The Meditation The Fifth Sunday in Great Lent Passion Sunday April 7 th, A.D. 2019 Jesus in the Desert (1872) Painting by Ivan Kramskoi (1837-1887) Russian painter & Art critic 1
The Introit (Entrance) Verse for the Mass for the Fifth Sunday in Great Lent Passion Sunday Give sentence with me, O God, and defend my cause against the ungodly people: O deliver my soul from the deceitful and wicked man: for thou art the God of my strength. - Psalm 43 Victory through Suffering There comes a time in each of our lives when storm and stress threaten to overwhelm us. Temptations, trials, our own passions, excessive work demands, pull us this way and that, threatening our spiritual lives, our prayers, and even our union with God. These words of Scripture may even come to mind: O let not them that are mine enemies triumph over me ungodly: and why? Their communing is not for peace, but they imagine deceitful words. This thou hast seen, O Lord: hold not thy tongue then; go not far from me O Lord. [1] Although the Church puts these words into the mouth of our Savior, whose enemies are seeking Him to put to death, they also apply to us, His followers. St. Paul speaks of the afflictions to which he and the apostles are exposed: persecutions, hunger, nakedness, the peril of the sword. For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. (Romans: Chap. 8, Vs. 36) The gold that is our virtue must be purified from any impurities such as self-love, pride, greed, vanity, or an exaggerated opinion of our own excellence. It s by suffering only, that one can become a real saint. If our heavenly Father did not spare even His only-begotten Son, is it likely that He will lift the Cross from the shoulders of His adopted children? He may, for a time, find it good to strengthen them by His consolations, in order to lead them to the summit of Mt. Thabor, and there reveal His beauty that we may be filled with interior peace and spiritual joy. Such a privilege will make the Spiritual life seem easy, and its duties light. The soul will embrace self-denial which alone can lead one to a closer contact with God but such succor is not sufficient for attaining perfection. It can even lead to spiritual greediness, a refined form of selfseeking, unconscious vanity, a conception of sanctity which lies only in the imagination. It s much like milk, which although good for infants, sooner or later must be replaced with the solid food of the full-grown [2] which is suffering. This can take the form of spiritual dryness (acedia), which may last for years. It s like a dark veil that seems to hang before our spiritual sight preventing us from raising our eyes to heaven. Spiritual things and religion seem to have no value or attraction and we feel incapable of fixing our minds on them. Faith seems dead; the greatest truths leave us cold and even apathetic. It requires a great deal of will power to submit ourselves to the will of God, to pray devoutly, now that prayer has lost all attraction to us. Many of the saints of the Church, in reality, have shown us, acedia is a trial often sent by God to His favored servants, to purify them from some secret 2
attachment to the inordinate pleasure, which they take in sensible devotion. Even in the spiritual life, reality checks are sometimes needed! Nothing can help the soul who is in this situation except a humble confidence in God and submission to His will. The person who can humble themselves to do this, shares in Jesus loneliness and abandonment in the Garden of Olives, and can pray just as He did: O my Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from me: never the less not as I will, but as thou will. (St. Matthew: Chap. 26, Vs. 39). The person who can let themselves be led by the spirit of faith, knows that it is through trial and suffering that victory is gained. They know that God will return one day, and that unshakable hope prevents them from losing courage, neglecting prayer, or abandoning their resolutions. A person will pray more earnestly with Christ [3] We should, during our times of difficulty, call to mind the words of the great Apostle St. Paul: Ye have not yet resisted unto blood-striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons, for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? (Hebrews; Chap. 12, Vss. 4-7 Today, we make our entry into Passiontide. Jerusalem, betrayal, Calvary, and the Cross await us as we travel with our Lord. The journey will grow harder for some who are performing their Lenten obediences, and for others who may be undergoing acedia, the journey has been long and difficult already and will continue to be so even after Easter, and still for some others, there will be no increase in temptation or challenge to their faith, for they chose not to do anything this Lent. All will, however, receive their reward in God s time and of His measure. Let us live in the knowledge that we know Jesus is faithful and will not let us be tempted beyond our strength. [4] We know most of our weaknesses, but at the same time we trust in God s Fatherly care. Though we all are tried and tempted, we acknowledge that any discipline we receive is for our own, ultimate good and for the honor and glory of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. Meditation Notes: [1] The Response to the Third Lesson at the Office of Vigils (Matins) on Monday of Passion Week. [2] Ref; Hebrews; Chap. 5, Vs. 13 & 14: For everyone that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness; for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are full of age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. [3] Ref; St. Luke; Chap. 22, Vs. 44: And being in agony he prayed more earnestly. Our Lord praying in the Garden. [4] Ref: I Corinthians; Chap. 10, Vs. 13: God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able 3
Priory Kalendar For the week of: April 7 th to April 14 th - A.D. 2019 in Passiontide Sunday, April 7 th......... Passion Sunday..... Passiontide commences today. Monday, April 8 th........ feria in Passiontide...Fast Day Tuesday, April 9 th........ feria in Passiontide...Fast Day Wednesday, April 10 th.... feria in Passiontide...Fast & Abstinence Thursday, April 11 th... St. Leo the Great; Po. C. & D. - 5 th cent. Friday, April 12 th... Compassion of the Blessed Virgin Mary...Fast and Abstinence (The Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin) Saturday, April 13 th...... feria in Passiontide...Fast Day. Sunday, April 14 th....... Palm Sunday Holy Week Begins today Guardian Angel Card of the Week Our Lady of Compassion 4
KALENDAR KEY: Abt. = Abbot, Abs. = Abbess, Abp = Archbishop, Anc. = Anchorite, Ancs. = Anchoress, Ap. = Apostle, Bl. = Blessed, Br. = Brother, Bp. = Bishop, Card. = Cardinal, C. or Conf. = Confessor, Comm. = Commemoration/Commemorate, Dcn. = Deacon, Doct. = Doctor of the Church, Ev. = Evangelist, H. = Hermit, LBr. = Lay Brother, LSr. = Lay Sister, K. = King, Mat. = Matron, M. = Monk, M.M. = Month s Mind ( Requiem for the recently departed on the 30 th day after death or burial). Myr. = Martyr, N. = Nun, Obl. = Oblate, P. = Priest, Po. = Pope, Pr. = Prior, Prs. = Prioress, R. = Recluse, RM = Requien Mortuorum, ( Mass and Offices for the departed once a month as designated on Kalendar). SDcn. = Sub Deacon, Q. = Queen, Ven. = Venerable, Vir.=Virgin, W. = Widow. FASTING KEY: A = Abstinence, F = Fast, F & A = Fast and Abstinence RELIGIOUS ORDER ABBREVIATIONS: C.O = Congregation of the Oratory (Oratorians), C.P. = Congregation of the Passion (Passionists), C.S.J. = Congregation of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), Er. Cam. = Camaldolese Hermits, F.P. O. = Franciscans of the Primitive Observance, O. Car. = Carmelite Order, O. Cart. Carthusian Order, O.C.D. = Order of Discalced Friars (Carmelites), O.F.A. = Augustinian Order, O.F.M = Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans), O.F.M. Cap = Capuchin Order, O.P. = Order of Preachers (Dominicans also called Blackfriars ), O. Praem. = Order of Cannons Regular (Norbertines), O.S.B. = Order of St. Benedict (Benedictines), O.Ss. S. = Bridgettines, O.S.U = Ursulines, O.C.O. = Order of the Cistercian Observance (Trappists/Trappistines), O.C.S.O. = Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance (Trappists/ Trappistines). Tert. = Tertiary (Third Order religious) About the Meditation and About Us 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 resident within the Diocese of the Northeast (DNE), of the Anglican Church in America (ACA), a member of the worldwide Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC). We observed 25 years of institution as a community on October 16 th, 2018. The Meditation is a weekly online 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 so they may receive it directly from us. Each issue is sent out as a BCC (Blank Copy) in respect to subscriber privacy and online security. To subscribe, contact us at: klamarre@maine.rr.com To read past issues of the Meditation, please go to our website at: www.ourladyofsevensorrows.org and you can find them in the section marked Meditations on the homepage. PLEASE NOTE: In respect to our contemplative vocation and the animals in our rescue and rehab center, we do not have guest or bathroom facilities and do not regularly receive visitors. Fr. Kevin is available to hear confessions and give spiritual direction by appointment only. Please contact via email to make an appointment or to make us aware of your needs, concerns and intentions for our prayerful attention. It is our privilege to pray for you. NOTE: We think due to the discrepancy between Windows 7 and Windows 10 we are not receiving some of your emails. The Meditation will continue to be sent from klamarre@maine.rr.com however if you do email us to subscribe, schedule confessions or spiritual counseling, and do not get a response please contact Fr. Kevin on his gmail account which is revkev258@gmail.com. PLEASE CONSIDER REMEMBERING US IN YOUR ESTATE PLANNING Contact Sr. Mary Francis, O.S.B. for more information via our email address 5
Animal News By Sr. Mary Francis Zooey thought it would be a good idea to help clean up her pen. She was very diligent and made things very comfortable for her Po bear. The babies are growing well and starting to play...anya and Freya (l) and Nuit and Faida (R) Spring, the season of Life and renewal. Nothing says Spring like baby things! 6
We took in 2 parakeets this week for a woman in a hard spot. They have brought the cheeriest sounds of spring into the house. The one on the left is Stewie Blue and in keeping with Fr. Kevin s penchant for cowboy stories and the wild west, we named the keeper of law and order in the jail, Wyatt Chirp (R). PAX 7
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