August 21, 2009 St. Pius X (1835-1914)
By that inspiration we frequent visits to the Church and growing to learn and practice of constant prayer. Pope Pius X is perhaps best remembered for his encouragement of the frequent reception of Holy Communion, especially by children. Joseph Sarto became Pius X at 68, one of the twentieth century’s greatest popes. He is known by his outstanding role in the varied developments of renewal in the Church, and at the same time drawn into the politics of For the faithful, what was at the heart of his pastoral care was the centre of gravity of the Eucharist, or expressed in another way by his motto “To restore all thing in Christ” (Eph 1:10).
There was a popular outcry in the favour of his canonization immediately he died. This morning we read the Gospel Mt 22:34-40 and found ourselves imbibing from the Shema from the OT and looks beyond to the measure of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. ‘Other Jewish teachers had picked out the two greatest commandments. Jesus was not original in that. The first was the most familiar verse of the Old Testament: the ‘Shema’, Deuteronomy 6:5. The second was Leviticus 19:18. When Jesus quoted the Old Testament he quoted accurately of course. But when he spoke from himself he did not say, “Love your neighbour as yourself,” but “Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 13:34; 15:12). There’s a colossal difference!’
Among achievements of Pius X was the reform of Church music with the encouragement of Gregorian Chant. The Breviary today uses the From the apostolic constitution Divino afflatu of
Pope Saint Pius X The song of the Church The collection of psalms found in Scripture, composed as it was under divine inspiration, has, from the very beginnings of the Church, shown a wonderful power of fostering devotion among Christians as they offer to God a continuous sacrifice of praise, the harvest of lips blessing his name. Following a custom already established in the Old Law, the psalms have played a conspicuous part in the sacred liturgy itself, and in the divine office. Thus was born what Basil calls the voice of the Church, that singing of psalms, which is the daughter of that hymn of praise (to use the words of our predecessor, Urban VIII) which goes up unceasingly before the throne of God and of the Lamb, and which teaches those especially charged with the duty of divine worship, as Athanasius says, the way to praise God, and the fitting words in which to bless him. Augustine expresses this well when he says: God praised himself so that man might give him fitting praise; because God chose to praise himself man found the way in which to bless God.
The psalms have also a wonderful power to awaken in our hearts the desire for every virtue. Athanasius says: Though all Scripture, both old and new, is divinely inspired and has its use in teaching, as we read in Scripture itself, yet the Book of Psalms, like a garden enclosing the fruits of all the other books, produces its fruits in song, and in the process of singing brings forth its own special fruits to take their place beside them. In the same place Athanasius rightly adds: The psalms seem to me to be like a mirror, in which the person using them can see himself, and the stirrings of his own heart; he can recite them against the background of his own emotions. Augustine says in his Confessions: How I wept when I heard your hymns and canticles, being deeply moved by the sweet singing of your Church. Those voices flowed into my ears, truth filtered into my heart, and from my heart surged waves of devotion. Tears ran down, and I was happy in my tears.
Indeed, who could fail to be moved by those many passages in the psalms which set forth so profoundly the infinite majesty of God, his omnipotence, his justice and goodness and clemency, too deep for words, and all the other infinite qualities of his that deserve our praise? Who could fail to be roused to the same emotions by the prayers of thanksgiving to God for blessings received, by the petitions, so humble and confident, for blessings still awaited, by the cries of a soul in sorrow for sin committed? Who would not be fired with love as he looks on the likeness of Christ, the redeemer, here so lovingly foretold? His was the voice Augustine heard in every psalm, the voice of praise, of suffering, of joyful expectation, of present distress.
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Friday, 21 August 2009
Pius X Aug 21
Thursday, 20 August 2009
Bernard Cistercian
Solemnity of St. Bernard of Clairvaux August 20
A Prayer from Bernard of Clairvaux
As we celebrated the community Mass this morning, a thought came to mind on St. Bernard’s popular prayer rather than his greater writings.
“In dangers, in doubts, in difficulties, think of Mary, call upon Mary”. We celebrate the Solemnity of St. Bernard
We call him the mellifluous Doctor. He is admired him as mellifluous but in a sense can be counter productive. He is greatly prolific. So many are hindered by loss of memory, or deafness or dyslexia.
The words seem ring when we hear the prayer, “In dangers, in doubts, in difficulties, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Let not her name depart from your lips, . . .” Our’s is more familiar. In fact we recall more the word MEMORARE. “Memorare” is more powerful as shortcut not just to the Prayer but to the whole spirit of St. Bernard.
| Memorare, o piisima Virgo Maria, non esse auditum a saeculo, quemquam ad tua currentem praesidia, tua implorantem auxilia, tua petentem suffragia esse derelicta. Nos tali animati confidentia ad te, Virgo Virginum, Mater, currimus; ad te venimus; coram te gementes peccatores assistimus. Noli, Mater Verbi, verba nostra despicere, sed audi propitia et exaudi. R. Amen. | Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, we fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins and Mother; to thee do we come; before thee do we stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not our petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer us. R. Amen |
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Feast of St. Bernard. 20 Aug 2009. Feast of St. Bernard. 20 Aug 2009.
