I asked God...

You only become the saint you do not want to become . . . .

"You will never become a saint in the way you imagine or hope. One can become a saint only by accepting a will other than one's own. I often imagine the story of an old, worn man, of an elderly and disappointed woman, whose every good desire has run aground, whom God has constantly hindered in their most generous plans.

Their vocation, put to the test, has been denied; their attempts at the apostolate have failed for miserable reasons of money or machination, their marriage is sterile or their children are dead, their life is useless.

They grow old anxious and lonely, surrounded by ruins. But when, sometimes, on their knees, in a long, mute prayer, they dare to question the impenetrable Providence who has conducted their lives, when they reach out their empty hands towards God, when they offer him their wasted existence, their hearts which have beaten so little, it comes about that they receive a strangely comforting answer. They sometimes come to understand, in a disarming light, that everything is quite as he wanted it, that their own will would have led them to human results, but that God preferred to lead them to him, that he reserved them entirely for himself, so that the witness they bear to him is pure.

"Yes, I have shattered your projects, I have annihilated your pride. Nobody needs you, you live without self-contentment, you are before me like a lamp which shines for the satisfaction of nobody, - you are 'without any purpose.' But you are my love and my glory, I placed my delight in you, you are the portion reserved to me, so well preserved that you are wanted by nobody else, and that you do not even think of being useful, you are my purest reflection because you have become the saints you did not want to become." (L. Evely)

(found here)

The Lord has freed you from your sins. Go in Peace.

Árstíðir - Heyr himna smiður

Icelandic hymn from the early 13th century. By the end of the century, the nation had converted from mostly pagan to mostly Catholic.

Heyr himna smiðr
hvers skáldit biðr;
komi mjúk til mín
miskunnin þín.
Því heitk á þik
þú hefr skaptan mik;
ek em þrællinn þinn,
þú est dróttinn minn.

Goð, heitk á þik
at græðir mik;
minzk mildingr mín,
mest þurfum þín;
ryð þú rǫðla gramr,
ríklyndr ok framr,
hǫlds hverri sorg
ór hjarta borg.

Gæt, mildingr, mín
mest þurfum þín
helzt hverja stund
á hǫlða grund;
sett, meyjar mǫgr,
málsefni fǫgr,
ǫll es hjǫ́lp af þér
í hjarta mér.

Hear, Smith of the Heavens,
what the poet asks.
May softly come unto me
Thy mercy.
So I call on Thee,
for Thou hast created me.
I am Thy slave,
Thou art my Lord.

God, I call on Thee
to heal me.
Remember me, Mild One,^*
Most we need Thee.
Drive out, O King of Suns,
generous and great,
every human sorrow
from the fortress of the heart.

Watch over me, Mild One,
Most we need Thee,
truly every moment
in the world of men.
Send us, Son of the Virgin,
good causes,
all aid is from Thee,
in my heart.

This hymn was composed by Kolbeinn Tumason, one of the most powerful chieftains in the Iceland of his time. He helped his wife's uncle (or cousin), his house priest, Guðmundur Arason, to be elected bishop of Hólar, hoping, through him, to increase his power and influence in the north part of the island. Guðmundur, often nicknamed "the good", was generous with the Church's holdings and a community of the poor gathered around him in Hólar. I wonder whether this provoked envy and avarice in Kolbeinn, when he saw Guðmundur giving to the poor instead of to himself, his friend and benefactor. They came into conflict when Kolbeinn accused a priest of owing him money and had him exiled. Guðmundur took the priest into his household in an attempt to preserve the sole right of the Church to judge her clergy. In 1209, Kolbeinn led a group of men to Víðines, near Hólar, to carry out a sentence against another priest. There they fought with followers of the bishop and there the chieftain was fatally injured by a blow to his head with a large rock after which his troops dispersed. Despite the circumstances of his death, Kolbeinn was a believing Christian. Before passing away, he composed this classic Icelandic hymn.

^* Or mild king. This is a pun on the word mildingur.

Sources: 1,2,3,4,5

All Soul's Day

In peace let us pray to the Lord.

Almighty God, who hast knit together thine elect in one communion and fellowship, in the mystical body of thy Son Christ our Lord: Grant, we beseech thee, to thy whole Church in paradise and on earth, thy light and thy peace.

Grant that all those who have been baptized into Christ's death and resurrection may die to sin and rise to newness of life, and that through the grave and gate of death we may pass with him to our joyful resurrection.

Grant to us who are still in our pilgrimage, and who walk as yet by faith, that thy Holy Spirit may lead us in holiness and righteousness all our days.

Grant to thy faithful people pardon and peace, that we may be cleansed from all our sins, and serve thee with a quiet mind.

Grant to all who mourn a sure confidence in thy fatherly care, that, casting all their grief upon thee, they may know the consolation of thy love.

Give courage and faith to those who are bereaved, that they may have strength to meet the days ahead in the comfort of a reasonable and holy hope, in the joyful expectation of eternal life with those they love.

Help us, we pray, in the midst of things we cannot understand, to believe and trust in the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, and the resurrection to life everlasting.

Grant us, with all who have died in the hope of the resurrection, to have our consummation and bliss in thine eternal and everlasting glory, and, with all thy saints, to receive the crown of life which thou dost promise to all who share in the victory of thy Son Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Father of all, we pray to thee for those we love, but see no longer: Grant them thy peace; let light perpetual shine upon them; and in thy loving wisdom and almighty power, work in them the good purpose of thy perfect will; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, we pray thee to set thy passion, cross, and death, between thy judgement and our souls, now and in the hour of our death. Give mercy and grace to the living, pardon and rest to the dead, to thy holy Church peace and concord, and to us sinners everlasting life and glory; who with the Father and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, one God, now and ever.

Lord Jesus Christ, who by thy death didst take away the sting of death: Grant to us thy servants so to follow in faith where thou hast led the way, that we may at length fall asleep peacefully in thee, and awake after thy likeness; for thy tender mercies' sake.

O Almighty God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, who by a voice from heaven didst proclaim, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord: Multiply, we beseech thee, to those who rest in Jesus the manifold blessings of thy love, that the good work which thou didst begin in them may be made perfect unto the day of Jesus Christ. And of thy mercy, O heavenly Father, grant that we, who now serve thee on earth, may at last, together with them, be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; for the sake of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

(found here)

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

Corpus Christi

But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

When we enter into God's holy temple, may He mercifully empty our hearts of all malice, all resentment, all anger, all pride, all envy, all despondency, all impurity, all distraction, all gluttony, all sloth, all avarice, all timorousness, all that separates us from the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, all that makes us forget where we are and what we owe our Creator.

May He fill us instead with faith, hope and charity. May we receive Him worthily and become more like to Him Whom we receive, making good use of His gifts to the glory of His holy name. Before we dare to receive, let us carefully examine our consciences as Saint Paul has taught us, and if we cannot receive Him worthily because of sin, may the Lord guide us to true repentance.

Thank you Lord, for all you have given us.

Ember Days

In the Saints Discussion Forums, I just saw a reminder that Wednesday, Friday and Saturday of next week are the Summer Ember Days, traditionally days of fasting and abstinence to sanctify the season and instruct Christians in holiness.