Union With God, Letters Of Spiritual Direction

Finally, back to Blessed Columba Marmion’s books.  I am starting with Union with God, Letters of Spiritual Direction.  These letters were selected and annotated by Dom Raymond Thibaut.  The edition I have is published by Zaccheus Press in 2006.

Union with God was Mother Theresa’s favorite book, and I can see why.   Abbot Marmion wrote to all sorts of people: children, teens, men and women discerning a religious vocation, mothers, fathers, convent superiors, missionaries, and more.  During his life he had been a parish priest, spiritual director to several convents, chaplain to two different prisons, professor in seminary, a Prior, and an Abbot.  And that’s only part of the list!

All this experience gave him a great deal of wisdom and a genuine compassion for people’s difficulties.  Everything he wrote flowed from his own spiritual experience and his deep relationship with God.   That is why he could give such clear and practical advice.

In one of my favorite sets of letters, Dom Marmion was writing to a young girl diagnosed with a fatal illness.  You can feel his own deep pain at her suffering, but he also rejoices in the beautiful work God is doing in her, and the joy that will be hers forever in heaven.  They are exquisitely beautiful letters, especially the last one written shortly before her death.

I have lost count of how many times I have read this little book.  Each time, it gave me EXACTLY what I needed.  A wonderful Carmelite priest I know told me this book has been his “companion” since his novitiate.  This elderly man is one of those rare living saints.  I pray that Abbot Marmion’s wisdom has the same effect on this little Sparrow!

They Are Happy Whose Strength Is In You

The Sparrow’s Psalm says, “They are happy who dwell in Your house, forever singing Your praise.  They are happy whose strength is in You.”  (Psalm 84:4-5)

In the Liturgy of the Hours, there is an “antiphon” at the beginning and end of each Psalm.  (For more information on Liturgy of the Hours I highly recommend Daria Sockey’s blog Coffee and Canticles.)  These antiphons vary with the seasons and are meant as a help in interpreting the Psalm as you pray it.

One day an antiphon struck me with a beautiful meaning I had never seen before.  I have no idea if it is what the Church intended, but it has become one of my favorite meditations.  Here is the antiphon:  “Let the Lord’s strength be your delight.”

Think of what those words actually say.  It’s not  “The Lord will give you His strength.”  It is “Let the Lord’s strength be your delight.”  It reminds me of a phrase from another Psalm:  “Let Zion’s sons exult in their King.”  (Psalm 149:2)

To exult, to delight in our King’s strength, what a thought!  Here’s one form it can take.  Jesus is now resurrected and living in a glorious body incapable of suffering or weakness.  I can delight in that thought, be glad for His sake that He now enjoys that strength.

In addition to that, as a reward for Jesus’ humility and obedience the Father has placed “all things in subjection under His feet” and set Him “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.”  (Ephesians 1:20-22)  Jesus truly is a powerful King.  I can be delighted that Jesus has been given so great a reward, and admire that power.

Here’s another direction.  The Humanity of Jesus is One with the Divine Word.  In Him the fullness of the Godhead dwells.  (Colossians 2:9)  Jesus is Living Wisdom, Love, and Omnipotence beyond our comprehension.  I can delight in that, not just for what I gain from it, but because Jesus IS all those things.

I’ve found a sweet simplicity in looking at life through the lens of that antiphon.  I’m a tiny weak Sparrow, but my Jesus is powerful.  There is such a comfort in that thought.  It makes me glad I’m so small!   There is so much I don’t understand, but my Jesus knows everything.  I can admire His knowledge and trust that He will show me what I need to know.  I fall and I sin, but my Jesus is Omnipotent Mercy.  He never stops forgiving and loving me.

Abbot Columba Marmion teaches that when we have contact with Christ through faith, “power goes out from Him.”  (Mark 5:30,  Luke 8:46)  He fills us with His grace; healing and transforming us just as He did during His life on earth.  After all, Jesus is “the same yesterday today and forever.”  (Hebrews 13:8)  This means that while I am delighting in His strength, He in return is giving me whatever I need. 

So even though this little Sparrow sings a slightly different tune than the great King David, our song is really the same Truth.   If we “let His strength be our delight,” Jesus will cause us to be “happy because our strength is in Him.”  It is a beautiful song, isn’t it?

