Some of the writings by Carthusian monks on the subject of our Blessed Lady will be shared here over the month of May. There always seems to be a level of criticism from outside the Church that there is too much of focus on our Blessed Mother. She has always been highly honored since the early days of the Church – and before that, she received the greatest love from her Son.
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux tells us: "God wills that all His gifts come to us through Mary." The Carthusians teach that: ‘"Eternity will not be long enough for us to bless that infinite Goodness whose foreseeing Providence is manifested in theses marks of creative Love, and the boundless goodness that is revealed in them. But do we not owe something to the privileged creature through whom these divine benefits have come to us, and whose share in their distribution has been the more active and personal in proportion as the gifts are higher and more supernatural. On the part assigned to Mary by almighty God in the dispensation of these gifts . . . our response to the advance of our gentle Mother should be one of boundless gratitude, even though, in her humility, she seeks our thanks only that she may unite them with the ceaseless Magnificat she sings to the divine Majesty."The popes as well have always sung Mary’s praises. Leo XIII in Adiutricem populi wrote that our Blessed Lady has "practically limitless power"; Saint Pius X called her the "dispensatrix of all gifts" (Ad diem illum), and Pius XII said that: "Her kingdom is as vast as that of her Son and God, since nothing is excluded from her dominion’"(Radio message to Fatima).
The following is something from the Carthusian order:
* * * * * *
It was in Rome, towards the end of the eighteenth century, one fine evening in May. A child of the poor had gathered his companions round him, and led them to a statue of Mary, before which a lamp was burning, as is the custom of that holy city. There, these fresh young voices sang the Litany of Our Lady. The next day, the little group, followed by other children, again gathered at the feet of the Mother of God. Next came their mothers, to join the assembly. Soon, other groups were formed, and the devotion rapidly became popular. Holy souls, troubled by the disorderly conduct which always increases and becomes graver at the return of the pleasant spring-time, saw in these growing practices the Hand of God, and they co-operated with the designs of Providence by approving and promoting this new devotion, as a public and solemn act of reparation.
Thus, opening out like a flower of love under the lovely Italian sky and with the approval of the Holy Father, was not slow to make its way into France and to every part of the Catholic world. It was like a tiny grain of mustard-seed, and grew rapidly, multiplying its flowers and its fruits beyond all expectations.
This feast of thirty days in honor of Mary is rich in possibilities for our sanctification. Saint Julien Eymard has written: "A devotion lasting a whole month covers its whole object, considers it under every aspect, and gives one a true and serious understanding of it. By meditations renewed day by day and by the unity of acts, virtues and prayers concentrated on the same subject, one eventually acquires a true and solid devotion in respect of any mystery thus honored for the space of a month. Thought thus concentrated becomes strong and satisfying" (La divine Eucharistie). Is it not precisely this focusing of one’s whole thought upon one object that constitutes to a great extent the power of the Exercises of Saint Ignatius to effect the transformation of the Christian soul? For four weeks, divided according to the subject of meditation rather than to the number of days, the saintly founder of the Society of Jesus make the soul that entrusts itself to his guidance climb speedily up from the dark places of sin to a life of union with God.
By following so prudent and safe a method, we shall endeavor to take by the hand one who is maybe but a novice in the love of Mary, and lead him gradually to the heights of union with her; so that, when the month is over, he can direct his whole life in such a manner as to produce, to the glory of his heavenly Mother, all the fruits that she expects from souls as favored as those of her children. May she herself show us the path to follow, and by her maternal blessing guide therein our timid and faltering steps.
Saint John Cassian wrote: “Only they can contemplate Christ’s Divinity, with a very pure gaze, who rise up from earthly works, thoughts and passions.” As is said at Mass:
V/: Lift up your hearts.
R/: We lift them up to the Lord.
Our hearts are designed to be living altars from which we exercise our royal priesthood by offering sacrifice and praise to God. Lent not only calls us to these sacrifices and praises, but also to make it a personal mandate. Overcoming the obstacles which keep us from daily prayer, sets us on a long but fruitful journey through which vigilance and remaining spiritually awake could make our very lives a liturgy.
It begins by taking steps that remind us to pray when life’s busy-ness averts our focus away from God. In the monastery, the bell rings, calling the monks to pray the Divine Office. In the Carthusian tradition is the following: “As soon as the bell is heard for the Divine Office, we hasten promptly, because the bell’s voice is like the Voice of God that calls to prayer.” Similar steps can be taken by the laity. For example, there are those who set the alarm on their wristwatch for 3 p.m. or 1500 h. Our Lord taught us through Saint Faustina that this is the hour of mercy. By following that strategy, when the alarm goes off, one could perhaps pray the Divine Mercy chaplet, or if busy, simply take a moment to acknowledge the presence of God in one’s life.
