Heal My Soul

I love this verse from today's Psalm (Psalm 40).

As for me, I said: ‘Lord, have mercy on me,

  heal my soul for I have sinned against you.’

It really shows the Eastern Christian idea that when we have sinned, we don't need punishment as much as healing, from God. That is why Jesus came to earth--to heal us.  To those who have suffered at the hands people who would have us sink into permanent shame over our sins, Jesus came as the Divine Physician, and as the "mother hen" who wants to gather us under her wing and care for us until we are healed.

Too Much Rain

This goes out to a dear friend. 



It's not right.  In one life.  Too much rain.

Healing in Midlife

Today's Mass readings are about healing. Wisdom 1:13-15,2:23-24 tells us that God takes no pleasure in the extinction of the living and that death was brought into the world by the devil's envy. The first reading from Wisdom also reminds us that the world’s created things have health in them. God created the world, and it was good. Our world is something to be rejoiced in and enjoyed.

The second reading today reminds us of the importance of balance. Saint Paul tells the Corinthians, (2 Corinthians 8:7,9,13-15)

(it) does not mean that to give relief to others you ought to make things difficult for yourselves: it is a question of balancing what happens to be your surplus now against their present need, and one day they may have something to spare that will supply your own need.

This is surprising to some who believe that God calls us to give until our giving renders us unable to give at all. But, clearly, the Lord calls us to rejoice in the life He has given us.

God does not want us to be empty and broken, but to be whole and filled with His love. In today's Gospel, (Mark 5:21-43) Jesus heals the woman with the hemorrhage and raises the synagogue official's daughter from the dead.

Jesus calls us to new life in Him. This is especially pertinent to those of us in midlife. It is a time of life when we are being pressed on every side, and like Christ, can sometimes feel the life ebbing out of us. But God reminds us, through Saint Paul, not to give to the point where functioning becomes difficult for ourselves, but instead, to maintain a sense of balance, and turn to Him for healing, through the church, and through the world's created things that have been given to us on this earth.

Like the woman with the hemorrhage (very likely a woman in midlife) we need to reach out to Christ, even in the midst of a crowded mind and a crowded life, and trust that He will know that we, as individuals, are there and have touched Him. And like the official's daughter, He will raise us to new life.

Note: The image above is from the catacombs and is one of the oldest images of Jesus. It depicts the story from today's Gospel of the woman with the hemorrhage being cured by Christ.

Our Lady of Lourdes

Today is the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and World Day of the Sick.

There are so many who are hurting among us; so many who are sick. Let us pray fervently for their recovery and offer up our own sufferings for all those who need us.

Our Lady of Lourdes, our Mother, lead us in prayer to the Father for all those who are sick and suffering today. Open our hearts to help all those we come in contact with and help us to use our own sufferings to bring grace and healing to ourselves and others.

In Christ's name we pray.

~Amen

Being Alone

There are times in our lives when we feel alone. This often happens around this time of year, as the days grow shorter and colder, and we begin to feel pressure to "be the holidays" for everyone in our lives. It can happen as we grow older and people in our lives change, move, or pass away.

I'm convinced that sometimes, Our Lord calls us to be alone. Sometimes He may take the people in our lives away from us, or take us away from them, for a time, to draw our attention to Him. He may rearrange our lives for us when we resist doing it ourselves.

There is nothing to fear from being alone; alone with our God and Creator.

Cultivate that aloneness. It is prayer. It is communion with Our Lord.

Light a candle. Light several candles. Use incense and music.

If you do not have access to meditative music, one resource is Pandora Radio. It is free radio where you can program your own musical tastes. Once you get an account, type in something like "Gregorian Chant" and enjoy being transported to another world.

Ask Our Lord to be with you in this season of increasing worldly darkness and surround you with His light.

Healing the pain

I came across a Christian Psychology page I had bookmarked long ago. I think the writing there stands on its own. It speaks powerfully about how to diffuse the understandable anger and rage that comes from abuse and other mistreatment.

In psychology there is an axiom that anxiety and relaxation cannot both exist in a person at the same time; this fact has become the empirical basis for systematic desensitization, a procedure for treating phobias. The spiritual realm has a similar axiom: you cannot hate a person and pray for him at the same time. And so, if you train yourself to pray for the repentance and conversion of anyone who insults or offends you, then it becomes impossible to hate that person—and all of your primitive rage therefore dissolves.

They suggest kneeling before the crucified Lord and praying this prayer:

Lord, I am wounded. I hurt. I am helpless. I am broken. I am vulnerable. Nothing I can do by my own hand can protect me. Help me, for without your mercy and protection, I will perish. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit. Help me to continue my work in your service despite the fact that I feel [betrayed, abandoned, unloved, insulted, falsely accused, etc.].