The joyful ringing of bells.

We had a new Bishop about a year ago and he's brought about a change that I really love. He's allowing churches to ring their bells before Mass! Our former Bishop, very liberal and known in true irreverent Kiwi style as "Protestant Pete", forbade the ringing of Church bells. He said it would disturb the neighbours. But now, for a few minutes before Mass, the bells can be heard. It gives one such a spiritual uplift. And as an added blessing, at the Latin Mass the bells are also rung during the consecration! What a joy! Thank you God.

The Gift of Prayer

What a blessing prayer is. Yesterday we had some upsetting news about our dearly loved adult grandson E. living in the UK. His parents are being as supportive as they can be from NZ and are in constant touch with him. There seems very little Alex and I can do, and we could feel helpless, but we don't simply because ...we can pray. I went to Mass this morning to pray for him. The Mass had been cancelled but at least I could kneel before the Blessed Sacrament and implore our Blessed Lord to bless him and show him the way forward. What a gift for us and for E, that we can do this because we know Our Lord listens to, and answers, our prayers. I won't stop praying until he does!

Encourage!

I love reading the Bible and read it daily. I am reading the Letter to the Hebrews at the moment and I read this yesterday: "Encourage each other daily..." Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all did this? What a blessing if we all stopped criticising our fellow Catholics and encouraged each other! This is another thing I'm going to work on this year. Rejoice and encourage! Look out world!

Word for the New Year

I was sitting with my two lovely daughters and they began discussing their "Word for the Year". I can't remember what they had each chosen but I'm sure my eldest daughter, the Professor, chose something abstract and esoteric and that my youngest, the Journalist, chose something green and New Ageish. I said nothing although I knew what my word was. That morning I'd been praying about the new year and suddenly I thought "Rejoice". It may not be a very trendy word but it's mine and that's what I'm going to do this year- with God's help.

The First Thing

I don't know where this thought came from but it leapt unbidden into my mind one morning. It's not an original thought, or in any way a new one, in fact St Paul said something similar 2000 years ago, but coming as it did it had a transforming effect on me and it has taken several days for me to digest and treasure it. It was this: When I die Jesus is not going to ask me how many rosaries I've said (and I love the rosary) or if I went to a Latin Mass or even if I was faithful to Church teaching: no, He's going to ask me how much I have loved. He's going to want to know how much I loved Him and how much I loved others. To change St Pauls words: if I have attended a Latin Mass every Sunday and said a hundred rosaries a week it means nothing if I haven't loved. Praise God, deep prayerful thought assured me that I said my rosary and went to the Latin Mass BECAUSE I loved Him so much, but loving MUST come first. Please God I'll never forget this lesson.

Gentle Woman

I love this prayer and pray it often: Gentle Woman, quiet light, Morning star, so strong and bright. Gentle Mother, peaceful dove, teach us wisdom, teach us love.

Loving the Latin Mass.

I went to our beloved Latin Mass today and was musing on the way home how much it has grown since it first started around 18 months ago. In the beginning we often feared we wouldn't reach double figures and on one occasion when Fr.Tom was away on retreat the Bishop stood in for him and the congregation was only 10! The Bishop, who was no fan of the Latin Mass and had only allowed it under pressure, remarked acidly "I can't see why we're doing this". Maybe it was because he wouldn't allow it to be advertised in any way. Now, we get around 30 people and often more and it's a very close and welcoming community. The Mass is said in a small chapel about 20k outside the city, and, oddly enough, most of the congregation are not from the city, in fact there only about 6 of us who are. Most are from small country towns and many drive well over an hour, sometimes two, to get there. Apart from the beauty and holiness of the Latin Mass, and the dignity and devotion of the congregation during Mass, it's inspiring and fulfilling to mix with such loving and dedicated people, I love it. God is good!