Recently in Spirituality Category

Philosopher Ronda Chervin has some notes on her web site about the institution of consecrated widowhood. In some countries the Church has established it as a recognized form of spiritual life in the Church, parallel in some ways to the existing forms for consecrated virgins.

So far these forms seem to be defined as for women only. What's with that?

Incidentally -- also at Dr. Chervin's site -- Juli Loesch Wiley's novel, Emma's Journey, is out. Since it runs parallel to Juli's own life story in some ways -- the progress of a Catholic feminist pro-lifer/peace activist -- I dare say it sounds autobiographical.

Golf pro Tim Kilcoyne is also an M.Ed. in Religious Education, but don't hold it against him: he's a committed Catholic anyway. He's an active catechist and apologist, and his Golf School Retreat combines instruction on the game's technique with coaching on biblical spirituality.

Lord, heart full of mystery

Since your love surpasses all knowledge, lift up our too weak understanding to the sublime height of your heart!

Since we are tempted to not believe in your love, give us new eyes to see the incredible, to recognize the endless immensity of your goodness.

Since our gaze remains attached to material and visible realities, may your heart illumine our view of the world, make us understand the deep meaning of creation, open to us the secret of the destiny of all things, called to meet again in your love.

Since we acknowledge in humanity and its history so many faults and wrong turns, which could incline us to pessimism, lift up again our optimism by showing us how your love manages to use evil for the sake of good, to transform human dispositions, to supernaturally direct the march of events in the direction of your heart!

Since we ourselves experience the force of evil, make us know by experience the greater power of your love, and make us discern how your heart is at the center of our life and at the center of the world, where the triumph of charity is established more and more!
--by Jean Galot, SJ

(The second prayer in this series is already on the blog, in an entry from March 25.)

Lord, whose heart is open

Toward your heart make me walk
In an ardent pilgrimage.
To your heart make me cling
From all the thirst of my being.
Into your heart make me penetrate
Even to its infinite depth.
By your heart make me breathe
Sharing your sigh of love.
For your heart make me work
without ever sparing my effort.
On your heart make me rest
and taste your intimacy.
From your heart make me radiate
goodness and apostolic zeal.
In your heart make me dwell
transformed into your charity.

--by Jean Galot, SJ
(translation by RC)

My pal Mike Humphrey got a question at his web site CPATS:

In the "Our Father" it says: "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

When we sin against a perfect God it takes that perfection to forgive that sin; so why would I ask God to forgive as I forgive, when as an imperfect creature the best I could do is forgive imperfectly?

Sincerely yours,
--Someone who has way too much time on his hands

The questioner has a real point. This prayer has a hook to it, a condition that perhaps we can't fulfill.

I could quibble with the idea that as imperfect creatures, we could *only* forgive imperfectly. After all, we aren't operating on our own unaided strength, but do have divine assistance. Our Lord wouldn't give us an assignment that's beyond the strength He gives.

When we're friends of God, friends of Jesus Christ, we are redeemed, and this redemption is not just an external imputation of righteousness (as in Luther's somewhat exaggerated expression about snow on a dunghill), but also a change that sanctifies us interiorly. Our Lord lives in us: He makes us "sharers of the divine nature" (2 Pet. 1:4) and strengthens our good acts with the supernatural virtues He places in us. He enables us to perform acts that are truly virtuous and whole. He empowers us to forgive fully with the help of His mercy.

We're called to do that, and occasionally we do; but alas, we often don't. We often don't cooperate fully with divine grace; we don't live up to the condition in that prayer, and yet we're stuck praying it, because that's what Jesus gave us to pray! He's revealing to us what the Father is like: he is holy, mighty, immortal, and merciful. We can live that mercy too toward others, precisely because He is holy, mighty, and immortal.

Sometime in the next two weeks, I'm going to start riding my bike to work again. That gives me two hours a day to listen to music or a book. I would love to listen to The Book by ripping some MP3s and putting them on my old yet servicable HP Jornada. About ten years ago, I got the Gospels of Matthew and Luke on tape, and listened to them over and over again until I knew them from the inside out.

I would love to do that with the Pentateuch, but although our library has three different versions of the Old Testament, I cannot abide any of them. On one version, the reader is good, but the translation is "contemporary" and I just can't get past the leaden, politically-correct language. The other two have decent texts, but the voices aren't ones that I want to hear for hours on end. The Zondervan Old Testament has a musical soundtrack (yes!) complete with sound effects (so when in Genesis it refers to birds, you hear them tweeting in the background.) It sounds like an introductory segment for a video game.

Can anyone recommend a non-annoying, non-PC recording of the Old Testament, or at least the first five books? I'd be willing to part with up to $40 to get one. Thanks for the help!

Nobody has posted anything for days. So I'm posting this. Anyone have anything substantive to say?

Today is the Feast Day of St. Raymond de Penafort. He is the Patron Saint of canon lawyers. Most of younger canonists in the area will be gathering for Mass at the university before visiting this nice Irish pub for a dinner party.

Dave Pawlak has just put together a new blog that gathers people's prayer requests. I urge you to all check it out. It's called St. Blog Prayer Network.