Fire or Fire . . .

The dove descending breaks the air
With flame on incandescent terror
Of which the tongues declare
The one discharge from sin and error.
The only hope, or else despair
Lies in the choice of pyre or pyre -
to be redeemed from fire by fire.

Who then devised the torment? Love.
Love is the unfamiliar Name
Behind the hands that wove
The intolerable shirt of flame
Which human power cannot remove.
We only live, only suspire
Consumed by either fire or fire.

 - T.S. Eliot, Four Quarterts: "Little Gidding"

Art Reflects God

Thou hast arranged all things by number, measure & weight." - Wisdom 11:20

For from the greatness & beauty of created things comes a corresponding perception from their Creator. - Wisdom 13:6

Complete Holy Rosary in form of Gregorian Chants

Ave Maria Stella - Hail, Star of the Sea

Ave, maris stella,

Dei mater alma,

atque semper virgo,

felix cœli porta.

Hail, star of the sea,

Nurturing Mother of God,

And ever Virgin

Happy gate of Heaven.

Sumens illud «Ave»

Gabrielis ore,

funda nos in pace,

mutans Evæ nomen.

Receiving that "Ave" (hail)

From the mouth of Gabriel,

Establish us in peace,

Transforming the name of "Eva" (Eve).

Solve vincla reis,

profer lumen cæcis,

mala nostra pelle,

bona cuncta posce.

Loosen the chains of the guilty,

Send forth light to the blind,

Our evil do thou dispel,

Entreat (for us) all good things.

Monstra te esse matrem,

sumat per te precem

qui pro nobis natus

tulit esse tuus.

Show thyself to be a Mother:

Through thee may he receive prayer

Who, being born for us,

Undertook to be thine own.

Virgo singularis,

inter omnes mitis,

nos culpis solutos

mites fac et castos.

O unique Virgin,

Meek above all others,

Make us, set free from (our) sins,

Meek and chaste.

Vitam præsta puram,

iter para tutum,

ut videntes Jesum

semper collætemur.

Bestow a pure life,

Prepare a safe way:

That seeing Jesus,

We may ever rejoice.

Sit laus Deo Patri,

summo Christo decus,

Spiritui Sancto

tribus honor unus. Amen.

Praise be to God the Father,

To the Most High Christ (be) glory,

To the Holy Spirit

(Be) honour, to the Three equally. Amen.

What Are Words - Chris Medina

Words - Hawk Nelson

To be a hero, or not to be a hero. . . depends on how you suffer!

I thought that this was an interesting post on the purpose of suffering, and how it is not meaningless.

Suffering-and-sacrifice-the-necessary-ingredients-of-heroism

He and I - a conversation between Jesus & Gabrielle Bossis

Imprimatur Msgr. Jean-Marie Fortier, Archbishop Sherbrooke, November 14, 1969

Jesus speaking to Gabrielle Bossis:

"Yes, I am Truth. Sin is falsehood, error, darkness. Every form of goodness is truth: the desire for good, work for justice. . ." (January 13, 1944)

 "If you knew what the love of God is, it would be impossible for you not to abandon everything to Him and let yourself be lost to Him." (June 22, 1944)

"If you suffer, I am there to suffer with you. And this is my cross again-- this suffering in your suffering. Share it with Me, for everything depends on oneness. And if you believe in My love, suffering will be sweet to you." (June 28, 1944)

"I need each one of you as though you were the only person in the world, as though the cosmos had been created for you alone, and My love is greater than the cosmos. So let this thought be a strength to you and your smiling calm." (March 6, 1947)


Gabrielle: "Lord, I rack my brains to find ways of loving You and I don't succeed."
Jesus: "I am all simplicity. Love Me simply. When you think about Me, feeling sorry at not being able to do better, you love Me. When you act rather from duty than inclination, you love Me. When you belittle yourself in our own eyes and before others, you love Me. When you want to pray and you deplore the distracts that make your thoughts wander, you love Me. When you hunt for words without being able to express your desires, you love Me. When you forgive a wounding remark; when you give pleasure for the sake of giving Me pleasure; when you cease to think of yourself in order to reach Me; when you attempt to leave everything as though it were the day of your death; when in your thought you join the angels and saints, like one who arrives ahead of time; and when , in the evening you welcome your tomorrow morning that will unite us, you love Me.  It's all different from what you thought you ought to do in order to love Me. Oh, My little girl, simplify yourself sweetly in My Presence, your wide-awake. You know very well that I Am always there." (September 9, 1948)

Words do hurt.

Mary's Promise to Pregnant Women

St Bridget

 From the Visions of Venerable Anne Catherine Emmerich, from the book: The Life of Mary.

5. EVE OF MARY'S BIRTH

Mary & Jesus

I learned from St. Bridget that if pregnant women fast on the eve of Mary's birth and say fervently nine Hail Maries to honor the nine months she passed in Anne's womb; if they frequently repeat these prayers during their pregnancy, and especially on the eve of their delivery, receiving then the holy Sacraments devoutly, she will offer their prayer to God herself and bring them through even very critical circumstances to a happy delivery.

I saw the Blessed Virgin on the eve of her nativity. She said to me: "Whoever says this evening" (Sept. 7th) "nine times the Hail Mary lovingly and devoutly to honor the nine months spent in my mother's womb as also my birth, and continues the same devotion for nine consecutive days, daily gives to the angels nine flowers for a bouquet. This bouquet they bear to heaven and offer to the Most Holy Trinity to obtain some favor for the one that prays."

New Year Resolution 2015: Speak Life to . . . Yourself

Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8

Most people for the New Year make "health" related resolutions. This is good because to be healthy is to be whole, or "holy".

Health: the general condition of the body or mind with reference to soundness and vigor: before 1000; Middle English helthe, Old English hǣlth. See hale1, whole, -th1 

Holy: devout, godly or virtuous: before 900; Middle English holi, Old English hālig, variant of hāl e.g.  equivalent to hāl whole + -eg -y1; cognate with Dutch, German heilig, OldNorse heilagr

One way to gauge our mental, emotional and spiritual health is to look at the quality of conversations in our relationships.  How much positive and how much negative do we deliberately speak to another?

The way we relate to others goes back to a further more causal internal motion: the dialogue we have with ourselves. 

Are we kind to ourselves or do we beat ourselves up?  

Do we love ourself in our most secret rawness?

Do we consider our own soul to be beautiful? 

Do we distract ourselves by our external accomplishments?

Do we call ourselves names?

Do we encourage ourselves?
Are we even mindful of what is in our vocabulary? 

Our thoughts are heard by God. Are we praising or damning His creation by patterns of words that go around and around?

Can we change our thoughts?

YES!!!

Watch your thoughts.
Think about the depth of your words.