Obedience ... my word for 2011 ...

As I've mentioned previously, my "word" for 2011 is "obedience" ... "docility to the will of God" .... "cheerful embracing of God's desires for me" ...

Sounds easy? 

Not if you were raised in the United States in the last half-century.  Americans are taught from cradle-to-grave to be independent, self-reliant, demanding what WE want.  If you are an American woman raised in the last half-century ... you've been taught: "you are woman, hear you roar", "it's your body and no one can tell you what to do to it", "you can want it all ... you can have it all ...you can do it all".

If you notice, nowhere in that paragraph above is there anything about me submitting to anyone else ... let alone God.  Nowhere is there mention of allowing God to have His say in my life.  Nowhere is there even the suggestion that I would need anyone or anything else in my life.

What a load of cow manure! 

But this is what the "American dream" has become ... self-centered claptrap engendering chaos, discord and disunity.  Is this REALLY what we're meant to do here on Earth?  Is this really getting us what we want?

I'm thinking not.  I'm thinking that when I back off from my own desires -- not needs, but wants --when I submit to others, sacrifice for others, seek the needs of others, I am so much happier.  I have such a better day and go to bed with a clean conscience and a stronger love for all.   

THAT's why my word for 2011 is obedience -- docility to God's will and cheerful acceptance of where I am and who I am and what I am.  

The prayer card above I created to help me remember my goals.  I will put it on my laptop as my "wallpaper" so that every time I pass my desk ... or sit down to work ... or get ready to school the kids, I will think of this prayer and my need ... my desire ... my wish to bend my will to Him who created me. 

[A personal note:  This is a prayer attributed to St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits).  My father, God rest his soul, really liked this prayer and, furthermore, LIVED this prayer: May I be so blessed as he was.]

 

Feast Day: St. Robert Bellarmine

Today is the feast of St. Robert Bellarmine, a Jesuit scholar (when that really meant something!) who was also a spiritual advisor to St. Aloysius Gonzaga (another Jesuit and patron of my alma mater) and counseled St. Francis de Sales. He taught at the Roman College where he was Chair of Theology (and later, Rector) and wrote many great theological works including several catechisms; he became the Provincial for the Jesuit order, and later was named Cardinal.  He fought heresies and doctrinal errors and is the patron saint of catechists (which is cool as dh started his catechism course for the post-confirmation students last night).

I LOVE his quote about charity ... something I need to have tattooed on my arm!

St. Robert Bellarmine, patron saint of catechists, pray for all of us who teach the Faith ... that we may always teach through our actions as well as our words ... and that we may always remember that charity is that with which no man is lost, and without which no man may be saved! 

Feast Day: St. Ignatius of Loyola

Today is the feast of the founder of the Society of Jesus (aka, The Jesuits).  St. Ignatius of Loyola, 1491-1556)

We like this guy ...  alot.  What's not to like?  He was a soldier ... a hard-talking and tough spiritual leader for the first Jesuits and he's Bam-Bam's patron saint this year.  Oh, and to top it off, he's from the Basque region of Spain (and altho we're French-Basque, we'll just go right ahead and claim him, ok?)

In my family, we have a long history with the Jesuits -- Dad went to a Jesuit college, my brothers (well, 4 out of 5) went to a Jesuit high school, and 2 brothers and I went to a Jesuit university.  We've seen the good Jesuits and the bad Jesuits (and the bad Jebs don't take a thing away from their founder).  St. Ignatius attacked heresy and lack of faith with military precision and tactics and was quite successful.  He mentored future saint and fellow Basque, Francis Xavier and many saints have come from the Jesuit ranks:  St. Robert Bellarmine, St. Edmund Campion, St. Isaac Jogues and St. Stanislaus Kostka ... to name just a few.

My favorite prayer (and one my father particularly liked) attributed to St. Ignatius is:

Lord, teach me to be generous.

Teach me to serve you as you deserve;

to give and not to count the cost,

to fight and not to heed the wounds,

to toil and not to seek for rest,

to labor and not to ask for reward,

save that of knowing that I do your will.

St. Ignatius of Loyola, pray for us!

Where should we go today? Parish Pilgrimage June 2010

Well, Tuesday actually.

Our new pastor (we got him in January) likes to make small local pilgrimages as a way to get to know his "flock". We were fortunate to be able to participate in his first for our Parish ... a drive to Maryland and the site of the very first Carmel in the new world at Port Tobacco, Maryland.

Boy, was it hot! 

Poor LegoManiac was wearing slacks so he could serve Mass.

Our Lady of Consolation -- painted by one of the Carmelites -- in the "new" (built in the 1937) chapel.  You can see the gate that separates the cloistered sisters from the public.  For a short time (when the sisters were forced to move to Baltimore -- from 1830 to 1852), the sisters were asked to leave the cloister and help teach in the new United States.  In 1852, they were allowed to go back into the cloister and do what Carmelites do ... pray and meditate for all of us.

The original house (built when the original four sisters -- three were native Marylanders -- came in 1750).  This Carmel convent spawned all the other Carmels throughout the United States, sending cloistered nuns throughout the country in the past 260 years of their existence!

After saying the rosary in the chapel and taking the group picture, above, we headed to Chapel Point and the Jesuit church, St. Ignatius.

"The oldest continuously active parish in the United States, founded 1641 by Father Andrew White, SJ"

And boy do they now how to pick a spot!  This is from the side of the church, looking out onto the cemetery with Port Tobacco River and the Potomac (and the Virginia side) in the distance.  The cemetery is filled with gravestones dating from after the Civil War ... seems the Union soldiers camped here never had to fight a battle so spent their time taking potshots at the gravestones in this cemetery -- there are NO stones left from the pre-Civil War era.

In side the church, this is the main altar, where our pastor celebrated Mass.  At the end of Mass, we were able to venerate a relic of the true Cross brought from England when Fr. Andrew White came to establish this Jesuit mission -- VERY COOL!

After Mass, we had a picnic lunch in the cool, air-conditioned Church Hall.  After eating Father and another priest from our parish, serendaded us with guitar/harmonica music and gospel songs ...

A wonderful day and a new-found place to explore (it's only about 1-1/2 hour from here) when visitors come calling ...