Saint for the new year

"... since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses..." -- Hebrews 12:1 (RSV)

For several years I've engaged in the practice of drawing the name of a saint to be my "saint buddy" for the year. Some folks do this just before the start of Advent, which is certainly more in keeping with the liturgical calendar, but since my birthday is so close to the end of the calendar year, it's always seemed more natural to do it at the end of December.

This year, I pulled St. Mechtilde. I've been acquainted with a lot of saints over the years, but I had no idea who St. Mechtilde was. It turned out that it wasn't that easy to find out, either, as I kept running into references to two Mechtildes, who seemed to be different, but also shared some similarities, so that I actually wasn't sure if they were two women or one.

Finally, I came across a teaching given by Pope Benedict XVI at a General Audience in September 2010 on St. Mechtilde (or Matilda) of Hackeborn. He noted that the same German convent was home in the late 1200s to four famous mystics, two named Mechtilde and two named Gertrude. To make things even more confusing, St. Mechtilde of Hackeborn was the younger sister of one of the Gertrudes and novice mistress to the other Gertrude, St. Gertrude the Great, and it wasn't unusual for folks to get those relationships mixed up, too! After reading his comments, I decided, if St. Mechtilde of Hackeborn was important enough to warrant a teaching from Pope Benedict, then she was probably the one I pulled, although if the other St. Mechtilde would also like to pray for me this year, that would be just fine with me. :-)

The slip of paper with her name included a quote, not from St. Mechtilde, but from Jesus speaking to St. Mechtilde:

"All those who love My gifts in others will receive the same merit and glory as those to whom I have granted those gifts."

I love that thought. I love the humility and gratitude and hiddenness reflected in it. It's very like St. Therese -- or rather, St. Therese is very like Jesus! She said something of a similar vein that's recorded in her Last Conversations:

"How often have I thought that I may owe all the graces I've received to the prayers of a person who begged them from God for me, and whom I shall know only in heaven.

"Yes, a very little spark will be capable of giving birth to great lights in the Church, like the Doctors and Martyrs, who will undoubtedly be higher in heaven than the spark; but how could anyone think that their glory will not become his?

"In heaven, we shall not meet with indifferent glances, because all the elect will discover that they owe to each other the graces that merited the crown for them." (St. Therese of Lisieux, Her Last Conversations, tr. by Fr. John Clarke, conversation #5, July 15, 1897)

Sts. Mechtilde and Therese, please pray for me!

St. Joseph, head of the Holy Family

"[Jesus] went down with [Mary and Joseph] and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them..." -- Luke 2:51 (NAB)

Today is the wonderful feast of the Holy Family. Coming as it does during the Christmas season, it's natural to think of the Holy Family when Jesus was an infant, or perhaps when as a child He was found by His parents in the Temple in Jerusalem, as in today's Gospel. But I found myself thinking of an insight that I received several years ago on Holy Thursday regarding St. Joseph. I make no claim to it being anything other than what it is, private revelation. I offer it simply for you to take or leave as the Lord leads.

That year during the Eucharistic Prayer at Holy Thursday Mass, I found myself wondering what share St. Joseph had had in the Passion, given that he had died before Jesus' public ministry began. I suddenly had a flash of insight that came in the time it took to mention St. Joseph's name in the Eucharistic Prayer, an understanding that came to me complete and whole, not in a linear string of words as I'm forced to use to describe it now.

Mary and Joseph knew that their son was the Messiah, and being good Jews familiar with the Scriptures, that meant that they also knew that His mission would involve great suffering. They didn't know, however, certain details, such as exactly when and under what circumstances His mission would begin. Nonetheless, Joseph, having heard Simeon's prophecy that a sword would also pierce Mary's soul, always assumed that he would be there for her, to support her and provide strength and shelter for her in her sorrow, as he had been in Bethlehem and Egypt and Nazareth and Jerusalem.

Then one day Joseph became sick. As a strong working man, he had rarely been sick and never with anything serious. But this sickness, whatever it was, sapped his strength and before long, he had to stay in bed. Despite Mary's loving care, he continued to grow weaker, and it became clear that Joseph was dying.

At one point, Mary was out of the house, perhaps drawing water at the well, and Jesus was alone with Joseph, sitting next to his bed to comfort him. Joseph looked up at Jesus and asked weakly, "I won't be there for her?" Jesus, knowing exactly what he meant, looked at him with great love and understanding and then shook His head, No.

In that moment, all the pain and suffering of the Passion combined with the anguish that was unique to Joseph over the fact that he would not be able to be present at the Passion for Mary, whom he loved more than his own life, and they came together into a white-hot point of exquisite, indescribable pain that pierced his soul like a laser, hit his heart, and exploded.

