Don't Swear Like That ~ Part 2

It is becoming the time of year when I get busy! I'm not able to post as often, but I am still checking in on my favorite bloggers.

My last post on swearing stopped short because long blogs are a turn off for some. The gist of that post is a loss of reverence for the Name of God. For the Jews, His Name was too sacred to be heard outside the holiest courts of the temple. We see in Sacred Scripture where Christ's Name hurled demons from their victims. Today His Name still holds our hope and His Holy Spirit embodies all that is Holy! How many times have we heard "holy" in front of "unholy" words?

On page 26 of this booklet, I read "Whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name," He promised, "that will I do." This is the authority of Jesus.

Further, His name ... strong enough in its utterance to open the gates of heaven and to touch the very heart of the eternal Father. (Now that's what I call power!!!)

No wonder the Apostles began to preach and work miracles, "in His name."

How profound do you find the next paragraph? It would be interesting to know just how the Holy Name of Jesus Christ came to pass from this glorious and powerful invocation to the casual, contemptuous, and sinful use current in the world today. A dreadful sort of parody on prayer seems to be involved in the distortion. It is as if a brilliant enemy of Christ had taken the name of the Savior and twisted it to the most frivolous and debased uses.

Soon, quite too soon the Holy Name became the common "curse" word of men and women who hated Christ, no longer believed in Him, or regarded Him as of no importance. And so it has remained to this day.

Originally the Holy Name was meant to be used to work miracles of grace upon the world. It was a name for blessings. It was the name that rang with the certain hope of God's loving bounty and protection.

It looks like Part 2 will not be the end of this subject. For myself, I feel like reflecting on the above words from this little booklet. Words have power to heal and to hurt. Even the seemingly innocent "gee" used in the show Leave it to Beaver referred to the big "G" of God. I know I need to stop and think of the use of God's name, even in saying "Oh my God." It seems harmless, but I'm saying His Holy Name without thought and without meaning. Our Lord deserves so much more than my careless and thoughtless use of His Name. He suffered out of a great love for us, and we should remember this always!
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Our Almighty Father, our Precious Jesus and our Most Holy Spirit, thank you for knowing each of our names and lovingly calling us by our names. Help us to realize when we are thoughtless, and help us to bring others back to the Power of Your Name and and the Name of Your Love. Amen

In Relation to Eternity ~ Carmelite Jubilee

This past weekend, my dad and I had the pleasure of attending the 50^th Jubilee of a dear woman named Sister Mary Joan. This Carmelite nun is Sister Mary of the Angels. No matter how much time passes before I see her, I always feel a kinship with her. Believe me I let “way” too much time pass.

Some of the descriptive words I’ve heard used for Sister are ~ precious, childlike, sweet and joyful. I have to agree with that description. There is no doubt she is a woman, but her sweet nature and faith reminds us Jesus calls us to be childlike so that we may enter into His Kingdom. Some people don’t understand the use of the term “childlike.” It doesn’t mean childish. It means a pure trust in God, seeing good in others, choosing to love, and finding joy in all creation.

At her reception I told her my Guardian Angel must have been whispering to me earlier that morning. On the way to pick up my dad, I was thinking of Mary and Martha. I thought about how Sister Mary Joan was like Mary, spending time with Jesus. As a Carmelite we think of her praying, reading, sacrificing and studying. Then I thought about how she was like Martha. She has her discipline which includes duties and service too. Every time we hear the story of Martha and Mary, it should cause us to think of our relationship with Christ. Myself, I’m lazy. I know I would be on the floor listening to Jesus while someone else busied about serving everyone else. I often wonder if Jesus is saying there is a time to serve and a time to listen. He didn’t chastise Martha. He just said Mary chose the best. Maybe focusing on Jesus causes everything else to fall into place.

Why did I think my Guardian Angel was whispering that day? The Gospel reading was on Martha and Mary which I believe was chosen by Sister. The priest remarked about the same thing with the contemplation of Mary and the service of Martha.

Finally I thought about our time here on earth as opposed to eternity. Here Sister Mary Joan has virtually given a lifetime to Our Lord. Her love for Him, her love for us, her service to Him and her service to us is a path that it seems few choose these days. Her example is one reminding us to take some time to be quiet and reflect. Her example is one reminding us to serve with love, however and whenever called. Thanks to God for Sister Mary Joan and the other Sisters at the Carmelite Monastery. Thank God for our brothers and sisters who have chose a life of religious service. I love you more than you can know, and I believe many others feel the same. We just fail to tell you or don’t tell you enough.

