The Psalms Are Songs of Faith - Part 1

I've been reading a section a day of Fr. McBride's Guide to the Bible. It is just enough to make me both review different books of the Bible and think about it's place in the overall scheme of things. Which I think is the point. I was struck by this emphasis on psalms. It is something that our priest has pointed out in Bible study before but I like how this is said. So I'll be sharing it over the next few days.

The Psalms Are Songs of Faith

Psalms 1-150
Sing to the Lord a new song.

Psalm 96:1

For some reason, we don't ordinarily picture a soldier writing Church poetry. But that is exactly what the warrior King David did. He did not write all of the 150 psalms, but so great was his influence on the composition of psalms, that the book of Psalms has borne his name as the author ever since. The psalms are prayers, but people today sometimes find it hard to really think of them that way. Here are some considerations that might be helpful in understanding the psalms.

He Who Sings Prays Twice

St. Augustine says that he who sings prays twice. It is too bad that most peple regard the psalms as a text to be read silently. The psalms are the "songs" of faith: war chants, victory songs, enthronement anthems, hymns about nature. In the shadow of the temple, fraternities of musicians gathered to compose melodies for the psalms.

There has been a revival in psalm singing, prompted by the work of Father Joseph Gelineau and Father Lucien Deiss, French priest-musicians and many other composers. The popularity of the guitar has an impact on the singing of psalms, not just because David used a stringed instrument, but because it suits the vigorous rhythm of the words and the excitement of the situation.

Fr. McBride's Guide to the Bible by Alfred McBride, P.Praem

Next: Israelite Poetry.

You'll Be a Man, My Son

Just caught up this weekend on last week's Bones. That episode is a fine example of the times that the show rises above being a guilty pleasure. It took on the issue of personal responsibility and looking beyond the pleasure of "the moment." Especially touching was the end where Booth realizes that someone must teach a high school boy about how his current actions translate into the man that he will become. The boy's parents are never shown but Booth takes on the required task of pointing out just what it means to be a man. That is always a pleasure in today's society where men in general tend to be denigrated in the way that Bones does during the conversation that leads Booth to his realization.

As Tom pointed out, the show avoided the temptation to have an unnecessarily convoluted murder plot in order to spend the time necessary on the other message. Refreshing and nicely done.

Which leads us back into Kipling whence came the phrase that titles this post. And some other reflections on being a man.

Back on the Soap Box

It has been a while since I pulled out my soapbox and a conversation with a friend made me this of this post. She commented that ever since a beggar asked her for some of her pizza and she gave him all the cash she had ... she saw God's hand everywhere in her life in terms of people helping each other donating clothing, food, and services where needed simply because they were asked.

Since it is Lent and we are to not only fast and pray but to give alms, this seems timely. For the short, straight forward version, go read Mike Aquilina's excellent piece on the subject. For the longer, more anecdotal version, just keep on readin' ...

Photo from Barcelona Photoblog

As my long-suffering husband well knows, from the fact that when he gave a handful of change to an Australian man sitting outside a London tube station years ago ... the man shouted after our family, "God bless you mate! Thank you!" My husband muttered, under his breath, "Don't thank me, thank her; I had nothing to do with it" as I gave him a thank you hug. This does not even compare to when he is driving and we come upon a corner with a homeless person ... now he has three people in the car all urging him to roll down the window and hand out granola bars.

GIVING TO THE HOMELESS, FACE TO FACE

The first time I ever saw a beggar was in Paris, 18 years ago. She was across the street and Tom said, "Don't look at her." Of course, I did and she began screaming invective and shaking her fist at me. It's a good thing my French wasn't very fluent or I'm sure my ears would have burned. Everywhere we went there were beggars. It was deeply troubling for someone like me who had never seen such a thing before. Tom, whose family lived in London for several years, was more blasé. He taught me to ignore them and that they were making plenty of money off of the population at large. I did make him give to a couple of WWII veterans who were playing music for their coins but at least they had sacrificed something for their country ... they had done something to deserve our charity.

I wasn't Christian then; I wasn't even sure if God existed. Nothing other than popular thought occurred to me in those situations. That was saved for 15 years later in 2001 when we went back to Paris and London with the girls. I had converted by then, we attended Mass weekly, and they went to Catholic school with religion lessons every day. It was fairly common to see the homeless on street corners but we were insulated by the car and traffic flow. These up close encounters with beggars in Europe were different. Tom and I gave the standard "making money off the crowd" explanation but it didn't sit very well, especially with the Christian precepts that had taken hold by then.

Then, one evening, I read this quote.

There are those who say to the poor that they seem to look to be in such good health: "You are so lazy! You could work. You are young. You have strong arms."

