SPEAK TO THE DIVINE

 

Our Lady of Sorrows

AVOID IMITATING THE HATE BEING DEMONSTRATED BY THE TRUMP CULT

In response to the vulgar, hostile and coarse language, in addition to hateful assertions expressed by my fellow Catholics and others on the internet, I feel I have to point out that calling people names and resorting to repellent rhetoric has never convinced anyone of the wisdom of the point of view of the person maligning them.

It is my belief that we must always address the Divine Spark of the Lord that exists within all of us when speaking to a person.

We cannot allow ourselves to become so immersed in our righteous anger that we lose all awareness of our opponent's basic nature, which is that every human is made in the likeness and image of God.

It becomes easier to keep one's attention fixed on the Divinely inspired inner nature of each human if the observer can separate the person from the acts that person performs. It can be similar to threading a needle and sewing through some stiff fabric.

I myself often have to edit and rewrite my social media posts twice after the first draft. It is a skill I am still perfecting, but I have seen so much repulsive language from people I typically like and admire, that I have come to the conclusion that we all need a little help and kindly encouragement in helping us elevate our language in a way that is worthy of our status as Catholics and which will not cause more problems than it solves. 

Typically, a reminder of the facts is all that is required. Aligning our writing with our faith is a rather straightforward procedure unless one is really struggling with the concept of recognizing that even one's enemies are made in the image and likeness of our Lord.

I highly recommend lectio divina and contemplation on a helpful scripture versus in order to remain established in Catholic belief about the nature of human beings, in general.

"So God created mankind in His own image,

in the image of God He created them; male

and female He created them."

~Genesis 1:27

None of this obviates the necessity for being truthful. Sometimes the behavior of other humans is so distasteful and heinous in nature that it can inflame our feelings. This does not mean that it is wrong to mention these behaviors or that we are not recognizing the Lord's hand in our making when we mention them.  As long as we are criticizing the behavior and not the person, we should be alright.

It makes me very upset when I read about or see yet another bald-faced lie uttered by our current president. I try not to call him a "bald-faced liar" because that is a slur, even if true at this moment. I still fail in this regard because I am so unhappy when I see him tormenting other humans. 

The older I become, the longer I have been occupying my time with prayer, the more empathy toward the vulnerable is gifted me by Our Lord. It is rather more difficult to feel the same empathy for the tormentor, except that I remind myself what a hell it must be to live a life in concert with the Hell of Satan and to know that if the tormentor of the weak and needy does not repent, he will be forever damned. I know the grim future that awaits the unrepentant bully, so when I manage to remind myself of it, writing about and to them becomes less fraught with fury. 

Doing so also reminds me of my own defects of character and sends me straight into fervent prayers of contrition. 

We do not want to call a person a name because it sticks that person in time, without the opportunity for repentance, confession, forgiveness, etc. Calling someone a name is like putting a straight pin through a bug and skewering it to poster board.

DRAGONFLY - WILLIAM MORRIS PRINT

Instead, we should point out the nature of the lie and label the lie and not the person. If we are to love our enemies, we must want the highest good for them, and that would be for them to reach perfect contrition for their sins, and that they would confess, repent, and turn their lives around, and be forgiven.

It is never too late for anyone to "come to the party," until they have died, that is. Until then, the possibility for the forgiveness of the Lord is always possible, and we should not forget it or resent it, no matter when it happens in the life of another person.

Remember the parable about the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) in which the farmer hires workers at all hours of the day but pays them all the same wage at the end of the day.

We should be happy when anyone experiences a heart-felt conversion and is saved from their sins because, if we feel resentment that they were able to "enjoy" sinning for a longer time, it only means that we are not really enjoying our time with Jesus, which is a terrible thing to contemplate. It means we find more joy in sin than in a blessed life in Christ.

Since I must remind myself of these facts every time I put words to page, especially with regard to our fractious political times, I am assuming that most of us are in need of reminders. 

If you need any encouragement in this process, send me a message on Facebook or a comment on this post, and we can brainstorm or I will offer suggestions. Whatever you feel you need.

In the meantime, I pray for you and hope you pray for me.

God bless us all!

Silver Rose

 

THE GOD OF SECOND CHANCES

In Tuesday's general election, Hillary Clinton received the most votes from the people, but Donald Trump won the Electoral College votes and is therefore our new President Elect. As a result, there were thousands of people in a number of cities throughout the United States who protested Trump's election as our soon-to-be president. About ten thousand people protested in front of Trump Plaza, well into the late evening. Chicago and Los Angeles experienced large protests. Even here in Albuquerque, we had people in the streets.

This is by no means the first time that a president has lost the popular vote but won the election. It is a unique American quirk that we accept as the legitimate method of determining the winner in any campaign. Peaceful protest is also a feature of the American democratic system and, as long as it doesn't deteriorate into violence, is allowed to occur.

As soon as it became apparent that Trump was going to win the Electoral College votes, I began to pray for him, dedicating a rosary to his well-being and praying that Trump experience a radical conversion of heart. I continue to hope that the enormity of his responsibilities brings him to his knees before God, chastens him and humbles him, so that he can be successful as a president of all the people. As he begins to realize that most of the American people did not want him in the office, but he has to be president of all the people, I imagine it will likely hit him very hard.

My 33rd great grandmother was a Ukrainian ruler who earned a reputation as a bloody and retaliatory queen. In vengeance for the murder of her husband, she nearly wiped out an entire ethnic minority, doing so in a most gruesome and cruel manner. Later, she somehow experienced a great conversion, became baptized, and is now known as Saint Olga of Kiev, patron of widows and converts. If that woman can become a saint, there is hope for all of us.

