Monthly Archives: October 2016

Tuesday of Week 28 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
Galatians 5:1-6 | Psalm 118:41,43-45,47-48 | Luke 11:37-41

In today’s Gospel, Jesus comments on the Pharisees’ hypocrisy, focusing on external cleanliness without attention to internal filth.

In the months since I began this daily blog, I’ve noticed many instances of what Carl Jung called synchronicity, and today is a prime example. I’d been having trouble with #2 since I returned home from my UK tour, but I just had a massive purge, followed by a thorough shower, and now I feel a lot cleaner both inside and out.

Similarly, purging ourselves of the temptations of daily life is one reason why we go on pilgrimages, retreats and other “time-outs” designed to help us focus on our relationship with God. One such place we visited in the UK was Glendalough, an ancient monastic settlement of great natural beauty and many religious ruins.

(“Glendalough”, incidentally, means “valley of two lakes”. If you’re sensing a water/cleansing theme going on here, you’d be right.)

An Early Medieval saint, a religious settlement, and no drones. What’s not to like?

It’s a place of peace and quiet, where nature reigns and crisp cold air abounds.

A good place to breathe in fresh air…and the Holy Spirit.

It’s easy to see why St. Kevin chose to retreat here in his early years.

As did a whole bunch of us, though not that long.

But I was more fascinated by the parish church of St. Kevin in Glendalough, where we celebrated morning mass…

…and more specifically the grounds upon which it stands, shared with a hermitage centre.

There is a meditation garden outside the church, with sculpted stones bearing messages in a setting that invites deep contemplation…

…and a simple 9/11 memorial, which evoked memories of that terrible day which I spent glued to the TV screen.

There is an explanatory display about midway between this memorial and the “Enter By The Narrow Door” stone, that suggests a meditative walk around the garden.

(And yes, the memorial creator was the same La Salle Brother Joseph McNally who sculpted a significant part of Singapore’s education landscape.)

The quotations at the bottom bear repeating:

Going on pilgrimage without a change of heart brings little reward from God. For it is by practising virtue and not by mere motion of the feet that we are brought to heaven. – Book of Lismore

May the Son of God be at the outset of my journey,
May the Son of God be in surety to aid me;
May the Son of God make clear my way,
May the Son of God be at the end of my seeking.
– Carmina Gadelica

✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞

And since we’re on the subject of cleansing, I think I’ll end with an antiphon that we hardly sing anymore, now that the sprinkling rite is so rarely performed at mass:

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
2 Kings 5:14-17 | Psalm 97:1-4 | 2 Timothy 2:8-13 | Luke 17:11-19

Then Naaman said, ‘Since your answer is “No,” allow your servant to be given as much earth as two mules may carry, because your servant will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice to any god except the Lord.’ (2 Kings 5:17)

Naaman’s request had always puzzled me: Why would two mule-loads of earth be so important to him?

It wasn’t till I decided to do some research and pondering that I realized why: The earth he’s asking for is the soil of the Holy Land. Believing itself to be holy, he probably meant to build an altar to the Lord upon that soil back in his home land of Syria.

We too place great store in symbols, and so we take mementos of nature from the foreign lands through which we journey, things that strike us mentally or spiritually. During my recent UK Catholic tour, I noticed one of my fellow travelers carefully placing a leaf from some native tree or shrub in her book, and of course the holy water of Knock was a popular draw.

This is the story of my memento from that trip…

✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞

I was walking along the road to Lindisfarne Castle, about a half hour behind the rest of the group but steadily making up time.

It’s a long road to Lindisfarne,
A-winding steep and high…

When I reached the gate to the Castle proper…

Lift Up Your Head, Ye Mighty Gate!

I realized that I didn’t have enough time to go all the way up, walk around, and still make it back for the noonday lunch.

Alas, poor castle, I hardly knew ye…

So I decided to take the road less traveled, one that went around the side of the castle hill…

“Go left, young man, go left and see what you can see.” – (not) Horace Greeley

to behold the rear end of the castle…

And a mighty fine rear end it be.

and trip over a small stone…

Hang on, haven’t we seen this before?

whereupon I felt an irresistible compulsion to take a photo, pick it up…and bring it home.

Ta-da!

Now, as stones go, this isn’t a particularly attractive specimen…

Meh. Looks like an asteroid, perhaps.

but it has several attributes that remind me of my own faith journey:

• It’s very pitted and mottled.
  The many battles I’ve waged with the evil side of myself have left serious internal scars and scorch marks…
• It’s worn smooth.
  …but the constant abrasion has eroded most of my bad behavior and left me as a mostly presentable Catholic…
• There’s a weird orange ring round one end.
  …who knows not to take himself too seriously, lest pride be his downfall.

Mostly, though, it was the symbolism of this pale stone “rising above” and “holding out” against the dark soil and rocks that drew me to it, a stark reminder of St. Paul’s words in today’s second reading:

If we have died with him, then we shall live with him.
If we hold firm, then we shall reign with him.
If we disown him, then he will disown us.
We may be unfaithful, but he is always faithful,
for he cannot disown his own self. (2 Timothy 2:11-13)

Amen.

Saturday of Week 27 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
Galatians 3:22-29 | Psalm 104:2-7 | Luke 11:27-28

The praise of Our Blessed Mother by an unnamed woman in today’s Gospel is both effusive and surprisingly explicit. The modern equivalent would be something like “oh, you must be so proud of your CEO son, he’s got enough money to take care of you for the rest of your life!” (Of course, said mother could instead be quietly shuffled off to an old folks’ home instead, but no one likes to talk about that these days.)

No such praise was accorded to the parents of St. Margaret Clitherow, whose shrine I visited as part of my UK Catholic tour. Instead, it’s likely they were vilified for letting their daughter stray from the Established Church (the Church of England), and her stepfather, being Lord Mayor of York at the time, probably distanced himself from her for refusing to attend Anglican services, and likely prosecuted her case with enthusiasm to demonstrate his loyalty to the crown.

A humble abode turned simple shrine.

I doubt that St. Margaret was fearless, despite risking her life by practising her faith and sheltering priests. Instead, I think she worked through her fear, letting it strengthen her resolve, and deriving some form of happiness for doing God’s will. She is said to have told a friend: “The sheriffs have said that I am going to die this coming Friday; and I feel the weakness of my flesh which is troubled at this news, but my spirit rejoices greatly. For the love of God, pray for me and ask all good people to do likewise.”

The saint and a third-class relic.

Similarly, whenever I go against common secular practice, like refusing to deny or minimize my mistakes, I do indeed feel a frisson of fear (“did I just lose an important contract?”), but in the end, I am at peace, and that’s a precious form of happiness these days.

Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Margarita Pretiosa, Ora Pro Nobis
Precious Pearl, Pray For Us

✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞

As far as I know, little has been written about her husband, John Clitherow. I think that’s a great pity, because even though he was a professed Anglican, he willingly paid the fines levied on her for not attending church services. Even more significantly, he did not stop her from sending their eldest son to train for the (Catholic) priesthood, nor did he denounce her to the authorities for the treasonable religious activities she was conducting in his house. That must have taken a lot of guts, or love, or both.

Similarly, I’m sure many converts have family members who don’t believe in God, but don’t stand in their way to conversion either. To misquote John Milton: “They also serve who only stand aside.”

Blessed are those who do not hear the Word of God,
but do not deny it to those who would receive it,
for they may one day come to know and love Him.

✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞

P.S. It turns out that St. Margaret Clitherow’s story was made into an hour-long dramatization in 2007, available on YouTube:

Friday of Week 27 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
Our Lady of the Rosary
Acts 1:12-14 | Luke 1:46-55 | Luke 1:26-38

I am the handmaid of the Lord, let what you have said be done to me. (Luke 1:38)

This prayer is inspired by my journey to Lindisfarne as part of my 2016 UK Catholic tour. I’ve added my own photos to help…keep things interesting.

The map is not the territory.

✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞

Almighty God, we thank You for Your gift of faith, which helps us prepare ourselves daily for the journey through life. You call us always to walk Your holy Way with others, ‘for where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.’ (Matthew 18:20)

All set to brave the cold winds of daily life together.

Yet we know that the road may not be smooth, and we may be swamped by the floods of our own iniquity.

Uh oh.

At other times, we may give in to our pride and reject the companionship of those who love us…

Alone again, unnaturally.

…preferring to wallow in our own desolation.

Oh, thou cold and lonely heart.

But You promised us that if we trust in You…

Coming to St. Aidan’s Church on Lindisfarne…

…and lay our lives before You…

…to be in His presence.

…then You will help us overcome all obstacles, especially when love is lost…

“What did I do?!?!”  “Come back when you’ve figured it out.”

…for You are Love itself.

Always and forever.

When our hearts are hardened, remake us in Your light.

From hot house to God’s house.

When we are tired, refresh us with Your living water.

Will You ask us to walk on it though?

When we are discouraged, open our eyes to the beauty of the world around us.

Morning has broken, like the first morning

Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird

Praise for the singing, praise for the morning

Praise for them springing fresh from the word

Use us to create more of that beauty in this world, for we are your servants.

Aren’t I pretty?

Give us each day our daily bread…

With a hearty soup and delicious butter to fortify us

…and when it is time for us to approach the gates of Your heavenly kingdom…

There be hallowed ground.

…we ask You to look kindly on us, and grant us admittance.

Price of admission to God’s kingdom: A pure heart.

There we will sing your praises with all the angels and saints, for ever and ever.

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God!

Amen.

✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞

Oh, and since the women in my life would not have it any other way…

Though I will neither confirm nor deny the validity of this assertion.