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Medjugorje
Message: September 25, 2012 |
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Published
by the Marian Center of San Antonio / A Catholic Evangelization Ministry This month, Our Lady gives us a beautiful mantra by which to
live: “I
am here created for eternity.” To keep
these words ever before us will lead to a higher quality of living, a keener consciousness
of who and what we are. Of all our
many blessings, this is the greatest of all: that—as wonderful as life on
earth is—it is just the beginning, the “tip of the iceberg” of the fullness
of Life into which we have been called
by virtue of God creating us.
In the twilight of the year as the season of fall arrives, the
daylight hours grow shorter, and we approach the feasts of All Saints and All
Souls, the Church mirrors this “ending time” by inviting us to contemplate
our own mortality, death, and the transient nature of all that is earthly. We must note, however, that there is nothing maudlin, grim, or somber
about Our Lady’s message. Autumn is one of the most vibrant and beautiful
seasons of all, with blazing red and fiery orange leaves, strong winds, and
deep hues of mums, pumpkin, apple, corn, squashes, and other harvest bounty.
It is nature’s “last hurrah” before the denuding starkness of winter sets in
for the final act of the year’s drama. In the perfect prelude to
Thanksgiving, Our Lady reminds us of how naturally this time
of year invites our hearts to gratefully respond to our many blessings:
“When in nature you look at the richness of the colors which the Most High
gives to you, open your heart and pray with
gratitude for
all the good that you have.” Not only in autumn, but each
day of our life, we should “open our heart” in prayer and “count our
blessings.” We will run out of time and energy long before the counting is
done, for truly, “all the good that we have” is immeasurable and
beyond reckoning. There are billions of blessings that God has bestowed upon us, many of which we are
forgetful or unaware. Keeping a “Gratitude Journal” is a worthy spiritual practice, where we jot down at least a few
of each day’s special blessings that we have had the presence of mind and
heart to notice and enjoy. In response to this daily bounty, Our Lady tells us that we are to
say: “‘I am here created for eternity’—and yearn
for heavenly things because God loves you with
immeasurable love.” It is human nature to want to hold on to whatever
we experience as good or pleasing. All the blessings of our life—physical health, material wealth, loving relationships, meaningful
work—naturally trigger within us the impulse to “hold
on,” to somehow “keep” them. Yet inevitably, all that is earthly—no
matter how wonderful—must eventually be relinquished. Our physical health and
strength diminish and disappear with age; our material wealth might increase
or decrease, but “no coffin has pockets” and we cannot take it with us; our
loving relationships change over time and are finally removed by emotional
decline, dementia or death; and our productivity in work ends by either
chosen or forced retirement. As Robert Frost famously wrote: “Nature’s first green is gold; her
hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s a flower, but only so an hour. Then
leaf subsides to leaf; so Eden sank to grief. So dawn goes down to day;
nothing gold can stay.” The “gold that cannot stay” is all of our beautiful earthly
blessings. And yet, because “God loves us with immeasurable love,” we have something
more than this earthly “gold.” The natural restlessness of the human
heart that endlessly seeks “something more” that will “last” can find its
satisfaction only in God and eternity. Thus, Our Lady says, we must “yearn for heavenly things.” In
the Gospel, Jesus says, “Do not store up for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and
steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and
steal.” (Mt
6:20) He says, “Seek
first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all
these [material] things will be given you besides.” (Mt 6:33) Indeed the spiritual journey is primarily about a transformation
of consciousness in which we awaken from the
spell cast by the “gold” of this earth—security, safety, affection, esteem,
pleasure, power, and control—to the realization of our
Soul’s destiny in the Love of God, far
beyond the fleeting “blink of an eye” that is our earthly life. Our Lady says
that the Divine Love for us is “why He also gave me to
you to tell you: ‘Only in God
is your peace and hope, dear children.’”
