SAINT MARGARET OF SCOTLAND, MY 29TH GREAT GRANDMOTHER

 

Saint Margaret, Queen of Scotland

"THE PEARL OF SCOTLAND"

Wife Of King Malcolm III

(1045-1093)

FEAST DAY: NOVEMBER 16

I began researching my genealogy in 1978, long before the internet or Ancestry's famous website, and before the current situation in which many people tell me, "genealogy is easy, it is all online!" They don't realize that it is the expert handful who "connected the dots" between families, years ago, and who were the people whose research is responsible for all of it being "online." Without the genealogy experts connecting the dots, the Ancestry website is just a big bucket of random facts and copies of documents.

At some point, however, our work became easy when we researched back far enough for the historians to take over for us and bring us back practically to the beginning of Christianity itself. Thanks to the members of the nobility that came to this continent in the 1600s and 1700s, our grandfathers and grandmothers can be traced very far back.

SAINT MARGARET AND KING MALCOLM III

Having converted to Catholicism late in life, I was thrilled to discover, at about the same time, that I am descended from and related to a number of saints who were also nobility, which is what accounts for the remarkably extensive family trees we are able to create for each of our families. 

As a Catholic, the thing that really thrilled me is when I reckoned that my family in Heaven is no doubt praying for their descendants, me among them, and since I am the only Catholic remaining in my family line, I can sure use the support!

Ever since making this discovery, there are some mysteries about the course of my life that have become revealed to me. I was raised by religion-hating people who particularly disliked Catholics. My father and I were somewhat close, as I lived with him on and off when I was a child and then worked with him writing television scripts together when I was in my 20's. But I can't pretend that he and my mother were not complete narcissists.

My mother, in addition, was terribly abusive toward me, and she particularly disliked my religion-loving, God searching nature. Things were always difficult for me when she and my sibling ganged up on me.  It was horrible until I was able to leave home shortly after I turned 17, and never looked back.

Knowing what I know now about the Masonic orders and how antagonistic they are to Catholicism, I am intuiting that some of my mother's antipathy toward me can be traced to her involvement with the Masonic groups of which she was a part when she was a child and a young woman. Her mother and father were both involved with the Masons. When I developed a correspondence with some Carmelite nuns when I was 11, my mother became extremely upset and put an end to it. It was at this time that her hostility toward me became markedly elevated. This dislike never made sense, seeming to come from nowhere, but there is a spiritual reality that is hidden from the banal daily view of human life, and I credit that spiritual reality with inspiring her dislike of me.

Satan has a way of using humans against one another, it seems to me. He didn't want me anywhere near the Carmelite order and its emphasis on silence and contemplation. I am not a Carmelite, but I might as well be, living as a hermit, as I do, and living a life of contemplation on my own.

Long story short: Satan also was not thrilled that I brought the family line back to Catholicism, at least with my own self. I think I am the only one. He had counted on this family line, descendants of saints, to have been utterly lost, thanks to the intrusion of the Masonic orders, and similar distractions. But no. When The Lord made me, he made me wildly curious about and yearning for Him, for whom I have searched my entire life. There were many detours, but here I am, 70 years old, firmly ensconced in my Catholic faith, loving it SO much, thanks be to God.

Thus, today is one of my favorite feast days - the feast day of my 29th great grandmother, Saint Margaret of Scotland. I love Saint Margaret and her story. 

Saint Margaret is one of those Plantagenets that sit on so many branches of our genealogical trees. She was the daughter of King Edward the Exile and the granddaughter of King Edmund Ironsides.

Internet sources do a pretty good job of describing her life and her affiliations. The thing that appeals to me very much is how well-rounded she was as a human being. She was legitimately religious and is credited with civilizing her husband more than a little, though he was never as devoted to the faith as she was.

Always attentive to the needs of the faithful, she did things such as establish a ferry across the Firth of Forth so that pilgrims might access holy sites, she invited the Benedictines to establish a monastery at Dunfermline and also oversaw the restoration of Iona Abbey.

STAINED GLASS WINDOW 

DEPICTING MARGARET FEEDING THE POOR

As queen, Margaret was very attentive to Christian charitable work and served the orphans and the poor before she herself would eat. For herself, personally, she is reputed to have been somewhat contemplative, given to much time in private prayer and in reading. She also practiced "ecclesiastical embroidery," which I am assuming has something to do with making the priests vestments or coverings for the altar. All of this feels very familiar to me, as it sounds very much like what I would be attracted to doing if I was in her shoes.

BEST OF ALL, and something almost makes me giggle with glee is that she was really into fashion. She engaged merchants from around the world to bring her a variety of fabrics and accoutrements, introducing the Scottish people to a mode of dress that was reputed to be more refined and elegant. It certainly sounds as if this grandmother of mine had a beautifully artistic soul.  I love that.

