Our Lady of Victory

On this Feast of Our Lady, I was so happy to read the daily Gospel from Luke 10:38-42. It is exactly what I needed. 

Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me." The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her."

And what better way than to pray the Holy Rosary given to St. Dominic. It's like sitting at the feet of Mary as she tells us the greatest story. And it happens to be the most powerful weapon against evil. Our Lady, Queen of Peace, pray for us. 

Octave of Easter and Divine Mercy

What a wonderful Easter! I only just learned about the Via Lucis--the Way of Light--and it is so wonderful meditating on the Resurrection and all that He promises. From Mary Magdalene mistaking the Risen Christ for the gardener to recognizing Him (Noli me tangere by Fra Bartolomeo) to telling the disciples, "I have seen the Lord!" Peter and John running to the empty tomb (Disciples Running by Eugene Burnard) and discovering the folded napkin (it means He's coming back) to the Apostles receiving the power to forgive sins and Thomas believing because he can see and touch our Lord (Incredulity of Thomas by Caravaggio). I am so grateful for Confession, where our Lord's Divine Mercy is poured out on us, making us as new as the day of our baptism. 

Some pictures from our Easter Octave: a visit with my friend from CA, practice with my quartet, Adoration, singing at a wedding, enjoying a meal out, meeting the kids at a brewery (very important for Michael's research), and with my barbershop sisters, dancing on the pier! Every day I am grateful to God for bringing us to beautiful Charleston, where we've grown so much in our faith, thanks to our good and holy priests and our friends.

Sede Vacante

INTROIT • “Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine…” keeps running through my head for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis. The Divine Mercy chaplet too.  

I've also been praying to St. Catherine of Siena for the church. Please join me. 

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Heavenly Father, Thy glory is in Thy saints. We praise Thy glory in the life of the admirable St. Catherine of Siena, virgin and doctor of the Church. Her whole life was a noble sacrifice inspired by an ardent love of Jesus, Thy unblemished Lamb.

In troubled times she strenuously upheld the rights of His beloved spouse, The Church. Father, honor her merits and hear her prayers for each of us, and for Thy Holy Catholic Church.

Help us to pass unscathed through the corruption of this world, and to remain unshakably faithful to Thy Holy Catholic Church in word, deed, and example.

Help us always to see in the Petrine See and true Vicar of Christ an anchor in the storms of life, and a beacon of light to the harbor of Thy Love, in this dark night of Thy times and men’s souls.

Grant also to each of us our special petition:

For the conclave to elect a deeply Catholic Pope; that we receive the gift of Counsel so that we may quickly and accurately discern the truth of current events and react rightly, and above all, that God’s will be done.

We ask this through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, in the unity of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

St. Catherine of Siena, pray for us.

St. Peter, pray for us.

St. Joseph, pray for us.

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Passiontide

There's been so much excitement with the barbershop competition, it's been hard to maintain some of my Lenten devotions. It is already a busy time preparing for the liturgies so I am grateful that next year the competition will be in May. It was a shock to my system going for Adoration one day, where I could feast my eyes on the Blessed Sacrament and the Altar and then the next, with the statues covered up. Not only is the Gloria gone, but the Gloria Patri as well, and now some of the visual beauty. 

I've been praying the Stations of the Cross privately using Tina Jost's One Hour for My Priest. It might be my most favorite section along with Help Him! Our parish has been praying the Stations every Wed, followed by a soup supper. What I love about the corporate prayers is that the priest recites this beautiful prayer after Benediction:

O Jesus Christ, remember,

when Thou shalt come again,

upon the clouds of heaven,

with all Thy shining train;

when every eye shall see

Thee in deity revealed,

who now upon this altar

in silence are concealed.

Remember then, O Savior,

we supplicate of Thee,

that here we bowed before Thee

upon our bended knee;

that here we owned Thy Presence,

and did not Thee deny,

and glorified Thy greatness

though hid from human eye.

Accept, Divine Redeemer,

the homage of our praise;

be Thou the light and honor

and glory of our days.

Be Thou our consolation

when death is drawing nigh:

be Thou our only treasure

through all eternity. Amen.  

