Time for Transformation

       

          'So this year has disappeared into the abyss where all the others have gone.
          How desirable is eternity when we consider these miserable and fleeting changes!
          Let the time pass by as we, little by little, run with it to be transformed
          into the glory of the children of God.'

St. Francis de Sales

Painting of Mary Magdalene, in public domain

A Pattern for my Pebbles

 
In the third century, Tertullian wrote that the blood of the martyrs is seed for the Church.  It was seed that God planted from the beginning.  St. Paul endured imprisonments, beatings, stoning; St. John was exiled on the island of Patmos; St. Peter was allegedly crucified upside down.

It all began with Stephen.

"Those who listened to (Stephen's) words were stung to the heart; they ground their teeth in anger at him.  Stephen meanwhile, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked to the sky above and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God's right hand.  'Look!' he exclaimed, 'I see an opening in the sky, and the Son of Man standing at God's right hand.' The onlookers were shouting aloud, holding their hands over their ears as they did so.  Then they rushed at him as one man, dragged him out of the city, and began to stone him.  The witnesses meanwhile were piling their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul.  As Stephen was being stoned he could be heard saying, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.'  He fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them.'  And with that he died."  (Acts 7:54-60)

Surely his acute view of reality buffered Stephen's agony as stones were hurled at him.  He was given grace appropriate to the situation, just at the moment he needed it.

I like to remember this.  When I face a trial, God is there.  He gives me just the glimpse of Him that I need, exactly when I need it.  I know this through faith, and I know it from experience.  God stands ready with what I need.

I have never been pelted with physical stones, but I've endured a few pebbles.  Smirks and snubs for living and speaking the truth of God.  I like to remember that Jesus told us to expect nothing less.  "You will be hated by all on account of Me."  (Matthew 10:22).

I pray to remember the example of Stephen.  What a grace that the words of this first Christian martyr were written down:  leaving, in effect, a pattern for all who would come after him.  He looked at God, not at the situation.  He prayed.  He forgave.  And his actions were witnessed by one who would turn, in time, to God.

Stephen's pattern for dealing with stones is just as much a pattern for the pebbles.

Look to God.

Pray.

Forgive. 

And God stands ready with what we need.

Painting:  Giorgio Vasari, Martyrdom of St Stephen


In honor of today's feast, this was a re-post from our archives

And The King is Born

Welcome, Holy Child

Painting:  Tahi, Christ's birth, 1896

If Christmas Finds You Hurting

It's a bad time of year to be hurting.  Not that there is a good time for pain, of course, but the weeks around Christmas and New Year's can be particularly poignant for some.

I know of what I speak.  While sparing you my life story (for now at least; consider such sparing a temporary gift), I will say that I've had a couple of Christmases in which I just wanted to hide away to wait out that year's crop of holly-jolly songs and plastic bows and ho-ho-hos. 

I suspect many of us have had such seasons.  Times when we can't be with loved ones, or a parent or sibling or close friend or spouse has died, or we've suffered a miscarriage, or we're sick, or we've lost our job, or there is illness in the family.  Even the time of year can make us feel blue.  Here in the northern hemisphere, night falls early in these months of bleak midwinter (I personally never adjust well to the long long long long dark).

I am thankful to be celebrating comfortably this year.  But for anyone reading this who is sad, in pain, or maybe just wishing the holidays would be over and gone - know that you're not alone.

In fact, you are so "not alone" that I'm going to ask a favor of everyone reading this.

Could we each take just a minute and offer a little prayer for anyone coming across these words who might be hurting?  If this gets to a number of people, that could amount to quite a few prayers.

May God lift burdens, heal pains, comfort loneliness, and soothe hearts.  In the Name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, I pray... 

'We beseech You, Lord and Master, be our help and succor, save those among us who are in tribulations, have mercy on the lowly, lift up the fallen, show Yourself to the needy, heal the ungodly; convert the wanderers of Your people, feed the hungry, release our prisoners, raise up the weak, comfort the fainthearted, let all nations know You are God.'  (St. Clement of Rome)

'Cast all your cares on Him, because He cares for You.' (1 Peter 5:7)

Painting:  Karl Ferdinand Sohn

This post is linked to Catholic Bloggers Monthly Linkup

On the Morning of Confession

'When our Lord is with us, 
light is poured abroad
on life's path, 
light is shed around
in the house of our soul,
His own living Tabernacle.... 

'On the morning of Confession, 
show Him round the house; 
show Him what needs repair;
show Him where thieves 
break in and steal; 
be busy telling Him all, 
and beg of Him the grace 
of perfect contrition.'

(from Fervorinos From Galilee's Hills, compiled by a Religious, Pelligrini, Australia, 1936, p. 223)



This post is linked to Catholic Bloggers Network Monthly Linkup

Is There Room?

Sometimes, at this time of year, a question drifts into my mind.  It's always the same. 

"Is there room in Your heart for Me?" 

I immediately think of innkeepers.  I think of a house in Bethlehem where travelers once lodged, where no room was found when the time came for Jesus to be born.

Christ is in my heart; this I know.  But sometimes I wonder.  Am I providing a place of welcome and adoration?  Or could it be that I've allowed my heart to become cluttered with so many other things that I have little room in my life for Christ Himself.

The inn in Bethlehem was not filled with "bad" people on the night Mary and Joseph arrived seeking shelter.  It had no room for the holy family only because others had gotten there first.

Does Jesus find little space in some of my days simply because the hours fill up with everything else first?

Do I get up in the morning and put off prayer until I get one thing accomplished, and then one more thing - and do I ever find that the day has sped by without my spending any time at all in communication with God?  I am deeply ashamed to admit that more often than I care to mention, this has been the case.

My heart seems, today, like a manger filled with clutter.  Sometimes it's as if there's no room in it for the most important Person in the universe.   Just imagine the "logic" of that.  And so I come today to Jesus, asking HIM to clear out all the distractions.   I ask our Blessed Mother, who so tenderly prepared a place for Jesus, to help prepare my heart to be a fitting refuge for my Lord.  May she re-arrange my priorities as one might arrange pieces of straw in a manger.

As my Christmas gift this year, I ask that the same be done for you.  I ask that all our hearts be prepared as places of loving refuge for the King and Messiah Whose birth we are about to celebrate.

The world did not welcome Him when He came to earth as an infant; it does not welcome Him still.  You and I have the opportunity of welcoming Him in a world that does not do so.

May our hearts prepare Him room.

This post is a slightly edited version of one first published on The Cloistered Heart blog in December, 2011.

A Perfect Temple

'Blessed is He 
Who dwelt in the womb,
and wrought within it 
a perfect Temple
so that He might dwell in it,
a Throne 
so that He might be seated in it, 
a Garment 
so that He might be arrayed in it, 
and a Weapon 
so that He might conquer through it!'

St. Ephraem the Syrian









A hat tip to Melanie at the Association of Catholic Women Bloggers, where I found this painting.  Original source unknown.

Though I Do Not Understand

                         'In pastures green?
                         Not always; sometimes He
                         Who knoweth best, in kindness leadeth me
                         in weary ways, where heavy shadows be;
                         out of the sunshine, warm and soft and bright,
                         out of the sunshine into darkest night.
                         I oft would faint with sorrow and affright,
                         only for this:  I know He holds my hand.
                         So whether in green or desert land
                         I trust Him, though I do not understand.'

                  (from Fervorinos From Galilee's Hills, compiled by a Religious, Pelligrini, Australia, 1936, p. 227)


Painting:  Vasnetsov Snegurochka; in US public domain due to age

This post is linked to Catholic Bloggers Network Monthly Linkup

Letter to St. Nicholas

Re-blogged from The Cloistered Heart, 2011: 

Dear Saint Nicholas,

My wish this year is not like what I’ve asked for before.  I'm not writing to ask for candy or trinkets.  This year I have but one wish:  I want to be a candle.

I want to stand tall and firm, carrying the Light of Christ even when winds and storms lash about me.  You see, good St. Nicholas, the world has grown terribly dark.  We talk of peace and sing of peace, yet rumors of wars swirl all around.  We’re busy and distracted, we have no time left over to pray.  We get confused about what is truth and what is not; we redefine sin and call it “choice” and “entertainment,” and there is more darkness around than I could tell you about.  In fact, there’s more darkness than I can even see.  It can be hard to peer into darkness, and I feel sometimes like a child at night who wants to cover her head with blankets and wait for morning light.  I need the light; the world needs the light.  So I want to be a candle.

