A.M.D.G.
J.M.J.
Hey, all! I think that I should let you all know what has been going on with me of late. Things have gotten confusing for me in the area of discernment.
As some of my friends at AQ know, I have been going through something that I would not have expected to experience. You see, over the past few weeks to a couple months I have been getting those stirrings in my heart that I used to get before I started dating Dominic. Yes, you guessed it, God is placing the idea in my heart of the possibility of being called to the religious life again.
The thing is is that I really, really love Dominic. Before someone starts asking if something is going on between us ... there isn't. Everything has been going so darn well that is a surprise to me that these ideas are coming into my head and heart again. Even more, why they are so strong and persistent.
One side of the "problem" is that whenever I think of the possibility of being a religious sister, I have this feeling of overwhelming right-ness. I don't know how to describe it but when I was talking to Matt about it today (I find my spiritual talks with him most edifying) he said that he understood what I meant. There are times that I just want to "run off" and join a religious order. These things have gotten so specific that I know what order I would join ... those wonderful OPs in Ann Arbor (Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist). It all feels so right and sometimes I wonder what I am doing here in Grand Rapids and at AQ when I could be in the Pre-Postulancy with the Sisters.
Case in point, this past Sunday at Mass at Saint Izzy's, when I was kneeling in prayer before Communion, I think I went into something of an ecstasy. At least I was very rapt up in my prayer. I felt this sense of one-ness with God that I have not felt before in a long time. It was a feeling like "I don't want to leave. I don't want this to end. This is happiness. Right here. Right now." I felt such a wonderful sense of union with God that I could think of nothing else but spending the rest of my life devoted to Him and Him alone. If I could describe the true depth of what I experienced, I would. But I can't. This isn't even the first time this happened. It even happened at Saint Thom's the Sunday before. Both times I had my gaze fixed on the crucifix. Both times I could not help but smile. Both times I did not want it to end. It just keeps getting stronger.
The other side of the "problem" is this: I still love Dominic. Whenever I talk to him, I fall in love with him all over again. Whenever I talk to him, I can't think of being with anyone but him. I can't wait until I see him but I know that it will still cause a divided feeling in me. None of this is his fault. None of it. It breaks my heart that I can be so divided over my desires. When I talk to him, when I see him, I can't even believe that I thought of doing anything but spending the rest of my life with him. I love Dominic. I can't think of spending my life with anyone but him. And yet, at the same time, I want to spend the rest of my life devoted to God alone. No matter what anyone says, that isn't possible. It's either one or the other.
The one thing that scares me more than anything is hurting Dominic if I decide that God wants me in the religious life. He tells me that I should not worry about it ... but I do and I will.
I am being very selfish to boot too. You see, even if I do end up in the religious life ... I don't want anyone else to have him. I know, terribly selfish but ... it's how I feel and that will be very hard to get rid of.
There are times when I wish that I would have just taken those darn papers for admission into the Sisters of Mary. Sure, I would not have discussed it with the Monsignor but we were at the juncture anyway. He had me looking up orders before I met Dominic. He told me that it was a matter of time before I would know what order I was to join. Sure, it would probably not have been a good idea what with my not talking to my family about it. Sure, it may not have been a good idea what with all my academic obligations. But at least I would have spared Dominic this.
Now, DO NOT interpret the previous paragraph as me saying that "I regret dating Dominic" because that is as far from the truth as it could ever be. I don't regret dating Dominic. I never could. I love Dominic. I love him. I love him. I love him!
What I do regret is putting him through this. Here he is, in this wonderful relationship, there's talk of marriage in the near future and then WHAM! something happens and now she wants to be or is strongly considering the religious life. Can she not make up her mind? Totally unfair to Dominic. Totally unfair.
The past few days I have been lost in thought. As I am walking to and from campus, to and from Wege, to and from different things, I cannot stop thinking about this whole thing. Running over it in my mind. Trying to figure this whole thing out. That's just plain impossible. God's ways are not our ways. But I am determined to, if it comes down to my joining the Sisters, keep the hurt on the part of Dominic to a minimum. I know it's impossible to keep it from happening and I hate myself for even thinking of doing this to him. I really do.
Besides hurting Dominic I also fear some other things. One thing, loneliness. I am sorry but being in a convent of sisters is not the same as having the love of your life sleep next to you every night. I know, if I become a sister I will be married to Christ but still ... nothing can replace that in my book. Another thing, don't think me a perv but, no sex. Before I began dating, I had no concept of how beautiful that act could be and such ... not that I have had sex but ... now that I have the whole dating thing under my belt, I think it will be harder for me to give that thing up. Before I began dating, obedience was going to be the hard vow for me. Now, I think it will be the chastity. I really do.
Another thing, how the hell can I be sure that I am really doing the will of God!?!?! If only God could send me a text, an email, or a memo to get it through this dense Italian head of mine what He wants me to do. But no, I have to go through all this confusion. Which, in reality, my doing on account of my fallen nature. But being the petty human being that I am, I blame it on God. He only knows why He still loves me.
Before I started dating, I was so sure. I was going to be Sister Mary Michael Aloysius of the IHM. I was going to get my Masters in Theology with the possibility of Canon Law studies. I was going to teach at the College level or at a seminary. Now, I am totally in love with two people. Dominic and God. Both of which I can never see leaving. But only one I can choose.
All I can hope in now, besides the providence of God is that I am able to go on the November retreat with the Sisters of Mary. I really really need to go on retreat. More than even I probably know. Hopefully, Godin-chan will be able to go too. Any other young lady in the AQ group interested? It's on November 8th and 9th. It's 25 dollars and that gets you a wonderful retreat and a space on a very popular retreat. You need not be discerning a religious vocation to attend. If you want to go with us, let us know soon and be sure to register ASAP because they fill up quickly.
Well, I hope that gives you all an idea of what I am going through now. This account is not exhaustive. There is more to be said but I am getting tired. If you have any questions or need clarification, please do not assume. Ask me. I am aware of how disorganized these thoughts are but they are written as they came out of my meager and human little head. I could write more but I have a busy day ahead.
If I never ask any of you for anything for the rest of my life I ask you this ... PRAY FOR ME!!! PLEASE!!!
Have a great night!
Dio ti benedica e Maria ti protegge per sempre!
-Allie
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Monday, October 06, 2008
Haven't written one of these in a while ...
A.M.D.G.
J.M.J.
Well, I was meaning to write this yesterday afternoon, but some friends and I ended up going out and about later than we had anticipated so I did not get to write that which I had planned. Add to that the fact that I got two DVDs, "Borat" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's," and some awesome coloring books so ... I got a wee bit distracted. So, since I have a few hours before I have to get to class, I figure I would write it now.
Over the past few Sundays, I have been able to, through the wonderfulness of a friend of mine, go to a nice traditional parish where I know that I will have a valid and licit Mass to fulfill my Sunday obligation and get some real spiritual edification. Trust me, I have been very grateful to this friend and to God that I have been able to do so.