And in the very next instant, from the center of his shattered heart, he whispered to God, "Yes."

I doubt if we will ever know until we get to Heaven what an incredibly great saint Joseph is.

St. Joseph, head of the Holy Family, please pray for us.

Remember the Resurrection!

"...when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand." -- Luke 21:28 (NAB)

Earlier this week, I was reflecting on these words of our Lord while considering the increasing darkness in the world. As I did so, these words started rising up in my heart: "Make this your rallying cry: Remember the Resurrection!"

When the darkness and fear of the Garden of Gethsemane starts pressing in on every side, Remember the Resurrection!

When your friends abandon you, as they did Jesus, Remember the Resurrection!

When people mock you and persecute you for your faith, Remember the Resurrection!

When you have fallen under the weight of your cross and are struggling get up and go on, Remember the Resurrection!

When you are nailed to the cross yourself, or standing by the cross of a loved one, going through the agony as death approaches, Remember the Resurrection!

When you, like the Blessed Mother, are cradling your dead loved one in your arms, heart broken with grief, Remember the Resurrection!

And today, when a score of innocent children and a number of adults are brutally killed by a gunman, leaving behind hundreds of traumatized and grieving students and teachers and family and friends; when a nation and a world that in many ways has become calloused to loss of life is stunned; when people in shock and anger and despair ask How? and Why? and Where is God?...

...then hold each other tight, and cry together, and then gently and lovingly whisper to each other the words, Remember the Resurrection!

The Cross and the Resurrection

"For the sake of the joy that lay before Him He endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken His seat at the right of the throne of God." -- Heb. 12:2 (NAB)

I just learned today that the oft-quoted words of Cardinal Francis George of Chicago about "dying in his bed" are missing an important sentence. Cardinal George explained in his Oct. 21, 2012 column for the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Chicago that his words in response to a question were apparently recorded on a smartphone and then "went viral." Although they were accurate, as far as they went, the complete quote reads as follows:

"I expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square. His successor will pick up the shards of a ruined society and slowly help rebuild civilization, as the church has done so often in human history."

I think that second sentence is so vitally important, especially given the situation that our society is facing today. It reminds us that, no matter how dark things may get--and I, like many others, think it's going to get pretty dark--the story does not end on Good Friday! We need to keep the Resurrection firmly in mind when considering what lies ahead. Then, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, we can hope to be able to be like Jesus, Who "for the sake of the joy that lay before Him ... endured the cross, despising its shame..." 

The challenge of fear

"The angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.' " -- Luke 1: 30 (RSV)

 About a month ago, I started reading a book called The Gift of Faith by Father Tadeusz Dajczer. It came highly recommended by a fellow Secular Carmelite, and I've not been disappointed. If you're looking for an inspiring book to read during the Year of Faith, check it out.

Among the many insights from Fr. Dajczer is this from his chapter, "The Virtue of Faith":

"Fear is a trial of faith and that is why God allows it, so that you may grow in faith. Trust and faith are made perfect amidst fears.

"Fear can contribute to illness in many people. Fear lies at the basis of neuroses and psychoses. But it can be an outlet to total abandonment to God. Everything depends on you. Fear is a challenge issued to you. What will you do with it? Will you allow yourself to be enslaved by its weight? Or, instead, will you try to perform acts of abandoning yourself to Him who is infinite power and love." (p. 53)

This is what Mary did when faced with the Archangel Gabriel's visit and message. She did not allow either fear of the angel or fear of the implications of God's call to hold her back. Instead, she abandoned herself totally to God and His will: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word."

Lord, through the prayers of Your Mother, help me to respond to every fear that I experience in my life by abandoning myself to You in trust, faith, and love.

Mother of the Word Incarnate

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth..." -- John 1:14 (RSV)

Although the months of May and October are dedicated to the Blessed Mother, the liturgical season that brings her most to the forefront, at least for me, is Advent/Christmas. So now, when we're starting another liturgical year, seems like the perfect time to share this beautiful image of Mary reading the Scriptures. (Yes, I know it's anachronistic to show her reading a bound book, but please put that aside for now. :-) )

I found this several months ago on Wikimedia Commons, and I'm glad that I downloaded it when I did, because I haven't been able to find it again since! If I recall correctly, it's an image from a cathedral in Russia.

Aside from the sheer beauty of this image of the Blessed Mother, I love the fact that she, who bore the Word of God Incarnate, is shown contemplating the Word of God. I've heard it said, I think, that Jesus was conceived in Mary's heart long before He was conceived in her womb.  No wonder that both Mary and Jesus are addressed in Scripture as being "full of grace."

Father, by the power of your Spirit, may I study Your Word until I, too, can bring Him forth to the world in the way that You created me to bear Him, according to Your perfect loving will. Amen.