Abbey-Roads2

Past lives. 

That’s my new term for talking about different periods in my life, it sounds better than saying, “in the 50’s when I was in grade school…”  Instead, I can say, “in one of my previous lives, sometime in the ’50’s…”  Doesn’t that sound better, like I’m re-incarnated or something - I don’t sound so old this way.  Mentally, I have never matured beyond 22 years old, so I’m perennially young.  Ya think?  Okay - arrested development - I admit it.

Anyway, in a previous life, it was the 1960’s…and I was in high school.  The Beatles and the British groups were hot - as was Motown and Sam and Dave, and other non-cross over black artists.  My friends and I were so cool…and anyone we thought weird, square, whatever, we called “queer”.  We’d call someone queer if they said or did anything lame.  Queer meant lame, dork, gay, geek, fag, whatever the contemporary synonym is today.  Homosexuals were homos, fruits, femmes, but queer wasn’t our term for them.  Our parents may have said queer in their regard - but not us.

Now, when everyone is so PC, I guess gay is the preferred term, although gays like to use queer, elevating a derogatory term to the level of respectability by their use of the word.  It’s like the “N” word for black people, they can use it, but we can’t.  Fag is derogatory, even though kids say it now, the way we used to say queer in the ’60’s.  (In fact, my friends still use the term queer that way - maybe their kids think mom and dad are really hip.)  “You’re so gay!”  actually means the same thing as when we used to say, “You are SO queer!”  It just means weird or out of sync with what is cool.

Anyway.

This whole thing is about that Rainbow Sash crap, which I guess is going to be present at Masses around the country this Pentecost Sunday again.  It is so queer!  (This is not meant in the sexual preference sense.)  I mean, who would wear a sash?  I know the Knights of Columbus do, as well as the other Catholic knights groups do, such as the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre or Malta - or do they just wear capes?  But these groups are not anarchists.

So no, I’m not comparing Catholic knights to Rainbow Sashers - but obviously, they had to be taking the sash idea from someplace - unless…unless the idea is from beauty pageants…oh yeah, queens wear sashes! 

Anyway - it’s dumb and disruptive, and hugely distracting when they stage protests like that at Mass…and I think it’s kind of queer.  Is nothing sacred to these people? 

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Painting: St. Teresa receiving Holy Communion from St. Peter of Alcantara. 

An aid to recollection.

Active recollection is a part of mental prayer.  In the begining it may involve great effort in quieting the senses, collecting them together, so to speak, in order to focus upon  the Blessed Trinity dwelling within our souls.  Teresa of Avila speaks of this prayer in “The Way of Perfection”:

“May the Lord teach this recollection to those of you who don’t know about it…whoever wishes to acquire it - since, as I say, it lies within our power to do so - should not tire of it.  It involves a gradual increase of self control and an end to vain wandering” (of the mind); “it means conquering, which is making use of one’s senses for the sake of the interior life.  If you speak, strive to remember that the One with whom you are speaking is present within you.  If you listen, remember that you are going to hear the One who is very close to you when He speaks…If you can, practice this recollection often during the day; if not, do so a few times.  As you become accustomed to it you will experience the benefit, either sooner or later.” - Way of Perfection, Chapter 29:7

There is of course a supernatural prayer of recollection that the soul may only prepare itself for.  However, this active recollection not only prepares the soul for this gift, it also prepares us for our set periods of prayer, Mass, etc., and extends these graces throughout our day, helping us to pray without ceasing, as it were.

I’m convinced, our lingering after Communion, in thanksgiving, is one of the easiest means to acquiring this habit, since even though we may not have a sensible appreciation of Christ being within us, we know by faith he most certainly is there, body, blood, soul, and divinity.  Throughout the day we can renew this communion spiritually, making conscious acts of spiritual communion, which becomes for us an easy way to practice the prayer of recollection.

In and through this devotion we find ourselves continually in the presence of God.  If we acquire the habit, we can find that when we approach the time for prayer, or enter the Church for Mass or adoration, we are immediately recollected and quieted.

Spiritual Communion - it is such a good thing.  In and through it we remain in Christ, and He in us, “in time and in eternity, in Mary, in the very bosom of the Holy Trinity” as I like to pray.   

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