Was That a Knuckleball?

Now and again I'm thrown off my spiritual game. What I mean is that ordinary spiritual patterns become unrecognizable, and my normal prayer routines fail to produce the standard results. I get the impression that God throws me a curve or some other pitch I don't expect, and I respond by swinging wildly - striking out again and again. So here's my clumsy attempt to understand and explain why my string of reflections stopped rather abruptly.

Late last year my bogging diminished dramatically and I noticed my inability to put a coherent thought down. My spiritual life continued on autopilot, clinging to routines (thankfully) with a sort of dispirited faithfulness born in duty more than love. I suspect one of the primary reasons is discovering I have sleep apnea and experiencing difficulty in getting the treatment fine tuned. The reality of living with poor quality sleep has been profound and it's taken its toll in dozens of ways. Only of late have I begun to resolve this successfully.

Hopefully, I'll be able to focus and write again. But the experience of a setback itself may turn out to be a sort of spiritual 'backing and filling', giving me a new perspective and new growth. We'll see.

Labeling Our Conversions

I find the expression 'gospel conversion' is spoken of with two distinct meanings, which occasionally are used interchangeably, and thus a source of confusion. In one sense we mean an initial commitment to Christ which is cause for new life through the Sacrament of Baptism and incorporation into the Body of Christ. The term 'convert' applies here if one is experiencing Christian initiation.

In a second and distinct sense, 'gospel conversion' means a renewal or deepening of faith. Often this is experienced as awakening, zeal or renewal of spirit. Other manifestations include the return to (or beginning of) religious practice, realignment of life towards the gospel, purification of sin, etc. Baptized Christians often speak of 'reversion' to signify this delayed or renewed sense of conversion.

The first form of conversion can happen only once, while the second should happen daily. We should distinguish between the two aspects of 'conversion' in order to carry them out meaningfully. If we use them interchangeably without understanding the progression, then we're bound to confuse ourselves and others.

An important point to consider is that for most of us our first 'conversion' happens without our knowledge or consent. With infant baptism the child is initiated into new spiritual life based upon the faith, love and commitment of parents and godparents. Some dissenters are thrown by this fact, but fail to consider that in a very real sense, new spiritual life is transmitted in the same fashion as natural life – through the action of others.

It's very much an act of humility to accept our new life as a true gift with it joys, burdens, and responsibilities; even if we did not chose it directly. With new life (both natural and spiritual) we are impelled necessarily to grow beyond the seed. And we must grow in Christian values through attachment to the source of life, the 'true and living vine' spoken of in John 15:1-6.

Ongoing conversion is the process of daily transformation (Franciscans say conformation) to Christ. Part of the 'ongoing conversion experience' involves awareness initially, and then a call to action. In many ways our paths are similar (devotion to prayer, liturgy and sacraments), but in other ways are paths are unique, with the Lord calling us to particular vocations and specific tasks; all with the purpose of bringing about the Kingdom of God here on Earth.

Here is an article from the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order regarding our union with Christ through conversion "…let them conform their thoughts and deeds to those of Christ by means of that radical interior change which the gospel itself calls 'conversion'. Human frailty makes it necessary that this conversion be carried out daily. On this road to renewal the Sacrament of Penance is the privileged sign of the Father's mercy and the source of grace. (Article VII – SFO Rule) Clearly the first form of conversion/initiation is presumed and the focus is on conversion as transformation and renewal which includes reconciliation.

Those of us who have fallen away or lapsed from church attendance and practice, often remember with great joy some moment of return and reinstatement. For many, the renewal is so great as to create a sense that the past was all for naught. But in fact, grace builds upon grace and renewal builds upon foundations; even those unseen. For Catholics, with our practice of infant baptism, we have the inspiration to impart new spiritual life based upon the faith, love and commitment of others (parents and godparents), all with the hope that our new members will take up their own 'ongoing conversion' as they mature.

Defining Progress

Christianity does not have a notion that history always progresses, that, things are always getting better for mankind. When we read the Book of Revelation we see that humanity actually moves in circles. Over and over there are horrors that then dissipate, only to be followed by new ones. Nor is there any prophecy of an inner-historical, man-made state of salvation. The idea that human affairs necessarily get better and better has no support in the Christian outlook. What does on the other hand, belong to the Christian faith is the certainty that God never abandons man and that man therefore can never become a pure failure, even though today many believe it would be better if man had never appeared on the scene. (Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger – Salt of the Earth)

At some point in my life I began to see the world from a less self-centered perspective and began to thing and act in ways that would hopefully bring about material progress and better living conditions for others in our temporal state. Later I began to realize this goal must be pursued not only in the realm of natural sciences and technology but in the moral sense of changing our behaviors to reflect a spiritual view that causes individuals to rise above natural inclinations. For Christians, the template of this behavior is the person of Jesus Christ.

We profess a Faith of love, and compassion; mercy and justice, which calls for true solidarity among Earth's inhabitants. Very importantly, this solidarity arises when we conform ourselves to Christ and it dissolves when we look to uniting without Him. In this sense, true human progress is attained as mankind unites spiritually and in a manner that is faithful to its real destiny, union with God.

We grow our relationship with God, in the very soil of humility and personal sacrifice, all the while faithfully trusting in an invisible seed of divine life in each individual, whether seen or unseen. And we can do this even in the midst of uneven human behavior which seems to cycle between inspiration towards God and monstrous depravity. In other words, each soul can (and should) faithfully move towards God even if the world seems heading towards calamity.

I've tried to avoid being easily fooled by humanistic movements of misguided hope where mankind is 'saved' by technology, education, schemes of social welfare, or some new political philosophy. This can be difficult at times, because we are truly inspired to show our Faith's reality in concrete love and compassion: to help alleviate suffering and misery in the name of our Lord of love. Real Christian love arises in sacrifice and self-giving and is the only way in which the world becomes a better place.

Our true progress will be mirrored in human affairs as we grow in unity, but only if that unity is attached to the Body of Christ. This is the hallmark of understanding these cycles of descent to new horrors and tragedies. Our Lord's own temptation in the desert is a warning of how we can be drawn away from our real spiritual goals by crumbs of bread. In today's terms we are tempted to avoid suffering by terminating human life and labeling it compassion.

In a mystery of the spiritual life, individuals, groups, and societies are forced to roam about the desert in blindness groping for direction. Spiritual literature describes this as a time of purification and renewal. History and Sacred Scripture show us that the family of man has wandered often in the desert, but never alone.

The Primordial Relationship

The essence of religion is the relation of man beyond himself to the unknown reality that faith calls God. It is man's capacity to go beyond all tangible, measurable reality and to enter into this primordial relation. Man lives in relationships, and the ultimate goodness of his life depends on the rightness of his essential relationships—I mean father, mother, brother and sister, and so forth—the basic relationships that are inscribed in his being. But none of these relationships can be right if the first relationship, the relationship with God, is not right. This relationship itself, I would say, is, properly speaking, the content of religion.

(Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger – Salt of the Earth)

The above is an insightful response to a question many have regarding the essence of religion. What I find interesting is the awareness of proper ordering of relationships; that it's in discovering and giving priority to the relationship with God which guides and nurtures all other relationships successfully. Even if we allow for the fact that many people discover this 'Primordial Relationship' through other relations; we must still conclude that the proper disposition of our relationship with God (it's rightness) is what enables us to get the other relationships 'right'.

In religious terms this means placing our relationship with God first and above all others. The skeptical world views this as a scandal, because it falsely interprets this to mean interference, or worse, a degradation of the natural movement of human affairs. Scriptural passages which focus our love, obedience and attention to our Creator, sometimes appear overbearing to the nonbeliever and confusing to the novice believer.

The danger here is twofold. On the one hand we can form rigid notions of religion in which we view it as a set of preset instructions or commands and fail to participate in a real manner of listening and responding to what God is directing us to in our unique mission. On the other hand, we can ignore the parameters of this 'primordial relationship', created for our own good and the good of others, and instead create foolish and destructive patterns of behavior that appear fulfilling and loving while distracting us from getting our relationships 'right'.

