From Traherne, on Blessed Mother Mary

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Previously I posted a phrase from the saintly Thomas Traherne that I thought worth committing to memory on the Solemnity of the Assumption and the octave following.  Today, dear Reader, please allow me to share a bit more of this mid-seventeenth century Anglican Priest-Poet's praise of God for the Holy Virgin.  

Keep in mind that this is written by an Anglican priest in the Church of England a number of centuries ago,  but is it not an expression of praise at the very heart of the teachings of the Apostolic, Catholic, and Orthodox Church of those early centuries after the Out-Pouring and Indwelling of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost?  Is it not one with the same heart of devotion as found in the writings of St. Ephrem, the prayerful petitions of the Litany of Loreto, and the praises of the Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos?


Thomas Traherne writes:

"And first, O Lord, I praise and magnify thy Name

For the Most Holy Virgin-Mother of God,

who is the Highest of thy Saints.

The most Glorious of thy Creatures.

The most Perfect of all thy Works.

The nearest unto Thee in the Throne of God.

Whom thou didst please to make

Daughter of the Eternal Father,

Mother of the Eternal Son.

Spouse of the Eternal Spirit,

Tabernacle of the most Glorious Trinity.

Mother of Jesus.

Mother of the Messias.

Mother of him who was the Desire of all Nations.

Mother of the Prince of Peace.

Mother of the King of Heaven.

Mother of our Creator.

Mother and Virgin.

Mirror of Humility and Obedience.

Mirror of Wisdom and Devotion.

Mirror of Modesty and Chastity.

Mother of Sweetness and Resignation.

Mirror of Sanctity.

Mirror of all Virtues.

The most illustrious Light in the Church,

wearing over all her beauties the veil of Humility

to shine the more resplendently in thy Eternal Glory ..."

Assumption of the Mother of God by Francesco Botticini

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Ruminating upon the Assumption

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On this Feast of the Dormition and Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary,   I have been enjoying a blog post entitled Blessed are the Pure in Heart by Dr. Peter Howard on the Spiritual direction.com website that I especially appreciate.  It also includes an image of the Assumption of Mary by Corbert Gauthier that may appeal to those who do not usually relate to the typical Roman Catholic paintings of the same.  Click here for the article by Dr. Howard wherein one may find the beautiful Gauthier painting.

I am spending most of this day ruminating upon the Falling-Asleep (Dormition) and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and how my Anglo-Catholic background leads me to think and feel about this solemnity.  But chiefly I am contemplating how I relate to and love St. Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, who is our own Mother through Christ Jesus.

There is a short but passionate phrase from Thomas Traherne (the catholic-minded Anglican Priest-Poet of the mid seventeenth century) that is found in his 'Church's Year Book' which I think is worthy to pray and contemplate many times during the day of the Assumption and during the octave of the great feast which I knew once upon a time as Assumptiontide.

And first O Lord I praise and magnify thy Name

For the Most Holy Virgin-Mother of God, 

who is the Highest of thy Saints.

The most Glorious of thy Creatures.

The most Perfect of all thy Works.

The nearest unto Thee in the Throne of God ...

Perhaps like me you will commit this to memory so that a prayer learnt by heart will become a prayer of the heart.  Today and the week ahead is a good time to engrave this act of praise in our hearts and souls so that daily we may say the same to God Most High.

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Mercy

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When the Year of Mercy begins on December 8th, the Vatican has chosen the following hymn by Paul Inwood to serve as the official hymn of the holy year:



It is mercifully not the happy-clappy song that I was expecting.   It has the feel of a chant from Taizé.  It is not in any sense a hymn of procession.  (I hope liturgists around the globe realise that this sort of hymn is not a processional.) It is suitable for Adoration or during the sharing of the Blessed Eucharist at Mass.  It may not be your cup of tea, but to my tired ears it is a merciful relief, a worthy companion to prayerful contemplation of the Living Lord and the Father's Mercy.

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My own sense is that this Year of Mercy will be more of one in which the peoples' of the world will turn to God and beg for and cry out "Mercy!  Lord, mercy! Please!  Have mercy upon us."  

