Posted on 06/05/2004 8:52:12 AM PDT by Salvation
June 5, 2004
Memorial of Saint Boniface, bishop and martyr
Psalm: Saturday 25 Reading I Responsorial Psalm Gospel
Reading I
2 Tm 4:1-8
Beloved:
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus,
who will judge the living and the dead,
and by his appearing and his kingly power:
proclaim the word;
be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient;
convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.
For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine
but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity,
will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth
and will be diverted to myths.
But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances;
put up with hardship;
perform the work of an evangelist;
fulfill your ministry.
For I am already being poured out like a libation,
and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have competed well;
I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.
From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me,
which the Lord, the just judge,
will award to me on that day, and not only to me,
but to all who have longed for his appearance.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 71:8-9, 14-15ab, 16-17, 22
R (see 15ab) I will sing of your salvation.
My mouth shall be filled with your praise,
with your glory day by day.
Cast me not off in my old age;
as my strength fails, forsake me not.
R I will sing of your salvation.
But I will always hope
and praise you ever more and more.
My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
R I will sing of your salvation.
I will treat of the mighty works of the Lord;
O GOD, I will tell of your singular justice.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R I will sing of your salvation.
So will I give you thanks with music on the lyre,
for your faithfulness, O my God!
I will sing your praises with the harp,
O Holy One of Israel!
R I will sing of your salvation.
Gospel
Mk 12:38-44
In the course of his teaching Jesus said,
"Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes
and accept greetings in the marketplaces,
seats of honor in synagogues,
and places of honor at banquets.
They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext,
recite lengthy prayers.
They will receive a very severe condemnation."
He sat down opposite the treasury
and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury.
Many rich people put in large sums.
A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents.
Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them,
"Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more
than all the other contributors to the treasury.
For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth,
but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had,
her whole livelihood."
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From: 2 Timothy 4:1-8
Dedication to Preaching
Beloved:
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power: proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching. For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity, will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths. But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances; put up with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry.
From: Mark 12:38-44
Jesus Censures the Scribes
FEAST OF THE DAY
St. Boniface was born in England around the year 673. As a young
man, he joined the Benedictines at the monastery of Exeter. As a
monk Boniface wrote the first Latin grammar book to be produced in
England and penned some poetry. At the age of thirty, Boniface was
ordained to the priesthood and used a vast knowledge of Scripture to
help his preaching and teaching.
Around the year 719 Boniface had the opportunity to become abbot
of the monastery. Instead of pursuing this, Boniface traveled to
Rome and placed himself in the service of the pope as a missionary.
The pope sent Boniface to preach in Germany, to convert pagans to
the Faith and to reform corrupt practices being practiced among the
clergy already in this area.
Boniface spent the rest of his life preaching, converting and teaching
throughout Germany. He founded dioceses, monasteries, and
churches and reformed many practices of the Church in Germany.
Boniface was a fearless preacher and challenged the practices of the
pagans to show their emptiness and worthlessness. Boniface was
martyred, with a group of thirty companions around the year 754
after angering a group of violent pagans. He is considered the
"apostle of Germany" for his efforts at evangelization there.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
One just soul can attain pardon for a thousand sinners. -St Margaret Mary
Alacoque
TODAY IN HISTORY
754 Boniface and his party are murdered
1510 Michelangelo commissioned to make 15 statues of saints for the Duomo of
Siena, Italy
TODAY'S TIDBIT
Conscience is practical judgment concerning the moral goodness or
sinfulness of an action. Many philosophers hold that a moral decision
can be evaluated through the examination of the action itself, the
circumstances around the action and the intention of the person
performing the action.
INTENTION FOR THE DAY
Please pray through the intercession of St. Boniface for the success
of missionaries.
Saturday, June 5, 2004 St. Boniface, Bishop, Martyr (Memorial) |
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Mk 12:38-44 | ||
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# | Douay-Rheims | Vulgate |
38 | And he said to them in his doctrine: Beware of the scribes, who love to walk in long robes and to be saluted in the marketplace, | et dicebat eis in doctrina sua cavete a scribis qui volunt in stolis ambulare et salutari in foro |
39 | And to sit in the first chairs in the synagogues and to have the highest places at suppers: | et in primis cathedris sedere in synagogis et primos discubitus in cenis |
40 | Who devour the houses of widows under the pretence of long prayer. These shall receive greater judgment. | qui devorant domos viduarum sub obtentu prolixae orationis hii accipient prolixius iudicium |
41 | And Jesus sitting over against the treasury, beheld how the people cast money into the treasury. And many that were rich cast in much. | et sedens Iesus contra gazofilacium aspiciebat quomodo turba iactaret aes in gazofilacium et multi divites iactabant multa |
42 | And there came a certain poor widow: and she cast in two mites, which make a farthing. | cum venisset autem una vidua pauper misit duo minuta quod est quadrans |
43 | And calling his disciples together, he saith to them: Amen I say to you, this poor widow hath cast in more than all they who have cast into the treasury. | et convocans discipulos suos ait illis amen dico vobis quoniam vidua haec pauper plus omnibus misit qui miserunt in gazofilacium |
44 | For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want cast in all she had, even her whole living. | omnes enim ex eo quod abundabat illis miserunt haec vero de penuria sua omnia quae habuit misit totum victum suum |
Boniface, known as the apostle of the Germans, was an English Benedictine monk who gave up being elected abbot to devote his life to the conversion of the Germanic tribes. Two characteristics stand out: his Christian orthodoxy and his fidelity to the pope of Rome.
How absolutely necessary this orthodoxy and fidelity were is borne out by the conditions he found on his first missionary journey in 719 at the request of Pope Gregory II. Paganism was a way of life. What Christianity he did find had either lapsed into paganism or was mixed with error. The clergy were mainly responsible for these latter conditions since they were in many instances uneducated, lax and questionably obedient to their bishops. In particular instances their very ordination was questionable.
These are the conditions that Boniface was to report in 722 on his first return visit to Rome. The Holy Father instructed him to reform the German Church. The pope sent letters of recommendation to religious and civil leaders. Boniface later admitted that his work would have been unsuccessful, from a human viewpoint, without a letter of safe-conduct from Charles Martel, the powerful Frankish ruler, grandfather of Charlemagne. Boniface was finally made a regional bishop and authorized to organize the whole German Church. He was eminently successful.
In the Frankish kingdom, he met great problems because of lay interference in bishops elections, the worldliness of the clergy and lack of papal control.
During a final mission to the Frisians, he and 53 companions were massacred while he was preparing converts for Confirmation.
In order to restore the Germanic Church to its fidelity to Rome and to convert the pagans, he had been guided by two principles. The first was to restore the obedience of the clergy to their bishops in union with the pope of Rome. The second was the establishment of many houses of prayer which took the form of Benedictine monasteries. A great number of Anglo-Saxon monks and nuns followed him to the continent. He introduced Benedictine nuns to the active apostolate of education.
Comment:
Boniface bears out the Christian rule: To follow Christ is to follow the way of the cross. For Boniface, it was not only physical suffering or death, but the painful, thankless, bewildering task of Church reform. Missionary glory is often thought of in terms of bringing new persons to Christ. It seemsbut is notless glorious to heal the household of the faith.
Memorial of St. Boniface, bishop and martyr
In 724 he turned his attention to the Hessian people, among whom he continued his missionary activity with renewed zeal. On an eminence near the village of Geismar on the Eder, he felled a giant oak that the people honored as the national sanctuary of the god Thor. Boniface used the wood to build a chapel in honor of St. Peter. This courageous act assured the eventual triumph of the Gospel in Germany.
The resident clergy and the priests dwelling at the court, whose unworthy lives needed censure, were constantly creating difficulties. Nevertheless Boniface continued to labor quietly, discreetly. He prayed unceasingly, put his trust in God alone, recommended his work to the prayers of his spiritual brothers and sisters in England. And God did not abandon him. Conversions were amazingly numerous. In 732 Gregory III sent him the pallium, the insignia of the archiepiscopal dignity. Boniface now devoted his time and talent to the ecclesiastical organization of the Church in Germany. He installed worthy bishops, set diocesan boundaries, promoted the spiritual life of the clergy and laity, held national synods (between 742 and 747), and in 744 founded the monastery of Fulda, which became a center of religious life in central Germany. In 745 he chose Mayence for his archiepiscopal see, and affiliated to it thirteen suffragan dioceses. This completed the ecclesiastical organization of Germany.
The final years of his busy life were spent, as were his earlier ones, in missionary activity. Word came to him in 754 that a part of Frisia had lapsed from the faith. He took leave of his priests and, sensing the approach of death, carried along a shroud. He was 74 years of age when with youthful enthusiasm he began the work of restoration, a mission he was not to complete. A band of semi-barbarous pagans overpowered and put him to death when he was about to administer confirmation to a group of neophytes at Dockum.
Patron: Brewers; Tailors; Germany; Prussia.
Symbols: Ax; book; raven; scourge; sword; sword piercing heart; Bible transfixed by sword; fallen oak; book and pen; scourge; club; fox; axe and fallen oak of Thor.
Things to Do:
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Thank you!
Saturday, June 05, 2004
Meditation
2 Timothy 4:1-8
According to St. Irenaeus, a second-century bishop and doctor of the church, the glory of God is man fully alive. That quote is a fitting summary of Pauls exhortation to Timothy in todays reading. Paul encouraged Timothy to proclaim Gods word in good times and bad, whether convenient or inconvenient. He exhorted him to be calm and steady in all circumstances, to put up with hardships, and to fulfill the call that the Lord had given him. In short, Paul was urging Timothy to be fully alive in the power of the Holy Spirit, to be a light and a sign to those around him who had succumbed to false gospels and myths.
Two thousand years later, we live in a world that is very much in need of the proclamation of the gospel. And as children of God, we are called and commissioned to imitate Timothy in the way we live and speak. In a very real sense, its up to us to be fully alive in the power of the Holy Spirit, bringing light to those lost in spiritual darkness.
This can sound like a very intimidating call. But remember, the witness of the way you live your life often speaks volumes more than your actual words. Kindness shown to a neighbor, forgiveness offered to one who asks, and food shared with the hungry are all ways that you proclaim: Christ lives in me, and he wants to live in you also.
The more people see you living the Christian life, the more they will be attracted to it. Someone once asked a great preacher why more people werent thirsty for Jesus. His reply: Were not salty enough! Every day, decide that you are going to be fully alive in Jesus. Tell the Lord that you want to witness to him through your talents, your demeanor, and your acts of love. God has given you special gifts to use for his glory. So put them to work today and watch him multiply his return on those gifts!
Jesus, fill me with confidence. Give me the courage to reach out to others, both in my words and even more so in my deeds. Let your light shine out from me so that others may come to you and know your love, your mercy, and your power.
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