The Meditation The Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity A.D (October 16 th )

Transcription

1 Ora et Labora The Meditation The Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity A.D (October 16 th ) Praying Monk Painting by Alfred Jaques van Muyden ( ) Swiss painter

2 2. The Collect for the Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity Grant, we beseech thee, merciful Lord, to thy faithful people pardon and peace: that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve thee with a quiet mind. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen. PRAYER AND ADORATION Generally speaking, it can be said that prayer has a two-fold objective: adoration and petition. Our love, which is the essence of all prayer, can express itself in acts of faith, praise, and thanksgiving... this is called adoration or, it can be expressed by humble, trustful petition (request) for help and protection, which is also prayer. We may be tempted, as a result of our own experiences and those of others, to think of prayer as merely a request or even a demand, in which we, mankind, stretches out our hands like a beggar to the Source of all happiness and all that is good: the only Helper who can and always will come to our aid God! The fact is that we may be all too inclined to see prayer as a form of request line to Heaven where we seek to obtain those things that we desire. Didn t our Lord Himself said: Ask, and it shall be given you. (St. Matthew; Ch. 7, Vs. 7).? Though it s true that the prayer of petition or request is the most usual, it doesn t mean that it is the best, or even that it belongs to the essence of prayer. Mankind was created to glorify Almighty God, and it is by the spirit of piety that we do so. It stands to reason that our attitude towards God must be one of prayer, since it is by prayer that we express and increase our spirit of piety. In other words, there can be no prayer that doesn t contain the elements of praise and adoration, which contributes to God s glory. It s quite clear then, that we must not pray only, or even primarily, for the relief of our own pressing needs, no matter how important they may be to us. Prayer is essentially adoration, by which God is glorified, and it is the means by which mankind accomplishes the task for which we were created, and which is inseparable from our very existence (never minding what the so-called free-thinkers say!). True and earnest prayer must always be a form of adoration. A simple demand, having no other objective than an improvement in the situation of the ego (the inner and outer person), isn t prayer, for it has nothing to do with piety and everything to do with self-love! When a beggar asks us for money, their intention is not to honor those people to whom they beg. It s not that we should abandon the time honored custom of praying for our temporal or spiritual needs, a custom so closely connected with our human nature. The Gospel bids us: Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you. (Matt.; Ch. 7, Vs. 7 - full verse). Jesus says to the multitudes very pointedly: If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? (Matt. Ch. 7, Vs. 11). Jesus even teaches us in the Lord s Prayer to say: Give us this day our daily bread but at the same time, our prayers of petition must also be prayers of adoration and glorification of the Father. Our prayers must be based on the desire that God should be honored and loved above all

3 3. things. Today s Collect is a very short and simple prayer that easily presents what this meditation offers; we acknowledge our Lord as merciful, and beg of his mercy pardon and peace, that through His great power and mercy we may be cleansed of all our sins, and therefore be fit and clean to give glory and honor to Almighty God through His onlybegotten Son. This is a short, lovely, and very appropriate prayer for our everyday life that shouldn t only be used in the Mass, but perhaps committed to memory and said each day upon our rising. TEACH US TO PRAY Piety and prayer are so closely connected that they are almost identical. One never exists without the other. Piety is our attitude towards God, our Father, and is the natural result of that attitude. St. Thomas Aquinas put it best when he said: prayer strictly speaking, is piety in practice. Although piety and prayer are two, they are inseparable. They are one just as sun and light, and life and breath are one. Prayer has even been called the breath of the soul. They are one just as love and acts of love are one. Therefore prayer is piety in action; or to put it: since piety is love, prayer is love s expression. Here on earth, mankind is on its way to the God for whom we all were created. We must always, as creatures of reason, be aware of the direction in which we are bound to be going (towards God). We can say that prayer is the means by which we maintain and increase our relationship with God. It doesn t matter whether our prayer is expressed via venerable formulas handed down through the ages, or in the soul s own words, or in the simple wordless desires coming from the heart. It can be an expression of our faith, our love, and our confidence in Him in each of these ways; whether we sing our praises of adoration and glorification of the Almighty in Gregorian Chant, or in the humble voice of our weakness, imploring His protection, God will always understand even the faintest cry of a soul that seeks Him. Sanctifying grace makes mankind s whole existence supernatural, and our relationship with God above our natural reach. We owe the gift of this grace to the Holy Ghost. It is the spirit that dwells in our hearts that stretches out to the Father and the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. (Romans; Ch. 8, Vs. 26). The Holy Ghost will urge us on in every prayer that we offer, praying in us and with us, in a voice that has infinitely more value than our own in God s ears. The Holy Ghost, who is divine love itself, draws us directly to God as nothing else can. The introit verse for Whitsunday (Pentecost) takes on a new meaning for us in this connection The Spirit of the Lord hath filled the whole world: and that which containeth all things hath knowledge of the voice. Wisdom; Ch. 1, Vs. 7). The Holy Ghost understands all speech and the hidden words of our hearts. In the Collect for Whitsunday we pray: O God, who at this time didst teach the hearts of thy faithful people, by sending to them the light of thy Holy Spirit: Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgement in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort. This prayer, the Veni Creator, and the Veni Sancti Spiritus, and all of our prayers will mean much more to us, if when reciting them, we think of the Holy Ghost as living in us, the very

