St. Monica Novena

The St. Monica novena starts tomorrow! According to praymorenovenas.com, she is the patron saint of alcoholics, married women, mothers, wives and difficult marriages (also, evidently, abuse victims). She is the mother of St. Augustine, once a wayward non-Christian who converted after she prayed on his behalf for 17 years. St. Augustine is of course now a Doctor of the Church, a revered theologian and philosopher. His feast day is coming up on August 28. St. Monica's feast day is August 27, which is the day after this novena ends.

Are there any people or situations in your life in need of prayer? Give them up to St. Monica's intercession in faith.  Perhaps take some time, too, to meditate on the struggles in her life and how prayer helped her overcome - always a good lesson to remember in our own lives.

The Vexillum

Below is adapted from the allocutio I will give this evening during our Legion of Mary meeting.

In Ch. 27, Frank Duff gives us a very brief overview of the appearance and placement of the Vexillum Legionis. The vexillum, as we will call it for short, is emblematic of the standard which a Roman army would have carried. In appearance, it is representative of several Legion symbols: at the top is the dove of the Holy Spirit; below that, the image of Mary as she appears on the miraculous medal; and underneath that, the world. It is, as Duff notes, a visual reminder that the world will be conquered by the Holy Spirit, acting through Mary and her children.

There is a note in this chapter regarding St. Louis Marie de Montfort’s views on the inextricability of the Holy Spirit and Mary, and that as a result, Legionaries are always seeking a more thorough knowledge of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. I have never heard the phrase “doctrine of the Holy Spirit,” so naturally, I googled it, and here is what I found from EWTN:

·         The Holy Spirit comes with seven gifts (we know these as wisdom, understanding, council, knowledge, fortitude, piety and fear of the Lord)

·         On Pentecost the Holy Spirit came down visibly on the Apostles. He gave them the power to speak in strange tongues to the crowds that came to Jerusalem for that Feast. He also transformed them, from selfish and timid men into giants of courage and faith

This must be what is meant by a “doctrine” of the Holy Spirit, then – that, being part of the Trinity that is God, the Holy Spirit is manifest in these gifts, or graces, in our lives. This is the same Holy Spirit which comes to us now, particularly upon receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation.  Legionaries, being close to Mary’s heart and wanting to grow in these graces, are always seeking their increase in our lives. It is not enough to pray for them, but one must put them into practice, too.

Can you think of times when the Holy Spirit has worked in your life? Perhaps a job that came through right when you needed it, or a chance encounter with someone who knew a good doctor, or an appointment opening up when you needed it. I think if we really look for these instances, we will see them everywhere in our lives. Being attuned to the Holy Spirit will enable you to see these instances of His intercession.

Similarly, of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, you can probably see where yours lay. You couldn’t hide it even if you wanted to – God calls us in specific ways, for His purpose.

The Holy Spirit works through Mary, and through us, to “renew the face of the earth.” As we perform our work as Legionaries, it is good to remember that we can call on the Holy Spirit to guide our work: to give us the right words, to place us in the right place at the right time, to truly use us for His will. And at the end, we give thanks to the Holy Spirit for leading us by His light.

God Alone

On Sunday night I was coming home from a trip to North Carolina. The light in August, if you have noticed, is different than that of July and especially June. The early summer has a white, almost harsh light, but later summer is golden, warm, mellow. The shadows are somehow deeper and louder; nothing is watered down in August sunshine.

All of this sun and green were passing me by. Great, straight fields of crops stretching out, punctuated by trees flaming with light and height. I get sentimental about the end of the summer, especially the end of summer in North Carolina, when suddenly you find another season has gone and you can't always remember how you spent it, but you hope you did it well.

As we drove, we passed a billboard of a car salesman and his dog. It's part of this salesman's advertising campaign, and has been for years. I used to know someone who thought this campaign was very funny, so every time I see it, I think of him. This is someone I used to be in love with, someone I thought would be in the picture for a long time to come.

So summer is at its peak, approaching waning, with the sun burnishing everything in full relief, and all my thoughts turned toward - how does this happen? How does time go on and on, how do I leave behind things that were once so important to me, that no longer are? Why is it almost uncomfortable remembering ourselves as we were, with those awful growing pains as we go from one stage of life to the next? Why is it that time will never stop, and give you an explanation?

St. Theresa of Avila prayed:

Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.

This is the only sure thing. Relationships, houses, jobs and friends change. You change, too. But the only true thing (as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end, amen) is the permanence and reality of God. The only answer is to keep God at the center of your life because without it, you are adrift. There is nothing else, anyway.

You can't ever really leave those things from your past behind, even if you wanted to. I am the sum of all my experiences and thoughts, the people I have met, the ideas I have synthesized into my life, the loves and opinions that have grafted themselves on to me or that I have grown into through wisdom and choice. I will never, ever leave that love behind, because I am unable - it is as much a part of who I am as my hands, my eyes.

When I feel as if I have lost something (or someone, or an experience) that I know I will never get back - even if it is for the best - I turn to this truth and know that nothing has been lost, after all. It is so important to learn and grow from where we've been, and just as important to keep moving forward with the understanding that everything happens in God's time, according to his plan, and that we are always in His hands.

Feel that for a moment: feel the feeling of being held by God, forever, unceasingly.

 My heart ached a small bit for the sunshine and the past on Sunday. But acknowledging the love of my Creator brought me back to the present and the blessings that fill my life today, and a gratitude for the opportunity to keep going toward whatever He has planned for me next. That is all that is asked of me. And  I thank God every day for keeping me close to His heart and opening my eyes so I can begin to see this.