NEWS FLASH: Papal Endorsement!

Dear School of Work and Prayer friends,

 

Since our last meeting I discovered that Pope Benedict has given a firm endorsement of our little reading group as part of the School of Work and Prayer.   I read the following text in the Houston Catholic Worker.  It's taken from Pope Benedict's speech to the Swiss Bishops given in November.

 

[I]t is a fundamental task of pastoral care to teach people how to pray and how to learn to do so personally, better and better.   Today, schools of prayer and prayer groups exist; it is obvious that people want them . . . we must increase the number of these schools of prayer, for praying together, where it is possible to learn personal prayer in all its dimensions.

 

I'd say we are learning "personal prayer in all its dimensions" through the instructions of Sts. Teresa and John of the Cross as mediated through Dubay.

 

In light of the Pope's words please consider continuing your education in prayer by attending our next discussion this Sunday, February 18 ^th, 6 PM at the Wessels.  We will discuss chapters 12 & 13 (pages 217 – 242).

 

Sadly I will not be part of this discussion since I will be attending a different sort of school this Sunday.  I will be attending the first class in a course on the writings of John Paul II.   Don Wessel has agreed to lead this Sunday's discussion.

 

Lord teach us to pray!

St. Teresa of Avila, pray for us.

St. John of the Cross, pray for us.

Lord teach us to pray!

 

In Christ,

 

Christopher

Great Things

Dear School of Work and Prayer friends:

 

On a bitterly cold night last weekend we met and discussed the chapter "The Universal Call".  The favorite text of the evening was:

 

This dark fire of contemplation [that is, God's supernatural purification of us] brings about a new authentic self-knowledge that begets a humility up to now unattainable . . . a new knowing of the majesty and grandeur of God that discursive [that is, thoughtful or meditative] prayer did not yield . . . a limpid understanding of truth . . . a seeing that others are better than oneself (as St. Paul says we should in Phil 2:3) . . . a new disinclination to judge others or even to watch anyone else's conduct . . . a willingness to be taught by others and a desire to obey anyone at all, even a subordinate . . . a habitual remembrance of God . . . a purification of motivation in one's occupations . . . a gentleness in dealing with God, with oneself and with others . . . a purer love for God and a keener knowledge of Him . . . a new freedom from the world, the flesh and the devil along with a quenching of concupiscences. (page 210).

 

How marvelous that such is the holiness we are all called to.  A serious consideration of the above shows that it is only by "the dark fire of contemplation" that such holiness is attainable, no effort on our part can produce it.   This reminds me of what Pope Benedict XVI spoke concerning his decision to accept the call to the papacy: "The ways of the Lord are not comfortable, but we are not created for comfort but for great things, for the sake of the good" (pg. 148 of God's Choice by G. Weigel).  Truly, such holiness is one of those "great things" and may we do all we can to prepare ourselves to receive such a gift from our Lord.

 

Eager to press on a bit more than before, we will read two chapters, chapter 12 – Miscellaneous Matters and chapter 13 – Discerning Growth, for our next discussion.  We will meet again:

 

Sunday February 18^th at 6 PM at the Wessel's house.  That Sunday I will be taking a special grad class so Don Wessel will lead the discussion.

 

May God grant us perseverance and faith so that we may give our all to Him.

 

In Christ,

 

Christopher