This makes me think... about taking more opportunities to invoke the Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit,
fill my heart with Your holy gifts.


Let my weakness be penetrated with Your strength this very day that I may fulfill all the duties of my state conscientiously, that I may do what is right and just.


Let my charity be such as to offend no one, and hurt no one's feelings; so generous as to pardon sincerely any wrong done to me.


Assist me, O Holy Spirit,
in all my trials of life, enlighten me in my ignorance, advise me in my doubts, strengthen me in my weakness, help me in all my needs, protect me in temptations and console me in afflictions.


Graciously hear me, O Holy Spirit, 
and pour Your light into my heart, my soul, and my mind.


Assist me to live a holy life and to grow in goodness and grace.

Amen.

The F.U.N. Quotient... country music edition meets the classical edition

Being a life-long guitarist, especially a fan of the rich dreadnaught sounds of Martin guitars, I've always had a fondness for country music... and this one's been a earworm of late... no Martins in this one, but a great Guild...


And when I'm writing, or needing inspiration of any kind... I hit the classical playlist. One of my favs that I just found on YouTube:


And finally, a kind of cross-over hit that, well, is just beautiful if you haven't heard it in a while:

This makes me think... what the end of the Catechism says

A few short summary lines of catechesis on The Lord's Prayer... 

2857 In the Our Father, the object of the first three petitions is the glory of the Father: the sanctification of his name, the coming of the kingdom, and the fulfillment of his will. The four others present our wants to him: they ask that our lives be nourished, healed of sin, and made victorious in the struggle of good over evil.

2858 By asking "hallowed be thy name" we enter into God's plan, the sanctification of his name - revealed first to Moses and then in Jesus - by us and in us, in every nation and in each man.

2859 By the second petition, the Church looks first to Christ's return and the final coming of the Reign of God. It also prays for the growth of the Kingdom of God in the "today" of our own lives.

2860 In the third petition, we ask our Father to unite our will to that of his Son, so as to fulfill his plan of salvation in the life of the world.

2861 In the fourth petition, by saying "give us," we express in communion with our brethren our filial trust in our heavenly Father. "Our daily bread" refers to the earthly nourishment necessary to everyone for subsistence, and also to the Bread of Life: the Word of God and the Body of Christ. It is received in God's "today," as the indispensable, (super-) essential nourishment of the feast of the coming Kingdom anticipated in the Eucharist.

2862 The fifth petition begs God's mercy for our offences, mercy which can penetrate our hearts only if we have learned to forgive our enemies, with the example and help of Christ.

2863 When we say "lead us not into temptation" we are asking God not to allow us to take the path that leads to sin. This petition implores the Spirit of discernment and strength; it requests the grace of vigilance and final perseverance.

2864 In the last petition, "but deliver us from evil," Christians pray to God with the Church to show forth the victory, already won by Christ, over the "ruler of this world," Satan, the angel personally opposed to God and to his plan of salvation.

2865 By the final "Amen," we express our "fiat" concerning the seven petitions: "So be it."

A.S.K. = Ask, Seek, Knock = 3 Steps Toward Praying Aloud With Others... a tip for the new evangelization

My latest column over at Patheos is an observation on the active avoidance Catholics apply when it comes to a very basic skill... leading another person in prayer for their sake, or the sake of others. It also offers a brief tutorial with the baby steps on how to overcome it... using a strategy that co-opts some of the words of Jesus: Ask, Seek, and Knock. Here's an excerpt:

I’ve learned that this praying-aloud-thing with another person is a skill that not all Catholics share an enthusiasm for. What I mean is that it is one thing to pray together at Mass, or to pray a rosary aloud with a group, or to pray a formal grace before meals. But it is entirely another experience to pray aloud, somewhat spontaneously, with the people you are with… even when they are Christians themselves, about a subject that is on their hearts and minds. 

Now, I’m not talking about my evangelical Christian friends, who are usually very open to praying-on-the-spot when asked. Their freedom to offer a word of prayer or thanksgiving in-the-moment is something worth emulating. 

Why don’t we Catholics act with the same freedom? 

I hear this thought often: We’re private. My religion is just between me and God. We Catholics love our private prayer… and rightly so. Jesus taught that when we pray we should close our doors and pray to our Father in heaven in secret. And that’s fine. That’s good. Let’s all do more of that, too. 

Maybe all that private prayer is why sharing prayer with another person sometimes feels too intimate… or we fear doing it wrong. But, really, it is nothing to fear because Jesus is there within the breaths of any group prayer… “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Mt 18: 20.)" 

Others have told me praying with others outside of Church is uncomfortable because we Catholics are raised with the formal vocal prayers of the Church -- all of which are wonderful, beautiful, and majestic -- but not with informal or spontaneous prayer -- that we don’t know any other ways to pray. 

Other times, we’re afraid to do something so spontaneous… we don’t want to be labeled as a Jesus freak, or a religious fanatic. 

From an evangelization standpoint, all these excuses are hard to square in front of Jesus who asked us to be active is in sharing the faith, when he said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Mt 28: 19.)

Check out the rest. And if you like the column, you may subscribe by email or RSS here. 

On Bended Knee - My latest column at A Word in Season, at Patheos

My latest piece at Patheos talks about what is borne is from fallow fields and quiet seasons. Here's an excerpt... "On Bended Knee."

O come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!

(Psalm 95: 6)

To kneel before God is a blessed thing. We are the only creatures who roam the earth with a free will… and the only ones with the freedom to give homage by kneeling to the One Who is worthy of it.

Of course, I’ve struck kneeling postures for many reasons besides prayer. As a wife and mother, I’ve often knelt beside the sickbed of a loved one… or to pick some thing off the floor… or to clean…

But there is nothing quite as peaceful as kneeling to adore the One Who made your heart, to sink slowly onto a bended knee before The Presence.

I’ve written before about the transforming power of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. For each person the experience is different and I can barely describe the sacred intimacies that come from those moments of yielding before the Lord… the One who made us and loves us with an unending bounty and unfathomable kindness.

To be sure, I’ve learned some things better on my knees than in other stances. Posture preaches. Gestures have interpretations.

Kneeling makes me smaller. It takes effort. Kneeling is a yielding out of love. I cannot jump up from that posture, at least at my age I cannot. I have to stay put at least for a little while.

When I kneel something physical unlocks; the upper and lower back muscles relax. My quads stretch. The heart rate lowers.

When I kneel, my focus sharpens. I am closer to the ground, or maybe, I just feel more grounded. I become aware of the heart in the left center of my chest.

Kneeling is reserved. I use it most when I am with God alone, and when I am with the Church. For me, kneeling signals prayer. It slows me down. It opens up a mental space, a zone where I concentrate only on what it in front of me, and what is within. In a curious paradox, despite the vulnerability of kneeling, I feel more open than closed when I kneel.

Kneeling is a posture of surrender. 


Read the rest.

This makes me think.... a profound prayer for a contrite heart

With a Contrite Heart


Prevent me, Lord, from confounding
The mystery of you life in me
With willful self-mastery.
May my gentleness not be a facade;
May it flow froth from my inmost center
Where you reign supreme.
Save me from becoming
A proud paradigm
Of perfect self-control,
A worshiper
Of poise and self-possession.
Save me from pressure 
Of exalted ideals
That deny my humanness
Let my soul not be maimed
By perverted gentility
Grant me the gift to pray
With a contrite heart
And be saved daily 
From the deception
Of pious fantasies.


-- Adrian van Kaam, from Practicing the Prayer of Presence, with Susan Muto.

This makes me think... to never stop seeking God...

For Those Searching for God

O Lord my God,
Teach my heart this day where and how to see you,
Where and how to find you.
You have made me and remade me,
And you have bestowed on me
All the good things I possess,
And still I do not know you.
I have not yet done that
For which I was made.
Teach me to seek you,
For I cannot seek you
Unless you teach me,
Or find you
Unless you show yourself to me.
Let me seek you in my desire,
Let me desire you in my seeking.
Let me find you by loving you,
Let me love you when I find you.

-- Saint Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, theologian, philosopher, monk, Doctor of the Church (d. 1109).

This makes me think... about never dismissing the rosary as 'old school' or something to ignore or take lightly

It's May -- Mary's month! Pray the rosary. Sometimes we might dismiss it. Don't.

Keeping the "Pat" in Patheos... here's my latest column there: "Praying St. Patrick's Breastplate"

You don't have to be Irish to find St. Patrick's famous prayer a treasure. I'm off on retreat later today, so I'll make this brief. Here's hoping you'll just head over to Patheos and read the whole thing.

Let us pray for one another.

Among Women #129 Dealing with Miscarriage, Part 1

Among Women 129 features the first of a two-part series on miscarriage, featuring the writing and practical wisdom of author Karen Edmisten. Drawing on her latest book, After Miscarriage, A Catholic Woman's Companion to Healing and Hope, Karen and Pat have an extended conversation on this tender subject, that is so often hard to talk about. On this episode, they discuss the emotional upheaval of miscarriage and ways the Christian community can offering prayers of support, masses of remembrance, and assurance of the mercy of God toward a child that does not live to experience the sacrament of baptism.

