Saint John Gualbert Vallombrosa - Benedictine Founders

Thursday, 12 July 2012

Thursday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time

Saint(s) of the day : St. John Gualbert, Abbot (999-1073) 

See commentary below or click here

Caldey Abbey, Abbot's Chapel, stainedglass Benedictine Founders.
right, Saint John Gualbert, Vallombrosa

Caldey - Stainglass 1922

 SAINT JOHN GUALBERT

Abbot
(999-1073)

        St. John Gualbert was born at Florence, A. D. 999. Following the profession of arms at that troubled period, he became involved in a blood-feud with a near relative. One Good Friday, as he was riding into Florence accompanied by armed men, he encountered his enemy in a place where neither could avoid the other. John would have slain him; but his adversary, who was totally unprepared to fight, fell upon his knees with his arms stretched out in the form of a cross, and implored him, for the sake of Our Lord's holy Passion, to spare his life. St. John said to his enemy, "I cannot refuse what you ask in Christ's name. I grant you your life, and I give you my friendship. Pray that God may forgive me my sin." Grace triumphed.

        A humble and changed man, he entered the Church of St. Miniato, which was near; and whilst he prayed, the figure of our crucified Lord, before which he was kneeling, bowed its head toward him as if to ratify his pardon. Abandoning the world, he gave himself up to prayer and penance in the Benedictine Order.

        Later he was led to found the congregation called of Vallombrosa, from the shady valley a few miles from Florence, where he established his first monastery. Once the enemies of the Saint came to his convent of St. Salvi, plundered it, and set fire to it, and having treated the monks with ignominy, beat them and wounded them. St. John rejoiced. "Now," he said, "you are true monks. Would that I myself had had the honor of being with you when the soldiers came, that I might have had a share in the glory of your crowns! "

        He fought manfully against simony, and in many ways promoted the interest of the Faith in Italy. After a life of great austerity, he died whilst the angels were singing round his bed, July 11, 1073.

Caldey Light House

Saint Romuald

SPN Benedict

August 21: St Bernardo Tolomei, founder of the Olivettan Benedictines,

It is never to late to be recognised as a saint, with Pope Benedict XVI formally canonising Bernardo Tolomei (1272-1348), abbot and founder of the Congregation of the Blessed Virgin of Monte Oliveto, in 2009. He was beatified by Urban VIII in 1634.

Benedict -Four Sermons of Blessed. Guerric of Igny 'Bible readings'

Subject: Biblical Contemplation from

the previous Blogspot of Bl Guerric of Igny.

His distinctive style has simplicity of clarity in Scriptural unity.
The COMMENT below, by William, plunges into the Lectio of the monastic meditation.
He says, "The "eternal eye" is for me the omnipresence of our loving Father, the appeal of Our Lord's gaze, the vision of the Spirit."

Two further Readings taken from Guerric’s Four Sermons on St. Benedict.

+ + + 

11 July 2012 MEDITATION OF THE DAY

MAGNIFICAT: St. Benedict Patron of Europe

The Faith They Preached

YOU ... will be sanctified through faith and meekness. And your meekness will remain unblemished, if faith precedes it. But it must be a faith that is true and unfeigned; a faith not dead but living and vigorous. And not only living and vigorous, it must be the constant and fearless faith of Moses of which Saint Paul writes:

"By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the fierceness of the king." Kings are fierce but faith is fiercer, for it sees that their power has no foundation. Because of this it scorns all the folly of those who persecute it, secure in its own superiority. It is more ready and strong to endure to the end than their fury is to persecute ...

Faith is laid down as the groundwork and founda­tion upon which those everlasting goods we hope for are to rest. Without this faith it is impossible to please God, with it, it is impossible to displease him. "Your eyes, O Lord, are upon faith," said he who forever stood in your sight through faith. And indeed it is only right and fitting, in fact you owe it to us, that your eyes, Lord, should return the gaze of faith, because my eyes are always upon the Lord who replies in all sincerity: "You understand what faith is." ...