Taking necessary steps sets our hearts in motion towards the divine, towards the goal of keeping our eyes fixed “on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of faith” (Hebrews 12:2). In the traditional liturgy for Ash Wednesday, our Lord Jesus Christ teaches us through Saint Matthew’s Gospel the following: “Ubi enim est thesaurus tuus, ibi est cor tuum – For where thy treasure is, there is thy heart also”(Matthew 6:21). Hopefully we all have our treasure and hearts set on celestial realms.
The serious pursuit of intimacy with the Most Holy Trinity will meet with difficulties because of our human weaknesses. “Lord, if it is You, tell me to come to You across the water” (Matthew 14:28). These are the familiar words of Saint Peter, but words that clearly delineate how our own shortcomings make the journey tedious. Peter could have successfully walked across the ocean and embrace Jesus, but he let the storm take his focus off of his Master.
While Lent calls us to “intense prayer” (Saint John Paul II), the Church is very aware of how the sojourn down the straight and narrow path can meet with setbacks. In her liturgies during Lent we see and hear words like, “Between the porch and the altar, the priests, the Lord’s ministers shall weep and shall say: ‘Spare, O Lord, spare Thy people; and close not the mouths that sing to Thee, O Lord.’”
Once again in the traditional liturgy for Ash Wednesday is this prayer:
“Grant us, Lord, the grace to begin the Christian’s war of defense with holy fasts:
that as we do battle with the spirits of evil, we may be protected by the help of self-denial.”
And, when we fail in areas of self-denial and fasting, other words like: “Look upon us, O Lord, according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies” are in the liturgy to assist us. In Lent it is not our garments we rent but our hearts, that living altar.
Sacred Scripture and the Divine Office are great ways to hear the Voice of God. Saint Bernard said: “Because they are blessed who keep God’s Word, you keep it, so it will come down to the bottom of your soul.”
Sometimes God also calls us into the desert, that is, a place to be alone with God. Jesus said: “When you shall pray, enter into your chamber, and having shut the door, pray to your Father in secret, and your Father Who sees in secret will repay you” (Matthew 6:6). In solitude, God speaks to the heart. It is then that our hearts truly become a living altar, from which our prayers ascend to Him.
Theodore the Studite, a Byzantine monk said: “A monk is one who gazes at God alone, who ardently desires only God, who has consecrated himself to God and tries hard to give Him an undivided worship; he is in peace with God and becomes a source of peace for others.” There is a monk within each of us. The soul’s desire for God might be rejected by the flesh, but the soul’s longing to have intimacy with God doesn’t disappear. During this penitential season, may we all discover our own inner-monk.
Best wishes on your journey!
It's a day of celebration, most especially for Pope Francis and all Jesuits as today the Church recalls the piousness of Saint Ignatius of Loyola.
Born in the year 1491 in northern Spain, much of his youthful years were spent in the army before he had a conversion to a life of holiness which began while recuperating from a leg injury during which he read two books: "The Life of Christ" and "The Flower of the Saints". He did his theological studies in Paris and later at Rome he formed the Jesuit Order or Society of Jesus (Societas Iesu).
Familiar to many Catholics is Ignatius' development of "The Spiritual Exercises" which is a series of prayers, meditations and learning contemplation, all with the goal of helping one to have a deeper relationship with God.
As told by Luis González de Cámara in today's Office of Readings, Saint Ignatius, after reading about Christ or the saints, he would ponder: "What if I were to do what blessed Francis did, or what blessed Dominic did?" This kind of thinking occupied his thoughts. Does it occupy our thoughts? Are our thoughts consumed with being holy and becoming saints?
What a beautiful thought in this morning's Benedictus antiphon at Lauds: "Utinam possim cognoscere Christum et virtutem resurrectionis eius!" - "Would that I could know Christ and the power of His Resurrection!"
The Responsory today after that Second Reading from Luis González in the Office of Readings is quite demanding of all servants of Christ - but reflect on this most especially if you serve in a liturgical ministry: "Whoever serves, let him do it with the power that God bountifully gives him" (1 Peter 4:11). This speaks volumes about the necessity for friendly and hospitable ushers, about the reverence in serving at the altar, about the preparedness of lectors to proclaim God's word, for extraordinary ministers - a perpetual and trembling recollection of the great "I AM" you distribute at Holy Communion to souls in need of nourishment. And to cantors and the choir? Saint Augustine said: "Sing with your voices, your heart, your lips, and your lives" (Sermo XXXIV).
Saint Ignatius wrote:
“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 any reward,
save that of knowing that we do Thy will”
The Responsory also tells us why this must be: "so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ." Even the prayer of the day reminds us that God raised up Saint Ignatius of Loyola for the greater glory of His Name.
Sancte Ignati de Loyola, ora pro nobis!