We're in the middle of Holy Week and preparing beautiful music for all the liturgies for the Sacred Triduum. Spring is here and I'm loving the warm weather and the promise of renewal. We had such a lovely weekend, riding our bikes to Waterfront park and providing some background music for the 379th birthday of Capt. Robert Daniell (our island town is named in his honor).  

Happy New Year!

January is the month of the Holy Name of Jesus, which means God saves. I love that January 1st is the Octave Day of Christmas, the day of our blessed Lord's circumcision, where He first shed His Precious Blood for us, according to the Law, and is given the name JESUS, the Holy Name told to St. Joseph (Matt 20-23):

But after he had pondered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to embrace Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin will be with child
and will give birth to a son,
and they will call Him Immanuel”
(which means, “God with us”).

Even one drop would've been sufficient to save us all but He chose to give ALL 33 years later on Calvary. I developed a devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus a couple of years ago and was surprised that our Lord's Circumcision isn't included. I do as a matter of habit because it was when His Holy Name was given and so often, His Name alone is my prayer. I hope to die with Jesus upon my lips.

It is also the Feast of the Maternity of Mary, Virgin Mother of God. It is all still so much a mystery to me, this Infant, who created His own mother. Of course, she'd be perfect!

A blessed and happy New Year! May it be filled with love and laughter, joy and peace, in all that you do. And words! My words for this year are Heal, Restore, Renew. Here I am with my sister--we got to sing together for two Masses. (Holy Family and Feast of the Circumcision).

Advent: A Time for Waiting, Praying and Singing

One of my favorite ways to prepare for Christmas is to pray 15x/day beginning on the Feast of St. Andrew (Nov. 30th) until Christmas Eve:

Hail, and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. At that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayers and grant my desires (mention your intentions here), through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His most Blessed Mother. Amen. 

It places me immediately at the manger and into the mystery of Christmas. So many prayers have been answered over the years. Deo gratias! I love how succinctly Enid M. Chadwick depicts Advent (and other feasts and other Anglo-Catholic traditions) in My Book of the Church's Year.

A couple of years ago, I learned the delightful story below about Gregorian chant. Our choir director sings the trope that tells how the Holy Ghost whispered into the ear of Pope St. Gregory in response to his prayer and then we all come in for the Introit for the first Sunday of Advent, Ad te levavi... When I poked around to learn more, I came across the art here. Translation: When the most holy Gregory poured out prayers to the Lord that He might surrender to him from above a musical gift in song then the Holy Spirit descended upon him in the form of a dove and enlightened his heart to such a degree that at last he began to sing saying this: Ad te levavi... (Introit for the first Sunday of Advent). A most blessed Advent to all.

Prayers Answered--Hallelujah!

Last night, I very much felt as I did in 2016, that we were at the edge of a precipice, that our country wouldn't be the same if the democrats stayed in power. I remember going to bed that night, praying that Trump would win, but didn't really think he had a chance. Imagine my joy when Michael woke me up to tell me he'd won. I only heard lamentations from some of my liberal friends--many stopped speaking to me. Yet, their fears were unfounded. President Trump governed well. The world was more stable. And we moved in the proper direction towards defending and protecting life. 

These past four years, we've seen a terrible deterioration in our nation and instability in the world. Public policy regarding Covid was tyranny. So many people's livelihoods were destroyed due to the lockdowns, especially the small businesses. So many were coerced to take the shots that have done more harm than good. And the lies!!! Suppression of valuable information. Persecuting anybody who questions the narrative. And the relentless persecution of President Trump. And yet, I believe that God allowed us to have leaders who were incompetent at best and evil at worst as a punishment for our sins as a nation. I am thankful because these past four years exposed the corruption and collusion within the govt. along with the media and big tech. Trump didn't have to run given all the grief he's been given for the past ten years, including two assassination attempts; he could've retired in his palatial home in Florida. But he fought for the American people. We the people came to support him.

I predicted to my friends that he'd win in a landslide, mostly because I couldn't imagine anyone so blind that they'd want to vote for such a weak candidate as Harris. She has no accomplishments to show, only a great desire to have abortion on demand. It is so bizarre that so many people still supported her for something so horrible. I wanted Trump to win the popular vote too, so there'd be no question. We the people have spoken.  

