"And Jesus says to me with great joy ..."

I was sitting in my car yesterday morning praying. Living that joyous sorrow I've been given. "I'm sorry for it, for the hatred and contempt, the cross, the whip, the nails..." And Jesus says to me with great joy, "I'm not! I'm not sorry at all! I did it for you; you're worth it. For I have made you so."

I do not look around, and the world is made new; the world is the same as it ever was. But I, am a new creation, and I look around with new eyes. This is what my God has given me, this is what His church has given me, this is what you have given me. Thank you.

This new convert has been given the grace to truly understand confession and absolution. His conveyance to us of Jesus' joy is very similar to the feeling I had during Holy Thursday. Go read it all at Catholic and Enjoying It.

Two Books That Might Have Been Written to My Specifications

I am not sure just how The Word Among Us knew that I had been needing these two books but they have printed resources that I have long been seeking. The answer, of course, is that I am not the only one who needs them. You just might find the perfect answer to a gift for first communion, a wedding, or a much needed resource for someone contemplating entering the Church.

The Compact Catholic Prayer Book

Prayer Before a Crucifix

Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus, while before your face I humbly kneel and ask you to fix deep in my heart lively faith, ope, and charity; true contrition for my sins; and firm purpose of amendment; while I contemplate with great love and tender grief your five wounds; while I call to mind the words your prophet David said of you, my Jesus: "They pierced my hands and my feet; they numbered all my bones" (see Psalm 22:17).

I have been looking for "the right" Catholic prayer book for a long time and not found one that just suited my needs perfectly until receiving this one. A treasury of traditional prayers, this little book is one that I have been slipping into my "big bag" just in case I need quick reference to the Act of Contrition (yes, I still don't have it memorized) or I stop in for a quick visit to Jesus in the tabernacle and want a prayer or something for contemplation. It has clearly marked sections for Everyday Prayers, Prayer and the Sacraments, Prayers to Mary and the Saints, Classic devotional Prayers, and Prayers for Special Needs. Most of the prayers are traditional while a few are contemporary. The contemporary are clearly marked with the initials of the writer so it is easy to sort out which is which, if one desires to do so. Looking through it, I have found a wealth of prayer assistance that I didn't know existed, such as the many prayers and scriptures available to use before confession. There is also a basic examination of conscience included. The index is an alphabetical list of prayers which I have found very handy as well. Highly recommended.

Mary and the Christian Life by Amy Welborn

Flannery O'Connor, the great American writer who was also a devout Catholic, and who also suffered and died from the immunological disease lupus, once wrote that being sick is like being in a foreign country. This is true of any kind of physical, psychological, or spiritual suffering as well. there are borders, it seems. Maybe even fences and the border patrol.

So how can we help?

Look at Mary.

Be present. Don't hide, don't shut doors, and don't turn away, convinced that there is nothihg you could do or that there is no need for you.

Love, after all, is what John tells us over and over that Jesus is about. Love required, first of all, presence. sometimes our presence can lead to action, but sometimes presence is enough.

Of course, presence is hard. It is horrible to watch someone suffer; it is even worse when our hands are tied. Who wouldn't be tempted to run away? Even if we're not in the situation of the disciples, who literally feared for their lives, remaining with the suffering can make us fear for our lives in another way, as we face our own future, as we face the possibilities of pain that exist for all of us, as we are reminded of the suffering we may have survived in the past.

But given all of that, what is really the alternative to presence? It's running away, denial, closed eyes. It is fear.

We don't know what went through Mary's mind as she watched her Son suffer and die. We can guess, and writers through history have used their imaginations to describe what she might have been feeling. A minor but intriguing theme of some medieval spiritual writing was that as she watched Jesus die, Mary experienced the birth pangs she had been spared thirty-three years before.

But it's hard to say what she felt beyond the normal pain of a mother watching her son unjustly executed and the extraordinary pain of a sword through her heart as she went over and over the angel's promises so long ago.

Jesus said that whenever we encounter suffering, we encounter him (see Matthew 25:31-46). So it stands to reason that when we are present with suffering, we are present at the cross with Mary at our side. We watch her and we learn how to be present, which means how to love, simply and deeply ...

