Abraham's sacrifice

It has got to be the most perplexing story in the Bible, and I'm not going to pretend to solve it. But something about today's first reading, in the light of yesterday's and today's saints, appeared in a new light.
For one thing, there is the stark command: "Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love." After yesterday's feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, I heard the much later question with the same implication: "Simon, do you love me more than these?"
Today the Church recognizes the martyrs of Rome, those thousands(maybe tens of thousands) of Christians who were put to death in a thousand vicious ways for the sake of the Way. You may recall that the first several hundred (or thousand) of these martyrs were Nero's victims. Even the pagan historians of the time were appalled at Caesar's cruelty in having these men, women and children covered in pitch and set on fire to illuminate the imperial gardens. Abraham did not have to go through with offering Isaac as a burnt offering, but Isaac was offered that way in those latter-day children of Abraham, because of their Abraham-like fidelity to God.
Lord, grant me the faith of Abraham: a faith that does not hide anything away from you!

On the road

We just passed Houston in our two car caravan. Needless to say, it's a bit hard for me to offer reflections on a consistent basis with only a two-thumb keyboard to work with... I decided to pack light for this visit (no laptop!); a good form of discipline, wouldn't you say? I am managing to keep up my Twitter haiku on the daily liturgical readings, though (@nunblogger).
Tonight's destination: Austin!

Corpus Christi

Christ's body has newly been mingled with our bodies,

his blood, too, has been poured out into our veins;

his voice is in our ears,

his brightness is in our eyes.

In his compassion, the whole of Him

has been mingled with the

whole of us.

St Ephrem the Syrian

Inside Look at Convent Life

Checked my stats today and found that I was included in an interesting conversation going on about nuns in today's world. Since someone linked to my blog, I had a huge uptick of hits yesterday while I was enjoying those oysters with Mom. (Sushi today with Mom and my sister, along with her son and her granddaughter.) So for those visitors, I thought it would be helpful to post a few links so they can see some of those "nuns in today's world" that they were talking about.

For example, here am I, here's Sr Julia (from when she was in Chicago last year), here is a group of sisters talking about books they were reading at the time (over a year ago). Here's Sr Tracey telling the story of her call. Remember when we were recording "In Paradisum"? (It's on sale now, don't forget, or download it!)

For more video, see our various online presences. Here are a few to start with (lots more in my sidebar links list):
SingingSisters (that's the YouTube channel I manage); on Twitter I am nunblogger
Sr Tracey's YouTube channel
Sr Helena's channel and blog (lots of movie reviews); don't forget her Twitter feed!
Sr Marie Paul's blog (beautiful and reflective)

Come back around in mid-August and watch us on the "choir cam" while we record a new album.







!)

Meanwhile in New Orleans...

I arrived in New Orleans at noon today, and Mom and I promptly went out for lunch (charbroiled oysters). My sister and her family will join us from Texas this weekend as we celebrate the 90th birthday of my godmother and aunt, Mom's eldest sister, and another "milestone" birthday for a sister-in-law. After the birthday parties, Mom and the girls have a road trip planned. My sisters are in charge of the itinerary ; I'm just along for the ride. And for the Catholic and foodie highlights along the way. (Basically, it seems that we are accompanying my sister back to Austin!) With that in mind, I packed super light (meaning, I did not bring a computer). I figured I can use Mom's computer (here I am!). And my phone. (Wouldn't you know: just this morning the typing app on the phone died.) It should be interesting!

Jesus' litmus test

Every so often, a Gospel I've heard a bagillion times without it making the slightest impression seems to explode with meaning. That happened today as I heard, for the bagillion and first time Jesus' reminder that you can tell a tree by its fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit; a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. By their fruits you shall know them.
If we were to ask Jesus for more insight, he would probably tell us (as he did, in Matthew 12, which is almost a repetition of today's Gospel) to look to the heart. People can talk up a storm and say all the right things. They can repeat orthodox teachings and say pious prayers. They can wrap themselves in a mantel of righteousness the way politicians wrap themselves in the American flag. None of that really tells you who they are. By their fruits you shall know them.
And lest we think this is Jesus' advice for judging others, we get the famous parable where Jesus specifies the "fruits" that he is talking about. We call them the Works of Mercy.
In other words, Jesus is inviting us to bear "good fruit." And he is, yes, also showing us how to recognize the signs of God's presence in people who do not speak the language or wear the signs of our faith. In this day and age, that's more vital than ever!

