Category: - St Joseph Healing Ministry

A Spiritual Journey . . .

3/6/2013

    Besides a daily reading of Scripture, you should be reading a spiritual book, if you aren't already doing so. Every evening, after Liturgy of the Hours and before I go to bed, I read from the book My Daily Bread. It is a book from the Confraternity of the Precious Blood. It costs $8.50 and can be obtained from www.confraternitypb.org. They also have My Imitation of
Christ - by Thomas Ã Kempis, also for $8.50. These are two little books that pack easily for travel and give you much to meditate upon.

    Another website that will give you wonderful reading material is Ignatius Press at www.Ignatius.com.

    St. Mary, Anacortes has a wonderful library in their Fr. Auer Center, filled with books by Catholic authors.

    There are alot of books about Saints. I read one about Father DeSmet, and although he isn't an official Saint, he should be. If you are interested in history of the Western U.S. as I am, you will love this book. If you google his name, there are several books that pop up. Most are written from his numerous letters that the Jesuit Society have kept. He was one of the first explorers of the western United States. Three Presidents asked him for help and advise regarding the Indian Nations as he lived for months with the various tribes.

    Another is about Saint Philippine Duchesne by Louise Callan, R.S.C.Q.   Amazon carries her books.

    Or chose a book written by a Saint. When I was young you would have to go to a library at a monastery or convent to read some of these books, but now they are available for all through bookstores and from the internet. I just downloaded Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila audio book for free from the computer. I love Confessions by St. Augustine, another audio book you can download for free. His book, On the Trinity, the longest that he wrote, I downloaded for free - all 300 pages. Catherine of Siena's writings are called The Dialogue. And you can obtain The Sermons of St. Francis de Sales for Lent Given in 1662 from TAN books. TAN books republishes books out of print and many of them are spiritual reading jewels. They have combined with St. Benedict Press to offer new and as well as out of print books. www.tanbooks.com.

Feel free to add your own recommendations to the comment section.

Just copy and paste the websites onto your browser.

A Spiritual Journey . . .

3/4/2013

Is Contemplative Prayer for all?

    The Second Vatican Council declared in its document, Lumen Gentium, that all men are called to "union with Christ, who is the light of the world, from whom we go forth, through whom we live, and toward whom our whole life strains" [par.3].

    In describing the action of the Holy Spirit, this document says, "He [the Holy Spirit] distributes special graces among the faithful of every rank. By these gifts he makes them fit and ready to undertake the various tasks and offices which contribute toward the renewal and building up of the Church" [par.41].

    The document states that "all are called to sanctity", the "perfection of charity", and the "fullness of the Christian life" [par. 32, 39-42].

    Since everyone is called to be perfect and to grow in love and knowledge of God, then, contemplative prayer, which embraces such knowledge and love, should be the goal of everyone.

St. Teresa of Avila answers this: "God gives Himself in this way to those who give up all for him. He shows no partiality. He loves everyone. Nobody has any excuse, no matter how miserable they may be, since the Lord so acts with me in bringing me to such a state" [The Book of Her Life, ch. 27, 12, p. 232.].

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Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, (Dogmatic Constitution of the Church) Boston, Pauline Books & Media, 1964) par. 3. (You can also download this document from the Vatican website as well as from EWTN.)

A Spiritual Journey . . .

3/3/2013

Contemplative Prayer as Described by the Saints - The Fruits of Contemplative Prayer

The saints recommend a spiritual director, one with learning and experience. Some experiences similar to those of Contemplative Prayer can be brought on by the evil one. By their fruit one shall know them. Saint Teresa of Avila says that instead of peace, one is greatly distrubed afterwards, and the experience does not cause change within a person.

The good fruit is that a person changes his life for the better. He is able to forgive those who hurt him. He is able to love strangers and is willing to care for them. He cares about the salvation of the world. Prejudice leaves his heart and he strives to mature in virtue and his faith. He tries to trust God and to do something for Him, realizing His providence and graces given to him, for which he is exceedingly thankful and full of praise. He asks forgiveness from others. He is not distrubed over people slandering or mocking him nor over lack of consolations in prayer. There is a willingness to suffer. Things of the world no longer interest him.

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St. Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle, trans. E. Allison Peers (New York: Image Books, 1961) Fourth Mansion, ch. 3, p. 91.

A Spiritual Journey . . .

3/2/2013

I have a new hard drive for my computer - sorry for the down time. I do hope you continued your spiritual journey with special spiritual readings.

St. Teresa of Avila, a doctor of the Church, described contemplative prayer to her sisters of the Carmilite Community, so that if and when they experienced this form of prayer, they would know what they were experiencing.

Contemplative Prayer as described by the Saints - Dry Desire, Ardent Yearning.

Often, after one has experienced consolations, one feels nothing at all. They have no desire to pray or prayer comes very hard for them. Even thinking and understanding becomes hard. St. Teresa of Avila says that what the soul suffers at this time is indescribable. But during this time the soul is purified [The Book of Her Life, ch 30:11-15].

St. Therese of Lisieux gives these helps:

In times of aridity when I am incapable of praying, of practicing virtue, I seek little opportunities, mere trifles, to give pleasure to Jesus; for instance a smile, a pleasant word when inclined to be silent and to show weariness. If I find no opportunities, I at least tell Him again and again that I love Him; that is not difficult and it keeps alive the fire in my heart. even though this fire of love might seem to me extinct I would still throw little straws upon the embers and I am certain it would rekindle."

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St. Therese of Lisieux, Thoughts of Saint Therese, The Little Flower of Jesus, Carmelite of the Monastery of Lisieux 1873-1897, translated from the French Pensees by an Irish Carmelite, quoting XVI Letter to her sister Celine, (IL: Tan Books and Publishers, 1915) 3.

A Spiritual Journey . . .

2/26/2013

Contemplative prayer as described by the Saints - Deep Delight and Peace

    St. Teresa of Avila says that this prayer is clearly seen through the deep peace, contentment and calm that one experiences (The Book of Her Life, Ch 15:5, p. 141).

    A French Jesuit, Jean-Pierre de Caussade (1675-1751) wrote Abandonment to Divine Providence. This book describes how a person should live his life doing the will of God. He abandons himself to God so that no matter what happens to him, he reacts, as best he can, in the way God wishes. An experienced soul, in time of trouble, "will remain quite unmoved by all turmoil, indifferent to all noise and uproar. Ignoring them all, it will stay peaceful and unmoved in that intimate peace where it benefits so greatly by the manifestation of its love. This is the center where it rests."

    Paul wrote to the Philippians, "Always be joyful, then, in the Lord; I repeat, be joyful" (Phil 4:4). He continues telling the Philippians, "Never worry about anything; but tell God all your desires of every kind in prayer and petition shot through with gratitude; and the peace of God which is beyond our understanding will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:7).

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Jean-Pierre De Caussade, Abandonment to Divine Providence. Translated by John Beevers (New York: Image Books, 1975) 88.

At Monroe prison, a prisoner was bringing several others into the RCIA class. He was telling them of miracles in his life and inviting them to "come and see". I asked him to tell me one of the miracles that happened to him and he said that his world has fallen apart, but he remains at so much peace inside him, that he knows that this peace is from God.

A Spiritual Journey . . .

2/25/2013

Contemplative Prayer as described by the Saints and Scripture - Infused Love

St. Paul's prayer for the Ephesians and for us is that we may know this love, that we may "have the strength to grasp the breadth and the length, the height and the depth; so that, knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond knowledge, you may be filled with the utter fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:18).

This prayer moves you away from thinking of God as an object, into a state of constantly being in His Love. It moves a person toward works of charity and of living your life for God.

Teresa of Avila says that this spark of fire is a sign or pledge from God that He gives to a soul for He has now chosen it for great things and wishes to prepare it to receive them.

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St. Teresa of Avila, The Book of Her Life, ch. 15:5, p. 141.

A Spiritual Journey . . .

2/21/2013

Contemplative prayer as described by the Saints - Contemplative light / knowing

    St. Teresa of Avila wrote that the Lord places in the soul the knowledge that He wants it to have and this without words or image. In this way, Teresa says, God gives the soul understanding of His desires and great mysteries and truths, or gives her understanding of some vision that He had given her [The Book of Her Life, Ch 27:6].

    She wrote: "The soul undergoes a change ... it seems that a new, living high degree of love is beginning. For although the intellectual vision ... that represents God in an imageless way is more perfect, a wonderful thing happens when so divine a presence is represented in the imagination ... These two kinds of vision almost always come together. This is the way they occur: with the eyes of the soul we see the excellence, beauty, and glory of the most holy humanity; and through the intellectual vision . . . we are given understanding of how God is powerful, that He can do all things, that He commands all and governs all, and that His love permeates all things" [The Book of Her Life, C

    The saints describe this light in two ways, the light of the glory of God that they see in a physial way through a vision, and then their mind is given infused knowledge of an explanation of what they have seen.

    I had an experience of this: In California at my parish, we would have a Catechism study. Our priest was with us and we would cover about two pages in the two hours that we met. We had a couple of sceptics in the group which made our sessions interesting as we all learned, as we all took turns answering their questions. One day Father couldn't be with us and the sceptic challenged us with the statement that she didn't believe that the bread and wine changed into the body and blood of Jesus. As the rest gave their explanations, I remained silent, for I realized that I didn't believe it either.

    That night when I went to bed I prayed, "Lord, I believe it because that is what I have been taught all my life by my Catholic faith. I believe it because I believe the stories of Eucharistic miracles that have taken place. But, Lord, I don't believe it. Please remove my unbelief."

    During the night I awoke and there was a box of light around me. I thought, "This is interesting. Lord, I do not know what this means, but You are the potter, I am the clay. Mold me, meld me," and I went back to sleep.

    The next morning I had forgotten the incident of the light and got dressed, ate breakfast, and was heading across the living room floor to go to the computer when I stopped in the middle of the room. I realized in a flash that I was a changed person! I believed! My whole being believed that the bread and wine became the body and blood of Jesus Christ when the words of Consecration were said over them. No argument convinced me of this - yet I believed! When the Church teaches about the light of infused knowledge given to us by the light of the Holy Spirit, I know exactly what it means by that statement. That knowledge, that belief was infused into my soul, not through words, but through Light.

    I was a changed person! I truly believed this experience was from God. Going to Church was no longer a matter of Sunday obligation. Going to daily Mass became a treasured Grace. I believed everything I had been taught about the Eucharist. I could no longer day dream through the Mass. What was going on at the altar became very important. My presence, my total awareness, was now necessary. My Lord was right there! He was my food, my drink, my nourishment, the healing power within me. He was the source of all Grace I would need until I was able to receive Him again.

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Kathy Moore, Song of Hope, (Coyote Publishing, Yreka, CA) p. 92 (available from this website).

Teresa of Avila, The Book of Her Life, trans. Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriguez (Washington DC: ICS Publications, 1976).

A Spiritual Journey . . .

2/16/2013

Contemplative Prayer in Scripture and as Described by the Saints and Mystical Writers
                              Unworded Prayer

    The saints have pointed out the scriptures that best describe the experience of contemplative prayer. "Be still and acknowledge that I am God, supreme over nations, supreme over the world" (Psalm 46:10). Contemplative prayer is a gaze of faith, fixed upon Jesus. As a parishioner told the Cure of Ars, "I look at Him and He looks at me" (Catechism of the Catholic Church #2715).

    Contemplative prayer could last a moment - it could last several hours. A person realized that he has experienced it afterwards, as he realizes that he has changed. The psalms sing to his soul: "My whole being yearns and pines for Yahweh's courts, My heart and my body cry out for joy to the living God" (Psalm 84:2). He realizes that he is in love with God!

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See Thomas Dubay, Fire Within (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1989) page 65-69. Also see Elizabeth of the Trinity, Heaven in Faith and also Last Retreat, for an explanation of scripture as it relates to contemplative prayer. These can be found in Elizabeth of the Trinity, The Complete Works, trans. Aletheia Kane, O.C.D., Volume One (Washington DC: ICS Publications, 1984) all pages.

A Spiritual Journey . . .

2/13/2013

Contemplative Prayer
Contemplative prayer is pure gift.

Although contemplation is pure gift - you cannot prepare for it nor summon it - the saints acknowledge that you can make yourselves more open to such prayer. St. Teresa of Avila recommends that you slow down your normal processes, try to keep your mind from wandering by saying a few simple words. Some writers recommend: "Jesus, I love you", or the Jesus prayer: "Jesus Christ, son of the living God, have mercy upon me, a sinner". Teresa says, be aware that you are in God's presence. Think about His love. Then words fall away in the pure receptivity of contemplation. You should not strive to cease from thought, although this may happen for a short time. You should abandon yourself into the arms of Love and occupy yourself with thanksgiving.
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St. Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle, The Fourth Dwelling Place, chp. 3, no.7.

A Spiritual Journey . . .

2/12/2013

Contemplative Prayer - Doing everything for God with love and charity

John Welch (1939-), a Catholic priest of the Carmelite Order, and chair of Carmelite Studies at the Washington Theological Union, in his book, The Carmelite Way, An Ancient Path for Today's Pilgrim, says that St. Teresa of Avila warns that in the third mansion, a person could become too content to leave this place. But the purpose of prayer, Teresa reminds people, is conformity with God's will, not consolations. If one wants to do what God wants, this desire is expressed in the way a person lives his life [68].

St. John of the Cross (1542-1591) in The Ascent of Mount Carmel, describes the purgations that a soul experiences as it passes through the various levels on its way toward the divine light of perfect union with God. These purgations are purifications of the soul. These purgations also fit in with St. Bonaventure's descriptions of the Purgative and Illuminative way. On the journey, the person must first deprive himself of his desire for worldly possessions, as Bonaventure describes - the best candy, the softest clothes, and the most expensive apartment. John calls this mortification of the appetites. Since the senses are deprived of such things, it is like a night to them. As a person travels on this road, he goes by faith, and to the intellect, faith is like a dark night. He is traveling toward God, who is also like a dark night to a soul in this life [73-74, Ch 1, par 1-6].

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John Welch, O. Carm., The Carmelite Way, An Ancient Path for Today's Pilgrim (New Jersey: Paulist Press, 1996).
John of the Cross, The Ascent of Mount Carmel, in the Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, trans. Kieran Kavanaugh, and Otilio Rodriguez (Washington, DC: ICS Publications, 1973).