Abbazia delle Tre Fontane, Rome

New Superiors Seminar, Rome Jan-Feb 2011

In-service training and appropriate learning from the Eternal City.

The venue for the Seminar was in the neighbourhood of the Cistercian (Trappist) monastery of Tre Fontane.

It was an excellent opportunity to visit the Abbey. 

The Abbot welcomed the international representative group. 

Mark succeeeded in having a fine collection of photos and this is easily augmented from the The Abbazia delle Tre Fontane Website:
http://www.abbaziatrefontane.it/index.php  

 The Abbey

 Cloister Garth

Library

From memory I am mystified by two Chapels, near to the monastery.

The Website provides information on these two sanctuaries below.

Abbazia delle Tre Fontane - Chiesa del Martirio di San Paolo

Church of the Martyrdom of St. Paul Open: 8.00 to 13.00, from 15.00 to 18.00 (winter) or 19.00 (summer). Confessions: Saturday: 16:30 to 17:30 - Sunday: 11:00 to 12:00 S. Mass: Saturday 17.00, Sunday 11.30. Phone: 06 540 39 96. To get to St. Paul's Church must take a short tree-lined avenue, which it leaves behind the church of Saints Vincent and Anastasius and Santa Maria Scala Coeli. This is the church dedicated to the martyrdom of St. Paul and is the highest and most sacred historic and spiritual significance of the Abbey of Tre Fontane. Even in this case the history of mankind has led to a stratification of a building built on the ruins of the other, the last of which dates back to 1599, when it was pulled down the old existing building and built in its place the work of Giacomo della port commissioned by Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini. The external facade of the church of San Paolo is an alternation of brick and travertine used for the decorative elements of the portal, cornices and capitals. Two statues overlook the gable of the facade: those of St. Peter and St. Paul, made from "Franciosini" sculptor of Lorraine, whose real name was Nicolas Cordier, who, between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, he worked for the Vatican . Also St. Peter and St. Paul are the subjects of these two reliefs on the side walls of the vestibule, immediately after entering, the area that corresponds to the ancient oratory. The two works were donated by Pope Pius IX, the first in memory of the eighteenth centenary of the death of the Apostle, the second in memory of the defeat of Garibaldi's troops, November 3, 1867, by papal dell'esecito ("in memoriam victoriae to Nomentum). The floor of the vestibule is partly occupied by a mosaic, existing at the time of construction of the church and was left where it was. High up in the lunette above the door, past the marble plaque commemorating the name of the purchaser of the work, Cardinal Aldobrandini at the time of the papacy of Clement VIII, is represented in the burial of St. Paul on the Via Ostiense, in a seal of the matron Lucina, where there will be then built the basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.  From the vestibule you enter the nave, cross over the entrance, with two chapels on the sides and the apse at the center. On the floor was placed a Roman mosaic discovered in Ostia Antica near Mitreo the Imperial Palace, it dates from the second century AD and is dedicated to the Four Seasons, it bears the inscriptions: VER (spring) - AESTAS (Summer) - AUTU ( MNUS) (autumn) - HIEMS (winter). It was donated to the church by Pope Pius IX. The two altars of the chapels are topped with paintings, one on the left, on the altar dedicated to St. Peter, represents the copy of the "Crucifixion" by Guido Reni (1575-1642) whose original is kept in the Pinacoteca Vaticana, after the French had brought to Paris as a result of the Treaty of Tolentino (February 19, 1797) and then returned in 1815, the altar of the right is dedicated to St. Paul and is surmounted by the blade of the beheading, by the Bolognese Passarotti Bartholomew (1529 - 1592). Both paintings are topped by pediments supported by columns of precious marble. On the left of the altar of St. Paul, the column is truncated where tradition has been linked during the Apostle's martyrdom. The three fountains are aligned along the wall of the nave, at equal distance from each other but at different level from the floor, arranged in niches in niche. The sources, closed since 1950, are surmounted by shrines designed by the door, in black marble columns of Chios, which support timpani arc basin with marble and each shrine was adorned with a bas-relief depicting the head of Nicolas Cordier Apostle: unfortunately we can no longer enjoy because stolen. Behind the shrine of the central source on the wall of the apse, representing the martyrdom of St. Paul on this, in the basin, there is the "Glory of the Apostle," interpret the description of the revelations of Santa Maria d'Oigny , that the soul of St. Paul was presented to the SS. Trinity by the martyr Stephen. Above, in the lunette, a fresco depicting St. Paul at Caesarea before Porcius Festus, the Roman governor said that the appeal of all'Impertore saying: "Appellasti to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go." That this is the place where St. Paul was martyred is a large marble plaque to testify; mail on the lintel of the external front, it gives the building to the cardinal and Aldobrandini bears the inscription: "Site of the martyrdom of St. Paul where three sources miraculously gushed "According to ancient tradition, the apostle here was taken June 29 to 67 be beheaded. His head, took off, jumped to the ground three times and on those three points three sources of water miraculously gushed. Certainly, the story includes a series of real events, documented by numerous archaeological findings and historical documentation. An Act apocryphal, probably added later, contains the description of the martyrdom of St. Paul and the miracle: "Explaining the veil of Plautilla is bandaged his eyes, leaned both his knees on the ground and handed the head, that quickly with a large blow severed, was heard by all pronounce loudly for three times in the Hebrew language, the lovely name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and at the same time from the neck and head of the Apostle spurted a 'wave of milk on the executioner's robes and the earth. " The document also states that the waters were the site of the martyrdom Hi, the shade of an ancient pine tree. In fact, excavations in 1878 confirmed the presence of a pine forest in the area: "In very deep cupping practiced a few feet away from the scene of the beheading, present credible witnesses, were found many cones that the effects of time and chemical reactions of the soil had almost fossilized, three well logs of pine and a certain amount of coins from the times of Nero. "Also, previously, GB de Rossi, during another excavation, identified the remains of a church and a number of inscriptions that revealed the presence of a cemetery area near the church of Santa Maria Scala Coeli; other findings by the end of seventh century gave evidence of the presence of a chapel in memory of the Apostle who was restored or rebuilt by Pope Sergius I in 689, it consisted of a hall that led into two chapels, which contained the sacred springs - two in a chapel and a in the other. http://www.sanpaolotrefontane.org/