Our Lady’s mission in Medjugorje, designed
by God’s “immeasurable love” for us, is the awakening of our spirits to
this transforming truth: “I
am here….created for eternity!” October Musings: Francis of Assisi & Our Lifestyle . .
. Electioneering: Civility & Respect in Political Discourse . . . Month of the Rosary: Go Deeper with Mary .
. . Priests Prayer On October 4th, we celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. While “Il Poverello”—the Little Poor Man—is one of the most
beloved of all saints for Catholics and non-Catholics, Christians and
non-Christians, he is little imitated. The saints’ lives always invite
more than our flattery; they call for our imitation of their
virtuous example. How might we, in our rabidly materialistic, consumeristic, militaristic, and technological 21st
century culture, embody a few of Francis’ radically countercultural values?
Here are some ideas: 1)
Be more of an outdoors
person. Modern life has us sitting inside all day, in front of TV’s,
computers, and iPhones. This has caused an epidemic of obesity and
diseases related to the lack of exercise. Francis lived most of his
life outdoors, in wooded mountain hermitages of Umbria, with a rock for a
pillow, noticing and praising the Creator God. By embracing more of an
outdoors lifestyle like his, we can restore health of mind and body, and gain
a greater appreciation of God’s creation in Nature. We can take a daily
stroll in the neighborhood, do some gardening, walk to nearby destinations
(or to a bus stop), cook and eat outside, and involve the whole family in
daily time outdoors, with kids once again being encouraged to “Go play outside!” Every day, we should
make an effort to gratefully notice at least one of Nature’s gifts;
this will bring peace and balance to our mind and spirit. 2)
Be less self-absorbed by
personal appearance. While it’s good to be clean and neat, our obsession with the
latest fads and spending tons of money on clothing and beauty products does nothing
but “feed the monster” of insatiable hunger
for more ego-driven, consumeristic “solutions”
to our outward, cosmetic, superficial imperfections. In contrast, St. Francis
was the soul of simplicity and humble smallness in his external appearance.
Returning all of his fine clothes to his wealthy
father, as a young man he declared himself a “child of God the Father only,”
and walked away naked. On his deathbed, he requested that his old, rough,
much-patched tunic be removed so that he could lie naked on the dirt floor
and return to God as he arrived—in total poverty. Instead of seeking the
latest fads in clothing, hair, or grooming products, we can be
budget-conscious and choose quality over quantity—only what truly
suits our needs rather than fashion gimmicks—and then make our clothes last
through care and maintenance. We can practice modesty in our attire, rather than the tight, flashy or revealing
styles that are trendy. We can minimize
our accessories and jewelry, since “bling” is not the Franciscan simplicity
that we claim to so greatly admire. 3) Be less consumeristic and more creative.
“Downsizing” and “Less is More” need to enter our
consciousness and vocabulary if we truly admire St. Francis. Clearing out
junk and anything in our home that is not serving a useful function will
reveal our hoarding ways and show us the more Franciscan path of “living
life simply,” thus discovering the greater depths of self-reflection,
prayer, and time to spend with others. Instead of buying everything
ready-made and over-packaged, we can invest in learning how to make things
ourselves. We can learn how to sew
clothes, quilts, towels, rags, using scrap materials to make the most of
everything. We can learn to bake our own
bread and other foods, so that we know what goes into them, and that they
are healthy. We can learn to grow our
own vegetables and fruit, and have an organic, edible garden that gives
us a tasty, diverse, healthy diet—even from a windowsill or balcony box. We
can learn to can, dry and preserve
the harvest we grow, to enjoy it through the winter months. We can make our own “take-out” meals in bulk
and freeze them, saving money, calories, and our health in the process. We
can find as many ways as possible to conserve
energy consumption in the household: install solar panels, recycle, repurpose,
and unplug items. We can make our own
entertainment by playing games, reading, or crafting instead of relying
only on passive, electronic forms of recreation. Like St. Francis who fell in
love with and betrothed “Lady Poverty,” we can decide to no longer be
defined or regulated by consumeristic behaviors. 4) Become a channel of God’s peace. We all know the
song, but do we live it? In our world of 24/7 news coverage, filled with
conflict and violence, how do we dial down the chaos and discord, to find and
share peace? St. Francis had a serious
