HappyMama

Yesterday I was sweeping innumerable crumbs in my kitchen.  I admit I found myself beginning to think, “why do I have to do this every single day?  All I do is sweep, sweep, sweep!”  Mess, mess, mess.  It is not my goal to have a perfectly clean home.  But we shouldn’t have to step on left-overs every time we walk into the kitchen.  For a moment I was bemoaning my daily chores.

The little devil sitting on my left shoulder started whispering, “And what would you rather be doing with your precious time, my dear?”

To which the little angel sitting on my right shoulder responded, “Honey, go look in that little book over there on your bookshelf.”

I had been meaning to flip through The Way again.  It’s a compilation of sayings by St. Josemaria Escriva.  Here’s the quote I found:

So your talents, your personality, your qualities are being wasted.  So you’re not allowed to take full advantage of them.  Meditate well on these words of a spiritual writer:  “The incense offered to God is not wasted.  Our Lord is more honored by the immolation of your talents than by their vain use.”  684

I’ve long trusted in the immeasurable value of all the little things we do in life, when they are done out of love.  I long ago realized the foolishness of desiring to “fix” the world’s problems by myself.  I have embraced the hidden life… but still need to be reminded every now and then to continue choosing this life, lest I should complain and lose focus on loving.  This is why the writings of the saints are such a treasure for us all.  They cry out to us from across the centuries:  carry on! 

The boys recently found some honey locust seed pods, and we broke them open.  The 4yo asked if we could plant them, so I said, “sure, dig a hole.”  The boys did, and put in the seeds.  “Now cover them up.”  But they didn’t want to.  They wanted to be able to see them and watch them grow.  It’s an instinctive desire to want to watch things change and grow.  The same is true of our spiritual lives.  We’d rather see progress than actually work for it.  And this is why God usually chooses to hide our spiritual growth.  If humans walked around with some sort of “holiness gauge” on their sleeves for all to see, then holiness would become a competition, and the whole point of sanctity - love - would be forgotten.  It’s a lesson to be learned not once, but over a lifetime.

One of my favorite Marian books is called Mystery of Mary:  Model of the Growth of Christian Life by Fr. Marie-Dominique Philippe, O.P.  (Of the Brothers of St. John.)  He writes much about the hiddenness of the Holy Family.  Here’s an excerpt I read recently:

The mystery of the hidden life, from the return from Egypt to the Finding in the Temple, presents to us the model of the very humble and simple sanctification of the manual work of Mary, as mistress of the household in Nazareth.  Scripture gives us no detail concerning this entire period, the predominant character of which is to be hidden and to develop according to the common law of mankind.  It simply states:  “And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him…” 

It’s only this progress of the Child-God… that the Holy Spirit wanted to point out so as to bring it to full light.  Corresponding to Jesus’ physical and experiential progress, there occurs in Mary’s heart a wonderful ascent in love.  This very obscure work we mentioned, totally directed as it is towards God and totally in the service of fraternal charity, is as it were the daily food which enables this ascent in charity to be realized in such a divine and simple, but also such a steady way.  

If charity transforms work by ordering it to God & neighbor, by giving it a new meaning, the work accepted out of love is at the same time a sort of fuel which keeps this divine fire of love burning, which offers it some human penal matter to burn to enable it to be more and more pure and bright in the eyes of God, but more and more hidden, as though covered with ashes, in the eyes of men.

It is in this light that we should understand how charity transforms all the tedious labor connected with the duties of our state of life…  God likes to plunge the souls he loves into the common and banal duty of mankind for a long time, so that they may progress and become stronger in their humble love…  This entire period remains a mystery of joy.  Jesus is present.  No matter how tedious and difficult, the labor becomes joyful and a source of joy if Jesus is there and it is done for Him.  For human labor keeps the family community closely united and enables it to experience a new intimacy, that of common work accomplished together in view of reaching the same goal…

http://tinyurl.com/yxewot

Many years ago a beloved priest gave me this advice, nearly word for word.  Today I was reading Augustine and found the passage from Tractates on the First Letter of St. John:

The entire life of a good Christian is in fact an exercise of holy desire.  You do not yet see what you long for, but the very act of desiring prepares you, so that when He comes you may see and be utterly satisfied.

Suppose you are going to fill some holder or container, and you know you will be given a large amount.  Then you set about stretching your sack or wineskin or whatever it is.  Why?  Because you know the quantity you will have to put in it and your eyes tell you there is not enough room.  By stretching it, therefore, you increase the capacity of the sack, and this is how God deals with us.  Simply by making us wait he increases our desire, which in turn enlarges the capacity of our soul, making it able to receive what is to be given to us…

We may go on speaking figuratively of honey, gold or wine - but whatever we say we cannot express the reality we are to receive. The name of that reality is God.  But who will claim that in that one syllable we utter the full expanse of our hearts desire?  Therefore, whatever we say is necessarily less than the full truth.  We must extend ourselves toward the measure of Christ so that when He comes He may fill us with His presence.  Then we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.  [1.john]

After 50 days of celebrating the Easter season, the Church has returned to Ordinary Time. And, as the saying goes, there’s nothin’ ordinary about Ordinary time! In our classroom, it is time to put away the white tablecloth on the prayer table. I explained to my 4-year-old that Ordinary time is a time for growth in our faith. “What color is a good color for things that are growing?” I asked him, and he responded with the “correct” answer - green! Our tablecloth will be green until Advent. (Unless I find the time to celebrate a few martyrs with some red along the way!)