Saint Bernard with his friends William of St. Thierry and St. Aelred of Rievaulx stand like medieval triptych. The dominating figure of Bernard with his two companions, William the great theologian, and Aelred, the example of friendship, Bernard stands between the two, the synthesis of contemplation of the Divine. Together these men represent that balance between the love of God and the love of man and friendship. Which animated their theology and gave it life.
Bernard is complex – if not paradoxical he was undoubtedly the most dynamic figure of the twelfth century, if not the whole of the middle ages. For he dominated all other voices in his own century and changed more patterns of thought and sentiment than anyone else.
He was born around 1190 at the court of the Counts of Burgundy. He was a member of a
Bernard had an irresistible charm with people. When he was only twenty-two. He decided to enter the monastic community of Citeaux. At that point he persuaded his uncle, four of his five bothers, and twenty five friends to accompany him in this way of life. Earthly honours and comforts he despised, with a total lack of self-interest. ‘To be poor with Christ’ was his one concern. So, despite his father’s opposition, he and his friends lived in the primitive huts in the marshy valley of the river
From 1127 until his death, he was called upon to give council on temporal affairs all over
Before he entered Citeaux, the Cistercian Order scarcely existed. At his death, the Order possessed 350 Abbeys. Simply stated, Bernard’s’ belief was: knowledge of God comes only through devotion to God, in poverty, simplicity and in solitude. Within his generation, the Cistercian movement – based on these principles – was the greatest success story of the middle ages.
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Saint Bernard of Clairvaux Presented by His Parents, Saints Aleth and Tescelin
Pot metal, white glass, vitreous paint, silver stain, sanguine
German, Kreis Schleiden, Mariawald,
This scene, along with its neighbouring three, are probably part of the glazing from the Cistercian
Bequest of George D. Pratt, 1935, (41.170.104-.106). NYC - Metropolitan Museum of Art - Saint Bernard of Clairvaux Presented by His Parents, Saints Aleth and Tescelin (a creative Commons License).
Wednesday, 19 August 2009
Guerric, Bl. Aug 19
Blessed Guerric of Igny (+1157), one of the Four Evangelists of the Order of Cîteaux.
Fr. Hugh read the 2nd Vigil Reading and he also Presided at Community Mass this morning of August 19th.
| BLESSED GUERRIC
Blessed Guerric has been described as one of the four Evangelists of Citeaux. Together with St. Aelred and William off St.Thierry he is one of the most important of the first' generation Cistercian writers" He was born sometime between 1070 and 1080 and became a Canon of Tournai and headmaster of the Episcopal School there; a post he held for some years. He entered the novitiate at Clairvaux about the year 1121. At that time he would have been about 45-50; at least ten years older than its Abbot St. Bernard. He was elected Abbot of Igny the fourth daughter house of Clairvaux in 1138 as their second Abbot.It is now a Cistercian convent. Guerric died in 1157 when he would have been in his eighties·and his relics are still preserved at Igny. Guerric's literary remains consist of only fifty-four sermons. On his deathbed he ordered these to be burnt. His monks obeyed but they had a second copy! His sermons are simpler and less ornate than those of Aelred and Bernard whose sermons were embellished and polished up after they had been delivered in the chapter room. Like St. Bernard, Guerric has a great devotion to Christ's Nativity. This together with devotion to Our Lady has a dulcifying element in an austere monastic life. He said in one of his Christmas Sermons (Nat I para 4). 'What incomparable sweetness and loving kindness' that I should see the God who made me, himself made a child for my sake.' Consideration of this, he continues, curbs 'rancour of soul, bitterness of speech and harshness of manner.' 'Unto to us a child is born, unto to us a Son is given', Each individual is a mother of Christ 'who has been born in you and for you.' (Natt, 3 para 5) Whilst being profoundly conscious of the splendour of our Faith he was also very much aware of the inadequacy of his time. Like St Aelred he never thought that he was living in a great age of the Church or in a great period of monastic history. 'Today,' he says, 'if you ask people about their Faith you will find them practically all very Christian, but if you search more deeply you will find that there are very few who are truly Christians. Almost the whole world confesses verbally that it knows God, but it denies Him by its deeds’. (Epiph. IV para 2) Guerric believed that the besetting sin amongst religious of his day was negligence. He accused, himself of this which results in idleness, both intellectual and physical. Nevertheless, Guerric is no gloomy pessimist. He is someone who clearly enjoyed his Faith and his monastic life and was aware oft· the possibilities they offer. In one of his Advent Sermons he speaks of· God's advances towards us: 'However far you journey along it, the way is always waiting to be prepared, so that you must start afresh from the place you have reached and advance along what lies ahead. You are led to do so because at every stage you meet the Lord, for those coming you are preparing, and each time you see· Him in a completely new way and as a much greater figure than you have met before’. (Advent V (Fr. Hugh)
IGNY ABBEY
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Tuesday, 18 August 2009
Mark Caira Blessing 6
| Few Words from the Abbot
These are the few words Oops! I have just been informed that the caterers have asked to keep you here as long as possible…. Well, Sometime ago Fr Raymond and I were talking about the Abbatial Blessing. He said I’d have to say something near the end. ‘But’, he said,’ that’s easy: all you have to say is h-e-l-p!!’ — I wonder was he talking from experience?