She is the patron saint of large families and had at least 8 children, one of whom was King David I of Scotland, who was my 28th great grandfather and is ALSO a saint! Interestingly enough, I am also descended from another child of Margaret: Matilda (Editha) who married King Henry I of England.

It pleases me that Margaret is the patron saint of large families because I often call upon her to help me associate myself with my wider family in Heaven, i.e., all those saints from whom I descend! My own natal family on earth was very small and terribly dysfunctional. There was NO love whatsoever, except from my grandmother, who lived in San Francisco and I rarely got to see. Knowing that I have relatives in Heaven makes me feel more complete and supported.

EMZAELLA MABEL CHANNING LAIRD

MY GRANDMOTHER

27TH GREAT GRANDDAUGHTER OF

SAINT MARGARET OF SCOTLAND

If you come from a small natal family and there does not seem to be enough love to spare for you, I highly recommend getting to know your relatives in Heaven, if you can. It has certainly helped me a lot in my struggle with a dearth of familial love.

"For my father and my mother have forsaken me

but the Lord will take me in."

Psalm 27:10

If Saint Margaret sounds interesting to you and you would like to get to know her a bit, there are several books available about her. I am betting they are on Amazon. There are also many websites that have some things to say about her. 

Silver Rose

Post Script: Please do not forget my GO FUND ME campaign for a car and wheelchair lift. If I were to tell the stories of all the ways in which my lack of transportation has affected my life, you would cry.

The GOFUNDME link is on this blog's page, top right - underneath my Author photo.

PLEASE NOTE:  I have decided to GIVE A GIFT for every donation to my GO FUND ME campaign over $50. There will be a selection of gift for each level of donation, with photographs that will enable you to pick which gift you want.

Gifts will vary between hand-made silver-wrapped earrings with real gemstones, pearls and artisanal dichroic glass, or personalized, hand-stamped primitive Southwest designed book markers with jeweled tassels or a variety of hand wrapped personalized, unique rosaries.

Personalized rosaries and book markers will include small pouches in which to store/carry them.

Photographs and gift levels will appear in future blog posts, as I make the items over the next week. 

Each of these gifts is a unique piece of art. Because of my physical disabilities and my visual issues with very small things, Rosaries take about 6 to 8 hours to make, as do most of the book markers. These are hand-made items that I have personally designed and which have personalized, unique details. No two items are exactly the same.

Send me a message on Facebook if you have any questions:

MY FACEBOOK PAGE

COLD FISH IN A HOT CLIMATE

 

I have noticed lately that, here in New Mexico, fewer people exhibit warmth or smile at you. I believe it may be a cultural thing.

It can be very offputting, especially when dealing with the medical profession. I have run into this at the "Senior Health Center" of the local university, where the staff is cold and lacks empathy. It makes me wonder why these people entered this profession, but there are pockets of this coldness in other areas, so it could just be a local trait.

This clinic is attached to a teaching hospital, and you could imagine that their attention is more focused on their personal educational goals, except that, in the 25 years I have been getting my medical care through various clinics of the university hospital, I have had a couple very kind and compassionate doctors, but ever since the last one retired, I have had a awful time getting comfortable with a doctor.

The people at the Senior Health Clinic seem particularly hard and unfeeling, which is sad when you remind yourself that they are dealing with a most vulnerable population.

Coming from California originally, I have also had some wonderful medical care and was accustomed to staff and doctors having a lot of personality and exhibiting great personal warmth.

Perhaps this hard bitten attitude toward seniors is just a reflection of the direction of American culture at this time. It does not help to have authority figures in the news denigrate various groups of vulnerable people. It is only a matter of time before they start advocating for old people and the disabled to be eliminated through euthanasia.

The greatest offense, according to people in some areas of government, seems to be uselessness or vulnerability. It makes me wonder how our seniors and the disabled will end up, when everything is said and done. I have the comfort of the familiarity with The Lord, and of course I will endure through the strength that God gives me - but I often wonder what life would be like if the people who were being paid to care for me at least pretended to actually CARE.

Of course, when hiring staff for any hospital clinic, you can't mandate compassion, caring or warmth. It's just unfortunate that the culture of that particular clinic, which is a fairly new one, has developed into one that is hostile toward their chosen demographic.

I recently had a really horrible experience with them. There was a hugely incompetent thing that happened, and the staff was clearly not interested in fixing it. I went through weeks of phone calls trying to get the situation normalized, and then my doctor and the clinic director ambushed me at my appointment and harassed me about it.

They were trying to mask the ineptitude of their staff, but I am not buying it. I am even having a hard time getting switched to a different clinic. They say that, even though I do not feel safe at that clinic, they have decided I will remain there.

Apparently, I have reached the age where people are starting to try to exert their will over me - for things that are within my freedom to choose for myself. Since I am nowhere near losing my marbles, I will keep a grasp on my freedoms, thank you very much.