Like a pillar of flame standing beside the Tabernacle in a monastery, lifting firelight fingers high in adoration, I want to offer praise to God.  Like a sanctuary light gently calling attention to the fact that Jesus is with us, I want to keep vigil by His side and call attention to Him.  I would like to flicker softly, as a gentle reminder of His presence, no matter where I may be.  So I want to be a candle.

I know I am asking a lot.  I know that in order for the Flame to increase, a candle must decrease.  A candle gives itself for the Fire; it gives its all.  That’s okay.  You see, I want to live my life for God.  I am not so good at the doing of this, but with the grace of God I’m getting better at the wanting. 

And I want to be a candle….

“The light came into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were wicked.  Everyone who practices evil hates the light; he does not come near it, for fear his deeds will be exposed.  But he who acts in truth comes into the light, to make clear that his deeds are done in God.” (John 3:19-21)

Text not in quotes © 2011 Nancy Shuman.  
 
Originally posted at thecloisteredheart.org; reblogged at thebreadboxletters.blogspot.com.

This post is linked to Catholic Bloggers Network Monthly Linkup

public domain photo 

What To Do When Envy Bites

                           'In this land of exile, when our path is often steep and rugged,
                           a word of encouragement... is an untold treasure.
                           Let us then be quick to see the good done
                           by those with whom we live,
                           especially in the case of those whose talents and attractions
                           are superior to our own.
                           Maybe we have basked in the sunshine of approval and appreciation
                           till another comes along and puts us in the shade.
                           Let us beware, then, of envy with its killing power,
                           its positive fury, the sharpness of its tooth, the depth of its bite....
                           When we feel we are put on one side,
                           and another who takes our place is much more loved and appreciated,
                           let us not only love and thank God for it all,
                           but pray fervently that God will bless that other,
                           and make her work a great success for His glory.'

(from Fervorinos From Galilee's Hills, compiled by a Religious, Pelligrini, Australia, 1936, pp. 110-111)

Painting: Degas, danseuses

Behold, He is Coming

Be

'Like a secret told by angels,

 getting known upon the earth,  

is the Mother's expectation

of Messiah's speedy birth.'

 

(F. Faber, "Our Lady's Expectations")  


Painting:  Arthur Joseph Gaskin, Annnciation

Worship Alone

'Worship alone 

sets us

truly free.'

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Caravaggio painting (detail)

In All Things Give Him Thanks

'In all created things discern 

the providence and wisdom of God, 

and in all things give Him thanks.'

St. Teresa of Avila

Monet painting

Temptation

'Each of our impulses,
when it takes control,
becomes the master
and we the slave.
Like a tyrant it seizes
the citadel of the soul,
and by means of its underlings
plays havoc with its subjects,
using our own thoughts
as the servants
of its good pleasure.'

St. Gregory of Nyssa

'And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.  Amen.'

Painting:  Rippl, Sorrow; in US public domain due to age

And There Are Books

It's a time of year when minds of young men and old women lightly turn to thoughts of books. 

Yes, I made that sentence up all by myself.

Perhaps I could put it this way.  The air outside is chilling.  Darkness falls early.  There's frost on the punkin, snow in the forecast, a crackling fire beneath the mantel, and a cup of warm tea by my side. 

And of course, a book.

This is also a time when we're thinking about Christmas gifts. Dolls and scooters and toy airplanes (I bought one of each this morning; shhhh, don't tell..). And what better gift than a book?

But there are books, and there are books.  Some transport us to worlds of wonder, and we soar through their pages on words spun together like threads in fine tapestries.  Others read more like a string of sentences akin to the first one in this post.  Not likely to be on any bestseller lists, they. 

Of course, bestseller lists are not the best places to find good reading material.  I know such news is not a shock to anyone reading this, and there are certainly exceptions, but many highly popular offerings are not worth our time (at best) and can (at worst) be harmful to our lives of faith.

