Saint Mary Magdalen de Pazzi

 Feast day:  May 25th

St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi was one of those souls in Carmel endowed by God with the gift of an abundant mystical life.  A reading of her life will make one's head spin from the many flights of supernatural experiences she was gifted with.  Following her in these mystical states is like going on a roller-coaster ride with its ups and downs, and being left with a splitting headache! Although it is true that St. Mary Magdalene's life was characterized by mystical experiences, we should not forget that these experiences were just but the overflow of the one reality we all are invited to experience- a deep love of God.  The Book of the Song of Songs testifies to it: 'deep waters cannot quench love.. if one would give everything one has to acquire it, she would be roundly mocked."  The love of God is pure gift,  infused into our hearts  to produce an overwhelming experience which brings in its trail wonderful things.  It also brings fire of purification necessary to burn the soul's imperfection and to transform it into the likeness of God.  Such was the life of St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi, the Seraph of Carmel.  St. Mary Magdalene's body is incorrupt.

More of St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi

Marriage is a union between one man and one woman. To be pleasing to God the couple must be committed for life and open to the transmission of life.-

 Fr. Peter West, HLI VP

  "Committed for life" and "Transmission of life".  These two components of marriage are also true of  Religious consecration.  My religious vows bind me to Christ and His Church for life.  The greatest calling of a religious is the vocation to fidelity and authenticity- being faithful and true to what they are called to be.  There will always be difficulties and problems in religious life as its members try to be transformed in the image of Christ.  But despite it all, we fix our eyes on the One who called us.  Our success is not measured in the number of ministries we have, the eloquence of our words, not even the noise and influence we make in the world.  Our success is measured on how close we have come to the imitation of  the poor, obedient and chaste Jesus.

Our union with Jesus is not for the sake of oneself alone.  Spiritual marriage effects spiritual motherhood so that new life could be created from ones sacrifices, prayers, and consecration.  "To save souls" was St. Therese's reason when she entered Carmel.   The religious vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, are meant to open a religious up to give birth to something new, and by her union to Jesus, to be a mother to souls.

The crisis in marriage these days is a crisis in commitment and fidelity.  It is not because we don't understand that marriage entails being committed and faithful.  For a Christian nation that we claim to be, we understand this precept well.  But understanding and willing  are two different things.  We know that to be faithful takes sacrifices and forgetfulness of self.  It means putting aside our selfish wants and needs for the sake of the other.   Do we have the determination and will to do this?  In a culture where moral  standards are getting weaker and relative, the will is weakened as well because conscience is dulled and intellect darkened.  Marriage is special and created for a purpose. Marriage preserves the existence of what we call society.  Sexual union between a man and a woman  is not to be for pleasure only but a cooperation in God's plan for humanity.  

To be equal does not mean to be similar.  We are all equal in dignity, we are all children of God.  But we were not created the same.  Man is different from woman in physical, emotional, social attributes.  Each is different but complementary.  One completes the other.  Gender equality does not mean competing with each other. It's about acknowledging differences and potentials, accepting weaknesses and respecting strengths.  It's when we lose sight of the dignity of the other person, despite the differences,  that we end up in divisions and misguided justifications of one's worth and purpose.

Our Beloved Dead

 What does our Catholic faith say about spirits of our departed loved ones' ability to communicate with us?- Theresa B.

 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church has this to say pertaining to the Communion of Saints: The three states of the Church. "When the Lord comes in glory, and all his angels with him, death will be no more and all things will be subject to him. But at the present time some of his disciples are pilgrims on earth. Others have died and are being purified, while still others are in glory, contemplating 'in full light, God himself triune and one, exactly as he is."  All of us, however, in varying degrees and in different ways share in the same charity towards God and our neighbours, and we all sing the one hymn of glory to our God. All, indeed, who are of Christ and who have his Spirit form one Church and in Christ cleave together. "So it is that the union of the wayfarers with the brethren who sleep in the peace of Christ is in no way interrupted, but on the contrary, according to the constant faith of the Church, this union is reinforced by an exchange of spiritual goods." The intercession of the saints. "Being more closely united to Christ, those who dwell in heaven fix the whole Church more firmly in holiness.... They do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, as they proffer the merits which they acquired on earth through the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus.... So by their fraternal concern is our weakness greatly helped."

Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you after my death and I shall help you then more effectively than during my life.⁴⁹⁴

 I want to spend my heaven in doing good on earth.⁴⁹⁵

 Communion with the saints. "It is not merely by the title of example that we cherish the memory of those in heaven; we seek, rather, that by this devotion to the exercise of fraternal charity the union of the whole Church in the Spirit may be strengthened. Exactly as Christian communion among our fellow pilgrims brings us closer to Christ, so our communion with the saints joins us to Christ, from whom as from its fountain and head issues all grace, and the life of the People of God itself"  We worship Christ as God's Son; we love the martyrs as the Lord's disciples and imitators, and rightly so because of their matchless devotion towards their king and master. May we also be their companions and fellow disciples!   Communion with the dead. "In full consciousness of this communion of the whole Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, the Church in its pilgrim members, from the very earliest days of the Christian religion, has honored with great respect the memory of the dead; and 'because it is a holy and a wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins' she offers her suffrages for them." Our prayer for them is capable not only of helping them, but also of making their intercession for us effective.  In the one family of God. "For if we continue to love one another and to join in praising the Most Holy Trinity - all of us who are sons of God and form one family in Christ - we will be faithful to the deepest vocation of the Church." (CCC Paragraph 5, Section II, 954-959)

The Church believes  that our loved ones are able to intercede for us to obtain our spiritual good.  We are also obliged to pray for them being that they are no longer able to help themselves through their own efforts. 

I can't find an article which talks about communications from the dead in the sense of messages, signs, or other paranormal occurrences.  I have heard of many anecdotal stories from others.  I have not an experience myself.  My personal opinion would be that the realm of the spirit is an unknown world and that anything is possible.

What About Cremation?

 I had someone ask me about the Catholic Churches standing on cremation and do the ashes have to be buried or can they keep them in their homes? I know that cremation is ok now but I wasn't sure about the last part of the question so I thought I would ask you. Thank you for all that you do and especially for saying " yes" to your calling.- Theresa B.


The Catholic Church's stand on proper burial of the dead stems from our belief in the sanctity of the person, whether alive or dead.  We believe that in baptism, each of us became the temple of the Holy Trinity, and therefore sacred.  We give due respect for the body even in death because we also believe in the final Resurrection.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church says this of cremation: "The Church permits cremation, provided that it does not demonstrate a denial of faith in the resurrection of the body."  (Part 3, Life In Christ, Section II, 2301).  The Church prefers that the body be present at the funeral liturgy.  It prefers the liturgical acts of blessing, incensing, and being present in the Church, be celebrated.  The cremation is preferably done just before the burial.  The ashes should be placed in a worthy vessel and should be buried in a cemetery, crypt or mausoleum, and not scattered.  If the family prefers that the body be cremated before the funeral service, there are guidelines to be followed.  I checked this link for you so you can read it for yourself. 

 Vocation Tidbits
Thank you, Sister. I think, especially nowadays, it is a great act of courage and faith to commit to religious life. So, I'm wondering how old you were when you felt the calling to become a nun, and what kinds of obstacles (personal and external) did you have to overcome to enter your vocation?
-James M.

My first awareness of Religious life was in high school.  I went through high school operated by the Pauline Sisters.  I always had a religious tendency, having spent most of my free time from school, with my grandmother when we were sent on vacation during school breaks.  She was very pious and I grew up with memories of her piety and Catholic devotions.  She loved me greatly and was very fond of me.  I thought of being a nun, playing roles of nuns with a towel wrapped around my head.  But the thought came and went, as often happens with teenagers.  I felt a strong pull every time I heard Sister on the radio (they had a radio program) reading the Psalms or other forms of prayers.  When I went to nursing school we did not have Sisters but I lived in a dormitory with the other nursing students.  We had our chapel and I would often spend my free time, mostly at night, in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.  I wrote an essay required as a project, "Missionary Nursing" and I had in mind Sisters who were nurses.  I had my normal circle of friends but looking back at my younger days I was also very sheltered because my father was strict with socials and school.


