THRO MARY
WITH A SMILE
Birthday 13th August
Email from William:
“What a delight sharing Thomas Merton's journal!
At the office my successor is on and off the internet between jobs, . . .and extends his meanderings to me, he looks up anything he can get me to talk about... one being Thomas Merton. He copied down for me the photo (below) of the flyleaf of a first edition of "No Man is an Island", signed by the author and the Abbot of Gethsemane. Can you make out the words on the rubber stamp?
I have printed it as a bookmark for my 'Sign of Jonas'! (William).”
Reply to William:
Your fascinating flyleaf from ‘No Man Is An Island’ and the stamp of Abbot James Fox, "All for Jesus -Thro Mary - With a Smile" reminded me of Abbot Malachy and his Pectoral Cross. I thought he used the same text but I have found Ab. Malachy's Cross and you will
see from the photographs that it is a variation of the same theme. “ + Per Jesum ad Mariam.”
There must be a story to the Gethsemani version – my guess is that it originated with Abbot Frederick Dunn from a memorable Annual Retreat given to the community. It is now listed among ‘merton-artifacts.com’.
It was my birthday today, 13the August.
Yesterday I was away for a cousin’s funeral. At 74, one of our helpers wryly commented that I have many cousins’ funerals and have now run out of Grannies. . .!!
A Birthday is a time to make a new resolution. And already to hand was William’s question about the rubber stamp of Abbot James at Gethsemani.
So what better birthday resolution than, "All for Jesus -Thro Mary - With a Smile".
There were five young children and their parents and their Grannie among those at the Mass this morning. So I will try to speak “with a smile” and not with a glum face.
Also a Birthday is a good time for a change of gear, and that was presented to me in the Gospel commentary by Saint Cyprian on Mt.18,15-20
«I am there in the midst of them»
There is a telling little phrase in the Eucharistic Prayer,
"Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church." St. Cyprian’s words seem to lift the whole perspective from both a mercenary view of answer to prayers and an individualist outlook. If ‘the two or three are united in prayer’, they are the Church. Look not on our sins but on the FAITH, the prayer, the love of the Church.
As St. Bernard believed when he was counselling a monk who said that he had lost his Faith, he said that the Faith of the community, of the Church, makes up for the darkness of the monk tempted to unbelief..
St. Cyprian's are the words of a Saint who had that great perspective of the living Church. Hence my quote below:
"The Lord said: "If two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
These words prove that much is given not to the mere number but to the unanimity of those who pray. "If two of you agree on earth," he says, putting unanimity and peaceful concord first, teaching us to agree firmly and loyally. But how can one man agree with another when he disagrees with the body of the Church itself, with the whole brotherhood?... The Lord's words were spoken about his own Church and addressed to members of the Church. If they are agreed, if, as he commanded, but two or three are gathered together and pray with one mind, then, although they are but two or three, they can obtain from the divine majesty what they ask.
"Where two or three are gathered, I (he said) am with them." That means, of course, with the single-hearted and peaceable, with those who fear God and keep his commandments. With these, though but two or three, he declared his presence, as he was present also with the Three Children in the fiery furnace, and, because they continued single-hearted and of one mind, refreshed them with the breath of dew as the flames surrounded them (Dn 3,50); or as he was present with the two apostles in prison, because they were single-hearted and of one mind, and himself opened the prison gates (Acts 25,25)... So when Christ lays down with authority: "Where two or three are gathered, I am with them," he is not separating men from the Church which he founded and created. But he rebukes the faithless for their discord and with his own voice commends peace to the faithful".
Later, Abbot Raymond was commenting on the effects of the annoyances and resentments we project on to the distasteful or objectionable actions of others. Even the suppressed tendency to curse or swear against a situation has its baneful influence. The effects have a BOOMERANG effect on ourselves, he said. It is echoed here again in Mt.18,15-20, “whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
