The Shema & the Creed

Today in the first reading at Mass we had these beautiful words from the Book of Deuteronomy. This has become known as the “Shema” prayer that Jews pray every - it was the first Jewish Creed. 

When it refers to the “the LORD is our God, the LORD is one” this would have originally referred to the divine name of Yahweh - the personal name of the One True God revealed to Moses. So the Shema prayer acknowledges that there is only One God and He is Yahweh, all other ”gods” are false gods. 

For us Christians, Jesus revealed to us that God is a Trinity of persons - Father, Son & Holy Spirit. But it is still ONE God, the “Three in One & One in Three”.  It is interesting to note that for the early Christians their catchphrase was “Jesus is Lord” - they were confessing the divinity of Jesus. Etymologically Jesus means “Yahweh saves” and this is why Jesus is the manifestation or the face of God the Father revealed to us in His beloved Son. 

When we pray the Creed we still say “I believe in ONE God” and then it is divided into 3 parts regarding the Father, the Son & The Holy Spirit. So for Christians our “Shema” is the Creed. 

The beauty and mystery of Christianity is that the Trinitarian nature of God does not take away from him “Oneness”. As it says in the Catechism: # 234 The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in himself. It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them. It is the most fundamental and essential teaching in the "hierarchy of the truths of faith". The whole history of salvation is identical with the history of the way and the means by which the one true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, reveals himself to men "and reconciles and unites with himself those who turn away from sin".

CCC 222 Believing in God, the only One, and loving him with all our being has enormous consequences for our whole life.

CCC 223 It means coming to know God’s greatness and majesty: “Behold, God is great, and we know him not.”1 Therefore, we must “serve God first”.2

CCC 224 It means living in thanksgiving: if God is the only One, everything we are and have comes from him: “What have you that you did not receive?”3 “What shall I render to the LORD for all his bounty to me?”4

CCC 225 It means knowing the unity and true dignity of all men: everyone is made in the image and likeness of God.5

CCC 226 It means making good use of created things: faith in God, the only One, leads us to use everything that is not God only insofar as it brings us closer to him, and to detach ourselves from it insofar as it turns us away from him:

My Lord and my God, take from me everything that distances me from you.

My Lord and my God, give me everything that brings me closer to you.

My Lord and my God, detach me from myself to give my all to you.6

CCC 227 It means trusting God in every circumstance, even in adversity. A prayer of St. Teresa of Jesus wonderfully expresses this trust:

Let nothing trouble you / Let nothing frighten you

Everything passes / God never changes

Patience / Obtains all

Whoever has God / Wants for nothing

God alone is enough.7

1 Job 36:26.

2 St. Joan of Arc.

3 I Cor 4:7.

4 Ps 116:12.

5 Gen 1:26.

6 St. Nicholas of Flue; cf. Mt 5:29-30; 16:24-26.

7 St. Teresa of Jesus, Poesias 30 in The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, vol. III, tr. K. Kavanaugh OCD and O. Rodriguez OCD (Washington DC Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1985), 386 no. 9. tr. John Wall.

Delight in the Lord

As I was praying the Office of Readings, I came across this in the psalm and couldn’t get my mind off of it. 

How often do we take DELIGHT in the Lord? 

Often we feel troubled, burdened, so we go to God as our refuge and help. We might make little prayers to him out of a sense of obligation or as a way to feel like we are “ticking a box” as a kind of spiritual insurance policy…. But delighting in God? 

Some might read this and think that this can be seen as some type of Prosperity Gospel, where the desires of our heart are seen as a type of reward, usually financial. However, if we really think about it - the deepest desires of the human heart are for intimacy, connection, understanding… Love. 

This is what the Gospel offers us - that Divine Intimacy where through Jesus we can share in the life of the Blessed Trinity. 

So today I invite you, spend some time delighting in God. Find in him your joy, and see how he fills your heart with his blessings.

Battle of faith - following your vocation

Faith can be a daily battle. Sometimes we can feel discouraged and feel like there’s no point in going against the world, that it’s easier to just give in. 

But God has a plan for each and every one of us. A unique and special calling - if we just take the time to listen to Him, open our hearts and be obedient to the call. That is our vocation, our path of holiness so that we may always dwell in the house of the Lord. 

Holy stubbornness - the gift of perseverance

I wanted to share this with you all to help encourage you if you are struggling or finding it Hard to persevere…

As some of you who know me personally may be aware, I am living as a hermit and in the process of trying to be recognised as a hermit by the Diocese I live in as a hermit under canon law and be affiliated with the Carmelite Order (O.Carm) as a lay hermit. I have spent the past 5 months trying to get a meeting with my Archbishop to discuss my petition, as the Carmelite Secretary General in Rome has requested that I need a letter of approval from my Archbishop. 

After 5 months of multiple emails being ignored, I submitted my formal letter of petition with 5 written references and all my documents. A few weeks ago I was finally able to meet with our Auxiliary Bishop who was delegated by the Archbishop. The meeting went really well, i felt listened to, respected and acknowledged. However ever since the meeting I have started having some health issues which the doctors can’t work out what is wrong with me and trying to tell me it’s psychological because all my tests are saying my health is fantastic. 

So this has been causing me to feel frustrated, disheartened and to begin to experience a loss of fervor in my prayer life. I had sent a follow up email to the Archbishop’s secretary regarding my approval letter for my affiliation with the Carmelites but then was ignored again. So I started to feel it was all a waste of time. 

However, I am stubborn and so I continued on. Praying when I can, continuing work, interceding for people with sexual addictions (which is my “charism”) and yesterday finally wrote my testimony regarding my journey with SSA, loneliness, anxiety and depression. In spite of all my let downs and weaknesses, I still remained resilient and persevered. This is what myself & my fellow hermit Sr Ellen Jones-Carney refer to as “Holy Stubborness” 😂 

Today God gave me a surprise. 

I received an email from the Archbishop’s secretary with my letter of approval to be affiliated with the Carmelite Order. Praise God!!  In spite of my weakness, lack of faith and beginning to doubt - God is always faithful! Then to top it off, this evening during Vespers in the Divine Office (Friday 8th October) this was the scripture reading. 

If that is not a sign from God then nothing wise is! 

I want to encourage you to remain “stubborn” in your walk with God, follow the promptings and desires he has given you, don’t lose hope and continue to persevere in doing his will. God will reward you when the time I right!!

Nativity of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God

Today is the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary where we celebrate her birthday

I just wanted to share some of the beautiful poetic things written about her from the Divine Office from Lauds/Morning prayer to help you meditate on and increase your love and devotion to Out Lady 🙏

Antiphon 1: 

Today is the birthday of the glorious Virgin Mary, of the seed of Abraham, who arose from the tribe of Judah and the stock of David.

Antiphon 2: 

When the sacred Virgin was born, then the world was filled with light. Blessed and holy is the stock which bore such blessed fruit.

Benedictus antiphon: 

Your birth, O Virgin Mother of God, announced joy to the whole world, for from you has risen the Sun of justice, Christ our God. He released us from the ancient curse and made us blessed; he destroyed death and gave us eternal life.

If reading these doesn’t inflame your heart with love for Our Lady and make you want to Praise God then I don’t know what will!!

Spiritual aridity draw us into Divine Union

All of us by virtue of our baptism are God’s “Beloved” and are called to be cherished souls… however many of us never move past formal prayer, a relationship with God that is purely transactional - if I be a “good person” and go to Sunday Mass I’ll go to heaven, I pray when I need something. 

But God desires more than this, He calls us into intimate union with Himself. All the spiritual masters and Saints teach that God will give us a taste of himself, a “spiritual consolation” and then withdraw from us so that we seek after Him, and through our seeking, our love and desire for Him becomes purified - we seek His friendship truly because he is ultimate Goodness, Truth & Beauty - instead of seeking a relationship where we can get something out of it.

Advice from St Faustina - love Jesus in silence

If you’ve been struggling with stress or feeling overwhelmed like I have recently, read this advice, then read it again and re read it! Absorb it 

Great advice from St Faustina summed up.. 

Turn to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, make an act of trust and then love him in silence!

Radical challenge of the Gospel - to love

This is such a short simple passage of scripture but also one of the most challenging. 

It can be hard to have genuine love for those that persecute us, and then we have to bless them to? 

Only the radicalness of the Gospel has the power the make this happen. Ultimately by following and imitating Jesus, this is the only way evil can be overcome by good

People of hope

There’s a lot going on in the world, the Church, and in our day to day lives that affect us all. It’s hard to remember to take time to stop, breathe and remember God is in control. 

As Christians, though our baptism and faith we have a source of joy and peace. Peace that the world cannot give, only Jesus can. We also have the power of the Hooy Spirit in our lives - we don’t always see him or feel him, but he works in the background quietly, shaping and moulding us, then from time to time manifesting powerfully when needed. 

We are people of Hope. When all feels dark and lost, we need to hold on tight to the hope that we have in Jesus and his promises to us. 

May the Holy Spirit rekindle in you today the joy and hope to help strengthen you in your journey.

Hermits as pillars of history

I came across this quote, and thought how beautifully it expresses the spirituality and charism of hermits. 

So often people are curious as to our horarium and expect us to have strict monastic disciplines but for the eremetic life, there is an aspect of interior and spiritual freedom. The freedom to be alone with the Alone in silence, solitude and contemplation. The freedom of being a Child of God and resting in his presence, without the need to feel compelled to justify our existence by activism. 

Hermits embrace asceticism under the direction of our spiritual director and Rule of Life, while at the same time recognising the need for flexibility and freedom in all that we do - so long as it is always motivated by love of God & intimate union with Him

The Church as the Ark of Salvation

I love this comparison of St Augustine, following the typology in letter of St Peter (1 Peter 3:20-21). Through our baptism we now belong on the Ark of Salvation and are being prepared for the new creation. 

There’s is an old custom of thanking God everyday for “the grace of being a Christian” and I think this is something we need to recover. I know my anniversary of baptism is coming up in 4 days. 

Do any of you ever stop to thank God for the gift of your baptism and the graces, as well as relationship and identity that comes from it? 

Jesus I love you - His refreshing Presence

After a long day feeling a bit stressed at work, I was able to spend some time in a friend’s private chapel. I just laid down, face first on the floor breathing deep and repeating “Jesus I love you, Lord have mercy on me a sinner”. Giving him all my burdens , stress, weaknesses and sins I’ve been struggling with this week. 

It felt so good just to lay there and be in his Presence, especially as Mass was cancelled last Sunday due to Covid restrictions. Laying in His Presence was so refreshing for my soul, sometimes that is all we need - just to breathe, rest in His Presence and tell Him we love Him. 

God the source of all activity throughout creation

Today is the memorial of St Irenaeus of Lyon. He is a very important Father of the Church. He was a disciple of St Polycarp who was a disciple of St John the Apostoe himself. He is a witness in the early Church to Apostolic Succession, the importance of the Church in Rome, the Eucharist, Our Lady and the universal acceptance of only 4 Gospels. 

He specifically wrote against the heresy of Gnosticism and his writings are highly beneficial to us today as the two biggest challenges we have in the Church today (as identified by Popes Benedict & Francis) were also issues in the early Church - Pelagianism and Gnosticism. 

He had a beautiful image to describe the Word of God & the Holy Spirit as the two hands of the Father who shape us according to the Divine Plan. 

