SAINT MECHTILDIS OF EDELSTETTEN - MAY 31, 2022

 

 Saint Mechtildis

Died May 31, 1160

I have previously mentioned that I have no "close family" but this is not strictly true, because if I may include my relatives in heaven, I have a huge family that is the closest POSSIBLE.

Now, Saint Mechtildis, a wonderful mystic and miracle worker, is almost a "shirt tail relation, we are so distantly related in worldly terms, but her availability to me, by virtue of her presence in Heaven, is very near me, indeed.

In life, she was the grandaunt of the wife of my 2nd cousin, 24 times removed! That's a mouthful, isn't it? I can't even picture it, except I know that 24 times removed" means 24 generations separated. That's about right, because Saint Mechtildis died in 1150, which was 872 years ago.

The saints, in Catholic terms, are people who were so holy that The Church has confirmed that they are, without a doubt, in Heaven already and, because of this, Saint Mechtildis is right here in the room with me when I am speaking to her, thinking about her, and asking her to intercede for me.

She herself was closely mystically aligned with the saints in Heaven and was pious from an early age. In fact, she was only 5 years old when her parents set her up in a monastery on their property in Diessen, Bavaria. So, she was raised by nuns, which was no unheard of in those days, especially among the nobility, such as her parents, the Count and Countess of Andechs.

In time, she became a full fledged Benedictine nun, and when the Mother Superior of the convent died, the Bishop of Augsberg appointed her to the position, despite the fact that she was very young for that job, at 28 years old. She got some pushback to her efforts to reform the place, something that the bishop had instructed her to do, but it wasn't until the Bishop managed to eject a couple of the troublemakers who were prone to gossip, that she was able to do as she was told and bring the convent closer to the Benedictine standard.

Mechtildis was not a flat 2-dimensional character. In addition to her practical and managerial skills, she was often found in a mystical trance that lasted hours, during which she had ecstatic visions. She was widely reputed to have healed a number of people suffering from defects of sight or hearing.  This is a reminder to me and to all of us that we are not limited by our station in life or the number of mundane duties we are required to perform. We can still become saints, and we are encouraged to try. I find that meditation on her life is reassuring.

Then, there are days like I have had today, when my disabilities and defects have prevented me from doing much of anything at all, with the exception of replacing the computer virus software of my laptop and taking a parcel to the small local post office near my house that has limited hours. Half the time the postage meter is not working or something is "down" and we all have to jerry rig a solution. The parcel got mailed, though with slightly less postage than would have been required if the machine had been up and running. The clerk had to put something like 6 stamps on the dang thing!

When I got home, I was unable to do anything but have a little something to eat and collapse on the reclining chair! At least I was able to write this.

Anyone interested in contemplative life would do well to have a look at the life of Mechtildis and turn your mind to her during meditation and ask for her intercession. Tell her I sent you.

Silver Rose

FEAST OF SAINT RITA OF CASCIA, SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2022

 

SAINT RITA OF CASCIA

1381 - MAY 22, 1457

Patron of impossible causes,

abused wives, loneliness, the

sick, bodily illnesses, wounds,

and widows.

Saint Rita is one of those saints who had a remarkably difficult life, full of extreme circumstances. She wanted to be a nun from an early age but her parents forced her into an arranged marriage to an awful man when she was only age 12. She must have been very pretty or domestically talented because she had already been pursued hotly by at least one other man prior to her marriage.

Her husband was wealthy, which is probably why her parents forced him on her. He was also foul tempered, and immoral, cheating on her with various women and abusing her savagely.

She worked to convert him and made some progress with that. At the very least, she was able to raise their two sons in The Faith. She tried to convince him to put aside the vendetta and resentments he had against another family, with only partial success. Ultimately, he was murdered by one of that opposing family, even after his feelings of resentment had cooled.

After the death of her husband and then their sons (from dysentery), Saint Rita tried to enter the nearby Monastery of Saint Mary Magdalene in Cascia, but they refused her because of the violence of her husband's death and the fact that she was not virgin.

So, at this point in the story, I have to bring up a pet peeve. Men are not required to be virgin before joining a monastery, and this obsession with the virginity of women is highly objectionable. It still exists in modern times, along with many other inconsistencies and prejudices. I have told the story several times about how that nun pulled me out of the RCIA class 30 years ago, when I first tried to convert, and refused to let me get BAPTIZED because I'd been married and divorced in a secular fashion. She told me that non-sacramental marriages must be annulled by the church before one could become baptized, which is ridiculous and untrue. But she seemed to enjoy kicking me out of the class. What an awful and unjust humiliation. I had to get baptized by the Episcopalians down the street. "Those Catholics," they would exclaim and then roll their eyes at my predicament.

