all that the Lord went through for us.
He went through the terrible Agony in the Garden where He sweat blood (which is physiologically possible when a person is under extreme stress and anxiety) and begged the Father to “let this cup pass from [Him]” but only if it was His Father’s will. I have been told that part of His agony and probably throughout His Passion, He saw all of the sins that would ever be committed and all the people who would reject Him and His love. If I were Christ, I think that would be cause for such extreme pain and agony.
And yet He went on.
He endured being falsely accused of blasphemy and was willing to undergo humiliation and torture. He had His skin pretty much flayed off His body when He was scourged. At any moment, He could have recanted. At any moment, being God, He could have willed us to be saved and that would have been that … but He didn’t. Such was His love for each of us.
Carrying that heavy Cross to Golgotha and falling thrice under its oppressive weight, the oppressive weight of sin and death weighing on His shoulders.
He encounters His Holy Mother Who was closest to Him in so many ways.
Simon of Cyrene is forced to carry the Cross when it becomes clear that the Lord is having extreme difficulty doing so and since the guards don’t want Him to die on the way to His place of execution.
Veronica makes her way out of the crowd and past the guards to wipe His bleeding and disfigured face with her veil. A show of selfless kindness in the face of so much animus.
He meets the women of Jerusalem who are wailing for His Passion and yet the Lord reminds them to weep instead for themselves and their children since it is their sins that have caused all of this to happen to the Son of God.
He is stripped of everything when His clothes are ripped off His body and thus re-opening the wounds that had tried to begin healing and bringing back the pain acutely all the more.
Laying Himself on the Cross, watching, and feeling the huge nails being driven through his wrists and feet. Pure agony and excruciating (ex cruce … from the Cross) pain.
All for love of us. Knowing full well that we would sin and that some of us would reject His love and His Truth.
And then, He gives us His own Mother to be our Mother by means of his words to her and the disciple whom He loved.
Then, finally, realizing that all was accomplished, He commended His spirit into the hands of His Father and died. After which, He was laid in His Mother’s arms and then laid in a borrowed tomb.
All for love of us.
I always loved being able to serve Stations. It was honestly one of my favorite Church services at which to assist.
When I was in college and away from my home parish and thus unable to attend Stations, I wanted to continue that devotion because I had derived so much grace and strength from it.
Thank the Lord for Father Z.
Why? Because the Stations of the Cross that were offered on campus were dubious social justice/environmental “Stations of the Cross.”
Seriously. Stick with what works. No need to make the Stations of the Cross into a whole schtick about carbon neutrality and all that stuff.
Could have gone to the Stations at the traddy Polish parish but schedules kept me and my friends from going usually. They even had Polish Stations once every Lent and they always had a fish fry. A good solid Catholic parish.
Why was I so grateful for Father Z?
Because he has a few recordings of various traditional meditations on the Stations of the Cross! No “green” Stations in sight! Amen! (can’t say the other religious “A” word … old Catholic school taboo … if someone said it during Lent it was a line of *scandalgasps* and stares … yes, I have been conditioned and well).
Since I feel generous, Imma share the links to the various versions of the Stations that Father Z has shared.:
This link will take you directly to a post where he shares the Stations with meditations written by one Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI … at least until Thursday *tear*) and the Stations with meditations written by Saint Alphonsus Ligouri. These are my favorites. Father Z even gave some variety with the Saint Alphonsus Stations in that he gives one version with chant and one without. Change it up a bit!
And, this is a more recent addition to his collection of meditations on the Via Crucis: a recording of the Stations with meditations written by Blessed John Henry Newman. These are also very nice and prayerful.
With these loaded onto my iPod, I would high-tail out of class (which almost always allowed for me to pray the Via around 3pm-ish) and head to the chapel. Walk upstairs to the one thing in the chapel that wasn’t made out of gnarled wood (save for the lovely mosaic of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the token Mary statue that was in the stairwell that was donated by a class in the 50s back when AQ was shamelessly Catholic): the Stations which were donated by the neighboring parish when they renovated their church (don’t like the sanctuary arrangement but the new Stations of GORGEOUS!).
I would put the veil on, pull out the iPod, and get to holy bid-ness. Sometimes friends would join me but usually I was by myself save for my angel and Jesus Who was in the tabernacle closet in His golden box that looked like a Simon game (I know they had a nice traddy tabernacle but who needs aesthetics anyway?).
