Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Ten Hail Mary's

After work, I stopped off at the Redemptorist Monastery for confession; and was kept waiting for 20 minutes! I'm afraid I made a complaint... Anyhow, the confessor gave me ten Ave's for (unrelated) sins, and the extra waiting gave me a chance to finish off a lot of Office.

And how amazing, that by the voice of the priest my sins should be absolved on earth, and so in heaven; and that the frightful endless punishment due to my sins should be remitted; and that my act of satisfaction should be something in the eyes of the world so slight, but in power and consequence so mighty - the imploring the prayers of Blessed Mary, Mother of God and Virgin. For as God was pleased to bring into the world His Son, our Saviour, as God and Man through her and at her consent, so He is pleased to distribute the graces of His Son's Passion through her, who is full of grace, the throne of grace.

Hail, Mary,
full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
Jesus.

Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now
and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

After being laved in the Lamb's Blood, I went and donated some of mine - this evening was my 28th blood donation via the Australian Red Cross. If He poured out every drop for me, that I might have supernatural life and not death, ought I not spare some of mine to help the natural lives of my fellows? It is one of my few good deeds, and I write this not to brag (which would be silly anyway, since it's hardly a big ask to give blood) but to persuade others to donate too, since this would help supply the continual need for clean blood and blood products. (Apparently, in other, more benighted countries, donors are paid to give blood - which seems almost immoral to me and obviously productive of dangers to the blood supply from desperate and/or unscrupulous persons, who shouldn't donate but do so to get cash.) Here in Australia, blood donation has always been unpaid and voluntary; I encourage all to donate who can.

Oh, and today is the feast of St Barnabas the Apostle, the "son of consolation". God, of course, is the God of all consolation (cf. II Cor. i, 3-4: which is the ferial capitulum at Vespers every night except Saturday, a very blessing of God at the beginning of the second half of the Hour), our great Consolation; His Son (cf. I St John ii, 1), and His Spirit (cf. St John xiv, 16), our Advocates, Comforters, and Counsellors. Gloria Trinitati!

No comments: