He kept the narrow middle way. Now what is the strict virtue called? It is called faith. Bl. J. H. Newman

 for:October 22nd. 2013

Monastic Office of Vigils. A Word in Season,  VI Ordinary Time Year 1, Augustine Press 1985. Newman Reader

His Written Works Works Guides to Works Searching the Website His Life Biographical Information Cause for Sainthood Controversies Pictures

Second Reading;     From a sermon by Bl John Henry Newman.
"And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded. His servants, therefore ... brought him to Jerusalem; and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers." [2 Chron. xxxv. 23-25.] Thus the best king of Judah died like Ahab, the worst king of Israel; so little may we judge of God's love or displeasure by outward appearances. 

God continued His promised mercies to His people through David's line till they were too corrupt to receive them; the last king of the favoured family was forcibly and prematurely cut off, in order to make way for the display of God's vengeance in the captivity of the whole nation. He was taken out of the way; they were carried off to Babylon. "Weep ye not for the dead," says the prophet, "neither bemoan him: but weep sore for him that goeth away: for he shall return no more, nor see his native country." [Jer. xxii. 10.] As for Josiah, as it is elsewhere written of him, "His remembrance is sweet as honey in all mouths, and as music at a banquet of wine. He behaved himself uprightly in the conversion of the people, and took away the abominations of iniquity. He directed his heart unto the Lord, and in the time of the ungodly he established {107} the worship of God. All, except David, and Ezekias, and Josias, were defective; for they forsook the law of the Most High, even the kings of Juda failed." [Ecclus. xlix. 1-4.]

In conclusion, my brethren, I would have you observe in what Josiah's chief excellence lay. This is the character given him when his name is first mentioned; "He did ... right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the ways of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left." [2 Kings xxii. 2.] He kept the narrow middle way. Now what is this strict virtue called? it is called faith. It is no matter whether we call it faith or conscientiousness, they are in substance one and the same: where there is faith, there is conscientiousness—where there is conscientiousness, there is faith; they may be distinguished from each other in words, but they are not divided in fact. They belong to one, and but one, habit of mind—dutifulness; they show themselves in obedience, in the careful, anxious observance of God's will, however we learn it. Hence it is that St. Paul tells us that "the just shall live by faith" under every dispensation of God's mercy. And this is called faith, because it implies a reliance on the mere word of the unseen God overpowering the temptations of sight. Whether it be we read and accept His word in Scripture (as Christians do), or His word in our conscience, the law written on the heart (as is the case with heathens); in either ease, it is by following {108} it, in spite of the seductions of the world around us, that we please God. 

Sermon 7. Josiah, a Pattern for the Ignorant

"Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before Me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place." 2 Kings xxii. 19, 20.

{91} KING JOSIAH, to whom these words are addressed, was one of the most pious of the Jewish kings, and the most eminent reformer of them all. On him, the last sovereign of David's house (for his sons had not an independent rule), descended the zeal and prompt obedience which raised the son of Jesse from the sheepfold to the throne, as a man after God's own heart. Thus, as an honour to David, the blessing upon his posterity remained in its fulness even to the end; its light not waxing "dim," nor "its natural force abating."

COMMENT: and Keswick Lake view

---- Forwarded Message ---

Keswick-and-Derwent-Water-from-
surprise-view-lake-district-
national-park-cumbria-england

Date: Sat, 19 Oct 2013 ...
From: William ...
To: Donald....
Subject: North America Martyrs - commentary by St. Raphael Baron. 

Dear Father Donald,

 

I see from your Blog that you located the article - St Raphael Baron has a way of expressing things that is both deeply attractive and meaningful. An extraordinary young man.

. . .

 My friend Colonel Jim invited me to join him at Mass on Friday in Keswick, no requirement to visit Carlisle. He now lives on the ridge before the lakes, at a place called 'Troppenna' but spelt 'Torpenhow'! I wonder how such place names originated. I went on the early bus and arrived there in time. He then walked me down to the lake - magnificent views of the Lakeland hills, autumn colours beginning: a great treat. He remembers so well your welcome and his tour of the Abbey when he brought me, and was full of questions regarding my retreat. A solitary soul on his own journey, a privilege to share.