hurch of Santa Maria Scala Coeli

Open: 8.00 to 13.00, from 15.00 to 18.00 (winter) or 19.00 (summer). S. Mass: Monday to Friday: 16.30. In 1138 San Bernardo, in the place where today stands the church of Santa Maria Scala Coeli, while he was celebrating a Mass for the dead, in the presence of Pope Innocent II, had a vision in a trance, he saw a stairway that, in a continual coming and going, the Angels led the liberated souls to heaven from purgatory. This event comes from the name given to the Church, the smallest of the three in the abbey. In principle, the name "Scala Coeli" was given to the existing church oratory, in turn, allegedly built on the ruins of a pagan temple in memory of the martyrdom of San Zeno and the legionnaires' Christians.  The current church building, brick and travertine, dates back to the sixteenth century, the work was started in 1582 by Giacomo della Porta, on commission of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, and ended in 1584, when Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini was the successor to Cardinal Farnese following his death.  The church is octagonal, surmounted by a dome and a lantern, the facade is complemented by a tympanum and an eye placed in a lunette, also you can see, added to the ledge left of the façade with a piece of marble pluteus inscription dating from the ninth century. The lintel of the door reads, between the emblems of the Farnese, under a small gable, the word "Scala Coeli" Inside there are three apses with their altars. The right one is dedicated to San Zeno and the Roman soldiers martyred, there was a canvas for decoration, author unknown, but it was stolen. Yet instead of the canvas (again by an unknown author) of the central altar, one at the front entrance of the church and dedicated to SS. Virgin. The left apse contains an altar dedicated to St. Bernard and embellished by two columns with Corinthian capitals and a shovel Desiderio de Angelis in depicting the scene of the vision of the saint. The Florentine Francesco Zucchi, designed by Giovanni de Vecchi, is the author of the fine mosaic, executed in 1591, decorating the vault of the church, the composition is a Madonnna and Child surrounded by St. Bernard, St. Clement and Robert of Molesmes VIII - right - and - left - from St. Vincent, and Cardinal Sant'Anastasio Aldobrandini.  The floor of this chapel had been decorated, but now the ancient mosaic of Cosmati work of the school, there are only a few tracks together with a fragment of an inscription dating from the third Christian century.  Below is the crypt, which houses an altar dedicated to San Zeno century martyrs and soldiers, on whose sides two windows allowing a glimpse - left - a small altar dedicated to the pagan goddess and Dia - right - a corner where, according to tradition, St. Paul was imprisoned before decapitation. Of the two frescoes representing a San Zeno and the other soldiers and martyrs St. Paul in prison, only one is left. The church also houses the remains of the Cistercian Ferdinando Ughelli, abbot of the monastery, who died in 1670, was famous for having built the monumental nine-volume "Sacred Italy, built between 1644 and 1662, the history of the Italian episcopal sees.  The church is a plaque which says that Giacomo della Porta has acted on the basis of designs of Vignola: the information is not documented, however, at the time of the construction of the church door was considered the most important architect of the Vatican , and contributed his