Well, this weekend, we were unable to go to said parish for Mass so we went to the parish that is located next door to campus. I used to go there all the time but I did have my reservations about the place. Wonderful parish, great people, but there are some things that irk me quite a bit there.
As many know, I tend to be very particular about orthopraxy in worship. I credit that to a few things: my experiences at my old high school where we were constantly stuck in the 1970s when it came to liturgical practices (liturgical dance and sappy music make Baby Jesus cry), and my experiences with the Masses on campus (I'm sorry but I don't get any sense of the sacred at those Masses). I compare these experiences with my much more positive experiences at my bleoved home parish (Saint Joan) and at the nice traditional parish I usually attend, and my study of liturgiology (can anyone say Ratzinger's The Spirit of the Liturgy?) and the Church's documents on the liturgy (IGMR and Redemptionis Sacramentum in particular). Needless to say, but I am a liturgical purist, some would call me a "Mass Nazi" but I just ignore it or thank them for the compliment ... if being associated with Nazism in anyway could be a compliment ... : P
My experience at Mass yesterday only reinforced my somewhat cynical views on the Church in this country. I honestly believe that the health of the Church can be gauged by her worship. If the Mass I went to yesterday (and all preceding experiences at the parish) are to tell me anything, the future is looking bleak.
For one thing, the Missal is only followed so long as validity dictates. What does that mean in laymen's terms? Basically, they do enough that the Mass is valid but they do other things that are illicit. One must remember that the validity of the Mass is the important thing. If one attends an invalid Mass knowingly then one has not fulfilled any kind of obligation. Licitness tends to be the thing that is thrown out the window.
Case in point, where in the IGMR does it say that we need to get up and greet the people around us? That immediately gets my Rosary in a knot because suddenly the congregation (I hate it when they call the congregation "the assembly" ... so blech) is focused on itself rather than having the focus immediately be on Christ Who should be the center of all acts of worship be they public or private. Another thing about the time that immediately preceding the beginning of Mass that really miffed me is that they referred to the Mass as "their liturgy." What the heck? Since when does the Mass belong to the people? Sure, it's the people's worship of Christ but it is not truly ours persay. All worship is centered on and belongs to God alone. That is why orthopraxy is so important in the worship life of the Church.
After we were done with all the "howdy, neighbor" crap, the Mass actually began. Of course, it was the same old Marty Haugen craptastic music made more the worship of the assembly. You have no idea how much I want to burn just one (in a perfect world all) copies of those blasted Gather hymnals. We have those at SJA but we don't treat them like the musical Bible. Actually, all the music at this Mass at by Marty Haugen (who ISN'T even CATHOLIC) ... no David Haas. I tell you, those two have done more to stupify and just plan ruin the Church's rich tradition of liturgical music than any one else. You ask young Catholics if they can name any Church composers, they hardly ever say such names at Mozart, Byrd, or Palestrina ... Gregorian Chant ... what the heck is that? They name the liturgical music de-composers Haugen and Haas. *vomits*
Then we moved into the Introit and the Kyrie part of the Liturgy of the Word (Mass of Catechumens for you of the TLM persuasion). Good Lord, first he used the episcopal greeting (Peace be with you) and then he totally mangled the Penitential Rite with some social-justice inspired Kyrie. The absolution was valid and licit. Then we recited the Gloria, this is more of a personal preference, but one would think that since Sunday is a solemnity, they would sing the Gloria ... they sing every other feckin' thing. One would think that if a Gloria is required in the Mass for that day, it would be indicative that that day has a high degree of importance in the Church calendar. I guess not. It's rare enough to hear a chanted Pater Noster nowadays. But anyway ...
After that part of the Mass got mangled, we heard the readings and Gospel ... all good there. I think that was the one part of the Mass that followed as it was supposed to be.
Then came the homily, good Lord. All right, as many of you know, this past Sunday was Respect Life Sunday or Pro-life Sunday ... very inportant this year what with the election happening this year. Well, there was perhaps one very vague allusion to the value of life but nothing specific came of it. He mostly went in circles about some bland social justice virtue. He reminded us over and over about the election. Yeah, we know that the country may or may not be in really deep s*** in four weeks if the election goes a certain way. I don't need o be reminded of that.
One good thing did come of it though. I got my Lauds, midmorning prayers, midafternoon prayers, and Office of Readings done with time to spare while he "preached" his homily. This isn't even a rare occurrence. Every Mass he has ever preached at has been like this. Whenever there is a deacon, I always pray that he preach the homily because at least it will keep me engaged. Thank the Lord a priest friend of mine sent me his exponentially better homily today. His homily was centered on Proposal 2 which is moving to legalize embyronic stem cell research. He speaks of how it alienates the child's fundamental right to life and such. If you would like to see a copy of the homily. I have a Word document with the text. I can only ask that you use it for reading purposes only. This is his work anyway.
Anywho, then came the Liturgy of the Eucharist (Mass of the Faithful), same old banal and blech Haugen crap for the Offertory. Then came the prayers. He did not follow ONE WORD of the Prayer over the Gifts. NOT ONE. Then, the Preface was all right, but I heard alterations. I could not find it under my Sundays of Ordinary Time prefaces in my Daily Roman Missal so I assumed that it was a weekday preface. I recognized it to an extent so I knew that there was some text before him to follow. That was one kind of redeeming factor.
Consecration and such went pretty much verbatim so the Mass was valid, Deo gratias. But for the Communion RIte, I will never understand why there were so many EMHCs. All right, my home church holds over 1,000 people as we have 16 EMHCs (including the priest) who distribute Communion under both species in a relatively good amount of time depending on the crowd and the Mass. This church may hold about a quarter to half of that and they have the same amount of people but the logistics are a bit off. All right, I admit, this is the Master of Ceremonies in me getting flustered but ... honestly, is that necessary? No. The Communion Rite at Saint Joan is so much more fluid and reverent to me. And there may a bit of favoritism but I try to analyze liturgical practice in an objective way in light of official Church practice.
After that was the usual mixture of annoucnments and Post-Communion (which btw, was not followed at all ... again!) with the people getting their parish directories with all the names of parishioners listed with all the ministries listed too. Seriously! Did it really need to happen DURING Mass? Couldn't people just pick them up after Mass or even distribute them after the Mass actually ended? Nope. Then the "Coordinator of Ministries" comes up and explains what the books are for and gives a spiel on them. Good Lord. Mass is still going on!
Then Mass, finally, ended after an extra five to ten minutes gets added for other random comments. Yet another stupid Haugen "We are Church" song for the recessional then the usual riot for the exit doors with no quiet for those who do actually like to pray after Mass. It is always so loud after Mass there. At the other church, I do not notice it as readily if at all.
Well, that was my rant of sorts. I don't understand why it is so hard to "Say the black and do the red." The Church makes it pretty easy to render right worship unto God. Why do people like to make it so hard? Since when are people the center of worship which I see as the prevailing mentality in the American Church. That is not a good thing. That is why we have such blasphemies as "Clown Masses" and the like. There is no sense of the sacred anymore. In a few places, it is coming back but it is going to take lots of time to undo the errors of the past thrity years.