My eyes keep looking forward a bit to the Feast of St. Pio (Padre Pio Santo as I say here in my hermitage).  My calendar has a big red circle around his feast day this September 23rd.     So each day as we move forward I am wanting to move forward in prayer and intercession for humanity with Padre Pio Santo.  I feel as though we desperately need his intercession with God the Most Highest.

There is much more I would like to say, but the sudden return of psoriatic arthritis in my body makes typing insanely painful at the moment.  ...  Then why post anything at all today?  Because we need God's Mercy now.  We need to beseech the Holy Trinity for His Mercy right now and each day.  And we need a prayer partner in Heaven as we pray before the Year of Mercy, and I am convinced that it is St. Pio, Padre Pio Santo, who should be that intercessor for me ... and possibly for you, dear reader, today and every day for the immediate future.

Lord, may thy Kingdom come.

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10 Year Old plays Chopin's “Fantasie Impromptu“

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This is the sort of revelation that renews one's hope for humanity and the future:



Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, pianist 10 years old


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T.S. Eliot: The Song of the Women

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We praise thee, O God, 
for thy glory displayed in all the creatures of the earth.
In the snow, in the rain, in the wind, in the storm;
in all of thy creatures, both the hunters and the hunted.
For all things exist only as seen by thee, 
only as known by thee, all things exist
Only in thy light, and thy glory is declared 
even in that which denies thee;
the darkness declares the glory of light.
Those who deny thee could not deny, if thou didst not exist;
and their denial is never complete, 
for if it were so, they would not exist.
They affirm thee in living; all things affirm thee in living;
the bird in the air, both the hawk and the finch;
the beast on the earth, both the wolf and the lamb.
Therefore we, whom thou hast made to be conscious of thee,
must consciously praise thee, in thought and in word and in deed.

Canticle: The Song of the Women 

T. S. Eliot

A New Zealand Prayer Book

I have had to break the lines above as they were written 

so this text could fit pleasingly on the small blog space allotted.

My apologies to the poet and the reader.

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Stop and Pray

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Stop what you are doing and pray for the many Christians who have just been captured and kidnapped by ISIS/ISIL/Daesh in Syria.  

Click on the link below for the story from the Catholic Herald:

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2015/08/07/dozens-of-christians-kidnapped-by-isis-gunmen-after-capture-of-syrian-town/

Remember we are praying the Novena for the Assumption.  

Pray. Pray. Pray.  

The world is in the grip of a terrible darkness.  

May Christ Jesus, the Light of the world, shine upon us all. 

Hallelujah!  Shine, Lord, shine!

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From the Syrian Orthodox Church

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Traditional configuration of the Syrian Orthodox Bema and Altar

The following hymn is one of those that may be sung when the curtain is drawn across the Sanctuary in the Divine Liturgy of the Syrian Orthodox Church:

I was a lost and wandering sheep.

The Church responded, saying:

I was scattered and dispersed,

Lo! My Shepherd went out 

in search of me, and found me.

He carried me and put me on His shoulder,

And brought me into His fold of Life,

He set before me the Table of Life:

His atoning Body and Blood,

So that, wherewith, 

my children and I together be always sustained.

Therefore, my children and I, 

with one accord,

Cry out unto Him, saying:

Holy, holy, holy are You,

O Son, Who gave us His Body and Blood.

Holy are You, O Son of God;

Blessed be Your honor from Your dwelling place.

Below is a recording made in Aleppo, Syria in A.D. 2007 of the Lord's Prayer in Syriac sung in the Syrian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Ephrem:

Of your mercy please pray  for the Christians of the Middle East and North Africa who are suffering under the affliction of warfare and terrorism.  

May those Christians who have been executed for their Christian faith  receive the Martyr's Crown at the Hand of God and likewise be embraced by the Lord Jesus Christ and welcomed into the kingdom of His light and truth.

Pray also for those non-Christians who are also being targeted for abuse and execution by Daesh/ISIL/ISIS. 

May the Blessed Trinity in all of His infinite mercy give a "Damascus Road" experience to all of the terrorists and supporters of ISIL/ISIS/Daesh.  May the Holy Ghost come upon them and drive them to total remorse, repentance, amendment of life, and true faith in God the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ the  Righteous.