You read about such things happening to seniors, but it is still a surprise when it occurs to oneself.

Unfortunately, I will have to look outside this rabbit warren of clinics and hospitals where I have gotten my care for the last 25 years. Apparently, in those decades, UNM has reached a size where it is unwieldy and a corporate mindset has settled in.

There are never enough doctors in this town, it has grown so big so fast, and it may be a while before I can find something that suits me, but I ask that you all pray for me so that I can find some facility where smiles are not so rare.

I also ask that you pray for my ministry for ELDER ORPHANS to be taken up by my parish. I keep hearing that it is a good idea. There are meetings and memos and all those things, yet no one calls me to discuss it with me. I know how to organize it without costing us anything at all, and yet weeks go by and nothing happens.

Things move VERY slowly in this arena, and now that the Christmas season is upon us, no one seems able to do anything "new" until Christmas and New Years are well behind us. I come from a very small, very secular and anti-religious family - and now I am a hermit - so the holidays have never occupied much more of my consciousness than any other feast day.

I have already had discussions with the manager of the elder care organization of which I am a client. They are ready for me to direct Catholic caregivers through their system. All that has to be done is to advertise on the back of the church bulletin for volunteers, but the parish drags its feet like a very old and very tired woman.

I suppose this is common with religious organizations. I encountered the exact same thing when I was in the Hindu convent. It took forever to get anything done, and when it came to individuals cooperating with one another, it was like pulling teeth!

Please pray for me that this thing does not "die in committee" for lack of interest in my demographic or by others less familiar with this area squashing it in favor of other things they find more interesting.

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

God bless you all!

Silver Rose

DAILY MIRACLES

 

Sometimes, when you ask The Lord for clarity, He gives it to you right away, ESPECIALLY when you are in real need of emotional support when it comes to your faith. And I was REALLY in need of a little propping up today. Within MINUTES of asking for help, I was given it in a remarkable way.

First, I will give a little background.

Most of you know that I live as a hermit. I do try to be as helpful as I can be to neighbors, despite my limited abilities, but I essentially stay in my own little bubble, where I pray and meditate and do the best I can to deal with painful handicaps.

Over the last year or two, as my disabilities have become much more obvious and visible, by virtue of my having to use an electric wheelchair on the property, I have been struggling with attacks from young neighbors who have bullied me in surprising ways. Sometimes they are trying to force me to give them something. At other times, they seem to be doing it for recreation. 

I even had one new neighbor lobby the managers to take from me a piece of equipment that had been installed for me to assist me in caring for my garden. That neighbor concocted an elaborate lie about it, even though I have written documentation on my phone between the two of us. The new manager was unfamiliar with how the installation of the equipment had occurred and it took 3 months to get it straightened out. It is surprising when things like this happen after I have gone out of my way to welcome them to the property with home-made bread and desserts, but I am not a psychiatrist.

When I was a young woman, I volunteered at nursing homes, and this was a relatively common thing for someone in my generation to do. But now, instead of helping people with fragile health, there are many who attempt to abuse the vulnerable and steal from them instead.

It is as if society has made a radical turn to a more primitive time. Like something out of a science fiction film, the mask of civilization has fallen from the faces of many, to reveal a face similar to what we might have seen in the middle ages, when you could be burnt as a witch, simply for being a woman living alone.

Bullies torment vulnerable people when they think they can get away with it. They usually don't do it publicly, so it is difficult to make it stop. Bullies are usually cowards.

How do we love our neighbor and pray for the enemy in the midst of all this?

As our good Jimmy Akin says, loving your neighbor means wishing the good for that person.  Praying for them is the Christian method of wishing good for them. (Jimmy Akin is a researcher, podcaster and author. He regularly appears on CATHOLIC ANSWERS.) This does not stop them from harassing the lady in the wheelchair, though. At least, not immediately.

A neighbor has recently started throwing bags of dog poop at my back door, where they land on the cement and sometimes open up and spill excrement.  I have seen them do this twice myself. 

That neighbor is taking the dog bags from where I have left them in a big pot in my garden when I have to potty my dog after the sun goes down and I can't see well enough to throw them in the trash can meant for this purpose. The parking lot is way too dark for me to do this and puts me in the way of traffic.

I see this neighbor walking back and forth to my garden, bending over to pick up the bags, then going to my patio and throwing them at the doorstep. 

I have experienced several instances of bullying and harassment from neighbors, since having to start using a wheelchair, so when I found my patio littered with dog poop this morning, it felt like the final nail in my neighborly coffin.  All I need is for someone to give me more work to do.

I had a distraught, out-loud conversation with God and asked him, PLEASE, how am I to continue when so many people are so vulgar and childishly abusive?  It had been a really bad week for me, one in which I have encountered one example after another of disability discrimination and harassment, as well as being abandoned by those who are being paid to help me.

