Private Vows in The Laity/Spirituality

[Guest]

ONE MODERN DAY (UNUSUAL) ROAD TO CANONIZATION

Carlos dies at 15 years of age

 

Computer geek” takes one more step toward sainthood

HERE

Quote

Excerpt: "He remains an inspiration, especially to teenagers who aren’t sure whether they could be both holy and “normal” and individually unique. “All people are born as originals,” he said, “but many die as photocopies.” To die as an “original,” Carlo maintained, was to be guided by Christ, and to look at Him constantly."

[Guest]

My Dad used to say:

"When God seems absent, the heart grows weary

 nor can people satisfy

there is always the garden"

 

.....bit of a rough day today..........

 My SD and confessor called by yesterday and gave me a special blessing.  After he left, I felt wonderful and all I wanted to do was praise and thank The Lord, and smell the roses.  After Mass our pp stopped and had a friendly chat after I had finished selling raffle tickets for St. Vinnies.

My head was in the clouds and I felt like dancing............such a wonderful day.

...but then...........but then...........I left the raffle tin with all the money in The Church.  Suddenly I was sliding right down the mountain of joy as mother earth came rapidly closer and closer.

Thud!

[Guest]

A fellow member of St Vinnies sent me a text that she had picked up the raffle ticket tin and all the money from The Church this morning (I asked her last night to do it for me).   I feel heaps better and the sun has begun to move out of a dark cloud and shine once more.  I did text her back that I could not even think of a halfway decent reason certainly not an excuse for forgetting the tin..........and I can't ..........not for the life of me.  Mea maxima culpa.

Our own pp (for whom I give heartfelt thanks) is one after the heart of Jesus as below:

 

 

PRAYER FOR ALL PRIESTS

Richard Cardinal Cushing (1895-1970), Archbishop of Boston

O Almighty Eternal God, look upon the face of Thy Son, and for the love of Him who is the eternal High Priest, have pity on Thy priests. Remember, O most compassionate God, that they are but weak and frail human beings. Stir up in them the grace of their vocation which is in them by the imposition of the bishop's hands. Keep them close to Thee, lest the enemy prevail against them, so that they may never do anything in the slightest degree unworthy of their sublime vocation.

O Jesus, I pray Thee for Thy faithful and fervent priests; for Thy unfaithful and tepid priests; for Thy priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields; for Thy tempted priests; for Thy lonely priests; for Thy dying priests; for the souls of Thy priests in purgatory. But above all I commend to Thee the priests dearest to me; the priest who baptized me; the priests who absolved me from my sins; the priests at whose Masses I assisted, and who gave me Thy Body and Blood in Holy Communion; the priests who taught and instructed me, or helped and encouraged me; all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way, particularly ..................(name)          O Jesus, keep them all close to Thy Heart, and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen.

[Guest]

 

 

A VERY IMPORTANT VIDEO BY BISHOP ROBERT BARRON

Pier Giorgio Frassati and Social Justice, by Fr. Robert Barron

(DONT MISS THIS LINK........SCROLL DOWN................Vincentian Formation Resources (Overview) Presentations, Video, Audio & Games ) Pier Giorgio Frassati and Social Justice, by Fr. Robert Barron

Is the Catholic Church a proponent of social justice? Yes, according to the readings below. They reveal a compassionate God, who hears the cries of the poor and then encourages us to reciprocate his love. Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati understood this well. The young saint heeded both of Jesus’ Great Commandments by loving God and, therefore, loving his neighbour.

 

12:53

 

 

Sorry about the important link above, it was incorrect.  Correct link is here with many excellent articles linked:   http://vinformation.org/en/tagged_ebooks/

 

Edited July 2, 2017 by BarbaraTherese

[Guest]

 

Daily Reflection - St Vincent de Paul Society

 

Jul 02, 2017

 

Quote

 

“God never fails to come to our help in due time after we, on our part, have done all we can.”
– St. Vincent de Paul

– When I catch myself worrying, Lord, let me feel your presence within me.