My Adoration book (and more) on sale...

Well, it's not much fun for an author to find her own books on sale for inventory reduction, but such is life. Which means that this is a great opportunity for you to get multiple copies of...lots of fine titles, including my Eucharistic adoration book for kids, "Come to Jesus!" at 40% off.

A few other noteworthy titles on sale:
St Maximilian Kolbe: Mary's Knight (chapter book for middle grade readers)
St Bernadette (comic book--um, I mean, "graphic novel")
Bread of Life: Prayers for Eucharistic Adoration
My Special Baby Book (Catholic album for the first year of life)
Spiritual Advice from the Saints (a thought a day; nice graduation gift)

And music, too!

Stella Maris (Marian chant)
Adoration II (Eucharistic Hymns; choral and instrumental)
Catholic Favorites II
In Paradisum (Chant)

Fire at Pro-life center

I don't know the papers missed this, but earlier this month a fire broke out in a Chicago pro-life center, The Women's Center (Cicero Ave).  It seems to have been electrical and not arson, thank goodness (the center has been on the receiving end of numerous protests; you'd think they were killing women instead of helping them exercise their freedom of choice!). The fire was first noticed around midnight, as two women were going to the center's perpetual adoration chapel. It caused extensive damage to the whole building--including the supply room, filled with diapers, formula and other necessities* for the center's clientele.
Naturally, donations are needed to help restore the building, but no baby care items yet (no where to put them). The Women's Center is a 501 (c) non-profit, supporting women who choose life.

The idolatry of autonomy

Still thinking about the implications of the proposed circumcision ban in San Fran. I think it's really significant in what it says about the supreme value given to absolute personal autonomy. (How appropriate on a day when the Gospel is "where your treasure is, there your heart will be.")

I noticed that many of the comments about the matter stress that parents are simply "guardians" of a child, as if they could only legitimately act as proxies, attempting to predict the child's own future decisions, and not setting the child on the course they believe best. So parents can have their baby girls' ears pierced (of course the little girl is going to want to wear earrings!), but cannot prevent their teenaged daughter's abortion. This attitude gets taken to extremes also by those who don't want to "impose" a religion on their child, or in the case of that family which is concealing their baby's sex, as if the "datum" of nature itself was a violation of personal rights. Unrestricted choice has become an idol. Each person does, then, become "an island, entire unto itself."

And this is where the ban becomes critical issue for the Jews. A boy's circumcision is the sign of his belonging to a people, and of their history being his history. Through it, he visibly has a place in a much larger picture. He knows: It's not all about me. One thing the ban would do (inadvertently, I think) is establish the newborn Jewish boy as a solitary in this world. Given the history of attempts to marginalize Jews and Judaism, San Francisco would do well to show a little respect and include a religious exemption in the proposed legislation.

The body on the ballot in San Fran

Although the question certainly doesn't involve me personally, I am following with some interest the initiative in San Francisco to ban the practice of circumcision for anyone under the age of 18. (Offenses incur a $1000 penalty.) Jewish and Moslem groups see this as an attack on their religious freedom, especially because no religious exemption is included in the proposed law. Although there are some Jewish families, and even rabbis, who are moving away from the practice of circumcision, others see the proposed law as a sophisticated form of "ethnic cleansing."
The law's proponents present the practice as a taboo-based, primitive kind of genital mutilation and a gross violation of a boy's personal autonomy. That, I think is where the question should interest anyone. The slogan being presented is "His body. His choice."  But San Francisco is not treating all autonomy equally. A California girl does not have to be 18 to have an abortion. And San Francisco still allows parents to have their babies' ears pierced--by jewelers and at mall kiosks, no less (I wonder how long that will last).
There is another dimension that I haven't seen addressed, and that concerns the sacramentality of the body. Circumcision is a kind of sacrament for the Jewish people: a sign of the covenant between God and the children of Abraham, a covenant that is manifested in the body, that is renewed for each and every boy that is born to Abraham's descendants.
Our culture seems very conflicted when it comes to the body. There is a (mostly) unspoken assumption that the body doesn't really matter; that being male or female doesn't make a difference; that what you do with your body doesn't really mean anything, either. As long as it's your "choice." In other words, matter doesn't matter. (You thought Manichaeism was just a decrepit heresy?)
The Jewish tradition (which we Catholics inherited in our sacramental worldview) is that the body--and all "matter"--means very much indeed. Our very nature is a "sacred sign...of grace."

Now we're cooking!

We just got our stove and oven in working condition again, after the gas valve was accidentally shut off a week ago. Which  meant that our crock pot got a lot of visits, as did the old electric skillet, a small electric burner and a George Forman grill. We learned what you can and cannot do on a single electric burner. Boil water? That would be a "no." (Although you can cook pasta by leaving it in the warm water long enough.)
On the whole, I think our culinary creativity got a real work-out--but I'm glad to be "cooking with gas" once again.

Ordinary Time

Today's first reading from St Paul couldn't have been more suitable for our return to "Ordinary Time." "Now is the acceptable time! Now is the day of salvation!" Ordinary? There's nothing ordinary about it!

Come, Spirit of God!

"...whatsoever the Holy Spirit has touched is sanctified and changed" (St Cyril of Jerusalem).

"For the grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age, as we await the blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of the great God and of our savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:11-13).

Prayer for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit, divine Consoler, I adore You as my true God, with God the Father and God the Son. I adore You and unite myself to the adoration You receive from the angels and saints. I give You my heart and I offer my ardent thanksgiving for all the grace which You never cease to bestow on me.

O Giver of all supernatural gifts, who filled the soul of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with such immense favors, I beg You to visit me with Your grace and Your love and to grant me the gift of holy fear, so that it may act on me as a check to prevent me from falling back into my past sins, for which I beg pardon.

Grant me the gift of piety, so that I may serve You for the future with increased fervor, follow with more promptness Your holy inspirations, and observe your divine precepts with greater fidelity.

Grant me the gift of knowledge, so that I may know the things of God and, enlightened by Your holy teaching, may walk, without deviation, in the path of eternal salvation.

Grant me the gift of fortitude, so that I may overcome courageously all the assaults of the devil, and all the dangers of this world which threaten the salvation of my soul.

Grant me the gift of counsel, so that I may choose what is more conducive to my spiritual advancement and may discover the wiles and snares of the tempter.

Grant me the gift of understanding, so that I may apprehend the divine mysteries and by contemplation of heavenly things detach my thoughts and affections from the vain things of this miserable world.

Grant me the gift of wisdom, so that I may rightly direct all my actions, referring them to God as my last end; so that, having loved Him and served Him in this life, I may have the happiness of possessing Him eternally in the next.

Amen.

(St Alphonsus Liguori)

Pentecost Novena

I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God 5 that you have through the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God (2 Timothy 1:6-8).

Prayer for a new Pentecost (Bl. James Alberione)
May you be blessed, Jesus, Divine Master, for you have promised and have sent from the Father, the Holy Spirit to enlighten and sanctify the Church. Through the prayers of Mary, let there be a new Pentecost. Raise up apostles in every age and give them the Spirit of wisdom, knowledge, understanding, counsel, piety and holy fear of God.

Hymn (melody might be in the "We Celebrate" hymnal; it was in the 2007 index)

Into our hearts, O Spirit, come,
O Love of God most Holy,
Breathe forth your fire, send winds of flame
And kindle all that's lowly.
Our hearts are restless 'til they burn
on fire with you for whom they yearn.
Come give us light and wisdom.

How good and wise your lights to us,
How kind your consolation!
We hear you speak our heart's own tongue
and fill with admiration.
By your our nature's wounds are nursed;
your living waters cool our thirst.
Come give us light and wisdom.

O come renew the face of earth
With love beyond all telling,
And fill with joy the hearts of those
in whom you make your dwelling.
Transform us by your living flame,
O strengthen us to praise your name.
Come give us light and wisdom.

Ethnic cleansing takes a new form in Pakistan?

According to the missionary news agency Fides, it's not that unheard of for Christian women to be kidnapped and "converted" to Islam before being forced into marriage in a form of ethnic cleansing. The Christian minority (in a nation where the government minister in charge of issues related to minority groups was assassinated) has little hope of justice:

Lahore (Fides Service) - "On the case of Farah Hatim, we are seeking truth and justice": this is what Paul Bhatti tells Fides, Special Adviser to the Prime Minister of Pakistan for the affairs of religious minorities and leader of the "All Pakistan Minorities Alliance", committed to the defense of religious minorities.
The story of Farah, 24 year old Catholic kidnapped and forced into an Islamic marriage (see Fides 13/5/2011, 6/7/2011) is currently being investigated by the National Commission for "Justice and Peace " at the Catholic Bishops Conference in Pakistan. The investigation, reports the Commission to Fides, intends to establish the truth of the facts and produce a detailed report on the case, which will be submitted to the leadership of the Church and civil authorities. Investigations are necessary given the different existing versions of the matter: the Muslim family where Farah is now insists that she has voluntarily left the family home. According to Fides sources, however, her case is a typical example of a Christian girl kidnapped and forcibly converted. " We record dozens ", says a Catholic nun to Fides, who works in Punjab.
Another Catholic source of Fides in Punjab states: "Kidnapping and converting Christian girls and other religious minorities appears to become a tactic to eliminate Christians and Hindus from Punjab. One should always report such cases in order to bring them to the attention of the international community. The most serious problems are impunity and collusion of the police force, as in the case of Farah, they refuse to prosecute offenders. This attitude acts as a multiplier of such criminal acts. "(PA) (Agenzia Fides 08/06/2011)

Pentecost Novena

We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now; and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit for Health (Bl. James Alberione)

Divine Holy Spirit, Creator and Renewer of all things, Life of my life, with Mary most holy I adore you, I thank you, I love you!
You give life and vivify the whole universe. Preserve me in good health; free me from the illnesses which threaten my health, and all the evils which endanger it.
Assisted by your grace, I promise to always use my energy for the glory of God, for the good of my soul, and in the service of my brothers and sisters.
I pray also that you may illumine with your gifts of knowledge and understanding all doctors and those who care for the sick, so that they may know the true causes of the ills which endanger and threaten life and may discover and apply the most effective remedies to defend life and heal it.
Mary, Virgin most holy, Mother of life and health of the sick, to you I entrust this humble prayer of mine. Deign to increase its value with your maternal intercession.

The Pope and the Environment

If Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew is the "Green Patriarch," I think today's message to diplomats  newly assigned to the Vatican shows that Pope Benedict is the "Green Pope." It's odd how many devout Catholics have been insisting that the Pope is not "green," or that he was just plain wrong in having the Vatican outfitted with solar panels and other green technology. Granted, the "green" label is claimed by some political groups that are anything but green when it comes to the human creature, but that doesn't scare Pope Benedict off from insisting on responsibility toward creation.
Anyway, here's the Vatican Information Service report (emphases are mine); I think  you can see here Benedict's "environmental humanism," which could be a helpful way of engaging nonbelievers and introducing the Christian vision of man:

  In his introductory speech, referring to the "innumerable tragedies that have affected nature, technology, and the peoples" in the first semester of this year, Benedict XVI noted that "the States should reflect together on the short term future of the planet, on our responsibilities regarding our life and technology".

  "Human ecology", he emphasized, "is an imperative. Adopting a lifestyle that respects our environment and supports the research and use of clean energies that preserve the patrimony of creation and that are safe for human beings should be given political and economic priority".

  The Pope highlighted that "a change in mentality" is necessary in order to "quickly arrive at a global lifestyle that respects the covenant between humanity and nature, without which the human family risks disappearing. ... Every government must commit themselves to protecting nature and assisting it to carry out its essential role in the survival of humanity. The United Nations seem to be the natural framework for this type of reflection, which should not be obscured by blindly partisan political or economic interests in order to give preference to solidarity over particular interests".

  "It is also helpful to ask ourselves", he continued, "about the appropriate role of technology" because "believing it is the exclusive agent of progress or happiness carries a reification of humanity that leads to blindness and misery. ... Technology that dominates human beings deprives them of their humanity. The pride that it generates has created an impossible economism in our societies as well as a hedonism that subjectively and selfishly regulates behavior.  The debilitation of the primacy of the human person provokes a loss of the meaning of life".

  Benedict noted that "it is urgent that we match technology with a strong ethical dimension. ... Technology should help nature develop along the lines envisioned by the Creator. In working together, the researcher and the scientist adhere to God's plan that desired humanity as the apex and the administrator of creation. Solutions based on this principle will protect human life and its vulnerability, as well as the rights of the present and future generations".

V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service. www.visnews.org
Copyright © Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City

Pentecost Novena

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, "Abba, Father!"The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8:14-17).