The faith which now stands before God anxious to behold his will, will then stand before him serenely to behold his glory. Be watchful, brethren, stand firm in your faith. The man whom faith arouses with fear is not able to slumber through negligence; the one whom faith establishes in hope cannot falter through lack of confidence. But let all that you do be done in love so that meekness is joined in faith until it may be said of each one of you: "The Lord sanctified him through his faith and meekness." May the Holy of Holies grant you this, who lives and reigns through endless ages. Amen.

BLESSED GUERRIC OF IGNY Blessed Guerric of Igny (+ 1157) was an abbot and a close friend of Saint Bernard.
From the Liturgical Sermons, Vol 2, Cistercian Fathers No. 32, Kalamzoo, MI, 1971

Monastic Leactionary.
Alternative Reading Night Office.

From a homily by Blessed Guerric of Igny (Sermo IV in festo S. Benedicti: PL 185,111-112)

Through his faith and gentleness the Lord sanctified him. These words were written of Moses, but they may today be applied not unfittingly, I think, to blessed Benedict. For since he was filled with the Spirit of all the saints, it is reasonable to believe that he had not a little of Moses' spirit. If the Lord took some of the spirit of Moses and put it upon the whole group of elders who assisted him and were chosen to share his ministry, how much more must he have put that spirit on a man who more truly and more spiritually carried out every ministry in its fullness? Moses led those who came forth from Egypt; Benedict was leader of those who forsook the world. Moses was a legislator: so was Benedict. Moses was minister only of the letter that kills; Benedict was minister of the spirit that gives life. Moses wrote much that is difficult to understand and inapplicable today or impossible to put into practice; Benedict is the author of a very sound rule of life that is clearly written and remarkable for its discretion. Finally, the leader of the children of Israel did not bring into the promised rest those he had led out of Egypt. Our leader, as the standard bearer of an army of monks, has gone before us by the straight way, the way stretching east, into the kingdom of heaven. It is therefore not unreasonable to think that he equaled in merit one whom he actually surpassed in ministry. Nor does it seem unfitting to apply to him what scripture says of Moses: Through his faith and gentleness the Lord sanctified him, especially since Benedict, who lived what he taught, teaches us those two virtues in particular.

Brethren, it is the command of our gentle and peace-making Master that we should be at peace with one another. Yet before that he says: Have salt in yourselves. He knows well that peaceful gentleness nourishes vices unless the severity of zeal has first sprinkled them with the sharp taste of salt, just as mild weather causes meat to grow wormy unless the heat of salt has dried it out. Therefore be at peace with one another, but let it be a peace that is seasoned with the salt of wisdom; try to acquire gen­tleness, but let it be a gentleness filled with the warmth of faith.

St Benedict, abbot, patron of Europe (feast in Europe)

PENDING? Wednesday Papal Audience

BENEDICT XVI

GENERAL AUDIENCE

St Peter's Square
Wednesday, 9 April 2008

Saint Benedict of Norcia

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today, I would like to speak about Benedict, the Founder of Western Monasticism and also the Patron of my Pontificate. I begin with words that St Gregory the Great wrote about St Benedict: "The man of God who shone on this earth among so many miracles was just as brilliant in the eloquent exposition of his teaching" (cf. Dialogues II, 36). The great Pope wrote these words in 592 A.D. The holy monk, who had died barely 50 years earlier, lived on in people's memories and especially in the flourishing religious Order he had founded. St Benedict of Norcia, with his life and his work, had a fundamental influence on the development of European civilization and culture. The most important source on Benedict's life is the second book of St Gregory the Great's Dialogues. It is not a biography in the classical sense. In accordance with the ideas of his time, by giving the example of a real man - St Benedict, in this case - Gregory wished to illustrate the ascent to the peak of contemplation which can be achieved by those who abandon themselves to God. He therefore gives us a model for human life in the climb towards the summit of perfection. St Gregory the Great also tells in this book of the Dialogues of many miracles worked by the Saint, and here too he does not merely wish to recount something curious but rather to show how God, by admonishing, helping and even punishing, intervenes in the practical situations of man's life. Gregory's aim was to demonstrate that God is not a distant hypothesis placed at the origin of the world but is present in the life of man, of every man.

