The way of the Contemplative and mystic is the way of mystic language, language like the Song of Songs. It is the language that speaks of lover and beloved, bride and bridegroom. The way of the mystic is the way of poetry and metaphor and allegory. BE NOT AFRAID, for Voluntas Dei abscondita est ubi pacem invenimus (Hidden in God's will is where we find peace.)
T
Giving away money does not show love. Giving away love shows love. Giving away both love and money is Christian.
T
In every Catholic Church, you will notice usually hanging on the side walls 14 images, pictures or sculptures related to the Passion of Christ. These are the 14 steps Jesus went through before his death on Calvary. Also known as the Way of the Cross, or Via Crucis, this devotion is very popular during the season of Lent, as people meditate on the Passion and Death of Christ. This practice started during the 14th century by the Franciscan Monks, and St. Leonard of Port Maurice preached frequently about this devotion in the 18th century. Finally Pope Clement XII in 1735 gave the final guidelines, fixing the number of Stations at 14, commemorating the events related in the Gospel and from early tradition. Usually the Stations are erected on the walls of the Church, 7 on each side, but they may be placed outdoors too, as one can see in Church gardens and Retreat Houses. Most of the time, the Stations are prayed in the Church, with the people staying in their places, and genuflecting between each Station. "The Cross bearer and the two candle holders should face the Stations so that they too can meditate on the sufferings of the Lord while gazing upon the Stations ." Father Timothy Davison
The customary 14 Stations are as follows:
1. Jesus is condemned to death
2. Jesus accepts His Cross
3. Jesus falls the first time.
4. Jesus meets his mother Mary.
5. Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the Cross
6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus.
7. Jesus falls the second time.
8. Jesus consoles the women of Jerusalem
9. Jesus falls the third time.
10. Jesus is stripped of his garments.
11. Jesus is nailed to the Cross.
12. Jesus dies on the Cross.
13. Jesus is taken down from the Cross.
14. Jesus is laid to rest in a tomb.
T
Solitude, silence and stillness help us connect to God, but He doesn't intend that we hoard them. Rather, we are to share them with the world, The genius of the Franciscan movement is that it balances quiet meditation with preaching. Intimacy with God builds up a foundation through which we discover intimacy with our brothers and sisters.
T
The way of St. Francis is the frightening way of Communion, but we never really know it until, like Francis, we see ourselves by walking in the footsteps of Jesus.
T
Unlike an obsessive love for another human being, which can result in a loss of self-identity, the total love of God brings with it a strengthening of our sense of self, a serene clarification of who I am.
T
The more we guard our silence, the easier it is to pray, especially when we guard the silence of our hearts
T
Contemplatives down through the ages have learned how to be alone with God. Forget the books, the daydreaming, the Soaps, the Cell Phones, EVERYTHING and simply dwell in His presence; silent, empty, expectant, and completely still.
T
When we pray the Our Father we are speaking directly to God. In Contemplative Prayer God speaks to us. But first we must quiet our body, mind, and soul and most especially our heart if we are going to hear Him speak to us.
T
Contemplative prayer means silence. It is impossible to enter into God's holy presence if we cannot be silent both internally and externally.
T
Do you want to be filed with God? There is no room for Him unless we first empty ourselves to make space for Him. The more we empty ourselves the more room He has to enter. Once we humble ourselves we completely empty ourselves through humility. Only then will He be able to fill us completely.
T
Want to know our secret at the Portiuncula? We pray. then we pray some more. And when we're done doing that, we pray some more. Once you learn to love prayer then you will begin to FEEL prayer. Then you will BECOME prayer.
T
Most of our days are just like the Liturgical Calendar: "Ordinary Time." How do I transform ordinary time into extraordinary time? We see that ordinary time becomes extraordinary time when lived in God, the the ordinary becomes the extraordinary.
T
St. Francis' journey began on the plain just below Assisi, with the lepers, with those people and things you and I dismiss in our headlong pursuit of the stone monuments and churches high up on the hill within the walled city of Assisi. A leprosarium outside the walls in the Middle Ages. A hospital for the Germans during World War II. And, ironically, a hiding place for Jews all at the same time. Where did your journey with Francis Begin?
T
Today we are flooded by a non-stop barrage of well-produced, expertly marketed, musical trash that does everything but uplift the soul. Rather than glorifying God, popular culture glorifies banality, ugliness and violence. This is what we have done with God's gift of music.
T
Please go to a quiet place in your home or office and join me in prayers that God will pour out His wrath upon the Russian 40 mile long convoy that is moving toward Kyiv and miraculously stop the convoy in its tracks! In Jesus' name I pray...
T
Solitude doesn't just go "POOF!" and God suddenly pops up in front of you. It's simply that most of the time we are so busy being busy that we don't or can't recognize His presence. The discipline of solitude simply opens us up to recognizing that He is right there with us all the time.
T
