Saturday, February 17, 2007

Frivolous penitential thoughts


I have just been reading a bit on Fr Tim's blog about fasting. I had a phone call from a Spanish friend who told me a convent of Carmelites in a parish near him makes a huge(ish) amount of money during carnival selling penitential instruments for Lent. They have a two year waiting list.
Dan Brown has a lot to answer for.

I was looking at what we do for "children's liturgy" and thought rather than colouring in this Sunday we might ...


St Magdalen's Children' Liturgy

4/5 year olds will make a discipline for daddy
6/7 year olds will make a cilice for mummy
7+s will knit patchwork hairshirts for the altar servers


Now before you ring anyone this is meant to be joke.


8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Can I presume the cilice is in course cord rather than wire in the English rather than continental style?

Thomas Coolberth said...

Sounds better than giving up blogging or coffee.

Anonymous said...

Give me old-time religion!

Mulier Fortis said...

actually, on reflection, sitting with the little darlings while they make the disciplines and cilices is probably all the penance a mere mortal can stomach...

;-D

Anonymous said...

Thanks for reminding us that corporal penance is part of our Tradition.

Anonymous said...

Can't I make a cilice for myself!

Anonymous said...

Are we forgetting the very modern 20th century's three child-seers of Fatima & what their own experiences teach us about corporal penance? Aged only 7, 9, & 11 years old [incldg the now-Blesseds Jacinta & Francisco Marto], they voluntarily undertook serious corporal penances for the salvation of souls after the Mother of God showed them the reality of Hell. This, in keeping with Our Lady's monthly calls to love, penance & prayer in reparation for Sin, caused the 3 little ones to respond with that passionate clarity particular to the child-heart. Thus, though Heaven hadn't requested corporal penance per se, at once all 3 children set about innocently inventing physical penances to offer along w/their other intercessions. The most challenging involved a very rough rope they found in a field, divided thrice, & secretly wore bound tightly at the bare skin round their waists, 24/7. Surely something 'sick' ? Or very least, 'inappropriate for children' ? Surely something a loving heavenly Mother would forbid... right???

In September of that year, our very loving Blessed Mother told the 3 Fatima children: 'God is very pleased with your sacrifices, but He does not want you to sleep with the rope on: only wear it during the day."

[cf 'Fatima in Lucia's Own Words': the most personal reportage of this Church-approved apparition; p.77]

Fr Ray Blake said...

If one loves, one desires with all one's heart to share in his suffering.

The Lord’s descent into the underworld

At Matins/the Office of Readings on Holy Saturday the Church gives us this 'ancient homily', I find it incredibly moving, it is abou...