Advent - awaiting the double Coming of Christ

Today is the 1st Sunday of Advent - the liturgical time that the Church gives us to prepare to celebrate Christmas, whilst also focusing on preparing for the Coming of Christ. The Church gives us this somber warning from the Gospel of Luke where Jesus tells us to be aware, be ready, remain vigilant for his coming so that when he returns we will be ready to stand before him. 

I love the open prayer for today where the imagery the Church gives us of running forth to meet and welcome Christ. As we begin this time of preparation for the Coming of the Lord - Advent, let’s us prepare ourselves through prayer, being vigilant, taking time to read scripture, perform the corporal & spiritual works of mercy so that with pure hearts we can be gathered together and welcome Jesus in the crib, in our hearts, and at his Coming on the clouds 

——————-

Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God,

the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ

with righteous deeds at his coming,

so that, gathered at his right hand,

they may be worthy to possess the heavenly kingdom.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God, for ever and ever.

– Amen.

Christ the King of the Universe and King of our hearts

I always find the direct bluntness of St Josemaria refreshing and challenging. 

If Jesus is not King in our heart then what is the point of trying to preach him or convert others? If Jesus reigns in our heart so much that his kingdom is present within us (Luke 17:21) then the reign of Christ will naturally start to overflow and bring other people under his sweet yoke. 

As the concluding prayer for Mass today teaches us - when we take glory in being obedient to Christ and his commandments then we are already sharing in his kingdom now. 

May Christ the King, reign in my heart and yours!              ,  

———-

Having received the food of immortality,

we ask, O Lord,

that, glorying in obedience

to the commands of Christ, the King of the universe,

we may live with him eternally in his heavenly kingdom.

Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Trusting in Divine Providence - the patience of the Lord is salvation

This was the scripture verse for Morning Prayer in the Divine Office today. 

We can often get frustrated, hurt, angry, upset and loose our peace of soul when witnessing all the injustice in the world. This is a challenge for all of us who care and especially for us as Christians. It can make us doubt our faith or the goodness of God. 

But as Christians we also have the privilege of Divine Revelation given to us in scripture. What can often from our limited perspective look like allowing injustice or God “turning a blind eye” - can often be God giving time to situations or people to allow a greater good to come out of the evil (Romans 8:28). As it says below “consider the Lord’s patience is directed toward salvation”. 

We believe in Divine Providence - that God is the Creator of Heaven & Earth, he knows everything that is happening and because God is a Good Father, he is Goodness itself. Therefore anything God allows will ultimately be revealed as having a greater purpose. This requires an act of faith in our part - to trust in God & leave it in his hands. 

Ultimately God’s justice will prevail one day - on the great final day, the “Day of the Lord” - Judgement Day. On that day everything will be revealed and we will understand God’s plan of salvation. But in the meantime, while we wait for this we need to remain at peace with God. We need to continue to pray for ourselves and others, participate in the sacraments and read the Bible regularly so we understand what God has revealed to us. In this way we can remain in the hope that saves us (Romans 8:24) so we can at all times say with confidence- Jesus, I trust in you 

Don’t lose hope, focus on working out your salvation in fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12) so that without stain or blemish we who seek after the Lord can rejoice in the midst of tribulation (Matt 5:12) as we find our joy in Him (Psalm 40:16)

Never give up on prayer - Jesus thirsts for you

Prayer is a war, it’s a daily struggle. 

If you’re struggling with sin or not praying, you can always turn back to God at anytime. Just say “Jesus I love you, help me”. As St Alphonsus Ligouri teaches, he who prays is saved. 

Never give up on prayer 🙏 

As the Catechism teaches us: 

2560 "If you knew the gift of God!" The wonder of prayer is revealed beside the well where we come seeking water: there, Christ comes to meet every human being. It is he who first seeks us and asks us for a drink. Jesus thirsts; his asking arises from the depths of God's desire for us. Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God's thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him.

The hope of the pure in heart

Happy & Blessed Solemnity of All Saints. May the fellowship we share here in Christ through the Church be brought to the joy and glory of the Communion of Saints in heaven! 

In the 2nd Reading for Mass today we have this beautiful passage from the 1st letter of St John where he talks about us being the Children of God. What better way to emphasise who and what the saints are than this - God’s beloved children! 

All of us who are baptised have been reborn as Children of God, having our relationship to the Father restored through Jesus. We are all saints in the making if we persevere in the faith, loving God, following him as best as we can through the power of the Sacraments and living lives of purity. The purity we are called to is the ascetical life - denying ourselves to take up our cross to follow Jesus. Just as Jesus was just and righteous, so we too are called to be just and righteous in Jesus’ name. This is the great calling and mission we all have, the universal call to holiness. 

The word “saint” means Holy one. We know through our faith that the Saints in heaven have already been purified and see God face to face in the Beatific Vision. We too are called to this. That is why the reading says “what we will be has not been revealed” - because we are all still saints in the making! 

In the Creed we profess in believing in the “Communion of Saints” - this refers to the Saints glorified in heaven, those suffering in purgatory and those of us here still on earth, the Church Militant on its pilgrimage back to the Father. This is the totality of the Mystical Body of Christ - The Church. 

Our hope is to rejoice in heaven with all the Saints in the presence of the Holy & Undivided Trinity, sharing eternal life, bliss and happiness as we see God face to face. This has been the hope of all the saints and it is the glory of the currents saints already in heaven. 

Let us strive for the purity of heart that Jesus calls us to the in the Beatitudes that was proclaimed in the Gospel today at Mass, for the pure of heart shall see God. 

As the prayer after Communion for today says:

As we adore you, O God, who alone are holy
and wonderful in all your Saints,
we implore your grace,
so that, coming to perfect holiness in the fullness of your love,
we may pass from this pilgrim table
to the banquet of our heavenly homeland.
Through Christ our Lord

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.