My daily attendance at Mass would introduce me to a Catholic Saint or a Feast Day. At one point in early 2017 I began to record key points of the priest’s homily to share with my Ministry to the Sick friends and my boys in Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall. In the capturing of the Saint’s name I was intrigued to Google their name and find some of their words or deeds which were part of their lives which contributed to their Saintliness. I would capture these words, copy and paste, and then see how I would be inspired by these words to write my own response. These would be shared with my friends as a means to introduce the saints to a larger community. Here is an example:
Tears From The Cross
In times of aridity arouse your spirit gently, by acts of love; then rest in the will of God. It is thus that the soul gives the strongest proof of her fidelity to God. Make a bouquet of the sufferings of Jesus, and place it on the bosom of your soul, as I have told you. You can from time to time call them to mind, and say sweetly to your Saviour: 'Oh good Jesus, how swollen, bruised, and defiled with spittle do I behold Thy countenance! Oh my Love! why do I see Thee all covered with wounds? Oh Infinite Sweetness! why are Thy bones laid bare? Ah, what sufferings! what sorrows! O my God! for what are Thou all wounded! Ah, dear sufferings! dear wounds! I wish to keep you always in my heart'." St Paul of the Cross
Lord,
Your holy wounds number 5,480,
According to the visionary Saint Bridget.
I long to touch each of them
Pausing briefly offering a prayer of
Thanksgiving
For those you gave your body for
And I am sure that when I arrive at
One wound in particular
You will let me know
This wound is mine.
How personal is our communion
As my prayer is blessed in tears
Tears I thought were mine
But you made known
Were yours.
20 October 2017
Several things you will notice from this sharing. First, we have the words from Saint Paul of the Cross. Second, we have my few chosen words inspired from the Saint’s words and from my personal lifelong experiences. The resulting document was formatted complete with a picture of the Saint. This became a powerful means to share the Saint for the day with my friends.
I had a dream of composing a daily meditation book of the Saints. I had composed about sixty of these Saint expressions and my responses. In order to complete the book, I was faced with the daunting opportunity to write 295 new responses to complete the book. When I went back and reviewed other materials I had written over on eighteen-year period of time dealing with Ignatian Spirituality, I realized I had written over six hundred spiritual pieces of poetry many in response to a world leader in God Spirituality. So, I decided to incorporate these poems into my book. To add a little bit of divine direction, I allowed the poems to be selected in a random manner.
The book provides 365 reflections on the Saints or feast days as well as my responses. You are able to meditate upon the words of the Saints, their picture, and my responses. This has proven to be an effective means to enhance the prayer experience. Enjoy your daily visits with the Saints.
26 January 2018