We the people have been praying and fasting for our nation. I am so thankful to God that finally we can return to some sanity. It's going to take some time to clean up the various departments; he is surrounding himself with knowledgeable people who can help him and I am hopeful. As are so many of our young friends. We oldies were invited to a mega MAGA party and it was such a consolation to see the red wave across the country. Last night, when I went to bed, I knew we'd pulled back from the precipice. Thank you, Lord. With Your help, we can make America great again. This is my prayer from America the Beautiful:

America! America!
God mend thine ev’ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law.

October Saints

Busy month...but with lots of celebrations. October also has the feast of our Holy Guardian Angels (I have a great devotion to mine and wrote about it: My Guardian Dear | Vijaya Bodach | Shalom Tidings) and one of my favorite saints--the Little Flower of Lisieux, Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. Her Story of a Soul is a classic, one that made me fall in love with her and her "Little Way." 

We had lovely High Masses and a procession for the Feast of our Lady of the Rosary. It is the easiest prayer and allows one to contemplate the life of our Lord. Our pastor often reminds us about how when people are old and have forgotten everything, they can still recite an Ave Maria. The first half is from Scripture: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. And the second is a petition--Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Prayer is what is needed in these terrible times we are facing right now. Wars. Natural disasters. Government incompetence and corruption. Election.

Fr. Chad Ripperger has penned a prayer for the upcoming election: Mary Immaculate, living tabernacle of the Divinity, where the eternal Wisdom lies hidden to be adored and served by angels and men, Queen of heaven and of earth, beneath whose sway are subject all things that are lower than God, Patroness of the United States of America, sorrowful and mindful of our own sinfulness and the sins of our nation, we come to Thee, our refuge and hope. Knowing that our country cannot be saved by our own works and mindful of how much our nation has departed from the ways of Thy Son, we humbly ask that Thou wouldst turn Thine eyes upon our country to bring about its conversion. We consecrate to Thee the integrity of the upcoming election and its outcome, so that what is spiritually and morally best for the citizens of our country may be accomplished, and that all of those who are elected would govern according to the spiritual and moral principles which will bring our nation into conformity with the teachings of Thy Son. Give grace to the citizens of this land so that they will choose leaders according to the Sacred Heart of Thy Son, that His glory may be made manifest, lest we be given the leaders we deserve. Trusting in the providential care of God the Father and Thy maternal care, we have perfect confidence that Thou wilt take care of us and will not leave us forsaken. O Mary Immaculate, pray for us. Amen. 

September Saints

How quickly this year is going--it's back to school for my future son-in-law (his last semester, yay!)--and the rest of it is going to fly! We begin celebrating High Masses again with the Nativity of Mary. Only three birthdays on earth are celebrated in the Catholic Church: The birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Dec. 25th, the birth of Mary, His most Holy Mother on Sep. 8th, and the birth of St. John the Baptist on June 24th. All three were sinless. Jesus, by virtue of being the Son of Man; Mary, for being conceived without Original Sin (by the foreseen merits of our Lord's Sacrifice on the Cross); and John the Baptist, sanctified in his mother's womb at the Visitation. All other saints worked out their sanctification with fear and trembling, as we should too. (Phil 2:12) 

September is also the month of Mary under her title of Our Lady of Sorrows. “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow…” ~ Lamentations 1:12 You can see the prayers and promises our Lady promises to those who remember her sorrow here: Know The 7 Sorrows and Promises of Our Lady of Sorrows (goodcatholic.com)

1. The Prophecy of Simeon. ~ Luke 2:34–35
2. The Flight into Egypt. ~Matthew 2:13
3. The loss of the child Jesus in the Temple. ~Luke 2:43–45
4. Mary meets Jesus on the way to Calvary.
5. Jesus dies on the cross. ~John 19:25
6. The piercing of the side of Jesus, and Mary's receiving the body of Jesus in her arms. ~Matthew 27:57–59
7. The body of Jesus is placed in the tomb. ~John 19:40–42

Happy Feast of St. Augustine of Hippo

"Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would not have been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace." ~ St. Augustine of Hippo. 