 

 

The Sparrow’s Psalm

Monday’s Morning Prayer from the Divine Office had Psalm 84 again.  I like to call that “The Sparrow’s Psalm.”  I have it written under my picture on the main page.

If you remember my previous blog post about Psalm 84, I mentioned that David might have written Psalm 84 while living in the wilderness when King Saul was hunting him.  David says he is “yearning for the courts of the Lord.”  (Psalm 84:2)  Then he speaks about the sparrows and swallows making their nests near God’s altar.  They are lucky little birds:  “They are happy who dwell in Your house, forever singing your praise.”  (Psalm 84:3)  I also said how much I can identify with David’s longing during this time of the year when the sunlight prevents me from going to church.

While I prayed this Psalm on Monday morning, I noticed something that had never caught my eye before:

 “They are happy who dwell in Your house, forever singing Your praise.”  (vs 4)

“They are happy, whose strength is in You.”  (vs 5)

“Lord God of Hosts, happy the man (or Sparrow!) who trusts in You.”  (vs 12)

I had never noticed there were three sets of “happy” until right then.  These three verses all need to be sung together for the Psalm to have its full meaning.  I think David’s song expressed much more than his longing for God’s house.   His soul was being tried in the crucible of suffering.  With God’s help he had learned how to not only survive it, but how to thrive and grow BECAUSE of it.

Maybe I can understand a bit of this part of the song, too.  My tune might not be quite the same as David’s, but that’s because I’m a little Sparrow, not a king.   I’ll share more of my thoughts on Psalm 84 in future posts.  There is wisdom in this Psalm that can help us.  I know it has helped me.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort which we ourselves receive from God.”     (II Corinthians 1:3-4)

 

 

 

Another Detour

A family member (who shall remain nameless!) expressed a desire for some lighter posts on my blog.  I’m a very obliging little Sparrow, so this one is for you — you know who you are.  Enjoy!

INTERESTING SLUG FACTS

~~   Did you know that the slime slugs produce has fibers in it that protect the slug?  It is so strong that a slug could go across shards of glass or the edge of a knife and not be cut.

~~   Having trouble getting slug slime off your hands?  Don’t use water.   Rub your dry hands together instead.  The slime will ball up like rubber cement.

~~   You can also use vinegar to get slug slime off your hands.

~~   Scientists believe slugs have very sensitive nervous systems.  Killing a slug by pouring salt on it is an excruciatingly painful way for a slug to die.  If you must kill slugs, please DO NOT USE SALT!

~~   The slime slugs produce can have a numbing effect.  American Indians used slugs for pain in the mouth and throat.  They would let several slugs crawl around in their mouths until the pain eased.

INTERESTING SPARROW FACTS

~~   This Sparrow had a really, really bad sore throat last week with my cold.  I did NOT try using any slugs.  I took painkillers and drank lots of hot tea instead.

~~   I’ve been asked if Sparrows eat slugs.  THIS Sparrow sure wouldn’t!  I have no idea if other sparrows eat slugs, but I have read that avoiding birds is one of the reasons slugs are nocturnal.

I hope you all have enjoyed this little break from theology, especially you-know-who.  Now I’m going to go outside and see if Splotches or any of his friends want a snack.   The Sparrow

Silverstream Priory

I am interrupting my book reviews to share some information I just discovered.  For several years I have been incredibly blessed by the writings of a Benedictine monk who is now the Prior of a new Benedictine order.

This does somewhat fit in with my posts about Blessed Columba Marmion.  When he was 15, someone loaned young Mark Daniel Kirby a copy of Abbott Marmion’s book Christ the Ideal of the Monk.  That is when he found his vocation to be a Benedictine.

During the “Year of the Priest” the Bishop Edward J. Slattery of Tulsa, Oklahoma established a new Benedictine order, and he chose Dom Kirby to be the founder.  After receiving permission to leave his current monastery, Dom Kirby accepted this call.

Here is the purpose of the new order in the Bishop’s own words:  “the Benedictine Monks, Adorers of the Eucharistic Face of Jesus will be characterized by the particular charism of (a) Eucharistic adoration for the sanctification of priests and the spiritual renewal of the clergy in the whole Church; (b) reparation for the sins that disfigure the Face of Christ the Priest; and (c) the sacramental and spiritual support of the clergy by means of monastic hospitality, spiritual direction, and retreats.”

