** Padre Pio once said 'Bring me my weapon!' ** (He was referring to the Rosary.)
Sometimes we just need to shut up and listen, and guess
what? Jesus will speak to you. His voice often a tug on your heart whereby
our prayers are answered. That’s
right,.God answers prayer! The fact is, we,
fallen mankind, sometimes we don’t like the answer He gives us. Every morning, I spend an hour before Jesus
presence in the Tabernacle,.. A spiritual protein shake in order to start my
day!
Prayer, the ‘life’ blood in any relationship with God. Yet how many people truly pray? Can we (myself included) honestly say that we
pray enough? St Paul exhorts us to pray
incessantly, and as Catholics, especially in light of the Second Vatican
Council’s Universal Call to Holiness, that the Liturgy of the Hours are heavily
favored for Clergy, (A promise) and for laity.
We can sanctify our day, by offering it, Laudes, and Vespers especially,
but as you relationship with God deepens, throwing in even None, Sext and
Complines. (Night prayer). Prayer, properly defined is an elevation of
the Intellect and will to God. We can
praise God, thank Him for our lives, we can petition God for the things we need
and we can just meditate, sometimes sitting of front of The Blessed Sacrament,
Jesus truly present in the Eucharist. Still another form of prayer? Lectio Divina! A continuous reading of Scripture, especially
the Gospels and using the ‘Olier method.’
We enter and see Jesus,..we place ourselves among His disciples, we hear
Him when He speaks, and can sometimes even smell the environment. The next contemplation, Jesus in our
hearts…Surely Scripture is alive and tell us something different every time we
read it. Finally Jesus in our bodies,..a
preparation for the Eucharist!
Why a post about prayer?
Well, the answer may surprise you, then again, it might not. Recently social network has been awash with
any and every criticism leveled at different aspects of Holy Mother
Church. Now obviously everyone knows
where I stand on abuses, but I think a serious reflection needs to take place
and not just constantly upload pictures of various Masses everywhere. Not just disgruntled Catholics, but other
groups (Orthodox?) showing the difference between the Eastern and Western
Liturgies while using as an example for the west,..a Liturgy from the L.A.
Religious conference that looks more like a Robert Schuller event, preceded by
a Liturgical parade. Then you have the
angry SSPXers uploading every ‘Novus’ Ordo Mass, carefully selected that
doesn’t do the Mass justice. (Obviously they
won’t show a reverent Ordinary Form Mass, EWTN style, or still something from
St John Cantius,…noooo,..its an agenda, plain and simple.) Then you have the reactive groups, showing
EF Form Masses without the prayers at the foot of the altar. Never have Mother Angelica’s words rung so
clear! Stop preaching and start
praying!
My friends, there is no such thing as a Traditional
Catholic, Novus Ordo Catholic, Neo-Conservative Catholic, Progressive Catholic
or otherwise. Our Faith is dogmatic and
not a cafeteria, where you can pick a little of this and a little of that, you
are either Catholic or you are not.
Period. Statements such as ‘I’m
pro social justice and pro-choice, but personally against abortion while
attached to the Ambrosian Rite of Liturgy because all others are invalid’ reveals
that the person uttering the statement is both intellectually as well morally
schizophrenic. Perhaps I’m being
harsh? My point is that Catholics need
to band together and start praying, fasting and then we will bring about the
full reception of Vatican II and not the silliness that we were fed growing
up. So, that being said, this is a shout
out to Michael Voris, Fr Larry Richards, EWTN, Fr Z, and all the SSPXers who
have an open heart, (and mind). Our
enemy the devil can easily sow pride in our hearts whereby we mistakenly
believe that we will bring about change and that we will convert the
world. Not so! The Holy Spirit will convert the hearts of
people when the Holy Spirit is good and ready.
We can look to Lent and perhaps offer in prayer those who persecute us,
those who are our enemies and even those who in good faith, do things because
they were formed in that fashion. That
doesn’t mean we remain idle and do nothing, but we can reference 1st
Peter and can give an account for the joy that is in us! (Paraphrase). We are a people of the Resurrection and
Allelujia is our song! (Pope John Paul
II)
This Lent, let us purify our prayer life and like the
Christian martyrs be ready to be fed to the lions while singing hymns. We can eagerly await the next Vortex, or Fr
Barron commentary, but we are followers of Jesus, not fans of a certain
personality type. In the face of an
abuse, recite 3 Hail Marys! In the face
of heresy, pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet!
In the face of all who persecute you, echo the words of Jesus from the
Cross,..’Father forgive them for they know not what they do.’
God bless and I wish all a very holy and contemplative
Lenten Season
St Pio de Pietrelcino,…………………………………………………………..ora pro nobis!