4 4. soul of our spiritual life, praying with us and in us whenever we approach God. There is nothing in us without the Holy Ghost. Saint Paul tells us that we can t even say Lord Jesus except by the Holy Ghost. We don t even know how or what to pray for; the Spirit prays in us. Let us in our prayers, ask the Holy Ghost to come unto us, and fill our hearts with the fire of love. Let us ask that our hearts be purified and our sins be remitted, so in our purity and holiness, we can bear abundant fruit as we journey towards heaven! The Meditation is an online apostolate of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Priory in Raymond, Maine, USA. We are an Anglican-Catholic Benedictine contemplative community that follows the Holy Rule of St. Benedict, the 5 th -century Father of Western Monasticism. We are affiliated within the Diocese of the Northeast (DNE), of the Anglican Church in America (ACA), a member of the worldwide Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC). The Meditation is a weekly on-line offering that is sent out free of charge to anyone who desires to receive it. Subscribers may copy and pass along the Meditation to their families and friends, or send us their e-address (with their permission) to add to our subscription list. Each edition is sent out as a BCC (Blank Copy) in respect to subscriber privacy. To subscribe, contact us at : klamarre@maine.rr.com In respect to our contemplative vocation and the animals in our rescue and rehab center, we do not have guest facilities and do not regularly receive visitors. Priory Kalendar For the week of October 16 th to October 23 rd - A.D Sunday, October 16 th......twenty-first Sunday after Trinity Comm. St. Hedwig; W. & nun, O.S.B Cist. 12 th cent. Germany Founding Day of our Community Monday, October 17 th..... Etheldreda; Abbess, O.S.B. Ely, England - 7 th cent. Tuesday, October 18 th..... St. Luke; Ev. - 1 st cent. Antioch & Rome Wednesday, October 19 th... St. Frideswida; Abbess, O.S.B. Oxford, England - 8 th cent. Thursday, October 20 th.... St. John Cantius; C. & Doct. of the Church 14 th cent. Poland Friday, October 21 st St. Hilarion; Ab. 4 th cent. Egypt & Sicily. Comm. St. Ursula & Companions; Myrs. 4 th cent. Germany Saturday, October 22 nd.... Saturday of Our Lady Mass & Offices recommended Comm. the Martyrs of New Ginuea Sunday, October 23 rd twenty-second Sunday after Trinity

