Harvesting The Fruits of Contemplation

[117] Venerable Fulton J. Sheen  At the very moment when a tree turns against Him and becomes a cross, when iron turns against Him and becomes nails, when roses turn against Him and become thorns, when men turn against Him and become executioners, He lets fall from His lips for the first time in the history of the world a prayer for enemies: ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do’ (Luke 23:34).  (From  The Rainbow of Sorrow ) PAUSE AND PONDER :  Do I find it difficult to forgive those who have sinned against me? If Jesus forgave His executioners, how can I hold on to a grudge or desire for revenge? Do I understand that God will forgive me only to the extent that I have forgiven those who have injured me?                           (Excerpted from  Pondering Tidbits of Truth – Volume 6 )

(Photo©Michael Seagriff) "Do we believe that when we sin we are Pilate ordering the cross and the nails; we are Judas taking the thirty pieces of silver and kissing the Christ; we are Annas and Caiaphas and the rest of the Sanhedrin urging the people on to cry ‘Away with this Man; give unto us Barabbas!’ Do we really believe that when we sin we take hammer and use it on a nail that goes through the flesh of God? Or have we, too, lost our sense of sin?" (Rev. M. Raymond, O.C.S.O. f rom God, A Woman and the Way )  

 

[What follows is a Lenten Reflection written by Father Darr Schoenhofen that he shared with the Parishes of Saint Malachy in Sherburne and Saint Theresa in New Berlin, New York on April 1, 2020. He has given me permission to share it with my readers. Father speaks the Truth with clarity and a needed sense of urgency. He reminds us why Jesus weeps and then asks: Do We? This reflection is well worth reading, pondering and sharing far and wide. I was unable to reproduce the image of our crucified Lord that Father used. I substituted another.] (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons )   For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.   For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world may be saved through him .    — JN 3:16-17 Dear Friends in Christ, Beloved Parishioners, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that w...

I have shared this post before: It is only with much perseverance and undeserved grace that our meditation and contemplation will bear fruit - fruit which we should share with those around us. On those occasions when we are so blessed, most of us will resort to sharing our experience with written or spoken words. A rare few who ponder persistently the mysteries of our Faith and the life of our Savior Jesus Christ, and who have been blessed with artistic gifts, will receive a greater grace - the ability to share the fruits of their meditation and contemplation through the creation of penetrating, piercing, and powerful images of He Whom they have contemplated. Take time this Good Friday (and from time to time thereafter) to gaze upon and ponder the drawing posted below. Let your eyes, heart, mind and soul take in every painstakingly created feature of this compelling representation of our Lord. Ponder the depth of God's love for you as He suffered such a savage, barbar...

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 Venerable Fulton J. Sheen "The executioners expected Jesus to cry, for everyone pinned to the gibbet of the Cross had done it before Him. Seneca wrote that those who were crucified cursed the day of their birthday, the executioners, their mothers, and even spat on those who looked upon them. Cicero recorded that at times it was necessary to cut out the tongues of those who were crucified to stop their terrible blasphemies. Hence the executioners expected a word, but not the kind of word that they heard...Like some fragrant trees which bathe in perfume the very axe which gashes them, the great Heart on the Tree of Love poured out from its depths something  less than a cry than a prayer - the soft, low prayer of pardon and forgiveness." (From The Life of Christ ) Ven. Cardinal Nguyen Von Thuan "Kn...

T hank you, Allison Gingras at  Reconciled To You   and Elizabeth Riordan at  Theology Is A Verb for  hosting Catholic bloggers at  Worth   Revisiting . It is a privilege for us to share our work with you and your readers each week.  Stop by for a visit now . Here is my contribution:   Eucharistic Reflection - Do You Have Any Marks of the Cross?    (Originally posted February 6, 2018) “I can remember when, after four months in the hospital, I began to recover: I was reading Mass on an altar constructed over the bed before a few priests and friends. I spontaneously gave a sermon, which I remember so well. I said that I was glad that I had open-heart surgery, because when the Lord comes to take us all, He will look to see if we have any marks of the Cross upon ourselves. He will look at our hands to see if they are crucified from sacrificial giving; He will look at our feet to see if they have been thorn-brui...

(Photo©Michael Seagriff) If we want to stop finding fault with others, let us come to the foot of the Cross and gaze into the eyes of our suffering, dying, loving God. Start your journey here .