The first turning point in my life was when our graduating class attended a Group Retreat.  One of our classmates, Tom, was a member of Opus Dei and he invited an Opus Dei priest to give the retreat.  It was a very memorable retreat and I remember experiencing God as the God of Mercy.  Father spoke about the Sacraments especially the Sacrament of Reconciliation, about how God loves us.  I realized how little I have loved God the way He loved me.  I felt that I was only Catholic because I was born Catholic, and that there was so much more that I could have given Him and have not.  It was the beginning of an intense sacramental and devotional life for me.  I was walking one day when I discovered a Carmelite Monastery not far from the Opus Dei Study Center.  I entered and met a nun who made a deep impression on me.  I felt a strong call to be a nun.  I received the brown scapular of Carmel and understood in my heart that I am to be a Carmelite.  The Blessed Virgin Mary was the one who led me to Carmel.  My parents, especially my father, were very much against it mostly because it was cloistered.  But despite his opposition and tensed family situation I entered the monastery when I was 21.  In the course of the three years stay with the nuns, my father never visited me.  My mother, when she came, was constantly crying.  I began to experience interior struggles and in the end I left the cloister.  My father came to pick me up.  During the years that followed, I was purified and my vocation was tested sorely.  But my resolve was strong and the thought of marriage never occurred to me.  I took a private vow of chastity.  I continued to discern with other communities but the thought and attraction to Carmel was very strong.  I eventually found my present Community and celebrated my 15th anniversary as a Perpetually Professed Carmelite Sister recently.  I understood that my vocation was to care for the sick and the dying as a Carmelite Religious.  It was interesting because that was exactly my former Mother Mistress said of me, "God wants you to care for people.  The Bride is not for us."   I still maintain a strong contact with my Discalced Carmelite family and I always give them the credit with my religious formation.  I have written a more extensive vocation story in this blog and so I'm just giving you the tidbits.


God draws souls to Him in mysterious ways.  I realized that when we remain faithful to whatever, and wherever, He is calling us to that He will not abandon us.  He gives the desire and He leaves it up to us to prove to Him our resolve and determination.  I also realized that God has His own time table and that we have to submit and abandon ourselves to His plan.  Mary is truly Mother.  My vocation is owed to her and she truly called me to Carmel.

Mother's Love

It is so appropriate that we read of St. John's Gospel of love on Mother's day:


"As the Father hath loved me, I also have loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love; as I also have kept my Fathers commandments and do abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be filled. This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do the things that I command you. I will not now call you servants: for the servant knoweth not what his lord doth. But I have called you friends: because all things whatsoever I have heard of my Father, I have made known to you. You have not chosen me: but I have chosen you; and have appointed you, that you should go, and should bring forth fruit; and your fruit should remain: that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that you love one another."(John 15:9-17)


It has been said that while both Mother and Father make for a stable home in which children can grow in, it is the mother who is described as the heart of the home.  She is the fire giving warmth to family life, the light that gives the glow, and the heart beating the pulse of family life. "Mother" has the unconditional love which Jesus describes in the Gospel.  A love not looking for returns, sacrificing itself for the good of the other, and  looking always at what is best in her children.  It is  a love which understands, a love patient and  enduring, a love believing and hoping.  I smiled at a poster I saw once: "God is love, but God is in heaven, He instead created Mothers."  Or to that effect--

