Through the Heart of a Mother

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Mrs Monica Seeber (1928-2009)
"A vocation comes from the heart of God, but goes through the heart of a mother," wrote Pope St Pius X. Today, the third Anniversary of the death of Mrs Monica Seeber,the Mother of our Father Anthony Mary, F.SS.R.,Father sung a Mass of Requiem in Our Lady's Chapel, Stronsay.To few people could the words of the Holy Pope be more truly appliedthan this wonderful lady. The Collect for the Deceased Mother of a PriestDeus...O God, who hast commanded us to honourour Father and our Mother;in Thy mercy have pity on the soul of my mother,and forgive her her trespasses;and make me to see her again in the joy of everlasting brightness. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Crossing with Father this morning from Papa Stronsay to Stronsayon his way to remember his dear motherat the Altar of God one could not help be reminded of this image of the Mother of all priests with her son, St John, the Model of all priests;and of the words of Mrs Seeber's holy patron, St Monica
to her priest son St Augustine,"One thing only do I ask of you, that you remember me at the Altar of Our Lord wherever you may be." The Servant of God Archbishop Fulton Sheen wrote:"As God consulted with Maryto ask if she would give Him a human nature,so He often consults with the mother of a priestto ask her consent to the continuation of His priesthood."
What a beautiful tribute this morning of a priest sonto his beloved motherwho most surely gave that consent with all her heart.

Heaven is Sweet – Heaven is Near – Heaven is Mine

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Some of the members of our Congregation had the privilege of knowing Sr Judith  Meisner, an elderly Norwegian Sister of St Joseph, who lived out the final years of her life in the Zaitzkofen seminary in Bavaria. She often told the story of an event that had made a profound impression on her as young nun. Sister, who had received the gift of the Faith as schoolgirl with her future Congregation, while a novice and not yet 20 years of age, recalled that a Redemptorist Missioner had come to their convent. The priest preached a profound retreat which affected all, and on one of the days he gave a conference which ended with the words – and Sister would say them very slowly and solemnly – “Heaven is Sweet, Heaven is Near, Heaven is Mine”. “Heaven is Sweet, Heaven is…” she would repeat a few times making sure you understood the import of those words. 
Like the ending of every retreat conference the nuns went their way to their cells for the night, moved at what  the priest had said, but thinking no more about it than that. Early the next morning after the usual common prayers they were awaiting the appearance of the Missioner in the Convent Church to celebrate the Holy Mass when a nun burst into the choir and quite excitedly told them that
 Father had died in his sleep during the night… “Heaven is Sweet, Heaven is Near, Heaven is Mine,” Sister would repeat again solemnly… “those were his last words!” 
For us who remain in this Valley of Shadows, perhaps those words are no more appropriate than
 in this time of Advent. For now Salvation at Hand, 
now amidst the Winter Darkness we await that Heaven on Earth Who is Sweet, and Near, and Who can be Mine if only I will open my heart to Him,if perhaps I make that good and holy confession that I need to make,if I forgive that soul who is most in need of my mercy,if I give up that person, that place, that object, that amusementwhich is causing my darkness and unhappiness through sin. On Christmas Night Heaven will bow down to Earth and let drop the Sweet Dew of Our God and Saviour, Our Little Lord Jesus Christ.Would it not be so SWEET if then He would be NEAR,
 if He would be MINE?

It is not certain that the “Way of Bethlehem” was written by Our Holy Father St Alphonsus; but tradition has always ascribed it to him, and in our most small
 Congregation of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer the devotion has always held a special place of honour. 
This year in order to help our Friends know
 and love these beautiful prayers we have arranged the 12 stations as little images for the 12 days preceding Christmas. Each image shows a “Bambino” or “Niño” which in some way expresses the mystery
 described in the station. Some of them bear very lovely names “Infant of Great-Sorrow”, “Infant Nazarene”, “Infant of the Four-Winds” etc.
Most of all we hope that they remind you each day thatHeaven is SweetHeaven in NearAnd … may Jesus Bambino be your Heaven this coming Christmas.
Veni Domine et noli tardare!Come O Lord, and tarry not!