I was having some real disappointments, not only from this neighbor, but from the world, in general, from uncaring telephone companies, merchants and caregivers to our government, where we have just elected a felon/rapist/fascist/white supremacist to the highest office of the land who has already promised to be a "dictator on day one" and who has vowed to eliminate the Medicaid program that helps me survive.  It is a depressing prospect.

It is also difficult to endure abuse while others stand by and blame the  vulnerable for the vulgarity that thugs dish out. Any police officer will tell you that the more vulnerable you are, the more you are liable to be a TARGET.  There is no "reason" that justifies it. The vulnerability IS the reason. I had an entitled Facebook snob recently tell me that no one will do something bad to you unless you deserve it by having done something to them first. It isn't true and makes no sense, when you think about it. The disabled old lady in the wheelchair has no interest or ability, frankly. We are just struggling to get through our day, despite chronic pain and disfunction. Blaming us for the actions of evil people and criminal types is pure gaslighting.

I felt like the entire world has turned ugly. I prayed fervently, out loud, with tears.  "How can I continue?" I asked Him. I had a real "lament" going on for myself. 

This isn't what I imagined when I became a hermit, and part of these problems I have been having with these people is that my mode of life is so radically different than theirs that it probably irritates the soul of those who have no real religious or spiritual life. People who try to torment disabled elderly ladies are not in tune with God. They are in thrall to dark forces, and anyone who is thus situated is going to be infuriated when they come up against the vibe of a  religious hermit who loves God.

The only way to avoid these sort of people is to live more authentically as a hermit - away from the crowd - something that I cannot afford to do at present, especially since I am unable to endure the physicality of it. I have it in mind for future, however, but I need to generate some income in order to do it so that I can pay for the new residence and the means to get moved into it. That's something for the next step.

Shortly after finding my patio littered with dog poop bags, my dog was urging me to take him out for a walk. I had just woke up, but his need seemed urgent, so I took him out and, while I was struggling to get my wheelchair over a speed bump in order to avoid a moving car, a young man approached me and asked me, "May I help you?"

Here was this young man, dressed in a neatly pressed white shirt and nice jeans, reaching for the doggie bag in my hand. I was so surprised!  I had not met him before and hesitated.

He said to me, "Please, let me help you. Every day I see you walking your little dog, and it makes me so happy to see you."

His accent was heavy, but his English was very good.

We had a sweet conversation. He was a relatively new neighbor. He introduced me to his fiance, who was sitting in the car.  They were from Columbia. His manner and his demeanor were miles above and beyond the manners and consideration of my other (American) neighbors who have been harassing me.

I learned a lot from this exchange, and I have "taken it on-board" as an answer to my prayers. It is also a retort to those who claim that immigrants are what is wrong with our country, and who impugn their character in such vulgar fashion. Statistically speaking, immigrants are FAR LESS LIKELY to commit crimes than our American people, and I find that very easy to believe, based on my personal experience of toxic, free-floating hostility from people to whom I have been kind.

When I returned home, I thanked God for the encouragement, and the perspective. I remembered, once more, Jesus telling the parable of the tares and the wheat.

"24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” Matthew 13:24-30

God is bringing "all things to the good for those that believe" by facilitating that the mean people drop their social masks so that I can see who is wheat and who are the weeds. In this way, I can remain with the wheat. In order for this to happen, a certain amount of evil has to be allowed to appear in the world so that I can pinpoint who is of God and who is not.

I really needed this guidance today. It is extremely difficult to raise the consciousness of our culture when it comes to the disabled and the elderly - especially the ELDER ORPHANS, for whom I am working on establishing a ministry through my local parish. Some people will simply NOT be receptive. They have chosen to be weeds.

Fortunately, God has allowed me to see a bit of His method and, as a result, my faith is intact, thanks to those little daily miracles of good being revealed by the bad. I am so grateful for that.

Keep the faith, people! If you love God, He has you in his hand, whether you can see it or not.

God bless us all.

Silver Rose

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SUPERNATURAL, THE MYSTICAL, THE CONTEMPLATIVE CHURCH

 

THE TRINITY

BY TADDEO CRIVELLI

(From a manuscript created about 1460-1470)

Social Media is an opportunity to evangelize:

A non-Catholic on Facebook says that, although she is not Catholic, she has been reading the Bible, reciting the rosary, praying, and doing other very "Catholic" things, yet still feels empty. As I wrote my response to her, I realized that I was explaining to her not only the reason for my becoming Catholic, but some of the significance of the supernatural and mystical nature of our faith which is accessed by contemplative practices.

My response to her gives a strong explanation of why I became Catholic.

This is what I told her:

"The Catholic faith is not an intellectual exercise. What do I mean by this? I will give you one example. In John 20:19-23, Jesus appears to the Apostles after the Resurrection, satisfies them that it is, indeed HE who stands before them, and then tells them that, just as God has sent Him to them, Jesus is sending the Apostles out to mankind. Jesus has the POWER, as well as the AUTHORITY, to do things under God the Father's power, authority, and direction. Then He does something very significant.