I truly enjoyed Amy Welborn's The Words We Pray and learned a lot from it so it is not surprising that I found a great deal of value in this book about Mary as well. The passage above gives a hint of the theological depth which she makes easily available to us, while showing clearly how Christ's first disciple, his mother, is a prime example of how to follow Him. Likewise, Welborn ties in Mary's life to our own so that we are given many examples of how the trials and joys of everyday life have much to contemplate that brings us closer to Jesus. As we are guided through the Annunciation, the Visitation, and on to Mary's appearance in the Book of Revelations, there are other contemplations on Mary included in appropriate sections. From Hilary of Poitiers to Caryll Houselander, from Thomas Merton to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and Pope John Paul II, thoughtfully selected hymns and thoughts enrich the journey. As well, each section ends with "On the Devotional Side" which highlights a particular devotion to Mary. We are given not only the devotion itself, but the history and how it has influenced the saints as well as more current people. It is hard to imagine that such a complete resource can be only 150 pages but Welborn has done it beautifully. This is a book that I can use for my own enlightenment as well as being a perfect gift to those who wonder just what it is about Mary that attracts Catholics so. Highly recommended.

A pdf of the first chapter of the book may be downloaded here.

Southern Appeal ... is back!

Welcome back to Southern Appeal!

NFP Conversion Stories Carnival

What a good idea! Check it out at Wheelbarrow Manor.

Worth a Thousand Words

Cherry Blossoms at Full Bloom in Kyoto.
From Kyoto Daily Photo. Click through to see the other great photos at that blog.

Voting Still Open in 2008 Cannonball Catholic Blog Awards

You've got 9 days left. Check out the sidebar to see the nominees and vote.

A great way to find those quality "little blogs" that we don't hear about otherwise.

Until I Get Back ...

I am going out of town and will have spotty computer access at best. So until Tuesday, I leave you with this, which Susan sent after observing that I have a penchant for them. She is right!

A man dies and goes to heaven...

Of course, St. Peter meets him at the Pearly Gates.

St. Peter says, "Here's how it works.

"You need 100 points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the good things you've done, and I give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was."

"When you reach 100 points, you get in."

"Okay," the man says,"I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my heart."

"That's wonderful," says St.Peter, "that's worth three points!"

"Three points?" he says. "Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my tithe and service."

"Terrific!" says St.Peter. "That's certainly worth a point."

"One point! Well, I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans."

"Fantastic, that's good for two more points," he says.

'Two points!"

Exasperated, the man cries."At this rate the only way I'll get into heaven is by the Grace of God.

"Bingo, 100 points! Come on in!"

Worth a Thousand Words

In a French Cafe by Edward B. Gordon

Any long time readers know that Gordon is a favorite of mine. He recently posted his 500th painting! Click through on the link to see more of his paintings.

Oh, Nathaniel Hawthorne, You Crack Me Up!

I must say that I am reaping the reward now for pushing myself to continue to listen to The Scarlet Letter.

I really have been dragging my feet but then got to the part where Arthur Dimsdale sees the meteor and that it makes a huge "A" in the sky. Hawthorne then gives a mini-dissertation about the things that people imagine they see when they are looking for portents or have guilty consciences. He is delightfully down-to-earth and I wind up laughing my head off at some of his sarcastic comments. I should have remembered that from his introduction ... but I forgot ...

MacBook Air Parody

So very funny ... via Tom, who surfs all the geek sites so I don't have to.

Worth a Thousand Words

Daffodil taken by Hey Jules

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Dallas native Monsignor Michael Duca appointed bishop of Shreveport

Monsignor Michael Duca of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas has been appointed bishop of Shreveport by Pope Benedict XVI.

Mr. Duca, a Dallas native, has served as rector of Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas since 1996.

Read the whole thing at the Dallas Morning News

Well, I am sure that I extend sincere congratulations to Msgr. Duca on being named bishop and the good people of Shreveport are in for a real treat as he is a wonderful man.

On the other hand ... Tom wants to know if there is a word for the opposite of schaedenfraude (pleasure at the misfortune of others) ... a word that expresses your sincere happiness for someone but extreme pain for yourself. Indeed. That is how we all are feeling right now.

Honoring Great "Obscure Little Guy" Blogs: Cannonball Catholic Blog Awards

With a distinct sense of humor about the whole thing too ... just read some of the awards categories!

Now this is an awards process I can get behind. Too bad my lackadaisical blog reading didn't get me to The Crescat until after nominations closed.

But, voting begins tomorrow ... so be sure to check then.

Worth a Thousand Words

The Trysting Tree, 1868, Asher Durand

"If I didn't know there is a God before, I know it now."