Prayer for Inner Healing (Bl. James Alberione)

Holy Spirit, through the intercession of the Queen of Pentecost:

Heal my mind of lack of reflection, ignorance, forgetfulness, stubbornness, prejudice and error, and form Wisdom, Jesus Christ-Truth in everything.
Heal my heart of indifference, negativity, sinful inclinations, untrammeled emotionalism, unhealthy attachments, and form in me the feelings and inclinations of Jesus Christ-Life in all things.
Heal my will of lack of will power, arbitrariness, sloth and bad habits, and form Jesus Chrsit-Way in me, with a new love for whatever Jesus Christ loves, and for Jesus Christ himself.

Uplift in a godlike way
intelligence with the gift of understanding,
wisdom with the gift of wisdom,
knowledge with the gift of knowledge,
prudence with the gift of counsel,
justice with the gift of piety,
strength with the gift of fortitude,
temperance with the gift of fear of the Lord.
Amen.

No religious exemption in civil unions law...

We all knew this was coming.

With all the discussion leading up to the Illinois civil unions law which went into effect a week ago, no one in Springfield could guarantee that a law intended to protect the rights of gay couples would not leave Catholic Charities (and other faith-based service agencies) liable to charges of discrimination in continuing the long-standing policy of placing children only with married couples or committed single persons. Evidently, no one in Springfield is even now prepared to take a clear stand on the matter of a religious exemption. And so, rather than wait for charges to be brought, or to summarily dissolve ties with state and leave hundreds of vulnerable kids to the already-overburdened DCFS, Catholic Charities is seeking the protection of an injunction that will secure, in effect, the right to freedom of conscience. (Catholic Charities of Rockford dissolved its contract with the state as of June 1.)

Predictably, indignant voices began sputtering about bigotry and human rights, along with non-sequiturs about admirable gay couples and the admitted abomination of the sex abuse crisis (though I haven't heard of any allegations—at all—concerning Catholic Charities). But Catholic Charities' policy does not mean that gay couples in Illinois would be unable to provide a home to a needy child. In fact, such couples were already typically referred to other agencies.

Many people cannot understand Catholic Charities' policy, but it is completely consistent with the values that led to the establishment of homes for neglected, abandoned and battered children over a hundred years ago, when the State of Illinois couldn't be bothered.

As a result of the civil unions law, with the refusal to guarantee religious freedom, the most at-risk kids in the State of Illinois have become an asterisk in the cause of gay rights. This is progress?

This post is bi-locating at the Chicago Tribune site; please add your comments there. (The atheist bloggers have already had a heyday with this news item.)

Pentecost Novena

But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness. If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you.  (Romans 8:9-11).

Prayer by Cardinal Mercier (who advises: "Every day for five minutes control your imagination and close your eyes to all the noises of the world in order to enter into yourself. Then, in the sanctuary of your baptized soul, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit, speak to that Divine Spirit" in words similar to these:)

O Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore You. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. Tell me what I should do; give me Your orders. I promise to submit myself to all that You desire of me and to accept all that You permit to happen to me. Let me only know Your Will.

Last Words

Today's first reading and Gospel are parallel in a way: in the first, Paul is giving his farewell address to the leaders of the Church of Ephesus, the capital of the Roman province of Asia. He had the Ephesian elders come to him at Miletus, knowing that if he had gone to Ephesus, the Church there would have never let him continue his journey to Jerusalem, where "imprisonment and hardships await." In the Gospel, Jesus is offering his last prayer before his own arrest, trial and death.
Paul tells the Ephesians, "I did not shrink from telling you what was for your benefit ...bearing witness to the Gospel of God's grace." Jesus declares, "I revealed your name to those you gave me out of the world."
As I read Paul's talk, I was struck at how closely its sentiments match what we read at the beginning of the letter to the Philippians. Paul is writing from prison, and just as he had said at Miletus "I consider life of no importance to me, if only I may complete the ministry I have received from the Lord Jesus," he writes to the Philippians, "Christ will be glorified in my body, whether by life or death; if I live, that gives me an opportunity for fruitful work among you; for me, life is Christ and death is gain."  It's as if he had just read today's Gospel: "Now this is eternal life: that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ."

Pentecost Novena

In [Christ] we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the one who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ. In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised holy Spirit, which is the first installment of our inheritance toward redemption as God's possession, to the praise of his glory (Ephesians 1: 11-14).

Hymn (4th century? Can be sung to the melody of "The King of Love my Shepherd Is")

Round roll the weeks our hearts to greet,

With blissful joy returning;

For lo! The Holy Paraclete

On twelve bright brows sits burning:

With quivering flame He lights on each,

In fashion like a tongue, to teach

That eloquent they are of speech,

Their hearts with true love yearning.

