The Revelations of Saint Gertrude. Written by the Saint Herself.

Well worth the effort to get to this pearl:

Book 2: Chapter 5

After I had received the Sacrament of life, and had retired to the place where I pray, it seemed to me that I saw a ray of light like an arrow coming forth from the Wound of the right side of the crucifix, which was in an elevated place, and it continued, as it were, to advance and retire for some time, sweetly attracting my cold affections. But my desire was not entirely satisfied with these things until the following Wednesday, when after the Mass, the faithful meditated on Thy adorable Incarnation and Annunciation, in which I joined, however imperfectly. And, behold, Thou camest suddenly before me, and didst imprint a wound in my heart, saying these words: May the full tide of your affections flow hither, so that all your pleasure, your hope, your joy, your grief, your fear, and every other feeling may be sustained by My love! And I immediately remembered that I had heard a wound should be bathed, anointed and bandaged. But Thou didst not teach me then in what manner I should perform these things, for Thou didst defer it to discover it to me more clearly in the end by means of another person, who had accustomed the ears of her soul to discern far more exactly and delicately than I do the sweet mummers of Thy love.

She advised me to reflect devoutly upon the love of Thy Heart when hanging on the Cross, and to draw from this fountain the waters of true devotion, to wash away all my offenses; to take from the unction of mercy the oil of gratitude, which the sweetness of this inestimable love has produced as a remedy for all adversities, and to use this efficacious charity and the strength of this consummate love as a ligament of justification to unite all my thoughts, words and works, indissolubly and powerfully to Thee. May all the deprivation of those things which my malice and wickedness has caused be supplied through that love whose plenitude abides in Him Who being seated on Thy right hand, has become “bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh!” As it is by Him, through the operation of the Holy Spirit, that Thou hast placed in me this noble virtue of compassion, humility and reverence, to enable me to speak to Thee, it is also by Him that I present to Thee my complaint of the miseries I endure, which are so great in number, and which have caused me to offend Thy Divine goodness in so many ways by my thoughts, words and actions, but principally by the bad use which I have made of the aforesaid graces, by my unfaithfulness, my negligence and my irreverence. For if Thou hast given to one so unworthy even a thread of flax as a remembrance of Thee, I should have been bound to respect it more than I have done all these favors.

My Prayer Before Blogging

It’s Lent and I’m in it for the long haul. Gen Petraeus says, “Hard is not hopeless”

My God, I believe and I adore You. Be ever before the eyes of my heart and mind that I may see You in all circumstances and look for You in those I meet today. I place Your blood over my heart, before my lips and around my mind as I pray and before I venture forth into this day. May Your good angels, and Your saints assist me, especially in drawing my thoughts to You. Be glorified, My Love, in the Church, in the world and in me. Amen

Prayer for Our Nation

From Evening Prayer:

Lord, all-powerful King,

free us for the sake of  Your Name.

Give us time to turn from our sins.

One Man’s Prayer

Paul Edwards, a columnist writing for Townhall.com,  is compelled to pray for President Obama and more. After just 50 days in office:

“President Obama has clearly acted in opposition to righteousness by lifting the ban on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, reversing the Mexico City Policy which forces the use of your tax dollars to fund abortions at overseas abortion facilities, and by acting to rescind the “conscience clause” which protects doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other medical personnel from participating in abortions against their personal, private convictions.”

“He has elevated science above God by appealing to science rather than to morality in deciding to sacrifice the lives of future generations of unborn children for the false promise of “cures” for the present generation.”

Edwards says he will pray for wisdom, strength and protection for our President but cannot pray that plans, that clearly oppose righteousness and do harm to people, succeed.  He says that there is precedent for praying that unrighteous plans come to nothing:

“There is scriptural precedent for praying that the ungodly plans of God’s appointed leader fail. David repeatedly prayed that King Saul’s plans against him would fail.”

Does the agenda that so clearly “devalues the cause of life” that  President Obama has instituted deserve our support?  I’m praying for a righteous, moral, conscientious America, and that God will bring to naught evil plans that destroy life, make science a god and institute convenience as a dictator.

Edwards points to mainstream media pundit writing for Newsweek , Howard Fineman and American Enterprise Institute ‘s Kevin Hassett as reasonable men who “are now beginning to question whether or not Barack Obama is intentionally acting to harm the interests of the American people.”

That They May Be One, Father

As the 14th day of Lent draws to a close, Nelson shares these thoughts from the letter of Patriarch Gregorios III of Antioch (Melkite) for  Lent that I’m passing on:

“Indeed, if the cross, with all that it represents, with all that it signifies, symbolises and indicates, of sufferings, sicknesses, disasters, various afflictions, catastrophes, pains and injuries to which all people are subject, if the cross is a constituent reality of all human life, there is an obligation for all people, like Jesus, to carry the cross together, in order to disburden the one charged with it and together to bear it with love and solidarity.  In this letter, I am urging my faithful sons and daughters of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church in the Arab world and throughout the world to be in solidarity with each other and stand shoulder to shoulder with their brethren, friends, neighbours and fellow-citizens to bear the cross together on the way of the cross, especially during these days of Great Lent on our common spiritual Lenten way towards the Feast and the joy of the glorious Resurrection.”

I pray that all Christians may be one and bear faithful witness to the One who is all in all.

Happy Recourse

It’s cold and damp today and that suited my mood as I hurried out of the house this morning.  It is my day for Eucharistic Adoration. My adoration was broken by returning bits and pieces of my rant against this morning’s news. President Obama will celebrate the overturning of the ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research with an “event”  in the White House. No Friday announcement behind closed doors here.

” What recourse; O Lord! What recourse?”…………… Thankfully, I finally realized, that I was in the place of recourse.

Later, at home after Mass, getting it all out with more inner screaming, and much, much writing, the Anchoress saved me from myself with this.