Here is a great reflection by him taken from the Office of Readings 

——— 

The glory of God gives life; those who see God receive life. For this reason God, who cannot be grasped, comprehended or seen, allows himself to be seen, comprehended and grasped by men, that he may give life to those who see and receive him. It is impossible to live without life, and the actualization of life comes from participation in God, while participation in God is to see God and enjoy his goodness.
Men will therefore see God if they are to live; through the vision of God they will become immortal and attain to God himself. As I have said, this was shown in symbols by the prophets: God will be seen by men who bear his Spirit and are always waiting for his coming. As Moses said in the Book of Deuteronomy: On that day we shall see, for God will speak to man, and man will live.
God is the source of all activity throughout creation. He cannot be seen or described in his own nature and in all his greatness by any of his creatures. Yet he is certainly not unknown. Through his Word the whole creation learns that there is one God the Father, who holds all things together and gives them their being. As it is written in the Gospel: No man has ever seen God, except the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father; he has revealed him.
From the beginning the Son is the one who teaches us about the Father; he is with the Father from the beginning. He was to reveal to the human race visions of prophecy, the diversity of spiritual gifts, his own ways of ministry, the glorification of the Father, all in due order and harmony, at the appointed time and for our instruction. Where there is order, there is also harmony; where there is harmony, there is also correct timing; where there is correct timing, there is also advantage.
The Word became the steward of the Father’s grace for the advantage of men, for whose benefit he made such wonderful arrangements. He revealed God to men and presented men to God. He safeguarded the invisibility of the Father to prevent man from treating God with contempt and to set before him a constant goal toward which to make progress. On the other hand, he revealed God to men and made him visible in many ways to prevent man from being totally separated from God and so cease to be. Life in man is the glory of God; the life of man is the vision of God. If the revelation of God through creation gives life to all who live upon the earth, much more does the manifestation of the Father through the Word give life to those who see God.

Jesus Christ - the echo of history & Lord of the Universe

Here is a homily by Pope St Paul VI that was in the Office of readings yesterday. 

It is just too good not to share! 

If you feel you need to reignite your passion for Jesus, this will help. All of us who are baptised and have the name “Christian” are called to preach, evangelise and witness to Jesus and His Kingdom. 

Not to preach the Gospel would be my undoing, for Christ himself sent me as his apostle and witness. The more remote, the more difficult the assignment, the more my love of God spurs me on. I am bound to proclaim that Jesus is Christ, the Son of the living God. Because of him we come to know the God we cannot see. He is the firstborn of all creation; in him all things find their being. Man’s teacher and redeemer, he was born for us, died for us, and for us he rose from the dead.

All things, all history converges in Christ. A man of sorrow and hope, he knows us and loves us. As our friend he stays by us throughout our lives; at the end of time he will come to be our judge; but we also know that he will be the complete fulfillment of our lives and our great happiness for all eternity.

I can never cease to speak of Christ for he is our truth and our light; he is the way, the truth and the life. He is our bread, our source of living water who allays our hunger and satisfies our thirst. He is our shepherd, our leader, our ideal, our comforter and our brother.

He is like us but more perfectly human, simple, poor, humble, and yet, while burdened with work, he is more patient. He spoke on our behalf; he worked miracles; and he founded a new kingdom: in it the poor are happy; peace is the foundation of a life in common; where the pure of heart and those who mourn are uplifted and comforted; the hungry find justice; sinners are forgiven; and all discover that they are brothers.

The image I present to you is the image of Jesus Christ. As Christians you share his name; he has already made most of you his own. So once again I repeat his name to you Christians and I proclaim to all men: Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega, Lord of the new universe, the great hidden key to human history and the part we play in it. He is the mediator — the bridge, if you will — between heaven and earth. Above all he is the Son of man, more perfect than any man, being also the Son of God, eternal and infinite. He is the son of Mary his mother on earth, more blessed than any woman. She is also our mother in the spiritual communion of the mystical body.

Remember: |it| is Jesus Christ I preach day in and day out. His name I would see echo and re-echo for all time even to the ends of the earth.