SATURDAY OF OUR LADY

Photo: R. Massaro Words of Our Lady to St. Bernadette: Penance, Pray for the Conversion of sinners.

Editor's Note: Thank you to all of the readers of Spirit Singing who continue to visit and support my efforts of evangelization by way of Carmelite spirituality. I have not written much since my dear mother passed away almost a year ago.  A friend encouraged me to continue to share my gift of writing.  I was inspired to begin posting again with a meditation written by my late mother. She was a member of the Servants of St. Therese, a lay association of the faithful whose members visited nursing homes and gave spiritual talks to the residents. I found a book of mom's meditations and will share some of them with you. She bound her writings in this book labeled "perfection."  Below is her meditation on the "Our Father."

We say the prayer "Our Father" every day. For a long time, the part where we pray, "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us," stood out in my mind when I prayed.
Somehow, through God's grace, I have been given an understanding of what this means.

Every person, every soul, is God's property. Like a house standing on some land. After all, we are all temples of the Holy Spirit and a temple is the house of God. So each and every one of us is God's private property, His house, with a big sign on it, No Trespassing! Private Property!

Every time we bring up someone's name before us, in conversation, in our thoughts, in our deeds, we are entering God's private property. If we enter that property without permission, or go there and trample underfoot or damage something there, we have trespassed! The same as if you had deliberately went there, invaded someone's privacy or damaged something. We have no business there, if that is what we do. If we come with Love in our hearts, knocking at the door, we then have permission to enter, and only then!

You know this is true, because, all of us, some time or another, have been on the receiving end of someone trespassing against us. And so, Jesus has asked us to forgive those who have hurt us, and to accept forgiveness for ourselves for hurting others. Love is what matters. He asks us to "Love one another, as I have loved you." He doesn't love just you or me, but everybody, whether we like it or not. Lord, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Written by the late Mary Leary
Servant of St. Therese

I think my mom received a great grace of spiritual insight into how we trespass against others. The sins of gossip and detraction can be seen in light of her teaching on this. How many times do we bring up someone's name in front of others to criticize them, reprimand them, detract them, or "throw them under the bus" when they aren't even present to defend themselves. That is trespassing on God's private property, our neighbor.  Let us remember and take to heart the words of St. Paul to the Ephesians:

Never let evil talk pass your lips, say only the good things men need to hear, things that will really help them...Get rid of all bitterness, all passion and anger, harsh words, slander, and malice of every kind. In place of these, be kind to one another, compassionate, and mutually forgiving, just as God has forgiven you in Christ. (Ephesians 4)




Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS

The Our Father: Touching the Hem of God

After hearing today's Gospel reading, I was reminded of an article I wrote a few years ago.  I hope you enjoy this "post from the past."


There was a woman in the area who had been afflicted with a hemorrhage for a dozen years. She had received treatment at the hands of doctors of every sort and exhausted her savings in the process,yet she got no relief; on the contrary, she only grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and put her hand to his cloak. "If I just touch his clothing, she thought, "I shall get well." Immediately her flow of blood dried up and the feeling that she was cured of her affliction ran through her whole body. Jesus was conscious at once that healing power had gone out from him..."Who touched my clothing?"..."Daughter, it is your faith that has cured you. Go in peace and be free of this illness." (Mark 5:25-34)

We sometimes go to great lengths to find that one special prayer that will touch the heart of God. We pray novena after novena, and other special prayers, and these are all good, but why do we not turn to the prayer that Jesus himself taught us? Just like the woman with the hemorrhage who suffered for twelve years with no relief, finally she touches the hem of God-Jesus-who knows her need and rewards her faith and simplicity.

The apostles saw the union between Jesus and his Father and wanted to experience this union for themselves. "Lord teach us to pray!" The apostles pleaded. He answers by teaching them a simple prayer from the heart. A prayer of a child addressing his loving Father in heaven who knows our needs before we ask:

"Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This is how you are to pray":

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

Your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

give us today our daily bread,

and forgive us the wrong we have done

as we forgive those who wrong us.

Subject us not to the trial

but deliver us from the evil one.

(Matthew 6:8-13)

 

The Our Father is a very powerful and important prayer in the teachings of St. Teresa of Jesus. In the Way of Perfection, she teaches her nuns the great value of praying the Our Father well. In fact, in this spiritual work she describes how this prayer, if said well, and with the heart, leads to the gift of perfect contemplation.

When St. Teresa describes the Our Father, she flys away in Spirit when speaking of this prayer, and for us her writing becomes a literary ecstasy in which she gives praise to God for a few paragraphs before coming back to the task at hand describing how to pray.

"Our Father, which art in the Heavens." O my Lord, how Thou dost reveal Thyself as the Father of such a Son, while Thy Son reveals Himself as the Son of such a Father! Blessed be Thou for ever and ever...Oh, how appropriate, daughters, would perfect contemplation be here!"

"O Son of God and my Lord! How is it that Thou canst give us so much with Thy first word?...How can it be that, in the name of Thy Father, thou shouldst give us all there is to be given, by willing Him to have us as His children--and Thy Word cannot fail?" She tells us we can get lost in prayer and contemplation with just meditating on the first words of the prayer: "Our Father." (Way of Perfection, Chap. 27).

Let us pray the Lord's Prayer with great love and devotion-a simple prayer that can lead to the heights of mystical contemplation.

Let us pray this prayer for each other.

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, ocds
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