 

 

[Guest]

Picked the following link up from Catholic Answers (Spirituality Forum "Writing of The Saints and Lives of The Saints"

https://my.pcloud.com/publink/show?code=VZFSXlZGwIlcInirwz6RByRbWyRNHUec5Yk (Writings of Dorothy Day - download free)

The poster on CA in the thread above has done an amazing amount of research.  The above link is only one link in very many links indeed.

[Guest]

 

 WHAT IS INTERIOR PENANCE

(From "Catechism in a Year" No. 300)

"It is a movement of a "contrite heart" (Psalm 51.19) drawn by Divine Grace to respond to The Merciful Love of God.  This includes sorrow for and abhorrence of  sins committed, a firm purpose not to sin again in future and trust in the Help of God.  It is nourished by Hope in Divine Mercy"

See CCC Nos: 1430-1433.  1490

[Guest]

One of the amazing things to me about The Lord and His Grace, His Holy Spirit, is that He can be so absolutely humble and self effacing. 

One cruises along pretty normal and one thinks nothing outstanding of note is going on.  Then you can read something somewhere on what can be taken as rather good authority - and think to yourself "Ahhh so that's it" recognising something in yourself that is complete news to you, nor would you have thought in a million years that that is what is going on.  In fact, on a first read you think "Nahhh that's not me".

Make sense?  I hope so.

Edit:  Thank you, Lord - You knew I needed something or other to prop the old chin up.

Laudate Dominum

Edited July 4, 2017 by BarbaraTherese

[Guest]

Wrote a very long post indeed about the stress I am under just now.  I deleted it all thankfully before I posted...........too personal for the internet.

But thank you so much for always being here Phatmass and fellow Phammers  Prayer for you all and all your intentions.  I am not going to mention dUSt - he might think I am trying to butter him up again.

 

  

[Pax17]

Hang in there...

:prayers:

[Guest]

5 hours ago, Pax17 said:

Hang in there...

:prayers:

Thank you very much indeed, Pax - encouragement and support is invaluable where MI is concerned - it is right up with the most important of all.  Thank you for prayer most of all.  However, reaching out on a very human level is also right up with the most important of all for MI sufferers too.  We are created body and soul to work in unity in partnership.  Thank you very much for reaching out to me in a very human sort of way in your post.

Cheers and may God bless you and yours.........in my prayer.........Barb  

 

[Guest]

Just had a phone interview with Emergency Mental Health (about 1hr I reckon).  I have been assessed as low risk which is an absolute consolation (Deo Gratius).  The emergency team will meet tomorrow to discuss today's interview and decide whether they should visit or not.  My psychiatrist is a respected voice in Public Mental Health though in recent years working in a special field of psychiatry - she also consults publicly (no charge to low income patients) two days weekly.  She has asked the EMH Team to stay in contact with me especially after my brother and his wife leave for the USA on the 13th next week, return at the end of August 2017.

I may not post as I usually try to do at least once daily.  Rest assured if things do escalate I will be getting myself into hospital pronto.  If I do decide on hospital, I will simply post "Going to hospital" only - or this is what I envisage doing now.  At the moment my anxiety level has dropped right down to nothing but a nuisance really.  If I don't post that I am going into hospital and this thread goes really quiet indeed - it means that I am continuing to muddle through it all "as I can.....leaving the rest to Jesus".  insight from our Aussie St Mary of The Cross MacKillop.

At times like this I live most entirely in The Now more than ever - minute by minute or perhaps even seconds.  I do what I feel I need to do and should do depending on my interior circumstances and where bipolar might be in my case.  The interviewer on the phone commented that I have excellent insight into my brand of bipolar - and that has come about only through so many years in and out of hospital quite seriously ill mentally.  The whole 20 years or so was a learning curve on my particular brand of bipolar.

There can be either a very short or very long lead up to a full bipolar episode. An episode can be quite short to quite long as well and vary in seriousness.  At the moment my situation is not a serious one - just scary  My situation is not escalating and that is a very positive sign too indeed.  At the moment, I am more annoyed than anything that this has happened..........and yet..............

