The Lord's Promises To Us..........

[BarbTherese]

Today is the Memorial of Sts. Joachim and Anne, parents of Our Lady.  Reflecting on parenthood, I renewed a sense of grief for all that has happened in recent years in The Church and to the young child victims of terrible crimes within our Church - and The Church is our spiritual mother.

 

We have a threat and a promise from Jesus - and The Lord is faithful to all He promises :

"And he said to his disciples: It is impossible that scandals should not come: but woe to him through whom they come. It were better for him, that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should scandalize one of these little ones" (Luke Ch 17)

 

Sometimes, I do not think on a spiritual level, but on a worldly one and could think that I had nothing to do with these scandals, thank God.  I am very wrongful in such thinking.  Pope Emeritus Benedict told us not that long ago that we have nothing to fear but the sins in The Church - minute sins and the greatest sins.  Because just as we share in each other's virtues, so we share on a spiritual level in each other's sinfulness and sins.  We are the one Body of Christ - and if the back aches, the whole body is affected.  This is the absolute genius, and Gift of The Lord, to St Paul in identifying The Church as the Body of Christ.  We are indeed our brother's keeper!  Perhaps if I had not sinned when I did, one child would have been spared a horrific crime and a lifetime of pain.  There is no way of knowing until Heaven just what my own sinfulness has effected in this world quite negatively - although I do suspect we will all know on General Judgement Day.  Just as one cannot know what good I might have done in this world through loving Charity and all it embraces and Prayer.

 

I read somewhere that it used to be not a rare matter for an active religious to decide to transfer to a contemplative community.  At some point in our spiritual journey we can realize that prayer effects all things moreso than any even Mother-Teresa-type of activity (though Mother Teresa was a person of faithful prayer and one of Graced action also and The Lord's gift to her**** footnote).  My thinking is that this is where Pope Emeritus Benedict is now - thank The Lord!  We cannot expect wordly thinking to insight nor understand in any way this fact re Pope Benedict resigning from the Papacy.

 

Grieving over all this, this morning at Morning Prayer from the LOTH, I was consoled:

 

 

 

Canticle of Tobias Ch13 :

 

"Let all men speak,

and give God thanks in Jerusalem (The Church)

O Jerusalem, the Holy City,

He will afflict you for the deeds of your sons,

but again, He will show mercy to the sons of the righteous.

 

...........edit.........

May He cheer those within you who are captives (of sadness)

and love those within you who are distressed (grieving)

To all generations forever

 

How blessed are those who love you! (The Church)

They will rejoice in your Peace.

Blessed are those who grieved

over all your (The Church) afflictions

For they will rejoice for you upon seeing all your Glory

And they will be made glad forever

 

Let my soul praise God, The Great King"

(Note: all brackets are mine)

 

 

 

 

 

**** St Therese was also a person of faithful prayer and loving Charity in all she did.  Look what The Lord effected through her, though not in her lifetime.

 

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

:) .

 

JC " none can say it is here or it is there, for the kingdom is amongst you."

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

Thinking of how i fear straying another, it shouldn't incapacitate me but should call me to a greater holyness. If it is a fear that incapacitates me than it is not from God but from the devil.  

[BarbTherese]

_{Certainly not from God, for sure, Tab.}

_{Sometimes, however, I think that satan just stands back and lets my human nature take over and I can scare myself silly, drive myself near on crazy with fear of this or that, which doesn't even exist - and just might never exist.}