We received the following letter from a friend in response to this week’s program called the “Socialist Worldview and You” with Samuel Gregg.  She gave us persmission to post it anonymously.  The letter is very eye opening because it comes from the perspective of someone who fled a communist country to live in a “free” country.  She see’s “the shadows” of communism growing in our country and hopes that if she shares her story, perhaps it will inspire us to do what we can to strengthen our faith in God and to pray even more fervantly against it.  

“I recently read your note about communism and I thought I should share this with you…

I’ll try to make it brief, which is almost impossible, but I think I have to share a little bit of what I lived, so we can all pray harder that this doesn’t come to America, land that I love so much (Having being born and lived in a communist country myself when I was a child). May Our Good Lord spare us from the horror of communism, although I already recognize its shadows in here. (I wouldn’t want myself or my family to go through it a 2nd time)…

The most important thing that I advice is that we need to learn to be strong in our faith.  My father was denied superior education because he said he believed in God; some of his friends were not that strong.

"Finally, my Immaculate Heart will triumph."

When I was a little girl in grammar school, I and some others were ridiculed in front of the class for going to Church on Sundays, and even questioned like thieves or criminals and threatened by the school principal. My brother and I never participated in Communist school activities (which they had on Sundays, on purpose, and were mandatory), my parents didn’t take us, they didn’t fear communists at all and always made clear to my teachers that we were NOT to attend because we would go to Church on Sundays. It takes a lot of courage to do that.

Now, they are trying to get a bit more open towards religious expression in Churches only because people are beginning to rebel after more than 50 years of repression and government has a tactic: let the steam of the valve come out a little to avoid explosion. (to avoid massive rebellion).

I just hope that if those times come to me again, I can be as strong as my parents taught me, to put Christ first, no matter what the consequences.

My mother witnessed, at the beginning of the revolution, how they shot to death someone for shouting: “Long live Christ the King”. We don’t know yet, what it means to live in religious persecution, you either are with them or against them with consequences that can cause you prison and death.

Those people who rely solely on Catholic schools to impart religious education on their children and do nothing at home, will not survive in their faith in a communist society; their children will simply be swept away by the culture because there are no religious or Catholic or any denomination schools in communism. All is Public education and homeschool is not allowed, only under certain conditions of illnesses.

About food, intake per month, per family is controlled by the government; you can only purchase what you are allowed in a given month through a control card.
Now, they are letting the common people buy some things at stores that are only designated for tourism, but they can only buy them if relatives send them money from foreign countries, the average Cuban salary of a professional (EX: doctor) is not even enough to eat. That’s how the people in that Communist Island has survived for so long and are not dead of famine on the streets.

I don’t think that they’ll try to make it that obvious in here or any other part of the world. They’ll try to make people want it. This is what they call socialism of the 20th century. They’re trying to blend everybody together to the point of making it almost punishable to practice your own faith, just to avoid hurting others. They’re trying to make it “common sense” to be atheist. It’s the same concept, but with different ways of approaching it, but the bottom line is the same: Communist philosophy is Atheism; they teach children in school that God doesn’t exist. They taught it to me, but thanks to God for the parents He gave me…

The “green” movement is nothing else but the same control by the government, same thing with a different road to approach it. You cannot buy this or that because it “hurts” the environment; instead of having the government control you and get rebellion as a result, they’ll make you beg them to control you (making people want it), see it? Same thing, but with different approach.

What I told you about my experiences is just very little, not even a 10% of all the evil that communism brings. So, I just shared this, to please ask you to request your friends, relatives, everyone you know to bend our knees even harder and pray for this, our beloved America and for us, so the Lord makes us strong to unite together against it. I’m sure you figured out that the country I’m talking about is: Cuba.

Johnnette, I share this with you through private email, because even though I have lived in this free country for more than half my life, and I am proud to be an American Citizen and this is now my land, that I defend and pray for, but I still have engraved in my soul and in my mind the memory of repression and the fear of expressing these type of things. I know there are many communists in this country that will have no problem acting with retaliation. I also have many relatives in Cuba and others that live here and go often to visit them, and I wouldn’t want them to be punished.

You can share it if you want in any way you desire, but please, don’t mention my name.  Thanks and God bless you.”

We know that Our Lady has given us her weapon of chioce, the Holy Rosary.  Let’s use it!

The ideal woman isn’t a glamour queen. She’s a faithful, loving, resourceful woman whose value is beyond measure.   

Solomon’s ideal woman is not often found today, but my mom was the epitome of the Proverbs 31 woman. Somehow she managed to fill all the qualities of the woman Solomon described.

Verses 10-12: “When one finds a worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls. Her husband, entrusting his heart to her, has an unfailing prize. She brings him good, and not evil, all the days of her life.” 

She was always taking care of us kids. My dad never had any fears. He knew the home front was taken care of. Dinner was ready as soon as he walked in the door and we ate together as a family.

Verses 13: “She obtains wool and flax and makes cloth with skillful hands.” 

Author's mother, Jeri Doner

Mom was an avid seamstress and raising three girls put her talents to good use. I remember one hot summer night I was preparing to take a bath. I brought down my winter pajamas to wear.

“Don’t you have anything else?  It’s too hot for those!”   She said.

I didn’t have anything else, because like all kids my age, I was growing faster than mom’s production of new clothing. I didn’t think any more if it and went to take a bath. When I came out, mom said, “You’re too fast. I didn’t finish.”  She held up a nearly finished green gingham nightie, perfect for sleeping on hot summer nights, that she sewed for me while I was in the tub!

Verses 14-16: “Like merchant ships, she secures her provisions from afar. She rises while it is still night, and distributes food to her household.  She picks out a field to purchase; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.” 

Mom provided food for our family through her resourcefulness. We had a large garden every summer that produced most of the vegetables we ate all year. During the summer mom would send all four of us kids with buckets to scour the countryside for the fruit that grew wild there. We would come home with loads of black raspberries, elderberries, pears, apples and plums, which were then canned, frozen or turned into jams or pies. Thanks to mom no matter how tight things may have gotten financially, a food shortage was never a problem.

Verses 17-19: “She is girt about with strength, and sturdy are her arms. She enjoys the success of her dealings; at night her lamp is undimmed. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her fingers ply the spindle.” 

Mom was always busy. Her lamp literally did not go out some nights and she would often be found at her sewing machine making something for one of us girls or in the kitchen baking cookies or cupcakes for class parties at school.

Verse 20: “She reaches out her hands to the poor, and extends her arms to the needy.” 

Even though we could easily have been considered poor when we were young, there was always enough for others who were in need. If we brought home a friend unexpectedly, there was always enough food to go around. I don’t know how she did it. I often wondered if she had come into possession of the widow’s jar of oil, the one that never ran out. 

Verses 21-22: “She fears not the snow for her household; all her charges are doubly clothed. She makes her own coverlets; fine linen and purple are her clothing.” 

Mom is literally described here in these two verses. Not only was she busy sewing dresses that us girls needed for school and church, she made quilts for all our beds and many of them had our favorite colors, or scraps leftover from the dresses she’d sewn for us.

Verse 23: “Her husband is prominent at the city gates as he sits with the elders of the land.” 

My father was a well-respected man at church and his place of business. A man cannot be respected very much if everyone knows that his wife is less than respectable herself.

Verse 24: “She makes garments and sells them, and stocks the merchants with belts.” 

My parents operated a business out of our home. The bulk of the work fell to my mom.  She made Civil War clothes for people who were involved in Historical societies and re-enacting. On some occasions she even supplied them with sword sashes! 

Verse 25: “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs at the days to come.”

Mom was a picture of strength and dignity. She was a strong woman with high morals who always stood up for what was right.

Verse 26: “She opens her mouth in wisdom, and on her tongue is kindly counsel.” 

Faithful instruction is the job of every mother. I’m sure we can all remember words of wisdom spoken to us by our moms.

Verse 27: “She watches the conduct of her household, and eats not her food in idleness.” 

Idle would never be a word used to describe my mom. Even if she wanted to go out and enjoy the sunshine after being cooped up inside at her sewing machine all day, she would stockpile handwork and take it outside with her. The only thing that remotely showed any idleness was the afternoon walk she would take to stretch her legs. This was time she often spent in prayer.

Verse 28: “Her children rise up and praise her; her husband, too, extols her:” 

She has earned her due. All of her children respect her and her memory. We are all adults now and we do “arise and call her blessed.” We give her credit for who we are today. 

Verse 29: “‘Many are the women of proven worth, but you have excelled them all.’” 

There are many women who work hard and take care of their families. It’s harder nowadays with so many single moms raising their kids, but there are some women who just stand head and shoulders above the rest.

Verse 31: “Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting; the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.”  

Outward beauty is not something I think of when I think of my mother, she was much too busy doing for others to worry about herself.  Her insides, however, were beyond compare! She feared the Lord and was faithful to Him. 

Verse 31: “Give her a reward of her labors, and let her works praise her at the city gates.” 

Although I am sure she has received all the rewards God has to offer, I can’t be sure of what they are.  She is in Heaven now and the rewards she has received there are beyond my comprehension.

Mom has given me something to live up to.  If I end up being half the woman she was, I’ll be successful in life. Even though she’s gone, she has left me memories from which I am still learning and trying desperately to pass on to my daughters.

Do you know a woman who fits Solomon’s description?  Get to know her well if you don’t already. Learn from her. She has much to offer.

Ruth O’Neil is a widely published author and homeschooling mother of three.

In this next section of our reflection on the Eucharist we will look at how to cultivate a living faith and deeper desire for the Eucharist.

A living faith keeps the fire of our desire burning for Jesus. This type of faith is engendered through a consistent prayer life, a temperate lifestyle, charitable actions, and an attitude of gratitude for the blessings God bestows on us each day. Another way to practice a living faith, especially in reference to the Eucharist, is by making a proper thanksgiving after receiving our Lord. As true appreciation for God’s gracious generosity wells up within us so does a holy desire to remain united to him.

I find that the use of good spiritual books and regular spiritual direction are also keys to maintaining a living faith.  Those of you who regularly watch or listen to our programs are familiar with some of my favorites but in case you are not they are:  In Conversations with God by St. Josemaria Escriva, Divine Intimacy by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D. and True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis De Montfort.  It is difficult to express how much my faith has grown through these beautiful resources and I happily recommend them to you.

The final characteristic of a fervent communion is ardent desire. This desire is demonstrated by a consistent longing to be united to Jesus all of the time. A conscious anticipation for Eucharist, accompanied by a frequent turning of the heart and mind to God, becomes the daily rhythm of the soul imbued with ardent desire. This holy response to the Eucharistic presence is the preeminent grace of the Sacrament. And, it is a defining feature of all the great saints throughout the ages.

No contact with Jesus is greater than receiving him in the Eucharist. However, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is another way in which we can be spiritually nourished by the Eucharistic presence. Whether the Sacred Species is exposed in the monstrance or reposed in the tabernacle, coming before our Lord is efficacious and spiritually beneficial.

Pope John Paul II, a man of deep prayer and Eucharistic adoration, has encouraged Catholics everywhere to seek the rich spiritual benefits available through Eucharistic worship.  He writes: 

“Indeed, since the Eucharistic mystery was instituted out of love, and makes Christ sacramentally present, it is worthy of thanksgiving and worship … The Church and the world have a great need of Eucharistic worship. Jesus waits for us in this Sacrament of love. Let us be generous with our time in going to meet him in adoration and contemplation full of faith, and open to making amends for the serious offenses and crimes of the world. May our adoration never cease” (Apostolic Letter on the Mystery and Worship of the Holy Eucharist, # 3).

Time spent before the Eucharistic presence should be a time of prayer. As with any prayer time, we must first recollect ourselves, aware of what we intend to do (pray) and of whose Presence we are in. Next, we engage in the prayer itself. We may find it helpful to structure our adoration time by dividing it into four equal parts, spending several minutes each on adoration, contrition, thanksgiving, and supplication (petition). These four parts form the acronym ACTS, and have constituted a suggested structure of prayer for centuries.

However, as we grow more comfortable in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, our time in prayer should give over to contemplation.  A time of simply gazing into the face of the One whom we love. Sitting quietly before the Radiant Splendor of Jesus Christ, allowing the rays of His love to penetrate into all areas of our heart, can do much to nourish and strengthen our life of faith. Jesus desires that each of us becomes a temple in which He dwells. As we gaze on the Lord’s glory with unveiled faces, we are transformed into the very image of our Lord (see 2 Cor 3:18). Then, filled with his life, we can carry his blessings to the world.

Another way to place ourselves consistently in the Lord’s Eucharistic presence is through the frequent offering of spiritual communions.  This can be done by your own personalized version or by one of the many beautiful prayers composed by one of the Saints or the Church for this purpose.  One of my favorites is the Anima Christi:

Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
Water from Christ’s side, wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
O good Jesus, hear me
Within Thy wounds hide me
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee
From the malicious enemy defend me
In the hour of my death call me
And bid me come unto Thee
That I may praise Thee with Thy saints
and with Thy angels
Forever and ever
Amen

Let us come to each encounter of the Eucharistic presence of our Lord with hearts opened wide, ready to receive every spiritual blessing in the heavens (Eph. 1: 3). And, vivified by him who brings us spiritual life, may we be beacons of light leading others to know Christ who is King of all.  

Faith in Action:

• Find a good Catholic spiritual resource which will help you to develop a living faith.  Look for the Nahil Obstat and Impramatur to ensure that they are authentically Catholic.
• Spend an hour with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament this week.
• Make a commitment to offer Spiritual Communions on a regular basis.