At the time of his Blessing, six years ago, Mgr Grady the former VG of the archdiocese was getting more and more frail. He came all the same and took part in the concelebration. But he had to sit all the time and was seated away from the other priests. He received the consecrated host like everyone else but he couldn’t come forward for the chalice and, between the coming and going, he was overlooked. Someone sitting next to him came up and told me he hadn’t received the chalice. So I went to the altar where there were three chalices. All of them were empty. I believe that day I witnessed a small miracle. I was at a loss to know what to do. In a kind of desperation I took up one chalice and turned it upside down over the second and waited a little. Then I did the same with the third chalice. When I looked into the first chalice there was just about enough wine to give the Mgr a sip. With some relief I went over and presented the chalice to him. He took it thankfully. But before he drank it he looked up at me and asked, ‘Is there anyone else to receive? I’ve never forgotten that remark.
Others have told me that Mgr Grady was a man of some learning, consideration and refinement. That day I saw he was truly an educated man. The goodness that had grown in him was drawn out by the thought that there might be others beside him. He just didn’t ‘dive in’ and think only of himself. That, to me, says a lot about real living, whether you are a priest, a single or married person, a monk or nun, and certainly about an abbot living in his community. Life is not just about me. Each of us must take pains to be what we should be if we are to be any use to others and most importantly to of use to God.
But there are other lessons in that experience I had six years ago. For the Mgr there was no wine, or so I thought at first. I did try to do something not really thinking it would come to anything, but it did. It seemed almost a waste of time but it did produce something. Much of our lives can be like that. What’s the point? When we try something, a new interest, a new job, a new friendship, a new way of life, it may come to nothing. But it may give us an added enrichment, even a complete change of life.
In the monastery we don’t really do an awful lot that is different from most of what you do, who are gathered here to celebrate another stage in the life of Nunraw. Much of our daily lives is taken up with supplying our daily needs of body and soul which is common to everyone. Obviously a fair part of our day is devoted to prayer and the life of the spirit, which of course is why we came here in the first place. We try to create an environment that is conducive to the development of the inner life, our own, and, to some extent, that of those who come to us.
A new abbot is bound to make a difference in the life of a monastery. We hope that his influence will be a very good one, sometimes it may not be. But we all, always, hope that it will be for a better and fruitful life for each of the community and for all the many friends and kind people who want to be associated with us. Today we thank God for this new opportunity to make a new beginning. Jean Vanier, the founder of the L’Arche communities said that we should always take the opportunity to celebrate something in our lives. Today we give you a reason to join us in doing just that, here in this marquee and later in the community refectory. Thank you very much for coming. |
Mark Caira Blessing 5
The Community
at
Nunraw
welcomes you to
The Abbatial Blessing
of
Dom Mark Caira
their new abbot
by
Cardinal Keith Patrick O’Brien
of the Archdiocese of St Andrews and
On this Feast of the Assumption
15 August 2009
Music Corner. Organist and Dom Daniel singing
Litany: Words and music by Bernadette Farrell
Video. Words of the Invocation of Blessing by the Cardinal
Mark Caira Blessing 4
Abbatial Blessing
Outline of the Ceremony
M.C. Mgr. A. T. Chambers
Introductory Rites
Liturgy of the Word
Blessing of an Abbot
Presentation of the new abbot
Homily
Examination
Invitation to Prayer
Litany of the Saints
Prayer of Blessing
Presentation of the Rule of St Benedict
Presentation of the Ring and Staff
Liturgy of the Eucharist
Communion Rite
Mark Caira Blessing 3
The gathering -
Sunshine, tent pews (chairs) dried out, parking filling, photographers are to the ready, Cardinal ushers the procession to enter.