Credo

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Every morning as we begin the Office of Matins all pray privately the Apostles' Creed. Similarly every Rosary begins with the same Creed or Symbol of Faith.
The Nicene and Apostles Creeds are both well-known formulaswhich we recite often but few of us pause to reflect upon their tremendous value.
In this Year of Faith, Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, in his Apostolic Letter Porta Fidei, has ordered that:
“Religious communities as well as parish communities, and all ecclesial bodies old and new, are to find a way, during this Year, to make a public profession of the Credo [...] Not without reason, Christians in the early centuries were required to learn the creed from memory. It served them as a daily prayer not to forget the commitment they had undertaken in baptism.”

“With words rich in meaning, St Augustine speaks of this in a homily on the redditio symboli, the handing over of the Creed: ‘the Symbol of the holy mystery that you have all received together and that today you have recited one by one, are the words on which the faith of Mother Church is firmly built above the stable foundation that is Christ the Lord. You have received it and recited it, but in your minds and hearts you must keep it ever present, you must repeat it in your beds, recall it in the public squares and not forget it during meals: even when your body is asleep, you must watch over it with your hearts.’”

Today, 14 December, we celebrate the feast of Saint Spiridion the Wonderworker, Bishop of Tremithus in Cyprus, who died in 344. Of his many wondrous deeds the one that concerns us is that which took place at the Holy Ecumenical Council convened in Nicaea in AD 325 - the Council which would form the magnificent Creed chanted at Mass.
The image below shows the first part of the Creed in Greek held in the hands of the Holy Fathers of the Council.

"A total of 318 Holy Fathers arrived there from the remotest parts of the Christian world. All these venerable men had survived the prisons and the torments of their persecutors. The Arian heresy had also gathered together its own followers. Arius had called to Nicaea a whole crowd of sophists, even pagan ones, to defend his cause. Philosophers quickly came forward for the pleasure of debating against these old men whom they thought unacquainted with the art of logic and metaphysical speculation.

"One of these philosophers boasted before all the Fathers that he would be able to refute and silence anyone who wanted to defend the divinity of Christ in front of him. It was St Spiridion who took up the challenge. The Fathers momentarily took fright because the old man, whose knowledge of the Greek language was poor, had never studied dialectical argumentation.

"Spiridion, with the inspired tone of a prophet told the philosopher that Christ and the apostles did not teach dialectics, but the truth, which is fostered by faith and good works. He then made a simple profession of  faith - the Apostles Creed. He told the philosopher that that was all that he needed to believe and rebuked him for seeking vain explanations. 

"Spiridion then asked whether he believed in what he had just said. The philosopher who was all set to reply to arguments of reason with his own subtle arguments was struck dumb by the simplicity of the prelate’s words and recognised in them the Word of God. He confessed that he indeed believed and urged the other philosophers to believe in Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and to follow the holy old man. St Spiridion shortly afterwards baptised him. The Roman Martyrology mentions this remarkable conversion."

St Spiridion's Profession

I believe, O Lord. Help Thou my unbelief!

He turned the Storm into a Breeze

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"And He turned the storm into a breeze: and its waves were still."wrote the Holy Psalmist King David.Today we had a spot of bother with the tide. Last night there was a storm to the east of Papa Stronsay which meant that this morningas our Heavenly King"turned the storm into a breeze" the great rollers of the North Sea still came crashing into the east of the island.(If you click the above photograph to enlarge it you will see how tall the waves are in comparison to the little ruined house on the horizon.)
This, coupled with extremely high tides produces some interesting results!The force of the sea between the pier and the monastery gatehouse drives big rocks up into the roadway.The last remaining herring shed is engulf buy the sea as it come spewing inland through St Brigid's Bay.The rough weather prevented our morning Rorate Mass, however by evening the sea was calmed but for a strong swell and an awful lot of seaweed and sand churned up in it. A large bull seal played near the boat as we crossed over, eager to find some delicious morsel thrown up by the storm. Our 4pm Rorate Mass in the northern darkness (by 3.30pm).
Once again the words of the Holy Psalmist set the scene for us."Let my prayer be directed as incense in thy sight..."  "...the lifting up of my hands..." "...as Evening Sacrifice."

The poisonous cup, the Sign of the Cross and the blessing of wine.

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The Feast of St John,27th December,saw us bless wine in his honour.

This blessing is usually bestowed immediately afterthe Last Gospel at Mass but it may also be  givenoutside of the Mass.We had it in the refectory before dinner.

In the Roman Ritual there are two blessingsfor wine on the feast of St John.
How we came to bless wine in honour of St John.
In his later years and while living at Ephesus, St. John preached the Gospel and “idol-worshippers stirred up a riot among the populace, and they dragged him to the temple of Diana and tried to force him to offer sacrifice to the goddess.
Then the saint proposed this alternative: if by invoking Diana they overturned the church of Christ, he would offer sacrifice to the idols; but if by invoking Christ he destroyed Diana’s temple, they would believe in Christ.
To this proposal the greater number of the people gave their consent. When all had gone out of the building, the apostle prayed, the temple collapsed to the ground, and the statue of Diana was reduced to dust.”


St John holding the poisoned chaliceassociated with the blessing of wine.In response, the high priest Aristodemus incited the people against the apostle.
He then challenged St. John, saying:
“If you want me to believe in your God, I will give you poison to drink. If it does you no harm, it will be clear that your master is the true God.”
St. John consented. But first Aristodemus had two condemned criminals released from prison and, in the presence of the crowd, gave them the poison to drink so that St. John would have to watch them die and it would fill him with a greater fear for his own life.

“Then the apostle took the cup, armed himself with the Sign of the Cross, drained the drink, and suffered no harm, and all present began to praise God” (Voragine, The Golden Legend. Vol. I., p. 53).

Surpassing Expectations

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The Sons of the Most Holy Redeemerremember in their prayers todayand wish a very happy feastday to allthe many Mothers, Expectant Mothers and Hopeful Mothers-to-Bewho have requested relics of St Gerard and prayers during this last year. (Relics may be obtained here.)
If you are that soul who like Holy Anna, Sarah, Rebecca and Elizabethlongs to bear yourself that long desired little infant,take heart on thisbeautiful feast of the Church when we remember that on the eighth day from henceMost Holy Mary Immaculatewill bring forth into the world a Saviour, "now" still hidden in her spotless womb.
Ask of her that long sought for blessing.She will surelysurpass all your expectations!
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.Inspired by this confidence,I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful.O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.Amen.

Rose of Stronsay in the Garden of the Church

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Today in 2002, ten years agoon the Feast of the 
Expectation of Our Blessed Lady,work commenced on the transforming of
 an old building on the Stronsay Pier Headinto Our Lady's Chapelfor Christmas of that yearwhen the first Holy Sacrifice of the Masswould be celebrated within its walls.2002and 2012.Exterior in 2002the same in 2012.18 December, 2002, Sr M. Onufria, OSBM, giving the chapel a much needed whitewash.Professions on 2 February, 2003.The first altar and sanctuary platform has been built and the walls whitewashed.The hidden friend of Our LadyMr John Friel, friend, parishoner, expert joinerand Stronsay Scouserwho has quietly worked on the chapel for many years.Passiontide, 2009.The walls have been plaster-boarded, the new marble altar installed, the first altar rails built,and new pews in place.August, 2009, new altar rails with gates ready to be installed.Christmas, 2009.April, 2011. The roof is decorated with celestial blue and golden stars.Mr Paul Williams, master plasterer, with Brs Xavier Maria, F.SS.R. and Br Magdala Maria, F.SS.R. give the chapel its four bells in September, 2011. In November, 2011, the large Stations of the Cross are hung.
Thanks be to God and Our Lady for ten years of daily Massin Our Lady's Chapelfor the Holy Sacraments of Confession, Baptism and Confirmation received there,for the religious professions made there.Thanks be to God for its Union withthe Holy See of St Peterthat grace which makes our little chapelthe Chapel of Our Ladyin honour of the Perpetual Virginity ofMost Holy Maryand of her title of "Mother of God"defined by the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus, AD 431.which blossoms forth likea Rose of Stronsayin the Garden of the Church.

Some Winter Heat?

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We may live in Orkney and it may be winter, but Papa Stronsay is feeling the heat at present.Our Br Jean Marie, F.SS.R.has been trying chilli's and peppers in the greenhouse this yearand the December harvest has just come in.One may almost imagine one was in the fair climes of the great Indian sub-continent!And what a joy that would be for all of us as we recall the privilege some of us enjoyed of visiting some years agothe tomb of the Holy Apostle St Thomas,whose feast it is today,situated much like that of the confession of St Peterbelow the magnificent Cathedral of Chennai-Madras. We wish all our Indian readers a happy and holy Feastday today.

On Christmas Eve

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On December 19th stormy winds set in and dominated Orkney making it impossible to cross from Stronsay to Papa Stronsay.Things looked bleak for Christmas.Having our outdoor crib looked impossible; the wind was too strong.But....On the morning of Christmas Eve we awoke to find that the tempest had stilled ("flat calm")giving a fresh aspect to the Christmas Carol"all is calm, all is bright!"
The opportunity is seized to erect the Christmas crib.In last year's storm, the entire roof, although secured by ropes, was blown off the crib and over the nearby shed.We can't have a repeat of last year!
Br Magdala Maria is assessing the shed roofand calculating how many screws would be needed to keep their roof beams from being blown over it ?
A quick bite during work.
Baked Beans from the tin, fried eggs, toast....and saltfed their bodies,while the spirit of Christmas Eve (...finishing the crib and chapel, revising chant and rubrics) fed their souls. And so it was.For the Glory of God the crib was erected.Blessed little island of Stronsay lost in the North Sea!You have an outside crib celebrating the Saviour's birthwith shepherds and sheep,three kings and three camels!And Christmas comes once more!
The day is done..... or just begun.At 11.00 p.m. we began the popular vigil devotionsas we awaited the midnight dawning of the Daystar from on High.
Veni veni, Emmanuel!
Veni et illumina sedentes in tenebris,
et umbra mortis.

Christmas Night Mass. + Et lux in tenebris lucet... And the light shineth in darkness...

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Dum medium silentium tenerent omnia,et nox in suo cursu medium iter haberet...
While all things were in quiet silence,and the night was in the midst of her course...
Omnipotens sermo tuus, Domine,de coelis a regalibus sedibus venit. 
Thy Almighty Word, O Lord, leapt down from heavenfrom Thy royal throne.
Silent night, holy night. The night continued to dominate us as Mass began,our little candles bravely faced the darknessuntil men with angels sang:
Gloria in excelsis Deo!The continuous ringing of bells announcedthe arrival of the Infant King of Heaven.The chapel was lit up and the Collect thanked God: Who made this most holy night to shine forthwith the brightness of the true light. The grace of God our Saviour hath appeared to all men.announces the Subdeacon as he chants the Epistle. I bring you tidings of great joy.The Holy Gospel is always proclaimed facing the darkness of the North.
Bethlehem ~ House of Bread.The priest offers the spotless host.
Et verbum caro factum est.And the Word was made flesh ~ and that flesh is made Bread.

I am the Living Bread which came down from Heaven.If any man eat of this Bread he shall live for ever;and the Bread that I shall giveis my flesh for the life of the world.Amen, amen I say unto you:Except you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Bloodyou shall not have life in you.He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath life everlasting
and I will raise him up on the last day.
(Jn. 6: 51-55)
After Mass the image of the Infant was incensed
and the priest blessed each of us with the statue
of the baby Jesus.Having received the blessing each person 
venerated the representation of the holy Child.

O Holy Night!  
O Holy Mass of Christ! ~ O Christmas!
O Holy House of Bread ~ Sweet Bethlehem so near us!
Sweet Jesus I love Thee, come into my heart!