I’ve written in the past that given 2000 years of Pope’s you’re bound to get a lemon or two. I’ve also written that while that description of Pope Francis is apt he has gotten a few big things right namely
His heavy stress on Mercy as emphasized by his Year of Mercy early in his papacy
His emphasis on the Devil being a real actual person, which is something that’s been lacking for decades
Pope Francis will consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary during a penitential prayer service in St. Peter’s Basilica March 25, the Vatican said.
On the same day, the Vatican said, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner, will carry out a similar consecration at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal.
This is EXACTLY the right thing for a Pope to do. It emphasises several key things
The primacy of God in all situations
The need for penance of man
The importance of prayer, particularly the unity of Christians in prayer
The Immaculate Heart of Mary and all it portends
It’s a nice change to see this Pope doing something very catholic. My advice for the future, more consecrations, less media interviews.
As we enter this Holy Season at a time of tumult and war let us remember today’s first reading at Mass and approach the day with hope:
Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;
Rend your hearts, not your garments,
and return to the LORD, your God.
For gracious and merciful is he,
slow to anger, rich in kindness,
and relenting in punishment.
Perhaps he will again relent
and leave behind him a blessing,
Offerings and libations
for the LORD, your God.
Blow the trumpet in Zion!
proclaim a fast,
call an assembly;
Gather the people,
notify the congregation;
Assemble the elders,
gather the children
and the infants at the breast;
Let the bridegroom quit his room
and the bride her chamber.
Between the porch and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep,
And say, “Spare, O LORD, your people,
and make not your heritage a reproach,
with the nations ruling over them!
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”
Then the LORD was stirred to concern for his land
and took pity on his people.
There are many great word in the Old Testament but for my money there are no words more meaningful and more hopeful for all of mankind than these words from the 2nd Chapter of the book of Joel
I offer thee Lord Jesus this eighth decade in honor of the Proclamation of the Kingdom of Heaven and I ask of thee through this mystery and through the intercession of thy Holy Mother the ability to see the works of God all around us
The introduction I use when praying the 3rd Mystery of Light of the Rosary
Let me direct you to something from the Original Bill James Baseball Abstract concerning Joe Morgan and pitchouts which never seemed to work on him:
An announcer asked him about it one time—this was years ago and I’m paraphrasing the answer as I remember it–but as I recall he said that somebody would always give it away, and usually you could pick up three or four clues. The pitcher would not throw over to first like he usually would, or he’d look at you a little bit different, or he’d rush the delivery home or the first baseman or second baseman would try to cheat toward the bag. or the catcher would look down at you right before giving the signal or would set himself up a little different so he could get up and throw. He said once you picked up on one thing you would look for the others and you’d see them too. I used to play cards with a guy like that. He’s read your eyes and knew what you had. Drive You Crazy
The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract 1995 P349
What does that have to do with the price of tea in China? Well Fifty two years ago or so at the Vatican some priest, or Bishop or Cardinal involved with the making of the New Roman Missal for the mass was composing opening prayers for the mass for every single day of the year. Occasionally the same opening prayer would be used on multiple days. Here is the opening prayer that was composed to be used from the Sunday before Ash Wednesday to the Tuesday before the feast:
Grant us oh Lord we pray
that the course of the world
may be directed by your peaceful rule
and that your Church may rejoice
untroubled in her devotion.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your son
Who lives and reigns with you in the Unity of the Holy Spirit
One God forever and ever, Amen!
Now to those who have trained themselves to be blind to the works of God in their midst it’s a complete coincidence that a prayer written over five decades ago might be appropriate for the situation today.
But to the faithful who like Joe Morgan could see what was happening around him, it’s yet another example of the providence of God providing man with what they need just when they need it.
And like Joe Morgan once you pick up on this you’ll be surprised at what you see and notice all around you..
Despite having never used drugs in my life I have a penchant for breaking into incontrollable laughter if I find something funny. It’s happened a few times at inconvenient movements in my life and last Friday I just ducked the situation at the daily mass at the convent.
On Friday’s I take a former co-worker Claire to morning mass at St. Leo’s in Leominster. During the wintertime the mass is moved to the convent so the elderly sisters don’t have to go out in the cold., I had been running late and we got there just as the sermon was starting.
I have a pet peeve about nuns who don’t wear the habit and none of the nuns there do (which is why I suspect it is populated only by elderly nuns with no new vocations mixed in but I digress.) I never forgot when I was a 9 year old kid and my mother came to pick me up at St. Anthony’s just as the the whole “not dressing like a nun” movement got started there was a young pretty sister who was leaving the school and a guy in a coverable saw her and tried to pick her up. She shot him down in a hurry and then made the mistake in the heat of the moment saying something to my mother about it who had pulled up behind the guy who hit on her.
My mother wasn’t one to volunteer her thoughts but when the sister expressed her outrage she replied in the most blunt terms I had ever heard; “If you want to be treated with the respect of a nun then maybe you had better dress like one!” I had never seen anyone tell off a nun before and the shock was still on the sisters face as we drove off but I never forgot it.
So when Claire, and her sister who had the day off & I entered the convent chapel we had to split up due to seating and I found myself with a group of old women, in theory all of them might have been nuns but as not one of them were dressed as one, not even a wimple, to mind mind I had no idea who was a nun and who was not.
That was until communion.
At communion one of the older ladies went to the alter to get the consecrated hosts out of the tabernacle for the priest. After giving her communion the priest was about to leave the alter when suddenly the lady abruptly stopped him pointing to his shoes and noting that his shoelaces were untied not moving out of his way until he tied his shoes and then proceeding to the back of the chapel where she would give communion.
It was the only time I’ve been glad that I was wearing a mask because all I could think of was this scene from the Classic Three Stooges Short Three Little Pirates:
The stooges are shipwrecked off deadman’s Island a place that has not changed since the 1600’s they are brought before the governor [Vernon Dent] who looks at their sailor’s outfits and says:
Governor: I never saw sea faring men dressed like that, I don’t believe they’re sailors!
[His betrothed [Christine Mcintyre] walks in and the stooges all immediately turn and wolf whistle at her together.]
Governor: They’re sailors all right!
That lady wasn’t in a habit so I didn’t believe she was a nun, but once she stopped the priest and made him tie his shoes I thought: That’s a nun all right.
Struggling to keep from laughing out loud is likely not the best disposition to be in when receiving the Body of Christ but it was the best I could do and I was very happy to get out of there quickly before my inappropriately timed mirth became too apparent.
I still can’t vouch for the other ladies there but from this point on I’ll know that at least one of them is a nun.
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