“The Desert Fathers believed that the wilderness had been created as supremely valuable in the eyes of God precisely because it had no value to men. The wasteland was the land that could never be wasted by men because it offered them nothing. There was nothing to attract them. There was nothing to exploit. The desert was the region in which the Chosen People had wandered for forty years, cared for by God alone. They could have reached the Promised Land in a few months if they had travelled directly to it. God’s plan was that they should learn to love Him in the wilderness and that they should always look back upon the time in the desert as the idyllic time of their life with Him alone.”
“Give freely of thy spirit and judge not; be longsuffering and patient, for when you are kind with the kindness of the spirit to those who are unregenerate, the act frees your own unregeneracy as well. Blessed is he that sees and understands and forgives.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“Do not take on too much the suffering of the world, for the concept is not only too large to understand but is now beyond us. Trusting is part of your role; trusting in high hope, in peace and confidence. Wear these garments of joy without fearful anticipation, look upon the quiet of the hills, of a candle untroubled by the wind; be very, very simple, very uncomplex, very natural in the eternal sense. Keep in the storm center, safe, a power for victory, healing and peace.”
[From: Letters of the Scattered Brotherhood, edited by Mary Strong, 1948]
“Laziness and cowardice are two of the greatest enemies of the spiritual life. And they are most dangerous of all when they mask as “discretion.” This illusion would not be so fatal if discretion itself were not one of the most important virtues of a spiritual man….
Discretion tells us what God wants of us and what He does not want of us. In telling us this, it shows us our obligation to correspond with the inspirations of grace and to obey all the other indications of God’s will….
Discretion warns us against wasted effort: but for the coward all effort is wasted….
Laziness flies from all risk. Discretion flies from useless risk: but urges us on to take the risks that faith and the grace of God demand of us.”
[Thomas Merton: Thoughts in Solitude, Chapter V, pgs. 22-23]
After reading the post that Abbot Joseph (of “Word Incarnate” in my sidebar) wrote in remembrance of the one-year anniversary of Laura’s death, Todd Agnew’s version of this classic hymn came immediately to mind, for many reasons:
Hallelujah! Tears of sorrow, tears of joy. Laura, please pray for us.
During this period leading up to the Feastday of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, I will be making the novena I posted about last year here and here, in which different aspects of Our Lady’s beautiful Icon are meditated upon each day. To all those who are making a novena at this time, may you be filled with trust and confidence in Mary’s love and solicitude for all her children.
I also wanted to share with you today a beautiful video I just discovered. It is of etched-glass windows at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Foremost, Alberta, Canada. The windows were created by Mary Mehlen, and there is one representing each of the Seven Sacraments, as well as one in honour of Mary and another in tribute to all who minister. Many thanks to the YouTube channel allsaintsparish for providing this beautiful footage for all to enjoy.
“True creative sympathy does not throw one into the darkness of another’s life. Stand in the light that has been revealed to you by your communion with him who said, “My joy I give unto thee,” and by so doing help to illumine the one in need.”
* * * * * * * * *
“During your times of quiet, those lovely moments, pools of restoration where you drink deep of the waters of spiritual health, learn to discipline yourselves. Not with the fist, for that soon tires; not with the mind, for that is forgetful; but with the heart. Love will keep you there. Love is vigilant, it is quieting, it is your gently strong awareness, it is the oil of joy that supplies the Light.”
[From: Letters of the Scattered Brotherhood, edited by Mary Strong, 1948]
“We cannot be happy if we expect to live all the time at the highest peak of intensity. Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance and order and rhythm and harmony.
Music is pleasing not only because of the sound but because of the silence that is in it: without the alternation of sound and silence there would be no rhythm. If we strive to be happy by filling all the silences of life with sound, productive by turning all life’s leisure into work, and real by turning all our being into doing, we will only succeed in producing a hell on earth.
If we have no silence, God is not heard in our music. If we have no rest,
God does not bless our work. If we twist our lives out of shape in order to fill every corner of them with action and experience, God will silently withdraw from our hearts and leave us empty.”
[Thomas Merton: "No Man Is an Island", pgs. 127-128]
Recently I received a comment on my February 2008 post for the Feastday of Our Lady of Lourdes. It was from Mr. Kamalakar Rao Ponnapalli, inviting us to watch the trailer of his movie entitled, “Our Lady of Lourdes”, of which he is writer and producer. There has also been a website set up here, where you can see some posters and pictures from the movie.
I googled Mr. Ponnapalli’s name, to see if I could find out more about the movie, and to make sure I had as much correct information as I could before I posted this. I happened upon a comment which he had left in an online forum, wherein he mentioned that during the production of this movie he had witnessed several of what he believes to be miracles, and that this labour of love came about because he had been inspired by Mother Mary.
I asked Mr. Ponnapalli if he might share with us a little bit about his experience of witnessing these miracles, as well as how Mother Mary has impacted his life as a Hindu. He has graciously agreed to provide me with some information, which I will be posting over at “Consecrated to Mary” when the time comes.
Congratulations in bringing this beautiful movie to fruition, Mr. Ponnapalli; I wish you much success with its distribution, and may many blessings and graces pour down on you through Our Lady for your fine work and perseverence.
The Prayer (by Jones Very. American poet, 1813-1880)
Wilt Thou not visit me?
The plant beside me feels thy gentle dew,
And every blade of grass I see
From thy deep earth its quickening moisture drew.
Wilt Thou not visit me?
Thy morning calls on me with cheering tone;
And every hill and tree
Lend but one voice, – the voice of Thee alone.
Come, for I need thy love,
More than the flower the dew or grass the rain;
Come, gently as thy holy dove;
And let me in thy sight rejoice to live again.
I will not hide from them
When thy storms come, though fierce may be their wrath,
But bow with leafy stem,
And strengthened follow on thy chosen path.
Yes, Thou wilt visit me:
Nor plant nor tree thine eye delights so well,
As, when from sin set free,
My spirit loves with thine in peace to dwell.
“The Desert Fathers believed that the wilderness had been created as supremely valuable in the eyes of God precisely because it had no value to men. The wasteland was the land that could never be wasted by men because it offered them nothing. There was nothing to attract them. There was nothing to exploit. The desert was the region in which the Chosen People had wandered for forty years, cared for by God alone. They could have reached the Promised Land in a few months if they had travelled directly to it. God’s plan was that they should learn to love Him in the wilderness and that they should always look back upon the time in the desert as the idyllic time of their life with Him alone.”
If we have no rest,