That's about it for me. Thank you for hearing me out. Please feel free to comment on this. Have a great day!
Dio ti benedica e Maria ti protegge!
-Allie
J.M.J.
Well, I was meaning to write this yesterday afternoon, but some friends and I ended up going out and about later than we had anticipated so I did not get to write that which I had planned. Add to that the fact that I got two DVDs, "Borat" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's," and some awesome coloring books so ... I got a wee bit distracted. So, since I have a few hours before I have to get to class, I figure I would write it now.
Over the past few Sundays, I have been able to, through the wonderfulness of a friend of mine, go to a nice traditional parish where I know that I will have a valid and licit Mass to fulfill my Sunday obligation and get some real spiritual edification. Trust me, I have been very grateful to this friend and to God that I have been able to do so.
Well, this weekend, we were unable to go to said parish for Mass so we went to the parish that is located next door to campus. I used to go there all the time but I did have my reservations about the place. Wonderful parish, great people, but there are some things that irk me quite a bit there.
As many know, I tend to be very particular about orthopraxy in worship. I credit that to a few things: my experiences at my old high school where we were constantly stuck in the 1970s when it came to liturgical practices (liturgical dance and sappy music make Baby Jesus cry), and my experiences with the Masses on campus (I'm sorry but I don't get any sense of the sacred at those Masses). I compare these experiences with my much more positive experiences at my bleoved home parish (Saint Joan) and at the nice traditional parish I usually attend, and my study of liturgiology (can anyone say Ratzinger's The Spirit of the Liturgy?) and the Church's documents on the liturgy (IGMR and Redemptionis Sacramentum in particular). Needless to say, but I am a liturgical purist, some would call me a "Mass Nazi" but I just ignore it or thank them for the compliment ... if being associated with Nazism in anyway could be a compliment ... : P
My experience at Mass yesterday only reinforced my somewhat cynical views on the Church in this country. I honestly believe that the health of the Church can be gauged by her worship. If the Mass I went to yesterday (and all preceding experiences at the parish) are to tell me anything, the future is looking bleak.
For one thing, the Missal is only followed so long as validity dictates. What does that mean in laymen's terms? Basically, they do enough that the Mass is valid but they do other things that are illicit. One must remember that the validity of the Mass is the important thing. If one attends an invalid Mass knowingly then one has not fulfilled any kind of obligation. Licitness tends to be the thing that is thrown out the window.
Case in point, where in the IGMR does it say that we need to get up and greet the people around us? That immediately gets my Rosary in a knot because suddenly the congregation (I hate it when they call the congregation "the assembly" ... so blech) is focused on itself rather than having the focus immediately be on Christ Who should be the center of all acts of worship be they public or private. Another thing about the time that immediately preceding the beginning of Mass that really miffed me is that they referred to the Mass as "their liturgy." What the heck? Since when does the Mass belong to the people? Sure, it's the people's worship of Christ but it is not truly ours persay. All worship is centered on and belongs to God alone. That is why orthopraxy is so important in the worship life of the Church.
After we were done with all the "howdy, neighbor" crap, the Mass actually began. Of course, it was the same old Marty Haugen craptastic music made more the worship of the assembly. You have no idea how much I want to burn just one (in a perfect world all) copies of those blasted Gather hymnals. We have those at SJA but we don't treat them like the musical Bible. Actually, all the music at this Mass at by Marty Haugen (who ISN'T even CATHOLIC) ... no David Haas. I tell you, those two have done more to stupify and just plan ruin the Church's rich tradition of liturgical music than any one else. You ask young Catholics if they can name any Church composers, they hardly ever say such names at Mozart, Byrd, or Palestrina ... Gregorian Chant ... what the heck is that? They name the liturgical music de-composers Haugen and Haas. *vomits*
Then we moved into the Introit and the Kyrie part of the Liturgy of the Word (Mass of Catechumens for you of the TLM persuasion). Good Lord, first he used the episcopal greeting (Peace be with you) and then he totally mangled the Penitential Rite with some social-justice inspired Kyrie. The absolution was valid and licit. Then we recited the Gloria, this is more of a personal preference, but one would think that since Sunday is a solemnity, they would sing the Gloria ... they sing every other feckin' thing. One would think that if a Gloria is required in the Mass for that day, it would be indicative that that day has a high degree of importance in the Church calendar. I guess not. It's rare enough to hear a chanted Pater Noster nowadays. But anyway ...
After that part of the Mass got mangled, we heard the readings and Gospel ... all good there. I think that was the one part of the Mass that followed as it was supposed to be.
Then came the homily, good Lord. All right, as many of you know, this past Sunday was Respect Life Sunday or Pro-life Sunday ... very inportant this year what with the election happening this year. Well, there was perhaps one very vague allusion to the value of life but nothing specific came of it. He mostly went in circles about some bland social justice virtue. He reminded us over and over about the election. Yeah, we know that the country may or may not be in really deep s*** in four weeks if the election goes a certain way. I don't need o be reminded of that.
One good thing did come of it though. I got my Lauds, midmorning prayers, midafternoon prayers, and Office of Readings done with time to spare while he "preached" his homily. This isn't even a rare occurrence. Every Mass he has ever preached at has been like this. Whenever there is a deacon, I always pray that he preach the homily because at least it will keep me engaged. Thank the Lord a priest friend of mine sent me his exponentially better homily today. His homily was centered on Proposal 2 which is moving to legalize embyronic stem cell research. He speaks of how it alienates the child's fundamental right to life and such. If you would like to see a copy of the homily. I have a Word document with the text. I can only ask that you use it for reading purposes only. This is his work anyway.
Anywho, then came the Liturgy of the Eucharist (Mass of the Faithful), same old banal and blech Haugen crap for the Offertory. Then came the prayers. He did not follow ONE WORD of the Prayer over the Gifts. NOT ONE. Then, the Preface was all right, but I heard alterations. I could not find it under my Sundays of Ordinary Time prefaces in my Daily Roman Missal so I assumed that it was a weekday preface. I recognized it to an extent so I knew that there was some text before him to follow. That was one kind of redeeming factor.
Consecration and such went pretty much verbatim so the Mass was valid, Deo gratias. But for the Communion RIte, I will never understand why there were so many EMHCs. All right, my home church holds over 1,000 people as we have 16 EMHCs (including the priest) who distribute Communion under both species in a relatively good amount of time depending on the crowd and the Mass. This church may hold about a quarter to half of that and they have the same amount of people but the logistics are a bit off. All right, I admit, this is the Master of Ceremonies in me getting flustered but ... honestly, is that necessary? No. The Communion Rite at Saint Joan is so much more fluid and reverent to me. And there may a bit of favoritism but I try to analyze liturgical practice in an objective way in light of official Church practice.
After that was the usual mixture of annoucnments and Post-Communion (which btw, was not followed at all ... again!) with the people getting their parish directories with all the names of parishioners listed with all the ministries listed too. Seriously! Did it really need to happen DURING Mass? Couldn't people just pick them up after Mass or even distribute them after the Mass actually ended? Nope. Then the "Coordinator of Ministries" comes up and explains what the books are for and gives a spiel on them. Good Lord. Mass is still going on!