You don't know that it is God's pleasure for this poor person to go to you and ask for a handout. You show yourself as speaking against the will of God.

There are some who say: "Oh, how badly he uses it!" May he do whatever he wants with it! The poor will be judged on the use they have made of their alms, and you will be judged on the very alms that you could have given but haven't.

St. John Vianney

You certainly couldn't get much clearer than those words. St. John Vianney covered pretty much every objection I ever thought of for giving to the poor. That was my wake-up call and the end of ignoring beggars. We were supplied with handfuls of coins that were distributed at large as we went through the subway stations. When I got home I stocked the car with granola bars and bottles of water. I passed them out at every street corner we stopped at. I never have any cash on me and they almost always had signs saying "Will work for food" so it seemed a good match.

Then Dallas passed a law against any panhandling on street corners and, for the most part, the homeless disappeared from sight. I had gotten used to being on the lookout for people to give my granola bars to and now the corners seemed very empty.

About that time, I was the leader of a Catholic women's group that met weekly. One evening our discussion became a debate over two strategies of giving to the homeless. One group believed in giving to people as they were encountered. The other countered with stories of scam artists and believed in giving to organizations who would distribute goods and cash in the most beneficial way to the needy. Two things stuck with me after that meeting though. The first was that my friend, Rita, said she was troubled by those who didn't want to give face to face because "they don't know what blessings they may be depriving themselves of." Once again I remembered St. John Vianney's quote.

The second thing occurred to me as I listened to the debate. Jesus never said anything about helping the poor by giving to the local temple or soup kitchen. He said:

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me."

Then the righteous will answer him and say, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?"

And the king will say to them in reply, "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me."

Matthew 25: 35-40

Tom and I do support organized charities and I know they reach farther than I ever could personally. This is not an argument against those organizations. However, I think that we cannot rest with those contributions. I believe that if we have a personal encounter with the needy it is because they have been sent to us for their good and our own. If we turn them away, then we are turning Christ Himself away and what blessings are we sending away with Him?

This was reinforced for me during a retreat I attended a few weeks ago. Somehow the debate over how to give to the homeless came up along those old familiar lines, not just once but twice. Each time I trotted out my St. John Vianney quote. Then my friend, Mauri, said that when she looked at those unfortunates she saw people she knew. For instance, she has a schizophrenic nephew who doesn't want to take his meds so he has been found wandering only in his boxers in a Chicago suburb. A confused old lady at the bank reminded her of her mother and Mauri found a discreet way to help her while preserving her dignity. She reminded me of the worth and dignity of each of these people. She later sent me this story which is the perfect example of looking past the surface to the real person that is there in front of us.

Today at the post office I saw this man going through the garbage -- I think looking for food as he was going through a discarded fast food bag and picked out left over bun from the bag, emptied the bag of the other garbage, and then used the bag to neatly wrap up the left over bun and then placed it in his satchel. You could tell that he still had his pride as he looked well kept, although worn and a bit "dusty". He was not begging in any way. Just walking through the strip center where the post office was.

I wanted to help as I sensed that he was hungry, but he was not asking for help and he did not approach me in anyway. I was so worried to bruise his pride, but could not stand the thought of him only having the leftover bun for food. I got out of my car with $5 and asked him if he was hungry. He said he was fine but hesitantly. I gave him the money and told him that I had many of times when I was hungry but didn't have the cash on me to go through McDonalds or grab a sandwich. I told him to take it for when he might need it. I don't think I hurt his pride. His eyes were so kind.

I only wish I had asked his name ... He looked like he might have been mid 60s. I should have given him more money. I can't get him out of my mind. He could have been someone's grandfather, father, etc.

I am so grateful to Mauri for bringing me to this phase in my awareness of the homeless. Each of them was some mother's baby, a tiny toddler learning to walk, a laughing boy or girl at school. We must remember that when we are looking at these people who can seem so frightening or strange or manipulative. I pray that someday I can look at these people and find my vision is perfect ... I hope that someday I can look at a homeless person and see Jesus Himself. In this quest I think we can not do better than to take the advice of someone who achieved perfect vision and sought out her beloved Jesus in the homeless.

Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

UPDATES

• 40 Day Giveaway ... a young man who is giving away something every day of Lent.
  
• Under the Overpass is an excellent book to read about the homeless. It is about two young men who took Jesus at his word and went to live as homeless in different American cities for a six month period. If you have any questions at all about the homeless I highly recommend this book. It will open your eyes. They have specific advice about giving to the homeless which seems to support my granola bar and water hand out policy. However, I will add that I still do give cash if I am out of those. (reread St. John Vianney's quote for my reasoning in this)
• How could I have forgotten my encounter with this homeless man?

Laetare Sunday Means Our Priests are Pretty in Pink

The fourth Sunday of Lent is rather unique; like the third Sunday of Advent ("Gaudete Sunday"), the fourth Sunday of Lent is a break in an otherwise penitential season. The vestments for this day will be rose, as they are on Gaudete Sunday in Advent, and flowers may adorn the Altar. This day is called "Laetare Sunday" (also "Rose Sunday" ), and takes its name from the opening words of the Mass, the Introit's "Laetare, Jerusalem"...

It really did lighten my mood this morning to see the rose colored vestments and stop to think about the joy that awaits us at Easter ... and that can be found in the midst of this penitential season.

A bit more info comes from Fr. Dwight Longenecker:

The Rose color was made from the very rare crimson dye taken from a tiny gland in the murex mollusc (a kind of sea snail) found only off the coast of Lebanon. Thus, in the ancient world that particular rose color was a sign of great wealth, and royal status. The High Priest in the temple in Jerusalem used it in his vestments. It came to be used on the two refreshment Sundays in the penitential seasons to perk people up.

But there is more to it than that. The rose vestments in Lent, remind us of the royal and priestly status of Our Lord. The priest in persona Christi presents an icon of Christ the King and great High Priest. The fact that this image is stuck in the midst of the two penitential seasons reminds us that locked into the austerity of this world, robed in the squalor and simplicity of human flesh, there lies hidden the Great High Priest of the New Covenant, Christ the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Harvard AIDS Expert Says Pope is Correct on Condom Distribution Making AIDS Worse

Pope Benedict recently said that condoms will not combat the AIDS epidemic in Africa, and actually could exacerbate it. Naturally, although I am not sure what they expected what with the Pope being Catholic and all, this brought down a firestorm of scorn.

Interestingly, however, this expert agrees with the Pope.

Edward C. Green, director of the AIDS Prevention Research Project at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, has said that the evidence confirms that the Pope is correct in his assessment that condom distribution exacerbates the problem of AIDS.

"The pope is correct," Green told National Review Online Wednesday, "or put it a better way, the best evidence we have supports the pope's comments." ...

What? He is considering evidence? Shocking!

Read the rest here. Via The Practicing Catholic who features an article that nicely sums up both good and bad response to the Pope's statement.

Update:
A very good article on the subject by Green himself. Thanks Meg for the heads up!

Catholic Heroes of the Faith - Animated DVD Series

“Catholic Heroes of the Faith” is a new, animated DVD series which presents true stories of people who have made a lasting impression on others by their example of service to Christ and His Church.

These heroes have lived truly great lives—lives marked by moral depth, strength of character, physical courage, and an unswerving commitment to Christ and His Church.

By seeing how they struggled to serve Christ and his Church, and how they succeeded so gloriously, we are all challenged to live lives like theirs. Pope Benedict XVI has said of the saints, that we look to their “shining example to reawaken within us the great longing to be like them; happy to live near God, in his light, in the great family of God's friends. Being a Saint means living close to God, to live in his family. And this is the vocation of us all.”

Geared primarily to children ages 8-12, each episode uses traditional animation to entertain and inspire children and their parents and anyone who wants to know about the great Catholics of the past.

Each DVD also features:

* Activity guide for church, school or home use
* Parent’s and teacher’s guide for church, school or home use

This animated series is an excellent resource for parochial schools, CCD classes and home schooling.

And don’t forget to check out our documentary section! A great resource for Catholic high school religion classes and RCIA programs.

Their first dvd features St. Perpetua. I am a sucker for the stories of St. Perpetua and St. Felicity and this looks good. Also, (and here's the one that piques my interest) Mike Aquilina does the documentary about St. Perpetua. I am not sure it can get much better than that. Check it out.

When Government Overthrows Conscience

The American Center for Law and Justice is collecting signatures on a petition. They explain it this way:

The Conscience Clause was implemented by former President George W. Bush to give physicians and nurses the choice to act according to their conscience — to not participate in abortion procedures if it conflicts with their personal convictions. If President Obama makes this damaging move, if he reverses the Conscience Clause, pro-life doctors and nurses will be forced into performing abortion procedures, despite their individual beliefs.

The announcement was made Friday, March 6, 2009. Since the official announcement was made, the public now has 30 days to file comments with the White House ... so we’ve got 30 days to make our voices heard at the White House.

Make a difference in this nation and stand for the freedom to act according to your conscience. Sign the online “Petition to Protect Pro-Life Doctors” below now. It will be delivered and filed at the White House no later than April 8, 2009.

