“The world is charged with the grandeur of God.” This is the first line of one of my favorite poems, God’s Grandeur, written by Gerard Manley Hopkins, SJ. This line is a reminder that no matter what is happening globally or in our daily lives, the world is alive with God’s glory and therefore, His presence. Even if we cannot see it momentarily, or even if we can only see it momentarily, the fact remains that the world is charged with God’s grandeur. We often get so wrapped up in things we are doing, struggles we are experiencing, or perhaps by ‘ingesting’ too much news (some of which is meant to ignite our anger) which subsequently weighs us down, that we lose sight of the grandeur and glory of God. Our attention gets drawn away from God and into emotions or situations, and yet, God is present there nonetheless. The issue is that we simply do not see Him because we are so distracted. However, it is essential to remember that our awareness of Him does not determine the reality of His presence. If we are honest, we must acknowledge that we do this, even if it is momentary, and remember to turn (or return) to the Lord for perspective and guidance. It might help to consider this important reality: God ‘leaves His throne’ daily, in every moment when we seek Him, to come and be with us. He ‘leaves His throne’ to greet us in our personal prayer, in Reconciliation, and in the Eucharist. And in that, the world is indeed charged with God’s grandeur.*

God does not sit passively by, merely watching our lives so that He can judge them in the end. God is involved; He is not a spectator. However, we have free will, as does all of nature, and so while God participates, He does not manipulate. He initiates an invitation, and either we respond positively or ignore it. God never forces our assent, nor does He push His way into our lives, and yet His mercy is always available in an unlimited way. We can pick up the Bible, His Word, and find Him there, speaking a personal message. His glory is written into every page, but His message is for all people throughout time that we might recognize His presence more readily every day. God’s glory, and hence His grandeur, are in His love and mercy offered to us. As Mary proclaimed: “His mercy is from age to age” and “Holy is His name!” (Luke 1:49-50)** Notice that in her prayer of praise and thanksgiving, Mary links God’s mercy with His glory. To proclaim God’s name as holy is to proclaim God’s infinite glory, and perhaps is a reference to Moses who experienced God revealing His name in a way that was beyond human pronunciation or comprehension because of the greatness of His glory and His mercy. (Exodus 34:18-19).***

To be as merciful as God is, is in fact glorious. As Jesus taught, to love and forgive without limit (recognizing our own need to seek healing and forgiveness) is the best way to honor God because we become like Him (holier); thus, forgiveness reveals God’s grandeur. The love with which God forgives us, reveals His glory in a most expressive way because when God comes to us in our lowliness, He is acting in supreme humility, the kind of which we cannot fathom. It is in this unfathomable mercy that His glory lies. Therefore, when we forgive as He does, we glorify Him in the greatest possible way as well. That the Son of God came from His throne in Heaven to take on our humanity is the ultimate mercy which led to the ultimate glory: the Resurrection. God continues to offer mercy to the weak, even to those we, in our lack of vision and wisdom, do not think deserve it; in this is His glory, a glory to which we cannot arise without His grace. We glorify Him when we offer even the tiniest shred of His mercy to someone in need of it. Any action of mercy and love on our part is a joining into His presence, and hence gives Him greater glory than any words of praise could ever express.

God continually ‘stoops from Heaven’ to be present when we call out to Him, but He also speaks unbidden when He sees His children are in trouble. Indeed, He spoke with Moses, Elijah, and the prophets of the Old Testament because of His mercy and love. And He certainly spoke through the entrance of Jesus into the world, through His actions and teaching, and now through His Holy Spirit. Indeed, Jesus is with us “until the end of time.” (Matthew 28:20) Whenever we pray, the entirety of the glory of God comes to be with us, perhaps in a humbler way than we can comprehend as He ‘leaves His throne’ to quietly be present. The God of all glory, whose mercy is unfathomable, desires to be with us in so humble a way because His love is that great. All we have to do is provide our attention, turning our hearts and minds to Him. Next time we pray, let us invite the God of all glory, our merciful God who loves us more than we can imagine, to be present even if we are able to say nothing at all. To sit with the God of the Universe who comes to us is simply enough. And in this, our little spot in this world becomes charged with the grandeur of God.

May we often pronounce Mary’s words of praise, “Holy is His Name!" May we humbly and gratefully open our hearts to the God of Glory and Mercy when He comes during prayer! And may we learn to see with greater clarity the works of God which are full of His Mercy and which reveal His glory! Let us meet in the glory of God! Peace!

                                ©Michele L. Catanese

* Remember, I am speaking metaphorically and therefore I am using hyperbole when I say “God leaves His throne.” Actually, I saw this phrase in an article a while ago and it stuck with me. The truth is that God is present to us at all times and everywhere. I simply want to drive home the point that the Lord and Creator of the entire universe, the Almighty One, does indeed come to us at every moment. That is an almost mind-blowing statement, yet it is Truth.
You can find the text of Hopkins’ poem at https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44395/gods-grandeur

​** I reversed the verses to emphasize a point. It actually reads, “The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear Him.” ~ Mary certainly was familiar with the Psalms, many of which contain verses that connect God’s mercy with His works among us, that is, His presence (His glory). An example is Psalm 145: “Great is the Lord and worthy of much praise, whose grandeur is beyond understanding …. The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in mercy. The Lord is good to all, compassionate toward all your works.” (Ps 145: 3,8-9). One of my favorites is found in Psalm 73: “Yet I am always with you; you take hold of my right hand. With your counsel you guide me, and at the end receive me with honor.” Often to be received with honor is understood as ‘receive me into glory;’ therefore, there is a connection between God’s works (counsel and guidance) and His mercy and glory. ~ There are many examples in the New Testament letters, particularly by St. Paul. Here is one example: “This was to make known the riches of his glory for objects of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory, namely us whom he has called…." (Romans 9:23-24) Of course, Jesus is the ultimate ‘sign’ and embodiment of God’s mercy by His glorious Resurrection, and therefore, gift of salvation, mercifully offered after such betrayal and humiliation. 
*** “Moses said, “Please let me see your glory!” The Lord answered, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim my name, “Lord,” before you; I who show favor to whom I will, I who grant mercy to whom I will.”" (Exodus 34:18-19) Notice that God links His glory and His Name with His mercy.
Images:
1. My photo; God's Grandeur, taken in the Rockies of Colorado.
2. Image; The Hebrew Name of Yahweh-Adam Kadmon, by Fr. William Hart McNichols. You can find this image for purchase in one of many mediums at https://fineartamerica.com/featured/hebrew-name-of-yahweh-adam-kadmon-183-william-hart-mcnichols.html
3. Painting; Works of Mercy, Give Drink to the Thirsty, Welcome the Stranger, by Olivuccio di Ciccarello.
4. My photo; Sunset at Delphi, Greece.
5. Icon; Mary Most Holy Mother of All Nations by Fr. William Hart McNichols. You can find this for purchase in one of many mediums at https://fineartamerica.com/featured/mary-most-holy-mother-of-all-nations-080-william-hart-mcnichols.html
6. My photo; Beautiful Sky, taken near Eptalofos, Greece.

Note: In compliance with GDPR rules, I wish to make it clear that I do not gather any information on any of my readers at any time. 

When we think about the most challenging parts of the Gospels, among the top things that usually come up are forgiving those who have hurt us, making sacrifices, how we serve the poor, and the way God’s justice works, which is ‘above’ our way of thinking. But perhaps one of the most challenging statements in the Gospels does not come from Jesus, but from His mother, Mary. At the wedding in Cana the wine ran out and she turned to Jesus for help. He responded to her with a question, to which she then directed a reply not to Jesus, but to the stewards: “Do whatever He tells you.” While there are many layers to this passage, what Mary enjoined on them is meant for everyone; in fact, these are words essential for our spiritual growth. Her words are challenging, but what she said contains great wisdom which should be reflected upon regularly. This instruction is probably one of the biggest struggles in the spiritual life, since to do whatever Jesus tells us means we have to lay aside our will in order to accept God’s. But if we do heed her word, accepting the wisdom and mercy of God, we will find great peace. Thus, it is important to hear what Mary said, recognize her wisdom, and with the help of grace, take it to heart. 

​In biblical times weddings were events that were celebrated for a number of days, so a lot of wine would have been consumed. In this passage, (John 2:1-11) the wedding hosts ran out. However, this story is not about wine that ran short; it is about Mary encouraging Jesus to begin His ministry. Doing this meant she needed to comply with the will of God.* No doubt, the most important point of the entire passage is that Mary chose to do whatever God told her, something she had been doing since she said yes at the Annunciation. During her encounter with the angel Mary had said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) She freely chose to do the will of the Father in order to bring the Son into the world, and continued to be committed to her promise to do so throughout her life. When the wine situation arose at Cana, Mary discerned that it was time to let Jesus go to do what He came into the world to do. And what she told the stewards to do is exactly what she herself was doing: she set aside her will and did whatever God told her. Did she know she was essentially sending Jesus to the cross? She could not have, since she did not know the future any more than any of us do. But what she did know was that whatever was to happen, it was in the hands of the merciful, loving God whom she served. Because her heart was immersed in Love, she was able to humbly let go.

Lest we think that doing the will of God is about being made into a subservient slave without freedom, think again. We are always free to comply with God’s will or to ignore it, just as Mary was always free to do the same. And while she had an Immaculate Heart, she still had to struggle with discerning God’s desires, just as we do. Therefore, we can draw on her motherly example, saying yes even when we do not understand, by remaining open to God and trusting in His wisdom. First and foremost, we must believe that God loves us and desires that which is best for our well-being. Second, we must accept that His wisdom is above ours. When we do not understand what He is asking or why He is calling us to something, it is in trusting in His wisdom, mercy, and the graces He will give in order to carry out His will, that we will find freedom. That is what this kind of response does: it immerses us in His love and leads to freedom. Finally, Jesus made it clear that He does not consider us slaves, but rather, we are His friends: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends because I have told you everything I have heard from my father.” (John 15:13-15) God continually tells us what He is doing if we but listen.

We are baptized into an intimate relationship with God as His adopted children. But Jesus also treats us as friends, a relationship which is unlike any other type of friendship since He loves us in a perfect, and completely unfathomable way. The friendship to which we are invited by our Lord is an incredible gift. He offers access to everything He has: His Body and Blood, His Holy Spirit, His Father and indeed, His mother. Her Immaculate Heart has always been open to God, that is, it is immersed in Love, and it is this heart that she also opens to us. Just as we share in the intimacy of friendship with Jesus and can enter into His Sacred Heart, we share intimacy with Mary and can enter into her Immaculate Heart for motherly love, guidance, and wisdom. She is continually present to us, ever leading her children into the Heart of Her Son, Jesus.                                                 

May we take to heart the instruction of Mary and always seek to do whatever God tells us! May we utilize the gift of discernment which is a grace from the Holy Spirit! And may we enter into the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Hearts which are always open to us! Let us meet in their loving Hearts! Peace!

                                                                  ©Michele L. Catanese

* Mary did not ask a question of Jesus; she made a statement that they had no wine. Jesus responded to it by asking why that should concern Him. While that sounds dismissive, in fact, He knew she was telling Him to do something that wasn’t about wine, but rather that she was aware that the time had come for Him to begin His ministry. Without dismissing her, (that is, He was fully attentive to what she was saying), He was asking if she was ready to let Him go into a future which would require suffering. Apparently she was, because her answer to Jesus was to address the stewards, thereby enabling Him to work the miracle which acted to ‘inaugurate’ His public ministry. In effect Mary was restating her ‘Yes’ to God, the affirmation she uttered at the Annunciation: she was ‘doing whatever He told her.’ (Mary said yes to God every day of her life, but the three most important were at the Annunciation, at Cana, and at the Cross when she accepted Jesus’ suffering and death without saying or doing anything to keep Him from it.)  

