Martha's Anxiety (Sr Wendy Beckett)

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Sr. Wendy Beckett writes:

Worry is a canker. And it's self-regarding. Whereas all our real life is in Jesus. The function of anxiety is surely to alert us to our dependence on him and to the fact that he alone matters. It is a most useful feeling. It says: You are fragile, unrealised, not in charge of your life, in danger of... therefore turn wholly to Jesus. The feeling mayor may not diminish but the direction out of self's narrowness into his love has been conquered. We have to go on and on until finally we live out of self, in him....

The great thing to grasp is that to feel "relaxed/happy" or to feel anxious is unimportant. Feelings only matter as an occasion for love. Happy, secure feelings prompt us to praise him; sad, anxious feelings prompt us to express our faith and pray for him to be all in all to us. The feelings themselves tell us nothing about our "state" which is God's secret and God's work. We don't base anything on ourselves but only on him, on his goodness, knowing, as Paul says, in whom we have believed. Why are we anxious? Let's will to have Jesus as our holiness. Gradually even the feeling vanishes, but that is unimportant. 

We can feel that growing in love should make life "easier” – that there is some failure in our fear, temptation, struggle. Not so. In fact the tempest may blow more severely as we near harbour. Jesus could never know a psychic respite, as the Gospels show. But our attitudes change. We cease to be afraid of fear; we open our arms to the will for the Father to give us whatever he will, knowing, in Jesus, that he gives only "good things".

Sister Wendy Beckett

Sister Wendy Beckett is a South African-born British art expert, a consecrated virgin, and contemplative hermit who lives under the protection of a Carmelite monastery in Norfolk, England.

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Christaraksha: Powerful Prayer of the Cross

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I would encourage people to pray this over your children and loved ones before they leave for the day. Pray it for yourself by day or by night. Pray it as part of your family prayers or rosary and simply change the "you" to me or us as is appropriate for your situation.

Although this is my personal opinion, I pray you will make daily use of this prayer or something like it.  I entreat you to take this as seriously as if "when the bridge is out, I told you the bridge is out, so you would not come to frustration or harm."  

So then, let us pray,

May the Cross of the Son of God,

which is mightier than all the hosts of satan

and more glorious than all the hosts of heaven,

abide with you in your going out and your coming in.

By day and night, at morning and at evening, 

at all times and in all places may it protect and defend you.

From the wrath of evildoers,

from the assaults of evil spirits

from foes visible and invisible

from the snares of the devil,

from all passions that beguile the soul and body:

May the Cross of Christ guard, protect and deliver you. 
Amen.

from India

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Segatashya's First Message from Jesus to All of Us

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This is the first message that the Lord Jesus Christ gave to Segatashya to share with the world while he was still a young boy in his native Rwanda in Africa:

“Jesus Christ sent me here today to tell you, 

and all men to renew your hearts. 

The day is coming 

when things will really get hard for humanity. 

You must change your heart while there is still time. 

Soon those who have refused to repent 

will not be able to do so. 

Let those who know that I set foot on earth, 

know that I am on my way back 

to take those who have worked well for Me 

to heaven for their eternal reward.”

Messages from Segatashya:

Jesus Speaks to the Boy from Kibeho

Neither Segatashya nor his parents had ever been in a school or a church. While not yet approved by the Catholic Church, I am a firm believer in the veracity of Emmanuel Segatashya and all that he said and did in his too short life.

Emmanuel Segatashya, pray for us.

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Богородице Дево (Bogoroditse Djevo)

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I am praying fervently for God's mercy for the people of the Earth and the Earth herself.  May the Light of Christ Jesus shine where it is darkest, and may the Holy Protection of the Theotokos be upon all of her children.

Богородице Дево 

(Bogoroditse Djevo) by Kurt Sander

Kurt Sander's setting of Bogoroditse Djevo (Богородице Дево) embedded above comes from a splendid recording of new music by two Orthodox Christian composers entitled "As far as the East is from the West".   