After failing to find an appropriate property in Oklahoma, they were invited to move to Ireland.  With the full approval of their Bishop, they went to Ireland and have been renting Silverstream Priory.  The buildings are very old, in need of repair (and heat!), but they have been following God’s call in spite of the difficulties.

After much prayer, they have issued an urgent appeal for financial help.  They need funds to purchase the property as soon as possible.  Each year that goes by, the sellers increase the price by 12.5%.

Please go see their websites.  I know you will be blessed as I have been.  And if you feel God’s leading, help them however He shows you.  I know they would be grateful for your prayers, too.

http://vultus.stblogs.org/      Prior Kirby’s blog

http://cenacleosb.org/      Silverstream Priory

My Birthday Wish

I am going to celebrate my birthday by introducing you to one of my very favorite authors, Blessed Columba Marmion.  He was an Irish priest who, with his bishop’s permission, left Ireland to become a Benedictine monk in Belgium.  When he passed away in 1923, he was the Abbot of Maredsous Abbey.

Although Abbot Marmion’s books have been translated into 11 languages, many of his works were difficult to get in English (ironic, since he is Irish!) until recently.  I found them by accident a few years ago, and they changed my life.  I really mean that.  Here is a list of the books I have:

Christ, the Life of the Soul

Christ in His Mysteries

Union with God, Letters of Spiritual Direction by Blessed Columba Marmion

Christ, the Ideal of the Monk

Christ the Ideal of the Priest.

Yes, I even read the books about monks and priests!  They really ARE that good!  I’ve read them all more than once, except for Christ the Ideal of the Priest.  I got that one for Christmas this year and just finished reading it.  I am definitely planning to read it again.  And probably again.  In later posts I will describe each book a bit more in detail.

I am in good company, liking Dom Marmion’s books.  (Dom is a term of respect, and is often used for religious in some countries.)  Mother Theresa loved them.  He was her favorite author, too.  She quoted him often in her constitutions for the Missionaries of Charity.  I believe her nuns still study his works in their formation.

Pope Pius XII said his writings are “outstanding in the accuracy of their doctrine, the clarity of their style, and the depth and richness of their thought.”

Pope John Paul II said Dom Marmion was the writer who most influenced his spirituality, and his writings are “an authentic treasure of spiritual truth.”  

During the Abbot’s beatification ceremony in 2000, Pope John Paul also said, “May a widespread rediscovery of the spiritual writings of Blessed Columba Marmion help priests, religious, and laity to grow in union with Christ and bear faithful witness to Him through ardent love of God.”

Do you think this little Sparrow’s chirping might help Pope John Paul’s wish come true?  At least a tiny bit?  I hope so.  Chirp, chirp!

One Picture Can Change Your Life

One day a message was sent through one of my charity crafting email groups.  A woman asked if any of us would be willing to make some wool sweaters, socks, and mittens for an orphanage in Moldova.  She and a group of other adoptive parents would hand deliver the items to the children on one of their next trips.

This project interested me, but they only wanted wool clothing because of the extra warmth it provided.  I am allergic to wool.  Even a tiny bit in a sweater makes me itch like crazy, unless none of it touches my skin. 

Although I was not going to participate, I was curious.  She had included some links to news articles about this orphanage so I went to read them.

Moldova is a small country next to Romania.  It used to be part of the USSR.  The poverty is pretty extreme and the winters can be brutal.  Families adopting from this particular orphanage were horrified at the conditions the children were living in.  They kids would sleep in a pile on the floor, trying to keep each other warm during the cold winter nights.  They often woke up with frost bite or chilblains on their hands and feet.  That’s why the group especially wanted socks and mittens for the children to wear while they slept.

One article had a picture I will never forget.  It was a child in this orphanage.  He (or she, I couldn’t tell) was around six or seven maybe.  He was skin and bones, and looked like he was so weak he could hardly hold up his head.  His eyes were blank, and yet somehow still full of suffering.  Then I saw his hands.  Those little bony hands were covered with red open sores.  The article said the sores were from the cold.

When I saw those poor little hands, something inside me changed forever.  I didn’t care anymore what the wool might do to my hands.  I HAD to do something for these children.  I HAD TO DO IT.  I immediately found an online yarn store and bought some wool yarn.

