Newman St Bartholomew

John Henry Newman’s thoughts about Saint Bartholomew for this Feast remind of the role, “the history of St. Bartholomew … recall us to ourselves … (not to) go out of his line of life! … when a man begins to feel he has a soul, and a work to do, … and he says, "What must I do to please God?"   Newman’s words here  echo to often quoted prayer:  God created me to do him some definite service; he has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission - I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next ... Therefore, I will trust him ... If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve him; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve him ... He does nothing in vain; he may prolong my life, he may shorten it, he knows what he is about. John Henry Cardinal Newman Official website for Cardinal Newman's Cause for Canonisation www.newmancause.co.uk

24 August

Saint Bartholomew Feast

Gospel according to John 1: 45-31

From a sermon by John Henry Newman
(Parochial and Plain Sermons, volume 2, pages 335-337)

• When Philip told him that he had found the long-expected Messiah of whom Moses wrote, Nathanael (that is, Bartholomew) at first doubted. He was well read in the scriptures, and knew the Christ was to be born in Bethlehem; whereas Jesus dwelt at Nazareth, which Nathanael supposed in consequence to be the place of his birth, - and he knew of no particular promises attached to that city, which was a place of evil report, and he thought no good could come out of it. Philip told him to come and see; and he went to see, as a humble single  minded man, sincerely desirous to get at the truth. In consequence, he was vouchsafed an interview with our Saviour, and was converted.
• Now from what occurred in this interview, we gain some insight into St. Bartholomew's character. Our Lord said of   him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! and it appears, moreover, as if, before Philip called him to come to Christ, he was engaged in meditation or prayer, in the privacy which a fig-tree's shade afforded him. And this, it seems, was the life of one who was destined to act the busy part of an apostle; quietness without, guilelessness within. This was the tranquil preparation for great dangers and sufferings! We see who make the most heroic Christians, and are the most honoured by Christ!     
• An even, unvaried life is the lot of most men, in spite of occasional troubles or other accidents; and we are apt to despise it, and to get tired of it, and to long to see the world - or, at all' events, we think such a life affords no great opportunity for religious obedience. To rise up, and go through the same duties, and then to rest again, day after day, to pass week after week. beginning with God's service on Sunday, and then to our worldly tasks! so to continue till year follows year! and we gradually get old - an unvaried life like this is apt to seem unprofitable to us when we dwell upon the thought of it. Many indeed there are, who do not think at all; but live in their round of employments, without care about God and religion! driven on by the natural course of things in a dull irrational way like the beasts that perish.   
• But when a man begins to feel he has a soul, and a work to do, and a reward to be gained, greater or less, according as he improves the talents committed to him, then he is naturally tempted to be anxious from his very wish to be saved! and he says, "What must I do to please God?" And sometimes he is led to think he ought to be useful on a large scale! and goes out of his line of life! that he may be doing something worth doing, as he considers it.
• Here we have the history of St. Bartholomew and the other apostles to recall us to ourselves, and to assure us that we need not give up our usual manner of life, in order to serve God; that the most humble and quietest station is acceptable to him! if improved duly - nay, affords means for maturing the highest Christian character, even that of an apostle. Bartholomew read the scriptures and prayed to God; and thus was trained at length to give up his life for Christ! when he demanded it.

Clement of Alexandria

Monday, 23 August 2010 Night Office

Clement of Alexandria's Reading this morning was a real depth charge of Scripture Theology, “Adoration of the Divine Word and God the Father.”

Reading: Titus 2: 1-3, 3: 2.  

From the writings of Saint Clement of Alexandria (Cohortatio ad Gentes l:PG 8, 59-63)

We should live reasonable, honest, and devout lives in this present age, as we wait for the manifestation of the glory of our great God

• The Lord has mercy on us, trains, exhorts and warns, preserves and guards us. He rewards us for our learning more than we could deserve with his promise of the kingdom of heaven, his sole return from us being our salvation. For while evil lives on the destruction of mankind: truth, like the bee, harms nothing in nature, and glories only in the salvation of men.
• So you have the Lord's promise and his love for man; it is yours to partake of that grace. And you need not imagine that my song k50f117 of salvation is something new, like a new piece of furniture or a new house, for as scripture says: He was before the morning star; and: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
• Our own existence dates before the foundation of the world; because of our future destiny our being began in God himself. It is .to the Word of God that we owe our creation as rational beings, and through him that we belong to eternity, because: In the beginning was the Word. So in respect of his eternal nature the Word was and is the divine beginning of all things; but because he has now taken the name of Christ, a name consecrated long ago and worthy of his kingly power, for that reason I call my song new.
• This Word then, the Christ, is he to whom we owe our life from of old, and the goodness of that life, by the fact that he appeared himself to men. This Word, who alone is both God and man, in teaching us to live rightly on earth conveys us to eternal life. For in the words of that holy apostle of the Lord: The saving grace of God has appeared to all, training us to renounce irreligion and worldly desires, and to live reasonable, honest, and devout-lives in this present age, as we wait for our blessed hope, the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. (Titus 2: 11-13. NRSV)
• This is the new song of the Word, who was in the beginning, and who has now appeared on earth, our pre-existent Saviour. The Word who was with God, and by whom all things were made, has appeared as our Teacher. The Word, who, as creator, made us in the beginning and gave us life, taught us how to live rightly when he came as our teacher, so that later as God he might grant us immortal life.