Here is the link:

• Be Heard, where you can sign the petition
• American Center for Law & Justice

From John C. Wright who has some other comments with which I agree as well.

They had me at "The Prisoner" ...

... and then I heard Jim Caviezel is Number 6. Late to the party, since this news has been out for a while, but that's ok.

My only problem will be that we don't have cable so I'll have to wait for the series to get to season two to get my hands on the dvds of season one. An excellent way to cultivate patience. And, don't worry, I can wait ...

(See, this kind of thing is why I have to shake my head when Merton indulges in wholesale bashing of television in The New Seeds of Contemplation. It's a good book but not perfect.)

God's Love Shown Us Through Others

If left to myself I'd probably become a hermit. However, since I met Him, God has been dragging me not only out of my shell but out of the house into many communities. Lately I have been very aware of how blessed I am to have so many brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ to share joys and sorrows with. It is a special bond.

It doesn't hurt that our Catholic women's book club is reading The New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton. It is a series of essays, several of which dwell in particular upon different aspects of community. This bit in particular is a good "sound byte" of what has really hit me lately.

When the Love of God is in me, God is able to love you through me and you are able to love God through me. If my soul were closed to that love, God's love for you and your love for God and God's love for himself in you and in me, would be denied the particular expression which it finds through me and through no other.

Because God's love is in me, it can come to you from a different and special direction that would be closed if He did not live in me, and because His love is in you, it can come to me from a quarter from which it would not otherwise come. And because it is in both of us, God has greater glory. His love is expressed in two more ways in which it would not otherwise be expressed; that is, in two more joys that could not exist without Him.

Earth

An incredible looking trailer. No one raised in our family could ever not appreciate nature in all its myriad forms. Which might explain why my mother's love of nature has culminated in Hannah's love of all life (yes, even in cockroaches as she tells me, though she draws the line at actually stopping them from being killed ... she is also a Texan after all). We don't have cable or I would definitely watch Planet Earth, the show that this is based on.

According to a press release I received:

We are working with Disney on their new Nature Division, and they are releasing their first movie this April (April 20th), called “Earth”, which is based off Discovery’s award-winning series “Planet Earth”. The movie is 90 minutes, narrated by James Earl Jones, and the footage is the best of Planet Earth. I watched it in NY last week and there are “no” hints of evolution or policy debate – it’s not an agenda film. The film is pretty intense, like the series, and is INCREDIBLE. It really demonstrates the beauty and magnificence of God's creation.

I am a big fan of the Earth, though not such a fan of Earth Day as it tends to become a religious observance for avid environmentalists. However as a day to recognize God's glorious creation and His expression of diversity, the likes of which we would be unlikely to imagine much less attempt ourselves, I can support it entirely.

I see no reason why this movie shouldn't live up to this trailer and eagerly await it.

First Communion Dresses and Veils

Lots of style available at The Catholic Company ... they've got every sort from frills to sleek (which is what I'd choose) and in between ... with, of course, veils too.

In Which I Gush Over Lamentation by Ken Scholes ...

... at SFFaudio's podcast and we discuss lending books to friends, giving books to libraries, old versus new space opera and much, much more.

My actual book review of Lamentation will be submitted soon to SFFaudio and then you can simply read it if you prefer.

Happy Pi Day!

Just don't make that a meat pie, since it's Lent.

Many interesting and amusing facts about pi may be found at Mental Floss whence came the above photo. Or you may want to visit the official site for Pi Day.

Personally, I prefer to eat pi rather than read about it. I share that trait with monkey who is celebrating with a sour cream lemon pie.

Look, Hannah! This Blog's for You! (All About St. Gemma)

Hannah's patron saint is St. Gemma, chosen because she was ill quite a lot at that time in her life and so was St. Gemma. As if often the case, our patrons sneak up on us with the most obvious of reasons. We then later discover that the connection goes more than skin deep (as with St. Martha and me).

Hannah was mentioning St. Gemma to me just the other day and I know that she is going to be delighted to peruse St. Gemma Galgani which has much to teach us about "The Gem of Christ."

Glenn, whose blog it is, has done a wonderful job and tells us:

In it I have numerous excerpts from her writings, including her entire autobiography (published with approval from the Postulator General of the Passionists), and many tracts from her diary and letters. Also I have a extensive photo gallery with numerous pictures pertaining to her holy life.

• The blog is strictly for devotional purposes ...
• As stated on the website, I endeavor always to be in union with the Pope and the teachings of the Magisterium of the Church.
• My blog has been reviewed by Catholic Culture (Petersnet) and has earned the Catholic Culture Fidelity award for excellence in Catholic fidelity. Read their review here.
  