Fiat voluntas tua

Doe Gratius

Laudate Dominum

I am selling raffle tickets after Vigil Mass again this coming Saturday for St Vinnies and next Tuesday is our regular St Vinnies Meeting.  I am hoping and praying I will be ok to take my part...........if Vinnies, of course, will trust me with the float and tin again.  I'm very sure they will.   I never know what to say to those who do pray for me - there are no words equal to the gratitude I don't think.  Prayer is a self effacing and humble worker, I never know just how active prayer is in the life of myself or another.  Who does!

Thanks heaps!

[Pax17]

I'm glad to wake up and read that healthcare professionals have reached out to you.  As a retired nonclinical healthcare employee, I was always touched by and had deep respect for our psych hospital's employees, caring professionals who were often maligned. 

Dealing with anxiety and depression for a long time does help you know yourself better and teaches you to stay in the present moment, if possible.  Painful but useful lessons...

Prayers continue.

 

[Guest]

MORE ON MENTAL ILLNESS

Sadly, the situation in Public Mental Health can be a sad one indeed.  Just as today in The Church due to the scandals - they have given The Church and Catholicism a bad name often - despite the majority of goodness in The Church in priests, consecrated lives, laypeople and outstanding saints, so those 'bad' mental health workers give the whole Public Mental Health system a bad name and often overshadowing the reality of a majority of really good workers.   I have not been in active contact with the public mental health system for 12 years until now -  it is revealing to me just how much PMH has grown for the better since my time 12years ago.

As Shakespeare has written "The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones." ............and where the living are concerned, media shapes our opinions whether we admit to it or not.  And what sells in media is bad news - as wrongful as it is - and we are the market they target.  It is an example where the dollar is the ruling principle, it can and does distort public opinion and the good that does live in our midst and societies.

A Mental Health worker called in today*** and thankfully does not think I am a hospital case at this point - it is a touchy sort of situation just now.  A restless bipolar condition may abate completely or it might escalate completely.  No way of knowing which.  She is going to arrange that a Mental Health Worker can take me out once a week or once a fortnight for coffee.  That will be such a relief to me, a major relief, as I can talk freely about my brand of bipolar with someone experienced -  and as I muddle through the situation with Public Mental Health's support while my private psychiatrist will make all the decisions.  Public Mental Health will only report to her.   She is a voice in Public Mental Health with a private practise two days weekly.  I am a private patient of hers. 

.  My psychiatrist now works in a specialised field in psychiatry as well as privately.  I first met her when both of us (doctor and her patient) were in Public Mental Health over 12 years ago.  I followed her into her private practise.

Now I have been able communicate personally to PMH today (a seed cast into a very big pool) that when Government Housing authorities shift tenants from one suburb to another, they are not only shifting their residence but taking them from a whole way of life into an unknown way of life (into the unknown) where the person must start all over again to try to make a completely new way of life.  For psychiatric patients especially that can be a very tall ask indeed.  The PMH worker and I had a long chat about it this afternoon and she was very interested in what I had to say.

________________

Good and hopeful news is that she tested me for depression and memory.  She said I had passed 100%.

However, with bipolar a situation can change in any direction and in a flash, but not of necessity.

No need to test me for the manic side of bipolar - the rapid nature of my speech hopping around subjects said it all.  I am slightly manic and knew it.  I do feel much better knowing I will have a regular social outing with someone who understands well where I am coming from and the struggles and problems I now have with bipolar quite uneasy.  For anyone supporting a person with a MI, support is right up with the most important of all needs of a sufferer, possibly keeping them sane and sufficiently stable even - a someone(s) who supports with an ear that listens and hears.  The other thing is that if a sufferer states they have a problem - it might not be a problem at all for the supporter nor anyone else, but believe me it is indeed a problem for the sufferer.  If someone, anyone, has a problem - then it is a very real and valid problem for them.   That is what I mean by "an ear that listens AND HEARS".  Sometimes there is no solution one can give to the sufferer; however accepting the sufferer as they are and with warmth and caring as they are, is high up in the essential and primary needs of the sufferer.