The Writings of Clement of Alexandria. Wilson, Edinburgh 1867.

Exhortation to the Heathen (Exhortatio ad Gentes)

Chapter 1. pp.20-23. Exhortation to abandon the Impious Mysteries of Idolatry for the Adoration of the Divine Word and God the Father. 

Clement of Alexandria (c.150-215) Clement was born at Athens of pagan parents. Nothing is known of his early life nor of the reasons for his conversion. He was the pupil and the assistant of Pantaenus, the director of the catechetical school of Alexandria, whom he succeeded in about the year 200. In 202 Clement left Alexandria because of the persecution of Septimus Severus, and resided in Cappadocia with is pupil, Alexander, later bishop of Jerusalem. Clement may be considered the founder of speculative theology. He strove to protect and deepen faith by the use of Greek philosophy. Central in his teaching is his doctrine of the Logos, who as divine reason is the teacher of the world and its lawgiver. Clements’s chief work is the trilogy. Exhortation to the Greeks, The Teacher, and Miscellaneous Studies.

Luke 13:25 Words of Awakening

 

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: William J    ... >
To:  Donald    ... >
Sent: Sun, 22 August, 2010 11:11:37
Subject: Luke 13:25 words of awakening

Dear Father Donald,

 

Just to share a little bit of soul searching that might interest you as I read today's Gospel - for I discover something new every time I read a Gospel passage!

 

Today's Gospel has always seemed to me to represent inclusion or exclusion in the Kingdom of Heaven as a [done deed], as a consequence of our faith and the quality of our lives, but the NAB commentary gives a more urgent message that is directed at us today:

 

Luke:13:25 After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking

 

(cf Matthew 25:10 .. those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked)

 

The commentary reads:

 

13:22-30 - These sayings of Jesus follow in Luke upon the parables of the kingdom (vv 18-21) and stress that great effort is required for entrance into the kingdom (v 24) and that there is an urgency to accept the present opportunity to enter because the narrow door will not remain open indefinately (v 25). Lying behind the sayings is the rejection of Jesus and his message by his Jewish contemporaries (v 26) whose places at table in the kingdom will be taken by Gentiles from the four corners of the world (v 29).

 

The commentary 'softens' the statement to a degree by adding the historical context, but I always consider that, as we give ourselves to listen to the Gospels, our faith in Jesus draws us into the group of listeners and thus we become his contemporaries... I do not think we can comfort ourselves by considering that we are, after all, of the 'Gentiles' who being last to hear will, at our departing, instantly be allowed in first!

 

Much soul searching going on in this corner of the crowd wending its way (v 22) to Jerusalem...

 

...  in Our Lord,

William  

 

William, 

Thanks for the Gospel Comment. 
The above view is among Nunraw hidden streams in deep woods. (Donald)

Queenship of Mary

LUKE 13:22-30 TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME KEY VERSE: "Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able" (v 24). Mass Entry: Today is the Octave of the Assumption BVM. 22nd August is the Queenship of Mary but it is Sunday in Ordinary Time. Today is a land mark  date in the community calendar. On the 22nd August 1954 Cardinal Gordon Joseph Gray conducted the laying of the Foundation Stone of Sancta Maria Abbey. In the brightness this morning and the joy of Mary we can look more positively at the difficult Parables of the Gospel today. “Many are called, few are chosen.” “Many shall seek to enter the narrow gate and shall not be able to enter.” Henry Newman, who will be beatified in the Papal Visit, next month, has very serious thoughts on the elect being few. Earlier the Cantor questioned the suitability of the Newman Night Office Reading this morning. It seemed the passage was from the pre-Catholic period. Happily Newman’s words in this quotation echoes beautifully the  Heart of Mary. He tells us that the doctrine does not lead us to any hard notions. He is the most loving Father still, though few are chosen. The doctrine, then, which is implied in the text, does not lead us to any hard notions of God. He is a most loving father still, though few are chosen. His mercy is over all his works, and to no one does the word of life come but with the intent that he may live. If the many remain in unbelief, they are not straightened in God's love, but they ‘are straitened in their own bowels.' Man will not be what by God's renewing and co-operating grace he might be. It is man’s doing, not God's will, that, while the visible Church is large, the Church invisible is small. (J.H. Newman, Parochial and Plain Sermons, V, 18) In our own thinking, it is no harm to catch us at those hard notions of the only few  chosen, our mistake, - rather get our sound bearings, - rather feel with the Heart of Jesus and Mary, “His Father’s mercy is over all His works. + + +

