Memories and Dreams

I had the most unusual dream this morning. We were visiting someone, and, in the way of dreams, I have no idea whom or where. Your mom asked me to come into our room with her, and she began going through her suitcase. I don’t know if she was going to show me something she’d gotten as a surprise for one of you girls, or what. I was beginning to wonder what was going on. Then the door to our bedroom is slowly pushed open, and there stands Caroline, aged 3 or so. She came in and gave me a big smile, she may have said Hi, Dad, I’m not sure. I asked her how old she was (since I was in a dream, I didn’t know what age of Caroline was visiting me) and she said 5, proudly. (She looked more like 3 or so).  I picked her up and held her and asked her when she was going to get rid of that pacifier, gently teasing her. She smiled and made some comment like 'Never mind'. That was it. I got to see one of my little girls again, and to hold her. It was very sweet, and also made me a little sad. Those days only exist now in memories and dreams.

Last Wednesday morning was equally odd. I woke up about 1:30 a.m., thinking about the games I played in my childhood. These were the games we played in our little front yard on Humphrey Street, like Swinging Statues or Freeze Tag, or out in the alley, like Spud. My childhood days were more like those you’ll see on The Little Rascals than to that of my daughters. I lay there, contentedly enjoying the reverie. And then I wondered, bemusedly, if this flood of childhood memories meant I was dying! Apparently not… This dream, and this reverie, I consider gifts from God. Why He decided to bless me with these now, I don’t know. But thank you, Lord!

The Unworthy Servant

Luke 17: 6-10:

And the Lord said, "If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, 'Be rooted up, and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. Will any one of you, who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep, say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down at table'? Will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, and gird yourself and serve me, till I eat and drink; and afterward you shall eat and drink'? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'"

I'm feeling very much like the unworthy servant. And Peter's answer is resonating too. When Jesus asked the disciples if they too would leave him, Peter said, "Lord, to whom shall we go?" Amen!

Feast of St. Francis De Sales

In honor of today's saint, I am making an effort once again to read An Introduction to the Devout Life, his classic work. It took me several tries to get through St. Sugustine's Confessions. I think it might just be picking up the book at the right time, so maybe now's the time... I found this quote in the USCCB People of Life 9-days of Prayer series of emails:

"All that we do must be motivated by love and not force. We must love to obey rather than fear to disobey."

Good stuff!

Erstein Birth, Marriage, and Death records

can be found here. Simply check the box for "J'accepte ces conditions", then click on "Accéder à la version graphique". Click on the letter E, scroll down to Erstein, and hunt away! M is for marraige records, PM for publication of Marriage (must be like Banns of marriage in church), N for birth (naissance) and D is for death records. What could be easier?!

We have not yet reached the Lord...

From today's Office of Readings (St Augustine's tractates on St John ):

By loving your neighbour, by having care for your neighbour, you are travelling on a journey. Where are you journeying, except to the Lord God, whom we must love with all our heart and all our soul and all our mind? We have not yet reached the Lord, but our neighbour is with us already. So support your neighbour, who is travelling with you, so that you may reach him with whom you long to dwell.

Emphasis mine.

The Landfill Harmonic

You would think that a movie about children of families who scavenge in landfills who play instruments made from trash would be depressing, but if this trailer is any indication, this won't be depressing at all!

the true comfort that remained for men

Thanks to Mr. Timothy Kieras, S.J. of the Magis Institute's Daily Ignatian Reflection for this quote:

"...the true comfort that remained for men [after the fall], and that embodied and gave reality to their conquering struggle against every despair, was surely Song."  ---Hilaire Belloc

So, Sing!

A Prayer in Time of Need, (and two helpful quotes)

I came across this prayer at Happy Catholic (of course) and I think it is worth captruing and sharing:

IN TIME OF NEED

Heavenly Father,
in my present need,
help me to believe that you are aware of my anxiety
and will do what is best for me.
Give me the strength to trust you
and put the present and future in your hands.
Grant this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

There is also a quote, not really a prayer, that  I have on my cubby wall, from St. Augustine:

Trust the past entirely to the mercy of God,
The present to His tender love,
And the future to His providence and care over you.

These are reminders that we are not in this alone, that God is with us at all times.  And how about a closing quote from Paul Claudel:

Jesus did not come to do away with suffering or to remove it.  He came to fill it with His presence.

Peace!

Have you asked God what it is He wants?

Here’s a short little essay entitled “Have you asked God what it is He wants?” It’s a nice little meditation on Divine Providence, and quotes one of my favorites, Abandonment to Divine Providence by Jean-Pierre de
Cassaude. I especially like the part about the Sacrament of the Present Moment!

Here's a good quote from de Caussade:

Everything has a supernatural quality, something divine about it that can lead us onward to holiness. Everything is part of that completeness which is Jesus Christ

Yes, Caroline, it is indeed a slow day here at work today!

Natural law

Here is as good a nutshell explanation of natural law as you are likely to find:

Once again, let me emphasize that the natural law is not a specifically Catholic thing. Astonishingly, each time I have mentioned the natural law, some have insisted that it is unfair to expect others to conform to Catholic doctrine! Truly, the mind boggles, for the whole point of the natural law is that it is universal and, well, natural. The critic’s very appeal to lack of fairness is in fact an appeal to the natural law. All rational moral argument appeals to the natural law, even when it erroneously uses one part of the natural law against another. Confusion, passion and self-interest may at times cause us to make mistakes in interpreting and applying the natural law, but the inescapable fact remains that the natural law is the only way we have of knowing when the positive law is immoral. Without it, there can be no concept of “right” apart from the concept of “power”.

Thanks to Dr. Jeff Mirus from CatholicCulture.org

Lord, Thou knowest better than I myself that I am growing older

Today is the feast day of St. Teresa of Avila, the first woman named Doctor of the Church, a mystic, and one who was not afraid to speak bluntly. Once, when she had fallen off her horse on a journey, she is said to have scolded God with, “it is no wonder you have so few friends, considering how you treat the ones you have!” (I’ve always loved that quote!)

Anyway, this morning on the radio I heard this prayer attributed to her. I had seen the prayer before, but never heard that it was hers. Be that as it may, it’s a great prayer:

Lord, Thou knowest better than I myself that I am growing older and will someday be old. Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion.
Release me from craving to straighten out everybody's affairs. Make me thoughtful but not moody; helpful but not bossy. With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it all; but Thou knowest, Lord, that I want a few friends at the end. Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details; give me wings to get to the point. Seal my lips on my aches and pains; they are increasing, and love of rehearsing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by.
I dare not ask for improved memory, but for a growing humility and a lessening cock-sureness when my memory seems to clash with the memories of others. Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be mistaken.

Keep me reasonably sweet**, for a sour old person is one of the crowning works of the devil. Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places and talents in unexpected people; and give, O Lord, the grace to tell them so.

Amen.

** in some versions, I have seen this phrase added: “I do not want to be a saint - some of them are so hard to live with” . I’ve never agreed with that, because I don’t think most saints are unpleasant. Truly holy people I’ve met are gracious and charming!

Cards 2011 Game 6 video

This video still gives me chills!

From Therese of Lisieux..

...whose feast day is Monday.  This is from Kathryn Jean Lopez over at Patheos portal:

Is This Ironic or All too Appropriate for the Internets?
From St. Therese of Lisieux:

We have only short moments of this life to work for God’s glory. The devil knows this and this is why he tries to make us waste time in useless things. O, let us not waste our time! Let us save souls!

Now, get back to work!

A meditation on youth

... and Strat-O-Matic baseball.  Here's an excerpt:

And somewhere along the line, what seems to slip away is time—the time to have time for losing yourself in such things as baseball seasons played out with dice rolls. The world intrudes, the boy grows, and the games prove less enthralling. Still, the lessons of Strat-O-Matic were real and vital, in their day. A realization of the interplay of order and randomness, for instance. A grasp of the sheer reality of the past, the truth that others lived before us. The civilizing of boys by appealing to their impulses to forget themselves in the mathematics of the world and the inner secrets of a game like baseball.

Read it all if you know anyone who was once an adolescent boy.  Even if he didn't get his Strat-O-Matic game until 1985.

The Wisdom of Nero Wolfe

I actually found someone else who remembers this:

One of my favourite quotes is from the fictional detective Nero Wolfe: “To me the relationship between the host and guest is sacred. The guest is a jewel resting on a cushion of hospitality”. I think that’s the golden rule of entertaining. Whether you style is barbecue or dinner at eight, you’ll never go wrong if you keep it in mind.

A consolation

The Anchoress posts a quote used by Julie Davis (Happy Catholic) at last weeks' Catholic New Media Conference in Dallas:

“Sometimes it may seem to us that there is no purpose in our lives, that going day after day for years to this office or that school or factory is nothing else but waste and weariness. But it may be that God has sent us there because but for us Christ would not be there. If our being there means that Christ is there, that alone makes it worthwhile.”


— Caryll Houselander, Reed of God, Page 60

For those of us with jobs as opposed to "careers", this is a consoling thought.

How's this for an intense prayer?

From the days when people really knew how to pray!

The holy Body of Christ Jesu be my salvation of body and soul. Amen. The Glorious blood of Christ Jesu bring my soul and body into the everlasting bliss. Amen. I cry God mercy; I cry God mercy; I cry God mercy; welcome my maker; welcome my redeemer; welcome my Saviour; I cry thee mercy with heart contrite of my great unkindness that I have had unto thee.

"This is an extract from the first work of Catholic spirituality printed in the English language,..." Read more here.
I am busy coveting the book he reviews, but right now it is $65.00 on Amazon.  But it is going on my wish list!

On a long hot summer day!

More Friday Fun: Bouncing Ball

Play Bouncing Ball.  See if you can beat my high score of 40,000 points!

Friday Fun: Piano Playing Dogs!