I think St. John Bosco gave us perfect guidance on the matter when he wrote "Never read books you aren't sure about... even supposing that these bad books are very well written from a literary point of view.  Let me ask you this: would you drink something you knew was poisoned just because it was offered to you in a golden cup?" 

After my recent post on spiritual reading material, I’ve been thinking of writings that have struck me in some way.  Here are just a few, with links to more information about each. 

The Fulfillment of All Desire by Ralph Martin. An inspiring look at growth in holiness, using the works of seven Doctors of the Church.  One of my favorite books of all time.

Fire Within by Father Thomas Dubay SM. I love anything by Father Dubay, but this one is my favorite.  

Francis de Sales, Jane de Chantal, Letters of Spiritual Direction helped me know (and love) both of these saints as human beings. 

And then there are the following three titles, which had me burning the proverbial midnight oil.  I found them (the first in particular) as riveting as novels -  probably because the stories are true.  

Unplanned by Abby Johnson. 

Mother Angelica... by Raymond Arroyo. 

A Right to be Merry by Mother Mary Francis PCC.  I love Mother's humor! This was written in the (1950s?), but the life has changed little, and hey: a smile is still a smile.....

I want to feed my mind with things that will lead me toward God, never away from Him.  One of the most comprehensive helps I've found, for when I'm considering various topics and even (a few) authors, is a list of links on the Women of Grace Blog.  Even though it does not list specific titles, it does deal with subject matter we might run into when we're considering spiritual books.  I once heard it said that "lies are more believable when they're built on a foundation of half truths."  So I am grateful for the help that can be found by clicking here.

I write this as winds begin to stir outside.  I have a hard time adjusting to this season of early darkness.  My old clock keeps up a steady tick; it chimes on the hour, but never correctly (we decided to call this idiosyncrasy "charming").  I have chamomile tea, a soft afghan, and of course - a book.  

Long Sigh.


Painting:  St Cecilia (detail), John William Waterhouse 

This post is linked to Catholic Bloggers Network Monthly Linkup

Looking for Something Good to Read?

Look no further!  To find a varied assortment of inspirational blog posts, we can click this line and hop over to Catholic Spirituality Blogs Network.  There, we'll find links to the twenty nominations for the first-ever Frankie Award.  "Frankie" refers, appropriately enough, to St. Francis de Sales - patron of Catholic writers.

We can even vote if we wish.  And there's an entry from right here on The Breadbox Letters... one entitled "Go Through the Motions."

Oh, but there is such marvelous variety among the entries!  I would suggest a few for your edification, but that would amount, pretty much, to suggesting all twenty. 

I'm sure St. Francis de Sales is praying for this adventure!

"Let us always belong to God, unreservedly and without interruption.  May He ever live and reign in our hearts.  Amen."  (St. Francis de Sales)

Painting attributed to Jacques Bizet

When all is Darkness

                      
                         'O Jesus, when all is darkness
                         and we feel our weakness and helplessness,
                         give us the sense of Your presence, Your love, and Your strength.
                         Help us to have perfect trust in Your protecting love and strengthening power,
                         so that nothing may frighten or worry us, for, living close to You, we shall see 

                         Your hand, Your purpose, 

                         Your will through all things.'

St. Ignatius Loyola  

Painting: Jean-François Millet, The Sheepfold, Moonlight

This post is linked to Catholic Bloggers Network Monthly Linkup

Little Peddler, Little Pack

'Let us go by land, since the high sea makes our head spin and makes us seasick.... let us practice those little virtues that are appropriate for our littleness.  Little peddler, little pack.  These are the virtues which are practiced more in going downhill than in going up, so they suit our legs better:  patience, bearing with our neighbor, submissiveness, humility, sweetness of temper, good-naturedness, tolerance of our imperfections, and other little virtues like these.  I do not say that we are not to climb by prayer, but that we should do so step by step.'

St. Francis de Sales

Painting:  Joaquin Sorolla, Paseo del faro (cropped)

I Have My Mission

'God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another.  I have my mission - I may never may know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next.'   

John Henry Cardinal Newman

Painting:  William Strang, Cynthia, 1917

This post is linked to Catholic Bloggers Network Monthly Linkup