*

The feast is a logical follow-up to the Assumption and is now celebrated on the octave day of that feast. In his encyclical ‘To the Queen of Heaven’, Pius XII points out that Mary deserves the title because she is Mother of God, because she is closely associated as the New Eve with Jesus' redemptive work, because of her preeminent perfection and because of her intercessory power.

Sunday, 22 August 2010
The Queenship of Mary - Memorial

---

 

THE QUEENSHIP OF MARY
Memorial

        According to ancient tradition and the sacred liturgy the main principle on which the royal dignity of Mary rests is without doubt her Divine Motherhood. In Holy Writ, concerning the Son whom Mary will conceive, We read this sentence: "He shall be called the Son of the most High, and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father, and he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end,"[Lk I, 32, 33] and in addition Mary is called "Mother of the Lord"; from this it is easily concluded that she is a Queen, since she bore a son who, at the very moment of His conception, because of the hypostatic union of the human nature with the Word, was also as man King and Lord of all things. So with complete justice St. John Damascene could write: "When she became Mother of the Creator, she truly became Queen of every creature." Likewise, it can be said that the heavenly voice of the Archangel Gabriel was the first to proclaim Mary's royal office.    

20th August Saint Bernard HOMILY by Cardinal Keith Patrick O’Brien. The Cardinal’s words developed from the classic passage from the mellifluous Doctor, St. Bernard. (Reading below) “Love” speaks of the calling, the apostolate, the pastoral caring, as Bishop, monks, laity, fills the measure to give all to God. Pictures of the visit of the Cardinal to the Abbey. A READING from the sermons by St. Bernard on the Song of Songs. Serm. 83,4-6 I love because I love, I love that I may love Love is sufficient of itself, it gives pleasure by itself and because of itself. It is its own merit, its own reward. Love looks for no cause outside itself, no effect beyond itself. Its profit lies in its practice. I love because I love, I love that I may love. Love is a great thing so long as it continually returns to its fountainhead, flows back to its source, always drawing from there the water which constantly replenishes it. Of all the movements, sensations and feelings of the soul, love is the only one in which the creature can respond to the Creator and make some sort of similar return however unequal though it be. For when God loves, all he desires is to be loved in return; the sole purpose of his love is to be loved, in the knowledge that those who love him are made happy by their love of him. The Bridegroom’s love, or rather the love which is the Bridegroom, asks in return nothing but faithful love. Let the beloved, then, love in return. Should not a bride love, and above all, Love’s bride? Could it be that Love not be loved? Rightly then does she give up all other feelings and give herself wholly to love alone; in giving love back, all she can do is to respond to love. And when she has poured out her whole being in love, what is that in comparison with the unceasing torrent of that original source? Clearly, lover and Love, soul and Word, bride and Bridegroom, creature and Creator do not flow with the same volume; one might as well equate a thirsty man with the fountain. What then of the bride’s hope, her aching desire, her passionate love, her confident assurance? Is all this to wilt just because she cannot match stride for stride with her giant, any more than she can vie with honey for sweetness, rival the lamb for gentleness, show herself as white as the lily, burn as bright as the sun, be equal in love with him who is Love? No. It is true that the creature loves less because she is less. But if she loves with her whole being, nothing is lacking where everything is given. To love so ardently then is to share the marriage bond; she cannot love so much and not be totally loved, and it is in the perfect union of two hearts that complete and total marriage consists. Or are we to doubt that the soul is loved by the Word first and with a greater love?

