SPIRITUALITY 101
SPIRITUAL REFLECTION- 98

Deacon Jim Breazile o.c.d.s.

In the days before lay brothers were educated, Brother Timothy was one who didn't know how to read. At daily mass however, it was evident that he diligently followed the Mass through the use of a missal. When asked how he used the missal for Mass, he said, "the missal that I use has different parts written in different colors. At the beginning of Mass, I find a page filled with black letters. These remind me of my sins and I try to repent through the proclamation of the Scriptures and the homily, I meditate on my sins until after the offertory. Later, during the Eucharistic prayers, when the Lord renews the sacrifice of Calvary during the consecration, I look for some pages with red letters. These remind me of His precious blood shed for our sins. Finally, before receiving Communion I find pages written with gilded letters. These letters make me think of the happiness of receiving our Lord and better still of the joy to be forever with Him in Heaven. We might consider the inability to follow the celebration of the Lords Sacrifice with words that we read, and think about, but if in reading and thinking, we often miss the big picture expressed by Brother Timothy. Possibly we would be ahead to put aside our readings.

DEVOTION - Growth in love- 3rd stage DEVOTIONALS- MEDITATION-SACRAMENTALS-THE ROSARY-25 
OUR FATHER-1 

The second prayer of the Rosary, prayed on the first large bead next to the Crucifix, is the Our Father, This is the only prayer given to us by Christ and is thus often called "The Lord's Prayer" (Matt. 6:9-13). Jesus was a man of prayer. The most beautiful and pervasive memories of His followers were those associated with His solemn communion with His Father in prayer. Jesus was absorbed in prayer in every situation of His life. He prayed on the ship at sea, in the quiet of the mount, in the vast emptiness of the desert wilderness and in the Temple. He prayed before any important event in the establishment of His Kingdom, such as the choosing of the 12 Apostles, or the performance of a miracle, such as the raising of Lazarus. In preparation for some of these occasions He spent the entire night in pray. After a magnificent triumph, He poured out His gratitude to the Father in prayers of thanksgiving. Even in the moments of His death on the Cross, He petitioned the Father to forgive us because we know not what we do. He prayed because He was the High Priest and He prayed because He was a man. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed for personal help and consolation. He prayed that He might give example to us and He placed upon us the obligation to live our lives as prayer. So impressive was His sincerity, love and absorption in prayer that His followers asked Him, "Master, teach us how to pray" (Luke 11:1) . In response to this request, Jesus collected all the petitions anyone might wish to express to the Father into seven short expressions. Sincere reflection on these expressions of faith in prayer is sufficient for the Christian to reach perfection in spiritual growth. The Prayer begins with the expression of the desire for Our Father Who is Glory itself within eternity, to be glorified within His creation and that creation fulfill the purpose for which He created. The Prayer then embraces all that we might reasonably desire for the present life and for the life to come. Finally we pray for God to give us first, what is truly good, and then we petition Him to preserve us from all that is really evil. The most meaningful element of the Prayer, however is the first expression, "Our Father." This sums up our personal relationship to God and to all of creation. Careful reflection on the vast significance of the words, "Our Father" as they relate to God, can lead us into a relationship with Him and with creation transforms our lives into His glory. Theresa of Avila, in her guide to spiritual growth, "The Way of Perfection," counsels us that when we begin to pray, pay attention to what we say and meditation upon the words. This is mental prayer, supported by vocal prayer. In mental prayer, it is necessary that we "know that we are speaking, with Whom we are speaking and who we ourselves are who dare to speak so much to so great a Lord." (Chapter 25 article 3) Persistent obedience to these three counsels will provide rapid growth in our spiritual lives.

THE NEW CATHOLIC CATECHISM: 
ARTICLE NO. 1067 

The wonderful works of God among the people of the Old Testament were but a prelude to the work of Christ the Lord in redeeming mankind and giving perfect glory to God. He accomplished this work principally by the Paschal mystery of his blessed Passion, Resurrection from the dead, and glorious Ascension, whereby 'dying he destroyed our death, rising he restored our life.' For it was from the side of Christ as he slept the sleep of death upon the cross that there came forth 'the wondrous sacrament of the whole Church.' For this reason, the Church celebrates in the liturgy above all the Paschal mystery by which Christ accomplished the work of our salvation.

ARTICLE NO. 1068 
It is this mystery of Christ that the Church proclaims and celebrates in her liturgy so that the faithful may live from it and bear witness to it in the world: For it is in the liturgy, especially in the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, that "the work of our redemption is accomplished," and it is through the liturgy especially that the faithful are enabled to express in their lives and manifest to others the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true Church.

ARTICLE NO. 1069 
The word "liturgy" originally meant a "public work" or "a service in the name of/on behalf of the people." In Christian tradition it means the participation of the People of God in "the work of God." Through the liturgy Christ, our redeemer and high priest, continues the work of our redemption, in, with and through his church.

LITURGY 
Deacon Jim Breazile o.c.d.s.

Liturgy as a public work 
Conveys God's grace to ominous dark 
Divine Corpus is the holy Barque 
Celebrating Christ's rescuing Ark 
Of redeeming High Priest's earthly mark

Christ's fulfillment of redemptive plan 
Sharing divinity with fallen man 
Divine love for corporeal cresche 
Continually Mystical Body refresh 
By Grace of sacramental scan

Eternal Word made present in time 
For those whose salvation's holy clime 
With invitation to participate 
Empowered by sacrament to emancipate 
Fallen humanity from satanic grime

With, in and through this holy Church 
We reach the goal of our earthly search. 
Meekness, peace and love alive 
Perfection through holy grace does thrive 
Christ is our strength for this earthly strive

Ó2001 DR. JAMES E. BREAZILE, deacon 
JOHN PAUL EVANGELIST OCDS