It is very sad that in our day and age the gift of motherhood is challenged at best and belittled at worst.  It is challenged because some women have moved their priorities away from the center of what truly matters.  Careers have become the goal instead of bringing forth children.  A wrong notion of gender equality has become a crusade instead of discovering within themselves the treasure inherent in being a woman, and therefore motherhood.   A woman was created as a vessel of life, and with that, the virtues and characteristics needed to sustain that life.  As much as it becomes a joke sometimes, a woman is wired differently than a man.  if you doubt that, just think of the last argument you had with a man- brother, father, spouse or boyfriend! She thinks differently, feels differently, reasons differently, and loves differently.  The feminine qualities of God- His tenderness, gentleness, self-effacing, self-sacrificing love and unconditional love, quiet strength and determination, empathy- are all embodied in two words, "Woman" and "Mother." This motherhood is expressed through physical maternity or spiritual maternity.  Where will we all be if it wasn't for our mothers?  We love our fathers, no doubt, but he is not Mom!

For those, like myself, who gave up the joys of motherhood for love of God and His Kingdom, we could not have offered Him any greater gift.  It is because motherhood is a wonderful, singular gift, that it is worth offering to God.  Since this is a gift not given to me, I exercise my motherhood in a different way.  And God, because He is the one who asked for the sacrifice and can never be outdone in generosity, compensates and satisfies me in ways only He can do.

By God's grace, I still have my mother with us.  It was from her that I first learned of the Faith.  She was the one who trained us in devotions and piety.  When I think of her, I think of the days we recited the Rosary together as a family after supper.  She always made sure that we wore our new dresses to Church first before we wore them anywhere else.  This was to bring home the fact that God should be first in everything.  Her fidelity to family life, her forgetfulness of self, her hard work, were testimonies of "agape" that Jesus talked about in the Gospel.  Her simple but deep spirituality animates her life.  It is truly fitting that I ask God to bless her today and everyday of her life! 

Mary, My Mother

 

O Mary, how fortunate I am to call you mine.

My only treasure in this changing world.

Such tenderness... that is your name,

Your gentleness is unsurpassed!

My heart leaps up as I think of you!

And all my sorrows melt like the snow.

With filial longing I turn to you,

Upon your knees I pour out cares only you would know.

A bond between us in time was forged.

Infinite source of blessings untold!

Your eyes ever watchful to snatch me from dangers.

Your ears ever careful to hear silent whispers.

Your hands ever present to touch and to comfort.

My heart so delights in contemplating you.

To know that in heaven I have a Mother like you!

If they only know the love you have for men,

Like me, they too, will be proud of their claim.

When I was small I did not really know you,

To be the Mother you proved yourself to be.

With great solicitude you came and searched for me,

As you did with Jesus on that long journey.

How lucky I am that one day you found me,

That memorable July so imprinted in my memory!

Carmel! Oh how I love her!

To me, you embody my Queen and Lady.

You are forever my destiny, the lot God

Himself has marked out for me.

Deep in your bosom will I cling,

Forever hopeful of the promise you bring.

Deep in your thickets I will not shy away.

For with the thorns lie the beauty of the rose.

Carmel! Mary! To me you are one!

For that simple reason, I am yours,

And you are mine.

Therese said it best with the heart of a child.

"Of heaven and earth, Mary is Queen,

But to me she is Mother, more than a Queen!"

Happy Mother's Day!

The Brown Scapular: It's Modern Day Significance

Carmelite tradition holds that Our Lady appeared to Saint Simon Stock in 1251 and gave him the brown scapular as a sign of Mary’s unceasing pledge of protection upon the Order of Carmel. The Brown Scapular is a “garment of salvation” and all who wear it “will not suffer the flames of eternal fires.” This privilege was extended to all the faithful, not just Carmelites, and the Brown Scapular of Carmel became a favorite sacramental in the Church, along with the Rosary.

Is Jesus Calling You?

As a Religious Sister, I often find myself answering questions posed to me by some inquiring minds. “Why did you become a Sister?” “Did you not want to get married?” “Don’t you like children?” “Why do you wear a habit?” “What do you do in the convent?” “How often do you pray?”
Or some seemingly hostile questions like, “Why are you wasting your life?” “Who is the Pope anyway?” “What is wrong with you?”