Smothers Brothers: "Poor Wandering One/Dueling Banjos"

As this blessed week draws to a close, I offer this version of the Smothers Brothers (with the Boston Pops Orchestra) presenting "Poor Wandering One"/"Dueling Banjos":

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of the smiles we receive each day.

Fr. John Kiley on Dust Off Our Bibles

"The scriptural commentary on the New Testament found in the authorized New American Bible suggests that the Magnificat, traditionally considered to be Mary's hymn of praise in response to her cousin Elizabeth's warm greeting, might possibly have been a hymn in circulation among early Jewish converts to Christianity. The hymn, now recited at daily Evening Prayer throughout the Church's liturgical year, abounds in Old Testament references. The lengthier song of Hanna in the First Book of Samuel (2:1-10) is almost an exact anticipation of Mary's verses. The writings of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Job and Micah each have similar lines and parallel phrases. . . .

"Whether the Magnificat was a spontaneous outburst of joy on the part of Mary as an expectant mother or whether it was a pious reflection of the later early Jewish Christian community grateful for redemption, the canticle certainly leads to one observation: somebody knew the Bible. . . ."

In a recent commentary, Father John A. Kiley reflected on the importance of reading the Bible devoutly and regularly.

To access Fr. Kiley's complete column, please visit:

The Rhode Island Catholic: The Quit Corner: It's time for us to dust off our Bibles (11 AUG 22)

Reflection Starter from Harvey Ball

"The catch phrase for the day is 'Do an act of kindness. Help one person smile.'" - Harvey Ball

Louis Théodore Gouvy: Symphony No. 1 in E flat major

It's time for some classical music. This is a presentation of Louis Théodore Gouvy's Symphony No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 9 as played by the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern, conducted by Jacques Mercier:

 

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of wounded healers in our lives.

Becoming a Wounded Healer

The late Catholic priest Father Henri Nouwen wrote, 'Nobody escapes b­eing wounded. We all are wounded people, whether physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. The main question is not "How can we hide our wounds?" so we don't have to be embarrassed, but "How can we put our woundedness in the service of others?"' This statement gets to the heart of a profound truth about Christ, who shows us how to turn woundedness into a healing power. Nouwen writes, 'Jesus is God’s wounded healer: through His wounds we are healed. Jesus' suffering and death brought joy and life. His humiliation brought glory; His rejection brought a community of love.'

The world teaches us to hide our woundedness out of fear of being ridiculed or taken advantage of by others, but Christ shows us a different path. He shows us how woundedness can be utilized to bring about change and to help others who are suffering. Consider the difference we make in the lives of others when, rather than hiding our suffering, we share stories that reveal our own fragility. It makes people feel understood in their own suffering and able to open up about their problems. This is a dynamic that produces healing for everyone involved.

Our newest Christopher News Note "Becoming a Wounded Healer" details the story of psychologist Dr. Richard B. Patterson, who changed his life after reading Father Nouwen's book The Wounded Healer.  Dr. Patterson realized that he was an addict and needed to get clean, so he began to walk the hard road to sobriety, experiencing along the way the many layers of truth found within the wisdom expressed by Father Nouwen. In a piece for Franciscan Media, Dr. Patterson wrote, "What I've come to see is that wounded healers offer many things: knowledge, resources, and creative problem solving. But what they offer more than anything else is that most elusive, yet most important, spiritual and psychological experience: hope."

Wounded healers offer hope by showing people how to persevere. They are living witnesses to the resilience of the human spirit, and they are living witnesses to our ability to walk in the footsteps of Christ by turning the tables on suffering. The way we join Christ in this miraculous process of turning the tables on suffering is to use it for the benefit of others by allowing our wounds to be seen and allowing others to take inspiration from our will to embrace the gift of life even amid tragedy.

The concept of the wounded healer dates back to an ancient Greek legend of a god who received a wound that would not heal yet also would not kill him due to his immortality, and so, overflowing with compassion, he roamed the earth healing others. And Plato also referenced wounded healers, declaring that those who have suffered make the best physicians.

As is so often the case with the wisdom of the ancients, we see humanity's longing for the answers only Christ could provide, because it is in Christ that we see the most thorough transformation of defeat into victory, and we join in this same transformation when we lay our suffering bare for the healing of others.

We don't need to be perfect to reach out to people in their hour of need. We simply need the humility to recognize our own imperfections and to have those imperfections laid bare as we extend a helping hand. In this way, we show how compassion transforms us even amid our suffering.

This essay is a recent "Light One Candle" column by Father Ed Dougherty, M.M., The Christophers' Board of Directors ; it is one of a series of weekly columns that deal with a variety of topics and current events.

Background information:

The Christophers

Reflection Starter from Leo Tolstoy

"People try to do all sorts of clever and difficult things to improve life instead of doing the simplest, easiest thing - refusing to participate in activities that make life bad." - Leo Tolstoy

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals: "White Rabbit"

One of the treasures of New England is the great variety of music in our region. Some of this music (of whatever genre) is provided musicians from the region; other music is provided by artists visiting the region from other areas.

One such example is the Vermont-based rock band Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.

Background information:

Wikipedia: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Grace Potter

In this video, the band is presenting "White Rabbit":

 

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the blessings You have planned for us during the month of September.

Fr. Jack Loughran, OSFS, on Embracing the Opportunity of a New Month

"Today, September 1, and next Monday, Labor Day, mark the unofficial end of summer and the beginning of fall. Often this is a time in which people set new goals and begin new adventures. Students start new semesters at this time of year, some heading off to college, choosing activities and academic and social goals to guide their year. Parents face empty nests with a new slate of options, a new way of being each day. Farmers intensify their efforts in harvesting. Retail stores shift from summer merchandise to fall clothing; just last week I saw Christmas merchandise at the local Costco! Even nature joins in the transformation as leaves change color, days and nights cool down, and birds head south.

Saint Francis de Sales wrote in a letter: At the beginning of each month, ask for divine inspiration and put yourself in the presence of God. Imagine yourself to be a poor servant sent by God into this world as into His own house. Indeed, it is Him who put you here, and so we should approach Him with humility. . . ."

In a recent commentary, Father Jack Loughran, OSFS, reflected on the guidance from Saint Francis de Sales. and on the importance of letting the beauty of his insight fill our hearts with gratitude and of embracing the "opportunity to enter more fully into God's plan for you with great optimism and joy."

To access Fr. Loughran's complete post, please visit:

De Sales Weekly: Provincial's Reflection: Salesian Seasons (1 SEP 22)

Reflection Starter from Viktor Frankl

"Don't aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one's surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it. I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge. Then you will live to see that in the long-run - in the long-run, I say! - success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think about it." - Viktor E. Frankl