Praying with Movies-Part III

Racial Inequality, Prejudices, Lack of Human Dignity Toward Fellow-Man, and Marginalization of Others in General

The second major theme that surfaced for me from the movie, The Butler, centered around the marginalization of others.  I was filled with emotion regarding the racial inequality, prejudices, and lack of human dignity toward fellow man portrayed in the movie, The Butler.  I realized I was filled with compassion for them for the pain they experienced, but it also brought up much from my own past that I thought I had previously surrendered.    My most painful year of my life was my 9th grade year when I had to leave the school I had attended from kindergarten to eighth grade and attend Plaquemine Jr. High in Plaquemine, Louisiana.  I was made fun of because I was from “down the bayou”.  Even at that young age, I remember not understanding how any person could ever think they were better or above any other human being.  I remember the pain from that year vividly and I have continued to thank the Lord for the godly people placed in my life to help me through it all.  Unfortunately, I have continued to encounter some along the way who think they are above others and continue to marginalize others.  Thankfully, my painful experience at an early age has been a gift which has helped me stay rooted in the love of God and seeing every human being as worthy of human dignity.

Sunday’s gospel about the rich man and Lazarus teaches us a valuable lesson about the human dignity of every human being.  I had the privilege of hearing a wonderful homily preached on Sunday by my pastor about this gospel story.  He pointed out that often times people like to get caught up in the rich vs. the poor issue, but the real issue is our attitude towards our fellow-man.

Questions/Thoughts to Ponder:

• Have you ever been the victim of marginalization in any form? How did it make you feel?
• Are you aware of your own prejudices?  Ask the Lord to help you put them aside and strive to love one another…..
• Have you ever felt you were better than another human being?  If so, ask Our Lord, Jesus Christ, what He thinks about that and listen intently to what He has to say.
• Who is Lazarus in your life?  ……the people or peoples whom you ignore, avoid or think are less than you in your life…..

Stay Tuned for More about Praying with Movies………………..

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Feel Free to “cut and paste” any of these texts for Prayer or Worship Aids and simply add this reference:

“Taken from the The Hopeless Romantic: Falling in Love with God site of Patti Clement. www.patticlement.wordpress.com Used with Permission.”

Praying with Movies-Part II

Praying Through the Key Themes God Reveals in Movies

Overcoming the Past

The first theme that surfaced for me from “The Butler” was overcoming the past.  The Lord has helped me to see that in a certain sense we all have a past to overcome and that we all become part of history.  We each have our own story or gospel to write and we should never underestimate the power of God in whatever circumstances he places us in or the role he gives us here on earth.  We should never judge the soul of another person or what they may be experiencing in their journey.   As I watched the movie, I really resonated with how Cecil Gaines, the Butler, was so humble in all he did.  Without even speaking to his spiritual life, the movie led me to our Triune God because this man could not have stood firm in all that he faced without the power of God.

Although my own past may not have had the same inequality issues or injustices as Cecil, I was taken back to my own past and felt in solidarity with him.  Often times, it was his silence, his non-violent interactions with all he encountered and his faithfulness to his dream of wanting his family to have a better life than his own that spoke the loudest to me.  He worked hard dispelling many of the myths held about blacks.  Just as Martin Luther King, Jr. told his son in that hotel room, the butler’s role as domestic help was significant in proving that blacks were trustworthy and had a strong work ethic and served a purpose in the history of blacks.

As I prayed with the emotions that surfaced when I watched him consistently stand for human dignity and respect, I recognized a pattern in my own life of encounters where I too have been considered less than another human being.   I recognized once again that I needed inner healing as it relates to hurts that resurfaced in relation to all of these issues:

• in my home as a small child due to parental favoritism,
• in Junior High School when I was made fun of because I lived “down the bayou”,
• in my first professional role in a predominantly male workplace,
• in another professional role where I was told I was not in the “upper echelon”,
• in ministry as a female in a patriarchal institution, and
• in a church parish focused on family ministries being a single person.

Our lives too have a purpose!  I know now that my passion for the human dignity and respect of every human being is a result of my own woundedness in each of the situations mentioned above.  However, I also recognized that if I don’t consistently embrace my pain when it resurfaces and ask the Lord to transform it that my heart can become hardened preventing me from promoting the values that I am most passionate about.