 

... in Our Lord,

William

Gospel Lk. 12:8 12. Reading, St. Raphael Arnaiz Baron

Saints of the day: 

Saturday, 19 October 2013 Sts. Isaac Jogues, John de Brébeuf and Companions - Memorial

SAINTS ISAAC JOGUES & JOHN DE BRÉBEUF PRIESTS &  THEIR COMPANIONS MARTYRS (1642-1649) Theses eight men were Jesuit missionaries in North America in the 17th century, put to death, after fearful torture by members of the Iroquois and Huron tribes.

See commentary below. 

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 12:8-12.

Jesus said to his disciples: "I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God.
. . .
For the holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say." 

Commentary of the day : 

 Saint Raphael Arnaiz Baron (1911-1938), a Spanish Trappist monk 

Spiritual writings, 04/03/1938 (trans. cf. M. Mitchell) 

"Everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God"

Today I take up my pen, in the name of God, so that my words, imprinting themselves on the white paper may give service in perpetual praise of God, the blessed author of my life, my soul, my heart. I would like the whole universe, with all the planets, stars and countless stellar systems, to be a vast smooth surface on which could be written the name of God. I would like my voice to be stronger than a thousand thunders, more powerful than the surge of the sea, more fearful than the eruption of volcanoes, only to say the name of God. I would like my heart to be as great as heaven, pure as that of the angels, guileless as that of the dove, so that it could possess God. But as none of these grandiose dreams can be realized, satisfy yourself, Brother Raphael, with little, and you who are nothing, that very nothing must suffice... 

Why keep silent about it? Why hide it? Why not cry out to the whole world and proclaim to the four winds the wonders of God? Why not say to everyone what they would like to hear: You see what I am? You see what I was? You see my wretchedness dragged through the mire? No matter. Marvel at it: in spite of everything, I have God. God is my friend! Let the sun fall and the sea dry up in amazement. God loves me so deeply that if the whole world understood this everyone would go mad and shout in sheer amazement. Still more, all that is very little. God loves me so much that even the angels themselves do not understand it!

How great is the mercy of God! To love me, to be my friend, my brother, my father, my master. To be God, and I to be what I am!... How is it that I don't become mad; how is it possible to live, eat, sleep, talk and have dealing with everyone?... How is it possible, Lord? I know well; it is you who have shown me: it is by the miracle of your grace.

 http://dailygospel.org/main.php?language=AM&module=saintfeast&id=10034&fd=0

St. Luke - his symbol is an OX, derived from Ezekiel’s vision (Ezekiel 1) and sometimes explained by reference to sacrifice in the Temple in the early chapters of his Gospel.

Friday 17 October

  

SAINT LUKE
Evangelist
(Feast)

        St. Luke, a physician at Antioch, and a painter, became a convert of St. Paul, and afterwards his fellow-laborer. He is best known to us as the historian of the New Testament. Though not an eye-witness of our Lord's life, the Evangelist diligently gathered information from the lips of the apostles, and wrote, as he tells us, all things in order.

        The acts of the Apostles were written by this Evangelist as a sequel to his Gospel, bringing the history .of the Church down to the first imprisonment of St. Paul at Rome. The humble historian never names himself, but by his occasional use of "we" for "they" we are able to detect his presence in the scenes which he describes. We thus find that he sailed with St. Paul and Silas from Troas to Macedonia; stayed behind apparently for seven years at Philippi, and, lastly, shared the shipwreck and perils of the memorable voyage to Rome.

        Here his own narrative ends, but from St. Paul's Epistles we learn that St. Luke was his faithful companion to the end. He died a martyr's death some time afterwards in Achaia.

Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]

http://www.ibreviary.com/m/breviario.php READINGS

FIRST READINGFrom the Acts of the Apostles
9:27-31; 11:19-26The Church was filled with the consolation of the Holy Spirit

Barnabas took Saul in charge and introduced him to the apostles. He explained to them how on his journey Saul had seen the Lord, who had conversed with him, and how Saul had been speaking out fearlessly in the name of Jesus at Damascus. Saul stayed with them moving freely about Jerusalem, and expressing himself quite openly in the name of the Lord. He even addressed the Greek-speaking Jews and debated with them. They for their part responded by trying to kill him. When the brothers learned of this, some of them took him down to Caesarea and sent him of to Tarsus. .....
RESPONSORY
Acts 12:24; 13:48, 52

The word of the Lord continued to increase and spread everywhere
– and all who were destined for eternal life believed in it.

The disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
– And all who were destined for eternal life believed in it.
SECOND READING

St Greg Great - Typographically  

From a homily on the gospels by Saint Gregory the Great, pope
(Hom 17, 1-3: PL 76, 1139 )

The Lord follows his preachers

Beloved brothers, our Lord and Saviour sometimes gives us instruction by words and sometimes by actions. His very deeds are our commands; and whenever he acts silently he is teaching us what we should do. For example, he sends his disciples out to preach two by two, because the precept of charity is twofold—love of God and of one’s neighbour.

The Lord sends his disciples out to preach in twos in order to teach us silently that whoever fails in charity toward his neighbour should by no means take upon himself the office of preaching. 

Rightly is it said that he sent them ahead of him into every city and place where he himself was to go. For the Lord follows after the preachers, because preaching goes ahead to prepare the way, and then when the words of exhortation have gone ahead and established truth in our minds, the Lord comes to live within us. To those who preach Isaiah says: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God. And the psalmist tells them: Make a way for him who rises above the sunset. The Lord rises above the sunset because from that very place where he slept in death, he rose again and manifested a greater glory. He rises above the sunset because in his resurrection he trampled underfoot the death which he endured. Therefore, we make a way for him who rises above the sunset when we preach his glory to you, so that when he himself follows after us, he may illumine you with his love.

Let us listen now to his words as he sends his preachers forth: The harvest is great but the labourers are few. Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send labourers into his harvest. That the harvest is good but the labourers are few cannot be said without a heavy heart, for although there are many to hear the good news there are only a few to preach it. Indeed, see how full the world is of priests, but yet in God’s harvest a true labourer is rarely to be found; although we have accepted the priestly office we do not fulfil its demands.

Think over, my beloved brothers, think over his words: Pray the Lord of the harvest to send labourers into his harvest. Pray for us so that we may be able to labour worthily on your behalf, that our tongue may not grow weary of exhortation, that after we have taken up the office of preaching our silence may not bring us condemnation from the just judge.

RESPONSORY
Cf Luke 1:3, 4; Acts 1:1

He carefully traced the whole story from the beginning and wrote his gospel
– so that we might understand
the truth of the teaching we had received.

He gave us a record concerning all that Jesus did and taught.
– So that we might understand
the truth of the teaching we had received.

 

Symbols of the Four Evangelists
compiled by Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.      http://catholic-resources.org/Art/Evangelists_Symbols.htm    Christian tradition has long connected the authors of the four canonical Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) with the four "living creatures" that surround God's throne, as described in Rev 4:7, in the following pairs:

Matthew = Human/Angel	Mark = Lion	Luke = Ox	John = Eagle

(These four small stained glass windows were designed by artist Pat Haegar of San Jose, CA.)
(They are located near the altar of Our Lady of Mercy Parish, Daly City, CA -- used here with permission.) However, various traditions about four heavenly creatures, are already found in several older biblical texts:

• Ezekiel 1:1-14 - vision of four heavenly creatures with four faces each:  human being, lion, ox, eagle.
• Ezekiel 10:1-22 - throne vision of cherubim with four faces each:  cherub, human being, lion, eagle.
• Daniel 7:1-8 - vision of four beasts representing four empires:  lion, bear, leopard, a terrible fourth beast with iron teeth and ten horns.

Moreover, early Christian writers connected the four evangelists with the four living creatures in various combinations: 

Early Christian Author	Human/Angel	Lion	Ox	Eagle
St. Irenaeus of Lyons	Matthew	John	Luke	Mark
St. Augustine of Hippo	Mark	Matthew	Luke	John
Pseudo-Athanasius	Matthew	Luke	Mark	John
St. Jerome	Matthew	Mark	Luke	John

Click on the  authors'  names  above to read the full texts. The four "living creatures" (not to be confused with other "beasts" in the Book of Revelation) have captured the imaginations of Christian artists throughout the centuries. The following links are just some of the artistic depictions available on the Internet:

---

The Symbols of all Four Evangelists together:
My Photos:

• Assisi: Basilica of San Francesco: symbols of the Four Evangelists surrounding the rosette window on the main façade
• Florence: Battistero di San Giovanni: symbols of the Four Evanglists on the doors of the Baptistery; others also outside the Orsanmichele  

Ignatius of Antioch, Martyr, and the Atlas 'martyrs'.

Comment:  

Ignatius of Antioch, martyr, today's memorial reminds of the Atlas Martyrs of Algeria.
Ignatius had the amazing journey from Antioch to Rome wrote seven letters to the different Churches. The seven monks of Our Lady of Atlas lived their martyrdom in the mountains of Algeria. The Prior, Fr. Christian, also wrote his Testament, expressing the faith of the monks.

Later Abbot of Bellefontaine said of, "Appended to Fr. Christian's Testament, written in the shifting of the Old Testament being fulfilled by the sacrifice of the New Testament, are two dates—December 1, 1993, and January 1, 1994. It seems to me that these dates correspond to two stages of the text. The first is when Fr. Christian notes, as if in passing, his reaction to the GIA's ultimatum, which warned foreigners that from then on they would be victims of violence. "If it should happen one day," wrote Fr. Christian, "and it could be today—that I become a victim. . . ." Then, for us, his community (his Cistercian family), his Church (all of us), and his relatives (represented here), he formulated four wishes that he would like us to take into account: to remember, to accept, to pray for him, and to expand our prayer." ....

Trans from Italian http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/24900 Sant 'Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr October 17

m. About 107 It was the third bishop of Antioch, in Syria, the third metropolis of the ancient world after Rome and Alexandria in Egypt, and when St. Peter was the first bishop. It was not a Roman citizen, and it seems that he was not born a Christian converting to age is not young anymore. While he was bishop of Antioch, the Emperor Trajan began the persecution of her. Arrested and sentenced, Ignatius was led in chains from Antioch to Rome, where he put up a sheltered feasts in honor of the Emperor and Christians had to serve as a spectacle, circus, torn to pieces by wild beasts. During the journey from Antioch to Rome, Ignatius wrote seven letters in which it recommended to flee from sin, to guard against the errors of the Gnostics, to maintain the unity of the Church. Something else then it was recommended, especially to Christians in Rome: not to intervene in his favor and not to save him from martyrdom. In the year 107, then, was torn to pieces by wild beasts to which he showed great tenderness. "Accarezzatele" he wrote, "that they may be my grave, and not Facciani remain nothing of my body, and my funeral is not against anyone." (Future) Etymology: = Ignatius of fire, fiery, from the Latin Emblem: Stick pastoral Palma Martyrology: Memory of St. Ignatius, bishop and martyr, who, disciple of St. John the Apostle, St. Peter's interest to second after the Church of Antioch.Sentenced fairs under the Emperor Trajan, was brought to Rome and crowned with a glorious martyrdom during the trip, while experimenting the ferocity of the guards, similar to that of leopards, wrote seven letters to different churches, in which he exhorted the brethren to serve God in communion with the bishops and not to prevent that he was sacrificed as a victim for Christ.  Listen to Vatican Radio:      Listen to RadioRai:      Listen to radiomaria:

iBreviary

Office of Readings

SECOND READING
From a letter to the Romans by Saint Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr
(Cap. 4:1-2; 6:1-8, 3: Funk 1, 217-223)

I am God’s wheat and shall be ground by the teeth of wild animals

I am writing to all the churches to let it be known that I will gladly die for God if only you do not stand in my way. I plead with you: show me no untimely kindness. Let me be food for the wild beasts, for they are my way to God. I am God’s wheat and shall be ground by their teeth so that I may become Christ’s pure bread. Pray to Christ for me that the animals will be the means of making me a sacrificial victim for God.

No earthly pleasures, no kingdoms of this world can benefit me in any way. I prefer death in Christ Jesus to power over the farthest limits of the earth. He who died in place of us is the one object of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire.

The time for my birth is close at hand. Forgive me, my brothers. Do not stand in the way of my birth to real life; do not wish me stillborn. My desire is to belong to God. Do not, then, hand me back to the world. Do not try to tempt me with material things. Let me attain pure light. Only on my arrival there can I be fully a human being. Give me the privilege of imitating the passion of my God. If you have him in your heart, you will understand what I wish. You will sympathize with me because you will know what urges me on.

The prince of this world is determined to lay hold of me and to undermine my will which is intent on God. Let none of you here help him; instead show yourselves on my side, which is also God’s side. Do not talk about Jesus Christ as long as you love this world. Do not harbor envious thoughts. And supposing I should see you, if then I should beg you to intervene on my behalf, do not believe what I say. Believe instead what I am now writing to you. For though I am alive as I write to you, still my real desire is to die. My love of this life has been crucified, and there is no yearning in me for any earthly thing. Rather within me is the living water which says deep inside me: “Come to the Father.” I no longer take pleasure in perishable food or in the delights of this world. I want only God’s bread, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, formed of the seed of David, and for drink I crave his blood, which is love that cannot perish.

I am no longer willing to live a merely human life, and you can bring about my wish if you will. Please, then, do me this favor, so that you in turn may meet with equal kindness. Put briefly, this is my request: believe what I am saying to you. Jesus Christ himself will make it clear to you that I am saying the truth. Only truth can come from that mouth by which the Father has truly spoken. Pray for me that I may obtain my desire. I have not written to you as a mere man would, but as one who knows the mind of God. If I am condemned to suffer, I will take it that you wish me well. If my case is postponed, I can only think that you wish me harm.

RESPONSORY
Nothing will be hidden from you
if you have perfect faith and love for Jesus Christ,
since these are the beginning and end of life.
– Faith, indeed, is the beginning and love is the end.

Clothe yourself with gentleness,
and be renewed in faith,
which is the flesh of the Lord,
and in love, which is the blood of Jesus Christ.
– Faith, indeed, is the beginning and love is the end.

CONCLUDING PRAYER
Let us pray.
All-powerful and ever-living God,
you ennoble your Church
with the heroic witness of all
who give their lives for Christ.
Grant that the victory of Saint Ignatius of Antioch
may bring us your constant help
as it brought him eternal glory.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.   

Memorial of Saint Hedwig

St Hedwig’s Beads

http://psalterstudies.wordpress.com/2009/11/14/st-hedwigs-beads/

I was intrigued by the graphic of St Hedwig from the Paternosters site (left) that shows St Hedwig with prayer beads so I decided to look around for more graphics of St Hedwig with beads. The only luck I have had so far is the modern stained glass window to the right. Unfortunately I now can’t find where this modern window comes from.  Does it look to you like those are prayer beads in her hand? Its hard to tell if its prayer beads or a handle to a bag. As a modern window it could have also been inspired by the medieval graphic of her with beads.

So who is St Hedwig? She was a born in Bavarian, 1174, and married a Henry Duke of Silesia and later Duke of Greater Poland at age 12. One of her sisters married King Andrew of Hungrey and another sister became a Benedictine abbess of Lutzingen in Franconia in medieval Germany. Hedwig and Henry had seven children, including Henry the Pious, a duke of medieval Poland, who was killed in the battle of Legnica against the Mongols two years before Hedwig’s death. After the birth and subequent early death of their seventh child, Hedwig and Henry took public vows of chastity. Duke Henry went so far as become tonsured and took the lifestyle of a lay Cisterian brother. Hedwig was renoned for helping the poor and as a patroness of the church. Hedwig and her husband Henry founded and/or supported several monsateries for Augustinians, Dominicans, Francisicans, Cistercians and even Templars.  In 1202 Henry founded a Cisterician convent at Trzebinca, the first religious foundation for women in Silesia, where he was buried in 1238 and she entered a convent upon his death. Their daughter  Gertrude became the first abbess there. She was only there five years before her own death in 1243. Hedwig took the dress and lifestyle of a Cistercian sister but never took her formal vows so that she kept control of her revenue to direct it to the poor. Her pious reputation was such that she was considered a saint in her lifetime. Her daughter Abbess Gertrude was the only one of her seven children to survive her. Two of her grand-daughters by Henry the Pious did eventually become abbesses at St Clara of Trebinca.  St Elizabeth of Thuringia and Mechtilde of Kitzingen were her nieces. She was canonized only 24 years after her death. St Hedwig’s Cathedral in Berlin was built by Frederick the Great in 1773 and is now the cathedral for the Archdiocese of Berlin.

References: St Hedwig, Wikipedi, and St Hedwig, New Advent website.

A the most complete image of the medieavel illustration I’ve found online but I haven’t been able to find any more specific information about its medieval source. If you know any more about St Hedwig’s beads, this illustration or the stained glass window above, please post a comment.