Then Mass, finally, ended after an extra five to ten minutes gets added for other random comments. Yet another stupid Haugen "We are Church" song for the recessional then the usual riot for the exit doors with no quiet for those who do actually like to pray after Mass. It is always so loud after Mass there. At the other church, I do not notice it as readily if at all.
Well, that was my rant of sorts. I don't understand why it is so hard to "Say the black and do the red." The Church makes it pretty easy to render right worship unto God. Why do people like to make it so hard? Since when are people the center of worship which I see as the prevailing mentality in the American Church. That is not a good thing. That is why we have such blasphemies as "Clown Masses" and the like. There is no sense of the sacred anymore. In a few places, it is coming back but it is going to take lots of time to undo the errors of the past thrity years.
That's about it for me. Thank you for hearing me out. Please feel free to comment on this. Have a great day!
Dio ti benedica e Maria ti protegge!
-Allie
Saturday, July 26, 2008
I'm Baaaack!!
A.M.D.G.
J.M.J.
After a long hiatus, I have decided to resume posting to this blog. I apologize for my extended absence. My sophomore year most certainly was a busy year for me what with carrying a full 18 credit hours each semester. It was a very nice year and I am grateful to God that He allowed me to get through it relatively unscathed. Now, I am preparing for a new school year with a slightly lighter course load of about 15 or 16 credits, I forget. In case you are wondering, Dom and I are doing well. We just had our one year in June and he is currently on his way down to spend tonight and Sunday. We will probably end up grabbing a bite to eat and then spend the night watching TV and then go our separate ways for bed. He is taking me to SJA for Mass tomorrow. I don't plan on serving Mass but that always changes when kids decide to not show up. How hard is it to show up for Mass? You're supposed to be at Mass anyway! Oye vey.
I have decided that this blog is going to be my more general means of posting things on the Internetz. I also have a LJ that will have more day-to-day things relating to my life. Here will be a more concerted focus on reflections, rants, and the like. I did a reflection of sorts on my vocation discernment on my LJ yesterday so I think I will copy and paste it here for your perusal. Feel free to offer comments and the like.
Here is yesterday's post:
So yeah, I guess that means I have a lot to think about and pray about. It's not going to be easy but it will certainly be worth it.
Well, I am off to get some laundry done before Dominic gets here. I need some clothes for work this week and Mass tomorrow. Have a great day everybody!
Dio ti benedica e Maria ti protegge per sempre!
-Allie
PS
If you have a LJ feel free to friend me there. My LJ nickname is "SisterAllie35." I have my LJ as friends only so only those I friend will be able to see my entries. Also, if you have a Facebook, feel free to friend me. You can click on the link on the right. All right! See ya!
J.M.J.
After a long hiatus, I have decided to resume posting to this blog. I apologize for my extended absence. My sophomore year most certainly was a busy year for me what with carrying a full 18 credit hours each semester. It was a very nice year and I am grateful to God that He allowed me to get through it relatively unscathed. Now, I am preparing for a new school year with a slightly lighter course load of about 15 or 16 credits, I forget. In case you are wondering, Dom and I are doing well. We just had our one year in June and he is currently on his way down to spend tonight and Sunday. We will probably end up grabbing a bite to eat and then spend the night watching TV and then go our separate ways for bed. He is taking me to SJA for Mass tomorrow. I don't plan on serving Mass but that always changes when kids decide to not show up. How hard is it to show up for Mass? You're supposed to be at Mass anyway! Oye vey.
I have decided that this blog is going to be my more general means of posting things on the Internetz. I also have a LJ that will have more day-to-day things relating to my life. Here will be a more concerted focus on reflections, rants, and the like. I did a reflection of sorts on my vocation discernment on my LJ yesterday so I think I will copy and paste it here for your perusal. Feel free to offer comments and the like.
Here is yesterday's post:
Next week I have to work the night shift on Wednesday, some random odd jobs, and any funerals that come up. Looks like I have a rather nice week lined up. We have so many funerals at SJA (at least 150 a year) that we don't even call them funerals anymore we sometimes call them "fun-er-als" 'cause you can't say spell "funeral" without "fun." I will most definitely miss working at SJA and going to daily Mass when I go back to AQ in a few weeks. SJA is my second home and it will always be very near and dear to my heart. I hope that whether I get married or become a sister, if possible, I would like the ceremony to be there and have Monsignor Mike as one of the principal celebrants if not the principal celebrant.
Speaking of which, I am imagining that at least one of you is surprised that I have not totally come to a conclusion about my vocation discernment. To be quite honest, I still have a rather strong attraction to the religious life. I do love Dominic, very very much in fact, don't get me wrong there. It's just that after living my life for seven years with my journey oriented to the convent, it would be most unusual for me to just doff the possibility of being called to being espoused to Christ even after entering into a relationship. Though I do wholeheartedly believe that Dominic would make a most wonderful husband and father!
There will be times, especially when I am at morning Mass, when I feel that my only true happiness can be derived from living my life totally dedicated to Christ as His bride. If I could describe the feelings of near-ecstasy that I experience I would, but being a very finite and flawed human being, I cannot. It feels as if I can feel the very hands of Christ touching mine, His eyes looking into my eyes, and penetrating into my inmost self and causing me to feel this "sensation" of perfect union with Him. As if He is telling me, "Come be with me, my daughter, and help lead others to Me." But then, when I am with Dominic, I feel as if I would not want to be with anyone else but him as if I truly belong with him. I love the idea of marrying Dominic and raising a nice big Catholic family with him. But then, I also am very attracted to dedicating my life to Christ and belonging to everybody rather than just one man. The next few years of my life are going to be very difficult years for me not just temporally but also spiritually. I do have to say that my newly rekindled devotion to Our Lady and Saint Aloysius are helping to give me a sense of peace and guidance. I need to continue meeting with Monsignor as I continue my discernment. He is a very good and holy priest who will not lead me in the wrong way. He does not sugarcoat things. If I do something stupid or wrong, he is not afraid to let me know and help me learn and grow from it.
Being the impatient Sicilian that I am, I want to have my vocation decided now so I can get to work on it. But the other reason for this impatience is that I don't want to end up joining the religious life and and, for lack of a better phrase, leaving Dominic "high and dry" after spending so much time and energy on this relationship. Also, ultimately, I never want to hurt him. I am scared to death of hurting him. I don't think that a day goes by that I do not think of that. I dread it. I don't really care about what happens to me, it's just that I don't want to hurt him when and if I choose to don the habit and take the vows.
Something secondary but to a degree connected to this area of my discernment is educational discernment. I know that after I get my bachelor's in Theology and Philosophy I want to go to Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit for my Masters in Theology with a concentration in Moral Theology and for my Masters in Pastoral Studies (MAPS). But the next step is connected to my vocation discernment in that if I am called to the religious life, I will be more readily able to possibly pursue something I have always had my eye on, a JCL, a canon law degree, or literally in Latin a "Licentia Canonici Iurisprudentia" or a License in Canonical Jurisprudence. You see, the only place I can get such degree is at Catholic University in DC. That would require me to live there for about three years or so. Obviously, if I were married, that may not be so easily done. The other post-graduate degree I hope to attain is an STL in the New Evangelization which is something that was introduced at SHMS in about 2004. One of my priest friends, Father Charlie, is currently in the program and thinks that I would enjoy it greatly. But that would not require as much in the lines of sacrifice since it is so close to home. Yet another thing to pray about. Luckily, prayer is not like a telephone. God is always on the line and ready for a conversation with us.
With all that said, I would greatly appreciate prayers for my discernment. That is one of the reasons why I chose the title for my LJ. It's also the title of my old blog. "Duc in Altum" is Latin for "Put out into the depths." I chose this because I see vocation discernment as a putting of oneself into the unchartered depths of life and living one's life totally dependent on the providential guidance of God. Just a note, if any of you have a prayer intention for me to pray for, either write a comment or send me a message.
So yeah, I guess that means I have a lot to think about and pray about. It's not going to be easy but it will certainly be worth it.
Well, I am off to get some laundry done before Dominic gets here. I need some clothes for work this week and Mass tomorrow. Have a great day everybody!
Dio ti benedica e Maria ti protegge per sempre!
-Allie
PS
If you have a LJ feel free to friend me there. My LJ nickname is "SisterAllie35." I have my LJ as friends only so only those I friend will be able to see my entries. Also, if you have a Facebook, feel free to friend me. You can click on the link on the right. All right! See ya!
Saturday, November 17, 2007
A Weekend Treat!!!
A.M.D.G.
J.M.J
I have been browsing YouTube in between doing various assignments and I came across these pieces of Catholic fun and I felt like sharing them with you all.
These come from both Sister Act movies.
Too bad Whoopi Goldberg is one of those pro-choice *read "abortion/death"* "feminists. 'Tis a shame.
Now, here is an interesting fan clip for Pope Benedict .. rather unique choice of song ...
And here is a rather "special" tribute to the Pope's secretary, Georg Gaenswein.
Yeah ... interesting.
Regular blogging will commence once I get some things taken care of before Thanksgiving break.
I am sooo excited!!! I get to see Dominic this week!!! He is coming to dinner at my house and staying at my place for a couple days!!! Yayz!!!! I can't wait!!! I haven't seen him in about a month!!! He and I are going to Mass together a couple times!!!! I also can't wait until I get to help my mother get things ready for dinner!!! I love helping get things ready for Thanksgiving dinner!!!
Until next time, may God bless you and Mary keep you!!!
J.M.J
I have been browsing YouTube in between doing various assignments and I came across these pieces of Catholic fun and I felt like sharing them with you all.
These come from both Sister Act movies.
Too bad Whoopi Goldberg is one of those pro-choice *read "abortion/death"* "feminists. 'Tis a shame.
Now, here is an interesting fan clip for Pope Benedict .. rather unique choice of song ...
And here is a rather "special" tribute to the Pope's secretary, Georg Gaenswein.
Yeah ... interesting.
Regular blogging will commence once I get some things taken care of before Thanksgiving break.
I am sooo excited!!! I get to see Dominic this week!!! He is coming to dinner at my house and staying at my place for a couple days!!! Yayz!!!! I can't wait!!! I haven't seen him in about a month!!! He and I are going to Mass together a couple times!!!! I also can't wait until I get to help my mother get things ready for dinner!!! I love helping get things ready for Thanksgiving dinner!!!
Until next time, may God bless you and Mary keep you!!!
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Just a Quick Note ...
A.M.D.G.
J.M.J.
I have decided to cease allowing for anonymous comments on the blog. I figure that if you should at least have your name attached to comments you make if you believe enough in them. Some other blogs have begun this practice and I think that their reasons are totally valid.
So from now on, I will ask that all persons who comment on Duc in Altum attach a name to their comment/s. Please do not think that I do not appreciate your comments ... because I do. It's just that I think that if one is compelled to comment on something then they should also "sign" their name to their posts. I do the same for any blog on which I comment.
Yeah, that was pretty much it. I hope you all understand!
I am very happy, by the way, by the questions that arose from my latest post. I love getting input from my readers!!! : D Keep those prayers for Father Francis going. He needs them very much at this time.
Until next time, may God bless you and Mary keep you!
J.M.J.
I have decided to cease allowing for anonymous comments on the blog. I figure that if you should at least have your name attached to comments you make if you believe enough in them. Some other blogs have begun this practice and I think that their reasons are totally valid.
So from now on, I will ask that all persons who comment on Duc in Altum attach a name to their comment/s. Please do not think that I do not appreciate your comments ... because I do. It's just that I think that if one is compelled to comment on something then they should also "sign" their name to their posts. I do the same for any blog on which I comment.
Yeah, that was pretty much it. I hope you all understand!
I am very happy, by the way, by the questions that arose from my latest post. I love getting input from my readers!!! : D Keep those prayers for Father Francis going. He needs them very much at this time.
Until next time, may God bless you and Mary keep you!
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Let's Storm Heaven!
A.M.D.G.
J.M.J.
A friend IMed last night and told me that there was something happening over at EWTN, in particular the show "Life on the Rock." Apparently, Father Francis Mary (the MFVA who usually hosts the show) is at a juncture in his vocation. My friend sent me a link to Thomas at AmericanPapist's post on the subject. Included with his post is a transcript of the letter that was read on a recent episode of LOTR.
The letter reads as follows:
"Dear Family,
Regretfully, I have a message that does not come without significant pain to both you and me. I have to tell you in all honesty and truth, that I have been personally involved with helping a widow and her struggling family. Over the course of time, the mother and I have grown very close. As a result, I am compelled to take some time off to prayerfully and honestly discern my future.
I am truly sorry of the impact this may have on so many. I am not unaware of the gravity and magnitude of the situation, yet after much wise counsel, it is really something that I must deal with now for the good of all.
With that said, it is best that I deal with it away from EWTN. Therefore, I have asked for and graciously been granted some extended time to prayerfully discern my vocation.
To those who are part of the EWTN family locally, and others throughout the world, especially all those who have supported me so faithfully in my priestly vocation and ministry here on Life on the Rock, I sincerely apologize. I ask for your prayers and understanding during this time that is so very difficult, but yet so very necessary.
Please lift me up in your humble prayers to Jesus through Mary, our Mother, in Grace and Mercy.
Fr Francis Mary, MFVA"
Now, some are worried that this will cause scandal for some Catholics (especially young Catholics who watch the show).
Personally, I do not see why if one looks at it from a realistic point of view. My parish has seen this happen on a couple occasions in the past five years. One priest left the priesthood right after Easter a few years ago and another was put on a leave of absence about nine months after his assignment at my parish ended. Since then, no one has heard anything of this priest and whenever someone asks my pastor about it it tends to upset him a bit. I am not really at liberty to divulge much more than that. I am just using these two scenarios to illustrate my point.
But anyway, we have to keep in mind this one thing: priests (and religious), no matter how holy, are human ... and by that are also prone to weakness. I am not calling Father Francis' predicament a "weakness" I just mean to say that things like this happen. Priests and sisters fall in love just like any non-ordained/consecrated person does.
Heck, from my POV, up until about the middle of this year, I was going to be a sister. The only thing is that with me, I fell in love before I took the vows. Taking vows does not mean that from that moment on you are "dead from the waist down" (to put it crassly) or, to put it a bit better, you can't fall in love. That is just a load of hogwash. You can fall in love as readily in the ordained and consecrated life as you can as a lay person.
Please don't think that once one takes the vows (priestly, religious, or matrimonial) that means that one's discernment is over. Discernment of God's will is a lifelong process. It's just that one's discernment has become more focused on a particular vocation but it never stops developing and deepening. This is something like what Father Francis is probably going through.
This is a critical juncture in the life of Father Francis. He needs us to pray for him and his discernment. We need to "storm heaven," as my title says, with prayers. Pray especially to Our Lady ... the Mother and Queen of the Clergy ... she will help her son who is so in need. Rosaries are especially powerful (next to the Mass, of course).
I just felt like putting my "two cents" in on this story. But ultimately what we have here is a man in need of our prayerful support. And we as faithful Catholics ought to give him as much as we can.
One last thing, perhaps I already brought this up, if I did, oh well, it bears repeating. Don't judge him because of this. He is a priest of God yes but first of all he is man ... a human being with a fallen nature. We must keep that in mind and pray for him all the more because we all share the same "illness" which is weakness.
Well, I hope to post again soon. I apologize for the lack of posts in the past month. Things have gotten busy of late. Luckily, Thanksgiving is coming up and hopefully I will be seeing Dominic over that break.
Oh yeah! Praise the Lord of Heaven and Earth! I have a very nice schedule next semester! Seventeen credit hours broken down into: Dimensions of Being Human (philosophy major, 3 credits), Medieval Philosophy (philosophy major, 3 credits), Wrestling with God (Theology major (basically proving the existence of God, 3 credits)), Jesus and the Gospels (Theology major, 3 credits), Physical Geography of MI (gen. ed. req., 3 credits), Web page design (gen. ed req., 3 credits), and finally some crappy class that I HAVE to take called "Career and Self-Awareness ... basically AQ's way of getting the most money of you with minimum effort ... my adviser says thinks no one should take that class.
But the best part of my schedule ... I have Fridays off!!! I am out of class on Thursdays by 1:30 ... can you say three day weekends?!?!! Whootz!!!!
All right, I have to get ready for my next class which is after a quick lunch! Until next time, may God bless you and Mary keep you!
J.M.J.
A friend IMed last night and told me that there was something happening over at EWTN, in particular the show "Life on the Rock." Apparently, Father Francis Mary (the MFVA who usually hosts the show) is at a juncture in his vocation. My friend sent me a link to Thomas at AmericanPapist's post on the subject. Included with his post is a transcript of the letter that was read on a recent episode of LOTR.
The letter reads as follows:
"Dear Family,
Regretfully, I have a message that does not come without significant pain to both you and me. I have to tell you in all honesty and truth, that I have been personally involved with helping a widow and her struggling family. Over the course of time, the mother and I have grown very close. As a result, I am compelled to take some time off to prayerfully and honestly discern my future.
I am truly sorry of the impact this may have on so many. I am not unaware of the gravity and magnitude of the situation, yet after much wise counsel, it is really something that I must deal with now for the good of all.
With that said, it is best that I deal with it away from EWTN. Therefore, I have asked for and graciously been granted some extended time to prayerfully discern my vocation.
To those who are part of the EWTN family locally, and others throughout the world, especially all those who have supported me so faithfully in my priestly vocation and ministry here on Life on the Rock, I sincerely apologize. I ask for your prayers and understanding during this time that is so very difficult, but yet so very necessary.
Please lift me up in your humble prayers to Jesus through Mary, our Mother, in Grace and Mercy.
Fr Francis Mary, MFVA"
Now, some are worried that this will cause scandal for some Catholics (especially young Catholics who watch the show).
Personally, I do not see why if one looks at it from a realistic point of view. My parish has seen this happen on a couple occasions in the past five years. One priest left the priesthood right after Easter a few years ago and another was put on a leave of absence about nine months after his assignment at my parish ended. Since then, no one has heard anything of this priest and whenever someone asks my pastor about it it tends to upset him a bit. I am not really at liberty to divulge much more than that. I am just using these two scenarios to illustrate my point.
But anyway, we have to keep in mind this one thing: priests (and religious), no matter how holy, are human ... and by that are also prone to weakness. I am not calling Father Francis' predicament a "weakness" I just mean to say that things like this happen. Priests and sisters fall in love just like any non-ordained/consecrated person does.
Heck, from my POV, up until about the middle of this year, I was going to be a sister. The only thing is that with me, I fell in love before I took the vows. Taking vows does not mean that from that moment on you are "dead from the waist down" (to put it crassly) or, to put it a bit better, you can't fall in love. That is just a load of hogwash. You can fall in love as readily in the ordained and consecrated life as you can as a lay person.
Please don't think that once one takes the vows (priestly, religious, or matrimonial) that means that one's discernment is over. Discernment of God's will is a lifelong process. It's just that one's discernment has become more focused on a particular vocation but it never stops developing and deepening. This is something like what Father Francis is probably going through.
This is a critical juncture in the life of Father Francis. He needs us to pray for him and his discernment. We need to "storm heaven," as my title says, with prayers. Pray especially to Our Lady ... the Mother and Queen of the Clergy ... she will help her son who is so in need. Rosaries are especially powerful (next to the Mass, of course).
I just felt like putting my "two cents" in on this story. But ultimately what we have here is a man in need of our prayerful support. And we as faithful Catholics ought to give him as much as we can.
One last thing, perhaps I already brought this up, if I did, oh well, it bears repeating. Don't judge him because of this. He is a priest of God yes but first of all he is man ... a human being with a fallen nature. We must keep that in mind and pray for him all the more because we all share the same "illness" which is weakness.
Well, I hope to post again soon. I apologize for the lack of posts in the past month. Things have gotten busy of late. Luckily, Thanksgiving is coming up and hopefully I will be seeing Dominic over that break.
Oh yeah! Praise the Lord of Heaven and Earth! I have a very nice schedule next semester! Seventeen credit hours broken down into: Dimensions of Being Human (philosophy major, 3 credits), Medieval Philosophy (philosophy major, 3 credits), Wrestling with God (Theology major (basically proving the existence of God, 3 credits)), Jesus and the Gospels (Theology major, 3 credits), Physical Geography of MI (gen. ed. req., 3 credits), Web page design (gen. ed req., 3 credits), and finally some crappy class that I HAVE to take called "Career and Self-Awareness ... basically AQ's way of getting the most money of you with minimum effort ... my adviser says thinks no one should take that class.
But the best part of my schedule ... I have Fridays off!!! I am out of class on Thursdays by 1:30 ... can you say three day weekends?!?!! Whootz!!!!
