This time last year I blogged about using an online Patron Saint Generator with which to pick a patron for the year; a saint to inspire and help in one's daily following of Jesus. I was sceptical, convinced that - like some of my friends - I would end up with someone completely obscure or for whom I felt little devotion; I was therefore delighted to find myself with St Paul the Apostle! As a result, I ended up re-reading his epistles and they became the bedrock for a 2012 monthly calendar on this blog.
Well, it's that time of year again... The other day my friend Cloister reminded us of the practice, and specifically asked her friends to let her know who they'd got. So back to the generator... Aware of having struck gold last year, I was convinced that this year I would be given St Who?Neverheardofhim, or worse, a martyr who had suffered a stomach-churning agonising death.
So I took a deep breath, and clicked and got... St Clare of Assisi! Yippee! - a second year of gold!!
St Clare... Santa Chiara, whose name means clarity, and who lived her discipleship with absolute clarity of focus and single-heartedness. Instantly, I recalled how, a few years ago I encountered a song based on some of her writing. I don't know when, in what context or to whom Clare wrote the words, but at the time I very much needed to hear the first line - Look, look on Jesus.
Look on Jesus... an echo of the exhortation in Hebrews to fix our eyes on Jesus. An utterly simple message, but one we - I - can so readily complicate or obscure. But if nothing else, I'm sure my 2013 patron will help me remember it throughout the year, hopefully those times when I most need to fix my eyes and heart on him alone.
The song, incidentally, came from a CD called Woman's Song of God, and the first verse in full says
Look, look on Jesus, poor and crucified
look on this Holy One, who for your love has died
and remember as you contemplate the sacred mysteries
this Jesus whom you gaze upon, loves you most tenderly.
And if you haven't already done so, it's not too late to pick your own patron by clicking on this link.
Well, it's that time of year again... The other day my friend Cloister reminded us of the practice, and specifically asked her friends to let her know who they'd got. So back to the generator... Aware of having struck gold last year, I was convinced that this year I would be given St Who?Neverheardofhim, or worse, a martyr who had suffered a stomach-churning agonising death.
So I took a deep breath, and clicked and got... St Clare of Assisi! Yippee! - a second year of gold!!
Look on Jesus... an echo of the exhortation in Hebrews to fix our eyes on Jesus. An utterly simple message, but one we - I - can so readily complicate or obscure. But if nothing else, I'm sure my 2013 patron will help me remember it throughout the year, hopefully those times when I most need to fix my eyes and heart on him alone.
The song, incidentally, came from a CD called Woman's Song of God, and the first verse in full says
Look, look on Jesus, poor and crucified
look on this Holy One, who for your love has died
and remember as you contemplate the sacred mysteries
this Jesus whom you gaze upon, loves you most tenderly.
And if you haven't already done so, it's not too late to pick your own patron by clicking on this link.
Where's the link?
ReplyDeleteClick on the words "clicking on this link". The words patron saint generator in para 1 are also a link. Enjoy it, and I hope you like your patron
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