My annual retreat this year will be spent between a few different places. I've just spent a blessed 4 days in Durham!
Am on train whizzing over to the Jericho Benedictines in Girvan, Scotland for a couple of days and first Friday night vigil.
The Wifi connection keeps dropping so I'll keep it brief and write longer Blog posts when I am back home in Largs, Scotland, next week.
The photo is of my wee desk in Durham Uni's Bill Bryson library - I could pray my Monastic Divine Offices, in breaks from studying. I had kind permission to study the only book in the UK/world written about the ancient shrine, Holy Well and Benedictine Order of Our Lady of Muswell - more about that in a different blog next week. Mind blowing stuff and I have learnt so many new and encouraging things, re: my Catholic Lay Monastic Benedictine Solitary Vocation.
For now, I just wanted to share the first fruits of The Holy Spirit reflections and contemplations from my last 4 days in Durham.
Jesus and the monastic Rule of the order where I was Spiritually abused, does not in anyway say that it's ok to deliberately try to bring hundreds of women to mental and physical breaking point, under the pretence of formation or discipline. It's just abuse. To 'go after' women who have left, who have the courage to raise safeguarding concerns in order to try and discredit them and their vocation, as a way to undermine their spiritual abuse testimony, is also abuse.
Jesus and the Holy Orders of any cleric does not support not following the Church's Safeguarding guidelines: 'In God's Image 2' by siding with the abuser and not giving a voice to the abuse victim, or the deliberate trashing of abuse victims, or any violation of their basic human rights or participating in the clericalism protection of evidenced based serial abusers, especially not when motivated by personal career ambitions. That is all also abuse.
Jesus own martyrdom was an utterly visceral violation of Himself as a human being, in everyway that a human being could be violated but He was able to freely forgive. The fruit of this martyrdom was the conversion and salvation of all souls entrusted to Him.
The Durham martyrs and all Catholic martyrs throughout history, also experienced a completely visceral violation of their human person, in every way imaginable. Out of love for Jesus and obedience to His truth they also freely forgave. The fruits of their martyrdom was that God was able to bring about the conversion and salvation of souls entrusted to God.
All Catholic's, at some point in their life, or even on going, will experience a form of martyrdom if they stand up for the truth of Jesus Christ. And the Bible tells us that if we give our 'Fiat' to die with Him, be buried with Him - we will rise again with Him. We must always forgive and pray for those who have hurt us.
In terms of seeking justice for abuse victims, all Catholic Religious and Laity are called to courageously make a stand, like John the Baptist, no matter what the personal cost and then Jesus will take the reins and finish the job. God always stands on the poor man's side.
Our Lady of Muswell is a Powerfull Primary Intercessor of many miracles not just in the past but in the present day.
God has called me to the Catholic Lay Benedictine monastic vocation of the Solitary, as a seed for The Holy Spirit to bring back The Benedictines Nuns to Our Lady of Muswell parish shrine and re-open the ancient Holy Well. The Lay vocation allows abuse Whistle-blowers complete protection in their vocations and is an integral part of Church history - the Desert Abba's and Amma's.
God, for some reason, wanted to use my unworthy hands to help give a voice to a other Spiritual Abuse survivors from the same monastic order - a great number of which have now given their spiritual abuse testimonies to the Diocese and/or Independent Safeguarding agencies.
The Immaculate Heart always Triumphs.
Jesus, and The Trinity, in The Sacred Heart is awesome.
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