The Cord of Compemplation

In this month of the rosary, I was to share with you this beautiful poem by my Dominican Brother Peter Joseph Gautsch O.P.  It was originally published at dominicanablog.com.  You can subscribe to the blog to receive a daily essay - thought and occasional poem written by the men who are in formation to be the next generation of the Order of Preachers.  Enjoy!

The Cord of Contemplation

Barren beads in fumbling fingers of fools, fallen, absurd,
in crazed haze of word after empty word:
pitiful piety brings no aid,
naught but far-fetched fancies made
to deceive naïve nuns, whose prayers, never heard,
would be better, too, never prayed.

Can it be? Surely Truth tricks not, nor can disdain
pleas of hearts heavy, weak with pain
and sorrow—for well He knows
it, bore it, and for my sake chose.
Her heart, too, racked, rent with His, yet by the Cross remains—
ever full of grace, now on her children to flow.

O Mary, Mary, maiden yet Mother, most blessèd!
Faithful Virgin, and fruitful! when thy Fiat confessèd:
to thee, in haste, I fly,
under thy mantle to hide, to lie:
as Jesus—newborn babe, then mangled man—on thy breast rested,
dear Mother, so may I!

And how happy, having striven, failed, re-striven,
strength strainèd, sin-stainèd, am I, who live in
grace (and not the Law to bear),
in Habit, and on cincture wear
that cord, of Mystic Rose to Rose of Patience given,
that ever-efficacious prayer!

She, Queen of angels, heaven, and Preachers proclaimed,
New Eve, inviolate, of all women most famed,
Mater omnium, digna prædicari,
et Regina sacratissimi rosarii,
Life, Sweetness, Hope, is named:
Gratiam tuam, Mater mea, gaudeo contemplari!

O Mary, be a Mother to me now, protect and pray
for your poor child, exiled, to see dawn of eternal day:
thy sweet succor swiftly bring,
that I, life and light diminishing,
be found faithful—and then, lasting Life living, I may
the praises of thy Son with thee ever sing.

Be Still!

               It has been a whirlwind of a month for my family and me.  On July 22^nd, we left for a vacation in California and spent too many hours on LA freeways.  Three days after returning home, 2-a-day football practice began and my brother came for a visit with his family. Less than 48 hours after they left, I drove four hours to the Catholic Writers Conference in New Jersey while my husband packed his belongings and my son working on his summer reading and practiced more football.  Arriving home, I unpacked and repacked and drove twelve hours with my husband to St. Louis, where he began his new job after getting him settled, visiting our new city and meeting his new co-workers, I flew home.  This past Monday was the first “normal” day for me in four weeks.

               And I found myself driving my cat to the veterinarian at Noon on Monday.  The last time I had her at the vet, I was there for two and a half hours.  I was hopeful that I could be in and out in less than an hour.  I did go prepared.  Before I left the house, I perused the stack of books that I acquired at the Catholic Writers Conference and brought one of them with me to the appointment.

               I sigh with relief as I approached the waiting area, it was empty. I checked in only to learn that all of the appointment rooms were full, but was assured it would just be a few minutes before we were settled in a room.  I pulled out the proof copy of Teresa Tomeo’s new book, “God’ Bucket List”. It will be published in November.   I read the opening chapter and then looked at my watch.  I had been there for twenty minutes. I stood up and stretched, sat down and turned the page.

               Just a few moments later, Paws (my cat) and I were ushered into the examination room.  Paws tried to get comfortable on the stainless steel counter and I sat on the bench, more than slightly irritated.  “Be Still” was the title of the chapter I was reading.  I finished it, looked at my watch and sighed.

               I had just read about the need to find quiet time with God in the midst of crazy scheduled.  I pick up Paws from the sterile, cold counter and put her on my lap as I reached for my rosary.  I closed my eyes, crossed myself and began to pray.  I could feel Paws purring as I fingered the beads in one hand and stroked her with the other. Moving from one joyful mystery to the next, I felt the tension leave my body. As I was finishing the Salve Regina, the door opened and the vet entered.

               What a difference that prayer time made in my demeanor toward the vet. Paws was also relaxed and was more cooperative than normal.  The check up didn’t take long and soon she was back in her carrier, and we were heading back to the car.  I check my watch and it had taken an hour and twenty minutes for the visit.  I was behind my crazy, Type A schedule, yet the prayer time kept me balanced.  Perhaps I should put “Be Still” on the background of my phone!

What Divine Love Accomplish?

            The lives of St. Dominic and St. Catherine of Siena are evidence of what Divine Love can accomplish.  As God called them to be who he created them to be, they listened and responded to that Divine Love.  The result was a deep intimacy to Christ that enabled them to bring about results that they could not have imagined in their most hopeful dreams. They entered into the mystery into which we are all called.  Combining their great love of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit with a devotion to Mary, the Mother of God, they were able to detaching themselves of the things of this world and focus on the things of heaven.

               In a time before “screens”, yet a time filled with significant temptations and distractions to pull individuals away from God and into sinful living, both St. Dominic and St. Catherine were able to be in touch with the movement of the Holy Spirit within their souls.  Their love for God gave them the courage and fortitude to follow those movements, resulting in a personal relationship with our Triune God.

               The spiritual journey of this ordained priest and lay woman had many things in common of which I would like to focus on two.  They each spent significant time in prayer and contemplation and they each had a devotion to Mary and the rosary.

               St. Dominic reportedly spent many nights on the ground praying for the salvation of souls.  He prayed and fasted and did penance, binding his sufferings to the sufferings of Christ.  It was during a time of praying for the conversion of souls that he was given the Rosary by Mary.  He continued his active apostolate preaching and forming men to become Dominican priests and brothers while advancing the use of the Rosary throughout Europe. 

               St. Catherine, early in her adulthood, spent three years in solitary prayer.   During this time, the Lord must have formed her for the active work he had planned for her.  She knew at an early age that she was made to be devoted to Christ and had the courage to defy her parents.  Once she began her active life of service, it continued to be sustained by frequent daily prayer and contemplation. 

               The lives of both of these saints illustrate the absolute need for an active apostolate to be supported by a vibrant life of prayer.  They also illustrate lives filled with joy as a result of their relationship with Christ.

Praying in the shadow of the US Capitol

On a perfect summer evening, in the light of a full “super” moon, with the US Capitol as a background, I joined hundreds of men, women and children to pray for protection of our religious freedom.  At this event, hosted by the Knight s of Columbus, we lifted our hearts and minds to God ask we asked Him to protect the rights of Christians.

               A couple of hundred faithful individuals, coming from Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia gathered to pray Compline, the night prayer of the church, lead by Dominican Brothers studying at the Dominican House of Studies.  Baltimore Archbishop William from Baltimore who leads  the USCCB’s  Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty spoke a few words and led us in the prayer by St. Thomas More and the prayer for Religious Freedom (both found at the bottom of this post).

               The words of both St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More were read and religious and lay people lead the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary.  The hundreds who attended, ranging from infants to septuagenarian, held LED tea light candles.  The Dome of the U.S.  Capitol was a beautiful back drop of the event.  One participant commented, “Who wouldn’t want to pray for religious liberty on the lawn of the Capitol?”

               This is one of hundreds events that will be held during the Fortnight for Freedom.  The final event will be a mass to be held at the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Northeast DC on July 4^th.

 

Prayer by St. Thomas More written while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London

Give me the grace, Good Lord
To set the world at naught. To set the mind firmly on You and not to hang upon the words of men's mouths.
To be content to be solitary. Not to long for worldly pleasures. Little by little utterly to cast off the world and rid my mind of all its business. Not to long to hear of earthly things, but that the hearing of worldly fancies may be displeasing to me. Gladly to be thinking of God, piteously to call for His help. To lean into the comfort of God. Busily to labor to love Him.


To know my own vileness and wretchedness. To humble myself under the mighty hand of God. To bewail my sins and, for the purging of them, patiently to suffer adversity. Gladly to bear my purgatory here. To be joyful in tribulations. To walk the narrow way that leads to life. To have the last thing in remembrance. To have ever before my eyes my death that is ever at hand. To make death no stranger to me. To foresee and consider the everlasting fire of Hell. To pray for pardon before the judge comes. To have continually in mind the passion that Christ suffered for me. For His benefits unceasingly to give Him thanks.


To buy the time again that I have lost. To abstain from vain conversations. To shun foolish mirth and gladness. To cut off unnecessary recreations. Of worldly substance, friends, liberty, life and all, to set the loss at naught, for the winning of Christ. To think my worst enemies my best friends, for the brethren of Joseph could never have done him so much good with their love and favor as they did him with their malice and hatred. These minds are more to be desired of every man than all the treasures of all the princes and kings, Christian and heathen, were it gathered and laid together all in one heap. Amen

Prayer for Religious Liberty

O GOD OUR CREATOR, from your provident hand we have received our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  You have called us as your people and given us the right and the duty to worship you, the only true God, and your Son, Jesus Christ.

Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit, you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world, bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel to every corner of society. We ask you to bless us in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty.

Give us the strength of mind and heart to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened;

give us courage in making our voices heard on behalf of the rights of your Church and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith. Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father, a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters gathered in your Church in this decisive hour in the history of our nation, so that, with every trial withstood and every danger overcome—for the sake of our children, our grandchildren,

and all who come after us—this great land will always be “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

Delightful Findings

There have been times in my life when I have spent frantic moments searching for vital items that have been misplaced. I’ve learned to know where my car keys are on Sunday night to avoid a frenzied search for the keys, that I may not have used all weekend, in order to get my son to his car pool on time on Monday morning.

Then there have been times when I have lost something more valuable. An earring or a favorite book, realizing that the chance of finding them are slim. That is what happened to my favorite Rosary a couple of years ago.

As a convert to Catholicism in the 1980’s, the instruction about Mary was weak and my devotion to her was nearly non-existent. During a conversion phase a few years ago, my penance involved praying the Rosary. Since I didn’t have any idea how to pray this Marian devotion, I did not complete the penance in Church, but came home and opened a dresser drawer.

In side a blue box was a beautiful crystal Rosary that my in-laws had given me several Christmas’ before. There it was, just waiting for me to pray with it. It had a small amount of water from Lourdes in it and I used it faithfully for many months. During that conversion time, I receive two other Rosaries as gifts. The one I used the most was the one that was with me! But my favorite was the Lourdes one.

There was a time when I could not find it. I remember last using it at the gym and check the lost and found. It was not in there. It was so pretty, that I could imagine someone wanting it, even it they didn’t realize its use. I could not find it in any of the usual places. Chalking it up to one of those valuable items that I would not find, I prayed that whoever found it kept it somewhere safe and that Mary was with them.

I continued to pray the Rosary, but was not able to find a favorite to replace the lost item. I looked in Catholic bookstores and searched on the web to no avail. I missed it because it was the one that was with me as I came back to God. As I planned my trip to Italy last fall, the only thing that I wanted to buy was a new Rosary. Perhaps I thought I could find one that looked just like it.

Assisi was our destination on the third day in Italy. I had been to Assisi before, and while I have a great respect for St. Francis, I do not have a great devotion to him. I walked into the lower church and began to look at the fresco’s of Christ’s life. In a place that I would have least expected it, I found myself engulfed in God’s loving embrace.

Once I finished my prayers, I reluctantly left that gorgeous church that so beautifully tells the life of Christ in paintings. I wanted to find something that would remind me of this precious time spent with God. In the gift store, I found a Rosary. It was nothing like the one I had lost, but maybe that was the point.

I kept this new Rosary in my car and used it often. Six weeks after my return from Rome, I was preparing to pack for a trip to Michigan to celebrate Thanksgiving. I needed a bag for the books I was taking. As I peaked into a canvas bag that I had not used in some time, I gasped out loud. There was my Rosary box containing the crystal Rosary that I had thought I had lost! After bowing my head for a pray of thanksgiving, I reached inside the bag, opened the box and kissed the crucifix.

What a delightful finding! This beautiful religious instrument had quietly sat, waiting for me to come across it. It has been several weeks since this discovery and I still get a thrill from praying with it. Finding it has me wondering what other delightful surprises God has waiting for me, if I will just take the time to listen and respond.