One Loaf Mk. 8:14

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Donald - - -
Sent: Tue, 15 February, 2011
Subject: Mk 8 14  ONE LOAF

Mass Introduction:

The Gospel (Mk. 8:14) this morning is "they had only one loaf with them in the ship". 

The "ONE LOAF" reference is the kind of remark Fr. Stephen would make, and I don't seem to remember this mention in the Gospels.

The 'one loaf' is only found in Mark.

It is not mentioned by Matthew.   

Mar 8:14  And they forgot to take bread: and they had but one loaf with them in the ship. (Douai Rheims)

It was the fourth retirement to Bethsaida Julias in the tetrarchy of Herod Philip with sharp rebuke of the dullness of the disciples

Matthew is parallel except for the minnor point in Mark, they had only one loaf. 

I fastened on to the 'one loaf' and it opened the whole of Jesus words.

It not surprising to find one exegete amplifying;

"Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf — This is another example of that graphic circumstantiality which gives such a charm to this briefest of the four Gospels. The circumstance of the “one loaf” only remaining, as Webster and Wilkinson remark, was more suggestive of their Master’s recent miracles than the entire absence of provisions."  (J-F-B Comment)

Mark's 'one loaf' high lights the two multiplying of the loaves.

In the 'one loaf' of our Eucharist is the offering of the bread and wine and amplifies beyond  to the Body and Blood of Christ.

In this Eucharist we have recourse the the Father of mercy in our Confiteor.

Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf (1 Cor 10:17).  

Biblos Lexicon Mk. 8:14

NASB © Greek Transliteration Strong's Definition Origin And they had forgotten ἐπελάθοντο epelathonto 1950 to forget, neglect from epi andlanthanó to take λαβεῖν labein 2983 to take, receive from a prim. root lab- bread, ἄρτους artous 740 bread, a loaf of uncertain origin and did not have εἶχον eichon 2192 to have, hold a prim. verb more than 1508 if not from ei andmé one ἕνα ena 1520 one a primary number loaf ἄρτον arton 740 bread, a loaf of uncertain origin in the boat πλοίῳ ploiō 4143 a boat from pleó with them.

Latin: Biblia Sacra Vulgataet obliti sunt sumere panes et nisi unum panem non habebant secum in navi

1Co 2:7 It is of the mysterious wisdom of God that we talk, the wisdom that was hidden, which God predestined to be for our glory before the ages began. NJB

Sunday 13th Feb. Homily by Fr. Raymond   1 Cor. 2:6-10   THE GIFT OF WISDOM   St Paul tells us about a gift of Wisdom that comes from God; a wisdom that doesn’t belong to the philosophies of this world.  He describes it is a knowledge of things eternal; things hidden; things no eye has seen, no ear has heard; things beyond the mind of man even to conceive.  This Wisdom, he tells us, is nothing other than the knowledge of what God has prepared for those who love him.   Thanks be to God, by the grace of Baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit, we all share in this gift; a gift that affects our lives tremendously.  Our knowledge that we are called to an eternity of loving communion with our Creator, a God who’s very definition is love; that we are all his children, and above all that he sent his only begotten Son to become one of us; to suffer and die for us; to free us from our sins.  This knowledge must have a tremendous influence on our under-standing of what life is all about; our appreciation of ourselves and of everyone else in this world of ours!  This is truly a Wisdom beyond price.    Let’s try for a moment to imagine what it is like for those who don’t have this wisdom; those who don’t believe in an after-life.  The more noble of them will have only a sense of philanthropy to see them through.  But that philanthropy will constantly be frustrated by the realities of life.  The rest will only have an equally frustrated selfishness, because the more we want for ourselves, and the more we make our own interests the be all and end all of life, then the more we will be frustrated; and neither of them will have any real sense of hope or ultimate purpose of life.  Above all they will have no answer to the sufferings and tragedies and injustices of life; no sense that all justice and goodness will ultimately triumph and all injustice and evil be punished.   Yet there must remain in them, in spite of themselves, an innate hunger for the ultimate answers to life and, tragically, they seek them, subconsciously, in the dreams of science fiction or the fantasies of the worlds of Harry Potter.   So, let us continue firm in our faith in the reality of the promises of God.  Let us put our hopes in those things which no eye has seen, no ear has heard and especially let us be assured by St Paul’s inspired word that: “your hopes will not be disappointed.