I'm somewhat concerned that so many have entered into these 'other relationships' (family and beyond) without the proper footing that comes from recognizing and developing the 'primordial relationship'--communion with God. Societies are struggling and families failing because they lack the connection and guidance of that supernatural relation to God. The overarching role of religion in our lives is to correctly form the 'primordial relation', which can then be relied upon to form all other relations 'rightly'; with true love, integrity, justice and compassion.

So true religion has the fearful task of calling individuals to the 'primordial relationship'; and beyond this it also has the task of informing and shaping that relationship. To complicate matters it has to do so in a contentious arena where a host of voices clamor for attention and legitimacy. In all of this the individual must respond, not because of coercion or power, but because he or she is created for the purpose of living in this relationship and in communion with others. The faith involved is not for the purpose of making life easy but for the purpose of making life real.

"Man lives in relationships, and the ultimate goodness of his life depends on the rightness of his essential relationships." Indeed, this is a crucial test of goodness not to be underestimated. The 'rightness' of our relations grows from family outwards to the fraternity of all mankind, especially those in need. So getting it 'right' seems to be of paramount importance. "But none of these relationships can be right if the first relationship, the relationship with God, is not right."

Remembering to Pray for the Dead

At our parish this morning the pastor read the names of parishioners who have passed away since All Souls Day last year. The church bells were slowly tolling as we remembered our brothers and sisters who have gone before us. For the month of November, we place the names of our deceased loved ones on a table in the sanctuary with lit candle; all in the hope that our sacrifice and prayers of supplication will aid them in their final journey to heaven. I find this practice most consoling and uplifting. Still, I lament that many Christians neglect this duty; perhaps due to a misunderstanding or denial of the doctrine of Purgatory.

It seemed that this year's list of names was quite long, and at the same time the number of envelopes bearing names of deceased friends and relatives seemed few. Apologetics is simply not my forte and so I hesitate to get embroiled in defending the practice of praying for the dead. Nevertheless, I regard it as spiritual common sense and a tenet of Catholic Faith, that it is useful and necessary to remit the temporal punishment due our sins; even as the sacrifice of Jesus has atoned for our eternal punishment.

Doing Penance is a Privilege

In reading a meditation I was taken by the phrase 'doing penance is a privilege'. The more I pondered it the more fascinated I became with the deep spiritual insight of such a simple pronouncement. Encarta Dictionary defines 'privilege' as follows: 1. restricted right or benefit – an advantage, right or benefit that is not available to everyone, 2: rights and advantages enjoyed by elite – the rights and advantages enjoyed by a relatively small group of people.

Before reflecting on the privilege involved let me recap what we mean by 'doing penance'. One way to think of 'doing penance' is to give up something that is 'licit and pleasing'; a mortification of sorts. By saying 'no' to that which is both 'licit and pleasing' we learn to reign in our natural desires and build the fortitude to say 'no' to that which offends God. (To give up something that is sinful (repentance) is related, but not what we are talking about in this instance.)

Penance is a simple virtue that quickly attacks the root of behaviors and attitudes that distance us from God. All too often it is overlade with exaggerated notions of harshness and rigor. Let me give a simple and concrete example of the practice of penance in action. Each morning I head to 7am mass. Daily mass is not obligatory and sleeping a little later would be pleasing and licit. Attending weekday mass is not penance, yet rising early to go is. Furthermore, as I approach the church I spy a newsstand with copies of the morning paper. Now if I stop to read the headlines (again something licit and pleasing) I find that it distracts me from the upcoming liturgy. Therefore I try to avoid viewing the headlines and save the newspaper for later reading. This may sound trite but this is the heart of what 'doing penance' involves.

There's nothing harsh or medieval in this sort of practice. Yet it represents small but meaningful actions taken in my life that help me to form a 'spirit of detachment' from the world, and move closer to God. More than likely, if I am attuned, I discover that this is prompted by the Holy Spirit and it is the common and ordinary way in which the Spirit helps us to grow. Any penance (even the most 'soft' version) immediately makes us aware of God, often because of some distraction that is impeding our relationship with Him.

So let's return to the insight that 'doing penance is a privilege'. Actually, all of us are called to 'do penance', not just an elite few. This has always been made clear by the Church and no one can claim that penance isn't part of their spiritual path. Even so, it is a privilege in that it is highly salutary for our own sanctification; more so when we go beyond penance as Christian duty (i.e. Lenten regulations) and move to penance as a voluntary act undertaken for love of God.

All prayer is directed to God and we normally think of it as rising from our heart, mind or spirit. Yet 'doing penance' is a true form of prayer which moves through the body and as such it gives glory to God. Penance (as mortification) is not directed to punishing an evil body, rather it is directed to properly aligning ourselves towards God. This particular form of prayer seeks God through the body, and it must be given weight and recognition as substantial prayer in the same manner as forms of prayer involving heart, mind or spirit.

No matter what our spiritual disposition, all of us share some movement toward contemplation and meditation. Likewise all of us have a true need to be penitents in some manner and fashion, simply because we have bodies which share in our eternal destiny. Our body is destined to be glorified, not abandoned; therefore it needs to share in the journey of faith.

I suspect that those who seek God often 'over-think' their prayer life and sell short the role of penance as a form of prayer. I invite any reader to incorporate penance as a form of prayer and test for themselves the results. It won't take long to realize that 'doing penance is a privilege'.

Standing on My Head Does Hurt

…But it's worth it to get the most insightful perspective.

[This reflection was originally posted on 2/28/08. Since it bears on the election and since I've been distracted of late by the election process, I'll offer it again. Peace and all good. --Tausign]

G.K. Chesterton noted of my beloved St. Francis; "He who has seen the vision of his city [nation] upside-down, has seen it the right way up." It's the ordinary vision of live (i.e. the worldly way) that lacks imagination. And it's the gospel way of life, with its foolish imaginary ideals, that holds the greatest hope.

As we contemplate the upcoming electoral process the focus of national attention will be upon the candidates. I take the election process as solemn duty with utmost seriousness: but with no illusion. For the cause of change that most people seek is not in the leadership; at least not in a democratic nation such as ours. No, the true cause of change is in the electorate; for there lays the problem and the solution.

The general population is apt to think that we are 'victims' of our own political process: never feeling satisfied with the outcome and rarely being united, unless some large common foe forces us, through fear, to band together. For the most part we view the problems that must be addressed as other than our own: personal problems, faults, miscalculations, or misdeeds of others. The corollary of this is that the interests that must be defended are usually our own: in fact these interests are often in opposition to the interests of others.

This is the stark reality: and it is quite upside-down.

At another blog the topic of late is; what qualities are necessary to define a good candidate? This is an important consideration for sure, but as much as I disdain cynical thinking, I nevertheless commented with this skeptical remark:

"A fearful people will get a tyrant to protect them. An avaricious people will get a salesman to provide what they simply must have. A people unwilling to feed themselves will get someone to feed them. But a nation of people who are not afraid; are not greedy; and are willing to provide for themselves and perhaps a neighbor to boot...well they might call forth a person of humility."

Why should we look for and expect qualities in a candidate that are not manifestly sought after in a personal way by the electorate as a whole? Seriously, if you think the culture is in decline and decay and the vast majority has lost their senses on vital matters: then how can we reasonably expect a political solution? The best possible outcome would be for the 'right thinking' few to somehow pull an upset, and force by some 'set of rules', others to fall in line. That's just upside-down thinking.

And this is why so many default to seeing the whole process as a subjugation of a true majority of 'right thinking' citizens somehow being overpowered by nefarious entities: the manipulating media; profit hungry corporations; evil special interests, (the list is endless). They 'thwart' the 'right thinkers'. All manner of theories arise (with some half truths thrown in for veracity) which explain how our power is exorcised from our hands. Have you noticed that these groups are always made up of 'them'…and never of 'us'?

This is why the gospel never speaks of a political solution to the woes that we endure. My political theory is thus: The political process merely reveals the state of conversion of a nation. A virtuous nation will call forth a virtuous leader. When we fight and win the conversion battle (beginning with ourselves), then we won't need the political savior…we won't cry out for Barabbas to lead our cause. As important as the political battle is; it pales in comparison to the battle for conversion of the nation. The priority must be correct.

My greatest hopes and endeavors are focused not so much on the nation, but on the Kingdom within the nation. My battle is from the inside-out (my own conversion first and by extension others around me). Many, (surely not enough) have been praying and fasting, and will continue to so for our upside-down nation. We've begged God through his Holy Mother to shower graces upon us. Now we need to incorporate the graces. The solution is nothing less than a life of enduring penance as Our Lady has told us, repeatedly.

If the Christian community in particular continues to take a secular approach and avoid penance, then we are in for the longest of long pulls. As I remarked in in a post some time ago:

"Contemporary opinion of the practice [doing penance] is often seen as unnecessary and ludicrous; outdated and old fashioned; even backward and harmful. Yet, when the practice of 'doing penance' is put into actual usage, it quickly loses its absurdity and induces a sense of wisdom and good judgment."

To borrow a metaphor from an earlier reflection: Penance must precede great moral change as surely as a needle must precede the thread. Abortion, war, pornography, torture, poverty, drugs and a very long list of evils will simply not diminish unless and until a much larger conversion of hearts takes place. Some tipping point must be achieved. To imagine a world of less evil without great conversion is ludicrous. So if we imagine that we can push threads through fabric with our bare hands (for that is what relying on the political process alone entails) we are fooling ourselves. Penance is the indispensable means to both pierce the fabric (our hearts) and pull through the threads of our desire for change. "Let us begin anew, for as yet we have done nothing" (St. Francis of Assisi).

The Mystery of the Cross

Once I read a maxim saying in effect, "Problems are walls to be scaled; Mysteries are pools to be plunged into."

God our Father, in obedience to you your only Son accepted death on the cross for the salvation of mankind. We acknowledge the mystery of the cross on earth. May we receive the gift of redemption in heaven. (Opening Prayer: The Exaltation of the Cross)

I've heard it said that when Jesus entered the Jordan River at his baptism that he consecrated the waters. In a similar manner when he entered his Passion he consecrated all suffering. The understanding and treatment of suffering is one of the attributes that marks a Christian and separates him or her from the mainstream. In a proper sense we strive to alleviate suffering to its irreducible core; and that core is the place where it can no longer be ameliorated, it can only be embraced or rejected. If we embrace it we do so with Christ and with his strength, love and passion, at which point it eventually is overcome, as death is overcome with new life.

But when we reject or disdain our sufferings we resist the power of God in our lives which is always life giving, even as our bodies tend toward their ultimate temporal state, that of death. (We sometimes forget this when we fail to discern the proper boundaries for medicine and healthcare, violating the rights and dignity of all human life and sacrificing others for our own well being. )

It's no coincidence that the Feast of The Triumph of the Cross is followed the next day by the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. Somehow all Christian love passes through suffering in this life. That's one of the keys to the mystery of the cross. In one respect we call Christ the 'Eternal Word of God' because his life communicates all true life (He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life) not only in speech but in the transcendent reality of the Divine One becoming incarnate and consecrating the human condition. The sinless Virgin Mary is not spared from the sorrows of this world because she is so completely united with her Son. His willingness to take on suffering for our salvation and her willingness to accept sorrows because of her union with him are further keys to understanding our role in the plan of salvation.

Thus it's difficult to get one's arms around this mystery unless we are willing to join in an intimate journey with Our Lord and his mother as we enter the 'valley of tears'. The Crucifixion is a scandal and an outrage. It involves humiliation and indignity. It asks us to accept surrender and powerlessness. It cries for justice and asks, "Who is to blame?" These questions often elude us when we are free from pain. But they eventually surface and cry for attention when we are confronted with this mystery: especially when we are trapped in corners where the only escape is the Way of the Cross.

Pope Benedict XVI reminds us at his recent remarks in Lourdes, France that the Lord has bridged immeasurable distance to unite himself with us through suffering and love.

"He is calling you (cf. Jn 11:28)! He wants to take your life and join it to his. Let yourself be embraced by him! Gaze no longer upon your own wounds, gaze upon his. Do not look upon what still separates you from him and from others; look upon the infinite distance that he has abolished by taking your flesh, by mounting the Cross which men had prepared for him, and by letting himself be put to death so as to show you his love. In his wounds, he takes hold of you; in his wounds, he hides you. Do not refuse his Love!"

In Ineffable Wisdom the Lord has chosen to communicate eternal life through his own passion and death and to draw us into the mystery of what this divine suffering means and does for the whole of creation. He has given us the opportunity to transform our own suffering by uniting it with his and offering it to God the Father. As each Christian grows in maturity they become drawn to the reality of suffering and the cross and their need to submit in obedience to its efficacious work, even as it remains mystery.

To Awaken Faith, Hope, and Charity

God continues to reveal Himself to individuals "not indeed for the declaration of any new doctrine of faith, but for the direction of human acts" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica II-II q174 a6 reply 3). This post is a continuation from the last: Apparitions, Locutions, and Ecstasies. In it I failed to make the explicit connection between private revelation and prophecy; which I will do here.

"No one is obliged to believe in a recognized apparition, even Lourdes and Fatima which received the best guarantees. An apparition does not have as its function, the promotion of a new dogma, but to awaken the faith, charity, and especially hope. Thomas Aquinas stressed these points, and that the function of apparitions is essentially prophetic." [Laurentin, Rene. (1990). An Appeal From Mary In Argentina. Page 127, Milford, OH: Faith Publishing Company]

The above explanations serve to capture the essential characteristic of what private revelation is meant to accomplish. Properly discerned, it never threatens or contends with the 'Deposit of Faith'. This 'prophetic call' serves as an awakening or challenge to live the gospel more energetically where it is lackluster or dying. Ideally, we receive prophecy as a booster shot that arouses our awareness of spiritual matters.

Most of us find it rather easy to view this as the role of prophecy when we encounter it at a distance in Sacred Scripture. The detachment of time and space makes it easier to see the working of the living God among his people…but what of now? What is our expectation of ongoing prophecy? Has it ended with the passing of the last Apostle? If we understand the role of true apparitions and other private revelation as prophetic calls to resurrect our spiritual journey; to guide us into repentance, reparation, and renewal; we will not feel so threatened. We should rejoice that God chooses to speak anew to all generations.

The Church seems to accept the gift of prophecy with a prudent eye, which is for our benefit. Prophecy seems challenging and demanding partly because we often receive it when we are most complacent or wayward. This helps to explain why it is so often ignored or rejected. In addition to this (to use a modern analogy) our 'communication system' is so easily 'hacked' with fraud and deception; which is why careful discernment remains always in play. There seems to be no lack of false 'volunteer' prophets who want to insert their own message or vision into the mix. (Obedience to the Church, over and above any 'message', is paramount in avoiding confusion.)

"The apparitions are only episodes and particular facts in the life of the Church. They are not at all the essential, as are the Gospel and the Sacraments, dogmas and charity. They are a contribution, a stimulant to the faith and especially to hope, as we have seen. Particular attractions and devotions are left to the discernment of each one in the Church, which is a place of freedom. Christians adhere to them according to their affinities, and especially according to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit." [ibid. pg. 130]

This "place of freedom" mentioned above (as in all true freedom) does carry its responsibility for authentic discernment of the prophetic call. To discern is not to ignore and it would be a very poor excuse to close our hearts to any awakening of faith, hope and love. In other words, we should avoid such harsh skepticism that we preclude all possibility of opening our hearts to a surge of grace even in our own time.

Any 'prophetic call' can appear as both gift and admonition, simultaneously. Often it is met with resistance or ambivalence as it takes time for each of us to sort through our own conflicts and obstacles in our journey to God. We can and should hear 'the message' both on the individual level and again as a single body, 'the people of God'. We move together, for the most part, since we are united as a mystical body in communion with our Savior. Yet, in our freedom to respond to these prophetic calls, the 'seer' is aided by grace to act in singular accord if necessary, (sometimes the prophet stands alone) to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in announcing or accomplishing God's will.

It does seem that the prophetic call can be directed to a specific or limited audience. Perhaps a religious founder hears a call to 'get moving' and accomplish a specific task for the Kingdom (think of the beginnings of many religious orders). Perhaps a whole nation can be called to renewal, as seems the case in San Nicolas, Argentina. Some even appear to be worldwide calls to awakening of the faith, as in Lourdes and Fatima. But importantly, the faithful Catholic should remain open to the possibility of hearing a prophetic call even in our current age.

Apparitions, Locutions, and Ecstasies

Some two and a half decades ago I began to recover my faith after a dozen or so years of depriving myself of the sacraments. As part of this process of faith recovery I was led to an elderly widow who was regarded as 'holy and pious'. She was surrounded by a circle of friends who gathered regularly at her home in prayer. I will call her 'Mrs. M'. I was new in my 'reversion' and had accompanied a friend who was seriously ill at the time; he was looking for healing. Here's an extract from the epilogue to an earlier post when I spoke of this period:

We began to pray for healing and in doing so we reached out to people who were truly devout and walking in the ways of the Lord. We visited the home of one poor elderly widow, who I was told, had a 'bleeding stature of St. Theresa of Liseux'. I saw the small statue of pewter with dried blood but never saw a bleeding event. But the bleeding mystery became moot as the genuine Christian love and concern of the widow and her companions for desperate pilgrims spoke more powerfully than any statue could. These were the earthly communion of saints who filled this holy widow's home - who truly believed in the love of God - and they prayed for my friend – and they prayed for me.

We went a number of times and I was shown another article of devotion; it was a copy of an image or painting as depicting our Lord's tortured body at his crucifixion. It showed the horribly scourged body of Jesus as seen in a private revelation by a mystic. The picture was not like any artwork I had seen and might have resembled the later depiction given in Mel Gibson's movie 'The Passion of the Christ'. Mrs. M took the image to be a true reflection of what our Savior's body looked like at that dreadful moment. No one could look upon the image without a sobering realization of what that sorrowful day involved. I had no reason to doubt any of this and I accepted them on her testimony and faith.

As I re-read my own comment I am struck by my trouble-free acceptance of the bleeding statue. I simply did not have any desire to challenge such a claim. The mystical picture could be easily explained either as a true supernatural gift of revelation or a devout meditation that supplanted true reality with a pious imagination. Either way it wasn't harmful to anyone's faith. But the issue of the statue was another matter; here I was dealing with a claim of the supernatural with physical manifestation. I did see what appeared as dried blood that had streamed down the small pewter figure. Yet I felt that the statue was almost reserved for those non-curious souls who weren't threatened or upset by such things.

Besides this, the statue's 'owner' appeared clearly well balanced and she herself continued to strive for sanctity and a holy life. Finally I noticed that my faith life grew steadily and in a healthy fashion; something which I always associated with this initial encounter of intercessory prayer and devotion. So if my faith was growing, why should I question the validity of supernatural claims, especially since they seemed almost irrelevant? None of this is isolated; indeed it's quite common in Catholic circles: apparitions, locutions, ecstasies, and bleeding or weeping statues.

All of this came to a head recently as I offered to re-do new brochures that are used to promote The Fatima devotion: Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays. As I was researching and updating the brochure I stumbled across one particular author's claim, that some of the recent apparitions (Garabandal and Medjugorje in particular), were not authentic apparitions. The woman who leads our First Saturday devotion was highly attuned to most of the Marian devotions and gently told me that she was very much drawn to Garabandal and loaned me some books to investigate. Meanwhile I mentioned this also to my wife's aunt who has traveled to Medjugorje. To my surprise she told how she and others had seen the Blessed Virgin surrounded by a rainbow of colors while looking up at the sun. She insisted that this was not some vague image or shape but a very clear image seen by her and others while staring directly at the sun with no pain or damage to her eyes. This was more than a decade ago and each and every day she looks to the sky hoping to see the Blessed Virgin again.

I have generally accepted private revelations with little resistance as long as they contain nothing contrary to the Faith. I have often had my own faith in 'public revelation' (which is what we call 'the deposit of faith') bolstered by a new or renewed understanding. Beyond that, these revelations, locutions or ecstasies bring out the reality of having to put one's faith into practice NOW, rather than treating it as some intellectual musing. Since belief in 'private revelation' is not binding (even those apparitions declared authentic by the Church) it is sometimes viewed as unimportant to our faith. In my humble opinion, this is a mistake. We have to ask the obvious question: If God does allow for such prophetic communication, should it be ignored?

I'd like to take another post to reflect on that very question.