Dear Friends,

It’s hard to believe that we are already entering into the second week of the Easter Season.  It is my deepest hope that you and your loved ones were able to fully experience Holy Week and the glory of Easter. 

As we make our pilgrimage towards Pentecost together, I thought it would be fitting that we take time to reflect more deeply on the great gift of the Lord to us on Holy Thursday, His Eucharistic presence.  For the next couple of blogs, I will be providing a reflection on how we can enhance our experience of the Eucharist.  In these times of great challenge for the Church, we go to the source and summit of our faith and spirituality, Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, who will strengthen and refresh us.   

The Eucharist: Nourishment for Our Souls

“What material food produces in our bodily life, Holy Communion wonderfully achieves in our spiritual life. Communion…preserves, increases, and renews the life of grace received at Baptism. This growth in Christian life needs the nourishment of Eucharistic Communion …” (No. 1392).

As the passage from the Catechism suggests, the spiritual life, like the body, languishes and dies without proper nourishment. The Eucharist is its nutritional source. Through Eucharist, charity is strengthened, venial sins are wiped away, we are preserved from mortal sin, we are united to the Mystical Body of Christ, we are helped to commit to the poor and to seek unity among all Christians (Catechism, § 1394-1398). Simply stated, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, active within us, becomes a transforming agent for ourselves and for others. If we are to make progress in the spiritual life and become a catalyst of Christ’s love in the world, we must be nourished by the Eucharistic presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ. 

However, simply receiving Communion is not enough. While Eucharist is replete with spiritual blessings, its effectiveness in our lives depends upon the disposition or holy desire we bring to the Sacrament. If our disposition is weak and our fervency shallow, though we receive all of Jesus in the Eucharist, its effect on our spirit is limited. Only by coming to the Sacrament with fervency and expectant faith, do we experience the full measure of grace offered to us through the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

According to Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, the great Thomistic scholar, a fervent communion is marked by four characteristics: humility, respect for the Eucharist, a living faith, and an ardent desire to receive Jesus (The Three Ages of the Interior Life).

Though acquiring the virtue of humility is often the work of a lifetime, it can be encouraged by a prayerful consideration of who Jesus Christ is and who we are. By cords of love our Lord draws us to himself. It is his mercy, not our worthiness, which gives us the great privilege of receiving him in Eucharist.

If we are to grow in the virtue of humility we must spend time in prayer. It is in prayer that God communicates Himself to us, corrects our misunderstandings, purifies our hearts and minds, strengthens our holy desires, brings us to self-knowledge, and reveals our motivations. We will never attain to holiness if we do not spend time in mental prayer.

While we can pray anywhere and in any circumstance, spending time before the Blessed Sacrament is a most fruitful way to pray. In front of the One whose own Body and Blood bought for us our salvation, we are humbled indeed. Here we can offer to God all of our struggles, trials, hopes and dreams, as we seek to be fashioned after the heart of His Son. Our time of prayer must become the hallmark of our lives.

Respect for the Eucharist is the second characteristic of a fervent communion. Our physical demeanor in the presence of the Lord reveals the attitude of our hearts. Our body language, style of dress, tone of voice all help or hinder the spiritual benefits we receive in Holy Communion. We must seek to develop an abiding respect for the Eucharistic presence of Jesus Christ and everything about us must reflect it. Genuflecting, kneeling with erect posture, bowing before receiving Eucharist all help us to remain focused on the One who gives himself to us.

It may be fruitful for a deepening of your worship experience to make a special field trip to participate in a Holy Mass celebrated by one of the other valid rites of Holy Mother Church.  Some examples are the Tridentine Rite Mass, the Maronite Rite, the Ruthenian Rite, and the Melkite Rite.  The physical signs of reverence given to the Eucharist which are displayed under these forms of worship can be excellent holy reminders to help us elevate our own experience of the Liturgy. 

Stay tuned for Part II where I will discuss how to cultivate living faith and ardent desire…

Faith in Action:

• The next time you are preparing yourself to received Jesus in Holy Communion, ask Our Lady to help you to receive him with greater humility and awe.  A simple prayer like, “Dear Mother, please assist me in this moment of communion with your son Jesus to receive him into my soul with greater humility, receptivity, gratitude and love.”
• Take time to reflect on your past and present attitude towards Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and your belief in the Real Presence.  Has yours been an attitude of respect and reverence or disregard and disrespect? For those times when you haven’t shown Jesus the reverence He deserves, ask forgiveness and for those times when you have shown Him great love, give thanks.
• Consider making a field trip to a Catholic parish which offers the liturgy under one of the other accepted rites of the Roman Catholic Church.