Expecting non-Christians to behave like Christians and then punishing them for NOT doing so is one of those things that deter people from converting and which saddens those who have converted. It is almost as if some Catholics prefer to keep the faith small and elite - like an exclusive country club. Converts are very often NOT welcome if their lives prior to seeking membership in the faith do not look like the life circumstances of lifelong Christians.

These prejudices are common with human beings and they remain even after converting, in some circumstances. Variations of lifestyle, such as people who remain single, are not well received. If you don't bring money or children to the faith, and you are not able to offer your labor, you can count on being discounted. If you were divorced prior to becoming Catholic, you have no chance of joining a convent either, no matter the circumstances. I am sure there are a tiny number of people for whom this is not true, but over the decades, I have found it so. Catholicism is still obsessed with virginity and related topics.

In the end, Saint Rita was allowed to enter the convent in her late thirties. The legend says that she was transported by levitation into the garden of the Monastery at night, but her acceptance into the convent alone is miracle enough for me! 

Stories of Saint Rita's mystical life while in the convent are very engaging. It is wonderful what mystical experiences can be had when leading a contemplative life. When she was about sixty, she was meditating on an image of Christ crucified when a wound suddenly appeared on her forehead and it came to be considered a partial stigmata. Some of the paintings of her depict her with Christ's crown of thorns.

Saint Rita is one of "the incorruptibles," as her body shows no sign of deterioration. It is kept in a glass-enclosed case.

I doubt I'll be buried in a special glass case. I can't even get my parish to mail the weekly bulletin to me. (It is hard for me to read it online, and when I have a hard copy, I feel connected to my community.)  Anyway, they do it for a few weeks, then it stops and I have to call and remind them. Then they do it for a few weeks, and it stops again. And I call them again. Finally, after 4 or 5 go-arounds like this, I have given up.

There are quite a few things about Saint Rita's life that remind me of my own. That is one of the wonderful advantages of having saints to whom one can point one's gaze. She had a thing for roses, evidently, and I have several potted roses in the garden of my apartment. She was also bedridden during the last years of her life, and I am nearly there myself. Once, in January, she asked a visitor to bring her a rose and although it was winter and roses are not expected at that time, the visitor found one beautiful rose in the garden and brought it back to Rita. So she is often depicted with roses.

In the 20 years that I have lived as a hermit in the city, I spent the first ten years trying to get a return phone call from the Bishop's office with regard to becoming a Diocesan Hermit, which is in the gift of the Bishop's discretion. First one bishop and then his replacement, with the same result. No matter how many people I called, I received no response - only broken promises of help. 

The parishes have not been welcoming, with the exception of a handful of parishioners.  In the particular case of the Byzantine Catholic Church, whose liturgy I enjoy much more than the standard Roman Rite, I was actually harassed by the young Ukrainian priest who made loud and bawdy jokes about the size of my posterior, in the company of half a dozen and more parishioners, male and female, complete with pantomimes and rude words.  He laughed at me, as did the other parishioners (mostly the men) who stood around enjoying the protracted joke made at my expense. Joining the Catholic CHURCH has been a universally disappointing experience, with regard to the organization.

There is a part of me that feels embarrassed and humiliated by reporting this story.  This is likely a result of PTSD to which this experience added a level of shame. It makes no sense that I should feel embarrassed by the obnoxious behavior of that callow young priest, but psychology is complicated. I have wrestled with including the story in my writings, but grit my teeth and bear the ignominy. Why should I feel shame for the reprehensible behavior of someone else?

After the first ten years, I realized I would have to live the solitary contemplative life without any corporate support whatsoever.  I am completely on my own EXCEPT, that is, from The Lord and from his messengers, the holy women who assist me and give me great encouragement in The Faith, because while the institution has abandoned me, God sees this and won't allow me to remain unsupported.  He is there for me ALWAYS, and I sometimes wonder if He has graced me with special favor because I have been abandoned by the institution.

There is a wonderful quote in Hosea about the woman who has previously lived a very indulgent life:

"Therefor I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into

the desert and speak tenderly to her."

The Lord goes on to promise that He will return to her the vineyards of her youth, and her lands, and that she will sing as in the days of her youth. Further, He says:

"You will call me 'my husband'; you will no longer call

me 'my master.'"

In response to the world's abandonment of the solitary contemplative, The Lord brings her closer to Himself, in a more intimate encounter with Him.