discipline of regular retreats from the world, one-on-one with God in prayer,
as well as time for attentive service to each person in his community; and
today he is considered the “Peace”
saint. We can turn off the electronics for some dedicated portion of each
day—time in which the family is unplugged from the television, computer,
iPod, cell phone, and all other devices. Instead, we can read, pray,
meditate, converse with each other, or have outdoor time. We can reject
violence in any form, walking away from violent television, music, or
films, as well as aggressive forms of argument or heated situations. We can learn
non-violent communication techniques, mediation and negotiation skills, and
conflict-resolution for smoothing interpersonal relations and building a
more peaceful world, one encounter at a time. We can express gratitude
and appreciation for jobs well done anywhere, and for any favors we receive—no matter how
small—taking no one for granted. We can regularly “check in” with loved
ones to hear and express any unspoken concerns or issues and to spend
quality time with undistracted focus. We can humbly facilitate the stories
and talents of others, rather than making it “all about me.” We can vow never
to gossip or brag, and practice humility by avoiding all showy-ness or
attention-getting. These are just small Franciscan ways to “let peace begin with me.” 2012
Election Season: Dialoguing with
Civility & Respect We are in the home stretch
of a heated campaign season, with the presidential election coming up on
November 6. No matter what one’s political position, it has become tiresome
and disheartening to hear the endless dialectic of our national debate,
filled with fury, bitter vitriol and cynicism in all quarters. Mud-slinging
and exaggeration seem to go with the territory, but our nation is drastically
polarized and in contentious conflict on every street corner, with rage
brewing just below the surface of many conversations, threatening to erupt
into open battle or seething, cold division. As Catholics and Christians our
political views are by no means uniform or united, and that is okay; devout
Catholics, each following their well-formed conscience, can disagree about
politics and who should be President. Still, we must find the higher
ground of our spiritual calling, so that in Christian charity we can at least
“agree to disagree,” “disagree without being disagreeable,” and “live and let
live.” Below are some guidelines for respectful communication that will help
all of us to weather this volatile season. Don’t forget to vote! R =
take RESPONSIBILITY for what **you** say and feel without blaming others E =
use EMPATHETIC **listening**
when the other person is speaking S =
be SENSITIVE to **differences**
in communication styles P =
PONDER what you hear and feel **before** you speak E =
EXAMINE your own **assumptions
and perceptions** C =
keep CONFIDENTIALITY T =
TRUST **ambiguity**
because everyone has some piece of the TRUTH RESPECTFUL &
EFFECTIVE LISTENING: 1)
Focus on the Speaker. Maintain eye contact and give the
person your full attention. 2)
Empathize. Put yourself in the speaker’s shoes. Pay attention
to their body language. 3)
Summarize what the person has said. It makes them feel heard
and clarifies everyone’s understanding. 4)
Follow up with a question. Make it open-ended, not
interrupting or refuting at this point. 5)
Resist the urge to give advice or input unless asked. Just be an open ear. 6)
If there is anger or upset expressed, wait until the speaker
finishes to give your answer. 7)
If there is disagreement, take time to process what is said,
and pay attention to more than the speaker’s words, in order to understand
their reasoning. Do not take their
words personally. 8)
Bring a lighter, brighter perspective to negativity. If arguing, find
an area of commonality and think of possible solutions rather than dwelling
on the conflict. October: Month of
the Holy Rosary The rosary can be prayed with benefit by any human being, of any religion
or no religion, because it is about being human. It is about
incarnation—life in a body. So if a person has been born of woman and taken
on flesh, the rosary is for them. It is about the evolutionary change—the imperative of transformation—that
alone gives meaning to bodily life on earth. All creation, all
truth, is multi-layered, and so are we. The integral approach is able to take
in all levels of truth—both the historic Jesus and Mary of Palestine and the
metaphysical Mary and Jesus that form our True and Absolute Self. In the
search for the historic Jesus, we become so dazzled by the literal level of
what happened in the Incarnation that we completely miss the other, deeper
level of truth that it contains. This perennial, universal level of truth
is found in all religions. Insofar as religions are dividers of humanity—Mary tells us in Medjugorje—they are not “real,” but human constructs.
