To See God

Tomorrow, my sweet baby, we will go to see God.  Where will we see Him?

When we arrive at the church, we will see the red sanctuary lamp burning, which tells us that our Lord is present in the tabernacle.  Seeing this, we will genuflect as we enter the church as a gesture of reverence because we are coming into the presence of God.

The tabernacle is on the altar, which is also Christ.  That is why the altar wears vestments, which will be green tomorrow.

You will look around at all the other people in the church.  They are made in the image and likeness of God.

The priest, also, is another Christ, and he will wear vestments to match the altar.  When he speaks the words of consecration, he will speak the words of Jesus, in the person of Jesus.  When he touches the host, it is because his hands have been anointed and consecrated for the service of our Lord.  His hands are the hands of Christ.

During the beginning of Mass, before you fall asleep, you will look around at the stations of the Cross on the walls of the church.  These are images of the passion of Christ.

After the consecration, the priest will lift up the host so that we can see it.  That is Jesus.

After Mass, as I kneel behind the back pew making my thanksgiving for Communion, I will hold you as you sleep.  You also are made in the image and likeness of God.

7 Quick Takes (vol. 2)

1.  I'm thinking about Holy Communion this week.  I'm cultivating anticipation and desire in preparation for the Sacrament, and I'm thinking about making a thanksgiving afterward.  I find it harder than I once did to keep the necessary recollection for the kind of thanksgiving I would like to make after Communion -- partly because I have an arm full of baby (which makes reading prayers out of a book impossible), and partly because that baby attracts the attention of others who then decide they want to talk to me.  I need a way to focus my attention.  Please comment if you have ideas.

2.  I'm praying to St. Michael the Archangel this week.  In part, I am asking St. Michael the Archangel to defend us in the battle against principalities and powers and such because of the Collect and Epistle from last Sunday. Because a friend of mine died this week I'm also praying:  "O Lord Jesus Christ, the King of glory, deliver the souls of all the faithful departed from the pains of hell and from the deep pit; deliver them from the lion's mouth, that hell engulf them not, that they fall not into the darkness; but let Michael, the holy standard-bearer, bring them into the holy light which Thou didst promise of old to Abraham and his seed." (from the Offertory of the Requiem Mass).

3.  Between a cold and a baby who has suddenly started sleeping like a newborn (up every three hours at night to eat), I have fallen far short of my various resolutions.  Since I seem to be almost over the cold, today I am renewing my efforts, and awaiting with great anticipation whatever new exciting thing my baby is about to do.

4.  On Sunday it will have been two years since my husband proposed on the feast of St. Raphael.  It's hard to believe it has been that long.  On the other hand, it's hard to believe that only two years ago we were living in different cities.  Life has changed a great deal for us in the last two years. 

5.  I read somewhere recently that clutter contributes to migranes.  So maybe if I could get the house clean, I would have fewer headaches.  Or maybe I just need to drink more water (which is my father-in-law's solution to every ailment).

6.  Happy thought:  My baby giggles.  Yay!

7.  Another happy thought:  My husband will be home any minute now, so it's time to take the baby to watch out the window for him.

Find more quick takes at Conversion Diary.

Gratitude

Holy Communion is the highlight of our day, our week, our life; why not linger awhile to enjoy the intimate presence of God Himself?

When you are given a gift, you are expected to write a thank-you note, or at least to say "thank you" to the giver in person.  If this is what you are expected to do, having received something that is merely material, and therefore passing, is it not much more important to pause and give thanks when our Lord has given us Himself?

If you recived a guest into your home, you would set aside chores and other activities and spend time with your guest.  Why not, then, take a few minutes to entertain our Lord Jesus, having received him in your soul?

St. Luke Daybook

Outside my window...
darkness.  The sun is going to bed earlier and earlier, and the days are noticeably shorter.  I think summer has finally faded into autumn here in the south.

I am hearing ...
the creak of a rocking chair, my husband's soothing murmuring, and the occasional protest from my baby.  He makes up words to baby songs like "Itsy Bitsy Spider," and his version is different every time.   Sometimes his lyrics are pretty funny.

I am thankful ...
for a generally happy, healthy, lively baby.  She's just beginning to giggle.  It's impossible to be sad when she's smiling and cooing.

I am thinking ...
about death and judgment, heaven and hell, and trying to temper those thoughts with the mercy of God.

I am reading ...
The Spirit of the Liturgy by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. 

I am creating ...
a new dress for my baby, and a pair of tiny crocheted shoes.

I am praying ...
the Office of the Dead today for an old friend.

From the kitchen ...
fajita beef soup.  It was a hit.  I should make it more often.

Around the house ...
I am slowly making progress in eliminating dust bunnies.  It's taking longer than I had hoped, but I have other things to attend to.

One of my favorite things ...
My engagement ring just got cleaned today, so it is extra sparkly.  It catches my eye from time to time normally, but now even more so, and it makes me smile.

A picture thought I am sharing ...

from The Simple Woman's Daybook

21st Sunday after Pentecost

Preserve thy family, O Lord, we beseech thee, by thy constant mercy;  that, under Thy protection, it may be freed from all adversities, and be devoted to thy name in the practice of good works.  (Collect from the 21st Sunday after Pentecost)

Devotion is possible only through the protection of God, because we are fighting against principalities and powers and the whole host of the fallen angels who are conspiring to steal our peace and prevent us from doing good works to the greater glory of God.  Let us pray that God will protect us, so that we may preserve (and even increase) our zeal for His honor, and His name, and His Presence in the Blessed Sacrament.  May God send his archangel Michael to put to flight the demons who would destroy our peace.
St. Michael the archangel, pray for us.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow, my sweet baby, we will go to Mass.  Tomorrow we will rise early, and I  will feed you, if you will let me.  Tomorrow I will dress you in a pretty dress, because it will be Sunday.  Your daddy will put on a coat and tie and drive us all to the Church.  Tomorrow I will wear a chapel veil, as St. Paul says, "because of the angels," and out of respect for the Eucharist. 
Tomorrow you and I will sit together in a pew near the back, not far from the cry room, just in case you need to nurse, while your daddy goes to sing chant in the choir.  Tomorrow the priest will come in and process down the aisle with the altar boys, and then kneel down and intone the Asperges, and sprinkle everyone with holy water while the choir sings "Sprinkle me with hyssop and I shall be cleansed.  Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow."  It is a reminder of baptism.  Do you remember your baptism?  It wasn't so long ago.
Tomorrow you will watch the priest and servers go up and down the aisle.  Tomorrow you will look at the stained glass windows, and smile at anyone who is sitting behind us, and smile at St. Anthony and St. Patrick if we sit near their statues.
Tomorrow you will watch everything with great interest until you get tired, and then you will fuss, and sometime during the sermon you will fall asleep (just don't tell Father!).  Tomorrow, all during the
Canon, I will kneel on the floor behind the back pew, because there isn't enough room to kneel in the pew and hold you.
And tomorrow I will receive Our Lord Jesus.  I will go and kneel at the Communion rail, with you asleep on my chest, and I will receive Holy Communion, as you also will do when you are old enough to understand.  And my heart will ache because I long for that day, just as today I am longing for tomorrow.

7 Quick Takes

1.  Out of the mouths of infants and sucklings thou hast perfected praise, becuase of thy enemies, that thou mayest destroy the enemy and avenger (Psalm 8:3).  There is a beautiful post on Praying with my Feet about the Communion of the Saints and the union of the church militant with the church suffering and the church triumphant.

2.  And I would do well to remember this when I start getting unrealistic ideas about what I expect of myself. Katherine at Evlogia says, "Humility is knowing who we are and who God is and stopping this silliness of confusing the two. And that thing that we're not doing so well? It just may be that it's not His will or maybe that we're trying to do it without Him. His Hand is outstretched. We just have to be humble enough to grab it and hang on tight."  The link above is to the original post.  It's a good one.

3.  And speaking of Evlogia, welcome home!  I am praying it won't take too long to feel like home.

4.  As for this week's goals:  I haven't prayed Compline every night, but I have more often than I was previously.  I haven't dusted yet, but I have vacuumed.

5.  St. Teresa of Avila, pray for us.

6.  Soft background music seems to have a very calming effect on my baby.  She seems to be much happier and easier to entertain when it's playing.

7.  Now I need to publish this post and go cut out the baby dress I've been meaning to sew.

                                              find more quick takes at Conversion Diary.