A

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http://www.ibreviary.com/m/breviario.php

iBreviary

Wednesday, 16 October 2013

Wednesday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

For the Memorial of Saint Hedwig:

SECOND READING

From the life of Saint Hedwig by a contemporary author
(Acta Sanctorum Octobria 8 [1853], 201-202a)

She Was Always Directed Towards God

Hedwig knew that those living stones that were to be placed in the building of the heavenly Jerusalem had to be smoother out by buffetings and pressures in this world, and that many tribulations would be needed before she could cross over into the glory of her heavenly homeland. And so she exposed herself completely to the waters of suffering and continually exhausted her body with rigorous chastisement. Because of such great daily fasts and abstinences she grew so thin that many wondered how such a feeble and delicate woman could endure these torments.       

She afflicted herself with continual mortification of the flesh, but she did so with prudent discretion. The more attentively she kept watch, the more she grew in the strength of the spirit and in grace, and the more the fire of devotion and divine love blazed within her. She was often borne aloft with such ardent desire and impelled toward God that she would no longer be aware of the things that were around her.

Just as her devotion made her always seek after God, so her generous piety turned her toward her neighbor, and she bountifully bestowed alms on the needy. She gave aid to colleges and to religious persons dwelling within or outside monasteries, to widows and orphans, to the weak and the feeble, to leers and those bound in chains or imprisoned, to travelers and needy women nursing infants. She allowed no one who came to her for help to go away uncomforted.

And because this servant of God never neglected the practice of all good works, God also conferred on her such grace that when she lacked human means to do good, and her own powers failed, the divine power of the sufferings of Christ strengthened her to respond to the needs of her neighbors. And so through diving favor she had the power to relieve the bodily and spiritual troubles of all who sought her help.

RESPONSORY
See Proverbs 31:17-18

She set herself to work with courage;
she put forth all her strength;
– therefore her lamp will never go out.

She has discovered how good it is
to work for the God of wisdom.
– Therefore her lamp will never go out.

Saint Teresa of Avila 15 Oct Let us always be mindful of Christ’s love

Breviary

"It is love alone that gives worth to all things."
- St. Teresa of Avila

Tuesday, 15 October 2013
Tuesday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
SECOND READING

From a work by Saint Teresa of Avila, virgin
(Opusc. De libro vitae, cap 22, 6-7. 14)         
Let us always be mindful of Christ’s love

If Christ Jesus dwells in a man as his friend and noble leader, that man can endure all things, for Christ helps and strengthens us and never abandons us. He is a true friend. And I clearly see that if we expect to please him and receive an abundance of his graces, God desires that these graces must come to us from the hands of Christ, through his most sacred humanity, in which God takes delight.

Many, many times I have perceived this through experience. The Lord has told it to me. I have definitely seen that we must enter by this gate if we wish his Sovereign Majesty to reveal to us great and hidden mysteries. A person should desire no other path, even if he is at the summit of contemplation; on this road he walks safely. All blessings come to us through our Lord. He will teach us, for in beholding his life we find that he is the best example.

What more do we desire from such a good friend at our side? Unlike our friends in the world, he will never abandon us when we are troubled or distressed. Blessed is the one who truly loves him and always keeps him near. Let us consider the glorious Saint Paul: it seems that no other name fell from his lips than that of Jesus, because the name of Jesus was fixed and embedded in his heart. Once I had come to understand this truth, I carefully considered the lives of some of the saints, the great contemplatives, and found that they took no other path: Francis, Anthony of Padua, Bernard, Catherine of Siena. A person must walk along this path in freedom, placing himself in God’s hands. If God should desire to raise us to the position of one who is an intimate and shares his secrets, we ought to accept this gladly.

Whenever we think of Christ we should recall the love that led him to bestow on us so many graces and favors, and also the great love God showed in giving us in Christ a pledge of his love; for love calls for love in return. Let us strive to keep this always before our eyes and to rouse ourselves to love him. For if at some time the Lord should grant us the grace of impressing his love on our hearts, all will become easy for us and we shall accomplish great things quickly and without effort.

RESPONSORY
Psalm 73:27, 28; 1 Corinthians 6:17
Those who turn their backs on you will perish.
– What joy to be near my God,
to place all my trust in the Lord.

Whoever is united to the Lord
becomes one spirit with him.
– What joy to be near my God,
to place all my trust in the Lord.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Let us pray.
Father,
by your Spirit you raised up Saint Teresa of Avila
to show your Church the way to perfection.
May her inspired teaching
awaken in us a longing for true holiness.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.

SAINT TERESA OF AVILA*  15 Oct.

Prayer and Charity

U. 2, 1Jn: 14-24; 4: 19-21

OUR LORD asks but two things of us: love for him and for our neighbour; these are what we must strive to obtain. If we practise both these virtues perfectly we shall be doing his will and so shall be united to him. But t as I said, we are very far from obeying and serving our great Master 60 perfectly in these two matters: May His Majesty give us grace to merit union with him; it is in our power to gain it if we will.   

Moray McLaren, The Cistercians of Sancta Maria Abbey in Nunraw

Moray McLaren

THE SHELL GUIDE TO SCOTLAND 1967

The Cistercians of Sancta Maria Abbey in Nunraw

Gazetteer page 233

GARVALD, East Lothian (Map 3, ref. 35⁹67^'), is a small intimate village of considerable architectural and natural charm lying on the northern slopes of the Lammerrnuir Hills, and situated in a steep valley on the Papana Water. The church dates partly from the 12th cent., and has a sundial dated 1633, and also ancient jougs attached to the W. gable. The church, the cottages, and the houses in the village are built of the attractive deep rose-coloured East Lothian stone. Of recent years, however, Garvald has been associated with a new venture, the roots of which nonetheless lie locally and deeply in the past.

Just above the village to the E. stands a 15th-cent. fortified mansion, restored in a typically Victorian style in 1864. It was established originally by Cistercian nuns. A magnificent painted ceiling dating from 1610 remains, part of which has been removed to the National Museum of Antiquities in EDINBURGH. 

The house now belongs once again to the Cistercian order, and the white-habited Trappists came in 1946 to establish their first monastery in Scotland since the Reformation. In 1952 on Easter Monday, and 814 years after the Easter Monday when the Cistercians began the building of their first monastery in Scotland at MELROSE, the first sod was cut, and the

thirty-five-year task of building the Abbey of Sancta Maria begun. The new Abbey, which is springing up fast, is just to the E. of the old house of Nunraw. The Cistercians of Sancta Maria Abbey in Nunraw sustain their order's custom of hospitality. They are farmers as well as builders, have reclaimed waste moorland, and are well liked in this predominantly Protestant farming district.

    

See the Map references in The Shell Guide to Scotland to the.

Cistercian Abbeys of Scotland

Deer, Cupar, Angus, Nunraw, Newbattle, Saddell, Culross, Balmerino, Sweetheart, Glenluce, Dundrennan, Melrose, Kinloss.

http://nunraw.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/scottish-cistercian-trail.html   

Jeremiah, reading by Damasus Winzen

Major Prophets (part 3) Book of Jeremiah

Prophet Jeremiah, Russian icon from first quarter of 18th cen. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Book of Jeremiah is one of the books of the “major prophets,” which are so called not because they are more important than those that we know as the “minor prophets,” but because of their length. There are 5 books of major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel) compared to twelve of minor prophets. Jeremiah is 52 chapters in length.

 http://graceofourlord.com/2013/09/22/major-prophets-part-3-book-of-jeremiah/

Jeremiah

Vigil Reading begins with Jeremiah in October
The monk Damasus Winzen is one of our monastic writers on Scripture.

Word in Season TWENTY-EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME Monday Jeremiah 1: 1-19 Second Reading From Pathways in Scripture by Damasus Winzen (1901-1971) If we ask what the book of Jeremiah means to us today, we hear very often the answer that Jeremiah initiates a new period in Old Testament piety which frees the individual from the bonds of community life, that he is the first to record faithfully his innermost religious feelings, and that he is one of the great fighters who fought the battle for liberty of the spirit against tyranny of dead ceremonials. Looked at in this light Jeremiah would automatically become one of the "great liberals," and that would mean one of us. In reality he was wholly God's. God took possession of him before he was born. During his life the word of God was his one and overwhelming passion. Abraham received the promise; Jacob, the blessing; Moses, the staff. David was anointed. Isaiah had his lips cleansed with burning coal. Ezekiel had to eat the scroll. As for Jeremiah, the Lord stretched forth his hand and touched his mouth saying: I am with you, I put my words into your mouth. This day I give you authority over the nations and kingdoms, to root out and pull down, to wreck and to ruin, to build and to plant. It was the Emmanuel (God with us), the God of the Word made flesh, who took possession of Jeremiah. In no other prophet was the union between the prophet's heart and the word of God as intimate and as deep as in Jeremiah. The word was his strength and his cross. It made him, a youth of twenty years and by nature a timid man, a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall against the whole land. The word of the Lord, he exclaimed, is in my heart like a burning fire, shut up in my bones. I weary myself to hold it in, but cannot. As for me, he cried out, your word is my joy and my delight, for I bear your name, Lord, Lord of hosts!  He never mixed the word of God with purely human dreams and desires, as the false prophets did. The word of God in his mouth was like a hammer that smashes the rock into pieces. The words of the letter to the Hebrews must be applied to Jeremiah's preaching: For the message of God is a living and active force, sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing through soul and spirit, and joints and marrow, and keen in judging the thoughts and purposes of the mind.   Responsory Ps 119:161-162; see Jn 6:63 Though princes persecute me without cause, I stand in awe of your word. + I delight in your word like one who finds a treasure. V. Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life. + I delight ...