Religions’ true value lies in the spiritual practice they provide as
uniters of humanity and all creation, drawing into
One all incarnated beings on the evolutionary journey of spirit…. Just as Mary’s
function in the Incarnation was to knit together the body and soul of Jesus
the Christ, her role in our life is also to knit together body and
soul throughout the course of our spiritual evolution. Her work is the work
of integration.
As a bridge, she joins human and divine in the depths of the Self, enabling
them to function as one. The rosary is an integral spiritual
practice that holds immense power and potential for bridging our
human and divine natures, thus accelerating both personal and planetary
evolution for the good of the world…. Because the rosary is
designed to be entirely at the service of the evolution of consciousness or
spiritual transformation at the deepest levels, it is one of the
most powerful weapons that exist in the arsenal of spiritual
technologies. It is the spiritual equivalent of a nuclear power plant, having unimaginable potential to effect
massive change on our planet through the annihilation of the egocentric
consciousness that currently dominates world cultures. Until the ego or False Self is
mastered and subdued in human consciousness, kept firmly and squarely beneath
the “heel” of Mary (the True Self), the Big Problems of our planet,
such as global environmental destruction, war, poverty and hunger, the AIDS
epidemic, genocide, and all socio-economic injustice, will remain to threaten
our very extinction. There is little that we can do, individually, that
will have greater impact on these “Big Problems” of our time than to pray the rosary. The greater our awareness,
wakefulness, and consciousness of the Witnessing Presence as we tell the
beads, the more profound will be the impact of our prayer. In Medjugorje,
Mary said, “With prayer, wars can be
stopped….With prayer, even the laws of nature can be suspended”….The
effects will be no less dramatic in the life of anyone who takes hold of this
prayer form for the cause of conversion of heart, as Our Lady, Queen of
Peace, the True Self, asks. The change
is the thing. The imperative of evolutionary change, embodied
in every mystery of the rosary consciously prayed, is the antidote needed
for any situation about which we intercede, whether personal, interpersonal,
transpersonal, or planetary. As our consciousness level rises, the scope
of our intentions becomes broader, moving from concerns that are egocentric (“my issues”), to ethnocentric (“my group’s issues”),
to worldcentric
(all human issues), to eco-centric
(the whole earth’s issues), to cosmocentric (the good of All that Is). Finding its level
in each person who prays, Mary’s rosary is ever a force for personal and
global transformation. --
from Mary,
Matrix of Change: Personal and Global Transformation through the Rosary [Please see sidebar
for a link to purchase this book, which contains brief meditations and
intentions for the 20 Mysteries of the Rosary, designed from the “Medjugorje” perspective of conversion of heart and
spiritual evolution. – Michele Maxwell,
MCSA, author]
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Mark Your Calendar!
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October 1 |
St. Therese of Lisieux |
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2 |
The Guardian Angels |
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3 3-24 |
“Transitus”: Celebrating the
Death & Transition of St. Francis of Assisi from Life on Earth to Life in
Heaven; 7 pm, Immaculate Conception Chapel, Oblate School of Theology, 285
Oblate Dr.; prayer, song, fellowship, & food! 4-week Discussion Series: “The Heavens Tell the Glory of God:
Journeying with the Universe” with Sr. Linda Gibler,
OP; 4 Wednesdays, 7-9 pm, Oblate School of Theology Whitley Theological
Center, 285 Oblate Dr.; $35; call (210) 341-1366 x 212 |
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4 |
St. Francis of Assisi |
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5-6 |
Fiesta
Franciscana: “Gathering at the Granary” Conference
on Franciscan Spirituality with Br. William
Short, OFM presenting: “Holding a
Mirror to the World: Clare of Assisi & Franciscan Contemplation”; 6
pm Friday; 9 am-4 pm Saturday; Mission San Jose, 701 E. Pyron;
$25; jcrofm@ymail.com |
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6 |
Respect Life Mass w/ Bishop Oscar Cantu, 8 am, St. Mary Magdalen Church, 1710 Clower St. Rosary Crusade, 10 am, The
Pavilion, 1600 Mission Rd.; call 722-2947 |
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7 |
Divine
Mercy Holy Hour (2 pm) & Mass (3 pm), Oblate Lourdes Grotto, 5712 Blanco;
Sacrament of Reconciliation available Queen of the Americas
Rosary Procession: 3 pm, from Our Lady of the Lake U. St. Martin Hall (SW 24th
St. at Commerce) to San Fernando Cathedral |
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11-25 |
Class: “Elijah: Miracle Worker & Prophet Who
Never Died” with Rabbi Sam Stahl; 3 Thursdays, 7-8:30 pm; SoL Center, 300 Bushnell; $35; 732-9927 |
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12 |
Multi-lingual Respect for
Life Living Rosary Procession, 6:30 pm; St. Luke Catholic Church, corner of Manitou
& Callaghan Rd. inside Loop 410 |
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12-13 |
Conference: “Jesus, Judas, and Jewish-Christian
Relations” with Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, Vanderbilt U. Divinity School;
Friday 6-8 pm at Temple Beth-El; Sat. 9 am-3 pm, Trinity U. Ruth Taylor Auditorium;
$35; call 732-9927 |
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12-13 |
Archdiocese of San Antonio
Catholic Formation & Leadership Conference: “Holiness: A Call for Every Christian”; speakers, workshops,
exhibits, daily liturgy w/ Bishops; Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, 200
E. Market St., $75; to register: WWW.CFLCSA.ORG |
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13 |
Portraits of World
Mysticism Series: Buddhist Mysticism,
9 am-12 pm, Oblate School of Theology Whitley Theological Center, 285 Oblate;
341-1366, x 212 |
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15 |
St.
Teresa of Avila |
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16
& 23 |
Class:
“Canons of Scripture: How Jews &
Christians Chose Their Sacred Texts” with James Adair; 2 Tuesdays, 7-9
pm, SoL Center, 300 Bushnell; $25; call 732-9927 |
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18 |
St. Luke, Evangelist |
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27 |
PEACE
MASS: 12 pm, St. Mary’s Church, 202 N. St. Mary’s; Rosary at 11:30 am |
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28 |
Rosary
Making: 2-5:30 pm, St. Mary’s Church, 202 N. St. Mary’s; free parking and
materials |
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30 |
Class: “Forgiveness as a Spiritual Practice”
with Rev. Kelly Allen; 3 Tuesdays, 7-9 pm, SoL
Center, 300 Bushnell; $25; call 732-9927 |
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CATHOLIC GUIDELINES FOR POLITICAL
PARTICIPATION We are to
encourage the faithful to carry out their responsibilities in political life.
The Church’s leaders are to avoid endorsing or opposing candidates or
telling people how to vote. As Catholics
we are not single-issue voters.
-- U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops The Christian
faith is an integral unity, and thus it is incoherent to isolate some
particular element to the detriment of the whole of Catholic doctrine. A political commitment to a single
isolated aspect of the church’s social doctrine does not exhaust one’s
responsibility towards the common good. -- Vatican
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Decisions about
political life are complex and require the exercise of a well-formed
conscience aided by prudence….In the end, this is a
decision to be made by each Catholic guided by a conscience formed by
Catholic moral teaching. -- Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility |
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Copyright, Marian Center of San Antonio. All rights
reserved. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced without permission.
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