This perspective of the "biographer" is also explained in light of the general context of his time: straddling the fifth and sixth centuries, "the world was overturned by a tremendous crisis of values and institutions caused by the collapse of the Roman Empire, the invasion of new peoples and the decay of morals". But in this terrible situation, here, in this very city of Rome, Gregory presented St Benedict as a "luminous star" in order to point the way out of the "black night of history" (cf. John Paul II, 18 May 1979). In fact, the Saint's work and particularly his Rule were to prove heralds of an authentic spiritual leaven which, in the course of the centuries, far beyond the boundaries of his country and time, changed the face of Europe following the fall of the political unity created by the Roman Empire, inspiring a new spiritual and cultural unity, that of the Christian faith shared by the peoples of the Continent. This is how the reality we call "Europe" came into being.    
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2008/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_2008    

Dom Donald's Blog: Benedict Solemnity

11 Jul 2010

But I think that this feast of our Holy Father Benedict means more to you than others and is in some way more wwelcome. This is not so because it is a greater feast than all others but because he, our Father, is closer to than all ...

http://nunraw.blogspot.com/

Dom Donald's Blog: Benedict Solemnity 11 July

10 Jul 2011

Feast of the Church : in UK: St Benedict, abbot, patron of Europe (feast in Europe). Saint(s) of ... So deep was this experience of listening for Benedict that it was the inspiration behind the key word to his Rule: ausculta, listen.

http://nunraw.blogspot.com/

Sirach 6:21 'mighty testing stone', Bl. Guerric 'referred to Christ' COMMENT

Saint Benedict

14^th Week Ord. Time Tuesday 10^th July 1012

First Reading     Proverbs 8 22-36

Responsory       Prv 8:22, Jn 1:1

In the beginning, before he made the earth, +The Lord created me.

V/ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. +The Word created me.

Second Reading

From a sermon by Blessed Guerric of Igny (In fest. Sancti Benedicti, Sermo 1: PL 185, 99-103)

Wisdom will be a mighty testing stone

Happy, scripture says, are those who have found wisdom. But it does not stop there. No; it continues: and who are rich in prudence. Solomon found wisdom but because he lacked prudence, because he was not careful enough in keeping watch over himself and guarding himself from pagan women, he not only lost wisdom but fell into the supreme folly of idolatry.

Some people, like Solomon, have been drawn away by the desires of the flesh; others through fickleness and inconstancy abandon wisdom when they encounter the slightest difficulty. These are the ones who believe for a while but in time of temptation fall away. As the scriptures say: Wisdom will be to them as a mighty testing stone. They protest: This teaching is hard. Yes, it is hard, but does that mean it is not true? The stone is hard, but does that mean it is not precious?

Now the stone referred to was Christ, a mighty stone, but not hard. He was the rock, but a rock that could be changed, and indeed is changed, into pools or fountains of water, whenever he finds faithful hearts that are gentle and humble into whom he can pour himself. For if those who were so quickly offended and drew back at the mere appearance of hardness had remained with the apostles, they might well have drunk with them from the Rock that followed them. They might have drunk from the streams of living water flowing copiously from the Rock that was struck on the cross so that today also the people and their cattle might drink. They might even have sucked honey from the rock and oil from the flinty stone.

Now to achieve the wisdom of remaining with Wisdom I think it most important not readily to let restlessness or some slight indisposition keep us away from any of the occupations of wisdom such as the divine office, private prayer, holy reading, our everyday tasks, or the rule of silence. Indeed, with regard to silence we share the prophet's promise: In silence and hope shall be your strength. For if in silence you devote yourself to holiness, heeding the saying of Jeremiah that it is good to wait in silence for the salvation of the Lord, then in the midst of the silence the all-powerful

Word will leap down to you from his royal throne. The waters of Shiloah which flow silently will inundate the valley of your calm and peaceful heart like a gently flowing stream. You will experience this not once but many times if holiness is the purpose of your silence, that is, if you meditate on holiness, keeping in mind the texts of scripture that I have placed before you, and not forgetting the all-seeing eye of God.

