Ijournal entry 062617 #25 June, Month of the Sacred Heart. The Rule of St. Benedict. Quotes by Fr. Simon Devereux, St. Ignatius Loyola, and St. Irenaeus of Lyons. Article: "Dali", by Br. Salvador Gonzalez, LC. Article: "A New Life of Friendship", from 'Listening to the Indwelling Presence' by a Religious, Pelligrini. Video presentation: "Trinitarian Communion in Graced Friendships",by Fr. Samuel Medley.
"Note that the Heart is exposed and Jesus is pointing to it. Here then is the radical openness of His love. Normally a wound is something concealed and bandaged up—because an exposed wound continues to bleed and risks infection. But Jesus exposes His innermost of wounds from the cross to us. And He does so deliberately in directing our gaze to it." By Stephen Beale
Zechariah 12:10 "I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of mercy and supplication, so that when they look on him whom they have thrust through, they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and they will grieve for him as one grieves over a firstborn" |
"The order of psalms for the Day Hours being thus arranged, let all the remaining psalms be equally distributed among the seven Night Offices, by dividing the longer psalms and assigning twelve psalms to each night. But we strongly recommend that if this arrangement of the psalms is displeasing to anyone, he should arrange them otherwise, as shall seem better to him; provided always that he take care that the psalter with its full hundred and fifty psalms be chanted every week and begun afresh every Sunday at Matins. For those monks show themselves very slothful in their sacred service who in the course of the week sing less than the psalter and the customary canticles: whereas we read that our holy fathers strenuously fulfilled in a single day what I pray we lukewarm monks may perform in a whole week".
MC= It's amazing how the people of God are growing weaker and weaker instead of stronger and stronger. May we resolve to be the best that we can be. Check out how the early fathers did in a single day what was currently being performed in a week, and now what some can't or won't accomplish in a year. Maybe a challenge in the finish the full one hundred fifty psalms in a year. Something good for me to do in new year, God willing. Years ago in my spiritual life, was lead to read one chapter from the psalms every day along with the other bible readings from the Old and the New Testament, for over a year. Here's how the saints rock & roll:
"The Spiritual Combat is known as one of the greatest classics in ascetic theology, along with The Imitation of Christ. In both cases the authors are shrouded in mystery. Several 17th century editions were published under the name of the Spanish Benedictine, John of Castanzia. Some writers of the Society of Jesus have ascribed the book to the Jesuit, Achilles Gagliardi, but most critics however consider Fr. Lawrence Scupoli as the author of this famous treatise. The first known edition was published in Venice in 1589 and contained but 24 chapters; later editions appeared with more chapters, so it is possible that the Theatines or another religious order may have been part of the composition. Whatever may be the solution of the problem of the author, doubt of the actual one or ones, can take nothing away from the value and efficacy of this "golden book" as St. Frances de Sales called it. It was "the favorite, the dear book" of this great master of the spiritual life who, for 18 years, carried in a pocket a copy which he had received from Fr. Scupoli in Padua himself"
Info from this site: http://www.catholictradition.org/Classics/combat.htm
MC= It's amazing how the people of God are growing weaker and weaker instead of stronger and stronger. May we resolve to be the best that we can be. Check out how the early fathers did in a single day what was currently being performed in a week, and now what some can't or won't accomplish in a year. Maybe a challenge in the finish the full one hundred fifty psalms in a year. Something good for me to do in new year, God willing. Years ago in my spiritual life, was lead to read one chapter from the psalms every day along with the other bible readings from the Old and the New Testament, for over a year. Here's how the saints rock & roll:
"The Spiritual Combat is known as one of the greatest classics in ascetic theology, along with The Imitation of Christ. In both cases the authors are shrouded in mystery. Several 17th century editions were published under the name of the Spanish Benedictine, John of Castanzia. Some writers of the Society of Jesus have ascribed the book to the Jesuit, Achilles Gagliardi, but most critics however consider Fr. Lawrence Scupoli as the author of this famous treatise. The first known edition was published in Venice in 1589 and contained but 24 chapters; later editions appeared with more chapters, so it is possible that the Theatines or another religious order may have been part of the composition. Whatever may be the solution of the problem of the author, doubt of the actual one or ones, can take nothing away from the value and efficacy of this "golden book" as St. Frances de Sales called it. It was "the favorite, the dear book" of this great master of the spiritual life who, for 18 years, carried in a pocket a copy which he had received from Fr. Scupoli in Padua himself"
Info from this site: http://www.catholictradition.org/Classics/combat.htm
🔴 "Well, just as a home isn't built in one day, our transformation into Christ takes time. Don't give up. Persevere in performing little acts of virtue and one day you will look back and be amazed at how far you have come. Today, pick a virtue that you most need to develop and write it on your wall". By Fr. Simon Devereux
🍘"Be slow to speak, and only after having first listened quietly, so that you may understand the meaning, leanings, and wishes of those who do speak. Thus you will better know when to speak and when to be silent". By St. Ignatius Loyola
🎾 "Error, indeed is never set forth in its naked deformity, lest, being thus exposed, it should at once be detected. But it is craftily decked out in an attractive dress, so as, by its outward form, to make it appear to the inexperienced more true than truth itself. By St. Irenaeus of Lyons
🍘"Be slow to speak, and only after having first listened quietly, so that you may understand the meaning, leanings, and wishes of those who do speak. Thus you will better know when to speak and when to be silent". By St. Ignatius Loyola
🎾 "Error, indeed is never set forth in its naked deformity, lest, being thus exposed, it should at once be detected. But it is craftily decked out in an attractive dress, so as, by its outward form, to make it appear to the inexperienced more true than truth itself. By St. Irenaeus of Lyons
Poems, poems, poems, that's what's happening!
〰In the Sacred Heart of Jesus Please Take a Seat〰On the Rock of Ages Firmly Plant Your Feet〰
🙄People will disappoint, and things will definitely go wrong
🙄But it's to stay rooted in Christ & remain strong
🙄If God is for thee, then who or what come against?
🙄Therefore no reason to ever become troubled or incensed
🙄 Child of the King have no fear
🙄Just have faith in God and continue to persevere.
🙄Let the chips fall where they may
🙄It's a guarantee God will have the final say
🙄Hold fast, hold on, and Hold out
🙄That's the bottom line of what it is all about
🙄It's ok if feelings are so overwhelming and necessitates the shedding a tear
🙄 Jesus is ever present, to the broken-hearted He is so close and very, very, near
🙄When the winds of life become gusty & da seas wildly rage
🙄Know in God's hands are a thermometer and a gauge
🙄 No need to run and cower
🙄 Unnecessary to allow one's spirit to grow bitter and sour
🙄Turn immediately to Christ Jesus shifting into high gear
🙄To not miss a beat, your spiritual ears must pay strict attention & with an obedient heart always listen in love & hear
🙄And how to get from where you are to there?
🙄It will happen only by prayer, prayer, prayer
🙄In the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the place to abide
🙄Keeping in mind He will always unfailingly provide
🙄A word to the wise, be ye of good cheer
🙄Ignore whoever comes with a troubling sneer
🙄Stand tall, a staunch believer on da rock
🙄Can't take a break, no breaks, have "at it" round the clock
🙄Oh'll for sure weariness might seep in, but it's a must to valiantly fight, fight, fight
🙄Possible by the Spirit, a "can do" by His power and His might
🙄Because God is working some good, things aren't always as bad as they appear
🙄Be aware of eyeballing situations which never reveal whether or not what is happening is severe
🙄Therefore, let not your heart be troubled & influence how and what you say or think
🙄A downfall is assured when walking by sight and not by faith, causing one to go down or to sink
🙄Remember the rock will not be moved, it's not shifting or sinking sand
🙄Safety & security is a sure thing when one is in the God-Man's hand.
🙄When abiding in Him comfort and peace will not fail to appear
🙄In the most Sacred Heart we'll find a treasure ever so dear
🙄People will disappoint, and things will definitely go wrong
🙄But it's to stay rooted in Christ & remain strong
🙄If God is for thee, then who or what come against?
🙄Therefore no reason to ever become troubled or incensed
🙄 Child of the King have no fear
🙄Just have faith in God and continue to persevere.