Questions/Thoughts to Ponder:

• Are you staying in tune with your own need for continual inner healing about past hurts/trials/sufferings?
• Are you embracing your wounds and asking for healing?
• Are you allowing the Lord to nurture your soul and staying rooted in His love?
• Are you allowing past hurts to prevent you from being the person God is calling you to be?
• What mark are you leaving where you have tread?
• Are you gracefully becoming part of history?

Stay Tuned for More about Praying with Movies………………..

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Feel Free to “cut and paste” any of these texts for Prayer or Worship Aids and simply add this reference:

“Taken from the The Hopeless Romantic: Falling in Love with God site of Patti Clement. www.patticlement.wordpress.com Used with Permission.”

Praying with Movies and How the Experience May Be Life-Giving!

In my own journey I have come to really appreciate the value of praying with movies.  On the weekend of August 17th and 18th, I was drawn to watch Lee Daniel’s “The Butler” twice, I found myself totally captured by most every scene.  It is one of the best movies I have ever seen.    It was a very emotional experience for me.  I cried through most of the movie both viewings so since then my prayer periods have been centered around praying with that movie.  These prayer periods have not been easy; thus, I have not posted in several weeks trying to sort it all out.    The first thing I did was tried to remember as much as I could from the film and the parts that emotionally moved me the most.  I then asked the Lord to help me to see why I was so drawn to the movie and those scenes.  I also asked the Lord to identify key themes from the movie that would help me to go deeper in my own prayer life and ask for and receive additional healing where needed.

During the next couple of posts, I will share with you how praying with this movie has helped me to go deeper in my own prayer life with the hopes that you may try praying with a movie yourself.

Step 1:  Scenes Vividly Remembered

• The scene of the plantation owner/master sexually abusing Cecil Gaines’ mother and then shooting the father in front of him as a child
• The scene of Cecil’s face when he witnessed the screams of his mother and the killing of his father
• The scene where the lady of the house on the plantation tells Cecil she will make a “house nigger” out of him
• The scene where the lady of the house on the plantation tells Cecil, “You hear nothing, you see nothing, you only serve. It should be like you are invisible.”
• The scene of Cecil sleeping in a culvert in the pouring rain in anguish after leaving the plantation and trying to make it outside the plantation on his own.
• The scene of Cecil’s voice speaking of how hungry he was in those first days of trying to make it on his own which led to him breaking a store window, stealing the cakes to eat and being found by the butler of that house/business.
• The various scenes of Cecil’s oldest son not agreeing with his father about many issues.
• The classroom scene of his oldest son and classmates where they were training to stand for equality using non-violence.
• The hotel room scene of his oldest son with Martin Luther King Jr. when Martin Luther King Jr. asked him what his father did for a living and he embarrassingly said he is a butler.  Martin Luther King Jr. reminds him of the important role that domestic help played in history by breaking down myths about work ethic and the trustworthiness of blacks.
• The actual scene at the snack bar where the oldest son and his classmates go to stand for civil rights for the first time and hot coffee is thrown in his face.
• The scene of President Kennedy and Cecil when President Kennedy says to Cecil, “I never understood what ya’ll really went through, you’ve changed my heart.”
• The dinner table scene when older son brings girl friend to dinner and has the argument with his dad.  Cecil throws him out of the house and the son ridicules his father for being a butler.  The mother tells him, “Everything you have and everything you are is because of that butler.”
• The scene where the younger brother tells the older brother he is going to war.
• The scene of Gloria and Cecil dancing in the disco suits for his birthday when the doorbell rings and the US service men are there to tell them their youngest son had been killed in Vietnam war.
• The scene of the older son at the black panther gatherings where you see the transition from non-violence to hardening of hearts.
• The scene towards the end where Cecil and Gloria drive out to the plantation and he makes comment about how people have continued to be marginalized for many years.
• The scene of Cecil reconciling with his oldest son when he is protesting about Nelson Mandela concerns.
• The scene of Cecil and Gloria on the front porch of the Obama campaign barbecue.
• The scene of Cecil and Gloria in the kitchen when she dies at kitchen table.
• The scene when Cecil goes to White House to meet with Obama.

Step 2:  Asked the Lord to help me see why I was so drawn to the Movie and those Scenes Noting what was going on Interiorly as I listened to the Lord

Step 3: Key Themes from Movie

• One man overcoming his past and becoming part of history
• Racial inequality, prejudices, lack of human dignity toward fellow-man, marginalization of people
• Tension between parent and child
• Non-violence and potential for Hardening of Hearts
• Mother holding family together in the midst of her own pain

Questions/Thoughts to Ponder:

• Have you ever prayed with a movie?
• If so, what has been your experience?
• If not, are you open to trying new prayer experiences?
• Is there a movie from your recent past that caused lots of stirrings in the depths of your soul?
• If you have not had a recent experience, try watching one of the movies under my movies tab on this site and go through these first 3 steps with me.
• As you begin to pray with what you remember, become more and more aware of what is stirring interiorly and beg the Lord to help you identify the themes that surface for you and how they might relate to your own life.

Stay Tuned for More about Praying with Movies………………..

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Feel Free to “cut and paste” any of these texts for Prayer or Worship Aids and simply add this reference:

“Taken from the The Hopeless Romantic: Falling in Love with God site of Patti Clement. www.patticlement.wordpress.com Used with Permission.”

Befriending Those Who Go Before Us-Part 3

St. Francis of Assisi

As I studied the life of Francis of Assisi and Franciscan Spirituality in general, I befriended this great saint also.  I was really challenged by the realization that because I did not understand the rise of urban life, the birth of the universities, the crusades, the reforming councils and the culture of mercantilism that were all prevalent in St. Francis’s era (1181-1226); I really did not understand him at all.[1]  As I reflected on the fact that I had accepted the romanticized view of Francis as the flower child from the film, Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1970’s) as the St. Francis I knew, I was really challenged.  I love the garden statues that depict him as the animal and nature lover promoting peace, joy and love, but had never connected his peace with the animal world as a sign of his purity and holiness.[2]  I was shocked to find out the beautiful prayer of St. Francis which I have prayed many times cannot be traced to his writings.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.  Amen.

Instead his “peaceable kingdom” message indicates that the created world is good and makes a polemical point against pessimism expressed by heretics of his day who saw the material world as evil.[3]

Prior to my studies at Creighton University, my main contact to Franciscan exposure had been Fr. Richard Rohr.  I have been drawn to Fr. Rohr for years always viewing him as someone who speaks directly to my heart and pushes the envelope in promoting social justice, but never really knowing the profound depth coming from his founder with his emphasis on poverty and the humility of Christ as part of the Incarnation itself.[4]   As I befriended Francis of Assisi and pondered the following words, “Preach the Gospel, use words only when necessary” which are often attributed to him;  I realized that I had a distorted view of St. Francis.  He really was a very humble man and attempted to live as closely to Christ crucified as possible.    I remember being challenged because my previous views were so romanticized, but at the same time I am overjoyed to realize that St. Francis’s message of peace and joy were desperate cries to end the violence that filled the streets of Assisi during his time and clearly are still relevant in our desperate times.  To be able to promote peace as he did particularly to the Islamic world and being willing to risk martyrdom in the name of the gospel is something that I view as very pertinent to the modern world in the promotion of unity amongst the great religions.  Now I have a new found appreciation for Fr. Rohr’s passion for promoting the “One” church and am left challenged by my own discernment about what I am called to do in relation to promoting world peace as well as peace within my local community.

Questions to Ponder:

• How might befriending Francis of Assisi help you to see that the material world itself is not evil but how our misuse of the gifts given to us by God can lead to evil?
• What is it in the created world that reminds you of God’s care for you and all of mankind?….. 
• How might St. Francis’s message of peace and joy which I believe are being portrayed and exemplified so vividly by Pope Francis today be a desperate cry to end the violence and injustices that fill our streets today? 
• Are you aware of and appreciating how God reveals Himself in the ordinary and simple as well as the extraordinary and spectacular?………… 
• How might St. Francis help you to see the created world as a source for realizing the divine?

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[1] Lawrence S. Cunningham, Francis of Assisi:  Performing the Gospel Life (Grand Rapids, Michigan:  Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2004), 127.

[2] Ibid., 97.

[3] Ibid., 105.

[4] Ibid., 74.

Please let me hear how these reflections speak to you….

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Feel Free to “cut and paste” any of these texts for Prayer or Worship Aids and simply add this reference:

“Taken from the The Hopeless Romantic: Falling in Love with God site of Patti Clement. www.patticlement.wordpress.com Used with Permission.”

Taking Matters Into My Own Hands or Not? Part 2

 Deeds Alone will not Save Us!

As I placed myself in the scene of the Gospel according to Matthew 7:21-29 , I imagined being on the Mount of the Beatitudes  as a disciple.  I was intrigued just like the early disciples with Jesus and I felt a deep desire to conform my heart to His.

I begged Him to give me a deep experience of what that meant and I had a conversation with Jesus about listening to His words in scripture and carrying them out in my life.  I came to a much deeper understanding of the essential qualities of true discipleship…which is all about truly knowing God and following His word… a true disciple is someone totally united to God in heart, soul and mind.  Deeds alone will not save us…..Certainly, it is not a bad thing to do good deeds, but our attitudes in performing such works, and our motives and goals for doing so are really the key.  I was reminded that it is through grace that we will enter the Kingdom of Heaven…that grace is freely given when we follow the Lord….we cannot buy grace with deeds or with what we do.  It is about paying attention to Jesus’ words, understanding them, accepting fully and enfleshing it into our lives.  When we have enfleshed scripture we will naturally act accordingly.  It is only then that we can be sure that we can say that we are true disciples of Jesus.  As he says in the story of the 2 houses, it is the only sure foundation which we can build our lives on.  Otherwise, the minute we come under attack, we will collapse with no foundation.

One of the things that I really love about Fr. Mark Link’s approach to the Spiritual Exercises is that he always gives his readers the scripture text, a real life story that I can usually imagine, and thoughts for reflection.

Imaginative Prayer Experience

I would like to invite you to have an imaginative experience with me based on one of the Gospel verses… Jesus said, “ Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my Father wants them to do…..”

Imagine Opening a Magazine to a Cartoon

….it shows a man in his fifties dressed in a baseball uniform and hat.  He is seated in a big easy chair.  Resting against one side of the easy chair is a baseball bat and glove.  On the other side of the chair is a table with a telephone on it. Across from the man sits his wife. She wears a patient but frustrated look.  The caption reads: “I don’t want to step on your dream Walter, but if they haven’t called after thirty years, perhaps it’s time to go on to something else.”    Pay attention to what bubbles up in the depths of your heart about this cartoon.

Imagine Your Personal Conversation with Jesus

Shift gears with me and now imagine you are sitting in a big easy chair and Jesus is sitting across from you like the wife was sitting across from her husband in the cartoon.  You begin to have dialogue with Jesus:

• about your life….
• about facing up to reality….
• about assuming responsibility for your life…..
• about assuming your  responsibility for God’s Kingdom…….

Questions to Ponder

You begin to ask yourself what area in your life might you be failing to assume responsibility and do what God wants you to do?

Abiding in the Word

You sit with Jesus and you have a heart to heart with Him…… now thank Him for spending this time with you and bid Him farewell until you meet him again…..

Closing Prayer

God Bless You and May we all have the courage to assume responsibility for our lives and do what God wants us to do…putting our full trust in Him, developing and nurturing an intimate relationship with Him so that we can hear his voice and not take matters into our own hands.  Amen!

Let’s help one another by sharing in the comments about anything the Holy Spirit leads you to share that has helped you nurture intimacy with Our Triune God  ……..

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Feel Free to “cut and paste” any of these texts for Prayer or Worship Aids and simply add this reference:

“Taken from the The Hopeless Romantic: Falling in Love with God site of Patti Clement. www.patticlement.wordpress.com Used with Permission.”

Truth or Deception?

As I prayed with today’s readings, the common thread that the Holy Spirit placed on my heart is the tension between Truth and Deception that is part of every human journey.  The first image I received was one of a Board Game.  Doesn’t the title “Truth or Deception” have a good ring to it for the name of a Board Game?    There is even a Board Game called “Life” so why not?

Oh, how I have often wished Life was as easy as a Board Game that comes with a set of specific instructions!  I have always thought of Board Games as a means of fellowship, community and making good choices.  We all strive to make good choices in a Board Game because, of course, we want to win the game.  However, we all know that Life is not about winning or losing, but about making good moral choices and living in the Truth.

In the reading from Genesis 13, we hear of Abram and Lot’s separation because their herdsmen were quarreling.  Abram offers Lot the choice of land to keep peace.  In Lot’s choosing though I was reminded by his choice that things are not always what they seem to be.  Lot chose the Jordan Plain.  Why?  Because it was well watered and he felt it was the better decision.  However, the area he chose to dwell in was filled with wicked inhabitants.  Lot was deceived by outward appearances.

In Psalm 15, we hear from Sacred Scripture that “He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord”.  Then we have several verses revealing what Justice is in the biblical sense.  The verse that I really resonated with is the one where we hear, “He who thinks the Truth in his heart and slanders not with his tongue.”

Then in the Gospel according to Matthew 7: 6, 12-14, we have laid before us a great visual of what happens when we are not attuned to this tension between Truth and Deception.  We hear “Enter through the Narrow Gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction and those who enter through it are many.  How Narrow the Gate and Constricted the Road that Leads to Life.  And those who find it are few.”

I believe that St. Ignatius was referring to the Narrow Gate and Constricted Road that Leads to Life when he states in the First Principle and Foundation of the Spiritual Exercises that our only desire and our one choice should be this:  I want and I choose what better leads to God’s deepening life in me.

Therein lies the tension I mentioned when I began….Truth vs. Deception particularly in the secular world we live in today.

How often have you heard the word “Truth“?  Have you ever wondered what does that word “Truth” really mean?  Have you ever wondered how do we know “Truth” from Deception in the world we live in?

Deciphering “Truth” from Deception is part of our Baptismal Call as faithful Christians.  As I sat with the Lord and pondered what He might be trying to reveal to me about this matter,  another  scripture verse came to mind: John 18: 37, specifically the following words where Jesus responds to Pilate in dialogue:

There is so much loaded into that one verse.  It is Jesus that is the “Truth“!   So seeking the Truth is all about relationship with Jesus and becoming a person of virtue just like Jesus.

How do we do that?

The answers may not be packaged as a Board Game with instructions, but we are given instruction in Sacred Scripture.  We hear in John 14: 6, Jesus telling his disciples, “I am the Way, and the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you know me, then you will also know my Father“.

How do you know Jesus?

By spending time with Him and allowing Scripture to come to Life.  Allow Him to reveal his virtues to you in the depths of your soul so that you can beg him to conform your heart to His.   We have to Allow Him to gently show us where our value system is not in line with His so that we can repent and make better choices to be more like Him.

• How well do you know Jesus?  Not what do you know about Him? There is a big difference between Knowing about someone and Knowing Them.
• How might you nurture your relationship with Him?
• Have you been graced with insights on how you might listen to His voice amidst the noise of Deception in the secular world?   What graces have you received that helps you to stay rooted in Jesus that might help someone else do the same?
• Like Lot in the story from Genesis, what are ways you have been deceived by outward appearances?
• How do you stay focused on deciphering the “Truth” from all the Deception of commercialism, consumerism and busyness in the world we live in?

Let’s help one another by sharing what we are doing to stay focused on Jesus…..

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Feel Free to “cut and paste” any of these texts for Prayer or Worship Aids and simply add this reference:

“Taken from the The Hopeless Romantic: Falling in Love with God site of Patti Clement. www.patticlement.wordpress.com Used with Permission.”

Feast of the Holy Innocents – Call for Respect of All Human Life!

As I prayed today on the Feast of the Holy Innocents which commemorates those
children under two years of age, living in and around Bethlehem, who were
massacred by King Herod, I was reminded of the beautiful murals which portrays children martyrs from around the world in the Chapel of the Divine Child on the campus of Bethlehem University (I’ve attached for you to view).   Herod had heard of the coming of the Messiah from the
Magi, and wanting to prevent any threats to his power, he ruthlessly ordered
the infamous murders.   In 2008, when I visited Bethlehem University, I was so blessed to be able to participate in an Interfaith Dialogue arranged by the Sisters of St. Joseph on campus which was such an eye and heart opening experience for me.  To hear one Palestinian student speak about how Israeli soldiers had burst into their home in the middle of the night and taken her father and how they still had no idea of his whereabouts made me realize just how unjust and evil the world can be today in our lifetime just as it was in Herod’s era.  This one student kept repeating the following words, “We are human and we just want to be treated like humans”.

However, as I pondered her words today, which I often think of, in light of the recent shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary and the shootings in Aurora in the movie theater, it brought to mind how more and more people in our country and world do not respect or honor human life at any stage from the womb to the tomb.  It made me think how distorted their definition of “being treated like humans” really must be.

• What has our country and world come to with so much killing of innocent lives?

• How might you respond to these distorted definitions of “treating someone like humans”?

• How might you respond to the declining promotion of the common good in your community, country or world?

• What stirs in the depths of your soul as you reflect on the Feast of the Holy Innocents?

• What might you be being called to in relation to respect for all life?

Let me hear from you in the comments………………………………

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Feel Free to “cut and paste” any of these texts for Prayer or Worship Aids and simply add this reference:

“Taken from the The Hopeless Romantic: Falling in Love with God site of Patti Clement. www.patticlement.wordpress.com Used with Permission.”

What Happens as a Result of Persistence In Prayer?

An interesting thing happened yesterday in my prayer as I went to Eucharistic Adoration!   As you all probably know, yesterday’s gospel reading in the Roman Catholic Tradition came from the gospel according to Luke 18: 1-8 The Parable of the Persistent Widow.  I was excited to be able to spend some designated time in the Presence of the Lord with that passage.

I always chuckle when praying with that passage because at times in my own prayer life,  in hindsight, I imagine how God probably with His Head in His Hands may have done the same thing as I imagine the judge doing with the persistent widow.    The lesson for me is that although I may not see it at the time, some of my greatest gifts have been unanswered prayers because God was changing me in the midst of my struggles.

In the Spirit of St. Ignatius of Loyola,  I’ll share my imaginative prayer experience that occurred while in adoration……….

What happened during my almost 2 hours in front of the Blessed Sacrament was very revealing about prayer in general!  This parable has always been one of my favorites when it comes to Jesus’ teaching on how to pray.  He tells us about the necessity to pray always without becoming weary even when we sometimes feel like our prayers are not being heard or being answered as we would want them to be.

So I thought I was ready to just place myself in the scene using Ignatian Contemplation and see where the Lord would lead me.  What I found was that I resisted the solitude and became very fidgety.  I would beg to be in His Presence and then before I knew it my mind would wander.  I would bring myself back to being the persistent widow petitioning for my needs and then I would very easily wander off.  This went on for a while and then I began to have physiological responses.  My head began to pound distracting me from prayer and my stomach became upset to the point where I had to leave the chapel and find a restroom.  However, I was determined to persevere and be faithful to my committed time with the Lord so I returned to the chapel.

When I returned, recognizing that this resistance was coming from the Unholy Spirit, I began a simple mantra that I use often, “Dear Lord, I just want to sit at your feet.  I love you and adore you.”   This mantra took me to praying to be in solidarity with the Woman in Luke 7: 36-50 The Pardon of the Sinful Woman.   I then began to have a conversation with the Lord about the difficulty I was experiencing in coming to the interior stillness I so desired.   In a very gentle way, I don’t know how long it took, as only God can do, I was given the gift of interior stillness and I truly felt I was there kissing his feet and adoring Him for all of the wonderful gifts in my life and somehow all of my concerns about the future and my sinful tendencies did not matter.

The headache had left, the stomach pains were gone, I was at peace sitting at the feet of Jesus and I was invited to stay with Him when I began to hear the beautiful Taize’ chant based on the beautiful words from Mark 14: 32-42 The Agony in the Garden .   At times, I was so at peace, I caught myself dozing off in the interior stillness.  I then meditated on how the disciples were invited to Stay with Him, Remain with Him and Keep Watch, and how they too also fell asleep.

Lyrics:
Stay with me, remain here with me, watch and pray, watch and pray.

Verses:
1. Stay here and keep watch with me. Watch and pray, watch and pray!
2. Watch and pray not to give way to temptation.
3. The spirit is eager, but the flesh is weak.
4. My heart is nearly broken with sorrow. Remain here with me, stay awake and pray.
5. Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass me by.
6. Father, if this cannot pass me by without my drinking it, your will be done.

The result of my persistence in prayer was that in the end, I left my prayer period totally rejuvenated, changed and filled with peace.  I truly felt empowered by the last verse of the Pardon of the Sinful Woman passage, verse 50, “Your faith has saved you, go in peace.”

Accept the invitation to Stay with Him, Remain with Him, Watch and Pray and experience the gift God has waiting for you………….would love to hear about your prayer experiences…………………

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Feel Free to “cut and paste” any of these texts for Prayer or Worship Aids and simply add this reference:

“Taken from the The Hopeless Romantic: Falling in Love with God site of Patti Clement. www.patticlement.wordpress.com Used with Permission.”

Saint, Troublemaker or Both?

It warmed my heart this morning to see the link below to an article about Dorothy Day in a post from Fr. James Martin, S. J. on Facebook .

  Bishops To Vote On Canonical Step For Dorothy Day Canonization 

The US Bishops will be voting this week on the next step in her canonization.  In my eyes she is already a Saint because she has definitely inspired me to be more Christ-like and to grow spiritually.  If you have never seen the movie “Entertaining Angels” about her life, I highly recommend you watch it and pray with it.  I will never forget the first time I prayed with this movie and how I felt like I was there with her in every scene of her life and this was only a movie.  I can only imagine what it would have been like to know her and be touched by her presence in my life.   Her passion was palpable!  It is one of the only movies I have watched numerous times and will watch many more times.

Many believe she should not be canonized because they label her a troublemaker.  However, if you look at the lives of most of the canonized Saints today, you will find that most of them would have been labeled troublemakers in their day.  They challenged those around them to promote the common good and to live out the gospel more faithfully and authentically.  They were often at odds with church hierarchy calling for reform.  They often times lead sinful lives before some conversion experience.  We must remember all Saints are Sinners too!  They were all human just as we are.  It is the struggles in their lives that reveal their virtues that give me much hope.  My favorite scene in “Entertaining Angels” is one where Dorothy enters the little chapel she would go to often.  In this scene, she starts screaming at God about the situation she finds herself in and she is crying and yelling at the top of her lungs.   Oh, in my pre-Vatican II image of God days, how often have I wanted to do the same thing, but did not have the guts to do it because of fear that God would punish me even more.  Her witness definitely inspired me to do my image of God work and come to a deeper understanding of My/Our Loving God who only wants what is best for me and you.

Are you harboring anger towards God about something?  Let Him have it!  He can take it and wants to show you how much He loves you and how He wants to channel that passion which is tied up in your anger towards something more life-giving.

I found a picture on the internet of a meeting between Dorothy Day and Mother Teresa.  Oh, how I wish I could have been there!  I had it posted in this post because there was no indication that it was copyrighted on the internet, but someone notified me from Marquette University that it was copyrighted so I have removed it.  However, in the Spirit of St. Ignatius of Loyola,  let’s have an imaginative prayer experience……About that Meeting!

Imagine meeting them today…….Where would the meeting take place?…….Who else would be there?………What would you say to each of them?………..What do you think they would want to say to us today?……..Spend as much time as you would like with the two of them………..Then when you feel it is time to leave them, thank them for sharing and ……………..then Dialogue with Jesus about this encounter and allow Him to continue to reveal you to yourself so that you can choose to become more like Him.

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Feel Free to “cut and paste” any of these texts for Prayer or Worship Aids and simply add this reference:

“Taken from the The Hopeless Romantic: Falling in Love with God site of Patti Clement. www.patticlement.wordpress.com Used with Permission.”