I used to carry around these quotes on a small piece of paper in my wallet, until I memorized them and completely internalized them. They represent to me the beautiful advantages of solitary contemplative life.

Abandoned by the world and even by the hierarchy of The Church, The Lord rushes in to uplift the person in their solitary life that has been dedicated to God.

There is a similar idea reflected in Psalm 27:10, with regard to someone whose family has thrown them away:

"For my father and my mother have left me; but

the Lord hath taken me up."

This theme is repeated throughout the Bible and gives me tremendous encouragement, as do the stories of the lives of the saint who ALSO are very often abandoned by family, by society, by husbands, and by the institution and hierarchy of The Church. Alone and abandoned, He speaks to us in our heart and if we open our arms to Him He "takes us up" unto Himself and the Heavenly realms.

I clearly see this in the lives of the saints, such as Rita of Cascia, who wanted from a young age to join herself with The Lord and yet everyone tried to get in her way of it. (I also became interested in the Catholic Church when I was 11 and was corresponding with a convent of Carmelite nuns - much to the horror of my mother, who hated religion, and Catholicism in particular.)

Rita's parents, knowing her devotion to God and her desire to join the convent, married her off to a rich man instead, likely hoping to gain some financial advantage thereby. 

NOTHING went her way, yet she persisted in her love of God and her desire for union with Him. It did not matter if the entire world refused to support her in this, she maintained her devotion and lived with The Lord in an intimate state.

Stories like hers help me to hang on and persist in keeping company with The Lord, who is here with me every day, accompanying me in my trials. I am able to talk to Him and ask Him for help and He unfailingly gives me encouragement.

Consequently, I have given up all effort to gain spiritual assistance from the institution of The Church. There is no point. Instead, I rely upon a wealth of spiritual and religious texts and historical documents, as well as the large number of movies and documentaries that are available on the internet.

There are a few very special holy women who assist me with great love and generosity, and I look upon them as messengers of God. Some days, I feel I am in bliss. The problems of life continue and I lament the constant trials, but do not lose my faith. Even on the more rare occasions when it seems that all my life circumstances look like absolute Hell, my faith continues unabated and serene because I have the company of The Lord in it. Always in the background, he speaks to my heart.

It no longer matters if a callow young priest characterizes me in a comical, disrespectful fashion and thereafter lies about it to his adoring fans who provide cover for his behavior. It does not matter if people who promise to help me fail to do so. If telephone calls are not returned, if people gossip and spread untrue rumors, if I'm discounted and disparaged at every turn - none of it matters any more. Nowadays, I can not imagine anything better than my quiet solitary life with The Lord. He has taken me up.

Of course, the Catholic Church in New Mexico has much bigger fish to fry than my pathetic case.  My experiences are NOTHING compared to the abuse that children have suffered at the hands of pedophile priests. The New Mexico Catholic Church is currently paying out millions of dollars for its sins of covering up crimes and giving shelter and protection to criminal perverts. It is no wonder that I have been unable to get support for my contemplative spiritual life. I am careful to remind myself that this rejection does not elevate me or make me special. I am beside the point - an unnecessary and unimportant person, in the scheme of things. 

Unfortunately, there are many people who see the contradictions of the behaviors of some of the humans in our institutions and they abandon the faith because of it, thereby losing "the pearl of great price." They do not understand that the  faith is holy, whereas not all of the people responsible for the management of its dissemination are similarly holy. It makes me sad and I pray for them to see the difference and stay with The Faith.  Let us pray for all these lost souls. 

Saint Rita was well known for miraculous results to her intercessory prayers on behalf of others. She is particularly known for resolutions to "impossible causes," such as the cured blindness of a child while the saint was still alive.

She died of tuberculosis and immediately eleven miracles were attributed to her as the result of the prayers of the faithful who asked for her intercession.

One of the prayers to Saint Rita goes like this:

"O holy Patroness of those in need, St. Rita, whose pleadings before thy 

Divine Lord are almost irresistible, who for thy lavishness in granting 

favors hast been called the Advocate of the Hopeless and even of the 

Impossible; St. Rita, so humble, so pure, so mortified, so patient and 

of such compassionate love for thy Crucified Jesus that thou couldst 

obtain from Him whatsoever thou asketh, on account of which all 

confidently have recourse to thee expecting, if not always relief, at least 

comfort; be propitious to our petition, showing thy power with God on 

behalf of thy supplicant; be lavish to us, as thou hast been in so many 

wonderful cases, for the greater glory of God, for the spreading of thine 

own devotion, and for the consolation of those who trust in thee. We 

promise, if our petition is granted, to glorify thee by making known thy 

favor, to bless and sing thy praises forever. Relying then upon thy merits 

and power before the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we pray thee grant that 

[mention your petition here.]  O pray for us, o holy St. Rita, that we may

be made worthy of the promises of Christ."

Also, I ask today for prayers for my neighbor who has Parkinson's for the last 29 years and is becoming seriously ill in her 69th year of life. I am doing what I can to make phone calls for some help to be given to her, but in the meantime, I appreciate very much the prayers of all of you.

God bless you, and have a wonderful week.

Silver "Rose"

SAINT ALBERT OF TRAPANI - CARMELITE PATRON

Saint Albert of Trapani

( Albert degli Abbati )

Feast Day - August 7

I was delighted to learn about today's saint, since my love of the Carmelite Order began as a young girl (long story) and I further took Teresa of Avila as my patron saint when I was baptized at age 38 by the Episcopalians (again, a long story.)  Saint Teresa, a doctor of the church and another Carmelite, was very devoted to Albert of Trapani, and I am surprised that I had not recalled learning anything of him before today.  He is one of those saints that had a profound effect on the Church as a whole, as well as the Carmelite Order of which he was a part, but whose public popularity is somewhat dimmed in this country.  I do not know why.

Albert degli Abbati was born in Trapani, Sicily in the 13th century.  More than one of my sources claims that his parents dedicated him to the Catholic Church prior to his birth.  It is also said that his parents were unable to have children for the first 26 years of their marriage, until he was born.  There is some evidence that this is a factual account.

A collection of legends that grew up around him appears on the St. Joseph's Carmelite Monastery of Kilmacud website (link at bottom of page.)  The oldest biography was written shortly after 1385, a copy of which is preserved in the Vatican, thus we are fairly sure of the basic facts of his life.

Albert was very young when he entered the Carmelite house in Trapani, which was only one of about fifteen friaries in Sicily at that time.  Later, he transferred to a house in Messina.  His mission was primarily that of preaching to the Sicilian people, and he is known both for his inspired oratory and many miracles and cures, both physical and spiritual, among them exorcisms.  He was known in his time as a "wonder worker," and the miraculous healings attributed to his intercession occurred even after his death.

It is said that Albert had many converts among the Jews that lived near Messina and that he also wrote books, but none are extant.  He spent some time as the provincial superior at the house in Messina, as late as 1297, but lived as a hermit for the last few years of his life, until his death in 1307. By about 1317, his relics were "translated" and there are pieces of that saint all over the place, mostly in Sicily. Trapani has his skull.  In Sicily there are many reminders of the Saint's life.  In Agrigento is a well, the waters of which were purified by the saint.

In the 16th Century, it was established that every Carmelite Church should have an altar dedicated to him.

Ancient Prayer for healing attributed to Saint Albert:

"O my God, you have created the human race by your wonderful power.  It is an act of your clemency that has called us to share your glory and eternal life.  When the first sin condemned us to suffer death, out of your goodness you wished to redeem us through the blood of your Son, to unite us to you through our faith and your great mercy.  You have brought us back from the shame of your sign; you have veiled our dishonour in the brightness of your glory.  Look now and see that what you have created, giving it subtle limbs and joints and made beautiful through its immortal soul, is now subject to the attack of Satan.  Be pleased Lord to reconstitute your work and heal it.  May your power be glorified and may the malice of the enemy be stunned."

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Carmelite Prayer:

"Lord God, you made Saint Albert of Trapani a

model of purity and prayer, and a devoted

servant of Our Lady. May we practice these

same virtues and so be worthy always to share

the banquet of your grace. Grant this through

our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives

and reigns with you and the Holly Spirit, one

God, forever and ever."

The propers for the Carmelite Office of Blesseds and Saints can be found HERE, if you would like to include those in today's prayers.

Having learned a bit about this saint, I plan to add him to my personal "committee" of intercessors I call upon for help.  Perhaps he can help you also.  This blog represents a slight sketch about Saint Albert.  If it has piqued your curiosity, please refer to the source links I have included below my by-line.

In the meantime, please pray for me as I pray for you.


Silver "Rose" Parnell
(c) 2015
All rights reserved

SOURCE LINKS:

ST. JOSEPH'S CARMELITE MONASTERY, KILMACUD

ALBERT OF TRAPANI: a saint of yesterday for today Giovanni Grosso, O.Carm. translated by Paul Chandler, O.Carm.

ORDER OF THE BROTHERS OF THE MOST VIRGIN MARY OF CARMEL

MEDITATIONS FROM CARMEL