Sighs Too Deep for Words

"for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words."  --St. Paul to the  Romans 8:26

Listen here, a song from a most beautiful song bird:

Ave Maria
sung by Jackie Evancho

Listen Here

Ave Maria

Virgin of the sky

Sovereign of thanksgiving, loving mother

Accept the prayer intentions of every one

Do not refuse

for help, this lost person of mine, love!

Sorrow for his pain!

My lost soul turns to you

And full of repentance, humbles at your feet

Prayers invoke you and wait for the true peace

That only you can give, love

Ave Maria

Ave Maria, full of thanksgiving

Maria, full of thanksgiving...

In the new millennium, Pope John Paul II (JP II), offered many teachings now contained in a book entitled, Wisdom from Pope John Paul II, edited by Patricia Mitchell. A modern thinker this Pope was very aware of the emerging technocacy and its effects on the spiritual life of mankind.

JP II often wrote about this and the related topic of relativism. "Our age,' he wrote, 'has a special need of prayer. ..In many places and in many communities there is a growing awareness that, even with all the rapid progress of technological and scientific civilization, and despite the real conquests and goals attained, man is threatened and humanity is threatened. In the face of this danger... indeed already experiencing the spiritual decadence, individuals and whole communities guided as it were, by an inner sense of faith, as seeking the strength to raise man up again, to save him from himself, from his own errors and mistakes that often make harmful his very conquests.
And thus they are discovering prayer in which the Holy spirit, who helps us in our weakness, manifests himself.
Pray brothers and sisters for the humanity of France, for the opening of eyes of those who might otherwise cause harm, and for the justice of all men everywhere.

The Divine Artist of Souls

"None can sense more deeply than you, artists, ingenious creators of beauty that you are, something of the pathos with which God at the dawn of creation looked upon, the work of his hands." --John Paul II

 The artist, image of God the Creator : A letter to artists by John Paul II
"A glimmer of that feeling has shone so often in your eyes when—like the artists of every age—captivated by the hidden power of sounds and words, colors and shapes, you have admired the work of your inspiration, sensing in it some echo of the mystery of creation with which God, the One, sole creator of all things, has wished in some way to associate you...'

"What is the difference between creator and a craftsman? The one who creates bestows being itself, he brings something out of nothing—ex nihilo sui et subiecti, as the Latin puts it—and this, in the strict sense, is a mode of operation which belongs to the Almighty alone.
The craftsman, by contrast, uses something that already exists, to which he gives form and meaning. This is the mode of operation peculiar to man as made in the image of God. In fact, after saying that God created man and woman “in his image”-- Genesis 1:27, the Bible adds that he entrusted to them the task of dominating the earth .
This was the last day of creation. On the previous days, marking as it were the rhythm of the birth of the cosmos, Yahweh, God of Love,  had created the universe. Finally he created the human being, the noblest fruit of his design, to whom he subjected the visible world as a vast field in which human inventiveness might assert itself.
God therefore called man into existence, committing to him the craftsman's task. Through his “artistic creativity” man appears more than ever “in the image of God,” and he accomplishes this task above all in shaping the wondrous “material” of his own humanity and then exercising creative dominion over the universe which surrounds him.
With loving regard, the divine Artist passes on to the human artist a spark of his own surpassing wisdom, calling him to share in his creative power...'

The Vocation of the Artist

"It is important to recognize the distinction, but also the connection, between these two aspects of human activity. The distinction is clear. It is one thing for human beings to be the authors of their own acts, with responsibility for their moral value; it is another to be an artist, able, that is, to respond to the demands of art and faithfully to accept art's specific dictates.
This is what makes the artist capable of producing objects, but it says nothing as yet of his moral character. We are speaking not of moulding oneself, of forming one's own personality, but simply of actualizing one's productive capacities, giving aesthetic form to ideas conceived in the mind.

The distinction between the moral and artistic aspects is fundamental, but no less important is the connection between them. Each conditions the other in a profound way. In producing a work, artists express themselves to the point where their work becomes a unique disclosure of their own being, of what they are and of how they are what they are. And there are endless examples of this in human history.

In shaping a masterpiece, the artist not only summons his work into being, but also in some way reveals his own personality by means of it. For him art offers both a new dimension and an exceptional mode of expression for his spiritual growth. Through his works, the artist speaks to others and communicates with them. The history of art, therefore, is not only a story of works produced but also a story of men and women.

Works of art speak of their authors; they enable us to know their inner life, and they reveal the original contribution which artists offer to the history of culture."

Hope for the Modern World

"Be not afraid. Come, follow me..." Jesus to his disciples, Pope John Paul II to the world

 If there is any message of hope in the modern world for the followers of the Christ, it is this: there is a limit, and this limit has to do with the mercy of God.  There is a limit imposed upon evil in the world, in history, wrote Pope John Paul II as he recalled his youth in Poland under Russian domination. In secret he studied to become a priest.

Despite all our fears, of the human capacity for evil and wickedness, or the confusion of our own hearts, we need not be afraid for God loves. Indeed God is love itself. In Christianity there is the great teaching, the revelation that a being, a creator existed for love, in love with all that was created; this being was Gospel, the 'good news.' In a largely joyless, suffering world of oppression and hatred, the future Pope found joy. In the community of Christians, he felt joy so large that he felt compelled to share; this brought him to his vocation as a priest. He went forth to share this good news. Joylessness turned to hopefulness for the young priest from Poland.

In the modern, industrialized West, threats to human happiness take subtler forms than for those who suffer unjust governments. They threaten the Spirit, the Community no less than overt acts of evil. 
And yet there is the Christ, whose message is taken up by followers throughout the world, all parts of the world, not only in the West. It is a universal message of hope, of peace, of love, faithful love.
Saint John, the disciple, writes of the radiant, burning love made visible in the incarnation of the Christ. The Holy Spirit comes down from above to kindle the hearts of ordinary men so that this love is made visible, tangible and real. 

This love is the ordinary love of the Creator. It is not the love of hearts and candy, romantic and fickle.  "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life..." 1John1:1