It is the fear of the Lord that makes us always mindful of this eternal eye, which unceasingly beholds and judges all things; it draws us back from any wrong action or thought, and teaches us instead to meditate upon holiness, restraining us so that we remain with wisdom.

May he enable us to share in these things who deigned to share in our nature, Jesus Christ, the Wisdom of God, who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

Guerric of Igny (c.1070/1080-1157), about whose early life little is known, probably received his education at the cathedral school of Toumai (1087-1092), perhaps under the influence of Odo of Cambrai (1087-1092). He seems to have lived a retired life of prayer and study near the cathedral of Toumai. He paid a visit to Clairvaux to consult Saint Bemard, and is mentioned by him as a novice in a letter to Ogerius in 1125-1126. He became abbot of the Cistercian abbey of Igny. in the diocese of Reims in 1138. A collection of 54 authentic sermons preached in chapter on Sundays and feast days have been edited. Guerric's spirituality was influenced by Origen.

Bibles Compare  “Wisdom will be to them as a mighty testing stone” (Bl. Guerric) Sirach 6:22

(DRB)  She shall be to them as a mighty stone of trial, and they will cast her from them before it be long.

(RSVA)  Sir_6:21  She will weigh him down like a heavy testing stone, and he will not be slow to cast her off. 22  For wisdom is like her name, and is not manifest to many.

(Vulgate)  quasi lapidis virtus probatio erit in illis et non demorabuntur proicere illum

(The Know translation) 6:21  Only to undisciplined mind she seems an over-hard task mistress;

COMMENT
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: William . . .
To: Donald. . .
Sent: Wednesday, 11 July 2012, 0:30
Subject: Re: Biblical contemplation - Guerric's

Dear Father Donald,

 

What a feast of reflection pours out of this 'mighty testing stone' of Bl Guerric! I have been quite taken up with it, thank you for the opportunity to ponder upon it - I need no other pillow this night.

 

A rock is an excellent simile for fear, its hardness and its coldness - that is, until the meaning of fear of God is understood and the symbolism of the rock is appreciated. Those referred to who baulked at the "mere appearance of hardness" remained gripped in the cold fear of the desert journey, in the fear of the mighty God portrayed in the OT. Had they but understood that fear is not an expression of the hardness of God, but of His strength and the sureness of His promises, they might have responded differently. Certainly the disciples discovered the meaning of the rock in Jesus (although in His Hands was it not also a whetting stone?).

 

Wisdom as "the all-seeing eye of God" is a wonderful expression: "It is the fear of the Lord that makes us always mindful of this eternal eye". Scripturally we are accustomed to wisdom being described as the fear of God, but "the eternal eye" awakens our awareness to the presence - to the Person of God, not just the aura of His power. In the presence of God we are drawn to respond by "prudence", that is in the delight of the beautiful service and love of Our Lord.

 

St Francis de Sales wrote that spiritual reading is the oil of the lamp of prayer - indeed, because it does not only ignite prayer but sustains its flame. Thus I delight in Guerric's admonition: "Now to achieve the wisdom of remaining with Wisdom I think it most important not readily to let restlessness or some slight indisposition keep us away from any of the occupations of wisdom such as the divine office, private prayer, holy reading, our everyday tasks, or the rule of silence"... with "holiness as the purpose".  

 

Without such a purpose, 'wisdom' would simply be an ornament of the mind! It is this 'eternal eye' that "draws us back from any wrong action or thought, and teaches us instead to meditate upon holiness, restraining us so that we remain with wisdom"... "Jesus Christ, the Wisdom of God".

 

The "eternal eye" is for me the omnipresence of our loving Father, the appeal of Our Lord's gaze, the vision of the Spirit.

 

Thank you Father for the deep joy of these spiritual gems you present on your Blog. 

 

With my love in Our Lord,

William  

Our Lady of Aberdeen 9 July 'in the infirmity of old age' St Aelred

Monday, 09 July 2012

Monday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time

Our Lady of Aberdeen

Procession at Saint Andrews Catedral ruins, 

Statue of Our Lady of Abedeen

 " Bishop Toal said in his sermon, "whether we be in the grandest Cathedral, lowliest hovel, outdoors braving the elements or at home, we are all united in  one Faith, one Church".

