Happy 238th Birthday to the U.S. Marine Corps

Happy 238th Birthday to the U.S. Marine Corps

Donald Douglas at American Power - 1 hour ago

At the Daily Caller, "Happy 238th Birthday Marines: A message From the Commandant of the Marine Corps": For 238 years, The United States Marine Corps has proudly served our great Nation with unfailing valor – bolstered by the enduring fortitude of our fellow Marines, our families, and our friends. This is why each year on November 10th, Marines from all generations gather together, in groups large and small, to celebrate the birthday of our Corps and to reflect on the proud legacy and warrior ethos we share. This is what unites us as Marines. From our first battle at New Providence... more »

Bd. Elizabeth of the Trinity OCD

Elizabeth of the Trinity belonged henceforth to the entire Church.

Upon her death, the prioress described her body “like a skeleton,” and a close friend wrote that the sight of her body "was frightening. You had the sense of a creature who had been ravaged, consumed.” Even so, Elizabeth was able to pen a handful of letters (with the help of the prioress) to loved ones. An excerpt from perhaps her most famous one, written to her prioress, can speak to us all:

[God] rejoices to build you up by His love and for His glory, and it is He alone who wants to work in you, even though you will have done nothing to attract this grace except that which a creature can do: works of sin and misery...He loves you like that....He will do everything in you. He will go to the end: for when a soul is loved by Him to this extent, in this way, loved by an unchanging and creative love, a free love which transforms as it pleases Him, oh, how far this soul will go! .... the fidelity that the Master asks of you is to remain in communion with Love, flow into, be rooted in this Love .... You will never be commonplace if you are vigilant in love! But in the hours when you feel only oppression and lassitude, you will please Him even more if you faithfully believe that He is still working, that He is loving you just the same, and even more: because His love is free and that is how He wants to be magnified in you; and you will let yourself be loved more than these.... You are called ... to magnify the power of His Love. Believe ... and read these lines as if coming from Him.

                                     Elisabeth de la Trinité, priez pour nous!

You can read more from Christine at her own blog,Laudem Gloriae.

...it is impossible for a Christian to take part in Antisemitism.

Pope Pius XI at Sistine Chapel Mass

"Mark well that in the Catholic Mass, Abraham is our Patriarch and forefather. Antisemitism is incompatible with the lofty thought which that fact expresses. It is a movement with which we Christians can have nothing to do. No, no, I say to you it is impossible for a Christian to take part in Antisemitism. It is inadmissible. Through Christ and in Christ we are the spiritual progeny of Abraham. Spiritually, we [Christians] are all Semites."

Pope Pius XI

6 September 1938

- See more at: http://papastronsay.blogspot.com/2011/10/text-of-letter-prophesied-to-father.html#sthash.h8fCx0UP.dpuf

What weight of ancient witness can prevail / If private judgement hold the public scale? -Dryden

Pray for the Dead: One of the Acts of Mercy

At Least 10,00 Feared Dead in Philippines Typhoon

Donald Douglas at American Power - 1 hour ago

At LAT, "Typhoon may have killed nearly 10,000 in Philippines." At at WSJ, "Thousands Feared Dead in the Philippines in Wake of Typhoon: Red Cross and Authorities Fear Toll Could Rise to the Thousands": MANILA—The Philippine National Red Cross said Sunday that the death toll from supertyphoon Haiyan could run into the thousands, adding that it is difficult to perform the grim calculations because the massive storm left bodies scattered over wide areas. Photographs and video taken Sunday in Tacloban—a city especially hard hit—showed dead people being pulled from rubble and mud, car... more »

"God is on the latter's side"

“…How can we exclude anyone from our care? Rather we must recognize Christ in the poorest and the most marginalized, those whom the Eucharist – which is communion is the Body and Blood of Christ given up for us – commits us to serve. As the parable of the rich man, who will remain forever without a name, and the poor man called Lazarus clearly shows, ‘in the stark contrast between the insensitive rich man and the poor in need of everything, God is on the latter’s side’. We too must be on this same side.”  

~Bd. John Paul II

                                                          

CONSOLATION

"It is I; be not afraid."

WHEN I sink down in gloom or fear,
Hope blighted or delay'd,
Thy whisper, Lord, my heart shall cheer,
"'Tis I; be not afraid!"
Or, startled at some sudden blow,
If fretful thoughts I feel,
"Fear not, it is but I!" shall flow,
As balm my wound to heal.
Nor will I quit Thy way, though foes
Some onward pass defend;
From each rough voice the watchword goes,
"Be not afraid! ... a friend!"
And oh! when judgment's trumpet clear
Awakes me from the grave,
Still in its echo may I hear,
"'Tis Christ; He comes to save."   -Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Zaccheo [from Abbey-Roads]

Zaccheo [Zaccheus]

I have a special love of 'Zaccheus'.  I am descended from a Zaccheus who was a post/stagecoach driver up and down the Natchez Trace.  I am told he was quite a character. I bear his daughter's name.

From Terry's blog (Thanks!):

"Today I must stay at your house." 
I love this Gospel - in fact I have been thinking of it on and off for several days, so I was surprised when I discovered it was today's Gospel.
The Holy Father has a beautiful homily for today, as do many other priests...

Zacchaeus is sort of a funny guy - the Gospel passage strikes me as sort of humorous.  I like to think his enthusiasm delighted Our Lord.  Christ may have already been told who Zacchaeus was and most likely knew what he did, and why he was despised.  Of course, he also could see into his heart, and more deeply, God "knew him before he formed him in his mother's womb."  Therefore it seems to me safe to say, Christ first went in search of Zacchaeus, "for you show yourself first and go out to meet those who seek you"  as St. John of the Cross says.

Since my monastery days - I've been accustomed to understanding this Gospel as an invitation to recollection, the prayer of recollection.  I like to imagine Christ, in the deepest center of our heart, of our soul, calling us to leave behind our preoccupation with externals, the distractions we seek and those which assail us.  I like to think Jesus calls us to come down, to get out of our brains as it were, to put aside all the intellectual, theological speculation and commune with him in silent, loving prayer.  Even when we find ourselves so imperfect.  Despite our failures, I think Christ sees us already cleansed of our sins, and calls out:

"O soul, most beautiful of all creatures, that so greatly desires to know the place where your Beloved is, in order to seek Him and be united with Him.... It is a matter of great contentment and joy for you to see that He is so near you as to be within you. Rejoice and be glad in your inward recollection with Him, since you have Him so near. There desire Him, there adore Him, and do not go to seek Him outside yourself." - Spiritual Canticle

... When good people grumble about our sinfulness and scandalous life, (and they do) - then we can all the more repent, and rejoice with Zacchaeus, that we are at last 'found out'.  We can then  follow the example of Zacchaeus, confess our failings, striving to make reparation, while trusting in God's mercy - God, who first loved us, who sought us out, with the intention of staying in our house this day.  We can repent every day, and return to our inward cell of recollection.  Because God comes to save what was lost.

“There is no occupation or social condition, no sin or crime of any kind, that could erase from the memory and the heart of God even one of His children.” God is a Father, always keeping a watchful and loving vigil “to see reborn in the hearts of the child the desire to return home. And when He recognizes that desire, even simply stated, He is immediately close by, and with His forgiveness He makes the path of conversion and return easier.” - Pope Francis