He breathes upon them. What is the significance of this? It is the TRANSMISSION of the power to do those things that God, the Father has directed.

It was not enough to simply HEAR from Jesus that the Apostles have permission and authority to do those things that the Jews always taught that only God, the Father, could do (forgiveness and healing, among them.)

Power was transmitted to the Apostles

Jesus had to transmit POWER to them in order for the Apostles to have the ability to do what Jesus instructed. This is why He BREATHES on them. If simply telling them were enough, He would not have BREATHED on them as a dramatic action.

The POWER is an actual "THING" (for want of a better word.) It is not an intellectual assent or an expression of PERMISSION. It would not have been enough to give them PERMISSION to forgive sins. He had to give them the POWER to do it!

Upon breathing upon them, Jesus announces to them what He has done, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost." The spiritual gift, the spiritual power, of The Holy Spirit has been transmitted to them by Jesus, whereupon He tells them what they are to do with this power that was transmitted to them.

"Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them: and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained."

Apostolic Succession:

Down through the ages, the priests of The Holy Catholic Church have received this Holy Spirit, this POWER, in an unbroken line from those early days. This unbroken line is "Apostolic Succession." From God the Father, to Jesus the Son, to the Apostles, and then down through the long line of bishops (our modern "apostles"), the power of the Holy Spirit travels.

This power was not transmitted to other churches

There is no other Church that has had this power transmitted to it directly by Jesus.

Only the Apostles who formed the Catholic Church were breathed upon by Jesus. The Jews did not accept Jesus as the Messiah, and they did not receive it.

The "Eastern Orthodox" Church started out as the Eastern arm of The Catholic Church, but they would argue that we broke off from them. The Eastern Patriarch excommunicated our Pope and our Pope excommunicated the Patriarch of the Eastern part of the faith. The great Schism between the two halves occurred in 1034, and our territories are divided, East and West. I believe they are considered to have apostolic succession.

(When I became disabled and home-bound, I decided to dedicate my prayers, in general, to the reunion of all Christians, especially the Catholic with the Orthodox churches, so I have a heightened interest in my Orthodox brothers and sisters.)

The so-called "Protestant" churches would not exist for another 500 years after the schism, and they did not receive the breath of the Holy Spirit. They rejected the Church that Jesus started and decided to start their own.

In 1517, Martin Luther posted his objections to the Catholic faith on the Church door, in Wittenberg, Germany, and by 1521, he had left the Church entirely, and that was the beginning of the Lutheran faith in the Germanic countries.

I read something the other day about him taking up with a nun. They fell in love and decided to violate their vows. Instead of admitting what they had actually done, Martin Luther found fault with the Church instead. Not a great pretense on which to abandon the true faith of Christ.

Thanks to Henry VIII, King of England, the English abandoned the Catholic faith for "The Church of England," which was created so that King Henry could marry multiple wives. He issued his Act of Supremacy in 1534, claiming headship of the Church in England.

It is sin and ego that separated out these movements from The Church that cradled them from infancy. We often think we can do better than our Leaders and our betters, thanks to egotism.

Ours is a profoundly supernatural, relational, mystical faith. It administers the intersection of the supernatural with the natural, to beings who are both "body and soul."

A meal you have not eaten cannot feed you.

So far, you have been watching a meal being created, cooked and eaten by others. You see the benefit of it. But you will not receive any of the nutrients, vitamins and minerals from that meal you have not eaten. You can agree that eating that meal is a good thing to do. You can give assent to the goodness of it all you like. But until you eat the meal yourself, none of the vitamins or minerals of that meal will sustain you.

Your soul will be starving until you join the Catholic Church."

The error of human beings does not adulterate The Faith.

All my life, I had searched for the mystical connection with God. I knew, instinctively, that there was such a thing, and I felt, at times, that I was experiencing a hint of it within my soul. Throughout my childhood, I had heard nothing but bad things attributed to the Catholic Church. Everything I had heard about it in popular culture painted a picture of an institution that was staid, rulebound, judgmental, and (at times) cruel and militant.

The Catholic Church is the repository of the supernatural, mystical gift of Jesus Christ.

It wasn't until I was a nun in a Hindu convent, where I EXPECTED to find the mystical heart of God and the universe, that I actually found it in the numerous books I read about the Catholic mystics. Saints Theresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Jane de Chantal, Francis de Sales, and many others opened that world to me. Eventually, I left to get baptized and be accepted into the Catholic Church.