A wonderful feature of our faith is the Lord's great love for us that manifests in forgiveness, over and over again, immediately upon our expression of regret and plea for forgiveness. Jesus is the ruler of our hearts and meets us there in love.

Donald Trump has expressed harsh criticisms against several minorities, the disabled, women, veterans captured in battle, the American press, and refugees escaping war torn countries. His rhetoric has been vulgar, insulting, retaliatory, and, frankly, dangerous to the welfare of our country (such as when he invited the Russians to covertly interfere with our elections, which, apparently, they did, to some degree or another.) His worldview, as consistently expressed by him, is the antithesis of the Christian worldview.

Despite all the negatives, Christians voted him into office because of his supposedly pro-life sentiments and his stated intention to appoint pro-life judges to the Supreme Court. In one sense, it was a wild gamble. Trump presents as anything but a good Christian man, but our hope springs eternal. We have seen great conversions before, and this is what it will take in order for this man to meet the expectations of the Christians who voted for him. This is what I pray for.

I ask all my readers to join me in praying for Donald Trump, his family and his support staff. Let us pray for his deep conversion of heart that strengthens his promises with regard to the pro-life cause. Let us pray that he seeks a soft spot on which to land when things get tough for him in the many many battles that face him, and that he realizes that the soft spot he seeks is the loving heart of Christ.

God bless us all...

Silver Rose

CHATTING WITH THE SAINTS

SAINT VLADIMIR THE GREAT

(958 - 1015)

"BAPTIZER OF RUSSIA"

My 31st Great Grandfather

I discovered this week that, among the most interesting of my ancestors is my 31st Great Grandfather, Saint Vladimir I Sviatoslavich, mostly known as "Vladimir the Great" or "Saint Vladimir, the baptizer of Russia."  He was the Prince of Novgorod, Grand Prince of Kiev, and the ruler of an area once called Kievan Rus', precursor to Belarus, the Ukraine and Russia, which was occupied by both Slavic people and Vikings, who were actually invited in to help unite the warring Slavic chieftans, restore some order and also to rule them. There is controversy about some of it, and the story of this land is long and extremely interesting. Quite a lot of information exists on the internet, if you become curious about it.

At one point in history, this land was called "Ruthenia." Learning that factoid was an "aha" moment for me, since my heart belongs to the Byzantine Catholic Church, to which I was first introduced here in Albuquerque, which is an Eastern Catholic rite that is rooted in the Ruthenian people. Perhaps my genes remembered!

In the year 988, or thereabouts, grandpa became converted from Slavic Paganism to the Christian faith and was baptized. It was a big deal when the ruler of a country became Christian, and I have found several icons and paintings that celebrate that day. He chose to convert based upon research of the religions of the day, sending envoys out to gather firsthand information about Islam, Roman Catholicism, Judaism, and Byzantine Orthodoxy. Their observations in Constantinople convinced the Grand Prince. I LOVE this aspect of the story, since it hints that Saint Vladimir, in some regards, was a truth seeker and not primarily politically motivated in his decision to convert. There were political gains to be had with a Byzantine alliance, but this just a bonus, according to some biographers.

There is a conflicting story, however, that tells of political intrigue with the Emperor Basil II, and Vladimir DID end up divorcing all his pagan wives and marrying Basil's sister, Anna, who was not in favor of the match and is said to have expressed great distress on the way to the wedding. Some people say that grandpa only agreed to become Christian, since this was a condition of obtaining the hand of the much sought-after and highly prized Anna. Motives of the living are mostly inscrutable, what to speak about speculations about motives for the long dead! Such were the customs of that day that women, especially high born women who were valued as pawns in political alliances, were not free to choose their own husbands.

It is not known if they had any children together. My line descends from one of his pagan alliances prior to his marriage to Anna.

The customs of the era of the middle ages overlay other considerations and, as with all human beings, Vladimir had his good and his bad attributes. Ultimately, however, it was all brought to the good as a huge swath of territory was Christianized in this process.

THE BAPTISM OF SAINT VLADIMIR THE GREAT

Saint Vladimir baptized his family and the residents of Kiev, converting the country's official religion to what we now call Orthodox Christianity.

THE BAPTISM OF KIEVANS

by 

Klavdy Vasiliyevich Lebedev

The thing about saints that most Protestants do not understand is that we do not pray to them. First of all, a Saint is not dead in the sense that, although he or she has left the body behind, they are alive in heaven. You can talk to them just like you can talk to your neighbor over the fence that separates your yards. You live in different worlds, but can still interact.

The saints, being holy people and close to God, are very good friends to have. Even better, in my mind, is a saint who is also an ancestor. I have this idea that the saints MUST be praying for the welfare of their descendants, and I hope that this is true.

In any case, anyone can call on the saints and ask them to pray for you, just as you might that friend of neighbor whose body is still walking around on this earth!

All Christians must remember that Jesus promised us everlasting life, if we follow his commandments. Dismissing that timeless reality by turning up one's nose at the idea of talking to the saints reveals a weak, if not entirely absent faith in the promises of Christ. The promises of the Lord are true and thus, we are never alone with our sorrows and our joys. The angels and saints are present to us and available to us in a way they could not be if constrained by the physical body and the straightjacket of this time-bound world.

I highly recommend developing relationships with the saints. They are very good friends to have!

God bless us all.

Silver Rose Parnell
(c) Copyright 2016
All rights reserved

THE BAPTISM OF RUSSIA