I will put away our baptism materials until next Easter, excepting the Paschal candle. Our little doll has been baptized aplenty for now! (Yes, we do have one doll in our house!) Baptism teaches us about the basics of life. It’s 2 major symbols are light and water - exactly what is needed for little plants to grow. “I am the vine, you are the branches.” May this “ordinary” time be one of growing in your faith, illumined by the Son and quenched by the water of His love.

Came across this passage in the 1st-century work, the Didache, and thought it was a timely reflection on the Eucharist, as the celebration of Corpus Christi approaches:

 Chapter 10, Prayer After Communion:

“But after ye are filled (have received communion,) thus give thanks: 

We thank Thee, holy Father, for Thy holy name which Thou didst cause to tabernacle in our hearts, and for the knowledge and faith and immortality, which Thou madest known to us through Jesus Thy Servant; to Thee be the glory for ever.  Thou, Master almighty, didst create all things for Thy name’s sake; Thou gavest food and drink to men for enjoyment, that they might give thanks to Thee; but to us Thou didst freely give spiritual food and drink and life eternal through Thy Servant.  Before all things we thank Thee that Thou art mighty; to Thee be the glory forever.  Remember, Lord, Thy Church, to deliver it from all evil and to make it perfect in Thy love, and gather it from the four winds, sanctified for Thy kingdom which Thou hast prepared for it; for Thine is the power and the glory forever.  Let grace come, and let this world pass away.  Hosanna to the God of David!  If any one is holy, let him come; if any one is not so, let him repent.  Maranatha [Aramaic, "Our Lord Comes"], Amen. 

But permit the prophets to make Thanksgiving as much as they desire.”

Taken from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Translations of the Writings of the Fathers Down to AD 325, Roberts & Donaldson, editors, 1888.  My emphasis.

I came across a poignant quote this morning during my Scripture study.  It was in the commentary below the Gospel Transfiguration event.  St. John of the Cross is writing to those who seek visions, mystical experiences, or any other type of direct revelation from God the Father in order to bolster their faith:

“[such a person] would not only be acting foolishly, he would be committing an offence against God by not setting his eyes solely upon Christ, and seeking no new thing or aught beside.  And God might answer him after this manner, saying:  If I have spoken all things to you in my Word, which is My Son, and I have no other word, what answer can I now make to you, or what can I reveal to you which is greater than this?  Set your eyes on him alone, for in him I have spoken and revealed all things to you, and in him you will find even more than what you ask and desire for… Listen to him, for I have no more faith to reveal, neither have I any more things to declare.”  (Ascent of Mount Carmel, 2, 22,5.)

 The quote struck me immediately, because I have a friend who is really struggling with faith now, and just yesterday I was wishing that that person could have some sort of mystical experience like St. Paul getting knocked off his horse… But this morning I am reminded that miracles like that are extraordinary means not in the works for the vast majority of us.  Our faith must be nourished slowly and methodically, one day at a time, like all my little plants I’m growing.  Patience, patience, patience, and continual recourse to the one and only Word of God, Jesus Christ.

Here are some prayer requests:

1. Thomas (is he 6 now?) is having a hernia surgery tomorrow.
2. A home-schooling mother of 5 has recently been diagnosed with Lupus & Von Willebrand’s disease.
3. Also - here’s a prayer request from my friend Janice:

Would you please pray for a dear friend of mine, who also is Stevan’s
godmother.  Her name is Lois.  She has breast cancer, had surgery, found out
that the cancer is aggressive and had spread to 8 of her 12 lymph nodes, and
they suspect it may have also spread to major organs in her body.  She is
asking the intercession of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and wouldn’t be
unhappy with a miraculous healing!    …Her children are all grown and married.
She requests that we pray for her continued peace, and that her faith in her
situation can witness to others, including her family. The situation has
already brought blessings: a close friend who is a doctor and professed
atheist has agreed to pray to and ask Jesus for his help for her, and a
(lukewarm) Catholic friend’s faith was deeply stirred when she attended a
charismatic prayer service for Lois.

I’m still enthralled by the idea of learning how to grow in virtue by understanding my temperament, thanks to this fantastic book.  I picked up this booklet in the back of church last week, and low and behold, there was an exact description of my personal weaknesses when it comes to pride.  I’ll copy it below.  And just for fun, I’ll add my hubby’s as well.  :)  If you are sanguine or phlegmatic and want me to add your description, let me know.  If you don’t know your type, buy the first book linked above, or email me and I’ll send you a little quiz in the mail.  (For those of you who know me, that is!)

“Searching into our type of pride is very important for obtaining a true knowledge of ourselves, and for making fruitful efforts to root out sin and vice from our life… 

If we are melancholic, our pride conceals itself under the garb of self-pity and oversensitiveness.  Resentment, harboring grudges, suspicion, and unexpressed hostility are included in it.  Often this pride is not recognized for what it is because it conceals itself as such, so we do not confess it as pride…

If we have a choleric temperament, our pride is manifested in a strong self-will.  We find it hard to submit to others or to yield to their opinions.  We are often overbearing, critical, given to arguing, inflated with a sense of superiority, inconsiderate of the rights of others…”