Friday, April 17, 2009

Saturday, April 18, 2009

From Saint and Thought For Every Day,
by Blessed James Alberione
Restorer of All Men's Components
As mediator and restorer, Christ redeemed man and restored supernatural life, which is constituted by faith, justice, and love. Thus He repairs intellectual, moral, and sentimental life, which are only one life. He defines Himself Truth, Way and Life. Christ gives the divine life, rejoining man to the Blessed Trinity - to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - giving man truth, justice, and grace. This is the work of Jesus: to redeem man from error, from vice, from idolatry.
What Strikes Me Most Today
It's the last line, that the work of Jesus is to redeem man from error, from vice, from idolatry. Well thank God, because I need all three! My biggest mistake is thinking I can hide my sinfulness from God. He sees all, He knows all - I know that, but somehow I still think that by ignoring my sinful nature and actions, God just won't pay attention to them. Maybe He's not looking or busy with something else when I'm at Dressel's Pub drinking more than I probably should and repeating negative stories I had heard about other people (all purely hypothetical example, I would never be doing any of that!) Since my Dad died, I often wonder if he can see what I'm doing at various times (hoping everyone in Heaven is busy with others when I am not at my best, but not taking their eyes off me when I'm at Eucharistic Adoration or... when... or the times... wow, the good examples are harder to think of than the bad!) But the point of all this is the last line again - the work of Jesus is to redeem me from error, from vice, and from idolatry. So I need to quit trying to pretend I don't need those things. Jesus already knows I do; my dad might even know I do. But I first have to be honest with myself and Jesus before He can do anything - because of the free will He gave us, we have to ask for His help. I'll start with, "My name is Jeff, and I'm a sinner. Jesus, please redeem me from my error, my vice, and my idolatry. Amen."
What strikes you most today?
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"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

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Why?

Why a blog? Why St. Paul? Why do I think I have any business doing this?
We are all on a spiritual journey. We all want that journey to lead us to heaven, to eternity with God. For this journey, we need one another.
The journey so far has led me to read and learn about so many forms of authentic Catholic spirituality - Ignatian, Benedictine, Carmelite, Dominican, Franciscan, etc. My biggest problem was that I came to love each one tremendously. I began reading more and more, spending more and more time at the Daughters of St. Paul bookstore on Watson Road here in St. Louis. Who would have thought my greatest conversion story would take place in a bookstore? Mine was not quite as sudden or dramatic as St. Paul on the road to Damascus, but getting to know the Daughters of St. Paul affected me no less significantly.
The sisters are Eucharistic by nature. The first time I entered the chapel in their bookstore, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed and one of the sisters was on her knees, gazing at Christ, with an indescribably beautiful smile on her face. I had a glimpse of heaven. I knelt at one of the other kneelers and noticed on the wall behind the monstrance the words: "Fear not, I am with you. From here I want to enlighten. Atone for sin." I had that brief moment of absolute certainty that I was on the right path.
Over the last several years I have worked my way through as many books, CD's, DVD's and conversations with the Daughters of St. Paul that time has allowed. Time is at such a premium for all of us. Years ago we were told that with advances in technology we would have much more free time on our hands. We all know this has not been the case. Our lives are busier and more hectic than ever. Even if we are unable to find time to read good books, see enlightening movies or attend lectures and discussions, maybe we could all spend a little time on the internet supporting one another on our faith journeys. Many of you know more about many aspects of Catholic spirituality than I do.
Pope John Paul the Great called us all to a New Evangelization, to share the Gospel with the world. I am hoping we can all be St. Paul in this blog space by sharing Christ with one another and with others. St. Paul travelled to many foreign and often hostile regions to evangelize the world; we are fortunate to be able to use the internet to reach even farther and more quickly.
The idea of using today's means of social communication to spread the Gospel was given to Blessed James Alberione on the night between the centuries (December 31, 1900 - January 1, 1901). He was a 16 year-old seminary student adoring Christ in the Blessed Sacrament when a special light came to him from the Host. Following this, Blessed James Alberione became the founder of the Society of St. Paul priests, the Daughters of St. Paul, the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master, Sisters of Jesus the Good Shepherd, Sisters of the Queen of Apostles, and numerous institutes that are also part of the Pauline family.
So what is Pauline spirituality? In my experience, Pauline spirituality encompasses all the teachings of Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and love of all the other spiritualities and Saints of the Church. It is the members of the Pauline family who are the happiest people I know! It is loving God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit with all our hearts and souls, through the intercession of Mary, Queen of the Apostles, and St. Paul.
So why St. Paul? I can relate to St. Paul. We first meet him in the New Testament as a sinner. He has a thorn in his side that God decides is best not to take away. I sometimes wish I knew what that thorn was, but it's probably better I don't know. I like to pretend it is one of my many weaknesses or faults. If St. Paul could go from persecuting Christ and His Church to becoming the person responsible for spreading the Gospel and establishing the Church in foreign lands, the least I can do is start a blog. I have been especially inspired by my two favorite bloggers, Sr. Margaret Charles Kerry, fsp, and a Pauline Cooperator named Rae Stabosz. I believe Sr. Margaret and Rae are doing just what St. Paul and Blessed James Alberione would be doing with the internet.
In future blogs (which will be shorter than this first post!), I would like to share writings of St. Paul, Blessed James Alberione, and many others. I look forward to others sharing writings from other Catholic spiritualities and writers. An especially Pauline way of sharing is to point out to one another what aspects particularly speak to each of us.
Another Pauline trait is to pray for one another. My prayer is that we support one another on our path to holiness. Our goal is to glorify God in all that we do - so let's do it!