News

From our missionary sister, Mary.

Many thanks. 

It is a new world in the East.

We look forward to more pictures.

God bless.

Donald.

     +

          NEWS, Quezon City, (Manilla))Philippines  

from Sr. Mary, FMM            

Sr. Mary on right

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: sr.mary -------------
Sent: Wed, 9 February, 2011 7:54:39
Subject: Philippines Thanks

Dear - - (everybody),  Thanks N... for the latest from Chris and Palm Island(Aus). D.G. no lives were lost though the damage to property sounds mighty.   Chris, I actually got the evening news broadcast from Australia on our T.V. the day after Cyclone Yasi thundered her violent way down and across the northern Territory. Certain coastal resorts and their devastion were shown but Palm Island was not mentioned so I guessed that possibly you were not the worst hit. However I gather that the whole experience must have been quite terrifying in Palm Island, also. (Having experienced a few mighty typhoons in Taiwan in the past - the awesomeness of the power of nature and the helplessness one feels when Nature is seemingly out of control and then the turning in one's heart to God in trust, and not being let down as His peace reassures one on another level. Not long ago, do you remember our pilgrimage to the Skellig Islands, off Kerry coast, and our dangerous crossing, literally in the depths of the waves if not exactly the ocean? Chris, I can remember very vividly, hanging on to you for dear life as I kept slipping off the bench and wondering how long we could hold on against the fierce elements of wind and wave. Noreen and Jo, you were taking the full blast on the back seat facing the ocean and I could not even look there to see how you were coping. Amidst all the rough ride and turmoil of the ocean, I decided that this was as good away as any to meet the Lord and this great peace flooded my soul. Donald,  "Of Gods and Men"  seems to have touched many hearts and will continue to do much good. D.G. I look forward to seeing the DVD one day. The interview with Brother Jean Pierre was very good in fact, but, as you noted, the tranlation into English was really poor. Patience.        Now, a little about our goings-on. Our P.P. invited all the Religious Priests and anyone else living the consecrated life to a special Mass on Feb. 1st evening and 12 Congregatioins of men along with Nine of Women from the Parish were present with the Jesuit Provincial invited to preside and preach.It was a joyful, prayerful occasion and the Church was full as many lay folk came along too. We had a lovely meal together at the Cenacle Retreat house up the road less than 5 minutes from the Church. The arrival of another Congregation, from Italy, the Salesians of the Sacred Heart, was announced at Mass on Monday morning and the two Foundresses one African and one Brazilian stood up with the Assistant General who had accompanied them from Rome to receive a welcoming clap. Here, if a visiting Priest is filling in for the P.P. he receives thanks from the Catechist on duty (who leads in prayers before Mass and makes any announcements) and the Congregation gives him a big clap. Every day at the end of Mass Father says "Thanks be to God" and we all clap.  I think we are giving God this applause but sometimes I think we are giving Father a clap and then ourselves, for turning up to celebrate the mass and God's goodness.   Anyway, it is a very nice custom. We have a homily at every mass and they are as a rule excellent. On sunday an elderly Filipinlo Jesuit celebrated the 9:30 Mass and preached on the Salt and Light and really challenged the congregation on their witness as Christians.     He said that there is a Korean and a Japanese Jesuit in their Community at present and they are very interested  living in a Christian country.  The japanese Priest that in Japan there are over 90 suicides a day and these people are from fairly well off families buit they found no meaning in their lives. In Korea there are over 70 suicides a day and again these people found no meaning in their lives. There are not many suicides in the Philippines so Father concluded that the Faith it would seem makes a difference. And it is true to say that the Filipinos are a happy people and do get strength to bear hardships. A few weeks ago this same Jesuit told us that 70% of the population here is below the poverty line  i.e. they have less than 100 pesos a day (about US$2.00)  t o live on so life is hard. (The other 30% are very rich and some are very generous to the ;poor) Talk about giving witness -  last week the news broke with a big scandal about corruption in the military. apparently 160 million pesos or dollars  US( even Father wasn't sure which but anyway it was a huge sum of money), had been  given as a gift to one or more retiring generals.  - money that should have been spent on military equuipment.Some soldiers had been killed recently because of  faulty and outdated equipment. Sorry to say , but corruption is rife in many areas of society and there were high hopes that the new President would be able to do something about it. However it is very deep rooted and proving to be very difficult to deal with. So much for our Catholic country. On another level the two visiting Jesuits were impressed by the devotion of the people and the many Priests, Brothers and Sisters as well as very well trained and committed lay folk. Our Community here love the Tagalog hymns, songs and dance and every city, town and village has its favourite Saint to be feasted annually. I give the Novices a few hours of English a week and we now have an English day when we speak or try to speak only English and since an Assumptionist father says mass on Wednesdays we chose that day. Morning and evening prayer are also in English and during the day, especially at mealtimes,  we have quite a lot of fun and hilarious moments. Last week we celebrated The Lunar New Year - a big family feast in China and other countries of the East - and started off on the Eve with a reconciliation service in our Chapel which was nicely decorated for the occasion. We had told the workers to take a week off  and so could receive in peace our visiting Filipina Sisters who came along on differnt days to greet us and wish us well .We invited along one day ,the Provincial and her Community. for a Chinese dinner (home-cooking) and had a lovely time together. They have been particularly helpful to us since we came to Manila and kept and eye on the renovation of the property among other things.  Jo, many sisters who were in Liberia or Ghana or Papua were asking for you.  Sr. Susan, Sr. Linda (who are in the convent  at GMA for the Sick and elderly where I stayed for 6 weeks to recover from Dengue, and Sr.Bing to mention  but a few. I hope dear family, that you are all well and that your trainers are the right size and comfortable, Nivard. - - - - - Yours . . .  Sr. Mary T. Church of the Holy Sacrifice Quiezon City Philippine