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Preparing for a Holy Death: A Marian Prayer of Saint Gregory of Narek, Doctor of the Church

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Grigor Narekats‘i (Gregory of Narek). 

Գիրք աղօթից (Book of Prayers). 

Constantinople: Tparan Astuatsatrean, 1763. 

Near East Section, African and Middle Eastern Division, Library of Congress 

A Prayer to Mary

by Saint Gregory of Narek

Assist me by the wings of your prayers,

O you who are called the Mother of the living,

so that on my exit from this valley of tears

I may be able to advance without torment

to the dwelling of life

that has been prepared for us

to lighten the end of a life burdened by my iniquity.

Healer of the sorrows of Eve,

change my day of anguish into a feast of gladness.

Be my Advocate,

ask and supplicate.

For as I believe in your inexpressible purity,

so do I also believe in

the good reception that is given to your word.

O you who are blessed among women,

help me with your tears

for I am in danger.

Bend the knee to obtain my reconciliation,

O Mother of God.

Be solicitous for me for I am miserable,

O Tabernacle of the Most High.

Hold out your hand to me as I fall,

O heavenly Temple.

Glorify your Son in me:

may he be pleased to operate Divinely in me

the miracle of forgiveness and mercy.

Handmaid and Mother of God,

may your honour be exalted by me,

and may my salvation be manifested through you.

Amen.

Saint Gregory of Narek

Doctor of the Church

Anno Domini 1010

14 May: Praying for an End to the Pandemic

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Pope Francis has asked that on the 14th of May AD 2020 that we pray for an end to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.


I am reprinting below a Litany found in last Sunday's bulletin from the Parish of St Vincent Ferrer and St Catherine of Siena in New York City:


This week we reprint the beautiful Litany of Supplication devised for the Holy Father’s Urbi et Orbi blessing in time of pandemic. It will be apt for this day in this year.

We adore you, O Lord
True God and true man, truly present in this holy Sacrament.
We adore you, O Lord
Our Savior, God with us, faithful and rich in mercy
We adore you, O Lord
King and Lord of creation and of history Conqueror of sin and death
We adore you, O Lord
Friend of humankind, the Risen One, the Living One who sits at the right hand of the Father.
We adore you, O Lord

We believe in you, O Lord
Only begotten Son of the Father, descended from heaven for our salvation
We believe in you, O Lord
Heavenly physician, who bows down over our misery
We believe in you, O Lord
Lamb who was slain, who offer yourself to rescue us from evil
We believe in you, O Lord
Good Shepherd, who give your life for the flock which you love
We believe in you, O Lord
Living bread and medicine for immortality, who give us eternal life
We believe in you, O Lord

Deliver us, O Lord
From the power of Satan and the seductions of the world
Deliver us, O Lord
From the pride and presumption of being able to do anything without you
Deliver us, O Lord
From the deceptions of fear and anxiety From unbelief and desperation
Deliver us, O Lord
From hardness of heart and the incapacity to love
Deliver us, O Lord

Save us, O Lord
From every evil that afflicts humanity
Save us, O Lord
From hunger, from famine and from egoism From illnesses, epidemics and the fear of our brothers and sisters
Save us, O Lord
From devastating madness, from ruthless interests and from violence
Save us, O Lord
From being deceived, from false information and the manipulation of consciences
Save us, O Lord

Comfort us, O Lord
Protect your Church which crosses the desert 
Comfort us, O Lord
Protect humanity terrified by fear and anguish
Comfort us, O Lord
Protect the sick and the dying, oppressed by loneliness
Comfort us, O Lord
Protect doctors and healthcare providers exhausted by the difficulties they are facing 
Comfort us, O Lord
Protect politicians and decision makers who bear the weight of having to make decisions
Comfort us, O Lord

Grant us your Spirit, O Lord
In the hour of trial and from confusion
Grant us your Spirit, O Lord
In temptation and in our fragility
Grant us your Spirit, O Lord
In the battle against evil and sin
Grant us your Spirit, O Lord
In the search for what is truly good and true joy In the decision to remain in you and in your friendship
Grant us your Spirit, O Lord