Ever since then, most of my knitting has been with wool or wool blend yarns.  Surprisingly, it doesn’t bother my hands as much as I had feared.  I think it’s because the most sensitive parts of my hands seldom rest on the yarn while I am knitting.  Plus I use lots of lotion and wear long sleeves whenever possible.  Over the years I’ve learned some brands of yarn and breeds of sheep that cause me more trouble so I avoid them.

I do love all the sweet preemie items, and God bless the people who help children in difficult situations. But people who are desperately cold are the ones who own my heart.  It doesn’t matter where or who they are.  Over the last 10+ years I have been blessed by opportunities to help people of all ages all over the world.  Kazakhstan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia, Moldova, Ukraine, Mongolia, Romania, the mountains of Guatemala, Africa (yes there are cold places in Africa!) the Arctic, North Dakota, New York, Syria, and our local homeless.

Did you ever hear the song  “Hollow Eyes” by the Christian music group Petra?   The lilies of the field may not toil or spin, (Matthew 6:28) but the lyrics below explain why this Sparrow knits:

The least of these is hungry

The least of these is sick

The least of these needs clothing

The least of these needs drink

The least of these knows sorrow

The least of these knows grief

The least of these has suffered pain

And Jesus is His name.

The Wonders Of The Internet

After making that baby blanket for my sister, I didn’t crochet much for years.  Then we got the internet.  I discovered there were thousands of people out there who crochet, knit, and sew for charities.  My Grandma would have loved it — all those babies!

The first charity that caught my eye made items for preemies.  That interested me because I was a premature baby.  Some of the things they asked for were little 12″ square blankets, hats that would fit a lemon, (!)  tiny cardigans and booties.  Sadly, they also provided burial outfits for the little ones who did not survive.

Other charities gave things full term babies.  Did you know there are places in the USA where the nurses wrap the newborns in NEWSPAPERS because the family doesn’t have enough clothing or blankets to keep the baby warm on the way home from the hospital?

I also found groups that give out “lapghans” and toys to children in hospitals, and others who work with traumatized children or those being put in emergency foster care.  In scary situations, a little love can make a huge difference to a child.

I got quite busy crocheting for these charities.  I joined some email lists and other groups.  Then I taught myself to knit.  For some reason I find knitting to be more relaxing than crochet.  It’s easier on my wrists, too.  I like being able to do both.

In my next post I will tell about a message sent through one charity email list that changed my life.

My Grandma’s Crochet Hook

My Grandma taught me to crochet.  She loved to make baby blankets and sweaters.  If there weren’t enough family babies on the way, she made them for her friends and their families.  Sometime she made them for strangers!  I remember once she made a lovely set for a young pregnant cashier she saw at the grocery store.

One day she gave me a hook and some yarn and taught me to crochet chains.  I probably made miles of chain while I watched her work.  When I was ten, she helped me make my first “real” project:  a blanket for my baby sister.  I barely got it done in time!

When my Grandma passed away, I was given her crochet hooks.  (She kept them in an old plastic baby bottle.  How appropriate!)  They are very special to me.  My favorite is a small red hook that she used with the thinner baby yarns.  She literally wore the finish off of it!

Now I actually knit more than I crochet, but I keep that little red hook with my knitting.  It is always either in my knitting bag or in the drawer next to where I sit.  I use it often to fix dropped stitches, etc.

I’ve noticed lately that the finish is wearing off some of my most used knitting needles.  I guess I am following in my Grandma’s footsteps.

Chirp! Chirp! Sniffle, Chirp!

I’m a sick sparrow.  I woke up with a cold Wednesday afternoon.  Quite appropriate for Lent, isn’t it?

I pray the Divine Office.  I’ll share more about that on another day.  Wednesday’s Evening Prayer included Colossians 1:12-20.  I’ll quote a few bits.  “In Him (Jesus) everything in heaven and on earth was created, things visible and invisible.  All were created through Him; all were created for Him.  In Him everything continues in being.”

When I read that, I had the strangest thought.  That includes the germs making me sick!  These “invisible” (without a microscope) germs were created “in Him,” “through Him,” and “for Him”.  Their life, their very being, exists IN JESUS.

That made me feel kind of glad I was sick.  It’s like these germs are just adding more layers to my own existence in Jesus, and I really want more of Jesus.  Does that makes any sense?  Sick sparrows probably don’t explain things very well!  Maybe I’d better just stick with singing.  Chirp, chirp!