Blessed Humbeline sister of st Bernard 12 Feb.

Blessed Humbeline. February 12 Menology: Bl Humbeline St Bernard's only sister.  Married to a nobleman, Guy de Marcy, she enjoyed the life of a noble lady in the world, but a visit to her brothers at Clairvaux brought about a great change in her.  She began to lead a life of piety, and two years later entered the Benedictine convent of Jully.  In 1130 she became superior.  She died on August 21, probably 1141, in the presence of Bernard, Andrew and Nivard.  MBS, p. 52      A Reading about Blessed Humbeline. Humbeline was the only sister of St Bernard. She was born the year after him and they were always very close to each other. Like Bernard she was naturally well-endowed. When her brothers and father joined Citeaux in 1113, she came into a good part of their estates. And she married Guy de Marcy, a rich nobleman of the house of Lorraine. In the happiness of the first years of her marriage Humbeline was very popular among the nobility of Burgundy. She gave herself to the fascinating intellectual and social fashions of her century -the age of 'courtly love'; this was the clever and entertaining society in which women were beginning to play an important part. One day she decided to visit her brothers at Citeaux. At first St Bernard refused to see her, when he saw the rich splendour of her cavalcade and the vanity of her life. As she guessed what it was that had upset him, she sent word that she would do as he said if he came out to see her. After speaking with Bernard she left the monastery chastened. From then on she turned away from the pursuit of empty pleasures and sought her happiness in the things of God. She spent much time looking after the poor, the sick and the needy. After several years Humbeline began to think of the cloister. Eventually, with her husband's consent, she entered the Benedictine convent near Troyes. Humbeline's life in the convent was characterized by great generosity. And, in a Iife of unusual fasting and other physical austerities, she continued to live in the spirit of her conversion. When the abbess, who was her sister-in-law, left to found another convent near Dijon, Humbeline was appointed in her place. The convent very soon began to flourish under Humbeline's leadership and, within two or three years, twelve new foundations were made. One of these, the convent of Tart, later became the first house of Cistercian nuns. As Humbeline approached her death her brothers were called to her bedside. And as she lay dying she spoke of the love that existed between all the members of her family and which had helped to sanctify them all. We see here the fundamental sanity of the early Cistercians whose holiness consisted not in crushing and exterminating natural affection but in elevating and sublimating it. What they renounced was the selfishness in that affection. They gave their whole nature, with all of its powers and gifts, to God .and thev served him in those among whom he had placed them. It is no wonder then that Humbeline died with the words of the psalmist on her lips: 'I rejoiced in the things that were said to me: we shall go into the house of the Lord.' This recalls the words of the Canticle: 'Draw me, and we shall run after you ... '. When God takes someone to himself he never draws that one person alone. With the individuals who die God draws all those who have been bound to them with special ties of love in this world; they wi II be united with them in a particularly intimate way in the next. Adapted from Modern Biographical Sketches of Cist. Blesseds and Saints. Gethsemanl, 1954, Book IV, pp. 52-56, and Butler's Lives of the Saints, August, p 265.