While with all tongues they speak to all,

The nations deem them maddened,

And drunk with wine the Prophets call,

Whom God’s good Spirit gladdened;

A marvel this—in mystery done—

The holy Paschaltide outrun,

By numbers told, whose reckoning won

Remission for the saddened.

O God most Holy, Thee we pray,
With reverent brow low bending,

Grant us the Spirit’s gifts to-day—

The gifts from heaven descending;

And, since, Thy grace hath deigned to bide

Within our breasts once sanctified,

Deign, Lord, to cast our sins aside,

Henceforth calm seasons sending.

To God the Father, laud and praise,

Praise to the Son be given;

Praise to the Spirit of all grace,

The fount of graces seven—

As was of old, all worlds before,

Is now and shall be evermore,

When time and change are spent and o’er
All praise in earth and heaven.

Pentecost Novena

Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ (Jesus) have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit. Let us not be conceited, provoking one another, envious of one another (Galatians 5: 19-26).

Prayer for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Divine Holy Spirit, eternal Love of the Father and of the Son, I adore you, I thank you, I love you, and I ask you pardon for all the times I have grieved you in myself and in my neighbor.
Descend with great grace during the holy ordination of bishops and priests, during the consecration of men and women religious, during the reception of Confirmation by all the faithful; be light, sanctity and zeal.
To you, Spirit of Truth, I consecrate my mind, imagination and memory; enlighten me. May I know Jesus Christ our Master and understand his Gospel and the teaching of Holy Church. Increase in me the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and counsel.
To you, sanctifying Spirit, I consecrate my will. Guide me in your will, sustain me in the observance of the commandments, in the fulfillment of my duties. Grant me the gifts of fortitude and holy fear of God.
To you, life-giving Spirit, I consecrate my heart. Guard and increase the divine life in me. Grant me the gift of piety.
Amen.

(Bl. James Alberione)

Pentecost Novena

Day 4

At that very moment [Jesus] rejoiced (in) the holy Spirit and said, "I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."

Hymn (9th century! Can be sung to "Faith of Our Fathers" if you repeat the last two lines of each verse --or skip the "refrain" of the melody)

Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,
And lighten with celestial fire;
Thou the anointing Spirit art,
Who dost Thy sev’nfold gifts impart.

Thy blessèd unction from above
Is comfort, life, and fire of love;
Enable with perpetual light
The dullness of our blinded sight.

Anoint and cheer our soilèd face
With the abundance of Thy grace;
Keep far our foes, give peace at home;
Where Thou art Guide, no ill can come.

 

Teach us to know the Father, Son,
And Thee, of both, to be but One;
That through the ages all along
This, this may be our endless song.

Voices from Egypt

While today's first reading brought us the early evangelist, Apollos, from Alexandria, Sr Helena got a message on Facebook from an Egyptian Christian.

I started getting "friend requests" from Egyptian Christians, mostly Coptic Orthodox, a few years ago. Sr Rose e-mailed me, "What's with all the Egyptian friends on Facebook?" My answer was, "If you were a Christian in a country where you're always at some kind of risk for your faith, wouldn't you want to have some sort of connection with the rest of the Christian world?" So now Sr Rose, too, has a good number of Egyptian Facebook friends. Sometimes you will see wall posts in Arabic with a picture of the Virgin Mary. That's from them.

Well, the wall post today was quite different:  

you live singing holy songs and enjoying your lives and Nobody can feel Persecuted Christians in egypt and burnt churches and Kidnapped girls You are in free Land you are Lucky I am Jealous ))))) You havent seen or Lived in a Persecuting Land which Persecutes you Because you are christian or even only you want to Pray.

This message is from a Coptic Orthodox man in his twenties. The icon (left) is his profile picture, representing the persecution of Christians in this country which has had a Christian presence since, well, Apollos. His sister is a nun. On his profile page, he included a news clipping in Arabic:
 واهتمت صحيفة "المصري اليوم" بتغطية وقوع مناوشات كلامية بين أعضاء سلفيين من جبهة الرقابة الثورية ومتظاهرى ميدان التحرير حول من يعتلى منصة الميدان عقب صلاة الجمعة، أمس.
حيث بدأت مجموعة من السلفيين مظاهرة صغيرة لا تتجاوز ٣٠٠ شخص، تندد بوجود السائحين فى الميدان قائلين «السياح كفار»، وتجاوب معهم عدد من الحضور بالقول: «إسلامية إسلامية».
Out of curiosity, I ran the post through Google Translate:
"a verbal skirmish between members of the Salafi group of the Revolutionary Front control and demonstrators Tahrir Square on the platform of ascend the field after Friday prayers yesterday*.
Where a group of Salafis a small demonstration of not more than 300 people, denouncing the presence of tourists in the field, saying, «Kfar tourists», and responded with a number of the audience, saying: «Islamic Islamic». "