I HAVE found some people who were staid, rulebound, judgmental and, at times, cruel and militant - but The Faith is never thus. Human beings are flawed, and people are limited in their ability to express The Faith, according to their own temperaments, gifts and deficits. Their interpretations of The Bible, or The Catechism, as they relate to the faith, can be limited to only what their temperament will allow. But The Lord, true to His Word, has kept The Faith intact, down through the ages. He promised that "The Gates of Hell" would never prevail against it.

Some people emphasize the Temporal while others focus on the Mystical:

There are some people who reject the metaphysical aspects of the faith, while others reject the practical and temporal. But, just as human beings are "body and soul," so is the faith comprised of both these aspects. We are expected to perform certain actions in and for "the world," while at the same time being informed by and operating within The Spirit. When we do not properly incorporate the world with the spirit, we can develop a mania for one or the other.

There are people who are so transported by stories of the supernatural, that they lose all sense of the practical and worldly altogether. They seem to be gullible to every so-called "apparition" that is advertised, no matter how outlandish it seems to most of us. This is not helpful to the faith and can cause charlatans to take advantage of well-meaning folks. Some of the Catholics who are focused on the supernatural can be dismissive of the practical aspects of the faith. The allurements of the mystical consolations captures their attention so much that they will pursue the entertainments of it and will follow "seers" whose monetization of the faith will appear as if the circus has come to town.

Sometimes, in pursuit of the mystical attractions, the plight of suffering neighbors will be ignored, and we will fail to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and do all the other things we have been commanded to do in order to love our neighbor properly.

On the other hand, folks who are focused on the worldly aspects will be very good at the practical matters. Unfortunately, some of these folks will eschew anything metaphysical. It makes them uncomfortable. They are afraid they will not be taken seriously if they even talk about such things in relation to The Church. For instance, the apparitions of our Blessed Mother can make these kind of people very uncomfortable, even though there is very solid evidence for them. The apparitions at Fatima, Portugal, for instance, were reported in newspapers around the world, complete with photographs of the Miracle of the Sun. Skeptical reporters had gone to that location to debunk the miraculous, only to return absolutely converted, and bring home the proofs of the miraculous they had witnessed. Many thousands of people were eye witnesses.

The current trend:

In the last three decades or so, it seems to me that many parishes have rather more of the latter type of person running them. It feels as if the secular expectations of how to run a business have taken over, and the mystical is regarded with suspicion. This does not mean that "The Faith" or "The Catholic Church" is anti-mystical. It only means that the people administering many parishes, at the moment, have generally more of this tendency. It is my hope that, gradually, it will move to the center position, where both aspects - spiritual and temporal - are blended equally.

Humans are not perfect, but it is my belief that most everyone is doing the best they can, given their personal interpretation of the light that has been given them by the Holy Spirit. That does not mean there is no room for improvement, and one of my prayers, lately, is that the spiritual and temporal be interfaced with one another in the way in which Father, Son and Holy Spirit want them to be. "The Trinity" itself is a perfect example of this Divine, Blessed Balance!

Pray for your parish and your leaders!

If you find any deficit with the parish in which you find yourself, let it be a reminder to pray for the leaders of our faith. When you are praying, don't forget to mention your parish and fellow Catholics. In addition, I offer the following prayer:

Loving God, author of creation,

your spirit pervades and enriches our

world.

Through your Son, who shares our humanity,

You have called us to participate in your divine creativity

and to build the kingdom of God here on earth.

Form us, we pray, as one community

under the leadership of our bishop

to serve all the people of this region in your name.

Inspire us to discover new ways

and structures to spread your Gospel.

Open our eyes to see Christ in others,

especially the poor, the sick and the marginalized.

Empower us to be the hands and feet of Christ

in our parishes and communities.

Help us to welcome all into His embrace.

Guide us in our discernment,

as we pray with Pope Francis

for the vision to see new paths of possibility;

for a spirit of mission that invigorates our every effort;

and for the strength to be unafraid of what is new.

We ask this through Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

Imprimatur: July 25, 2014

The Most Reverend Lawrence T. Persico JCL

Bishop of Erie

I hope you will take advantage of this beautiful prayer and pray it often! Also, that my blog may be of some help to you for yourself and for the enlightenment of those you teach, lead, and inspire in the faith, including your family and your children.

May God bless us all. May the Holy Spirit enlighten us, and May our Guardian Angels guide us!

Silver Rose

I LOVE THE LATIN MASS

 

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I really love the Latin mass. In my personal Rule of Life, I chant the Angelus in Latin three times a day. The reason I love it, aside from its innate beauty, is that I know that I am speaking to God. God is listening to me and He is accustomed to Latin. He has heard it for a long time and HE knows what it means, which is all that matters to me. I am going to mass to worship Him and appeal to Him, not to appeal to MYSELF and to entertain MYSELF.