 

Our Lady of Lourdes

MARK 7:31-37 (Genesis 3:1-8; Psalm 32)

February 11  Our Lady of Lourdes 

Mass Introduction

Our Lady of Lourdes is a favourite feast day.

A Saint knows a Saint.

A miracle knows a miracle.

Soubirous knows Labouré.
Lourdes - Miraculous Medal

Saint Bernadette, the poor and ignorant, as was said, could pray the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Creed. She also knew the prayer of the Miraculous Medal: “O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us, who have recourse the thee.”

In the Penitential Rite as in each Mass, an appropriate and sweeter expression may be, “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us”.

May we be helped by Mary conceived without sin.

St Scholastica by St Gregory the Great

At present Abbot Mark is at an in-service session in Rome.
This Note may prompt him to visit this Trastevery Chapel.
Churches of Rome Wiki Santi Benedetto e Scholastica

   

SAINT SCHOLASTICA FEAST 10 February First Reading 1 Cor 7:25-40 Second Reading. From the Dialogues of Saint Gregory the Great (Lib. 2, 33: PL 66,194-196) Once a year Scholastica, the sister of Saint Benedict, who had been dedicated to God from her youth, used to visit her brother. The man of God would go down to meet her in a house belonging to the monastery not far from the gate. One day she paid her usual visit and her brother joined her with some disciples. They spent the whole day praising God and talking of sacred things, and then, as the light began to fail, they had a meal together. Their conversation went on till quite late, and the nun said to her brother: "Please do not leave me tonight: let us go on until morning talking about the joys of heaven." "Whatever are you saying, sister?" he replied. "I cannot possibly stay out of the monastery." At her brother's refusal, the nun joined her hands on the table, laid her head on them and prayed to almighty God. As soon as she raised her head, a violent storm broke out with thunder and lightning, and such a downpour of rain that Saint Benedict, and the brethren accompanying him, could not set foot outside the door of the place where they had been sitting. In his distress, the man of God began to remonstrate with her: "God forgive you, sister," he said. "What have you done?" She replied: "I asked you, but you would not listen; I asked my God and he did listen. Set off now, if you can: leave me and return to your monastery." But now he who would not remain of his own free will had to do so against his will; and so it happened that they spent the whole night talking together about spiritual things to their mutual benefit. That the woman should have prevailed over the man is not surprising, for since, as Saint John says, God is love, it was only right that the one who loved more should be able to achieve more. Three days after this, as the man of God was standing in his cell looking up at the sky, he saw his sister's soul, in the form of a dove, leave her body and enter the gates of heaven. He rejoiced at her great glory, thanking God with hymns of praise. Then he sent brethren to bring her body to the mon­astery and place it in the tomb he had prepared for himself. So it came about that just as their hearts had always been united in God, so also their bodies shared a common grave. Monastic Lectioary. Translations; friends of Henry Ashworth 1991. Among the selection of five Readings of St Scholastica Feast, I prefered St Gregory Great and the Ashworth translation. The Divine Office Reading, alternative translation, is also Online at  http://universalis.com/20110210/readings.htm

      

Mass Intro:
    

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Nivard -----------
Sent: Wed, 9 February, 2011 17:12:29
Subject: ScholasticaMARK 7:14-23  (Genesis 2:4b-9, 15-17; Psalm 104)
KEY VERSE:  "Do you realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile" (v 18).

Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre.

During Vigils Isaac of Stella reminded us that to hate sin and to repent is to meet Christ. Why? Because sorrow for sin and repentance is not possible without God’s grace. “Let them give thanks to the Lord for his kindness and his wondrous deeds to the children of men!” Indeed, if it is by his grace that he visibly withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon where this woman could encounter him, it is also by grace that he secretly drew the woman from her most interior dwelling place...
   This woman symbolizes the Church. The Church was eternally predestined, called and justified in time. She is destined for glory at the end of time. She prays without ceasing for her daughter, which is to say for all the elect, you and me.

• Today we have the Memorial of St Scholastica, the sister of St Benedict. Our Benedictine Brothers and Sisters will be celebrating her feast in style as she deserves.
• Our Reading at Vigils, Office of Readings, was very good. It was based on Pope St Gregory's 'Life of St Benedict'. Here is the paragraph that tickled my ear, (woke me up!).
• Once the heavy rain started, Benedict, who would not remain of his own free will had to do so against his will. So they spent the whole night talking together about spiritual things to their mutual benefit. That the woman should have prevailed over the man is not surprising, for since, as St John says, God is love, it was only right that the one who loved more should be able to achieve more by her prayer and tears. 

1 Cor 2:1-16 John Chrysostom 'Wisdom of God in a mystery'

Anne Henderson, Sculptor,

1963 - 1964 ‘They knew him in the Breaking of Bread’ (carved stone) Refectory, Nunraw Monastery, Haddington, Scotland
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Henderson

Fifth In Ordinary Time Tuesday Night Office First Reading 1 Corinthians 2:1-16  From a homily by Saint John Chrysostom We impart the wisdom of God in a mystery. A mystery does not need to be proved, but simply proclaimed. It would not be a wholly divine mystery if you added to it anything of your own. Besides, the reason it is called a mystery is that we cannot penetrate its depths: what we see is one thing, what we believe is another. In this lies the very nature of our mysteries. My reactions to them are therefore different from the reactions of an unbeliever. When I hear that Christ was crucified I am filled with amazement at his love for us, but to the unbeliever this shows weakness. When I hear that Christ became a servant I am astonished at his solicitude for us, but to the unbeliever this is a disgrace. When I hear that Christ died I marvel at his power, since he was not conquered by death, but instead put an end to death. The unbeliever, however, sees Christ's death as a sign of helpless­ness. The unbeliever regards the resurrection as pure fiction, but I accept the proven facts and venerate God's saving plan. In baptism the unbeliever sees only water, but I perceive not only what meets the eye, but also the purification of the soul by the Holy Spirit. The unbeliever thinks only the body is cleansed, but I believe that the soul also is made pure and holy, and I am reminded of the tomb, the resurrection, our sanctification, justification, redemption, adoption, and inheritance, of the kingdom of heaven and the gift of the Holy Spirit. I judge outward appearances not by what I see but by the eyes of the mind. When the body of Christ is mentioned, the words have one meaning for me, another for the unbeliever. Just as the letters on a page are meaningless to a child who has not learned to read, so it is with the Christian mystery. Unbelievers are deaf to what they hear, whereas the experience of the Spirit empowers believers to perceive its hidden meaning. Paul made this clear when he said: Our preaching is obscure, but only for those on the way to perdition. Something proclaimed everywhere without being understood by those lacking an upright spirit is undoubtedly a mystery. For to the extent that we are able to receive it, it is revealed not by human wisdom but by the Holy Spirit. Rightly, therefore, is the mystery said to be a secret, for even we believers have not been given a completely clear and accurate knowledge of it. As Paul said: Our knowledge and our prophesying are imperfect. We see now as it were a dim reflection in a mirror, but then face to face. This is why he said: We impart the wisdom of God in a mystery predestined by God before all ages for our glory. Responsory         Jn 14:26; 1 Cor 2:12 The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, + he will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have told you. +. We have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit that comes from God, to teach us to understand the gifts he has given us. t He will teach ...

25 miles distance from Nunraw. View Arthurs Seat, Edinburgh, on right Forth Bridge