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Heart of Jesus, Think of Me

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HEART OF JESUS, think of me.

Eyes of Jesus, look on me.

Face of Jesus, comfort me.

Hands of Jesus, bless me.

Feet of Jesus, guide me.

Arms of Jesus, hold me.

Body of Jesus, feed me.

Blood of Jesus, wash me.

Jesus, make me thus thine own.

Here and in the world to come. Amen.

Saint Augustine's Prayer Book

Order of the Holy Cross

USA

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JADE HELM ?

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You may be like me and have only recently heard mention of military exercises to take place within the 'homeland' of the USA code named JADE HELM.  Many in Texas are deeply concerned -- including the Governor of Texas -- and so I think it worth while to make mention of it for my readers in the U.S. American Southwest who will be in the target zone of these military exercises.

I have been advised by friends to prepare the cupboard/pantry with food, water, and drinks as if I were preparing for a hurricane.  I have been told by a retired military friend to be prepared for cuts in electrical power ... so I have batteries and candles but I imagine others who have back-up generators should see to it that they have enough fuel to run their generators.  

An Episcopalian religious of many years acquaintance contacted me concerned that as a hermit I would not be aware of the potential problems with the military exercises, and she advised me to be sure to have cash taken out of the bank in case banks are closed. 

Let me repeat that I know nothing first hand, but prudence would dictate that those of us living within this zone who live in areas the U.S. military has designated 'Hostile' (such as the region where I live) should at least mentally prepare ourselves for a disruption in normal activities.  

My nearest neighbours are leaving the area to go to visit family in the northeast of the USA and others to Canada for their summer holiday.  Well timed, I think.  

Here is a link to a video of some sort of news broadcast questioning JADE HELM: click here.  It is one of thousands out there it seems, but it does raise very specific questions about what has transpired in Big Spring, Texas with regard to the upcoming military exercises:  https://youtu.be/G7rmt5089Mo

As an armchair sleuth, I am not much good, but I do thank my friends who have been concerned that I would be caught unawares in a situation that could cause me enough stress to have a heart attack or another stroke.  Without forewarning I would not have reacted well to parachuting troops on the front lawn or tanks blocking roadways ... 'tis true.

May God be merciful and may the innocent be sheltered from all harm.

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A Prayer of Eucharistic Longing for Christ

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A very rare image of Christ found in an English church.

MOST DEAR LORD JESUS CHRIST,

graciously fill me with true charity,

that I may ever hunger after thee, 

the Bread of Angels,

the refreshment of holy souls.

Grant that I may ever long to feed upon thee,

and that my inmost soul may be filled

with a desire for thy goodness.

Grant that my soul may ever thirst for thee,

the fountain of life,

the fountain of wisdom and knowledge,

the fountain of eternal light,

the joy and the richness of the house of God. Amen.

Saint Augustine's Prayer Book

Revised Edition 2014

Forward Movement

USA

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Kitty Cleveland and Charlie Johnstonʻs song

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I stumbled across a beautiful little recording Kitty Cleveland had made of Charlie Johnstonʻs Song of Thanksgiving (regarding the Miraculous Rescue of Godʻs people that he says will take place in 2017 according to what he has received from Heaven).  It is a simple song meant to be sung over and over, and I think it especially gives the grace of encouragement through difficult moments and times.

And the People of the Kingdom

And the People of Heaven

Shall rise together

Shall rise forever

And the People of the Kingdom

And the People of Heaven

Shall Rise together

Shall rise forever

and God shall rule.

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A Prayer to Christ Our God

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O CHRIST OUR GOD, 

the wisdom, the power, and the glory of the Father, 

who dwelt among us as the Word made flesh 

and, having overcome the prince of darkness, 

returned to the eternal joys of heaven: 

Grant us, even now in the midst of this dark world, 

the full outpouring of thy splendour, 

and appoint thy holy angels to be our defenders, 

to guard our going out and our coming in, 

until by thy mercy, 
we stand in the eternal light, 

where thou dost live and reign, 
world without end. Amen.

Saint Augustine's Prayer Book 

Revised Edition,  2014

Forward Movement
USA

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