I am delighted to draw attention to Father Mark's comment under my earlier post 'Pope Benedict Spiritual Bouquet I: Full text of email' In response, I'm sure you would all want me welcome him officially and to say that we pray that Our Lord will make US worthy of having Fr Mark as our Hon. Retreat Master.
It seems that the evening after our first Bouquet would have arrived with His Holiness, Father Mark was preaching an evening of recollection in the cathedral in Tulsa, 'to women of the diocese desirous of responding to the Holy See's invitation to offer themselves as spiritual mothers of priests.' Father hopes to write about in on Vultus Christi and describes the evening of recollection as 'a blessed experience'.
Those who have read my earlier post 'A great Initiative' which leads into the subject of SPIRITUAL MOTHERHOOD, will know of my devotion to this calling and I want to take THIS OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE IT MORE WIDELY KNOWN IN UK AND FRANCE. I would like to invite any woman reading this to consider the Holy See's invitation. Go to 'The Congregation for the Clergy' to read the original Vatican document and to the Vultus Christi Archive for the response of BISHOP SLATTERY of the TULSA DIOCESE where FATHER MARK is now installed in the new CENACLE OF EUCHARISTIC ADORATION and has been made available by this wonderful bishop as spiritual director to the priests and deacons of his diocese.
I WANT TO DO EVERYTHING I CAN TO SUPPORT FATHER MARK AND TO PROMOTE THIS TWIN TULSA INITIATIVE AND SPREAD IT ELSEWHERE. IN THE MEANTIME PERHAPS THE LADIES OF THE OASIS AND PPL MIGHT LIKE TO JOIN ME IN A MINI-WEB CENACLE OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION.
Today on Vultus Christi Father Mark has posted a beautiful prayer to Our Lord for his priests. I BEG YOU TO GO OVER AND ABSORB IT. It can be prayed by anyone, but seems to me to be ideal, as an official prayer of Spiritual Mothers. I have printed it off and it is now in my Breviary to be prayed daily after Lauds together with the Novena to St. Peter Julian Eymard posted some time ago by Fr. Mark.
Pope Benedict mentioned this Saint and his special mission for priests, whilst he was in Lourdes, I think during his address at the Eucharistic Adoration. This occasion was a supreme example of our dear Holy Father teaching by example as well as precept. Noone who saw the TV images of his face whilst in contemplation, and with that vast crowd in prayerful wonder and awe behind him, will ever forget it. To televise his face during those intimate ten minutes could have been construed as an intrusion, and yet since he himself was so totally recollected, all one could and should do was to pray with him, and thank God for the privilege of having lived to experience those minutes and begin to learn how to pray in silence. Moreover, it seemed that when Mgr Marini gently touched him to bring him out of his contemplation in order to go on with the liturgy, our Holy Father started slightly as if remembering where he was. Cardinal Bertone, Mgr Marini, Mgr Georg and others of the Papal household or close to the Pope by reason of their position must be so used to witnessing this and I think it is possibly why, apart for their intellectual respect for him, they all seem to treat him in public with such care and love. He is precious to them and their feeling is shared by us. As Cardinal Ranjith says on 'The Papacy of Reason,': "The Holy Father is one of the greatest gifts God has given to the Church in modern times."
When I began this post I had no intention or idea that I would write most of the above paragraph, but there it is and I hope noone finds it too much of a digression. However, it sprang from the initial suggestion I DID intend to make and that is as follows: the praying of Fr. Mark's prayer to our Lord for priests, the Novena of St. Peter Julian, some sessions of silent prayer however brief, Holy Hours and communions would be totally in accord with his Holiness' intentions and therefore highly appropriate for inclusion in the next and future Bouquets.
Thank you Holy Father for your teaching and thank you Father Mark for everything you have already done as our Retreat Master, with and without knowing it.
2 comments:
Jane, that is an inspiring post -- especially the moving appreciation of our Holy Father. I agree that he is a special gift to the Church.
Fr. Mark's mission to encourage spiritual mothers for priests is a perfect fit, I think, with the new focus of Pro Papa I: the need for victim souls.
Confiteor:
Thank you and I agree with 'the perfect fit'.
As to the 'appreciation' it was deeply in my heart but I never thought it would come out today. However I let it, because I learned when writing my books,(often the hard way) that that's how it often happens. The 'best' bits are those you had no idea you would write. And during and afterward, you are left with the feeling that it is not you who wrote them. I'm not claiming anything, but it does seem to be those bits which people most appreciate.
My prayers as always,
In Christo pro Papa
Jane
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