Tuesday, 19 February 2013

Tuesday 19th - Mass. Madeleine Delbrel -a French Dorothy Day

Nivard,

Thank you, Fr. Nivard, for "Our Father who is in heaven" Mass introduction.
And below you may like another mystic come to the fore in our Monastic Lectionary - Madeleine Delbrel.
"a French Dorothy Day" 
 Madeleine Delbrêl (1904–1964) was a French Catholic author, poet, and mystic, whose works include The Marxist City as Mission Territory (1957), The Contemporary Forms of Atheism (1962), and the posthumous publications We, the Ordinary People of the Streets (1966) and The Joy of Believing (1968). She came to the Catholic faith after a youth spent as a strict atheist. She has been cited by Cardinal Roger Etchegaray as an example for young people to follow in "the arduous battle of holiness."[1] Wikipedia
 Casarella, Peter (2001). "Madeleine Delbrel--a French Dorothy Day--writes We, the Ordinary People of the Streets". Houston Catholic Worker (Casa Juan Diego) XXI (2) 
 ----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Nivard ....
Sent: Tuesday, 19 February 2013, 8:22
Subject: Our Father

Magnificat Adapted, Tue. (19 Feb 13):
"Our Father who in heaven”.
Scripture:  Matthew 6:7-15
 
“I sought the Lord and he answered me” How? Through his Word who “does not return to him empty”. From all our distress the Lord rescues us. He is “close to the broken-hearted”. He delivers us from all our fears by teaching us to pray “Our Father”.
 
The first word “Our” is very significant. We pray as individuals, heart to heart. But more importantly we pray as members of Christ’s Mystical Body, the Church.
 
Father, Help us to be kind and forgiving towards our neighbour as you have been towards us, through Christ our Lord."



From the writings of Madeleine Delbrel (La joie du croire, 71-72)
Wgive the love of God

My littlchildrenyou must truly love one anothesums up all that the aged Saint John had to say.
It is God whom we love. Love of God is the first commandment, but thsecond is like itthat is to say, it is only through others that we can return God's love for us. The dan­ger is that the second commandment may becomthe firstHoweverwe have a way to check this, which is to loveach person aif hwere Christ, to love God in every human being, without preference, distinction, or exception.

The second danger is that we may find love impossible, and that is sure to happen if wseparate love from faith and hopeIt is prayer that gives us faith and hope. Without prayer we can never love. It iin prayer, and prayer alonethat Christ will reveal himself to uin each person we meetby a faith that grows ever keener and morclear-sightedIt is in prayer that we can ask for the gift of loving each person, a gracwithout which there can be no loveIt is through prayer that our hopwill measure up to the stature or number of those we are destined to encounter or to the depth of their needsIt is the expansion of faith and hope by prayer that will clear the path beforus of the most cumbersome obstruction to love, 'which is self-concern.

The third danger is that instead of loving as Jesus loved us wmay love in a human fashion.This perhaps is the greatest of dangers, since human love, simply because it is love, is beautiful and noble thing. Unbelievers may show a superb lovfor othersBut we ourselves have not been called to that kinof love. It is not our own love that we have to give: it is thlove of God thalove which is a divinPerson. That love is God's gift to ourselvesbut it remains a gift which must as it were pass through us, bore a channel through us to find its way elsewhere and flow into others. It is a gift that claims sovereign powerwe are not to trust in the power of anything elseIt is something we may not keep to ourselvesor we risk its being extinguished and ceasing to be a gift.




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