Images:
1. Icon; Mother of God Seat of Wisdom by Fr. William Hart McNichols. If you are interested in purchasing this icon in one of many mediums, go to fineartamerica.com/featured/mother-of-god-seat-of-wisdom-351-william-hart-mcnichols.html
2. Fresco painting; The Wedding at Cana by Giotto. 
3. My photo; ducks in a river. I have imagined that this is a mother duck encouraging her now grown baby to go from the safety of the stick they are sitting on and to trust getting into the water.
4. Print; The Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Artist unknown; this is a traditional depiction of what is sometimes referred to as the Twin Hearts.
5. My photo; a sunset over the Pacific from Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii.


Note: In compliance with GDPR rules, I wish to make it clear that I do not gather any information on any of my readers at any time. 

Given that we are in a Franciscan Jubilee year, it is not surprising that St. Clare of Assisi has come to my attention. I have always loved St. Francis, but on our pilgrimage St. Clare made an impression, particularly her understanding of the power and love contained within the Eucharist. At her convent in San Damiano there is a statue of her holding a monstrance, a tribute to her daring trust in God when the Saracens were attacking, intending to sack the convent in 1240. Praying for protection, she brought the Eucharist to the window, a sight which caused the Saracens to flee. However, the story told by our guide concerning this event was somewhat erroneous. She said that when St. Clare prayed, ill at the time, a huge storm suddenly ensued and the Saracens had to run for cover, and so St. Clare is known as the patron saint of weather. In reality, there was no storm, but rather it was the power of the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist that brought fear into the hearts of the Saracens who subsequently fled: “According to tradition she prayed, ‘Lord, protect these sisters whom I cannot now protect.’ In that moment a mysterious light emanated from the Eucharist, dazzling the invaders and causing them to retreat.” * The details of what happened are actually unimportant, but rather it was her faith in the power of Jesus present in the Eucharist which ought to inspire our faith in receiving it every week or perhaps daily.

The Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus are present in the Sacrament of Eucharist. There is no greater gift than this. On the night before He died, Jesus gave this gift to His disciples as an everlasting gift which He then purchased for us by dying on the cross and rising again. Immediately this gift became obvious and brought forth joy, beginning with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus who experienced Jesus in this way. Therefore, the Church has treasured this gift since it was given because Jesus, who left His Holy Spirit to guide us with His gifts, left His physical presence as well, made so when the priest prays the words of consecration at each and every Mass. This gift of love is so enormous that we are unable to fully comprehend it. As Pope Benedict XVI taught, “God came to earth in the person of Jesus, true God and true man, to become what He created and then to raise us up to Him.” St. John recorded that Jesus continually repeated that He and the Father are One. ** Thus, we are continuously raised up to Him, also as one, in the living, physical presence of God in the Blessed Sacrament. How could anyone not accept this gift?

For both St. Clare and St. Francis, (who inspired Clare to devote her life to Christ), the Eucharist was a source of unity. They saw in it the self-giving of the crucified Christ as the gift of One for the many; they saw not only unity for us with one another, but unity with God Himself. For Francis, the bodily-ness of the Eucharist was not just something he grasped through his prayer and faith, but he shared in it through the wounds he bore for the last few years of his life, (the stigmata). Called to embody Christ’s love in word and deed, God first sent him to lepers, though sometimes he was sent to those with power; but truly his work was rooted in sharing the love of Christ with the lowly, of whom he considered himself one. He lived as a lowly beggar by embracing poverty, and yet he was bold enough to organize his followers into a community and to face the mighty. Throughout his ministry, Francis was always invited into the wounded Christ through suffering with love so intense that eventually he was drawn as deeply as possible into it in his body through the stigmata.

As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ it is important to contemplate the power of the Eucharist, not just in Saints like Francis and Clare, but to actually consider what the Eucharist really is. The Eucharist is the presence of Christ and therefore, it is Love seen with our own eyes, tasted within our mouths, and which enters our hearts and souls, regardless of whether we ‘feel’ anything. The Eucharist is the presence of God and is a reality so deep it goes beyond the senses where our experience of it begins. It is both the ‘result’ of the greatest act of love in the history of creation and it truly is Love itself because the Eucharist is the fullness of the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. We are invited into that love daily and in that love is the source of the unity Jesus prayed for on the night He died. Not only did He pray for unity, He gave it to us in the form of His dying and rising, found in the Sacrament itself. We are meant to receive of that, and then to give from the wellspring of love we receive. Just as God sent St. Francis to the poor as well as the powerful, and just as God sent St. Clare as a beacon of faith and unity, so too are we sent into the world to live the faith we profess and the love we receive. *** In the Eucharist our faith, hope, and love are renewed. Jesus, I trust in you!

May we never take the power and reality of the Eucharist for granted! May we turn to the Holy Spirit frequently to enable the gifts we have been given! And may we imitate the Saints, such as Francis and Clare, in our pursuit of holiness expressed through the love we receive from the Lord in the Eucharist! Let us meet in the Eucharist! Peace!

                  ©Michele L. Catanese

Notes: Some of the insights in the third paragraph come from the book Clare of Assisi: A Heart Full of Love, by Sr. Ilia Delio, O.S.F., (particularly pages 82 and 83).

* Though some do claim St. Clare as the patron saint of weather, that particular patron is said to be St. Medard, a saint from northern France (d. 545 AD). St. Clare is actually the patron of TV (!) because during the time of her illness, she was bedridden and yet was able to see the Mass coming from the cloister ‘transmitted’ to the wall of her cell. https://catholicsaints.info/saint-clare-of-assisi/
The quote is from https://www.lettersfromthesaints.com/blog/st-clare-of-assisi-and-the-miracles-of-the-eucharist-the-mass-and-the-bread?srsltid=AfmBOopxJ3gk4Ks1S8j_iKafTXGN_MbGDABc8YV9ThcM_H0cPydkBykK
** This is a paraphrase of the teaching of Pope Benedict XVI. In reference to John’s Gospel, the entire Last Supper Discourse is centered around unity: the unity the apostles needed to have, the unity of the Son with the Father, and the unity He prayed that we, the Church throughout time, would have. (John 13-17)
*** St. Francis had such reverence for the Holy Eucharist and such great humility, that he remained a deacon and was never ordained a priest. It is said that he held the Eucharist as something so precious, that he never felt worthy of the gifts of the priest who through the grace of ordination is able to consecrate the elements that become Eucharist. However, it is also likely that he simply was not called to be a priest, but rather to be a deacon. – St. Clare was ‘sent’ insofar as the restrictions of the time allowed. She, and all women religious, had to live in a cloistered convent, but the doors were always open to the poor for food, shelter, education, and even healthcare.

Images:
1. My photo; St. Clare holding the monstrance with the Holy Eucharist. This was taken at her convent in San Damiano, Italy.
2. My photo; monstrance used by St. Padre Pio, San Giovanni Rotando, Italy. I took this photo twice and both times I could not eliminate the reflection on the glass case from the light in the museum. It does make for an 'interesting' photo, symbolically speaking.
3. Icon; St. Francis - Viriditas, by Fr. William Hart McNichols. This icon is a diptych panel which is part of a larger work, Viriditas - Finding God in All Things. If you are interested in obtaining a copy, it is found at fineartamerica.com/featured/viriditas-finding-god-in-all-things-william-hart-mcnichols.html
4. Painting; The Good Samaritan by Vincent van Gogh. I chose this because it depicts unity: a Samaritan ministering to a Jewish man who was beaten by robbers, the subject of a parable told by Jesus. (Luke 10:29-37) Samaritans and Jews usually had great disdain for one another.
5. My photo of a painting; The Communion of the Apostles by Luca Signorelli. This is found in St. Margaret of Cortona Church, Cortona, Italy.

​Note: In compliance with GDPR rules, I wish to make it clear that I do not gather any information on any of my readers at any time.