Your post Mary reminded me of the words of Jesus: Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. It also reminds me of one of the sayings of the Desert Fathers who comparing people to trees said that a tree on its own is easily blown down by
There are always these two great strands in the Life of Jesus and Mary too. Mary was alone praying ,for instance when the ArcAngel Gabrael came at the Annunciation. Jesus was alone for forty days in the desert. Mary prayed with the Church at Pentecost. And Jesus with the Apostles at the Last Supper. I think all of us are called on different occasions to pray together or alone and in silent prayer, for instance at Mass and for those with families their is a natural duty to pray together. Everyone has their won spirituality and preferences. I must admit my own preference is very much to be alone at prayer and even at Mass or in prayer groups to be as alone as I can. But that's me everyone is different. But whatever the difficulties of communal and personal prayer are often very different. The person for instance who wants to be a hermit but set down a firm rule of life to discipline him/herself . a discipline far stricter than those in community. But I know the saying of the rosary is very different for the individual than the group. Nevertheless I think when saying the rosary alone it is much easier to put the brakes on and not race through it. I really don't think its meant to be said at the rate it usually is. I notice when Our Lady appeared at Fatima one of the first things she did when speaking to the children was to slow them down and teach them how to pray the rosary prayerfully. She did this because the kids to get through the rosary at high speed were only saying 'Our Father ' and 'Hail Mary' rather than the prayer itself. But what Mary actually wishes is for us to actually think about and mean every word of every prayer. This will naturally put the speed breaks on. Its not easy at first but after a while we get to love it. It s praying as Mary herself prays.
Wow a spiritual lift. It's wonderful to hear about how the Rosary helped the faith of your family and the cow story-so interesting!!1
Yes we will not be vegetables in heaven we shall keep on growing with many mountains still to time. But our growth there will be rooted in joy,rather than the cross as it is here, in this valley of tears. .
One of my very favourite sayings on prayer is that God is not a pussy cat that we can hold on our laps and pet....and this is true above all of this the 5th garden of prayer. No but rather He is a raging wind, a fire, unfathomable and unknowable the wind of the Spirit that blows down with glee every house of Cards we try to build forcing us start again; making us realise that more we think we know God the less we truly know of Him. Making us know ever more deeply that is He and He alone who lifts us and raises us up and that in order to become lifted we must become very small children or He cannot swing us through the air in the winds of the Holy Spirit. Up to this point we can in a sense claim ownership..or pretended ownership of God..and so we turn to things we understand to claim this pretended ownership . We know we go to mass every day, try to keep the ten commandments, attempt to keep an open heart to scripture , have many Catholic devotions a real love for the Eucharist and the other Sacraments, pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament. But it so human to have the bit of prade which says, 'Well really I am not doing to bad. I live up to the duties of my state as wife or husband, mother or father, son or daughter, good citizen and good Catholic. Of course we do not come right out, maybe and pet ourselves right on the back but there is a little bit of us that says I think inside our selves like the Pharisees, Luke 18:11 >> New International Version (©1984) The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector.
But in this garden of prayer the pussy cat has ,I am, afraid escaped from His Box and turned into a raging lion, The Lion of Juda. I think a good example of where this 5th garden should lead us comes from the life of the Dutch Christian Corrie ten Bloom. During the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during the Second World War Corrie her father and her sister ran a rescue centre for Jews from their home. From this they tried to place fleeing Jewish folks with other Christians who would hide them. People of course who were discovered doing this would of course be arrested and sent to Concentrations Camps were they would in all likely hood face death. Now one day a Dutch pastor visited their hose and Corrie brought down a little Jewish baby , placed in in the Pastor's arms and asked him if he and his wife would give shelter to the child. As he held the baby Corrie said she could see a range of emotions marching across the man's face; from gentleness and affection to fear and suspicion. But at length the Pastor handed the child back to Corrie and refused saying he could not risk his and hid familes life for this, 'Jewish baby'. Corries father, Casper, then took the baby and held it in his arms staring down gently at the infant. Then he said, 'Well I would count it the greatest of blessings from God if I or any of my family were to die for this child'. Now it seems to me the Dutch Pastor who refused the baby was a very good man, fulfilling all Righteousness. But in being asked to take the child he was been asked to travel to a place of absolute madness risking everything he had for a baby that was a stranger from a strange religion. Casper and Corrie on the other land had let the cat out of the box and the Lion of Juda was loose in their hearts. ..and they were prepared to go beyond rightoeusness and into the blazing fiery heart of God Himself. The great lesson for we Catholics in this is that we too must become mystics ,warriors of prayer if we are to face the huge persecution foretold in the Book of Revelation for unless we let the Lion Of Judah loose there is no was we will shelter the Jewish Christ Child in our hearts through the coming dark days ahead.
Padraig, I believe that through the praying of the Holy Rosary, Our Lady covers several bases. In baseball vernacular, she makes a double play. (Actually, it makes me laugh to picture Mary throwing a baseball! ) On most double plays, the first out occurs at second base and the second out at first base. Now, there is a covering of protection for the family who prays it. When my children were young and all at home, Rosary time was anything but recollected: babies crying, little ones squirming, another one pinching, someone else lost in a daydream! If you ever found a picture of my family looking like the family up in post # 182, don't believe it, unless it was staged! However, what maryrose said is true, great graces are released through the family Rosary. Usually that doesn't include the 5th garden!! But Mary does get the runner at second base out, and the ears of the children remain open and unclogged, responsive to the Holy Spirit! When you speak of an attentive heart and a meditative recitation of the mysteries, well yes, that is a pattern that develops over time and usually occurs when praying alone. Slowing down is very important for the solitary pray-er. One danger that exists for the individual (Perhaps this has been mentioned) is the compulsion to finish the five decades. If you're in the middle of the third decade, and the Holy Spirit or Our Lady stops you to impress the love of God upon your heart or to impress a truth in your mind, stop and listen; linger. Do not plow ahead just to finish! This attitude prepares the soul for the next garden of prayer and Mary gets the base runner out at first! Double Play! Safe in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary!
Padraig also said: The great lesson for we Catholics in this is that we too must become mystics ,warriors of prayer if we are to face the huge persecution foretold in the Book of Revelation for unless we let the Lion Of Judah loose there is no was we will shelter the Jewish Christ Child in our hearts through the coming dark days ahead. I could not agree with this more. Each of us should beg God to deepen our prayer life and to bring us to the next garden, no matter which one we are in now. And given the perilous times in which we live, I would also ask for what apostolic endeavor the Holy Spirit desires to enpower us. Just this week it was laid upon my heart to purchase and distribute 100 copies of St. Margaret Clitherow by Margaret Monro (TAN Publishers). Why? It highlights not only the joyful sanctity of this wife and mother who was martyred under Queen Elizabeth in 1586. But the pattern of incrementalism by which the Catholic culture of England was snuffed out is also explained. It bears great resemblance to the pattern here in the States by which contrived human rights are usurping the religious freedoms of Christians. May it open the eyes of many to both the truth of our situation and to the beauty of holy valor! Safe in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary!
You make me a little home sick for the family rosary, Terry. There were ten of us kids,, 7 boys and three girls and I recall the boys ran like deer through the back yard and down the back alley every time my father produced the beads. My poor dad had no chance. I still have my fathers beads hanging on my statue of Our Lady. I posted my mothers beads off to Michican, to my brother a few years ago. To encourage my brother Conor in the faith. I love the way people still recite the rosary spontaneously after mass. There was a lady who died recently in our parish who led the rosary for over 50 years every afternoon in our church even if at times she was just on her own. I have always believed that Our Lady is always really actually present at the rosary, any rosary, that she just will not miss it.
I like to believe Terry in grace -of-state. In other words that when the time of laying down our blood comes we will be called to garden of prayer necessary to get through ....provided we have have made the effort ourselves. Romans 12:3 >> New International Version (©1984) For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
This, 'sober judgement' bit reminds me of a story I read recently of a martyr in North Africa a layman, St Gorganus ( I think his name was) and a priest Sulpicius. Now Gorganus and Fr Sulpicius had a big fall out that left them at dagger points drawn and they would not talk to each other for years. Grace worked on Gorganus and he repented and went to the priest and apologised publicly on several occasions even on one occasion falling on the ground in Church humbling himself. But Fr Sulpicius gave him the big brush off. Now it happened under the reign of the Emperor Diocletian a new round of terrible persecutions arose in that part of Africa and the priest was arrested and hauled by the lictors ( the court police) to trial. Ont he way to court Gorganus raced after the crown and publically begged Sulpicius to give him a break and forgive him. But no joy. Now hen before the court the hard hearted priest gave a good account of himself but at the last minute apostaised and gave in worshipping the false Gods and renouncing Christ. Poor Gorganus was horrified and denounced the priest right there in court and announced loudly that he was a Christian. Proclaimed Christ as Saviour and said he was prepared to take the hard hearted priests place. The judge and every one in court were astonished at this and sent to the procounsel , telling him what had happened and word was sent back that poor Gorganus was to be executed , which he duly was.
But your mention of St Margaret Clitherow, an ordinary wife and mother who died for the faith reminds me of a wonderful series that was on BBC a while ago called, 'The Tudors' . Under the reign of Henry 8th there was a great rising of ordinary Catholics in the North of England seeking the restoration of the old religion called the, 'Pilgrimage of Grace'.
The sense of impending persecution grows by the day and in real life situations we are beginning to see its effects on Christians who are living out their faith in the secular sinful world. The persecution has already started!! http://www.wayoflife.org/files/706fe196bc5dd6068bb1a96eefc8b4be-109.html http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2012...id10|htmlws-main-bb|dl2|sec1_lnk2&pLid=176623 http://www.christian.org.uk/news/bibles-are-homophobic-scots-police-told/ http://www.christian.org.uk/news/anglican-lay-reader-suspended-for-supporting-c4m-petition/
I just picked up Ralph Martin's "The Fulfillment of All Desire" which is based heavily on St Teresa and St John of the Cross. It is so readable and true to the doctors of the Church I cannot put it down. It is a real masterpiece and dovetails nicely with what Padraig has been bringing forth on this thread. http://www.ewtn.com/series/2009/Fulfillment.htm http://www.renewalministries.net/?m...rch&categoryID=0&authorID=4&themeID=0&search=
I have always considered Ralph to be both saint and prophet. He will be canonised one day, Mark my words; a great American saint. His great simplicity and humility make him very underated. But John Paul 2 knew; a very good judge of character. He is constantly attacked from within the Church, another very good sign. Prophecies Given At St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome, Italy During the Closing Eucharistic Celebrations (Pentecost Monday 1975) of the International Conference of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal "Because I love you I want to show you what I am doing in the world today. I want to prepare you for what is to come. Days of darkness are coming on the world, days of tribulation… Buildings that are now standing will not be standing. Supports that are there for my people will not be there. I want you to be prepared, My people, to know only me and to cleave to me and to have me in a way deeper than ever before. I will lead you into the desert…. I will strip you of everything that you are depending on now, so you depend just on me. A time of darkness is coming on the world, but a time of glory is coming for my church, a time of glory is coming for my people. I will pour out on you all the gifts of My Spirit. I will prepare you for spiritual combat; I will prepare you for a time of evangelism that the world has never seen. And when you have nothing but Me, you will have everything: land, fields, homes and brothers and sisters and love and joy and peace more than ever before. Be ready, my people, I want to prepare you…" "I speak to you of the dawn of a 'new age' for My church. I speak to you of a day that has not been seen before...Prepare yourselves for the action that I begin now, because things that you see around you will change; the combat that you must enter now is different; it is new. You need wisdom from Me that you do not yet have." "You need the power of my Holy Spirit in a way that you have not possessed it; you need an understanding of My will and of the ways that I work that you do not yet have. Open your eyes, open your hearts to prepare yourselves for Me and for the day that I have now begun. My church will be different; My people will be different; difficulties and trials will come upon you. The comfort that you know now will be far from you, but the comfort that you will have is the comfort of My Holy Spirit. They will send for you, to take your life, but I will support you. Come to Me. Band yourselves together, around Me. Prepare, for I proclaim a new day, a day of victory and of triumph for your God. Behold, It is begun." "...I will renew my Church. I will renew my people. I will make My people one. I am calling you to turn away from the pleasure of the world. I am calling you to turn away from seeking the approval of the world in your lives. I want to transform your lives...I have word for My church. I am sounding My call. I am forming a mighty army...My power is upon them. They will follow My chosen shepherd(s)..." "Be the shepherds I have called you to be...I am renewing My church. I will free the world." "Know that I, your God, brought Peter and Paul to Rome to witness to My glory. I have chosen you also and have brought you to Rome to bear witness to My glory, confirmed now by your shepherd. Go forth to the healing of the nations. Know that I am with you; and though you may pass through tribulation and trial, I will be with you even to the end. I am preparing a place for you in glory. Look to Me and I will deliver you from the power of the evil one. Behold I am with you now, all days, even till the end of time. "...You have know the truth these days. You have experienced the truth these days. It is clear to you at this moment what the truth is. It is the truth of My kingdom, My kingdom that will prevail...I want you to take that truth, to rest in that truth, to believe in that truth, not to compromise it, not to lose it in confusions, not to be timid about it, but to stand simply, in love, firmly rooted in the truth as foundation stones upon which My church can have new life and new power." ( Prophecy recieved by Ralph Martin) EWTN like him too:
Fulfillment of All Desire is a wonderful book. Its length is intimidating, but it does fly by. I found it to be very rewarding.
I am reading it too at the moment - a book that needs to be read from cover to cover then from cover to cover again etc--
