Stalking the Divine



One of our unplanned trips in Cleveland last week was a stop at a Poor Clare Monastery off of Rocky Ridge Rd. We made a short visit to pray before the Blessed Sacrament, mindful that on the unseen side of the altar a nun was praying around the clock. It is a comforting thought to think that these sisters pray for us, twenty-four hours a day.



In doing a little research, I discovered that there are two Poor Clare monasteries in Cleveland and that one has had a book written about it, "Stalking the Divine." For those interested in nuns who still look like nuns and still live a cloistered life in the twenty-first century this book may be for you:

Unusual Occurences During Blackout



From Spirit Daily - Daily spiritual news from around the world



Do you have any stories to tell? Send them to me and I'll post them.

The Sacred Heart of George Bush?



Bush's Jesus is hardly the Catholic one...seeGeorge Christ at the DRUDGE REPORT 2003®

Father Benedict's Rosary Book



I just finished reading Father Benedict Groeschel's Chain of Hope, his new book on the rosary that is published by Ignatius Press. As always Father has a slightly different take that makes reading about the most common devotion interesting and unique. He shares his experience of praying the rosary while entering the subteranean world of the New York subway system that he describes as richly apocalyptic (something that struck me as prophetic in light of last Thursday's black out and how it affected those depending upon that mode of transportation). He shares the experience of Mother Teresa's praying the rosary in times of darkness--in a word he presents the prayer of the rosary as a "chain of hope."



Somewhat strangely, the Luminous Mysteries are included in an appendix, I understand from my sources that the publisher doesn't quite buy their addition to the traditional mysteries and wanted them treated as something "extra." The meditations and the focus on the mysteries of light as a source of renewal within the church is both insightful and right on. Also included in the appendix is the Apostolic Letter on the rosary written by the Holy Father.



This book is different then the one that Amy and I have put together, ours is more of a "prayer book", this is more of a book about the rosary and a "meditation" book. But I highly recommend it to both the long time rosary pray-er and the novice.

Most Popular Person in France?



A saintly priest!



Alan Moss: A brief essay on Abbé Pierre's personal memoir (Mémoire d'un croyant)

A Book for Your Back to School Student



I first include an Amazon.com review:



A fond introduction by the editor (a former student of the Archabbot's) leads you into pithy latin expressions which are then translated and followed by a light (very light but still insightful) meditation, and Reilly writes with a humble yet amusing style.



This is an extremely useful for those of us who practice lectio divina and who might be having some difficulty with it, as sometime happens with a discipline...a gentle way to get back to it. I highly recommend it.



The fond introduction is written by moi, who indeed was a former student, albeit a terrified one at the feet of this Latin master:

Private Revelations and the "Grid"



Here is a taste from Spirit Daily - Daily spiritual news from around the world:



"But this is serious business. After last week, with the great blackout, we have a glimpse of what can happen on a much wider, longer scale. At this point no one knows what triggered the outage, but they are pointing to relatively minor mishaps that may have pulled down the energy supply for parts of eight states and Canada. We were granted a glimpse of just how reliant we are on a system that can vanish in a flash. Many are now pointing to the source of the blackout as Ohio, where Storm himself lives and where, that the very same week, a statue of the Virgin Mary was reported to be mysteriously glowing.



As the eyes and heart of the statue allegedly lit -- even in the night -- the rest of the state and much of the North were in darkness."



Go to the link for the rest of the column.