Sr Helena responded to the post on her wall, and a conversation started. Here are his posts (in his English):

nothing is helping and christians power became very less than before in the new government nobody can feel us and Nobody can hear us

and the whole middle east is getting Radical Islamic and they want to through out of our Land or to live under horrible religious rules which is not our religion
 

Pray for us we are suffering church yess we are the church of saint markus which is the first church of alexandria but we are suffering

 *The item was posted eight hours ago.
  

Another Paul?

Today's first reading introduces us to an evangelizer who was so ardent and articulate that, by comparison, St. Paul seemed (to some in Corinth, at least) to be a stammering ignoramus. But what's not to like about Apollos? I picture this Jew from the intellectual city of Alexandria, as a rather big fellow: his imposing stature would have contrasted sharply with Paul's acknowledged frailty. And he was an accomplished orator, in a culture in which oratory was a spectator sport. But more than these material qualities, Apollos was a man so inflamed by the Gospel that he took it upon himself to travel the Mediterranean world, far from his home in Egypt, to preach--even though, Luke tells us, he hadn't even gotten the whole story: "he knew only of the baptism of John."
I had to ask myself how this could be, and one plausible answer may be that Apollos was in Jerusalem as a Passover pilgrim at the time of Jesus' death and resurrection, but that he had already set off to proclaim the Messiah before the Ascension and descent of the Holy Spirit. Luke says that Apollos was well-versed (!) in the Scriptures: perhaps he was one of the few (or only!) disciples who, on hearing that Jesus had been raised from the dead, connected that with all that the "Law, the Prophets and the Psalms" had foretold. Somewhat like the disciples at Emmaus who rushed to Jerusalem to share the news when they realized what had happened to them on the road, Apollos may have immediately begun to proclaim the Messiah. Like Paul, Apollos went directly to the synagogue, offering his learned arguments from the Scriptures how Jesus had fulfilled all that had been written beforehand. It was in the synagogue of Ephesus that Priscilla and her husband heard Apollos, and realized that the great preacher still had something to learn. To his credit, Apollos accepted that from the Roman immigrants who were in Ephesus at Paul's behest. (What a surprise it must have been for him, at any rate, to discover a community of believers in the great city!) And from there, Apollos went to Corinth, where he bowled the people over with his eloquence, provoking those unfavorable evaluations of Paul.
Sometimes I am tempted to silence because I am so aware of the lacunae in my knowledge of the faith and theology--but Apollos went out with the message he had (even though it was still incomplete) while remaining open to further instruction. Maybe Apollos can be a patron for us in the New Evangelization!

Pentecost Novena

Day 3

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.... Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled" (Luke 1:41-45).

Prayer for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit (St Alphonsus Liguori)

Holy Spirit, divine Consoler, I adore You as my true God, with God the Father and God the Son. I adore You and unite myself to the adoration You receive from the angels and saints. I give You my heart and I offer my ardent thanksgiving for all the grace which You never cease to bestow on me.
O Giver of all supernatural gifts, who filled the soul of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with such immense favors, I beg You to visit me with Your grace and Your love and to grant me the gift of holy fear, so that it may act on me as a check to prevent me from falling back into my past sins, for which I beg pardon.
Grant me the gift of piety, so that I may serve You for the future with increased fervor, follow with more promptness Your holy inspirations, and observe your divine precepts with greater fidelity.
Grant me the gift of knowledge, so that I may know the things of God and, enlightened by Your holy teaching, may walk, without deviation, in the path of eternal salvation.
Grant me the gift of fortitude, so that I may overcome courageously all the assaults of the devil, and all the dangers of this world which threaten the salvation of my soul.
Grant me the gift of counsel, so that I may choose what is more conducive to my spiritual advancement and may discover the wiles and snares of the tempter.
Grant me the gift of understanding, so that I may apprehend the divine mysteries and by contemplation of heavenly things detach my thoughts and affections from the vain things of this miserable world.
Grant me the gift of wisdom, so that I may rightly direct all my actions, referring them to God as my last end; so that, having loved Him and served Him in this life, I may have the happiness of possessing Him eternally in the next.
Amen.

Pentecost Novena

Day 2

... Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?' And the angel said to her in reply, "The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God." (Luke 1:34-37)

 

Hymn (4th century! Can be sung to the melody of "All Creatures of Our God and King" if you add the appropriate "Alleluias")

Now Christ, ascending whence He came,
Had mounted o’er the starry frame,
The Holy Ghost on man below,
The Father’s promise, to bestow.

The solemn time was drawing nigh,
Replete with heav’nly mystery,
On seven days’ sevenfold circles borne,
That first and blessed Whitsunmorn.

When the third hour shone all around,
There came a rushing mighty sound,
And told the Apostles, while in prayer,
That, as was promised, God was there.

Forth from the Father’s light it came,
That beautiful and kindly flame:
To fill with fervor of His word
The spirits faithful to their Lord.

With joy the Apostles’ breasts are fired,
By God the Holy Ghost inspired:
And straight, in divers kinds of speech,
The wondrous works of God they preach.

To men of every race they speak,
Alike Barbarian, Roman, Greek:
From the same lips, with awe and fear,
All men their native accents hear.

To God the Father let us sing,
To God the Son, our risen King,
And equally let us adore
The Spirit, God forevermore.

Pentecost Novena

It begins today! The inaugural novena, if you will: the nine days in which the Apostles and disciples gathered with Mary in prayer after the Ascension of the Lord. They didn't know they were making a novena, but every novena we make is modeled on this one. Does that hint that in every novena, the ultimate grace we seek is for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit? That's what I'm praying for in this Pentecost novena, 2011! I'm asking the Lord to show us today what it looks like for the Holy Spirit to clothe new witnesses with power from on high.
So for the novena, I thought it would be nice to share a Scripture passage that relates to the descent of the Holy Spirit, along with a hymn or prayer in honor of the Holy Spirit.

Day 1:

When they entered the city they went to the upper room where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. (Acts 1:13-14)

Hymn (from the 12th century!)

1. Holy Spirit, come and shine
   On our souls with beams divine,
   Issuing from Thy radiance bright.
   Come, O Father of the poor,
   Ever bounteous of Thy store,
   Come, our heart’s unfailing light.
2. Come, Consoler, kindest, best,
   Come, our bosom’s dearest guest,
   Sweet refreshment, sweet repose.
   Rest in labor, coolness sweet,
   Tempering the burning heat,
   Truest comfort of our woes.
3. O divinest light, impart
   Unto every faithful heart
   Plenteous streams from love’s bright flood.
   But for Thy blest Deity,
   Nothing pure in man could be;
   Nothing harmless, nothing good.
4. Wash away each sinful stain;
   Gently shed Thy gracious rain
   On the dry and fruitless soul.
   Heal each wound and bend each will,
   Warm our hearts benumbed and chill,
   All our wayward steps control.
5. Unto all Thy faithful just,
   Who in Thee confide and trust,
   Deign the sevenfold gift to send.
   Grant us virtue’s blest increase,
   Grant a death of hope and peace,
   Grant the joys that never end.

New Approach to First Fridays

First Fridays are back! (Well, they never really went anywhere, but perhaps Catholic attention to them has waned substantially.) This year, the US bishops are redirecting our attention to the day Catholic devotion focuses on the Sacred Heart of Jesus, "burning with love for us," and proposing a year-long observance that can both help us pay more attention to Jesus and his self-sacrificing love and grow in awareness of the "least of his brethren." It's an adaptation of the tradition of meatless Fridays (funny how our culture is now promoting "meatless Mondays" for the sake of the environment, after Catholics pretty much let go of the meatless Fridays in honor of the Lord's passion). Instead of simply going meat-free in your meals, the bishops are suggesting "fasting" in the form of meals limited to what your family could afford if you qualified for government aid.  (It ends up being meatless simply because meat is so expensive!)

This is not just a "feel good" social solidarity experiment: each First Friday will be connected to our Catholic spirituality through a theme that unites our spiritual tradition with the Gospel works of mercy.  For this coming first Friday of June, falling as it does in the weeks preceding the Solemnities of the Body and Blood of the Lord and of the Sacred Heart, the theme is "A Eucharistic Response to Hunger."
Learn more on the First Friday program's Facebook page!