🙄Let the chips fall where they may
🙄It's a guarantee God will have the final say
🙄Hold fast, hold on, and Hold out
🙄That's the bottom line of what it is all about
🙄It's ok if feelings are so overwhelming and necessitates the shedding a tear
🙄 Jesus is ever present, to the broken-hearted He is so close and very, very, near
🙄When the winds of life become gusty & da seas wildly rage
🙄Know in God's hands are a thermometer and a gauge
🙄 No need to run and cower
🙄 Unnecessary to allow one's spirit to grow bitter and sour
🙄Turn immediately to Christ Jesus shifting into high gear
🙄To not miss a beat, your spiritual ears must pay strict attention & with an obedient heart always listen in love & hear
🙄And how to get from where you are to there?
🙄It will happen only by prayer, prayer, prayer
🙄In the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the place to abide
🙄Keeping in mind He will always unfailingly provide
🙄A word to the wise, be ye of good cheer
🙄Ignore whoever comes with a troubling sneer
🙄Stand tall, a staunch believer on da rock
🙄Can't take a break, no breaks, have "at it" round the clock
🙄Oh'll for sure weariness might seep in, but it's a must to valiantly fight, fight, fight
🙄Possible by the Spirit, a "can do" by His power and His might
🙄Because God is working some good, things aren't always as bad as they appear
🙄Be aware of eyeballing situations which never reveal whether or not what is happening is severe
🙄Therefore, let not your heart be troubled & influence how and what you say or think
🙄A downfall is assured when walking by sight and not by faith, causing one to go down or to sink
🙄Remember the rock will not be moved, it's not shifting or sinking sand
🙄Safety & security is a sure thing when one is in the God-Man's hand.
🙄When abiding in Him comfort and peace will not fail to appear
🙄In the most Sacred Heart we'll find a treasure ever so dear
Surrealism art is one of my favorites, and Dali's works first attracted me, so could not pass on journaling this. Besides, "time" was a Rhema word given to me in the past. We're in time, God is out of time. Everything we are given are gifts to be explored and used, the key is to proceed it wisely.
Article: "Dali", by Br. Salvador Gonzalez, LC
Info from this site:
www.lccheshire.org/news/dali
Article: "Dali", by Br. Salvador Gonzalez, LC
Info from this site:
www.lccheshire.org/news/dali
"A sense of perplexity and confusion fills everyone that looks at this famous painting by the great surrealist Salvador Dali; I was not exempted from these emotions when I first saw this masterpiece. That impression did not only come because of the dimensions of the painting – only slight larger than a normal piece of paper, which really surprised me– but mostly because of the subject matter of the painting: several melting watches being eaten by insects, a part of the face of someone, and all of these set in an imaginary landscape.
After studying Dali and the Surrealist Movement, I came to understand the meaning behind the work. It is not surprising to realize that what Dali was trying to bring across was nothing less than confusion and perplexity. The intention of the Surrealist Movement was to portray the thoughts conceived in the subconscious mind and dreams of the artists. In other words, they were striving to depict something irrational, therefore impossible to understand. Salvador Dali said this about his paintings: "The fact that I myself do not understand my own pictures does not mean that these pictures have no meaning; on the contrary, their meaning is so profound, complex, coherent, and involuntary that it escapes the most simple analysis of logical intuition." (Salvador Dali).
Although this painting appears to be irrational and impossible to understand, when I first saw it, this painting spoke to me. The soft watches became an allegory of life and time.
We only live once; our time on earth is limited and passing by. The painting shows three watches that look like they are melting in the middle of nowhere. We can imagine our time on this earth as one of these watches in the palm of our hands melting away. We try to prevent time from going, but our efforts are useless. Then we look at the fourth watch, which seems to be being eaten by several ants; in the same way, our time is corruptible and impossible to preserve.
Our lives are corruptible, and they are passing by. Sometimes it seems that we are in the middle of nothing going nowhere. For the apostle, this life, rather than being a situation for panic, becomes an urgent call to fulfill his mission of extending the kingdom and saving souls."
After studying Dali and the Surrealist Movement, I came to understand the meaning behind the work. It is not surprising to realize that what Dali was trying to bring across was nothing less than confusion and perplexity. The intention of the Surrealist Movement was to portray the thoughts conceived in the subconscious mind and dreams of the artists. In other words, they were striving to depict something irrational, therefore impossible to understand. Salvador Dali said this about his paintings: "The fact that I myself do not understand my own pictures does not mean that these pictures have no meaning; on the contrary, their meaning is so profound, complex, coherent, and involuntary that it escapes the most simple analysis of logical intuition." (Salvador Dali).
