A gorgeous morning here. Birds singing in chorus like crazy. A lovely secluded site. Although I leave for mass in town at 9:30 no one else ever seems to be up and about although I am up from around 5am. After mass yesterday a group said the rosary and did so at the correct nice and slow speed. Although I usually like to say it alone I think I will say it with them. I wonder if they have learnt to do the Rosary so well from Marian Sites like Medugorje? In Ireland as I grew up we used to fire of the rosary like a machine gun. One lady at the rosary group was severely handicapped and in a wheelchair; I couldn't help thinking she was very, very special. So many things have to wait for heaven to find out.
Reading the lives of the saints my jaw drops open at the sufferings they endured. For instance the Cure of Ars fainted four times walking over to his last public confessions. Still he went through with them. The Venable Pauline Jaricot, the founder of Propaganda Fide went bankrupt because of a shyster and died a pauper in great pain and slandered like crazy. St Joseph Cafasso was often seen leaning against a wall to stop him falling over he was so exhausted. The saints teach us the impossible becomes possible with the grace of God. They suffered terribly but we're the happiest people in the world. But I think with sufferings there reaches a point in everyone's life when we reach rock bottom, when we drink the Chalice to the dregs, when we climb our own Calvary. This is so evident in the lives of the saints. Without great sufferings our lives can only be at best mediocre. To desire to be a saint is to desire to hang upon the Cross and the Church teaches that we should all of us seek to be saints. This is the very opposite of the way of the world which sees sufferings as the ultimate misfortune.
Wonderful post. I’ve found that the seven sorrows rosary truly opens a door to suffering , and how our sorrows become our salvation.
It was a blessing.. I think I have only gotten to meet five or six forum members down the years. It is surprising to meet people with such a very similar view on the Church, spirituality and the world in general.I always expect to be in a minority of one. I think it was the same when Jesus was born, He and his family were Anawem, little ones, outside the mainstream of Judaism. It's the same today with the Faithful Remnant. Heaven help , for instance the seminarian or novice who has a devotion to the rosary, talks about apparitions of God's Justice, sin and hell.
I must try them. But I don't want t add-on too many devotions at the minute in case I got buried in them all. I think there may be an angelic rosary Iusedto do years ago, I must try and find it.
Not at all Padraig. I was not expecting to go into your Camper especially given the surprise nature of my visit! And your dog might have gotten a bit stressed. In case anyone is wondering, I was in Knock on Fri and Sat but travelled up to Florencecourt on Sat. I prayed for everyone here at Knock.
Sitting in the Caravan with the rain pouring down, as it will be alright. I knew a really wonderful lady called Mandy one time who was always very positive and smiling. I asked her about rain and camping and she said she loved to sit listening to the rain on the roof. What a wonderful way to be .
Hoping we can use our little camper this summer. Lots of health issues to work through. It’s a little Rpod. With a slide out. Only 17 ft long. It’s amazing how much you can cram into a little rig.
Camping is certainly a skill. I am two and a half weeks away now and am learning all the time. I still cannot get the heating on ,which is hard in the cool of early morning and evening. But things are starting to warm weather wise and I will be at Knock , the Marian Shrine next week were I will have heating and hot showers and even a laundry. One of the campers went home yesterday, giving up with the heavy rain. I can't blame her too much. But if rain puts you off in Ireland you're never going to get camping. A very old gentleman in the next caravan cannot go far and wanders round the site with his little dog now and again. He mostly sleeps and watches TV. But it is clear he loves it all. My out door active app took me up a very long stoney little road in the middle of nowhere at the foot of a little mountain yesterday. The young farmer and his wife stared at me like I was mad and when I told them what I was up to. They reminded me of the Walton's. I feel like Star Trek. Boldly going were no man has gone before. But it is very possible my hiking App has gone insane.
Woke up in the middle of the night hearing the rain still poring down in bucket fulls. I had a sinking heart because not sleeping at night means exhausted during the day. A lovely thought came to me to say the Rosary. But I was very much surprised how much this freaked the devil out as I could here him almostvshriak against the idea. Started saying the Glorious Mysteries and fell into a deep, deep sleep during the third one, the coming down of the Holy Spirit. A really, really deep and beautiful, restful deep sleep , so rare as I get older. Thank God for the Rosary. There is a large banner at the top of Church with the 15 promises for those who say the Rosary, I love to read it each morning. Got to Confession with a young priest after Mass yesterday to my delight but deeply sad no one else was there and on a Saturday too. Got a great grace to see the priest as an Alter Christy's, another Christ during the Sacrament. Loving showing of my gorgeous new Rosary beads and openly wave them about hoping some of the country folk will notice and be jealous, they really are a sight those beads. I am taking them to heaven with me when I go.
We rarely venture up to that part of the country. It is a legacy from our past. With the troubles, people from Derry went into Donegal and away from the checkpoints etc. And now to this day in these parts, we pass that on to our kids. The one time I was up that way, we spent a week in a small place called Groomsport. Beautiful. I've always wanted to go back up that way and on round the coast and into the Mournes. Maybe this summer....
To my great dismay, it is (was) largely the good protestant people who kept abortion out of Northern Ireland. Whilst the supposed "Catholic" parties like Sinn Fein and SDLP pushed for it. It truly is an upside down world these days.. Saturday night vigil mass last night. About 50 people in attendance. This great apostasy is in full throttle!