So on the whole daily Mass thing ...

... it is amazing to me how very easily my life has taken on this morning visit to the Church, the half hour Mass, the bit of time to truly focus on God and what is True before plunging into the busy day.

It is equally amazing to me that it is not ... amazing.

It is not that I might not have inspired insights or realizations, because in front of the tabernacle is the place where I am going to have those things if I have them at all and I assuredly still do. What is amazing is that this is something that I feel so comfortable with, so much that this is how it is supposed to be for me. Like slipping on an old glove.

I look back at my scurrying and hedging and excuse making.

What was I worrying about? This is easy. It is right.

I was so silly.

This Just In and Going Straight by the Bedside

Angels and Their Mission by Cardinal Jean Daniélou

All it took was reading the introduction, so readable, so logical (you know that grabs me!) to make this the next theology book for my spare time.

Here's the description ... I am really looking forward to reading this.

From St. Augustine to John Henry Newman, the greatest among the saints and men of God have lived on familiar terms with the angels; and the Church has always accorded them a very large place in her theology.

Recent theologians have dwelt on dry questions about the nature of the angels, but the early Fathers of the Church, with the memory of Jesus fresh in their minds (and of the angels of whom He spoke often) were fascinated with the energetic action of the angels among men and the ways in which the angels have carried out that mission from the instant of Creation through the time of Jesus; and how they will continue their work even unto the end of time.

From the works of these early Fathers of the Church, the late French Cardinal Jean Daniélou has drawn forth threads of knowledge and wisdom which he has here woven into a lucid and bright tapestry that shows us who the ministering angels really are, and how—in every instant and in every way—they are working for your salvation and mine.

Here you’ll find no sentimental cherubs: the Fathers knew that majesty and power cloak actual angels, which is why God gave them the formidable tasks of shepherding not only souls, but entire nations, and the motions of the entire material universe itself.

Open these pages to meet the glorious angels as they were known by the Church’s greatest saints and theologians: Origen and Eusebius, and Sts. Basil, Ambrose, Methodius, Gregory of Nyssa, Clement of Alexandria, and John Chrysostom (among others).

Up

Forgiveness, Angels, and Fasting

Various requests or email conversations have popped up lately which prompt me to offer a variety of links to items of interest:

Forgiveness

The key quote from St. Augustine (my first saint friend) that made me look at forgiveness as something I could actually desire for someone I disliked. I can't ever thank him enough for sharing his thoughts on the subject. Read it here.

Angels

Shylock asks for more about my connection to my guardian angel. Hey, y'all, he asked! So....

• Here is a link to some basic facts about angels
• Here is something about my awareness of my guardian angel
• Here is where I tell about the time I think that I met my guardian angel
• Finally, this is the link to the angel label on the blog so you can look through lots of other great stories and links.
  

Fasting

Patina who will be joining the Church at Easter (welcome Patina!) asks, "But I don't understand fasting for an end to abortion, or fasting for any other reason...any chance you could point me in the right direction?"

The main idea is that of joining our sufferings to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. You can offer up involuntary suffering, such as illness, or purposefully embrace suffering in acts of penance, such as fasting. And believe me ... I suffer.

Here are a couple of good links:

• Intro to Lent II: Fasting by Mike Aquilina. This is a wonderful overall piece about fasting and I reread it every so often to bolster my own determination.
  
  
• Salvifici Doloris encyclical (on the Christian meaning of human suffering) by Pope John Paul II. Lest you quail at the idea of reading an encyclical, though I have found them to usually be easy to read depending on the subject, here is the key point:

  In the Cross of Christ not only is the Redemption accomplished through suffering, but also human suffering itself has been redeemed...Every man has his own share in the Redemption. Each one is also called to share in that suffering through which the Redemption was accomplished...In bringing about the Redemption through suffering, Christ has also raised human suffering to the level of the Redemption. Thus each man, in his suffering, can also become a sharer in the redemptive suffering of Christ...The sufferings of Christ created the good of the world's redemption. This good in itself is inexhaustible and infinite. No man can add anything to it. But at the same time, in the mystery of the Church as his Body, Christ has in a sense opened his own redemptive suffering to all human suffering (Salvifici Doloris 19; 24).

What's New in My Fridge?

Well, since you asked ... just pop over to Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen to find out.

The story of a renegade deer, a flat tire, a dying beagle, a glowing dime, a mysterious stranger, and a white garage bag brought an atheist to Jesus

Wow.

Do. not. miss. this. story.

Much thanks to Enbrethiliel for bringing it to my notice.