This episode also explores the Old Testament's biblical account of Hannah, the mother of Samuel. Hannah's life is a profound example of a praying woman dealing with infertility, and, later, as a witness of a praying mother as God grants an answer to her prayers. Listen to the podcast here, or download it from iTunes.

Among Women Podcast #128 talks about the Liturgy of the Hours -- in less than an hour!

Among Women 128 features an conversation with writer-blogger Daria Sockey who is devoted to the Liturgy of the Hours and posts regularly about it on her blog Coffee and Canticles. Joins for a discussion on how you -- yes, you! -- can get started using this universal prayer of the Church this Lent.

This podcast also features a look at Blessed Jacoba's life and friendship with St. Francis of Assisi, plus an encouragement to stay informed about the fight for religious liberty over the HHS Mandate.

Listen today!

Don't be afraid or discouraged by the HHS mandate. Listen and learn from these women speaking out against religious liberty.

"Christian, recognize your dignity and, now that you share in God's own nature, do not return to your former base condition by sinning. Remember who is your head and of whose body you are a member. Never forget that you have been rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the light of the Kingdom of God." 

--Pope St. Leo the Great, as cited in the CATECHISM, par. 1691.

Ok, so I thought it was best to start out with the hope we have.

I'll admit that, earlier this week, I was a discouraged by the way the Senate voted on the Blunt amendment with regard to the current assault on the Catholic Church, and others, regarding the HHS Mandate. I think Kathryn Lopez said it rather succinctly: "The majority of the Senate did not want to protect the First Amendement. Thanks, guys." She reminds: "Elections matter."

I'm not a political pundit, and I may not have all the compelling political arguments about this down pat. But I'm someone who takes our moral obligations as Christians seriously.

I know one thing. Silence is great virtue when it comes to prayer. But not so much when it comes to issues of justice. Better stated, perhaps, we must draw strength from the silence of our prayer and move out from there into the world.

We must meet God in the sanctuary of our conscience, and then live in such a way so as to protect the rights of conscience in the individual, and in our country at large, in terms of our First Amendment right to religious liberty in the Constitution. 

The dignity of the human person demands that we protest this affront to conscience and religious freedom. The law of love demands that we act based on our care for our neighbor.

The world needs your credible witness and mine. Sure, it's scary. But it is necessary. 

This is Lent. We've got the spiritual tools to combat sin and injustice.

• Fasting.
• Prayer.
• Alms.

We've got the social and political tools to defeat this mandate and to be a force for good in our world.

• Speaking up and protesting.
• Signing petitions.
• Voting.

The most important tool is our own voice in our spheres of influence.

You may have heard claims that this is a contraception issue and a women's issue. But it is first and foremost an issue of conscience and religious liberty, an issue dear to women and men of many religious traditions. 

Let's not have people wonder, where are the women who care about this?

Let's make sure we can say: Here. We. Are.

While there are many people across the country speaking out about this. We need the passionate voices of women to be seen and heard, and not just Catholic women.

So I'd like to offer the rest of this post as a roundup of women speaking out on this subject.

As reported on NRO, Helen Alvare and Kim Daniels sent this reply to the Obama administration. And they have a petition going that I encourage women to sign over at WomenSpeakforThemselves.com

Here's the Heritage Foundation's Women Speak Out: Obamacare Tramples Religious Liberty panel:



Here's another good panel -- listen to the audio from the Catholic Information Center's event, partnered with AltCatholicah, Women Challenging the HHS Mandate, with a lively panel of very qualified women from the legal and medical professions discussing this subject matter.


I'm adding my voice here...

You may have already heard this, but Kathryn Lopez and Elizabeth Scalia reviewed the basics of this debate a few weeks back on Among Women. 

I love the hope in that opening video that we have as Catholic Christians. I have always loved that quote from Pope St. Leo. Let me encourage you to strongly consider your role in this struggle.

Pray. Hope. Act.

------
Other women speaking out in related articles:

• Professor Janet Smith, also hear her conversation with Drew Mariano on radio.
• Theologian Pia Di Solenni
• Sr. Mary Ann Walsh
• Marybeth Hicks
• Peggy Noonan
• Elizabeth Scalia
• Emily Stimpson
• Hillary Senour
• Alveda King
• Cathy Ruse
• Kat Fernandez
• Carrie Severino

Earlier posts on this blog about with links to this subject:

• 3.3.12
• 2.11.12
• 2.4.12
• 1.28.12
• 11.6.09

The AW podcast on this subject.

This makes me think... about what I need this Lent...

Jesus is also so brilliant saying: love goodness, that is, seek and practice all the the virtues, [for example], the virtue of temperance in your use of food and drink. Select what you shall eat and drink in accordance with what is best for your health, not what might flatter your taste buds but damage your well-being and ability to serve others well. He is saying also: be moderate and realistically motivated. In other words, be converted. Give up your self-centeredness and love truth, goodness, and beauty. No matter how far you are advanced or how wayward you are in your spiritual life, if this fundamental change is taking place, you are on your way up, on your way to becoming beautiful. It may take time, but it can happen with the grace of God -- which is always present. 


Hence, our conclusion is that the remarkable resistance we experience in getting rid of our faults that we can control is radically rooted in our desperate need for... deep conversion [and] deep prayer.


The logical reaction at this point for any sincere reader understandably may be: "Help! I can't do this by myself." And of course that is perfectly true. The Lord took care of this problem too. Without his Holy Spirit, he told us, we can do nothing (1 Cor 12:3). Surely no one can become a saint without his aid. But the fact is that his help and grace are always present. It is up to us to use what he offers but never forces.

--Thomas Dubay, SM, Deep Conversion, Deep Prayer.

This makes me think... really think about slowing it ALL down... Ahhh, Lent the time to be present...

Time to Be Present


Lord, let me find back
The lost treasure of time:
Time for gentle listening to a friend,
For sharing the play of a child,
For consoling a suffering person,
For thinking without strain,
For labor without pressure.
Time to delight in birds and flowers,
Blooming trees and lustrous green.
Time to enjoy music, friends, and meals,
Time to be silent and alone,
Time to be quietly at home,
Time to be present to Your mystery.
Free me from the tyranny 
Of time urgency.
Let time not possess me
Neither the pressure of daily concerns.
Let me not cram every moment 
With useful or exciting things
To do or say.
Let my life be a gentle preparation
For the pure and precious moments
Of listening to you
So that I may not drown
In the rushing waters
Of practical pursuits.

---Susan Muto & Adrian van Kaam, Practicing the Prayer of Presence, 1993, Resurrection Press.

This makes me think... being thankful all my days...

Thank you, Lord


My Father, you have carried me through
     wanderings
     and loved me through my rebelliousness.


I praise you.


You have given me untold riches:
     friends to love,
     beauty to enjoy,
     quiet spaces.


I praise you for life on this planet,
     for trust between people,
     and the unimaginable gift of the gospel.


Keep me thankful all my days,
that, against all the odds,
I may never lose sight 
of hope and delight.

---Angela Ashwin, A Little Book of Healing Prayers.

On the subject of toes... a page out of my prayer journal

I'm over at Patheos...

In this chapel, directly above the monstrance, there is a statue of the Risen Jesus, arms outstretched. Faithful to the biblical accounts ( Jn 20: 24-28), the wounds of Jesus’ crucifixion are still visible on his glorified body.  This depiction of his once-crucified feet extends low into my field of vision, inches away from the monstrance, as I concentrate on his True Presence in the Host. 

And as I visit, the statue’s portrayal, and the Lord’s profound nearness in the Eucharist, is an ever-present reminder of “This is my body, which is given up for you (Lk 22:19).” 

As I enter the chapel each week, my knees hit the floor and I bend low: My Lord and my God! 

Not insignificantly, my Lord and my God has toes. 

And I’m struck deeply by the delightful humanity of it all. The precious and weighty reality of the Incarnation becomes, remarkably, accessible. And in that moment of recognition, I find this God, who is undeniably wondrous and magnificent as the Creator of the Cosmos, all at once, very much lovable to my down-to-earth womanly sensibilities. 

I have a God with toes. Isn’t that amazing?!

Of course, there's more. 

Among Women ReadHER 1.21.12 Sleepless... struggles.. quotables... politics..and bookishness!

Among Women ReadHER

1.21.12

Before
By Amy Welborn
A warm reflection about her father's study, oh, and so much more, in the months after his death.


Politics as a Vocation: Mary Ann Glendon discusses the duty of all Christians to engage in public life 
By Christopher White at the National Catholic Register
I'm a fan of practically everything Mary Ann Glendon writes or shares. (Glendon is former Ambassador to the Vatican under Pres. George W. Bush, and a top lawyer in Church affairs and at Harvard.)  She's a woman who is a gift to the Church and to our country, always defending the normative place of religion in the public square.


Thriving!
By Arwen Mosher at Faith and Family Live
If you struggle with comparing yourself to other Moms around you, let Arwen's voice resound in your head.


Get a Good Night's Sleep: Pray, Hope, and Don't Worry!
By Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur at CatholicMom.com
A recent study shows lots of women suffer insomnia or put off sleep due to worries or stress. Patrice has some advice. Patrice was a guest on AW back in the early days, on episode 6.

Well Said: Being Childlike

By Julie Davis at Happy Catholic

Julie always pulls something of interest from her Quote Journal...this time it is one that I had read before but had forgotten from Madeline L'Engle... enjoy!  To hear more fabulous quotes, listen to Julie's conversation with me on AW 99. 


On faith
Posted by BenedictEveryday.com
Speaking of more quotes, I love these daily quotes from our Holy Father. 


Read about Project Inspired's Campaign to stop selling Cosmopolitan magazine to under-aged girls.
Sign the anti-Cosmo petition here.  H/T Teresa Tomeo, who recently guested on AW 118. 


Beatitudes for Parents

By Patti Armstrong

Patti posts a short reflection from Marion Kinneman -- it still rings true. Patti was a recent guest on AW, you can find that interview here. 

Tech Talk Tuesdays
By Sarah Reinhard at CatholicMom.com
If you are a gadget person with a smart phone or tablet, you'll enjoy Sarah's series at CM for recommendations for Catholic and family-related apps. I've linked to her archives. Sarah was a guest on AW 11 and AW 116.

Sure, I love to read online, but I also love curling up with good book. Here's a whimsical short video for book lovers...



The Moral is the Story: Flannery O'Connor's Wisdom for a Catholic Literary Renaissance
By Vaughn Kohler at the Gregorian Blog
This one's for all my writing buddies, especially in the Catholic Writer's Guild.

This makes me think... St Catherine's Prayer before the Eucharist

O boundless charity!
Just as you gave us yourself,
wholly God and wholly man,
so you left us all of yourself as food
so that while we are pilgrims in this life
we might not collapse in our weariness
but be strengthened by you, heavenly food.


O mercenary people!
And what has your God left you?
He has left himself,
wholly God and wholly man,
hidden under the whiteness of this bread.


O fire of love!
Was it not enough to gift us 
with creation in your image and likeness,
and to create us anew to grace in your Son's blood,
without giving us yourself as food,
the whole of divine being,
the whole of God?
What drove you?
Nothing but your charity,
mad with love as you are!


--St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
as found in Praying in the Presence of Our Lord, by Fr Benedict Groeschel, CFR

Here's 12 great episodes of Among Women from 2011... Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss what's coming up in 2012!

Here's an even dozen selected for your listening pleasure. Just click on the link to listen on your computer, or download via iTunes. Subscribe to the podcast here, and subscribe to the blog in the sidebar at right.

If you're new to Among Women, or you haven't been around for a while, here's a look back at some of what we've covered together in the last 12 months.

AW 85 with Elizabeth Scalia... Stand Up for the Faith

AW 92 Special Edition... The Bible and You -- a round-up with our listeners as guests!

AW 93 with a panel of guests... Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

AW 94 with Jennifer Willits... Ringing Around the Rosary

AW 99 with Julie Davis... Happy to be Catholic

AW 100... Celebrating 100 Episodes... with the guest from Episode 1: Dr. Virginia Kimball and a cast of thousands... (ok, not 1000's but a bunch of beloved listeners giving their two cents about AW.)

AW 103 with Rosario Rodriguez... When Forgiveness is Hard

AW 109 Metanoia... Listener Erin Miller talks about her conversion and the road to Carmelite spirituality.

AW 112 Special Edition... What I love about the Rosary! -- more fun with our listeners!

AW 113 with Lisa Hendey... Communing with the Saints

AW 118 with Teresa Tomeo... A Women's Relationship with the Media

AW 119 with Dorothy Pilarski... The Interior Life of Mothers

This makes me think... prayer and love of neighbor are linked

Q: How does loving my neighbor -- husband, wife, children, friends, co-workers -- contribute to my contemplative prayer?


A: I may begin with the theological core of the matter: there is only one virtue of charity by which we love God, ourselves, and our neighbor. If I am not loving others -- although not necessarily liking them -- I cannot have a deep prayer life, for its heart, love, is missing. My prayer will be no better than my love for others. No set of techniques... will be able of themselves to improve it.


...


The whole of life is lived in the divine presence, which is an atmosphere of love. We are urged by St. Paul "to live through love in his presence (Eph 1:4).  St. Augustine also shrewdly noted that "in loving our neighbor the eye of our mind is purified to contemplate God." Loving our associates requires that we practice other virtues: humility, gentleness, patience, obedience. Thus we are purified of our faults, each of which may be an impediment to growth in divine intimacy.


---Thomas Dubay, S.M. Seeking Spiritual Direction,  Servant, 1993.