I remember fondly my dear Mum.  She had all the answers - all of them.  But I knew she was not even asking the right questions because she was not truly hearing what I was saying.  She listened, but what was going around in her mind was not truly hearing what I was saying, rather her mind and listening were focused on all the solutions she had, which (in her estimation) would cure me completely.

She could not HEAR what I was saying, rather listening to what was going on in her own mind - not deliberately however.  It was born of truly caring.

 

Had to read through all the above a few times, hoping with a prayer it would make sense.  Think it makes sense and hope so........my concentration is not the best just now.

Deo Gratius.........Laudate Dominum

 

One of the questions the PMH asked me today was if my Faith protected me.  I said no it does not in a quite human sort of way, but it supports me fully giving Hope and often consolation in any and all situations I have undergone in my own journey.

[Guest]

Another question was about the voice and voices I heard in the past (none yet or perhaps will not even start up in the first place).

I told her the truth that I don't identify them, they identify themselves.  I have been a Catholic all my life and the voice or voices spell out in gory details quite intricately what will happen to me if I do not give up my Faith.  I have always acted contrary to them, insulted them and/or made fun of them.  I have often gone to hospital in the past in a state of absolute terror as bipolar takes over and I start to believe them.  I have never told PMH that info ever, because their questions around my Faith, I knew, were to discern if I had a "saviour complex" or was delusional on a religious level.  Long ago and from "Freedom of Information" I did read what they had said about me to that point in the past.  My then lawyer in the past advised me to obtain my file under Freedom of Information i.e. to read what PMH was saying about me.  I did so.  She did wonder why I could speak with her quite logically if agitated at times - and then read what PMH were saying about me.  Some pretty insulting stuff at times!  e.g. I was a woman in my low forties who looked more like a woman in her fifties.  As a description of how I walked: strides rather than walks.  Those two statements were in my file as a general description for the police if I ever went AWOL.  And a few times, I did - just walked out the joint, fed up with it all back then.

Because my primary psychiatrist is someone who has known me so many years and with whom I feel able to open up completely and honestly, I felt quite safe in speaking with a senior PMH worker as I have done today.  The problem with psychiatry I have experienced in PMH is that if one is hearing a voice or voices, psychiatry sometimes states "You know they aren't real, don't you?" or similar.  Now that is a crazy thing to say because to the patient they are very real because they are actually physically hearing them with their physical bodily ear, as an exterior voice - then there is an interior voice, or voices, heard only in the head as mine were.  Impossible to switch them off.  How on earth can that be unreal to the patient? 

My own psychiatrist knows the great support my Faith has been and if she ever asks me (never has to date over 12 years) I will tell her the truth too re voices.

The funny thing is that instead of denying them only in my head - so many times I have almost done so out loud in company.    I can laugh about that.  Pretty confusing state of existence when one is socialising with others and at the same time, the voice in the head will not be silent.

13 hours ago, Pax17 said:

Dealing with anxiety and depression for a long time does help you know yourself better and teaches you to stay in the present moment, if possible.  Painful but useful lessons

 Very true what Pax has said above, you learn about your own brand of MI through hard experience.  Staying in the present moment is very important...............if you can!   And yes, painful but quite important and useful lessons over time, a learning curve in dealing/coping with MI.

These long and laboured posts are a real help to me personally.  It gets my mind right off negative matters in my mind and focuses me on positive types of matters - very often sorting out my own thoughts.

To me praying is a Spiritual Work of Mercy - and another Corporal work of Mercy is to really listen and give space to the person to speak, especially in difficulties, and giving space with warmth and caring.  This is just very important indeed and a true and very real (to me) Corporal work of Mercy.  This is what Pham does - we can talk, in an atmosphere of warm listening acceptance, to the other and on a quite human level as well as pray for them.  Therefore to me, Pham is very often is both a spiritual and corporal Work of Mercy.  And both too are an aspiration of Bethany.

God has created us body and soul to work as a partnership.  Not separately.  Reaching out caring and warmly on a quite human level has great merit to me.  Very great merit.

Deo Gratius.

Shower time then The News.

Thank you very much for listening...........and if you got to here, thank you very much indeed and God's richest blessings on you and all you care about........as well as for all regardless.