Pictures: http_benedictoblate_blogspot 

"Aberdeen -- Our Lady at the Bridge of Dee, described as Our Lady at the Brig is mentioned in 1459. Near to the chapel was a well dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, where miraculous favours were obtained. In the cathedral were four altars of Our Lady, each with her image, one being of silver. "


On the Feast of Our Lady of Aberdeen, the Cantor selected the Night Office Optional Reading, from the Common of the BVM, by St. Aelred.
The theme could be described as "in the infirmity of old age"
Following the Mass Deacon referred to Our Lady of Good Success.
Aelred says;
Scripture says, 'Praise the Lord in his saints'. If our Lord is to be praised in those saints through whom he performs mighty works and miracles, how much more should he be praised in her in whom he fashioned himself, he who is wonderful beyond all wonder.
Again such such wonderful relationships.

COLLECT (Magnificat)

Grant we pray, almighty God,

that this your Holy Church in Scottlan,

gather in your name to honour

Our lady of Aberdeen,

may shine forth with that fire of faith and charity

which the Spirit dwelling in her set ablaze.

Thro...

Alternative           Sermon 20

A reading from the sermons of  St. Aelred of Rievaulx

Mary, our Mother

Let us come to his. bride, let us come to his - mother, let us come to the best of his handmaidens. All of these descriptions fit Blessed Mary.

But what are we to do for her.? What sort of gifts shall we offer her? O that we might at least repay to her the debt we owe her ! We owe her honour, we owe her devotion, we owe her love, we owe her praise. We owe her honour because she is the Mother of our Lord. He, who does not honour the mother, will without doubt dishonour the son. Besides, scripture says: 'Honour your- father and your mother.'

What then shall we say, brethren? Is she not our mother? Certainly, brethren, she is in truth our mother. Through her we are born, not to the world but to God.

We all, as you believe and know, were in death, in the infirmity of old age, in darkness, in misery. In death because we had lost the Lord; in the infirmity of old age, because we were in corruption; in darkness because we had lost the light of wisdom, and so we -had altogether perished.

But through Blessed Mary we all underwent a much better .birth than through Eve, inasmuch as Christ was born of Mary. Instead of the infirmity of age we have regained youth, instead of corruption incorruption, instead of darkness light.

She is our mother, mother of our life, of our incorruption, of our light. The Apostle says of our Lord, ‘Whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification and redemption.

She therefore who. -is the mother of Christ is the mother of our wisdom, mother of our righteousness, mother of our sanctification, mother of our redemption. Therefore she is more our mother than the mother of our flesh. Better therefore is our birth which we derive from Mary, for from her is our holiness, our wisdom; our righteousness, our sanctification, our redemption.

Scripture says, 'Praise the Lord in his saints'. If our Lord is to be praised in those saints through whom he performs mighty works and miracles, how much more should he be praised in her in whom he fashioned himself, he who is wonderful beyond all wonder.

RESPONSORY

R/ Blessed is the holy Virgin Mary, and most worthy of all praise; * through her has risen the Sun of, Justice, Christ our God, by whom we are saved and redeemed.

V/ Let us joyfully celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.* Through her has risen ...

http://www.stmaryscathedralaberdeen.org/our-lady-of-aberdeen.html
Our Lady of Aberdeen

  http://nunraw.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/our-lady-of-aberdeen.html  

The bridegroom is with them Mt 9:15 COMMENT

Arbel   view to the sea of Galilee

COMMENTS

Dear William,

Thank you, our best Reader.

My perceptions are striving in the addled brain, and wakened up in your fresh viewing.
It is the grace of pausing, lighting and spotlighting.

Praise the gifts of the word.

Yours ....

Donald.

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: William...
To: Donald...
Sent: Sunday, 8 July 2012, 9:28
Subject: Fw: Gabrielle Bossis... St John of the Cross

Dear Father Donald,

 

There is a wonderful glimpse of the relationship of St John of the Cross with Our Lord on today's DGO, written in a way that carried my thoughts to your extracts from Bossis:

 

Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591), Carmelite, Doctor of the Church - Living Flame of Love, st. 3, 6 (©Institute of Carmelite Studies)

"The bridegroom is with them"

When one loves and does good to another, he loves and does good to him in the measure of his own nature and properties. Thus your Bridegroom, dwelling within you, grants you favors according to his nature. Since he is omnipotent, he omnipotently loves and does good to you...