I am not entirely ignorant of what the Latin is expressing. I will usually read the English and the Latin before chanting it, and I would love to actually learn Latin at some point, if I could possibly squeeze one more project into my schedule of projects. But not knowing what each word means, in context, is not a bother to me either. I know that these ancient chants have an imprimatur that protects me from heresy or from insulting our Lord. Not that I think He is insulted by the English used in the Novus Ordo either. I am not part of the party of outrage that has a constant litany of complaints issuing forth from the lips.

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Another advantage to Latin is something which some folks OBJECT to. They say it is a "dead language," meaning it is not spoken anywhere in the world. In my mind, this is a benefit. Because the language of Latin does not change, the meaning of the words of the mass will never change. It won't shift with the shifting tides of verbal fashion. We do not have to worry that what we are saying now means, "Lord, I offer thee a blessed chocolate donut."

The Novus Ordo seems an ugly thing. Don't get me wrong: I love English. As a writer, that is the language I use, and I love its variety, complexity and nuance, but it seems to me that the words of the Novus Ordo are the ugliest, most basic words available. No effort seems to have been made to use beautiful words and sentence structures. It is like a hammer on my head. Yes, I am perfectly clear on what it says and probably most of what it means, but it tastes like medicine in my mouth.

Catholic Cathedral

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Biel Moro

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I will, in obedience, do whatever is required in any church I attend, and I am not going to campaign for change, like so many do. I know that I am not in charge and that my personal, subjective desires are completely irrelevant. But I do feel very sorry for our poor God who must listen to this ugly thing. I am not saying the sentiments are ugly. No. They are not ugly. It is the language that is used that is so poor and bland. Plus, I do think a little mystery, when it comes to God, is not a bad thing.

It looks to me that, in their zeal to correctly and specifically describe what is going on, the creators of the N.O. gave no thought to beauty. Please note that I am a convert, post Vatican II, so my comments have nothing to do with "the good old days." 

Catholic Cathedral

by

Brandon Morgan

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Although I was not a Catholic during the supposed "good old days," I DID attend one Latin mass when I was about 6 years old. My father had abandoned our family to write for television and collect adult toys like boats and planes and starlets who wore too much makeup, and on this particular Sunday, our mother had also taken off with her inamorata of the moment and had left us for the weekend by ourselves. My sister was only 5, and I barely 6. 

Iday, our Cuban maid, had come over in the morning to retrieve us and take us with her to her parish to attend mass. The church was gorgeous. High ceilings soared above us, stained glass was on all sides, a beautiful altar sparkled in the sun that shone down on us through the windows, and highly polished EVERYTHING dazzled my eyes. I was enraptured.

I was also hungry. And I noticed that there was a line of people on their knees at the front who were getting cookies given them by the priest. I would get on my knees if it meant I could have a cookie, and I asked Iday if I could go up to the altar. She reacted with an unsure look on her face, so I took advantage of her confusion, grabbed my little sister's hand, and ran like the wind to the altar rail.

We looked like two little "raggamuffins" (as my mother would call us) in our inappropriate little shorts and tee shirts that we wore daily for our play time. The priest solemnly made his way down the line and then stopped to look down at me, bemused.

"Have you had your first communion?" he asked, me, not unkindly.

"Huh?" I said, obviously clueless.

The kindly old priest smiled and walked past us. The people in the front pews who had noticed, tittered in laughter at the poor little girls who did not know what they were doing.

So I grabbed my sister's hand again and dragged her back up the aisle to our seats next to Iday, my face burning with shame.

"But I want a cookie!" my sister whined.

Catholic Altar

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Mateus Campos Felipe

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That was my only experience with the Latin Mass before I became Catholic, finally, in my late 40's.

When discussing the Latin Mass with others who have more experience with it than I do, they complain that they do not understand Latin and that the mass "means more" to them in English because they know what is going on. That seems to be the prevailing rationale for the Novus Ordo mass, and apparently, people who feel that way are in the majority.

But I find this tendency to cater to the PEOPLE to be part of what has gone wrong with the church (and the rest of society, frankly.) We are far too used to being entertained so that now we expect everything to entertain us. This is a wide-spread problem.

For example, I see memes on Facebook demanding that people entertain the meme writer with "positivity" and rejecting anything that is sad or does not entertain the writer, who tells us that you will not be their friend any more if you are a sad sack and write about your woes. The meme writer will remove you from their friend list because they "deserve" better than you.

This means, of course, that if you are having a rough time of it in life, that you must keep it to yourself because we are all now required to entertain our friends and only be sources of "joy," which is meant to mean enjoyment, actually.

If this keeps up any longer, we are going to have to rewrite the Bible and take some things OUT. The Beatitudes will have to go, first thing. Unfortunately, they are the words of Jesus:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit: 

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven

Blessed are they who mourn: 

For they shall be comforted

Blessed are the meek: 

For they shall inherit the earth

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness: 

For they shall be filled

Blessed are the merciful: 

For they shall obtain mercy

Blessed are the pure in heart: 

For they shall see God

Blessed are the peacemakers: 

For they shall be called the children of God

Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness sake: 

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven"

Matthew 5:3-10

We will also have to eliminate some central themes to accommodate our new internet-led priorities. When Jesus is asked to say what is the greatest commandment in the law, He replies:

"Love the Lord your God with 

all your heart and with all your

soul and with all your mind. This

is the first and greatest commandment.