The following post is an excerpt from the March/April 2010 issue of Canticle Magazine.

Now that very day two of them were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus … One of them,named Cleopas, said to him in reply, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?” Luke 24: 13, 18

For many years I have made a funny assumption. Every time I read or heard the Biblical story of the resurrected Jesus appearing to Cleopas and his friend while traveling to Emmaus, I have assumed that the traveling companion was another man – probably another disciple, maybe one of the 72 mentioned in Luke’s Gospel. Recently, however, a few ideas and suggestions have come my way, prompting me to reconsider.

Meet Mary of Clopas

Not too long ago, while researching the various women named Mary in the Bible, I came to know and appreciate Mary, the wife of Clopas. While this Mary, frequently referred to as “Mary of Clopas” is not a well known Mary of the Bible, like Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany, or Mary, the mother of Jesus, her actions in the Bible are significant.

For instance, she was certainly one of the women at Christ’s crucifixion. It is also very likely that she was one of the Galilean women who followed and ministered to Jesus. She probably attended Jesus’ burial, and was likely one of the first to see Him resurrected.

An official saint, listed in the Roman Martyrology (her feast day is April 24), Saint Mary of Clopas seems to have a variety of titles within the Bible. She is referred to as Mary the mother of James and Joseph (Mt. 27:56), the other Mary (Matthew 27: 61), Mary the mother of the younger James and of Joses (Mark 15: 40), Mary the mother of Joses (Mk 15: 47), and Mary the mother of James (Mark 16: 1 and Luke 24: 10).

In my research I learned that many consider Clopas to be a different spelling of Cleopas, and that Mary of Clopas was very possibly the wife of Cleopas, the man who was traveling to Emmaus. Even though the Gospel writer John used the spelling “Clopas,” Luke’s spelling of “Cleopas” could reasonably be referring to the same name/family.

Later, during a homily at church, while my pastor was discussing this Emmaus passage, he suggested how Cleopas’s traveling companion could have very possibly been his wife, Mary. This homily prompted me to go home and check my Bible. Sure enough, it is never stated whether Cleopas’s traveling companion was male or female. This leaves wide open the possibility of his friend being his wife, who was plausibly Mary of Clopas.

A Husband and Wife?

Recently, a Byzantine Rite priest sent me a delightful card with a beautiful icon on the front portraying Cleopas (also an official saint whose feast day is September 25) traveling to Emmaus … with a woman!

The description on the back of the card explained that the woman depicted in the icon was Mary of Clopas … likely the wife of Cleopas. The explanation brought forth (as my pastor had just a few weeks prior) the possibility that she – Saint Mary of Clopas – was Cleopas’s traveling companion on the way to Emmaus.

These three events melded in my mind and I found that even the possibility of a “Mr. and Mrs. Cl[e]opas” traveling together on that first Easter Sunday to be fascinating. A husband and wife team, meeting up with a resurrected Christ during a seven mile walk offers plenty to think about. How they did not recognize Him at first, but clearly felt a sense of goodness by being in his presence, for when it was time to part, they asked him to stay. How when the pair dined with Jesus their eyes and hearts suddenly understood who their passer-by was – whereupon Jesus suddenly vanished. Cleopas, along with his companion – his wife? – then felt compelled to return to Jerusalem to share with others the extraordinary experience.

A Few Sons Also?

As a brief aside, some linguists consider Clopas/Cleopas to be a Greek transliteration for the Aramaic of Alphaeus. If so, this possible married couple might be the parents of James the son of Alphaeus, also known as James the Less/Younger, one of the Twelve Apostles. Also, Matthew 15: 33 gives credence to Mary of Clopas as being the mother of a Simon as well, the Simon who is believed to be St. Simon of Jerusalem, the second bishop of Jerusalem. Curiously, St. Simon of Jerusalem is recorded by many to have been the son of Cleopas. Hmmm.

Things to Contemplate

We cannot know with certainty whether or not these people were indeed immediate family members. However, we can contemplate the possibility and hopefully grow as Catholics. Perhaps the prospect can prompt married couples to ponder how they would react if they happened to meet up with, but not immediately recognize, Christ. If they had a meal with the Son of God, realized who he was and then saw him vanish … what would they do? For now, we will have to wait until we get to heaven to know for sure who was with Cleopas, whether or not Mary of Clopas was his wife and James the Younger and Simon their sons. In the meantime, we can reflect upon their stories and let our hearts ponder the inevitable meeting we will all eventually have with Christ … whether on earth or in heaven.

Theresa Doyle-Nelson is a freelance writer from Pipe Creek, TX and the author of “Saints of the Bible” available at Our Sunday Visitor.

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