Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher,
Virgin
Optional Memorial
October 6th
[In the diocese of the United States]

Collect:
Lord,
you enkindled in the heart of Blessed Marie Rose Durocher
the flame of ardent charity
and a great desire to collaborate,
as teacher, in the mission of the Church.
Grant us that same active love,
so that, in responding to the needs
of the world today,
we may lead our brothers and sisters
to eternal life.
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.
Readings from Common of Virgins

Luke
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Luke 11
1.	AND it came to pass, that as he was in a certain place praying, when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him: Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.	Et factum est : cum esset in quodam loco orans, ut cessavit, dixit unus ex discipulis ejus ad eum : Domine, doce nos orare, sicut docuit et Joannes discipulos suos.	και εγενετο εν τω ειναι αυτον εν τοπω τινι προσευχομενον ως επαυσατο ειπεν τις των μαθητων αυτου προς αυτον κυριε διδαξον ημας προσευχεσθαι καθως και ιωαννης εδιδαξεν τους μαθητας αυτου
2.	And he said to them: When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come.	Et ait illis : Cum oratis, dicite : Pater, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum.	ειπεν δε αυτοις οταν προσευχησθε λεγετε πατερ ημων ο εν τοις ουρανοις αγιασθητω το ονομα σου ελθετω η βασιλεια σου γενηθητω το θελημα σου ως εν ουρανω και επι της γης
3.	Give us this day our daily bread.	Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie.	τον αρτον ημων τον επιουσιον διδου ημιν το καθ ημεραν
4.	And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.	Et dimitte nobis peccata nostra, siquidem et ipsi dimittimus omni debenti nobis. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem.	και αφες ημιν τας αμαρτιας ημων και γαρ αυτοι αφιεμεν παντι οφειλοντι ημιν και μη εισενεγκης ημας εις πειρασμον αλλα ρυσαι ημας απο του πονηρου

(*) "γενηθητω το θελημα σου ως εν ουρανω και επι της γης" (Be done Thy will as in heaven so upon the earth, v.2), as well as "αλλα ρυσαι ημας απο του πονηρου" (but deliver us from the evil, v. 4) are not translated. The reason is probably that they are later interpolations in the Greek.

1. And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
2. And he said to them, When you pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
3. Give us day by day our daily bread.
4. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

BEDE; After the account of the sisters, who signified the two lives of the Church, our Lord is not without reason related to have both Himself prayed, and taught His disciples to pray, seeing that the prayer which He taught contains in itself the mystery of each life, and the perfection of the lives themselves is to be obtained not by our own strength, but by prayer. Hence it is said, And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place.

CYRIL; Now whereas He possesses every good in abundance, why does He pray, since He is full, and has altogether need of nothing? To this we answer, that it befits Him, according to the manner of His dispensation in the flesh, to follow human observances at the time convenient for them. For if He eats and drinks, He rightly was used to pray, that He might teach us not to be lukewarm in this duty, but to be the more diligent and earnest in our prayers.

TIT. BOST. The disciples having seen a new way of life, desire a new form of prayer, since there were several prayers to be found in the Old Testament. Hence it follows, When he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, in order that we might not sin against God in asking for one thing instead of another, or by approaching God in prayer in a manner that we ought not.

ORIGEN; And that he might point out the kind of teaching, the disciple proceeds, as John also taught his disciples. Of whom in truth you have told us, that among them that are born of women there had arisen none greater than he. And because you have commanded us to seek things that are great and eternal, whence shall we arrive at the knowledge of these but from You, our God and Savior?

GREG. NYSS.. He unfolds the teaching of prayer to His disciples, who wisely desire the knowledge of prayer, directing them how they ought to beseech God to hear them.

BASIL; There are two kinds of prayer, one composed of praise with humiliation, the other of petitions, and more subdued. Whenever then you pray, do not first break forth into petition; but if you condemn your inclination, supplicate God as if of necessity forced thereto. And when you begin to pray, forget all visible and invisible creatures, but commence with the praise of Him who created all things. Hence it is added, And he says to them, When you pray, say, Our Father.