I love this saint so very much because he converted in middle age, like we did. I marvel at how much he accomplished in his second half of his life! Oh, that we could attain the heights of sanctity as he did. Oh, that we could redeem lost time. And luckily, St. Teresa de Avila, wrote a prayer just for that. How blessed are we to have examples of these great saints:

O my God! Source of all mercy! I acknowledge Your sovereign power. While recalling the wasted years that are past, I believe that You, Lord, can in an instant turn this loss to gain. Miserable as I am, yet I firmly believe that You can do all things. Please restore to me the time lost, giving me Your grace, both now and in the future, that I may appear before You in "wedding garments." Amen. 

Feast of the Sacred Heart--Oh, Console Him!

Agony in the Garden, Frans Schwarz, 1888

Today is the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Devotion to the Sacred Heart began with St. Gertrude, popularized by St. Margaret Mary, and finalized in the Divine Mercy. But its origin is really when the Apostle John rested his head on His Heart at the Last Supper. This history is written beautifully in Bulman's Sacred Fire, which I reviewed here.

What always struck me was our Lord revealing his sorrow to St. Margaret Mary: "Behold the Heart which has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming Itself, in order to testify Its love; and in return, I receive from the greater part only ingratitude, by their irreverence and sacrilege, and by the coldness and contempt they have for Me in this Sacrament of Love." It made me want to console Him like the angel did in the Garden of Gethsemane. 

I used to think that that Jesus's Agony in the Garden was due to my sins. And yes, indeed, I have scourged Him, crowned Him with thorns, nailed Him to the Cross. He suffered and died for me out of love for me. But all I gave Him was my indifference. I am eternally grateful that He never stopped chasing me, loving me, drawing me close, even though I was in the pit of sin. I can no longer call my life my own, but His. And how sweet it is to belong to Jesus. Jesus, my Love! So one day, during Adoration it came to me that His Agony is over the lost souls. It is true, God creates us without our permission but He will not save us without our acceptance of His Grace to save us. We must freely choose to love Him or else it wouldn't be love. The Muslim way, "Convert or die!" is not the way of Jesus. There is no coercion, only a proposal. 

Pope St. John Paul II wrote, "The crucifixion of Christ is the event that expresses with stunning clarity how Jesus is a symbol of contradiction. In fact, people line up on two sides: those who adore him and those who mock him..." 

They shall look on Him Whom they have pierced. John 19:37 Every one of us who looks upon the Crucified Christ has to make a choice: love Him or mock him. During Lent and Easter this year, I read Consoling the Heart of Jesus by Fr. Gaitley. And what is amazing is that even as I choose to love and console Him with my poor, little heart, it is He Who consoles me, tells me how much He loves me, just as I am, even in my sins. He leads me ever closer to Himself. May He draw you ever closer too. 

June: Humble like Jesus or Proud like Satan

June is the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, He Who is meek and humble, who poured out every drop of His Precious Blood to save us from our sins. I find it increasingly ironic that in our culture June is dedicated to Pride--a capital sin, most opposed to humility. And it is indeed pride that makes some people think they know better than the God Who created them. Sigh. I truly, truly feel sad for the people who cannot appreciate the body they are in, but to think that physicians promote giving them hormones or surgery to heal their deep wounds is criminal. From the very beginning this diabolical experiment (at Johns Hopkins and recounted in As Nature Made Him by John Colapinto) was filled with lies. I wept reading this book many years ago and I couldn't bear to talk about it. But we mustn't stay silent. What a tragedy, both twins, Brian and David Reimer, took their lives from the trauma they endured at the hands of the medical establishment. And increasingly, they target children. 

The plethora of books for little ones with LGBTQ content is unbelievable. I presented ways to counter this at a Write2Ignite conference prior to the lockdowns. I don't know how an industry dedicated to children has become so corrupt as to blithely harm them. Today is the Feast of Charles Lwanga and his companions, who were tortured for their refusal to engage in homosexual acts with the king. It went against their newfound Catholic faith, which they refused to give up, and for this they were killed. This old article from Fr. Rutler is ever relevant today: New Advent: Ours has become a neo-pagan culture, and that can be even worse than a simple pagan culture 

This is why I was so pleased to read in the Federalist Louisiana Catholics Resist The ‘Pride’ Infiltration Of Their Town (thefederalist.com) that people are fighting back. They take the emblem of the Vendée martyrs (French Revolution).

Oh, Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of Mercy for us, I trust in YOU! Save us!