He makes you his equal, gladly revealing himself to you in these ways of knowledge, in this his countenance filled with graces, and telling you in this his union, not without great rejoicing: "I am yours and for you and delighted to be what I am so as to be yours and give myself to you." Who, then, will be able to express your experience, O happy soul, since you know that you are so loved and with such esteem exalted?


Quietly reflecting on such wonderful relationships,

with my love in Our Lord,

William

Saturday, 07 July 2012

Saturday of the Thirteenth week in Ordinary Time

Saint Matthew 9:14-17.

The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, «Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?» 

Jesus answered them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.. . . . 

See commentary below or click here
Saint John of the Cross : "The bridegroom is with them"  

Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591), Carmelite, Doctor of the Church. Living Flame of Love, st. 3, 6 (©Institute of Carmelite Studies)

"The bridegroom is with them" 

"homonymy" between Peter and Jesus (Benedict xvi) Acts 4: 11-12

Third Week in Ordinary Time WEDNESDAY Year II

A Word in Season, Readings of the Liturgy of the Hours. Augustinian Press 1999.

Night Office

First Reading

Nehemiah 9:1-2.5-21

Second Reading:

From the writings of Nicolas Cabasilas (Vita in Christo VI, 13: PG 150, 681-683).

There is no other name by which we must be saved.

That we may be able always to pay attention to Christ, and be zealous in this at all times, let us call on him who is the subject of our thoughts at every moment. And of course those who call upon him need no special preparation or special place for prayer, nor a loud voice. For he is present everywhere, and is always with us; he is even nearer to those who seek him than their very heart.

It is fitting, then, that we should firmly believe that our prayers will be answered. We should never hesitate on account of our evil ways, but take courage because he on whom we call is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. In fact he is so far from ignoring the entreaties of the servants who have offended him, that before they had called on him or even thought of him, he had already called them himself by his coming to earth - for he said, I came to call sinners.

Then if that was the way he sought those who did not even want him, how will he treat those who call on him? And if he loved us when we hated him, how will he reject us when we love him? It is just this that Paul's words make clear: If, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, how much more, when we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

Again, let us think about the kind of supplication we make. We do not pray for the things that friends are likely to ask for and receive, but rather for such things as are specifically prescribed for those who are called to account, servants who have offended their master. For we do not call upon the Lord in order that he may reward us, or grant us any other favour of that kind, but that he may have mercy on us. Who, then, are likely to ask for mercy, forgive­ness, remission of sins and things of that sort from God who loves humanity, and not go away empty-handed? Those who are called to account, if indeed those who are well have no need of a physician. For if human beings are at all in the habit of calling upon God for mercy, it is those who are worthy of mercy, in other words sinners.

So let us call on God with our voice and in mind and thought, so that we may apply the only saving remedy to everything through which we sin, for in the words of Peter: there is no other name by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

Responsory                                          Ps 141:1-2; 143:1

I call to you, Lord; hasten to help me; hear my voice when I cry to you. + Let my prayer rise before you like incense, the raising of my hands like an evening sacrifice.

V. Lord, hear my prayer; listen to my plea. + Let my prayer ...

"homonymy" between Peter and Jesus (Benedict xvi)

"This [Jesus] is the stone... there is no other name... given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4: 11-12). In the passage of the Acts of the Apostles the first reading the singular "homonymy" between Peter and Jesus strikes us and makes us reflect: Peter, who received his name from Jesus himself, here asserts that he, Jesus, is "the stone". In fact, the only true rock is Jesus. The only name that saves is his. The apostle, and therefore the priest, receives his "name", his very identity, from Christ. Everything he does is done in his name. His "I" becomes totally relative to the "I" of Jesus. In the name of Christ, and most certainly not in his own, the apostle may perform acts of healing for the brethren, may help the "crippled" to rise again and take their path (cf. Acts 4: 9-10). In Peter's case, the miracle that had just occurred makes this especially evident. And even the reference to what was said in the Psalm is essential: "The stone which the builders rejected has become the corner stone" (Ps 118[117]: 22). Jesus was "rejected", but the Father favoured him and put him as the foundation of the Temple of the New Covenant. Thus the apostle, like the priest, experiences in turn the Cross, and only through this can he become truly useful to the building of the Church. God loves to build his Church with people who, following Jesus, place their entire trust in God, as the Psalm itself mentions: "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in princes" (v. 8-9).