All right, I have to get ready for my next class which is after a quick lunch! Until next time, may God bless you and Mary keep you!
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Happy Feast of the Guardian Angels!!!
A.M.D.G.
J.M.J.
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Guardian Angels, those heavenly creatures who are assigned to be our protectors from the moment of our birth and throughout life.
The Collect for today's Feast is as follows:
"God our Father, in Your loving providence You send Your holy angels to watch over us. Hear our prayers, defend us always by their protection and let us share Your life with them for ever. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen."
We have our own guardian angel from the moment of birth. Before that, while we are in the womb, our mother's guardian angel watches over us and protects us. Our guardian angel stays with us until we die. After that, they follow us to Purgatory or Heaven.
The doctrine of the guardian angel is not an optional teaching of the Church ... like all teachings ... none are optional ... all are mandatory. The belief that every soul has a guardian angel has its roots in the early Church Fathers as referenced in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (328 and 336).
What can you do to honor your guardian angel who watches over you every passing moment of every day and every night? Well, talk to him/her. Name them. My guardian angel is Michael Aloysius after my two favorite saints. Now whenever I need help, I just call on Michael Aloysius and he comes to my aid. Many Catholics in times of old were taught a prayer called the Angele Dei or the Angel of God prayer.
Here is that prayer in Latin and English respectively:
Angele Dei, qui custos es mei, me tibi commissum pietate superna illumina, custodi, rege et guberna. Amen.
Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God's love commits me here. Ever this day (night) be at my side to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.
Remember that God gave you your own angel to protect and give you counsel. Whenever you feel temptation to sin, are scared, or just in need of some kind of consolation, you always have your guardian angel.
Well, now I am caught up in my feast days. Now, off to transfer Human Biology notes to my laptop ... named Aloysius.
Until next time, may God bless you and Mary keep you!
J.M.J.
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Guardian Angels, those heavenly creatures who are assigned to be our protectors from the moment of our birth and throughout life.
The Collect for today's Feast is as follows:
"God our Father, in Your loving providence You send Your holy angels to watch over us. Hear our prayers, defend us always by their protection and let us share Your life with them for ever. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen."
We have our own guardian angel from the moment of birth. Before that, while we are in the womb, our mother's guardian angel watches over us and protects us. Our guardian angel stays with us until we die. After that, they follow us to Purgatory or Heaven.
The doctrine of the guardian angel is not an optional teaching of the Church ... like all teachings ... none are optional ... all are mandatory. The belief that every soul has a guardian angel has its roots in the early Church Fathers as referenced in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (328 and 336).
What can you do to honor your guardian angel who watches over you every passing moment of every day and every night? Well, talk to him/her. Name them. My guardian angel is Michael Aloysius after my two favorite saints. Now whenever I need help, I just call on Michael Aloysius and he comes to my aid. Many Catholics in times of old were taught a prayer called the Angele Dei or the Angel of God prayer.
Here is that prayer in Latin and English respectively:
Angele Dei, qui custos es mei, me tibi commissum pietate superna illumina, custodi, rege et guberna. Amen.
Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God's love commits me here. Ever this day (night) be at my side to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.
Remember that God gave you your own angel to protect and give you counsel. Whenever you feel temptation to sin, are scared, or just in need of some kind of consolation, you always have your guardian angel.
Well, now I am caught up in my feast days. Now, off to transfer Human Biology notes to my laptop ... named Aloysius.
Until next time, may God bless you and Mary keep you!
Happy Belated Feast of Saint Therese!!!
A.M.D.G.
J.M.J.
Now, we will cover yesterday's feast of Saint Therese of Lisieux.
J.M.J.
Now, we will cover yesterday's feast of Saint Therese of Lisieux.
The Collect for her Feast day is as follows:
"God our Father, You have promised Your kingdom to those who are willing to become like little children. Help us to follow the way of Saint Therese with confidence so that by her prayers we may come to know Your eternal glory. Grant this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen."
Saint Therese is my confirmation saint and also the patron saint of my aunt who passed away when she was a senior in high school. I have a devotion to Saint Therese and find her "Little Way" to be a most wonderful way of pleasing God.
Saint Therese's life was not filled with miracles, exploits, or austerities. Through all of that she still attained a very high degree of holiness through her "Little Way." She did this by carrying out her ordinary daily duties with perfect fidelity, having a childlike confidence in God's providence and merciful love and being ready to be at the service of others at all times. She had a great love for the Church and a zeal for the conversion of souls. She was especially devoted to praying for priests.
Though her life on Earth was only 24 years, her "Little Way" and her life have had a dramatic impact on the lives of many people over the years since her death. She said that she would "pass [her] heaven in doing good on Earth." The story of her interior life is known through her autobiography, Story of a Soul.
She is the patron of florists, missions, missionaries, pilots, against TB, illness, loss of parents, and AIDS sufferers.
There is a special five day "novena" that one can pray to obtain favors from this Little Flower of the Child Jesus. Ask her to "pick a rose" from the "heavenly garden" for five days with this prayer:
"Saint Therese, the Little Flower, please pick me a rose from the heavenly garden and send it to me with a message of love. Ask God to grant me the favor I thee implore and tell Him I will love Him daily more and more."
Say this prayer before eleven o'clock in the morning for five consecutive days. After reciting the prayer, recite five Our Fathers, five Hail Marys, and five Glory Bes. On the fifth day, recite a second set of the aforementioned prayer.
Until next time, may God bless you and Mary keep you!
Happy Belated Michรฆlmas!!!
A.M.D.G.
J.M.J.
I love the end of September and early October in the Sanctoral Calendar. On September 29th,
we celebrated the Feast of the Archangels Michรฆl, Raphรฆl, and Gabriel. Before the reform of the General Roman Calendar in 1969, each of these angels had their own feast day. September 29th was the Feast of the Dedication of Saint Michรฆl the Archangel. Saint Gabriel was honored on March 24th and Saint Raphรฆl was honored on October 24th.
Here is the Collect for the Feast of the Archangels Michรฆl, Gabriel, and Raphรฆl:
"God our Father, in a wonderful way You guide the work of angels and men. May those who serve You constantly in Heaven keep our lives safe from all harm on Earth. Grant this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who live and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen"
Here, we will take a look at each of these awesome archangels to whom we should develop a strong devotion.
We are going to start with Saint Michรฆl just because he is my favorite of the three.
Saint Michรฆl's name in Hebrew means "Who is like unto God?" or "Quis ut Deus"in Latin. He is the awesome angel which one reads about in the Book of Revelation where he throws Satan down to Earth after he, along with his army of rebel angels, try, in vain, to overthrow the throne of God.
Before Vatican II, after every Low Mass there were said certain prayers called the "Leonine Prayers." One of those prayers was the Sancte Michรฆl Archangele or the Prayer to Saint Michรฆl. This prayer was actually written by Pope Leo XIII (d.1903) after having a frightful vision of the darkness that would infest the twentieth century (Lord, was he right.) From 1886 to 1968, this prayer was recited after Mass ... why they took it out ... God only knows. Of course, if you go to a really awesome parish, they may recite that prayer after Mass just because it can't hurt. Also, if you watch the Mass on EWTN they recite the Sancte Michรฆl Archangele after Mass has ended.
Then if you ever find yourself in France (conquering it or not) be sure to visit Mont Sainte Michel which has a huge church built on a mountain of an island. Legend has it that that is where Satan fell from the sky and down to Earth.
I myself have a very strong devotion to Saint Michรฆl the Archangel. I wear a Saint Michael medal around my neck at all times to remind me of his vigilant protection against the snares of the Devil ... who does, in fact, exist. I have a Saint Michรฆl bookmark for my Theology reading. It's also nice to carry a Saint Michรฆl holy card with you. I have one in my Missal and I recite the prayer, in Latin, at every Mass.
Saint Michรฆl is the patron against temptation, against the powers of evil, paramedics, paratroopers, police officers, the dying, endangered children, EMTs, soldiers, sailors, the sick, against storms, and of those in need of protection.
Now, we have Saint Gabriel, one of Dominic's patron saints and my sister's Confirmation saint. His name is Hebrew for "God is my strength."
Saint Gabriel is probably best known for his appearances in the early stages of the Infancy Narratives of the Holy Gospels. He appears to Our Most Holy Mother telling her that she is to bear the Word made Flesh in her immaculate womb. He appears to Zechariah at the temple telling him that his apparently barren wife, Elizabeth, would give birth to a son, Saint John the Baptist, who would be the last prophet hearkening the coming of the Messiah, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Saint Gabriel is also seen appearing Daniel to explain a vision concerning the Messiah, that takes place in the Old Testament.
It is from Saint Gabriel's greeting to Mary that we get the first part of the Ave Maria. He is also the angel mentioned in the thrice daily recited prayer, the Angelus.
Saint Gabriel is the patron of ambassadors, childbirth, clergy, communications, diplomats, postal workers, stamp collectors, and telecommunications.
Finally, we have Saint Raphรฆl who name means "God has healed." He is seen but once in the Old Testament Book of Tobit as he acts as the companion with the young Tobias. Tradition also holds that in the Gospel scene at the Pool of Bethesda, it is Gabriel's stirring of the waters that gave the water its healing ability.
Saint Raphรฆl is the patron of the blind, bodily ills, counselors, druggists, eye problems, happy meetings, health technicians, love, lovers, mental illness, nurses, physicians, shepherds, against sickness, young people, young people leaving home for the first time, and therapists.
This was just a brief overview of the three archangels that are honored on September 29th ... Michรฆlmas. I hope it serves as a catalyst for you to either develop a devotion to one, two, or even all three of these angels or strengthen an existing devotion.
Until next time, may God bless you and Mary keep you!
J.M.J.
I love the end of September and early October in the Sanctoral Calendar. On September 29th,
we celebrated the Feast of the Archangels Michรฆl, Raphรฆl, and Gabriel. Before the reform of the General Roman Calendar in 1969, each of these angels had their own feast day. September 29th was the Feast of the Dedication of Saint Michรฆl the Archangel. Saint Gabriel was honored on March 24th and Saint Raphรฆl was honored on October 24th.
Here is the Collect for the Feast of the Archangels Michรฆl, Gabriel, and Raphรฆl:
"God our Father, in a wonderful way You guide the work of angels and men. May those who serve You constantly in Heaven keep our lives safe from all harm on Earth. Grant this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who live and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen"
Here, we will take a look at each of these awesome archangels to whom we should develop a strong devotion.
We are going to start with Saint Michรฆl just because he is my favorite of the three.
Saint Michรฆl's name in Hebrew means "Who is like unto God?" or "Quis ut Deus"in Latin. He is the awesome angel which one reads about in the Book of Revelation where he throws Satan down to Earth after he, along with his army of rebel angels, try, in vain, to overthrow the throne of God.
Before Vatican II, after every Low Mass there were said certain prayers called the "Leonine Prayers." One of those prayers was the Sancte Michรฆl Archangele or the Prayer to Saint Michรฆl. This prayer was actually written by Pope Leo XIII (d.1903) after having a frightful vision of the darkness that would infest the twentieth century (Lord, was he right.) From 1886 to 1968, this prayer was recited after Mass ... why they took it out ... God only knows. Of course, if you go to a really awesome parish, they may recite that prayer after Mass just because it can't hurt. Also, if you watch the Mass on EWTN they recite the Sancte Michรฆl Archangele after Mass has ended.
Then if you ever find yourself in France (conquering it or not) be sure to visit Mont Sainte Michel which has a huge church built on a mountain of an island. Legend has it that that is where Satan fell from the sky and down to Earth.
I myself have a very strong devotion to Saint Michรฆl the Archangel. I wear a Saint Michael medal around my neck at all times to remind me of his vigilant protection against the snares of the Devil ... who does, in fact, exist. I have a Saint Michรฆl bookmark for my Theology reading. It's also nice to carry a Saint Michรฆl holy card with you. I have one in my Missal and I recite the prayer, in Latin, at every Mass.
Saint Michรฆl is the patron against temptation, against the powers of evil, paramedics, paratroopers, police officers, the dying, endangered children, EMTs, soldiers, sailors, the sick, against storms, and of those in need of protection.
Now, we have Saint Gabriel, one of Dominic's patron saints and my sister's Confirmation saint. His name is Hebrew for "God is my strength."
Saint Gabriel is probably best known for his appearances in the early stages of the Infancy Narratives of the Holy Gospels. He appears to Our Most Holy Mother telling her that she is to bear the Word made Flesh in her immaculate womb. He appears to Zechariah at the temple telling him that his apparently barren wife, Elizabeth, would give birth to a son, Saint John the Baptist, who would be the last prophet hearkening the coming of the Messiah, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Saint Gabriel is also seen appearing Daniel to explain a vision concerning the Messiah, that takes place in the Old Testament.
It is from Saint Gabriel's greeting to Mary that we get the first part of the Ave Maria. He is also the angel mentioned in the thrice daily recited prayer, the Angelus.
Saint Gabriel is the patron of ambassadors, childbirth, clergy, communications, diplomats, postal workers, stamp collectors, and telecommunications.
Finally, we have Saint Raphรฆl who name means "God has healed." He is seen but once in the Old Testament Book of Tobit as he acts as the companion with the young Tobias. Tradition also holds that in the Gospel scene at the Pool of Bethesda, it is Gabriel's stirring of the waters that gave the water its healing ability.
Saint Raphรฆl is the patron of the blind, bodily ills, counselors, druggists, eye problems, happy meetings, health technicians, love, lovers, mental illness, nurses, physicians, shepherds, against sickness, young people, young people leaving home for the first time, and therapists.
This was just a brief overview of the three archangels that are honored on September 29th ... Michรฆlmas. I hope it serves as a catalyst for you to either develop a devotion to one, two, or even all three of these angels or strengthen an existing devotion.
Until next time, may God bless you and Mary keep you!
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