PSEUDO-AUG. The first word, how gracious is it? You durst not raise your face to heaven, and suddenly you receive the grace of Christ. From an evil servant you are made a good son. Boast not then of your working, but of the grace of Christ; for therein is no arrogance, but faith. To proclaim what you have received is not pride, but devotion. Therefore raise your eyes to your Father, who begot you by Baptism, redeemed you by His Son. Say Father as a son, but claim no especial favor to t yourself. Of Christ alone is He the especial Father, of us the common Father. For Christ alone He begot, but us he created. And therefore according to Matthew when it is said, Our Father, it is added, which art in heaven, that is, in those heavens of which it was said, The heavens declare the glory of God. Heaven is where sin has ceased, and where there is no sting of death.

THEOPHYL. But He says not, which art in heaven, as though He were confined to that place, but to raise the hearer up to heaven, and draw him away from earthly things.

GREG. NYSS.. See how great a preparation you need, to be able to say boldly to God, O Father, for if you have your eyes fixed on worldly things, or court the praise of men, or are a slave to your passions, and utter this prayer, I seem to hear God saying, 'Whereas you that are of a corrupt life call the Author of the incorruptible your Father, you pollute with your defiled lips an incorruptible name. For He who commanded you to call Him Father, gave you not leave to utter lies. But the highest of e all good things is to glorify God's name in our lives. Hence He adds, Hallowed be thy name. For who is there so debased, as when He sees the pure life of those who believe, does not glorify the name invoked in such a life. He then who says in his prayer, Be thy name, which I call upon, hallowed in me, prays this, "May I through Your concurring aid be made just, abstaining from all evil."

CHRYS. For as when a man gazes upon the beauty of the heavens, he says, Glory be you, O God; so likewise when He beholds a man's virtuous actions, seeing that the virtue of man glorifies God much more than the heavens.

PSEUDO-AUG. Or it is said, Hallowed be thy name; that is, let Your holiness be known to all the world, and let it worthily praise You. For praise becomes the upright, and therefore He bids them pray for the cleansing of the whole world.

CYRIL; Since among those to whom the faith has not yet come, the name of God is still despised. But when the rays of truth shall have shined upon them, they will confess the Holy of Holies.

TIT. BOST. And because in the name of Jesus is the glory of God the Father, the name of the Father will be hallowed whenever Christ shall be known.

ORIGEN; Or, because the name of God is given by idolaters, and those who are in error, to idols and creatures, it has not as yet been so made holy, as to be separated from those things from which it ought to be. He teaches us therefore to pray that the name of God may be appropriated to the only true God; to whom alone belongs what follow, Thy kingdom come, to the end that may be put down all the rule, authority, and power, and kingdom of the world, together with sin which reigns in our mortal bodies.

GREG. NYSS.. We beseech also to be delivered by the Lord from corruption, to be taken out of death. Or, according to some, Thy kingdom come, that is, May Your Holy Spirit come upon us to purify us.

PSEUDO-AUG. For then comes the kingdom of God, when we have obtained His grace. For He Himself says, The kingdom of God is within you.

CYRIL; Or they who say this seem to wish to have the Savior of all again illuminating the world. But He has commanded us to desire in prayer that truly awful time, in order that men might know that it behoves them to live not in sloth and backwardness, lest that time bring upon them the fiery punishment, but rather honestly and according to His will, that that time may weave crowns for them. Hence it follows, according to Matthew, Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

CHRYS. As if He says, Enable us, O Lord, to follow the heavenly life, that whatever You will, we may will in also.

GREG. NYSS.. For sin since He says that the life of man after the resurrection will be like to that of Angels, it follows, that our life in this world should be so ordered with respect to that which we hope for hereafter, that living in the flesh we may not live according to the flesh. But hereby the true Physician of the souls destroys the nature of the disease, that those who have been seized with sickness, whereby they have departed from the Divine will, may forthwith be released from the disease by being joined to the Divine will. For the health of the soul is the due fulfillment of the will of God.

AUG. It seems according to the Evangelist Matthew, that the Lord's prayer contains seven petitions, but Luke has comprehended it in five. Nor in truth does the one disagree from the other, but the latter has suggested by his brevity how those seven are to be understood. For the name of God is hallowed in the spirit, but the kingdom of God is about to come at the resurrection of the body. Luke then, showing that the third petition is in a manner a repetition of the two former, wished to make it so understood by omitting it. He then added three others. And first, of daily bread, saying, Give us day by day our daily bread.

PSEUDO-AUG. In the Greek the word is that is, something added to the substance. It is not that bread which goes into the body, but that bread of everlasting life, which supports the substance of our soul. But the Latins call this "daily" bread, which the Greeks call "coming to." If it is daily bread, why is it eaten a year old, as is the custom with the Greeks in the east? Take daily what profits you for the day; so live that you may daily be thought worthy to receive. The death of our Lord is signified thereby, and the remission of sins, and cost you not daily partake of that bread of life? He who has a wound seeks to be cured; the wound is that we are under sin, the cure is the heavenly and dreadful Sacrament. If you receive daily, daily does "Today" come to you. Christ is to you Today; Christ rises to thee daily.

TIT. BOST. Or the bread of souls is the Divine power, bringing the everlasting life which is to come, as the bread which comes out of the earth preserves the temporal life. But by saying "daily," He signifies the Divine bread which comes and is to come, which we seek to be given to us daily, requiring a certain earnest and taste of it, seeing that the Spirit which dwells in us has wrought a virtue surpassing all human virtues, as chastity, humility, and the rest.

CYRIL; Now perhaps some think it unfit for saints to seek from God bodily goods, and for this reason assign to these words a spiritual sense. But granting that the chief concern of the saints should be to obtain spiritual gifts, still it becomes them to see that they seek without blame, according to our Lord's command, their common bread. For from the fact that He bids them ask for bread, that is daily food, it seems that He implies that they should possess nothing, but rather practice an honorable poverty. For it is not the part of those who have bread to seek it, but rather of those who are oppressed with want.

BASIL; As if He said, For your daily bread, namely, that which serves for our daily wants, trust not to yourself, but fly to God for it, making known to Him the necessities of your nature.

CHRYS. We must then require of God the necessities of life; not varieties of meats, and spiced wines, and the other things which please the palate, while they load your stomach and disturb your mind, but bread which is able to support the bodily substance, that is to say, which is sufficient only for the day, that we may take no thought of the morrow. But we make only one petition about things of sense, that the present life may not trouble us.

GREG. NYSS.. Having taught us to take confidence through good works, He next teaches us to implore the remission of our offenses, for it follows, And forgive us our sins.

TIT. BOST. This also was necessarily added, for no one is found without sin, that we should not be hindered from the holy participation on account of man's guilt. For whereas we are bound to render to Christ all manner of holiness, who makes His Spirit to dwell in us, we are to be blamed if we keep not our temples clean for Him. But this defect is supplied by the goodness of God, remitting to human frailty the severe punishment of sin. And this act is done justly by the just God, when we forgive as it were our debtors, those, namely, who have injured us, and have not restored what was due. Hence it follows, For we also forgive every one that is indebted to us.

CYRIL; For He wishes, if I may so speak, to make God the imitator of the patience which men practice, that the kindness which they have shown to their fellow servants, they should in like manner seek to receive in equal balance from God, who recompenses to each man justly, and knows how to have mercy upon all men.

CHRYS. Considering then these things, we ought to show mercy to our debtors. For they are to us if we are wise the cause of our greatest pardon; and though we perform only a few things, we shall find many. For we owe many and great debts to the Lord, of which if the least part should be exacted from us, we should soon perish.

PSEUDO-AUG. But what is the debt except sin? If you had not received, you would not owe money to another. And therefore sin is imputed to you. For you had money with which you were born rich, and made after the likeness and image of God, but you have lost what you then had. As when you put on pride you lose the gold of humility, you have receipted the devil's debt which was not necessary; the enemy held the bond, but the Lord crucified it, and canceled it with His blood. But the Lord is able, who has taken away our sins and forgiven our debts, to guard us against the snares of the devil, who is wont to produce sin in us. Hence it follows, And lead us not into temptation, such as we are not able to bear, but like the wrestler we wish only such temptation as the condition of man can sustain.

TIT. BOST. For it is impossible not to be tempted by the devil, but we make this prayer that we may not be abandoned to our temptations. Now that which happens by Divine permission, God is sometimes in Scripture said to do. And in this way by hindering not the increase of temptation which is above our strength, he leads us into temptation.

MAX. Or, the Lord commands us to pray, Lead us not into temptation, that is, let us not have experience of lustful and self-induced temptations. But James teaches those who contend only for the truth, not to be unnerved by involuntary and troublesome temptations, saying, lily brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations.

BASIL; It does not however become us to seek by our prayers bodily afflictions. For Christ has universally commanded men every where to pray that they enter not into temptation. But when one has already entered, it is fitting to ask from the Lord the power of enduring, that we may have fulfilled in us those words, He that endures to the end shall be saved.

AUG. But what Matthew has placed at the end, But deliver us from evil, Luke has not mentioned, that we might understand it belongs to the former, which was spoken of temptation. He therefore says, But deliver us, not, "And deliver us," clearly proving this to be but one petition, "Do not this, but this." But let every one know that he is therein delivered from evil, when he is not brought into temptation.

PSEUDO-AUG. For each man seeks to be delivered from evil, that is, from his enemies and sin, but he who gives himself up to God, fears not the devil, for if God is for us, who he can be against us?

Catena Aurea Luke 11

Agony in the Garden

Sandro Botticelli

c. 1500
Tempera on panel, 53 x 35 cm
Capilla Real, Granada

Spiritual Bouquet
A different meditation each time you click.

Meditations by Padre Pio
	Do not cease in seeking the truth or in acquiring the greatest good. Be docile to the impulse of grace, following its inspirations. Do not be ashamed of Christ or his doctrine.

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: October 06, 2010
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Father, your love for us surpasses all our hopes and desires. Forgive our failings, keep us in your peace and lead us in the way of salvation. 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.

RECIPES

ACTIVITIES

6th

Optional Memorial of St. Bruno, priest; Bl. Marie Rose Durocher, virgin Old Calendar: St. Bruno, confessor

St. Bruno was born in 1030 in Cologne, Germany. He became a priest and achieved fame as a professor of theology at Rheims. He decided to leave the world and pursue a life of complete solitude and prayer. He established his hermitage in Chartreuse, near Grenoble, France. Soon he attracted disciples and he established the first monastery of Carthusian monks. Pope Urban II called him to Rome, but later Bruno was able to establish a second monastery in Italy. He died in 1101 at Calabria. This feast is celebrated today both in the Ordinary Form and the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

Born at St. Antoine in Quebec, Canada, Eulalie Durocher was the youngest of ten children. Assisting her brother, a parish priest, for 12 years she helped establish the first Canadian parish Sodality for young women. She lived a life of great poverty and remained unswerving in her concern for the poor. In 1843, she founded the Sisters of the Holy Name of Jesus and Mary, dedicated to Christian education. This Order first came to the U.S. in 1859.

St. Bruno
St. Bruno, born in Cologne about 1030, was the founder of a religious Order, the Carthusians. His mother was St. Matilda, patroness of Maude, widow of King Henry I. Excepting St. Norbert, he is the only German having that honor. His contemporaries called him the light of the Church, the flower of the clergy, the glory of Germany and France. Early in life he was a canon at Cologne and Rheims. The persecution by the simoniacal archbishop of Rheims, Manasses, hastened his resolve to enter a life of solitude (1084). Legend puts it this way. A famous professor had died. While the Office of the Dead was being chanted at his funeral, he suddenly raised himself up from the coffin and said: "By the just judgment of God have I been accused, judged, damned." Thereupon Bruno renounced the world. He received from Hugo, bishop of Grenoble, a site called Chartreuse (from the color of the surrounding hills) as a place of residence.

The Order founded by Bruno is one of the strictest in the Church. Carthusians follow the Rule of St. Benedict, but accord it a most austere interpretation; there is perpetual silence and complete abstinence from flesh meat (only bread, legumes, and water are taken for nourishment). Bruno sought to revive the ancient eremitical way of life. His Order enjoys the distinction of never becoming unfaithful to the spirit of its founder, never needing a reform. Six years after initiating the foundation, Bruno was called to Rome by Pope Urban II as personal counselor. He complied with a heavy heart. However, when the Pope was forced to flee to Campania because of Emperor Henry IV, Bruno found a wilderness similar to that of Chartreuse at La Torre; there he made a second foundation, which blossomed into a flourishing community. Here in September, 1101, he became severely ill. Having called together his followers, Bruno made a public confession and died on October 6, 1101, at the age of seventy-one.

Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Patron: diabolic possession; Ruthenia.

Symbols: flowering crucifix; chalice and host; death's head; scroll with words O bonitas; star on his breast; seven stars; white scapular; olive branch; holding a book and illuminated by a ray of light.

Things to Do:

Find out more about Carthusian monks.
Read more about the First Crusade and St. