Whether we, personally, feel the need to pray or not (although we all need to prepare ourselves for, as the Fathers of Vatican II, spoke of, “…full, conscious and active participation…” in the Mass) charity surely demands that we consider those who do wish to speak with God, those who need this weekly oasis in which to rest in God's Embrace, the calm in the eye of the storm of life!
Our lovely new banners will, hopefully, remind us of Our Saviour in the Tabernacle, waiting lovingly and patiently like the Father of the Prodigal Son, calling us to his Divine Embrace. He is ours for the asking!
As we must never forget, our final bliss in Heaven is dependent, not just on God’s Mercy but upon our each having freely co-operated with his Grace. God will not force us to be obedient and go to Heaven; the choice is ours! As the highest of God’s creations, we are endowed, from conception, with a spiritual Soul and Free-Will; we are capable of coming to know and understand His Will for us, aided in the formation of our Conscience by our Parents, Priests and Catholic schools and, as we mature (a status marked by the Sacrament of Confirmation) by our own careful study of the often challenging Teachings of the Church. We must pray, often, that we will clearly discern exactly what Vocation (or call) God is giving us. As we see, in following the news media, the traps set by Satan are numerous and, in some cases, presented under the guises of ‘Human Rights’ and ‘Love’, of which they are, in truth, a denial.
One might say that the “bottom line”, regarding our hope to receive God’s Mercy, lies in the words we say, sometimes, sadly, with little thought, virtually every day of our Life: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” or, to put it another way “Do not forgive me if I refuse to forgive others”. That is not to say that to forgive is easy; hurts and harm can penetrate deeply. It may well be, too, that it is hard, if not impossible, to forget wrongs done to us. Pope Francis, among other matters, referred to the abuse, not by strangers, but by those close to the victims. Christ, in His Passion, showed just how forgiving we must be; In the end, it is Satan who thrives on hatred and unforgiveness. As Christians, we are called to be merciful as God is merciful. That means that we must, as well as forgiving, not forget our duty to correct error; it is just as merciless to, for instance, fail to warn someone we know to be living in a sinful state as it is to refuse to forgive those who repent and ask forgiveness of us. It is NOT being judgmental and may see us fall in the ‘popularity ratings’ but this duty supersedes our possible inclinations. God, grant us the Graces we need to spread your Divine Mercy. The image above, entitled Divina Misericordia, was painted by Eugeniusz Kazimirowski in 1934. This is the only painting which was done under the indications of Sister Faustina
Sadly there can sometimes be presented to us a somewhat one-sided view of Divine Love. God loves us. Of that there is no doubt; He created us to, ultimately, enjoy Eternal Happiness - again true! We do well to remember, though, that if we are to get there, we, too, have a part to play. As St. Augustine noted, "God, who created you without your consent, will not (or cannot) save you without your co-operation."; in other words, if we are to attain Heaven we must, to the best of our ability, obey God's Laws - challenging as they may be - or, to put things another way, to reach our journey's hoped-for end we must follow the route-map!
If we misuse a domestic appliance, and it goes wrong, it is no use claiming under the guarantee! Likewise with our God-given life; it must be lived in accordance with the Maker's Instructions in order to lead us to Heaven.
On Good Friday we shall hear how, encouraged by those who rejected Christ's Truth, many who had, today, acknowledged Jesus as King, were to call for His Death on the Cross. Our Lord, in chastising those who profaned the Temple, knowing full well the response He would receive, taught us a vital lesson. As Catholics, we are living in an increasingly liberal age, when the Teachings of the Church on, among other things, Marriage and sexual morality are openly attacked and being charitable is, at times, confused with permissiveness. It is that world in which our children are growing up. We must equip them to live the Truth, to be witnesses to God, “...in season and out of season...”.
We may, perhaps, have to risk resentment and worse, in order to stand up for what is right. Our promotion of the Truth may see us falling in the 'ratings', perhaps even being actively opposed but, in sticking to the truth, we know that God's Will prevails. It is our fidelity to God which will bring us safely into Heaven, not our being prepared to compromise on truth and so be well thought of in the here and now! Remember the saying that, “Silence gives consent!”. How might that apply to me? We can draw courage from Saint Thomas More. As he faced death, the ultimate punishment for his defence of the indissolubility of Marriage and his concern for immortal souls, he declared, “I die, the King's good servant, but God's first!”. The painting entitled Entry of Christ into Jerusalem by Pietro Lorenzetti 1320
Others of us may already have a 'favourite' Stations book we use; even those who are now housebound can still make the Stations this way. There is probably even an App for our Smart-phone!
A beautiful, simple and soul-searching version is that by Saint Alphonsus Liguori, published by CTS. For those of us who are 'into' mp3 players etc. this version can be downloaded free from HERE. A further, more contemporary meditation by Father Hugh Thwaites, S.J. is available HERE. Of course there are many versions available; it all depends on what we hope to gain, spiritually, from this great Devotion. EWTN Catholic TV is well worth looking at. How we meditate on the Passion is up to us. If we really don't have time to come and make the Stations in church (on our own, if we prefer) or to spend a half-hour or so making them at home, why not try, daily, during Lent, to say the beautiful Act of Contrition which is often part of the Way of the Cross: "I love Thee, Jesus, my love above all things! I repent with my whole heart of having offended Thee! Never permit me to separate myself from Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always and then do with me what thou wilt! The image is of Michelangelo's Pieta, sculpted from marble between 1498 and 1500, and seen in the Basilica of St. Peter, Rome
Christ also, as we will readily understand from praying, "....forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us...", expects us to show mercy to others.
We must, of course, regularly seek God's Mercy in Confession, so increasing (or, indeed, restoring) the Grace we need in order to avoid sin and attain Heaven. Is regular Confession a priority in your life? How about saying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy as part of your preparation? Find out more about Divine Mercy HERE, and read what our Holy Father has said to us about it. This November, Month of the Holy Souls, we come to the close of the Jubilee Year of Mercy proclaimed by Pope Francis. Let us ever have before our eyes the beautiful Image of our Merciful Lord, His right hand raised in Blessing, the left indicating the rays issuing from His Pierced Heart, and say the Prayer, “Jesus, I trust in You”. Jesus explained the meaning of these rays as follows: “The two rays denote Blood and Water. The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls…” (Diary, 299). Loving Mercy is continually and freely offered to us. We are in great need of It! How eager are we to repent of our sins and to ask for and accept Divine Mercy? Extracts from Saint Faustina's diary: Used with permission of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M. The image above, entitled Divina Misericordia, was painted by Eugeniusz Kazimirowski in 1934. This is the only painting which was done under the indications of Sister Faustina  On the Friday following the Second Sunday after Pentecost we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Seat and Symbol of His Burning Love for us, Love which moved Him to Die for us, in agony, on the Cross on Good Friday and also moved Him to, at the Last Supper, institute the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in which, through Holy Orders and Father’s words and gestures, that once-for-all Sacrifice will be made present in our churches and offered until the end of time. Christ, of course, does not suffer any more; He just wishes us to join ourselves, in our own particular time and place, to His Sacrifice and longs to give Himself to each of us, in Communion.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart is often linked to one Saint, in particular, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque who, round about 1673, was privileged to have Jesus show her His Sacred Heart, lamenting that although He showers unlimited Love on Mankind, so many simply show ingratitude in return. Among the revelations Jesus made was what became known as the Great Promise, namely that those, who on the First Friday of nine months in a row, would receive Communion, would be granted all the Graces they needed to live a life which would bring them safely to Heaven. Of course, as we must recognise, this does not guarantee that one will get to Heaven, come what may. Rather it promises that all the spiritual assistance we need to overcome sin and move closer to God are ours for the asking; we are, of course, expected to make our best efforts to use these helps! Jesus asked for the setting up of this Feast, to make up for Man’s ingratitude. It is significant that these visions occurred when they did because, at the time, a Heresy, Jansenism, presented God as anything but Loving, Merciful and Forgiving, but rather as someone to be feared, totally at variance with the Church’s Teachings. In an age when the meaning of the word ‘love’ has been so distorted and debased, this Devotion is another priceless asset to us in our journey to Heaven. The image above depicts the statue of the Sacred Heart in St. Bartholomew's church For Catholics this day is a liturgical ‘New Year’s Eve’. Once again we have reached the end of the Liturgical Year and, next Sunday, we begin the Season of Advent. Throughout the space of a year we will re-live the history of Salvation; we will recall how, in spite of the sin of our First Parents, Adam and Eve, God did not, on His part, renege on His side of things.
Through the Scriptures we will hear of how God promised a way back, chose and prepared His people, the Jews then, through His Son, gave them the means, i.e. the Catholic Church, the Priesthood, Mass and Sacraments, which gave them, once again, the chance of getting to Heaven, so giving life a purpose beyond the grave. Sunday’s readings bring out the image of the tender, self-giving Love of God with references to shepherds, underlining God’s unstinting care for His often straying flock. The Prophet Ezekiel shows how, as the Good Shepherd, God seeks out and (should they be willing) brings back the sheep which have strayed into dangerous territory. Once safely back in the sheepfold, there is healing of injuries, food, and security from predators. The Psalm is the familiar, “The Lord is my Shepherd”, again portraying clearly the real benefits of staying close to Christ; He will never abandon us! Saint Paul, writing to the Corinthians, recalls Christ’s Resurrection through which we were, once again, given the chance of Life after death with God in Heaven. He shows how, just as a Human Being lost the way to heaven for us, so, in taking flesh as a Human Being, living in perfection, Dying and Rising from the dead, Christ put Mankind back on track; by faithfully co-operating with Grace we will share, one day, in Christ’s final victory over evil. Lest we grow complacent, through a one-sided image of God’s Love for us, forgetting that Love is a two-way process, the Gospel gives us a vital and salutary warning that, for each and every one of us, life will come to an end; Christ will judge us and, if we are to share in the final Victory, in Eternal Happiness, we must have, during our lives, done what we can to exercise the virtue of Charity towards our fellow Human beings, many of whom do not have the Spiritual and material advantages that we so often take for granted. It is made abundantly clear that, if we are to receive a welcome in Heaven, we must, here and now, have extended help either directly or indirectly, to those around us who lack the material and Spiritual necessities of life. How well are we preparing for Eternity? "Help, Lord, the Souls that Thou hast made, the Souls to thee so dear! In prison for the debt unpaid of sins committed here".These words, throughout the year and particularly in November, recall us to our duty of performing the Spiritual Work of Mercy of Praying for the Souls of the Faithful Departed; these include family, friends, acquaintances and also those who we have never known. Almost daily, the news media remind us of many for whom death comes suddenly and unexpectedly. As we pray for these souls we must also pray for ourselves; may we be prepared in order that death does not take us by surprise. Prayer for the dead goes back to Old Testament times. It is, for us, a recognition that our Christian Family extends far beyond the confines of our Parish. As members of the Communion of Saints, we have Brothers and Sisters without number. Some are already enjoying the Eternal Bliss of Heaven while we are sustained by God's Grace, on Earth. However, for those who have died, as will most of us, with some sins not atoned for, the chances to respond lovingly to God have ceased; those who have died in the State of Grace are waiting in the state the Church calls Purgatory where, before they can 'feel at home' in God's Presence, they must be cleaned (purged) of all that, from this life, remains between them and God. God knows that, until all traces of sin are removed, a soul will be unable to enjoy His Presence. These souls are, of course, assured of Heaven but can no longer do anything to help themselves get there; as with any loving family fitter members care for the sick and helpless; Saints in Heaven pray; we on Earth assist Souls in Purgatory through our Masses, Prayers and other sacrifices.
To emphasise our hope of Heaven we will, on Tuesday, celebrate All Saints in Heaven. On Wednesday we will recall All Souls who look to us (maybe some have nobody specifically praying for them) to help them into Heaven. The imperfect state in which we die is further highlighted by the Priest's purple vestments (black may still be an option) when saying a Requiem Mass; the general exception, of course, is white, worn at a Mass for a baby or very young child who, of course, died before they were able to understand sin and, so, offend God. The sombre colours are an essential reminder that, however good our fellow human-beings may have seemed to us, they are, with their fallen nature, far from perfect and, therefore, in need of all the help they can get. We owe it, in love, to those who have died (and this is NOT judging them) to beg God's forgiveness as He sees they need it. One day we will be in that state! Please God this loving service will be performed for us! As we say the Rosary we can unite ourselves with our Brothers and Sisters around the world, both those who, like us, are free to publicly profess their Faith and those who, as the news constantly portrays, are being persecuted, sometimes martyred for their Faith, the tragedy being deepened by the fact that the persecutors appear to believe that they do these things in God's Name! The Rosary has, throughout history, been the undoing of many who have sought to wipe out the Church; a notable example of its Power was at the Battle of Lepanto; why not read of this and other more recent demonstrations of Our Lady's intercessory Power. Read the story of Our Lady of Fátima or download an audio version, very suitable for children, HERE.
Of course the Rosary, although highlighted during May and October, should never be confined to two months of the year! Again, as with so many of the treasures of our Faith, there are ample resources (probably even Apps!) on the Internet as well as numerous books to aid and deepen our meditations. The Rosary knows no bounds! Our Lady has presented it to everyone with the good will to pray it. Another bonus these days, through the communications media, is the facility to join in online via webcams (at Fátima and Lourdes for instance) and, possibly, satellite TV, with the prayers of the faithful children of Mary all round the world. There are probably Apps for smart-phones. Mary is calling her children to come and pray for her Intercession. Are we heeding that call? |
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Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark
A Registered Incorporated Charity - CIO No. 1173050
A Registered Incorporated Charity - CIO No. 1173050
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