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Everyone please remember to pray for more vocations.

Missing You!!!

Hi all,

I'm missing you, and I only have a moment to send out a quick post. It seems to be that time of the year where everything is happening. Last weekend I was out of town, this weekend I'm attending a wonderful lady's jubilee (Carmelite Nun), and the next weekend there is a birthday we're invited to join. You know how it goes on and on!

Anyway, I just want to say I'm praying for all of you, and I hope to have the chance to read some of your posts (for those who blog) soon!

God bless you and keep you precious ones!!!

A Revisit

In honor of my Guardian Angel, I am linking to an earlier post.

Click here...Thank you Guardian Angel

A Gift of Today

This morning, for some reason, I thought today was Monday. My scattered self ended up at the gym without my workout gear, so I left. Then on the way home I was pulled over for speeding. (This is kind of funny because people accuse me of driving like a little old lady.) My insurance card was expired. The insurance is current, but the card was not. Thankfully, that all worked out, and I’m off the hook. Then I stopped to gas up the car, only to realize I pulled up to the pump on the wrong side. I moved and ended up heading for the same pump as a young man in a truck. He waved me on. He was still waiting on a pump when I left. I said a quick prayer for him and wondered if his parents know what a nice young person they’ve raised. The phone rang, and a sweet lady asked me why I was late for my 1:00 appointment. I thought it was at 2:00. Anyway that all worked out too. The best thing was I didn’t get rattled by any of it. It has been a beautiful day, cool and crisp. One of my cats is walking all over me, and the world seems right.

Maybe today is a gift for the celebration of my patron Saint’s day, St. Therese. It is definitely a gift from God. I think I’ll go enjoy some more cat and me time. I hope your day has been a good one and if not, I pray tomorrow will be better!

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The cat in the photo is one of our four! Her name is Daisy. :)

"Don't Swear Like That!"

Following up my last post.

Recently I found a booklet titled “Don’t Swear Like That!” by Daniel A. Lord, S.J. Inside the cover I found The Imprimi potest, Nihil obstat, Imprimatur and Copyright 1943.

First of all, when using the word curse, we have to remember the definition of the word. It is an action or desire of bringing evil or misfortune on someone.

Now to the booklet! I was surprised to find the following statement on page 12. “As a matter of fact the constant use of the oaths and curses have resulted in their losing all meaning.” I didn’t realize so much cursing was going on in the 1940’s. But this is a true statement. The more a word is said the more it is accepted. Even the word “pregnant” was taboo. My grandmother was horrified when she first heard it said in general conversation. She was accustomed to “expecting” or “in the family way.”

This booklet also covered the use of the name of God and Jesus Christ alone. How often do we hear or say “Oh my God!” Someone once told me; when we say this, think of it as our lips to God’s ear. The point is, don’t say His precious name in such a frivolous manner. On page 14, “Such usage is the sign of a complete lack of faith. God means nothing…Christ has lost all value in their eyes. So the Holy Names are tossed about in careless indifference.” It further states even gee whiz is a parody on Jesus Christ, and the origin is soon forgotten.

Words full of meaning become meaningless, page 16. “G-d damn you!” or “G-d damn him!” say the thoughtless modern man and woman. If we…thought of what the phrases meant, we might drop them forever from our vocabularies. And on page 19…It was left for thoughtless people of succeeding ages…to take that horrible curse and make it part of the most commonplace speech.

Finally, why don’t we use the reverse? Why don’t we say “God bless” instead of “G-d damn?” Or we could say “Go to heaven” instead of “Go to hell!” Maybe we don’t say the kind words because of the impact we desire.

There is more, and I will continue on my next post. But here is something to think about. This is basically covering curse words! What about those words that don’t carry a curse, but fall under the title? What about words which should really fall under obscene or vulgar?

Note: I have a real problem with GD, but I was typing from the booklet.

What is Your Take on Cursing?

I found an old booklet on swearing, and I've been reading it when I get a chance. I plan to post some of what I find when I finish it. But, I'm curious or nosey...

What do you think about foul language?