Open us to hope, O Lord
Should sin oppress us
Open us to hope, O Lord
Should hatred close our hearts Should sorrow visit us
Open us to hope, O Lord
Should indifference cause us anguish Should death overwhelm us
Open us to hope, O Lord

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The Coimbra Marian Prayer against Pestilence

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There is a prayer in Portugal known by the faithful as Stella Coeli.  It began with nuns who followed the way of St. Clare of Assisi in the ancient university city of Coimbra in Portugal.  At a time when disease was killing so many, the nuns began the invocation and prayer to the Star of the Sea.

Here is an English translation of that prayer from years ago in which "the Star" refers to Saint Mary the Mother of God (Theotokos). With the COVID-19 coronavirus traversing the globe, I offer it here for all Catholics and those whose trust and love of the Lord Jesus includes love and trust for His Mother Mary:

Stella Coeli 

The Star of Heaven that nourished the Lord 
 drove away the plague of death 
which the first parents of man brought into the world.

May this bright Star now vouchsafe 
to extinguish that foul constellation 
whose battles have slain the people 
with the wound of death.

O most pious Star of the Sea, 
preserve us from pestilence; 
hear us, O Lady, for Thy Son honours Thee 
by denying Thee nothing.

Save us, O Jesus, 
for whom Thy Virgin Mother supplicates Thee.

V: Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
R: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray

O God of mercy, God of pity, God of benign clemency, Thou Who hast had compassion on the affliction of Thy people, and hast said to the angel striking them, “Stop thy hand;” for the love of this glorious Star, whose breasts Thou didst sweetly drink as antidote for our crimes, grant the assistance of Thy grace, that we may be safely freed from all pestilence, and from unprovided death; and mercifully save us from the gulf of eternal perdition: through Thee, Lord Jesus Christ, King of Glory, who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen.

Caryll Houselander: The Risen Christ

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An Excerpt from the Chapter "The Prayer of the Body"

Before Christ died he literally gave us his sacramental body in his own hands. Day after day he is born in the consecrated hands of the priest ; in a man's hands he is lifted up and offers himself to the Father. It is fitting, then, that so often our offering of self through the body must be made literally with our hands.

Caryll Houselander

What an expression of himself a man's hands are. When he comes to die, what a story his hands tell. They have taken on the shape and colour and texture of his work. They are the story of his life. When Madame Curie lay dead, the most beautiful testimonial to her life's work was in her hands lying simply on the coverlet, scarred with burns of radium.

Long before Christ gave us his body in his own hands they were hardened by toil, beautiful with the line and muscle and sinew of the hands of an artisan, and hollowed out by the wooden mallet to cup the chalice and hold the nail. But in the consummation of his self-giving, these hands which had given   in so many ways were helpless, fastened back, immovable, to a plank.

At that moment his body was broken, the heart was broken, the flesh and blood separated. Every day the suffering of the Lord's body is shown in the breaking of the bread.

Sooner or later, our prayer of the body too becomes the helpless hands, the falling away of self, the breaking of the bread.  Sickness, old age, death ; these must come, and when they come it seems that our service is ended. There is exhaustion which makes it first an effort, then an impossibility, to lift the hand up to make the sign of the cross; no more liturgical acts in daily life, gestures and symbols that worship God and give Christ's love to men.

Everything falls away from us, even memories— even the weariness of self. This is the breaking of the bread, the supreme moment in the prayer of the body, the end of the liturgy of our mortal lives, when we are broken for and in the communion of Christ's love to the whole world.

But it is not the end of the prayer of the body. To that there is no end. Our dust pays homage to God, until the endless morning of resurrection wakens our body, glorified.

Caryll Houselander

The Risen Christ

Sheed and Ward, New York

1958

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An Armenian Sanctuary Prayer

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Deacon

[...]  And again for peace
let us beseech the Lord. 

Let us praise the Almighty God,
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has made us worthy to stand
in this place of glorification
and to sing spiritual songs;
may the Almighty Lord, our God,
save us and have mercy upon us.

The Prayer in Sanctuary

Celebrant

In this holy abode and in this place of glorification, 

in this dwelling place of angels, 

and in this Temple of purification, 

before these God-accepted and resplendent holy symbols 

and before this holy sanctuary, 

we all humble ourselves and worship You with awe; 

we praise and glorify

Your holy, wondrous and triumphant Resurrection, 

and together with the heavenly hosts 

we offer You praise and glory 

together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, 

now and always forever and ever. Amen.

from The Badarak, pp. 21-22

The Sacred Music and the Divine Liturgy

of the Armenian Apostolic Church

Glendale, California, 1997

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Saint Isaac of Nineveh: The Gift of Tears

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Saint Isaac the Syrian writes:

Perpetual tears during prayer 

are a sign of divine mercy 

of which the soul is deemed worthy 

because of her repentance 

which has been accepted: 

and with tears 

she begins to enter 

the plain of sincerity,
the plain of purity.

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The Canticle of the Lamb

Repost from 2015

For whoever believes 

in the power of the Blood of Jesus,

nothing is impossible.

After a rather vigorous (if not contentious) discussion concerning the late Mother Basilea Schlink and the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary , I was put in mind of her most important spiritual canticle —'most important' in my humble opinion of course—a spiritual canticle to the Wounds of Jesus and the Blood of the Lamb entitled The Canticle of the Lamb.

Today I understand that the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary uses a new English translation of the Canticle, but liturgically I prefer the diction of the first translation — which one may find in Celtic Daily Prayer and which I print below for ease of reference.  

     I praise the Wounds 
          and the Blood of the Lamb

 
     I praise the Wounds and the Blood of the Lamb

              that heals the weakness of my body,

     I praise the Wounds and the Blood of the Lamb

              that heals the weakness of my soul,
 
     I praise the Wounds and the Blood of the Lamb

               that heals the weakness of my spirit!


     Praise be to the Blood of the Lamb in His forgiving power.

     Praise be to the Blood of the Lamb in His cleansing power.

     Praise be to the Blood of the Lamb in His saving power.

     Praise be to the Blood of the Lamb in His releasing power.

     Praise be to the Blood of the Lamb in His victorious power.

     Praise be to the Blood of the Lamb in His renewing power.

     Praise be to the Blood of the Lamb in His protecting power.

     For whoever believes in the power of the Blood of Jesus,      
             nothing is impossible.

     I praise the Blood of the Lamb that covers all my sins

          so that they can no longer be seen,
 
     I praise the Blood of the Lamb that cleanses me from all my sins

         and makes me white as snow,
 
     I praise the Blood of the Lamb that has power to free me

          from all my bondages and chains of sin.

     I praise the Blood of the Lamb that is stronger

          than my own sin-infested blood

              and remoulds me into the image of God,

     I praise the Blood of the Lamb that is victorious

         over all powers that seek to oppress me,

              over every power of the enemy.
 
     I praise the Blood of the Lamb 

          that protects me from all the devious attacks of the enemy.

     I praise the Blood of the Lamb 

          that prepares for me the bridal garment.

     I praise the Blood of the Lamb

          that makes all things new.

              Hallelujah! Amen.

M. Basilea Schlink

as translated in Celtic Daily Prayer

For whoever believes 
in the power of the Blood of Jesus,

nothing is impossible.

St. Cyprian: "The Day of Our Own Struggle"

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Saint Cyprian writes:

"Divine Providence has now prepared us. God's merciful design has warned us that the day of our own struggle, our own contest, is at hand. 

"By that shared love which binds us close together, we are doing all we can to exhort our congregation, to give ourselves unceasingly to fastings, vigils and prayers in common.

"These are the heavenly weapons which give us the strength to stand firm and endure; they are the spiritual defences, the God-given armaments that protect us. Let us then remember one another, united in mind and heart. 

"Let us pray without ceasing, you for us, we for you; by the love we share we shall thus relieve the strain of these great trials."