Although this painting appears to be irrational and impossible to understand, when I first saw it, this painting spoke to me. The soft watches became an allegory of life and time.
We only live once; our time on earth is limited and passing by. The painting shows three watches that look like they are melting in the middle of nowhere. We can imagine our time on this earth as one of these watches in the palm of our hands melting away. We try to prevent time from going, but our efforts are useless. Then we look at the fourth watch, which seems to be being eaten by several ants; in the same way, our time is corruptible and impossible to preserve.
Our lives are corruptible, and they are passing by. Sometimes it seems that we are in the middle of nothing going nowhere. For the apostle, this life, rather than being a situation for panic, becomes an urgent call to fulfill his mission of extending the kingdom and saving souls."
Psalm 39:4-5 “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah" |
Ecclesiastes 3:1-22 "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; ..." |
Article: "A New Life of Friendship", from 'Listening to the Indwelling Presence' by a Religious, Pelligrini
Info from this site:
www.thecloisteredheart.org/2017/06/a-new-life-of-friendship.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thecloisteredheart%2FqZBm+%28The+Cloistered+Heart%29
"A change comes in the soul when it begins to really recognize Who it is that dwells in her. A new life of affection begins a new life of intimate friendship. Intimate friends are characterized by mutual benevolence: each one makes the interest of the other the subject of his thoughts and of his plans...
In such manner should we live in the intimacy of our Divine Guest. We should turn to him frequently, to speak of ourselves, our sorrows, our joys. We should, in all simplicity, as between friends, tell Him of our anxieties, our needs, our plans, our projects.
But we should speak to Him also of His own interests and especially of the salvation of souls, which is God's great desire. We should beg His grace, the grace of the Faith, for those outside the Church, and the grace of Hope and Charity for those inside the Church. By so doing, we are making the interests of our Divine Guest our own.
Some may think that such a life of Union with God is only for saints, that a life of intimacy in which the soul constantly turns to God, as to a loving and beloved guest, is not for the ordinary faithful. This view is incorrect. Intimacy with God is not for the saints only, it is for all of us.
God dwells in each soul which is in the state of grace and calls each of us to be united to Him in intimate friendship."
Info from this site:
www.thecloisteredheart.org/2017/06/a-new-life-of-friendship.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thecloisteredheart%2FqZBm+%28The+Cloistered+Heart%29
"A change comes in the soul when it begins to really recognize Who it is that dwells in her. A new life of affection begins a new life of intimate friendship. Intimate friends are characterized by mutual benevolence: each one makes the interest of the other the subject of his thoughts and of his plans...
In such manner should we live in the intimacy of our Divine Guest. We should turn to him frequently, to speak of ourselves, our sorrows, our joys. We should, in all simplicity, as between friends, tell Him of our anxieties, our needs, our plans, our projects.
But we should speak to Him also of His own interests and especially of the salvation of souls, which is God's great desire. We should beg His grace, the grace of the Faith, for those outside the Church, and the grace of Hope and Charity for those inside the Church. By so doing, we are making the interests of our Divine Guest our own.
Some may think that such a life of Union with God is only for saints, that a life of intimacy in which the soul constantly turns to God, as to a loving and beloved guest, is not for the ordinary faithful. This view is incorrect. Intimacy with God is not for the saints only, it is for all of us.
God dwells in each soul which is in the state of grace and calls each of us to be united to Him in intimate friendship."
Video presentation: "Trinitarian Communion in Graced Friendships",by Fr. Samuel Medley
Link to video:
15-lvl3-pdl.vimeocdn.com/01/894/2/54473262/131108748.mp4?expires=1497891343&token=0a65297eb7b011d122d23&download=1&filename=Trinitarian%20Communion%20in%20Graced%20Friendships.mp4
Link to video:
15-lvl3-pdl.vimeocdn.com/01/894/2/54473262/131108748.mp4?expires=1497891343&token=0a65297eb7b011d122d23&download=1&filename=Trinitarian%20Communion%20in%20Graced%20Friendships.mp4