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One of these is the eternal, unending praise given to the Most Blessed Trinity by the hosts of heaven-angels and saints.
Have you ever thought what this eternal symphony must sound like? You see, we cannot fathom this, because our minds our finite and cannot grasp the infinite, unless God gives us the mystical grace to do so. Therefore, we find it extraordinarily boring to think that for all eternity there's going to be this infinite song being given to God.
For example, do the nine choirs of angels take turns praising God? Perhaps on Sunday it's the Seraphim who praise God; on Monday, the Cherubim, and so on. Do the saints who died as martyrs have their own special turn? What about the virgins? What about religious? What about lay people? Do they clock in, taking their allotted time from, say, eight in the morning until eight at night, and then another group takes over? That's pretty much how we'd arrange it on earth. We'd do it in shifts.
Doing things in "shifts" isn't what God wants from any of us. We can never say we've done our share, given out our "share" of time allotted to praising God, trusting that someone else is due on the job, and we can just go and relax, entertain ourselves fully, and leave the "symphony" in someone else's hands. It doesn't work like that.
God, the Eternal, the Almighty, The Author of All Life, expects and deserves this praise from all His creation, both in Heaven and on earth. We can be certain that in Heaven there are none that seek a respite from this "symphony". However, on earth we can be certain that we, His children, do not do our share. When we don't do our share, then the symphony is incomplete, and the chords and melody are strained. We "hear" that unmelodic symphony when we are beset by troubles and sorrows and find our souls grumbling, our wills straining against obedience to God, and our charity toward our fellow men flying out the window along with a few expletives we've thrown in, just for good measure.
What we are supposed to do is continue the Heavenly Symphony here in our earthly sojourn. We're supposed to sing God's praises constantly, no matter the situation, no matter the time of day. Impossible, you say? Impossible when you're madly driving down the interstate, late for work, with the cellular phone ringing, and another problem arising even before you have exited the fast lane. Impossible when the bank account doesn't balance, the cost of living outweighs your paycheck, when the kids ask and demand more and more "things" for which you only find yourself working harder and longer hours. Impossible when, finally, late at night, you tumble into bed without a thought for God and sleep, only to arise and go through the entire hectic process the next day?
The Symphony of Suffering, in which we are engaged, does not have time or space. It is not joined to the bank account, the kids' demands, or your own drive to live the "good life" of material goods. What the Symphony of Suffering does demand, and rightly so, is that each one of us, at all times, ponder God, talk to God, love God, trust God, and turn to Him in all things. The Symphony of Suffering joins with the Heavenly Symphony only when we put on Christ each and every day, and mean it! When we put on Christ, we invite Him, the only begotten Son of God, to come with us through every moment of the day, so that we can converse with Him, and He with us. It's trusting in God so much with expectant faith that even when you put your head on the pillow at night, you entrust your soul to God and ask your guardian angel not only to watch over you, but to continue your prayer of praise to God while your body rests. You don't think your guardian angel would do that? I do. I believe this. I trust this. I do it every morning, and every night.
It's not a boring, tedious, laundry-list of things that I say to God, or to my guardian angel. It's as simple as "Good morning, God. Thank You for this day. Be with me, please!" And off you go, to whatever duties you have that day. It's as simple as "Good night, God. I am so sorry for all the offenses I committed this day, because I love You. I want to praise You throughout the night, so my angel will bring my soul to You as I rest." You can make it even shorter. The "Our Father" is a perfect prayer upon rising and before going to sleep. It's a sigh, a lifting up of the heart and soul, and willing to be part of the Symphony of Suffering that make such beautiful music for God!
Sure, the major part of the Symphony comes from the trials of each day, full of tears and sorrows and pains and aches and worries and concerns. It's in the expectant faith, the fullness of trust that, in God's time, your part in the Symphony of Suffering becomes joy forever in the Eternal Symphony that is Heaven!
As we wind down the month of July, dedicated to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, let us ponder upon this continuos symphony that belongs to God alone. Then, let us ask ourselves if we contribute to the Heavenly Symphony by our humility and obedience, or if we're adding discordant notes to a symphony that comes from God's enemy and ours - satan!
Let us pray that all will prefer to join in the Heavenly Symphony by the will of the heart and soul which seeks God alone, and let us ignore the discordant symphony of satan's confusion and doubt. That's his problem…not ours!
Peace will come, my friends, when we are part of the true symphony that is God's Perfect Love.
1148 A.D.
The Second Crusade arrives at the edge of Damascus in the Holy Land.
1221 A.D.
The Battle of Bahr As-Saghir results in the defeat of the efforts of the Fifth Crusade.
1567 A.D.
The Catholic Queen Mary, Queen of Scots is forced to abdicate her throne, opening Scotland to Protestantism.
251 A.D.
Death of Saint Christopher, legendary saint from Lycia who ferried a child across a swollen river, saving him from drowning. The child then revealed that He was Jesus. Our Lord conveyed to
Christopher, which means "Christ bearer," that the reason the "child" became so heavy was because Christopher was carrying the "weight of the world on his shoulders" and he did it willingly and was rewarded. Though having been demoted in Church liturgy, Saint Christopher is still commonly known as the "Patron Saint of Travelers."
1261 A.D.
Fall of the Latin Church in Romania at the hands of Michael VIII of Constantinople.
1593 A.D.
Conversion of the Protestant King Henry IV of France to Catholicism as the French return to the Church. Upon his conversion, the monarch is quoted as proclaiming, "Paris is worth a Mass!"
1267 A.D.
Pope Gregory X establishes the Institution of the Inquisition, under the auspices of the Dominicans and Franciscans in order to safeguard the truths of Holy Mother Church.
1417 A.D.
Pedro de Luna, cardinal deacon is deposed as the antipope Benedict XIII on this day by the 37th session of the Council, having taken refuge in an impregnable castle in Valencia, Spain.
1471 A.D.
Death of Pope Paul II, 211th successor of Peter. This Venetian-born pontiff is the one who decided cardinals should wear the red berrettta - thus the term "red hat."