Poe Benedict during the Ordination to the Priesthood of 19 Deacons 3 May 2009

Thomas Apostle Jn. 20: 24-29

From Post: Saturday, 3 July 2010

Apostle Thomas 3 July Feast

Saint Thomas: "My Lord and my God"

From a sermon by Ronald A. Knox 
(Pastoral Sermons, pages 402-403)

Night Office, on this Feast of Saint Thomas, the Reading from Fr. Ronald Knox, was used in the Second Nocturn. Fr. H., the Reader, made this choice from the alternatives from the Lectern. It was  well heard, and gave us Fr. Ronald's touch of presence, as in the cases of Thomas encounters with Jesus.

Thomas, as we know from his record, was loyal to a fault; had been the first to suggest that they should all go and die with their Master. But he was one of those people who will always ask the inconvenient question. He has been chosen to be an eyewitness, vouching personally for every event in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. And he was not an eyewitness of this appearance in the upper room; it will not do. How can they be certain it was really their Master they saw? What tests did they make? Until I have seen the mark of the nails on his hands, until I have put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, you will never make me believe.

That it was all providentially ordained, one apostle being absent, and that one Thomas, with his bulldog way of looking at things, is beyond question. "Our faith," says Saint Gregory, "owes more to the faithlessness of Thomas than to the faith-fullness of all the other apostles put together." Because Thomas doubted, our Lord appeared a second time in the upper room; because Thomas doubted, they were privileged to see, and to touch if they would, the indelible scars of Calvary. What our own eyes have seen of him, what it was that met our gaze, and the touch of our hands - so John wrote, long afterwards, with that unforgettable scene for his inspiration. In a moment, the verdict of the jury became unanimous; Thomas could cry out: My Lord and my God! with the rest. Only, there is a postscript. You have learned to believe, Thomas, because you have seen me.Blessed are those who have not seen, and believe all the same.

For our sakes, it was a good thing that Thomas doubted. But for himself, he had come short of the ideal, he had missed an opportunity; surely we are meant to see that. In however insignificant a degree, he was at fault. He had all the record of our Lord's life and teaching in front of him; he had the unanimous testimony of those others, his tried companions in arms, and yet ... some pride, some wilful obstinacy, some chagrin, perhaps, at having been left out when this experience was granted to the rest, made him withhold his assent. "I will not believe"; mysteriously, it is possible to withhold your assent by an act of the will. He ought to have capitulated.

Our Lord doesn't complain. Our Lord wasn't like us; he didn't go about after his resurrection finding fault and saying "I told you so"; he looked forward to the future. He looked down the centuries at people like you and me, who had no chance of seeing him in his incarnate state, and yet do manage to cry out, My Lord and my God; and he said, "What lucky people you are!" When he started out on his ministry, you remember, he gave us the eight beatitudes, Blessed are the patient, blessed are the merciful, blessed are the peacemakers, and so on. And now, when he is just going to leave us for heaven, he pronounces a last beatitude, Blessed are those who haven't seen, and believe all the same.

Our Lord, as we know, was fond of paradox; and this congratulation of his does seem rather unexpected. Earlier on, he said to his apostles, There have been many prophets and just men who have longed to see what you see, and never saw it; we un­derstand well enough what he means by saying, Blessed are your eyes in that connection. To see our Lord in the flesh, to hear his gracious accents, to feel the touch of his hand - what an opportunity it was that they had, and we have missed! But that is not his last word on the subject. He singles out people like you and me for a special congratulation; because we have not seen? No, because, not having seen, we believe.

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