Pondering Tidbits of Truth - July 27, 2016

Pondering Tidbits of Truth is my simple and inadequate way of providing nuggets of spiritual wisdom for you to chew on from time to time.

St. John of the Cross

"All you who are tormented and afflicted, laboring beneath the burden of anxiety and desire, cast it aside by coming unto Me, and I will refresh you; and your souls shall find that rest of which your desires rob you."

(From The Ascent of Mount Carmel)

Worth Revisiting - So What's The Rush?

Thanks to the generosity and encouragement of Allison Gingras and Elizabeth Riordan, an ever-expanding group of Catholic bloggers take the time each week to re-post their favorite articles on Revisiting Wednesdays.

Do yourself a favor- go here now (and every Wednesday) and let these authors bless and challenge you in Faith journey.

During the rest of each week. visit Allison at  Reconciled To You and Elizabeth at Theology Is A Verb.  You will be pleased with what they share.

This is the post I have chosen to share:

Monday Musings - So What’s the Rush?

(Initially published April 27, 2015)

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Many professing to be Catholic - even among those who attend Sunday Mass regularly - have lost the sense of the Sacred and their belief in the Real Presence of our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

The many reasons for this are beyond the scope of this brief reflection.

Let me mention just two  (1) the misuse of Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist whose assistance at Mass should be restricted to those very rare occasions “whenever the number of faithful wishing to receive Communion is so great that the celebration of Mass would be unduly long (emphasis added); and (2) the failure of so many of us to spend sufficient time in thanksgiving and conversation with the Lord whose Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity we consume.

Since reception under both species is neither required nor recommended for frequent use, can anyone truthfully say that their Sunday Mass would be unduly prolonged if there were no Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist? What is so wrong about extending the time during which silent conversation can take place between we sinners and the Divine Physician now present within our fleshly temples?

Many have forgotten or never experienced days gone by when distribution of Holy Communion to crowds far larger than are now found at most Sunday Masses was more efficient and reverent as communicants kneeled at the altar rail and the priest was the one who came to them.

(Image Source: Andrew R. Tester and Wikimedia Commons)

What is the rush to turn away from our loving Lord while He still remains physically within us? Should we not act as caring and adoring hosts and hostesses to our Heavenly Guest by continuing silent and prolonged interaction with Him after Mass instead of joining the stampede out of the pews? Can we not postpone unnecessary, loud, and idle chatter with those around us until we exit the Church building? The behavior I am suggesting is intended to  be the norm, not the exception, in our parishes. Is that the reality in yours?

It’s time to take an honest look at how we treat the King of Kings.

Eucharistic Reflection - See With Eyes of Faith

“As you kneel, see the Sacramental Species with the eyes of faith. As you knell, see the legions of angels which surround Christ and adore Him with profound reverence. This sight should make you exceedingly humble. 

(Photo©Michael Seagriff)

In the elevation, contemplate Christ elevated on the Cross. Ask Him to bring all things to Himself. Make fervent acts of faith, hope, love adoration, humility, saying with the mind, ‘Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me! My Lord and my God, I love you, my God. I adore you with my whole heart and soul’. 

You may also renew the intention of the Mass which you are celebrating, offering up the Eucharist, according to its four ends. But when you lift up the chalice, make sure to remember in a very contrite way that the Blood of Christ has been shed for you, even though you have oftentimes despised it. Adore Him so as to make up for past neglect."

(Cardinal Giovanni Bona from The Sacrifice of the Mass )

Monday Musings - Called To Action Not Silence

The Church's selective silence in the face of clear and unambiguous evil is impossible to reconcile with our moral obligations and the ageless wisdom of so many of our forbears in the Faith. 

Why do our leaders hesitate for even a second to publicly and unrelentlessly oppose such evils as killing and harvesting of body parts for profit and continued funding of Planned Parenthood? 

Why is there any delay in publicly correcting and reprimanding Catholic public figures who support  positions contrary to Church teaching and yet profess to be faithful Catholics? 

Why do we refuse to immediately tell our government officials when they direct us to act contrary to our Catholic beliefs and God's Truth that we will not comply, instead of simply and meekly saying we will support Court challenges to such directives?

Why? - a most compelling question requiring a loud response! Here is one offered by Father M. Raymond, O.C.S.O. more than half a century ago:

 

 

Podcast - Yes Mildred, You Are Both Rich and Poor!

(Image source: Wikimedia Commons)

If you have not spent time in what we have come to call "Third World" countries, you may not realize how blessed you were to have been born in, or to have legally immigrated to, this great nation.

Yes, there are far too many individuals living here who are struggling financially. But are they really poor? Many others appear to have everything. But are they truly rich?

Why not listen, Mildred, and let me know what you think!

Worth Revisiting - A Prophetic Warning

(Photo©Michael Seagriff)

Thanks to the generosity and encouragement of Allison Gingras and Elizabeth Riordan, an ever-expanding group of Catholic bloggers take the time each week to re-post their favorite articles on Revisiting Wednesdays.

Do yourself a favor- go here now (and every Wednesday) and let these authors bless and challenge you in Faith journey.

During the rest of each week. visit Allison at  Reconciled To You and Elizabeth at Theology Is A Verb.  You will be pleased with what they share.

This week, I decided to share a guest post that appeared on my blog last January. I know Barb's words will ignite souls.

 Guest Post - A Prophetic Warning! 

(Originally posted  January 26, 2015)

[Although I have not yet had the privilege to physically meet the gifted writer whose work I am about to share with you, we are not strangers.

Barbara Schoeneberger, M.A. has challenged and stirred my soul (and countless other souls) through her words and inspiring example.

She has struggled for more than a decade with, among other crosses, physical limitations, surgeries, chronic pain, and most recently - cancer. Once she understood "the purpose of her suffering", her life changed. Through sharing her life's experiences and spiritual journey, Barbara hopes her writings will "help others to make the most of the challenges God has sent them."
 
You would serve the welfare of your soul well if you made a point of visiting her at  Suffering With Joy.

Barbara has graciously consented to my sharing one of her most timely posts - one that should be widely read and disseminated]:


A Prophetic Warning! by Barbara Schoeneberger

Cleaning out a file cabinet this past week I found this copy of a presentation Servant of God Father John A. Hardon, S.J. gave in 1999 at the national meeting of the Institute on Religious Life. I’ve been a fan of Father Hardon’s ever since he came to my attention in the mid to late 1990s. At that time I took his Marian Catechist program and bought all of the tapes he offered through Eternal Life. It was a great blessing to hear him speak the teachings of the Church with no ambiguity.

 

Present at that meeting of the Institute were Cardinal George, Bishops Bruskewitz, Doran, and Timlin, and many superiors of religious institutes. As we begin a new year in a world that has deteriorated measurably since 1999, we, although we may not be vowed religious, would do well to reflect on his words.

Continue reading HERE at Barbara's blog.