Though every once in a while a tour would come through and I would hear the “ambassador” talk about the “services” that happened here. I would always go “*cough* Catholic Mass *cough*” (though in my humble opinion, it was borderline invalid but still … it was no Christian Reform service … I went to one once … got into a debate with the pastor about total depravity and predestinantion … might have had a bit too much fun with that. The look on his face when he found out that my friends and I were Catholic (don’t worry, we fulfilled our Sunday privilege) was priceless). Yeah, I had a reputation on campus. lol
It would usually take me about an hour to make the whole Via but I loved the alone time meditating on the Passion of the Lord. It really became a part of my Lenten traditions when I was in college. It was a little bit of home and it was a great source of grace for me.
When I came home from college, I got back into the groove of weekly Stations at church and I even got to serve them several times (I loved it). Then I entered the convent but didn’t stay long enough to experience Lent there (the Lord had other plans). So I came back home and here I am.
After I left the convent, I had formally retired from most of my ministries with the parish the first one being my 10 years of serving Holy Mass and being an MC (though I did get to MC a Mass with the Archbishop once; it was a great experience) and finally I have retired from being an EMHC.
Since I had retired from serving Mass, I could no longer serve Stations. I would no longer be able to walk the Via to which I had gotten so accustomed for the past ten years. I had to find something to fill the gap. I would still be attending with my family but there is something I love about walking from station to station. There is something about the physical moving from one point to the next and so on that adds a dimension to the devotion that just standing in my place and genuflecting just doesn’t have. One of the many things that makes Catholicism such a beautifully holistic faith, it incorporates the whole person. It doesn’t just rely on the heart or the mind. It uses the body in order to reinforce and aid the person in growing in grace.
So, I decided that after morning Mass on Fridays, I would make my own private Via in church or, if there was a funeral (my parish has a lot of funerals and winter is a busy season), in the chapel of the parish office where there are also Stations on the wall.
I am so glad I decided to do that! It’s been an immense comfort for me and I have loved it so much!
Another thing I picked up once again from my college days has been my daily Rosary walk after Mass.
When I lived in a convent on the campus of the motherhouse of the OP sisters who founded my alma mater, there was a quarter mile walk to campus everyday. I didn’t mind it at all. Even during the winter since it was a scenic walk, partially through woods and partially through a nice residential area (I would cut across a huge field to save time).
When I would leave the convent for campus, I would pull out my trust iPod (I lived on that thing in college) and grab my beads and pray the Rosary. I would time myself by how far into the Rosary I was. It was a quarter mile walk to the outskirts of campus and it was another distance to get to the building where most of my classes were. So, by the time I got to campus and then to my classroom, I had to be toward the end of the Rosary.
During Lent, I would pray the Sorrowful Mysteries every day until Easter Vigil when I would transition to the Glorious Mysteries.
The Sorrowful Mysteries are my favorite of the 20 mysteries (15, if you are into the traditional mysteries). I love meditating on the Passion of the Lord and all that He went through for love of each of us.
So now that I have the grace of assisting at Mass every day, I pray my Rosary on the way home. Walking through the brisk Michigan winter air, the snow, and sliding on the black ice-covered sidewalks reminds me of the walks around campus and the motherhouse when I was in college. Except for the hills. Campus was a lot hillier than metro Detroit.
And, since it’s Lent, I resumed praying the Sorrowful Mysteries all Lent. I love it.
So I have incorporated those two things into my Lenten observances aside from the little penances and bits of self-denial I have undertaken. I find that my Lent is more growth-filled when I don’t just give something up. When I do that and do something extra for the Lord, I find that He just gives us more grace.
Lent is really one of my favorite seasons of the Church year. Some of my friends tell me: “Allie, if you enjoy Lent, you’re doing it wrong.”
I think that’s kinda erroneous thinking. Yes, Lent is a penitential season. Yes, Lent is a preparatory season for the coming Passion and Death of the Lord. But did not the Lord say:
And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
(Saint Matthew 6:16-18)
Yes, we’re supposed to be doing penances and all the other practices associated with Lent (prayer, fasting, and almsgiving) but I don’t think that means we have to be all dour. Sure the Lord will offer His life on the Cross and die for us but it doesn’t end there … there is the Resurrection. So long as we do not skip the Cross and head straight for the Resurrection, I think we’re all right.
I find Lent to be an immensely beautiful season. The only time during the Church year that I love more is Triduum. Triduum is my favorite. Probably because I got to serve the Triduum Masses and services (Good Friday does not have Mass) almost every year I was a server/MC so those days have special meaning for me since I had the privilege of being so “close to the action.”
Penitential does not need to equal dour and crestfallen. We shouldn’t take our sinfulness lightly but we should not let it weigh us down to the point that we do not recall the hope and joy of the Resurrection is that Christ won by His Cross.
All right, I have to get ready for bed. Vespers and Compline are a’callin’.
Ms. Allie