5 5. Pray for the Holy Souls! November 1-9 ALL SOULS NOVENA And when he had made a gathering throughout the company to the sum of two thousand drachmas of silver, he sent it to Jerusalem to offer a sin offering, doing therein very well and honestly, in that he was mindful of the resurrection: For if he had not hoped that they that were slain should have risen again, it had been superfluous and vain to pray for the dead. And also in that he perceived that there was great favor laid up for those that died godly, it was an holy and good thought. Whereupon he made a reconciliation for the dead, that they might be delivered from sin. II Maccabees: Chap. 13; Vss Dear Friends; November is the month which our Holy Mother Church has set aside for the remembrance and prayers for the departed in a special manner. Praying for the peaceful repose of the departed is a great spiritual work of mercy that we, the living can and should do, and it is strongly encouraged as a part of our venerable English Catholic tradition. This ancient tradition of remembering the dead is continued here at Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Priory in Raymond, Maine. We remember the blessed dead throughout the Church Year; however, an urgent emphasis is placed on these prayers during this time. All unnecessary

6 6. work ceases here at the Priory during this nine-day period so we can focus more on time for prayer for the blessed faithful departed. All Saint s Day, November 1 st, begins a nine-day period called a Novena, a time in which Masses and special prayers are said here at the Priory, on behalf of the departed, who cannot pray for themselves. We remember through prayer, in a particular way, those who have gone before us; our departed monks, our families, benefactors, friends, and those known only to Almighty God. You too, can join us in this great work of mercy and charity. I invite and encourage you, our dear and valued subscribers and readers of our weekly Meditation, to enroll your departed loved ones and friends in this Novena of Masses and prayers, by contacting us here at the Priory. You can do this via or by regular post ( snail mail ) with the names you wish us to remember in Masses and prayer. If you wish to send a donation on behalf of your loved ones, it would be greatly appreciated and put to good use in the provision of supplies for our chapel in the way of Altarbreads, Mass-wine, candles, & incense. Please note that a donation is not required in order for you to take part in this Novena. Those whom you have enrolled will be solemnly remembered this November as the Masses and the very ancient and beautiful prayers of our Monastic Liturgy for the dead are offered. What better way than through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to beg our Lord s mercy and the admission of the departed into His presence forever? No greater honor, privilege, or responsibility can be given to a contemplative monk or nun than for someone to ask of them: Please pray for me. In Christ Jesus and St. Benedict, Fr. Prior Kevin L. LaMarre, O.S.B. Address Intentions to: All Souls Novena klamarre@maine.rr.com Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Priory 4 Shaw Road Raymond, ME And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. (St. Matthew; Ch. 12, Vs. 32.)... In this sentence it is given to understand that many sins can be remitted in this world, but also many in the world to come. - St. Gregory the Great; Dialogues Iv,

7 7. Animal News and News from the Priory A Busy Week! Turkey Antics - After returning from the chapel to sing the morning Office of Lauds on Monday, Fr. Kevin looked out of his cell to see a big flock of turkeys sunning themselvesd near the animal cemetery and pasture. This was part of a larger group that has been hanging around the area all summer. The babies have grown substantially, and will make it through the winter all-right. Fr. Kevin snapped these photos of the turkeys napping, dusting, and just plain showing off puffing themselves up. The horses have gotten used to these visitors and barely paid them any attention. They are lots of fun to watch!

8 8. Pumpkin Harvest! Our efforts netted a colorful batch of about pumpkins this week. This is the best haul we have ever had, considering how dry it was this summer and the size of our patch! We brought in a couple of big ones. Some green pumpkins are still on the vines and we ll watch to see if they ripen to orange or yellow. So far the frost hasn t really done much damage, but that can all change. It was loads of fun to watch Brothers Chip and Sylvester tug and pull on the pumpkins after Sr. Mary Francis cut them loose from their vines with her trusty knife. Jack the cat and Br. Raymond were content to just watch! A pumpkin or BIG onion?! Our apple harvest! There were many others, but they were too small... the horses are enjoying those for supper!

9 9. Rain at Sunset We received our first substaintial rain fall all-day Sunday. Around sunset the skies started to clear, but the rain kept falling, giving us a rarely-seen autumn treat... a brilliant sky and trees ablaze with goldenorange, not to mention a rainbow as well! What a great blessing! ( photos by Fr. Kevin).

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