The Little Flower

"Thérèse of Lisieux is the patron saint of people with AIDS, aviators, florists, illness(es) and missions."  (An odd mix indeed!) According to one of her biographers, Guy Gaucher, after her death, "Thérèse fell victim to an excess of sentimental devotion which betrayed her. She was victim also to her language, which was that of the late nineteenth century and flowed from the religiosity of her age." Thérèse herself said on her death-bed, "I only love simplicity. I have a horror of pretence", and she spoke out against some of the Lives of saints written in her day," We should not say improbable things, or things we do not know. We must see their real, and not their imagined lives."

I always regarded devotion to "the Little Flower" as a sign of soppy piety, but can accept Gaucher's analysis as a reason to look beyond my gut reaction and take her insights more seriously.  These are some of her thoughts I agree with.

"Sometimes, when I read spiritual treatises in which perfection is shown with a thousand obstacles, surrounded by a crowd of illusions, my poor little mind quickly tires. I close the learned book which is breaking my head and drying up my heart, and I take up Holy Scripture. Then all seems luminous to me; a single word uncovers for my soul infinite horizons; perfection seems simple; I see that it is enough to recognize one's nothingness and to abandon oneself, like a child, into God's arms. Leaving to great souls, to great minds, the beautiful books I cannot understand, I rejoice to be little because 'only children, and those who are like them, will be admitted to the heavenly banquet.' "

"For me, prayer is a movement of the heart; it is a simple glance toward Heaven; it is a cry of gratitude and love in times of trial as well as in times of joy; finally, it is something great, supernatural, which expands my soul and unites me to Jesus. . . . I have not the courage to look through books for beautiful prayers.... I do like a child who does not know how to read; I say very simply to God what I want to say, and He always understands me." 

"O Father in Heaven, Who through St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus of the Holy Face, dost desire to remind the world of the Merciful Love that fills Thy Heart, and the childlike trust we should have in Thee, humbly we thank Thee for having crowned with so great glory Thine ever faithful child, and for giving her wondrous power to bring unto Thee, day by day, innumerable souls who will praise Thee eternally.

 

St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus of the Holy Face, remember thy promise to do good upon earth, shower down thy roses on those who invoke thee and obtain for us from God the graces we hope for from His infinite goodness. Amen"

Michaelmass

I have always been a bit dubious about angels, Arch or otherwise.  That said, I seem to write something about them each year.  Why I cannot think, as apart from reciting "with angels and archangels when celebrating they really do not figure in my devotional life.  Living and departed saints, men and women who stuggled, prayed and loved inspire me rather than "spiritual creatures".  Still, acknowledgeing the existence of "heavenly powers" is never a bad thing as it reminds us that we are citizens of 2 kingdoms and our stay here is not permanent.  The painting is more inspiring to me than the theology.  "The ability to see beauty is the beginning of our moral sensibility. What we believe is beautiful we will not wantonly destroy." (Reverend Sean Parker Dennison)

Why Rome?

I am musing (complete with a cup of rather tepid peppermint tea) as to why recently so many people of my acquaintance (some of them good and sincerely practising Anglicans)  are joining (or exploring joining) the Roman Catholic Church?  It's not a complaint, just a query.  One wasn't a surprise (Ordinariate was created and he was due to retire with his Pisky pension), one genuinely was (joined an ordinary bog standard RC parish but had been exploring a vocation to the priesthood and was female, so that's off the cards with Rome) and the other is slightly surprising (gay lapsed Presbyterian).

 

 

I think the last 2 puzzle me in the sense that both are consciously signing up to something that would require them (officially at any rate to deny a part of themselves that they up till now have seen a positively God given.  That genuinely baffles me.  I fully understand the attraction of getting Catholic worship where ever you go (even if it is done badly!) and not having to play "hunt the spike Shop" or "dodge the Evo" when going to Church.  Likewise, you can do the Catholic spirituality thing with Rosary, exposition et al without anyone batting an eyelid or having to find an Anglican Church that is into "that sort of thing".  But the denial of your God given self or vocation - why sign up to that?  Is it a price worth paying for something intangible I'm missing entirely?  I would genuinely be interested in feedback from anyone out there who has any ideas on "Why"?

 

 

I ask in an irenic rather polemic spirit.  Not least because this was today's little meditation from an online addicts support group I glance at.


"I will be willing to reposition myself today.  When I lock myself into protective, defensive or aggressive poses, I am making any negotiating impossible.  Being stubborn and clinging to my rigid position can be both dangerous and foolish.  I can take another look. I am willing to move and be moved."

I am very aware that I can lock myself into a defensive aggressive attitude towards others who change or move out of my comfort zone.  So I thought it worth taking a look through others experience.

St Matthew's Day

 (St Matthew and the Angel by Rembrandt, the Louvre, Paris)

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him. As he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" But when he heard this, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners."

Matthew 9. 9-13
 

If you've ever felt as if you were on the outside of the world looking in, then Matthew is the Apostle for you.  He wasn't just on the margins of his world  - he was utterly ostracised and probably faced death threats for being a collaborator with the Romans.  He was also probably terribly well heeled.  Tax collecting in those days was farmed out by the government to the private sector and was notorious for corruption.  In all probability, Levi the Tax collector was not a very nice man who would have had a bodyguard of goons and would have used violence to get money.  A legalised gangster.  Who would also have been well educated in both Aramaic and Greek. Saint Matthew is the Patron Saint of accountants, bankers, bookkeepers, stock brokers and tax collectors.  All of whom, post Lehman Bros and Fred the Shred at the RBS, are about as popular currently as he was then.  but Jesus scandalised both the unco' guid and the revolutionaries of his day by treating him as a worthwhile human being and called him into the Kingdom as an apostle and evangelist.  Thank God.  Because he can do the same with such disreputable wrecks as us if we let him.

O Almighty God,
whose blessed Son called Matthew the tax-collector
to be an apostle and evangelist:
give us grace to forsake the selfish pursuit of gain
   and the possessive love of riches
that we may follow in the way of your Son Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

PS As good as Rembrandt is, I've added 3 images of St Matthew by Caravaggio to this post: a) because I love his paintings and b) I've seen the three of them in the backstreet Church of  S Luigi dei Francesi in Rome and they are truly stunning in the flesh (sic).  And this church is where Martin Luther stayed when he came to Rome for his trial -  so it's well worth popping into!

The Stigmata of St Francis

Yes, I know it's not in the Roman Missile (unless you're reactionary) but today was the Feast of the Stigmata of St Francis.  Can't be bothered with a commentary at this late hour - so just enjoy the glories of Giotto and thank God for his ministry!