Posted on 04/10/2015 8:42:36 PM PDT by Salvation
Saint Stanislaus, Bishop & Martyr
Memorial
April 11th
St. Stanislaus was born at Szczepanów, in the Diocese of Cracow, July 26, 1030.
Lambert Zula, Bishop of Cracow, ordained him priest and made him pastor of Czembocz near Cracow, canon and preacher at the cathedral, and later, vicar-general. After the death of Lambert he was elected bishop, but accepted only on explicit command of Pope Alexander II. He worked with his wonted energy for his diocese, and inveighed against vices among high and low, regardless of consequences.
Boleslaw II had become King of Poland. the renown he had gained by his successful wars he now sullied by atrocious cruelty and unbridled lust. Moreover the bishop had several serious disputes with the king about a piece of land belonging to the Church which was unjustly claimed by Boleslaw, and about some nobles, who had left their homes to ward off various evils threatening their families and who were in consequence cruelly treated by the king. Stanislaus spared neither tears nor prayers and admonitions to bring the king to lead a more Christian life. All being in vain, Boleslaw was excommunicated and the canons of the cathedral were instructed to discontinue the Divine Offices in case the king should attempt to enter.
St. Stanislaus retired to the Chapel of St. Michael in a suburb of Cracow. The king was furious and followed the bishop with his guards, some of whom he sent to kill the saint. These dared not obey, so Boleslaw slew him during the Holy Sacrifice. The body was at first buried in the chapel, but in 1088 it was transferred to the cathedral by Bishop Lambert II. St. Stanislaus was canonized 1253 by Innocent IV at Assisi.
(Principal source - Catholic Encyclopedia - 1913 edition)
Collect:
O God, for whose honor the Bishop Saint Stanislaus
fell beneath the swords of his persecutors,
grant, we pray,
that we may persevere strong in faith even until death.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen
First Reading: Revelation 12:10-12a
And I, John, heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Rejoice then, O heaven and you that dwell therein! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!"
Gospel Reading:John 17:11b-19
And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to Thee. Holy Father, keep them in Thy name, which Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, even as We are one. While I was with them, I kept them in Thy name, which Thou hast given Me; I have guarded them, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to Thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Thy word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not pray that Thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldst keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth. As Thou didst send Me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate Myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth.
Feast Day: April 11
Born: 12 March 1878 at Borgo Nuovo di Camigliano, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy
Died: Holy Saturday, 11 April 1903 at Borgo Nuovo di Camigliano, Lucca, Italy
Canonized: 2 May 1940 by Pope Pius XII
Major Shrine: Passionist Monastery in Lucca, Italy
Patron of: Students, pharmacists, tuberculosis patients, love and hope
Feast Day: April 11
Born: 26 July 1030 as Szczepanowski, Poland
Died: murdered on 8 May 1079 in the chapel of Saint Michael in a suburb of Cracow, Poland
Canonized: 1253 by Pope Innocent IV at Assisi, Italy
Patron of: Cracow, Plock, Poland, soldiers in battle
St. Stanislaus
Feast Day: April 11
Born: 1030 :: Died: 1079
St. Stanislaus was born near Cracow, in Poland. His parents who were rich had prayed for thirty years for a child. Finally, when Stanislaus was born, they were so grateful to have him that they offered him to God.
When Stanislaus grew up, he studied at Gnesen and in Paris, France. After his parents died, he gave away all the money and property they had left him to the poor. Then he became a priest.
Stanislaus was made the bishop of Cracow when he was about forty years old. (Then hundreds of years later and before he became pope, our dearly beloved John Paul II was also bishop of Cracow in Poland.)
Bishop Stanislaus was loved by all his people, especially because of the way he took care of the poor, the widows and the orphans, often serving them himself.
Poland's king at that time was Boleslaus II. He was cruel and very sinful. The people were disgusted with his lifestyle and were afraid of him. Bishop Stanislaus first corrected him privately with respect and kindness. But he honestly and bravely told the king what he was doing wrong.
The king seemed sorry for a short while, but soon fell back into his bad ways again. He committed even more shameful sins. The bishop then had to put him out of the Church.
King Boleslaus flew into a terrible rage and to get revenge, he ordered two of his guards to kill St. Stanislaus. Three times they tried and failed. Then the king himself, in a fit of anger, rushed into the bishop's chapel and murdered St. Stanislaus as he was celebrating Mass. It was April 11, 1079.
God worked many miracles after St. Stanislaus' death. All the people called him a martyr.
Mark | |||
English: Douay-Rheims | Latin: Vulgata Clementina | Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000) | |
Mark 16 |
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9. | But he rising early the first day of the week, appeared first to Mary Magdalen, out of whom he had cast seven devils. | Surgens autem mane prima sabbati, apparuit primo Mariæ Magdalene, de qua ejecerat septem dæmonia. | αναστας δε πρωι πρωτη σαββατου εφανη πρωτον μαρια τη μαγδαληνη αφ ης εκβεβληκει επτα δαιμονια |
10. | She went and told them that had been with him, who were mourning and weeping. | Illa vadens nuntiavit his, qui cum eo fuerant, lugentibus et flentibus. | εκεινη πορευθεισα απηγγειλεν τοις μετ αυτου γενομενοις πενθουσιν και κλαιουσιν |
11. | And they hearing that he was alive, and had been seen by her, did not believe. | Et illi audientes quia viveret, et visus esset ab ea, non crediderunt. | κακεινοι ακουσαντες οτι ζη και εθεαθη υπ αυτης ηπιστησαν |
12. | And after that he appeared in another shape to two of them walking, as they were going into the country. | Post hæc autem duobus ex his ambulantibus ostensus est in alia effigie, euntibus in villam : | μετα δε ταυτα δυσιν εξ αυτων περιπατουσιν εφανερωθη εν ετερα μορφη πορευομενοις εις αγρον |
13. | And they going told it to the rest: neither did they believe them. | et illi euntes nuntiaverunt ceteris : nec illis crediderunt. | κακεινοι απελθοντες απηγγειλαν τοις λοιποις ουδε εκεινοις επιστευσαν |
14. | At length he appeared to the eleven as they were at table: and he upbraided them with their incredulity and hardness of heart, because they did not believe them who had seen him after he was risen again. | Novissime recumbentibus illis undecim apparuit : et exprobravit incredulitatem eorum et duritiam cordis : quia iis, qui viderant eum resurrexisse, non crediderunt. | υστερον ανακειμενοις αυτοις τοις ενδεκα εφανερωθη και ωνειδισεν την απιστιαν αυτων και σκληροκαρδιαν οτι τοις θεασαμενοις αυτον εγηγερμενον ουκ επιστευσαν |
15. | And he said to them: Go ye into the whole world, and preach the gospel to every creature. | Et dixit eis : Euntes in mundum universum prædicate Evangelium omni creaturæ. | και ειπεν αυτοις πορευθεντες εις τον κοσμον απαντα κηρυξατε το ευαγγελιον παση τη κτισει |
Saturday, April 11
Liturgical Color: White
Today is Easter Saturday. New Catholics
were received into the Church at the Easter
Vigil. The Church now desires that their
education in the Catholic faith continue,
especially in the area of the Holy Eucharist.
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23 One sabbath he was going through the grain fields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?" 25 And he said to them, "Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26 how he entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the showbread, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?" 27 And he said to them, "The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath 28 so the Son of man is lord even of the sabbath."
1 Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. 2 And they watched him, to see whether he would heal him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man who had the withered hand, "Come here." 4 And he said to them, "Is it lawful on the sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?" But they were silent. 5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out, and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
Have you never read: A stinging insult to the educatedPharisees. See note on Mt 12:3. what David did: Jesus recalls 1 Sam 21:1-6 to shed light on the present circumstances.
David was permitted to override the Mosaic ritual Law by letting his hungry companions eat the sacred bread of the Tabernacle reserved for the priests. Since Jesus is the Messiah and thus greater than David (12:35-37), he should not be condemned for suspending the Sabbath to meet a legitimate need (hunger) for his own disciples. Should the Pharisees denounce Jesus, they would unwittingly denounce the honored King David.
Is it lawful . . . ?: Jesus implies that doing good for the sake of mercy or necessity does not constitute a violation of the Sabbath. One should abstain from servile works, not good works. or to kill?: An alarming alternative to saving life. Common sympathy might allow for the preservation of lifeon the Sabbath, but not its destruction.
Jesus may allude to the precedent of 1 Macc 2:41, where the Jews temporarily suspended Sabbath observance to permit defensive warfare. This was necessary in order to save life from military attacks on their sacred day of rest. If Israel could sidestep the Sabbath to preserve life, then surely Jesus can heal a man's hand on the same day.
April 11, 2015 by Carmelite Sisters
Editor’s Note: In Part III, we reflected on seeing and living life with resurrected eyes, the reality of Jesus for all humanity, and what makes us Christian. In today’s final installment, we will examine who some of the witnesses of the Resurrection are today, how it is essential to come to terms with the Resurrection, and why Jesus rose from the dead.
Witnesses of the Resurrection
In my priesthood, my life as a man has all of its meaning rooted in His Resurrection. As a priest, what good do I serve humanity if He didn’t come back from the dead? People see me as a counselor, a social worker. I am a parish priest for a parish in downtown Columbus, we have the state of Ohio’s largest soup kitchen. We serve anywhere from 570 to 870 meals a day. So sometimes people look at me as if I am a glorified, chaste social worker. I am going to tell you right now, the pay really stinks if all I am is a social worker. But, I am not to be viewed as a social worker or a teacher. I am to be viewed as a witness of the Resurrection.
Sometimes young women will tell me their parents say being a sister is a waste of a life. Well, if the life of a sister is a waste, then that means that Jesus did not come back from the dead. The truth is that the value of a consecrated religious is beyond description. They offer us in the here and now a witness to how we will all live in the world to come.
When humanity starts to turn inward and turn away from the Lord that is when He asks the question, “Who do you say that I am?” Before we can really dare to answer that question, we have to be honest with ourselves, we have to acknowledge that He came back from the dead. And many times that acknowledgment of His Resurrection takes place within the context of a struggle within the family, a breakdown in our prayer life, trying to figure out who we are and what we are supposed to do to be successful….all of the struggles which take place within the world.
Coming to Terms with the Resurrection
Coming to terms with the idea of the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead is something that must take place. If He really rose from the dead, we need to be on fire, we have to stop trying to fit into a world that doesn’t acknowledge Him. If I have two groups to try and please, the Trinity on one hand and everyone else on the other, guess who is going to lose. Everybody else. I will not let them keep me from heaven. The Lord is the one who has extended an invitation for everlasting and enduring life. No one else has. Whenever we encounter someone who poses a very strong challenge to our faith, especially if they are filled with angst, maybe even anger, or God forbid hate, we can diffuse it with a good dose of humor. Just say, “You know, I understand that you’ve got issues, you’re in turmoil, you disagree. It all comes back to this basic point…you die, wait three days and come back on your own and I will hear you out. Until then, I am following the One who did.”
Why Jesus Rose from the Dead
There were moments in time where He brought others back from the dead: the son of the widow, the daughter of Jairus, his cousin Lazarus. But notice that He brought them back from the dead. In His Resurrection, He came back on His own. There weren’t doctors and nurses there with paddles shocking Him. There wasn’t anyone there assisting Him up out of the tomb. He came back from the dead on His own to prove a point…that He loves.
All He asks in return is that we love Him. And in the exchange of that love we start to realize that that which is normal is determined not by we, who are mortal, but rather by the Lord who is infinite. Whenever we struggle with the discipline of His love, whenever we struggle with the discipline of the Church that He created, let’s always come back to the Resurrection. And seek to ask of the Lord in His mercy and in His goodness, “How does all of this tie into Your Resurrection? How am I called to sing the glory of Your Resurrection?”
As we carry on that conversation with the Lord Jesus Christ, we will start to acknowledge that He is more real than even we are. His love is far greater than our love is. To be in His presence, even if just for one moment, is better than to be anywhere else for thousands of years. He is not talking to someone else, He is not hunting down someone else, He is with me. And just as much as He wants me, I know He wants my loved ones. And so we share His Resurrection with those we love. We offer as a witness to them, all that we have, all that we are, and finally the ability to say who He is in response to the question, “Who do you say that I am?”
Daily Readings for:April 11, 2015
(Readings on USCCB website)
Collect: O God, who by the abundance of your grace give increase to the peoples who believe in you, look with favor on those you have chosen and clothe with blessed immortality those reborn through the Sacrament of Baptism. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
RECIPES
ACTIVITIES
o Liturgy of Easter Sunday and the Octave of Easter
PRAYERS
o Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Easter Season (2nd Plan)
o Prayers for the Easter Season
o Easter Prayers (for the Octave of Easter)
o The Chaplet of the Divine Mercy
o Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Easter Week (1st Plan)
o Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Easter (1st Plan)
o Victimae Paschali: The Easter Sequence
· Easter: April 11th
· Easter Saturday
Old Calendar: Easter Saturday
"Lastly, He showed himself to the Eleven themselves while they were at table. He reproached them for their incredulity and obstinacy.... And He said to them, 'Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation.'" (Mark 16: 14-15)
On coming out of the baptismal font on Easter Sunday, the neophytes (newly baptized) were given a white symbolic garment, which they wore throughout the Easter Octave. Easter Saturday was known as "the Saturday on which white vestments are laid aside," or Saturday "in albis (depositis)." It was also called "Low Saturday." The octave ends tomorrow, but the Easter Season continues for five more weeks.
Meditation: The Power that Regenerates the World
Earthly history and the workings of the cosmos undoubtedly continue their course and are not identified with the rate at which the Kingdom of Christ develops. In fact, pain, evil, sin, death, yet claim their victims, in spite of the resurrection of Christ.
The cycle of one thing succeeding another, the cycle of becoming, is not at a standstill. If it were, history would be at an end! And so facts and events are continually being repeated and give rise to thoughts of an irremediable conflict here on earth between the two kingdoms, or, as St. Augustine said, between the two cities. Think, for example, of the contrast which is to be found in this Holy Year between celebration of the Redemption on the one hand and on the other hand the offenses against God, the misdeeds committed against man and, at bottom, the challenges to Christ which are continually being launched.
This is the most impressive aspect, the most mysterious dimension of the historic dialectic between the forces of good and the forces of evil: the fact that obstacles are raised or indifference is shown to the forces of Redemption let into the world by Christ through his Resurrection as the principle which resolves the conflict between death and life.
The world is in need, today as yesterday, for the "new people" to remain in its midst, among the vicissitudes, the conflicts, the variations which not seldom lead to situations which are so difficult, sometimes even dramatic. The world has need of this people which will dedicate itself with humility, courage and perseverance to service of the Redemption and give concrete form, in good Christian conduct, to the regenerating power of Christ's resurrection.
This is the function which Christians have as evangelizers and witnesses to the Resurrection in history.
Excerpted from Prayers and Devotions from Pope John Paul II, edited by Bishop Peter Canisius, 1984.
In Rome, the Station is at the church of St. John Lateran, the mother church of Christendom. Eight days ago the Easter vigil liturgy took place in this basilica. Today the neophytes return a final time to the place of baptism.
Saturday within the Octave of Easter
… what we have seen and heard. (Acts 4:20)
What is your first reaction when you see something fascinating or when something really exciting happens to you? Do you try to capture the moment by writing about it online, taking a picture, or telling all of your friends? In today’s first reading, Peter and John didn’t have access to modern technology, but they still made it a point to tell everyone about their exciting experience of Jesus and his resurrection.
Isn’t this a good way to look at our call to evangelize? The thought of talking about our faith can be daunting because we don’t always know where to start. But we can all follow Peter and John’s example by talking about our own experiences of the Lord.
But Peter and John had a huge advantage, you might say. They lived with Jesus for three years. They saw him perform lots of miracles and free countless people from guilt. Well, that’s true, but you have experiences of Jesus too, right? Think about the times that you have felt his encouragement, seen his blessing, or even witnessed a miracle in your life or the life of a loved one. Maybe he sent a stranger to help you at just the right moment, or maybe a friend called you to say just the right thing at just the right time.
Your experiences may not be as dramatic as Peter and John’s, or maybe the are. But they are your personal experiences of the Lord. No one can take them away from you. What’s more, experiences like these touch people and inspire them—often more powerfully than if you were to rattle off a list of Catholic doctrines. A lot of your co-workers and neighbors might have heard about Jesus and all he did two thousand years ago, but they will sit up and take notice when they hear that he is still at work today.
Take it one step at a time. Share with a friend a little story about something God has done for you recently, and see where the conversation goes. You can take courage knowing that God rewards even the smallest effort. Remember: he wants people to know the gospel!
“Lord, help me to step out and tell people about what I have seen and heard.”
Psalm 118:1, 14-21; Mark 16:9-15
Daily Marriage Tip for April 11, 2015:
Is there an older married couple whom you admire? What one or two things have you learned from them?
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