Dear William,
A lovely gift from the Magic Garden, a thank you to Edith. I hope she will allow me to use the pictures of the flowers for the prayer meditation. Brilliant rhododendron, lilac and exotic additions filling the presence.
Fr. Raymond has return from the pilgrimage of Medjugorde, thanking Our Lady for recovery in his painful walking after the first Mass.
Busy; The Abbot has alerted me to the mustering of the Knights Templar after tomorrow Sunday.
Our Saturday Postie hurried away after our lunch without the the express delivery. Monday expectation awaiting the images/Hebrew/Knox, D.V..
God love,
fr. Donald
Dear Father Donald,
I managed to obtain a printout of Psalm 119 from Excel, sized so as not to split up the stanzas between pages, and have put a copy in the post to you, wondering if perhaps it would scan to fit into your Blog (even just the: Images / Hebrew / Knox). I tried not to shrink it too much.
Psalm 119 is well described in the article you discovered, especially pointing out the different elements: "prayers of praise (45-48), lament (81-88), vindication (132-134), obedience (57-64), and petitions for wisdom (33-40)". Most of all I like the comment you highlighted, "the thoughtful outcry that rises when real life meets real God.” How perfect indeed that is recited during the Day Hours.
The Crufts arena would do nicely! - what a marvelous performance by that collie! I showed it to Edith and she loved it! Edith is meanwhile vexing herself as the rain falls and threatens to spoil the spring blooms in her little walled garden (sample photos attached) which is just the right size for her to potter in, and to cherish, just whenever she feels like it.
With my love in Our Lord,
William
The magic garden - looking forward to Ascension
Ascension – the days before
HE AND i (Gabrielle Bossis)
1945 May - 3 - "My beloved Jesus, I come to receive Your word and above all Your
love - Thursday, this day dearest to my heart of all
the days of the week."
"Enter into my courts. Ask the help of My mother. Go
farther, still farther. Leave material things behind. Go right
into the most secret shrine. There, where there is silence, the freedom of
inner knowing, the flame that burns to burn more brightly.
Then ask the Spirit to brood over you as He brooded over the waters
before the end of Creation. By yourself you are chaos. Do you fully
realize this? Do you try to keep it in mind? Have you humbled yourself
today in thought or deed? Not to cause you distress nor diminish your
strength, but to tighten your hold on the power of your God, who is
only waiting for your call.
And now, possessed by the Spirit, what else could inspire your words but
Love? Tell Him, the Spirit of Love, to speak for you. Don't you think that
it will be in the simplest, most delicate way? For the Spirit also
adopts the language of the little ones. Wasn't My very humble mother
overshadowed by Him when she answered the angel, 'Behold the handmaid
of the Lord'?"
The Book of Psalms by Ronald Knox
Psalm 50 (51)
1 (To the choir-master. A psalm. Of David, 2 when the
prophet Nathan came to reproach him for his adultery with Bethsabee.)
3 Have mercy on
me, O God, as thou art ever rich in mercy; in the abundance of thy compassion,
blot out the record of my misdeeds. 4 Wash me clean, cleaner yet, from
my guilt, purge me of my sin, 5 the guilt which I freely
acknowledge, the sin which is never lost to my sight. 6 Thee only my
sins have offended; it is thy will I have disobeyed; thy sentence was deserved,
and still when thou givest award thou hast right on thy side. 7 For indeed, I
was born in sin; guilt was with me already when my mother conceived me. 8 But thou art a
lover of faithfulness, and now, deep in my heart, thy wisdom has instructed me. 9 Sprinkle me
with a wand of hyssop, and I shall be clean; washed, I shall be whiter than
snow; 10 tidings send me
of good news and rejoicing, and the body that lies in the dust shall thrill
with pride. 11 Turn thy eyes
away from my sins, blot out the record of my guilt; 12 my God, bring a
clean heart to birth within me; breathe new life, true life, into my being.13 Do not banish
me from thy presence, do not take thy holy spirit away from me; 14 give me back
the comfort of thy saving power, and strengthen me in generous resolve. 15 So will I teach
the wicked to follow thy paths; sinners shall come back to thy obedience. 16 My God, my
divine Deliverer, save me from the guilt of bloodshed! This tongue shall boast
of thy mercies;17 O Lord, thou
wilt open my lips, and my mouth shall tell of thy praise. 18 Thou hast no
mind for sacrifice, burnt-offerings, if I brought them, thou wouldst refuse; 19 here, O God, is
my sacrifice, a broken spirit; a heart that is humbled and contrite thou, O
God, wilt never disdain.20 Lord, in thy
great love send prosperity to Sion, so that the walls of Jerusalem may rise
again. 21 Then indeed
thou wilt take pleasure in solemn sacrifice, in gift and burnt-offering; then
indeed bullocks will be laid upon thy altar.[1]