Eve of St Bernard

On the Eve of St. Bernard, the community Chapter Sermon was by Br. Patrick

----- Forwarded Message ---- From  Patrick …> Sent: August 19, 2010 Subject: Eve of ST BERNARD ST BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX Bernard of Clairvaux is surely one of the most outstanding figures in the history of western civilization.  To recount his life would be to write the history of the monastic orders, of orthodox theology, of heretical doctrines, of the second crusade, of the destinies of France, Germany and Italy for a period of almost forty years.  He was the colossus of the twelfth century, spanning both ecclesiastical and civil society.  Counsellor and reconciler of popes and kings, his tireless activity and his profound an extensive writings touched on every aspect of human life and left an indelible mark on the Christian civilisation of the west.             I think most of us are familiar with the outline of his life.  Born in1090 to a family of the lower nobility, he entered the monastery at Citeaux at the age of twenty two, along with thirty of his close family and friends, he was the son of a crusader and his family, particularly his other, were renowned for their charity and devotion to the church Few monasteries could ever have boasted so large a number of eager postulants at one time and in the worn down community of Citeaux, these dynamic young people breathed new life.  Three years later, Bernard was appointed abbot of the new foundation at Clairvaux.  With the new and vigorous life that Bernard had breathed into the Cistercian Order, it continued to flourish and expand.  In 1118   Clairvaux founded three daughter abbeys – it was in fact to have the most numerous offspring of any Cistercian house and it was the influence of Bernard that promoted the extraordinary rapidity with which the order grew.  At the end of Bernard’s life there were 338 Cistercian abbeys of which no fewer than 68 were directly founded from Clairvaux.  It was the bounding energy, the huge personal magnetism, the leadership and the eloquence of St. Bernard that made this possible.  The finest spirits of the age flocked to the Cistercian abbeys where silence, simplicity and the doctrine that work is prayer were the order of the day. We have heard so often that because of the effect of St Bernard’s preaching, mothers hid their sons and wives their husbands in case they should desert the home fireside for the Cistercian cloister. With such a giant as St Bernard, in a talk like this, we can only deal with one or  two aspects of his many faceted character,  One very striking characteristic of his, so evident all his life long, was his incredible influence, both spiritual, ecclesiastical and political. We know that grace builds on nature and I‘m  sure he had natural, personal gifts which had an impact on those people with whom he dealt, but I  believe there was a great deal more to it than that.  St Augustine says “Love and do what you will” which has been interpreted as “The secret of influence is love”.  I would suggest that, even among the saints, he was outstanding for his love for God and for his fellow man. The influence of his writings still persists. When Angelo Roncalli was elected pope as John XXIII he chose to read “On Consideration” a remarkable piece of writing giving advice to the newly elected Cistercian pope, Eugene III.  As far as his other writings are concerned, I do not feel qualified to comment  as my own experience of them  was ploughing through the two volumes of his sermons on the Canticle of Canticles when  was a novice, and reading the occasional quotes from his other writings. St Bernard is also well known for his preaching of the second crusade, which did his reputation a great deal of harm.  His reaction to the criticism was typical of him. He said “It  better that they blame me than God”.  He is still criticised for his advocacy of this cause and yet he was not responsible for the terrible conduct of so many of the crusaders.  He himself was very much a peacemaker as shown in his response to the request that he go and mediate in Metz where civil war had broken out.  He rose from his sick bed and made the long journey.  He was too weak to preach, but instead he visited each camp. Where his frailty proved even  more effective that any oratory.  Deeply ashamed of themselves, the warring sides made peace. I think we are all aware of Bernard’s great love for Our Lady, a love which is one of the continuing characteristics of the Cistercian Order. After his intervention in Metz, St Bernard returned to Clairvaux where he died on 20thAugust 1153.

St Bernard Feast Day, August

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: father patrick   ...>
Sent: Tue, 17 August, 2010 17:06:54
Subject: St Bernard Feast Day, August 

Dear Friend in Christ:
 
I join you in prayer and in spirit
as we celebrate
The Feast day of St. Bernard.

We thank God for his wonderful contributions to the church
and
especially to contemplative life.

God Bless you and your community
as you celebrate this special day
 
Sincerely in the Lord

  father patrick

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dear, Fr. Patrick,
Thank you for your kind wishes and prayers.
On St. Bernard's Day we will have a special celebration.
In the course of marking the Silver Jubilee of his Ordination as Bishop, Cardinal Keith O'Brien very kindly visiting the community and presiding at the Solemnity of Saint Bernard at Nunraw.
Earlier, the Cardinal wrote to the Abbot and Community

 

12th August 2010

My dear friends at Nunraw,

I thank you, most sincerely, for the recent remembrance in your prayers and your good wishes   when I celebrated the Silver Jubilee of my Ordination as a Bishop last Thursday 5th August 2010. 

I know that Nunraw will be well represented in our Cathedral at the "official" celebrations on Wednesday 8th September 20 I do and I do look forward to that.

As you know, Nunraw has always been part of my life from my schoolboy days -- as, indeed, part of the lives of so many people in Scotland.

May God, indeed, bless you all as I pray for you and for the years ahead - hoping that in return you will, indeed, pray for me.

With my kindest regards, good wishes and very sincere thanks and prayers.

Yours sincerely in Christ

  signed

+ Keith Patrick Cardinal O’Brien Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh