Holy Martyrs

"Those who share in Christ's blood have taken their stand with angels, and archangels, and the powers from on high, clad in the royal uniform of Christ with spiritual weapons in their hands.  Yet greater still than that:  They are wearing the King himself!"~~St. John Chrysostom

And so I pray today for all the families of those martyred in the name of our Savior.  Through the pain of their loss they must know that saints were in their midst.  I weep with them.  I thank God for them!  For through their great strength these families are witnesses of courage through the Holy Spirit.

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!

Cathy

New Lights

"You will see many things in new lights if you give the Holy Spirit free access to you minds and your hearts." ~~Saint Mother Theodore Guerin

~~~^j^~~~ 

Thanks be to God!

Cathy

Freedom

Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. ~~Saint Therese of Lisieux~~

It occurred to me when I read this quote that those who have never felt the real presence cannot possess "the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. "  They are sorely lacking in happiness and joy.  I think sometimes that people think that freedom comes from legislators and earthly lawgivers.  In fact the only laws that count are those given on high by our creator. 

Instead of seeing their position as an awesome responsibility, they choose to be tied to an ego that suggests that they are greater than the whole.  In fact, they are only earthly keepers of the trust established by the Father at creation.  I am beginning to see that the story The Devil and Daniel Webster could be more truth than fiction.  And if we continue to let government officials limit our religious freedoms in so many ways then they will have taken away our most essential freedom.  The one the Founding Fathers chose to make NUMBER ONE!  I'd say there is something in that.  Wouldn't you?

So let us pray with Saint Therese that  "[the] presence will settle into [their] bones"and the Holy Spirit will truly be present and the only Guide to aid in the legislation of the freedom of life.

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!!

Cathy 

"What does it mean to be a good Catholic?"

Church of the Immaculate Conception
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods

For a long time now...I can't put it into hours, days, or months...I have been searching, wondering. It's one of those times of life when the soul is dry, arid and it needs nourishment and I don't seem to know where to find it. Perhaps, I'm looking in the wrong places. I do know I need some guidance.

In reflection today I picked up Mornings with Thomas Merton, 120 Daily Readings and came upon #62.

Another one of those times that turned out to be historical, as far as my own soul is concerned was when Lax and I were walking down Sixth Avenue, one night in the spring. The street was all torn up and trenched and banked high with dirt and marked out with red lanterns where they were digging the subway, and we picked our way along the fronts of the dark little stores, going downtown to Greenwich Village. I forget what we were arguing about, but in the end Lax suddenly turned around and asked me the question:

"What do you want to be, anyway?"

I could not say, "I want to be Thomas Merton the well-known writer of all those book review in the back pages of the Time Book Review," or "Thomas Merton the assistant instructor of Freshman English at the New Life Social Institute for Progress and Culture," so P put the thing on the spiritual plane, where I knew It belonged, and said:

"I don' know. I guess what I want it to be a good Catholic."

"What do you mean, you want to be a good Catholic?"

So I guess that I what I am trying to discern. You see I don't know what that means either.
Who determines what a good Catholic is. It is a fearful thing to feel unsure. I can only hope that that because I have not heard the Spirit speak to me yet, that He will see fit to clear my ears and head so that His words of wisdom will come through loud and clear.

~~^j^~~
For this time of discernment I say a hearty,
"Thanks be to God!"