The Permanent Presence of God

 

I have been attending an online Catholic Bible study lately and am finding it fascinating just how many parallels there are between the old and new testaments and the Church today. One thing, a couple of weeks ago, was when the Israelites constructed the Tabernacle to house the Ark of the Covenant. And God’s presence was always there with His People, day and night. 

Of course we take it for granted nowadays; every chapel, church and cathedral has its own tabernacle housing the Blessed Sacrament and so the living God is always with us too. 

What happened next was that His presence was not static. He moved. And when He moved the people moved with Him. In the Old Testament case they moved into the promised land, into enemy territory. Not just for a stroll but to conquer it, to take possession of it by overthrowing its rulers. One spectacular scene is the destruction of the walls of Jericho. Rather unconventional warfare, the Israelites marching around the city and then blowing trumpets!. With the presence of God in the Ark at the lead, God won the victory; all they had to do was follow. 

I have heard tell, that there used to be frequent and widespread Eucharistic Processions in England and other European Countires. I wonder what would happen if we let Him lead us out again; into the parishes, towns and cities? Into our modern day wilderness: spaces emptied of faith and hope. Would He conquer there too, given the opportunity? I have seen testimonies of Eucharistic processions; of conversions taking place, or change of Heart and return to the church by some where the walls around their hearts have been torn down by the Lord as He passed by in the streets or cast them a glance as the monstrance was elevated above them. 

Rather than the fortress mentality which leaves churches locked and bolted most of the time with Jesus imprisoned inside; perhaps we could view the hostile surroundings more like Caleb and Joshua did, not without difficulty, but conquerable with Jesus in the lead... just a thought.

St Isidore the Farmer

Saint Isidore the Farmer’s real name was Isidro de Merlo y Quintana. He was born in the year 1070 AD in Madrid. His parents were poor but very devout. Isidore was a hired labourer of Juan de Vargas, a wealthy Madrilenian landowner on his farm near the city.

He was very generous and would share with the poor what he had, including his food. This made his boss, Juan de Vargas, to elevate him to the position of a bailiff of his entire estate of Lower Caramanca.

Isidore married Maria Torribia who is also known as Saint Mary de la Cabeza (Santa María de la Cabeza) in Spain.

At one time, their young son fell into a deep well and after they prayed to God the water of the well miraculously rose to ground level and brought the child with it.

Their son later died in his youth. Isidore and Maria saw as if God did not want them to have children and therefore vowed sexual abstinence, lived in separate houses but chastely for the rest of their lives, doing good works.

Miracles of Isidore the Farmer

The number of miracles attributed to Isidore has been counted as 438, but these below are the salient ones:

At one time Isidore was accused by his fellow workers that he was always late for work while attending the daily Morning Mass at a Church nearby in Madrid. He stated that he had no other choice but to follow the ultimate Master. His boss went to investigate the allegation but instead of finding Isidore in the fields ploughing, he found Angels doing the work while he was praying in Church.

Another miracle happened when his master saw angels ploughing on both of his sides. This meant that Isidore’s work was triple that of his fellow field workers.

It is also said that Isidore brought back to life the daughter of his master who had died.

He also caused, from the dry earth, a fountain of fresh water to burst thereby quenching his master’s thirst.

There was a time when going to the mill to grind the wheat, he came across a flock of wood pigeons scratching on the hard surface of the snowy ground looking for food but in vain. He felt sorry for the hungry birds and poured them half of his precious sack of wheat. The onlookers mocked him but he did not mind but when he reached the mill his bag of wheat was full and when the wheat was ground, the flour produced was double what was expected.

Maria, his wife, with the knowledge that her husband, Isidore, would bring home anyone who was hungry, would keep a pot of stew in their kitchen. One day Isidore brought a larger-than-usual number of hungry people home. Maria served several of them until she saw that the stew was no more. She went and told her husband that there was no more stew for everyone. Isidore insisted that she go and check again, and miraculously the pot was full enough for all the hungry people.

There were heavy torrential rains on April 2 1212 in Madrid which exhumed cadavers from cemeteries. His body was found intact in a state of incorruptibility.

It is also said that in 1212 AD, Isidore appeared to Alfonso VIII of Castile, and shown him the secret way by which he ambushed the Moors and took control of Las Navas de Tolosa.

After touching the relics of the Isidore, it is said that King Philip III of Spain was cured of a deadly disease. Consequently, the king replaced the old reliquary (a container for holy relics) with a costly silver one. Thereafter, he mooted Isidore’s beatification This made other members of the royal family to seek curative powers from saint Isidore throughout history

St Michael and the Real Sword in the Stone

The conversion of Galgano Guidotti

Galgano Guidotti was born in 1148 near Siena. According to his noble station in life, he was destined to become a knight. Though Galgano’s parents were religious and devoted, his youth was marked by violence and arrogance, entertainments and pleasure.

While the details of his conversion are vague, what is certain is that he is forever linked to the legend of a sword lodged in a rock, immovable to human hands.

After an encounter with St. Michael the Archangel, Galgano changed his life. St. Michael the Archangel appeared to him, admonishing him to become a Knight of God, part of the celestial militia under his protection.

In another vision, Galgano followed the archangel over a bridge and water mill toward Montesiepi (Mt. Siepi). There Galgano had a vision of Jesus and the saints, who exhorted him to take on a life of penance as a hermit.

The legend of the sword in the stone

Here the legend of the sword begins. Galgano wished to make a cross on the spot, but was unable to cut wood with his sword. When he threw his sword on the ground in frustration, it entered the rock. No one was able to extract it.

In another version of the legend, after the saints told him to renounce material things and convert from all licentiousness, the future saint replied, “It would be easier to cut stone with this sword than to do that.” To prove his point, he thrust his sword into the rock, into which it sank as smoothly as a knife in warm butter.

Galgano transformed his knightly cloak into a religious tunic and began living as a hermit and penitent.

The legend of the sword continues. While Galgano was away on pilgrimage to Rome, envious monks tried to extract the sword from the stone. Failing to do so, they became enraged and tried to break it. The legends say that one fell into a river and drowned, another was struck by lightning, and a third was attacked by a wolf, from which he was saved by invoking Galgano’s name.

Devotion to St. Galgano

Galgano died on December 3, 1181. Three years later a chapel was built around the sword in Montesiepi. It became known as the “Rotonda della Spada” (Rotunda of the Sword) due to the chapel’s circular shape.

Devotion to St. Galgano spread rapidly in the chivalrous milieu of the High Middle Ages. Knights and soldiers – such as the Lombards, the Franks, and the Crusaders – built churches in honor of him, as well as St. Michael the Archangel, the angelic warrior and victor, and prayed for their intercession.

An Italian professor, Mario Moiraghi, researched the comparison of St. Galgano to the legend of Arthur. He published his work in The Enigma of San Galgano.

He suggested that the British Arthurian legend of Excalibur was inspired by St. Galgano’s sword in the stone in Tuscany. He noted that though the legend of King Arthur dates to ancient times, the story of the sword of Excalibur and the stone appeared only after St. Galgano’s death in 1181. Moiraghi also studied the sword and confirmed that it was from the 12th century.

St. Galgano’s feast is celebrated on December 3. He was canonized a saint by Pope Lucius III in 1185.

Today on Montesiepi there stands the Chapel of St. Galgano (the Rotonda della Spada) where St. Galgano lived as a hermit. The sword can still be seen inside it.

Nearby are the ruins of a Gothic Cistercian abbey. The abbey was instituted around the site of the former hermitage of San Galgano.

St Michael's Apparition

That the blessed Archangel Michael, whose name means Who is like unto God?, is the prince of the faithful Angels who opposed Lucifer and his followers in their revolt against God. Since the devil is the sworn enemy of God’s holy Church, Saint Michael is given to it by God as its special protector against the demon’s assaults and stratagems.

Various apparitions of this powerful Angel have proved the protection of Saint Michael over the Church. We may mention his apparition in Rome, where Saint Gregory the Great saw him in the air sheathing his sword, to signal the cessation of a pestilence and the appeasement of God’s wrath. Another apparition to Saint Ausbert, bishop of Avranches in France, led to the construction of Mont-Saint-Michel in the sea, a famous pilgrimage site. May 8th, however, is destined to recall another no less marvelous apparition, occurring near Monte Gargano in the Kingdom of Naples.

In the year 492 a man named Gargan was pasturing his large herds in the countryside. One day a bull fled to the mountain, where at first it could not be found. When its hiding place in a cave was discovered, an arrow was shot into the cave, but the arrow returned to wound the one who had sent it. Faced with so mysterious an occurrence, the persons concerned decided to consult the bishop of the region. He ordered three days of fasting and prayers. After three days, the Archangel Saint Michael appeared to the bishop and declared that the cavern where the bull had taken refuge was under his protection, and that God wanted it to be consecrated under his name and in honor of all the Holy Angels.

Accompanied by his clergy and people, the bishop went to that cavern, which he found already designed in the form of a church. The divine mysteries were celebrated there, and there arose in this same place a magnificent temple where the divine Power has wrought great miracles. To thank God’s adorable goodness for the protection of the holy Archangel, the effect of His merciful Providence, this feast day was instituted by the Church in his honor.

Our Lady's Message from Medjugorje (April 24th 2024)

 On April 25, 2024, Our Lady gave the following message during her apparition to the visionary Marija:

Dear children!

I am with you to tell you that I love you and to encourage you to prayer; because Satan is strong and every day his strength is stronger through those who have chosen death and hatred.

You, little children, be prayer and my extended hands of love for all those who are in darkness and seek the light of our God.

Thank you for having responded to my call.

The only Easy day was Yesterday

 

I saw a comic book sketch of a boy kneeling by his bedside saying his evening prayers as his dad walked by the open door of the bedroom. The boy looked up and said ‘Hi Dad; just saying my prayers; do you need anything while I’m here?’ His dad looked like he’d had a long day. 

At first it made me laugh; but as I pondered it I realised something. Our design is for complete dependency on God and Intimacy with Him. We are not meant to figure out life on our own. Prayer is in fact the only way to make life work. 

In our day, as the pace of life quickens, the pressure mounts, and demands are placed upon people that our ancestors would never comprehend; perhaps everyone in the modern world could embrace the Navy Seals saying “The only easy day was yesterday”. We are even harassed by our own telephones! 

Often at best people try to shoehorn God in on Sunday morning and a quick prayer as they run out of the house. But we need a lot more than that to survive let alone thrive. Jesus spent whole nights in prayer. Even Jesus needed to. To commune with the Father, the only one who truly knew Him (and the only one who knows and understands us). 

Prayer is the oxygen for the soul, without it we will shrivel up and die. The human heart is the meeting place for God and man, He is already there; (like in a zoom breakout room) waiting for us to enter, share our troubles with Him so He can immediately get to work on them. (He loves to be needed). 

Often though, we are faced with an enticing alternative for our spare moments, particularly at the end of the day. There are two options on the table, the first is Relief and the second is Restoration. The first is quick, seems easy and involves potato chips, ice cream, a TV sitcom and an extra glass of wine; that will bring temporary relief from the day’s struggles. Restoration is the better choice and takes only a little effort and has a much longer lasting effect. Rather than simply numbing the ravages of the day on the soul with some form of medication we can revive and restore it, bring it back into harmony by going to God. 

This is how I go about it, these days. I go down to the terrace of our condo; there is a nice spot with a few trees on either side, and a breeze drifts through in the evenings. I watch it move the palms for a few minutes, listen to the crickets chirp and wait in silence. We are in fact always in the presence of God; we don’t have to seek Him out, He is an indwelling God. I don’t review the day so much as surrender it and myself to Him leaving the outcomes and troubles in His capable hands; this takes a few minutes. I use a simple formula borrowed from a Capuchin monk it goes ‘Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything” And then I just rest in Him, in His presence and little by little there is a shift towards letting go of everything and allowing myself to be restored in Him, ready for the next day.

Once we realise the importance of prayer, we will see the difference it makes. Mother Teresa commented once that if she had a lot to accomplish she would pray for an hour first and if she knew she had a great deal to do that day then she would pray for 2 hours first. That’s how it works, the economics of the Kingdom of God.  And in doing so we also receive peace in our hearts; instead of agitation. 

Try it and see !

“While He was still a long way off…”

The mentor of C.S Lewis, a chap called George McDonald wrote that “it is better not to have known the Father, than to have learned Him wrong”.

For those of my generation the way God the Father was presented was a bit worrying, especially if you were taught by nuns and you were boys, aka ‘the barbarian horde’. The chances of heaven were so slim, I don’t recall it ever being mentioned or described; whereas purgatory and hell were described in such detail we wondered how the sisters had got out so as to return and tell us about it. The idea of God as a loving Father was not on the radar.

Often religion clashes with reality as we read in the parable of the prodigal son, where Jesus tells us who His father really is.

After coming to his senses and heading home with a desire to be reunited with his father, we see a father who is already scanning the horizon, hoping and waiting for his return. This is how it is with Our Father too, He waits, His eyes moving across the earth in search of His lost sons and daughters. Perhaps even engineering their return, sending them messengers, interventions, nudges to guide their steps home.

And when they do have that moment of clarity, or change of heart, He runs to them. He doesn’t wait. He runs to them ‘clasped him in his arms and kissed him’ as the scripture puts it.

He doesn’t need to hear the carefully crafted speech or apology. Nope. He is already celebrating ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the calf we have been fattening, and kill it; we will celebrate by having a feast, because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and is found.’

That’s who the Father is. Nothing to fear for those who want to come home. No obstacles in our path if a change of heart and reunion with God is what we desire. That is the great gift of Divine Mercy. He wants us back more than we want it. And there is joy, not anger awaiting us.