The Poor of Yahweh (27-28) by Albert Gelin

A Browse to the Library, happily revealed a couple of the Albert Gelin P.S.S. books, as below.
Monastic Office of Vigils

Gelin, Albert (1902-1960) Born at Amplepius in France, he was ordained priest in 1926. In 1929 he joined to Sulpicians, and became one of the most highly regarded Old Testament scholars in the Catholic world. He taught scripture at the seminary of Lyons from 1931-1939, and after 1937 at the University in the same city. He wrote articles for the prestigious Supplement to the Diciionarv of the Bible, and was much involved in the translation of some of the prophetical books of the Bible de Jerusalem.

TWENTY-EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SUNDAY

First Reading    Zephaniah 3:8-20

Responsory       Zep 2:3; Ps 22:26

Seek the Lord all you in the land who live humbly, obeying his commands. + Seek integrity, seek humility.

V. The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord shall praise him. + Seek integrity ...

Second Reading From The Poor of Yahweh (27-28) by Albert Gelin

Israel, as it advances along the road of history, constantly encounters God. "Days of the Lord" succeed one another; his appearances are either beneficent or awe-inspiring, either a reward or a punishment, depending on Israel's moral conduct.

This punishment, in the first perspective of the covenant, could not fail to be medicinal and educational. However, after the eighth century, sins multiplied and their gravity increased. Infringements of justice scandalized Amos; Isaiah knew well that he lived in the midst of people of unclean lips; Zephaniah rebuked Judah for faults of pride; Jeremiah was forced to the conclusion that a state of sin existed that made conversion almost impossible. Israel had to learn to accept the sanction of vindictive justice! Yet these prophets, despite all their somber predictions, never lost hope in God's plan for the future. In their eyes the remnant theme safeguarded the theology of the covenant. Henceforth, the task and promises which were once entrusted to the people of Israel as a whole would belong to a small and select group of Israelites. The Israel of tomorrow will be the remnant.

In the seventh century the remnant was given a special name that was to last until the coming of Christ and that made them a people apart. The prophet Zephaniah identified the people of the future as a people of "the poor."

Zephaniah witnessed Judah's first great humiliation. At the end of the eighth century Assyria cut the Promised Land in half as the result of Sennacherib's victorious conquest. Jerusalem was saved by a miracle, but Asshur's protective custody left the people little freedom. Perhaps it was this humbling situation that inspired the prophet to choose the suggestive vocabulary in which he formulated his spiritual synthesis. Israel's endemic poverty had attracted the charitable pity of the Deuteronomist and the prophets. Amos had sympathized with the stooped and emaciated people. Zephaniah borrowed these words and trans­figured them: they ceased to denote failure and became a claim for protection. People must be poor before God, just as they were already poor in the presence of Asshur. Specifically, this meant the rooting out of all pride. Zephaniah invited his con­temporaries to spiritual poverty, which is faith plus abandon­ment, humility and absolute confidence. He insisted that poverty be substituted for pride and made it the authentic spiritual attitude. This fundamental position includes the rectitude of the whole moral life. Lastly, the covenant vocabulary clarified the vocabulary of poverty and justice: the remnant is the people of the future, to whom belong the messianic promises of security and abundance.

Responsory     Lk 4:16-18; Mt 5:3

Jesus stood up to read and found the passage which says: The spirit

of the Lord is upon me because + he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.

V. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. + He has anointed