Catholics
Comments
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How wonderful Astrid.
If you have not already encountered, I can heartily recommend the 'Pope Francis: A Man of his Word' film which shows the beauty and unity of Franciscan spirituality and the expression of the spirituality of St. Francis in the life and work of Pope Francis. It is a very beautiful, powerful film. Went to see it twice. (It will be available on DVD here in Dec so I am sure that it must be similar in US).
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will check that out FF. ThNkyou. (I am in Australia, not US but no doubt will find a way.)☺🕊
Thankyou also Elaine Therese for kind words, yes, Francis has also grabbed a hold of my heart. As has the beautiful St Clare.
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1.Some of the amazing natural beauty at La Verna....
2.Courtyard at San Damiano where the Poor Clares lived..this is the original church that Francis thought God was asking him to rebuild. ☺
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Loving the photos! What a beautiful and holy place.
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I have had a particular affection for St. Francis ever since a day spent in a library in Killarney, Co Kerry in my late 20's. Don't remember how it came to be that I had to wait an entire day in Killarney, but having nothing to do and no money to do it with I spent the day in the library. I happened to pick up a book on St. Francis and spent the day glued to it.
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DS sent me a video on facebook of nuns from Poor Clare convent in Lusaka, Zambia celebrating St. Francis day. Couldn't find it on You Tube but this is them doing a Gloria. Pure Joy.
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that is beautiful F.F.
thanks for posting it.
yes, it doesn't surprise me that the book on st Francis sort of 'lit up' for you.
I think he is really active in bringing souls closer to Jesus. For me it started when I named my walking stick 'Francesco' on a pilgrimage walk. (lol) He has helped me so much, and brought me closer to St Clare as well. Truly a great saint.
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Hi all, I am a Catholic sister (26yo) who is currently waiting for results of a core biopsy. I feel really called to pray for those who are sick - and especially those diagnosed with breast cancer, since my own situation began.
St Zélie Martin, mother of St Therese of Lisieux, is believed to have died from breast cancer at age 45. I think she'd be a great intercessor too! God bless you all.
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and you sparrowhawk.
Best of luck with the core biopsy result. Will put you in my prayers.
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Prayer by Thomas Merton, Abbey of Gethsemani, 1975
MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road
ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really
know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not
mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please
you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am
doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I
know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may
know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may
seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are
ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
- Thomas Merton, "Thoughts in Solitude" In Thoughts in Solitude, Part Two, Chapter II consists of fifteen lines that have become known as "the
Merton Prayer."
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Astrid, my late son's favorite theologian. I bought him Thoughts in Solitude. Thanks for the beautiful prayer which is perfect for caner patients. J
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Feelingfeline, just found your cartoon. Loving it. J
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Hello ladies, I just found this thread and so glad. Was received in the church in 1996. Trying to catch up on the posts working backwards. Retired Catholic school teacher in a hard place these days. I feel like I taught religion to children for 15 years and Sunday school to adult women for 15 years in the Protestant faith to prepare for the last 5 years, but wasn't prepared enough. Back to my reading of you guys posts.
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Welcome, JoE777!
Sorry to hear you're in a hard place these days. Cancer has been a reminder to me that I am not in control and that I need God and others to help me get through life. It keeps me humble and grateful for the blessings and help that God sends my way. ((Hugs))
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Hi jo,
I am so sorry for your loss and for your dx this year. So glad you like the prayer. It helped me through my recent scare.
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Welcome JoE777! Are you a cat-holic as well as a Catholic by any chance? (Mea maxima culpa, I am definitely both sorts) There is a cats cats cats thread on BC.org too for the cat-holics, maybe I will see you over there too.
Sparrowhawk I hope you will have a good report from your biopsy. XXX
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Thank you! Still waiting...but I'm working to entrust this all to God. I've really been thinking a lot about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He had his own preferences, but in the end surrendered totally to God's will for his life. I sometimes feel like I'm there with him, and that we say together "Thy Will be done!" I know that he knows exactly what it's like to wait. This whole situation has taught me a lot about trusting God and others to support me.
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sparrowhawk,
You're pretty young to be waiting for the results of a core biopsy; hopefully, the biopsy results will be benign. There's a lot in my life that I can't do much to change, so I've always appreciated the first line of the "Serenity Prayer," or "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change." But, yes, Jesus did end up accepting God's will, even though he wouldn't personally chosen his suffering and death. Many blessings to you!
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@ElaineTherese, thank you! I have history of multiple fibroadenomas, and one started causing some issue and had changed so biopsy was recommended. The biopsy report suggests it's benign, but my doctor is not entirely convinced given the changes; plus, she's concerned that I have 14 lumps in my breasts with no family history of fibroadenomas or BC.
I have often said that prayer too. There is a lot in my own life I'm simply unable to change. But God works wonderful transformations. In times when I've been really struggling He's brought me peace. That in itself is amazing.
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Sparrowhawk, that is encouraging news. Your doctor is right to be cautious, so it sounds like you are in good hands. Will the doc order another biopsy?
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Good news, sparrowhawk! But, better be safe than sorry, so I'm glad to hear that your doctor is being careful. Yes, I have always loved the line from scripture, "All things are possible with God." That thought has helped me get through many a dark day.
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Feelingfeline and ElaineTherese, yes, it's good news! No repeat biopsy, but I am now booked to see a specialist in two weeks' time. Another passage from Scripture that helps me is "You are worth more than hundreds of sparrows". That, and John 15 (branches of the vine) and 1 John which speaks a lot about God's love for us, so deep that it destroys all fear. The last is particularly meaningful for me.
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I also love those words sparrowhawk. This is the blessing St. Francis gave to Br. Leo when he asked him for one...
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Amen0 -
I miss out on so much when I don't check in here! Astrid, thank you for sharing the beautiful pictures of Assisi! And Feeling Feline, thank you for sharing the video of the Poor Clares in Zambia - there's such purity in their faces and joy in their song. And welcome sparrowhawk and JoE777!
JoE777 I'm also a convert, but more recent. I feel as if I'll always be learning my faith because there's so much to learn! A confession to all...I think subconsciously when I was a Protestant I felt as if "I knew it all." How arrogant, right? God is so much larger and complex than any of us, how could we possibly ever come to believe we have Him or His ways or the Christian faith completely figured out? That said, His grace is sufficient when I find myself confused or uncertain.
Thinking of St. Francis of Assisi, would anyone care to share a story of how they believe a Saint was instrumental in answering prayer? I think the stories would be encouraging!
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Hi Kim..
So lovely to read your post. I see you have written a book. I would love to read about your experience.
I will share something that happened on a retreat I did at La Verna Monastery this year. You saw some photos... this place affected me even more than Assisi..which is really something!!
It is so very peaceful and conducive to contemplation and prayer. There are many chapels there to choose from all within the monastery or built into caves etc..like the chapel dedicated to Mary Magdalene... Francis insisted on having it built and loved praying there. One day as he was praying, Jesus came and sat on a stone in the little chapel. This stone is now the altar piece. When I was there at Easter this year, I was the only native English speaker and a lovely Dr. From Florence..Patrizia befriended me as she had good English. One morning after breakfast she told me to wait by the fire in the little room off the dining hall. She went to her room and came back with a book she told me she had been moved in prayer to give to me.
The book was 'Making Peace with Cancer'.
It was written by a Franciscan monk now passed on and he used the term Brother Cancer as he came to understand his journey as a precious gift from God.
I was really moved by this incident and became quite teary... I told her I had been through b.c and two recurrences...and that Holy Spirit directing her to give the book meant the world to me. Proof that Jesus loved me and knew me and that I was in the right place at the right time.I believe St Francis truly answered my prayers in a very direct way.
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My late next door neighbour who died July 2016, had an extraordinary miracle through the intercession of St Pio (He was still plain Padre Pio at the time, but there was great devotion to Padre Pio in Ireland, don't know the history of why he is so particularly well known and loved here). The intercession happened at a time when my neighbour was about the age I am now and she did not have strong faith.
In the late 1980's she went on a pilgrimage to various Franciscan sites in Italy including San Giovanni Rotondo and the tomb of St. Pio. She was accompanying her mother-in-law. Her 2 daughters of school going age were at home with her husband while she went to Italy. She went to be company for her MIL, not because she had any great faith. She was not anti-religion, just not much into it, but was being kind to MIL.
While at the tomb of St. Pio she was overcome by the scent of roses. It was so powerful that she could not understand why no-one else could smell it. When the tour group got back to the hotel one of the other pilgrims approached her and told her about the association between the scent and miraculous events. My neighbour had not heard of this. The other pilgrim said it might mean that St. Pio (then Padre Pio) was praying for her as my neighbour had requested his prayers while she was at the tomb. My neighbour had no sick family members or any special requests that she had asked for intercession for, so she still found this all a bit hard to credit.
Shortly afterwards she received a phone call at the hotel (this was in the late 1980's long before mobile phones) to say that one of her 2 daughters had, without her Dad knowing, and expressly against her parents' wishes, set out for school on a bike instead of walking. While she was cycling her schoolbag shifted throwing her off balance causing the bike to fall. The child was thrown head first against the windscreen of an oncoming car. She was taken to hospital and miraculously had no injuries or concussion! This had happened at exactly the time my neighbour was in the tomb praying to Padre Pio! She did not know she needed any particular favours at that moment, but had been overcome by the scent of roses. When she got home the whole family visited the driver of the oncoming car. He was a retired doctor who as a boy had served at mass for Padre Pio! Needless to say my neighbour became a devout believer and especially devoted to St. Pio (who was not yet canonised at that time). She went back to San Giovanni Rotondo many times. When I first moved in beside her, she and her 2 grown up daughters who are similar in age to me, were all among the most devout people you could meet. Full of faith..
My neighbour died of breast cancer in July 2016, at 73 and after after a very short illness. She was symptom-less until a few days before her death jaundice appeared. She attended her GP (MD in US) and he sent her straight to hospital. Tests showed cancer was extensive and after a shunt was put in to help unblock the blockage that was causing the jaundice her body just shut down and she died 9 days from the doctor sending her to hospital. Strangely I think she would have lived a littke longer if she had NOT gone to the doctor that day. Bear in mind she went walking to the doctor, completely well as far as she knew except she was jaundiced! By the grace of God she had an extraordinarily blessed death, full of faith and lucid 'til almost the end. My son was going to World Youth Day in Krakow that year and she expressly asked her husband to give him €100 towards his expenses! This only hours before her death!
St. Pio of Pietrelcina Pray for us.
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St Francis, pray for us.
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BTW, DS is going to WYD in Panama this January so great excitement!!!
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I have been agonizing over lumpectomy vs. mastectomy for the past few weeks. Was angry about sixteen trips to the city and the disruption to my present lifestyle. I have never been into the rosary (cultural issues, primarily). My friends think this will get me past that block.
After Tuesday evening Mass, we rotate various litanies. We have one to St. Peregrine in the lineup. I think I need to start listening again. It was a particular blessing when I was struggling with peripheral neuropathy a few years ago.
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