Monday, February 15, 2016 Presidents Day
Isaiah,
Chapter 8, verse 12-13
12 Do not call conspiracy what this people
calls conspiracy, nor fear what they fear, nor feel dread. 13 But conspire with the LORD of hosts; he
shall be your fear, he shall be your
dread.
Because
Isaiah and his followers resisted the official policy of seeking help from
Assyria they were labeled “conspirators”; Isaiah uses the term to express what
is really the case, cooperating with the Lord. When we see the
word “conspire” we think of spies and covert operations; yet if we check the synonyms
of the word it takes on a whole different meaning: combine, unite, collaborate, collude, contrive, devise, machinate and
work together. The greatest of our church is that we when we are troubled
and don’t know what to do we can always approach Him in prayer and seek the
advice of his elders (Mary and the Saints) anywhere we are. If we desire we may
also approach our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel and bring any case that
is too difficult for Him to hear and He will answer us. Likewise we may
approach a priest in confession or connect with a local parish spiritual
director. How great is our God that He does not abandon us. Furthermore there
is a multitude of great Catholic websites where there are elders of the church
who can assist us in our difficult moments.
The fear of the LORD is
pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the LORD are true, all of them just.
(Ps. 19:10)
Presidents Day
In America, we have until now had no fear in worshiping Him in holiness and
righteousness. In fact the model in America since its founding has been one of “Many
religions, but one covenant”.
We are certainly a blessed people because we as a
whole have not abandoned the covenant, nor shall we if the vision of George
Washington at Valley Forge is true. In it he saw that American would remain
true to our creator.
"Son of the Republic…Three great perils will
come upon the Republic. The most fearful
is the third, but in this greatest conflict the whole world united shall not
prevail against her. Let every child of the Republic learn to live for his God,
his land and the Union." With these words the vision vanished, and I
started from my seat and felt that I had seen a vision wherein had been shown
to me the birth, progress, and destiny of the United States.[1]
Posture and Prayer[2]
We are
composed of body and soul, “every part of
the body is an expressive instrument of the soul. The soul does not inhabit the
body as a man inhabits a house, It lives and works in each member, each fiber,
and reveals itself in the body’s every line, contour and movement.” Our bodies
communicate respect or contempt. By our gestures and the way we comport
ourselves we confirm his presence. We are “ensouled” bodies as much as we are
embodied souls. We should always move as the Church directs us: sit, stand, bow,
kneel, strike the breast, make the Sign of the Cross, all in due time. The scriptures
speak of several postures of prayer: 1) Standing 2) Kneeling 3) bowing 4)
prostrating.
Standing.
Standing gives the expression to the prayers
of our heart. Standing is a sign of vigilance and action acknowledging that we
are the warriors of God; as a soldier on duty. A Knight always stood in the
presence of the King or Judge. Standing was a sign of deference and trust. We
acknowledge that none of our weapons or self-defenses can repel Him for He
alone is all powerful and all knowing. We are vulnerable in His presence. Military
officers know that comportment has serious consequences. Soldiers tend to live
up, or down to the way they carry themselves. That’s why there are strict rules
about how a soldier should stand when at attention. Bad posture is bad for the
spine and communicates disrespect for ourselves and others. Standing expresses
the filial liberty given us by the risen Christ, who has freed us from the
slavery to sin.
Kneeling.
Kneeling is the prayer posture of mothers,
rulers, lepers, and Jesus himself. Kneeling is the side of worship that is at
rest and is quiet; “I bow my knees before the Father”. (Eph. 3:14) Kneeling
expresses the recognition of our humility before the Almighty Lord (Phil 2:10).
Kneeling is associated with reverence, submission and obeisance. Kneeling
renders a person defenseless and unable to flee and shows a trust in a
power beyond the merely human.
Bowing or
Genuflecting. Bowing or genuflecting is an act
of showing recognition of our God. It is adoration. In bowing or genuflecting
we show our faith in the real presence of Jesus Christ in the sacrament of the
altar. To me every knee shall bow, every
tongue shall swear.
Prostration.
In prostration a person lies face down upon
the ground. We are connected to the earth from which we came. Prostrations are
reserved for most solemn moments, such as the ordination of a bishop or priest.
Remember our Lord prostrated Himself in the garden of Gethsemane. The posture
indicates the candidate’s inadequacy for the task to which he has been called.
Recall our Lord asking the Father to take to cup…but not my will but thine. Our
body expresses self-emptying.
Sitting. We spend a lot of time in church sitting; by this position we show our
receptiveness and our willingness to listen and take the Word of God.
Worship Him
and give Him all your heart, mind, soul and will!
[2]
Hahn, Scott, Signs of Life; 40 Catholic Customs and their biblical roots. Chap.
10. Posture.
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