And the second is like it: Love your

neighbor as yourself. All the Law and

the Prophets hang on these two

commandments."

Matthew 22:37-40

It is obvious from the last passage, in particular, that what God finds most important is not the inward journey of self-satisfaction. It is not the pursuit of personal pleasure and entertainment. It is an outward looking thing.

Catholic Church Altar

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Jas Rolyn

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One of the downsides of living in the internet age is that enjoyment is at our fingertips, and if we run across something boring or sad while doom-scrolling our Facebook news feed, we are easily out of it by moving our fingers across the screen. Eliminating suffering and accumulating sources of thrill are relatively easy in the U.S. We are training our bodies and minds to be even more selfish and pleasure seeking than they already are programmed to be.

Youngsters have learned that, in order to get big rewards and lots of endorphins flowing through their bodies, all they have to do is move their finger ever so slightly across the screen, in the "right" way. It ruins them for work, later in their life, because work is not organized to entertain them and it does not reward them for the mere flick of a finger. One has to do a lot more than that to earn a paycheck, and these children of the video game are not amused.

The fear of loathsome suffering and the feeling of entitlement to pleasure operates against every religious principle we have as Catholics. The internet and its immediate availability of psychological and biochemical reward have ruined us. 

Catholic Altar

by

Tolga Ahmetler

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What does any of this have to do with the Latin Mass? I will tell you. I believe that the idea that the mass should cater to us, with the priest facing US, and the dull-as-dishwater language meant for US and OUR complete understanding,  is the direct result of our fear of loathsome suffering and the feeling of entitlement to pleasure that our citizens have always had, in a certain amount. The "pursuit of happiness" and all that. But the ease of the internet has increased it, like psychological steroids.

Don't think this old gal is immune to it either. I must consciously fight against it and will myself to be a bit less suffering avoidant. This is what the ancient ascetic practices were all about. You know, the hair shirts and the offering up of pains and sufferings.

I am not wearing a hair shirt, but I have within my own body an enormous amount of daily suffering, despite a supply of pain pills, and there are many times during the day when I spur myself on to do some kind of good work, even though to do it causes me great physical pain. I push through it and "offer it up" in reparation for my sins and the sins of the whole world. That is the Catholic way.

Catholic Altar

by

Alexandra

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So, you will excuse me if I prefer the Latin Mass because I know that it is not for my entertainment. I am not worshipping ME. During the Latin Mass, unlike the Novus Ordo, the priest faces God (who is in the East, everyone knows that.) He does not face the people. We are beside the point. We are there to worship God, witnessing the Priest make the offerings. I know there are many other reasons why the Latin Mass is superior, according to those more educated than I am, and those who were accustomed to the Latin Mass, but my own reasons are enough for me, since I am not trying to convince anyone nor win anyone over to my side. I am simply musing over the topic and, the next time it appears in my Facebook feed, I can offer a link to this blog post so that I do not have to reinvent the wheel every time it comes up.

Catholic Church Interior

by

Lance Lozano

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I realize that Pope Francis has recently put more restrictions on the Latin Mass, and I understand that at least part of the reasoning behind doing that is that many of the people who are lobbying for its return are also taking a somewhat militant stance and going to war with anyone who disagrees with them, which is not the meekness which Christ requires of us. But I am concerned that Papa's reasoning appears to be reactionary, which will only remain a thought in the back of my mind for the present time, as I am opposed to complaining about our Pope.

                                                        

It is difficult to get to mass at all these days. It took me a couple of years to get someone to bring me the Eucharist. I called and called the parish office, and finally had to contact the bishop's office, and even then it took several months to get it into gear.

I do not have a car and do not have the money to buy one. I hope that one day someone will decide to donate to my GOFUNDME so that I may get one and thereby get to doctors appointments and, especially, mass. 

If you are not able to get to church, you are out of sight and out of mind because the church has folded in on itself and, like the rest of us, has become the thing that needs to be propped up, instead of going out of itself to help a suffering world. Suffering is icky. Come to the church and buy some bingo tickets so the church can continue to offer bingo. Come to the church fiesta to enjoy the entertainments and the church can make money.

Catholic Church Interior

by

Sascha Bosshard

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When I have transportation, I will attend the one church that has Latin Mass one day during the week. It is a poor little church in a very old part of town, and I feel very sorry for its poverty and lack of members. I just pray that it is allowed to stay open and continue to pray in that divine language of Latin that I imagine God has grown to love over the last thousand years or so.

In the meantime, God bless us all.

Silver Rose