These were the words of Rose's friend, Mary, in a phone call Rose got at one a.m. this morning, several hours after the sort of accident that every parent dreads to hear once their child begins driving.

In swerving to avoid a mattress that flew at her in traffic, her car spun and flipped and wound up on its side heading straight for a concrete barrier. Thanks both to American engineering and to God Mary is unharmed except for some bruises and aches. I am not going to go into all the details but there is no question in anyone's mind who hears this story that there was Divine intervention.

My heart is full of thankfulness not only because Mary survived unharmed but because she had no passenger in the front seat. That part of the car was crushed and if anyone had survived they would have been severely injured. Rose and Mary carpool all the time. All the time. In fact, it is so unusual for Mary and Rose to take separate cars that we had to stop and reconstruct just why they weren't together in the car.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow ...

I'm Not One for Sweet Cards ...

... I prefer the funny ones.

But this one from Ron Rolling touched me. I think that y'all will like it too. Thanks Ron!

From My Morning Reading: Why Jesus Was More Than A Good Teacher

At the end of his commentary about Nicodemus' night visit to Christ, Sheen makes a point that I don't recall having seen made in just this way.

If there is anything that every good teacher wants, it is a long life in which to make his teaching known, and to gain wisdom and experience. Death is always a tragedy to a great teacher. When Socrates was given the hemlock juice, his message was cut off once and for all. Death was a stumbling block to Buddha and his teaching of the eight-fold way. The last breath of Lao-tze rang down the curtain on his doctrine concerning the Tao or "doing nothing," as against aggressive self-determination. Socrates had taught that sin was due to ignorance and that, therefore, knowledge would make a good and perfect world. The Eastern teachers were concerned about man being caught up in some great wheel of fate. Hence the recommendation of Buddha that men be taught to crush their desires and thus find peace. When Buddha died at eighty, he pointed not to himself but to the law he had given. Confucius' death stopped his moralizing s about how to perfect a State by means of kindly reciprocal relations between prince and subject, father and son, brothers, husband and wife, friend and friend.

Our Blessed Lord in His talk with Nicodemus proclaimed Himself the Light of the World. But the most astounding part of His teaching was that He said no one would understand His teaching while He was alive and that His Death and Resurrection would be essential to understanding it. No other teacher in the world ever said that it would take a violent death to clarify his taeachings. Here was a Teacher Who made His teachings so secondary that He could say that the only way that He would ever draw men to Himself would be not by His doctrine, not by what He said, but by His Crucifixion.

When you have lifted up the Son of Man you will know that I am what I am. John 8:28)

He did not say that it would even be His teaching that they would understand; it would be rather His Personality that they would grasp. Only then would they know, after they had put Him to death, that He spoke the Truth. His death, then, instead of being the last of a series of failures, would be a glorious success, the climax of His mission on earth.

Life of Christ by Fulton Sheen

An Alphabet that Will Make You Smile

Ok, actually it is type treatments ... but let's not get too technical. Just enjoy.



Via The Art Department..

Speaking of Faith is Looking for Catholics' Personal Experiences with the Church

Pope Benedict XVI will be making his first papal visit to the U.S. in April, to help revitalize and strengthen the U.S. church. He will be stopping in Washington D.C. and New York City to offer mass at Nationals Park and Yankee Stadium, visit the White House, and address the United Nations.

We're using the occasion as an opportunity to start a broad-ranging conversation about the rich tradition of Roman Catholicism -- its history, trajectory, and the contemporary issues Catholics are wrestling with. Although we often hear news stories about the Catholic Church, diverse practitioners of the faith have had little voice in telling their stories.

If you are or were Catholic, we'd like to hear your perspectives on what anchors and unsettles you in this vast tradition. We're also interested in the hopes and concerns you have for the church, now and into the future. ...

What do you take solace in and find beautiful about this faith of nearly two millennia and more than 1.3 billion members spanning all the cultures of the globe? What hopes, questions, and concerns are on your mind as you ponder the state of the Catholic Church and its future? ...

Speaking of Faith is a very good look at all sorts of religion, although I don't listen to every podcast. This is your chance to make the faithful Catholic voice heard on a bigger stage. (Via Mark Shea.)

Great American Meatout ... Where Have These People Been?

We've had that for ages ... literally! It's called Friday for Catholics, people.

If you want to find out how the secular world is catching up, you can read it here.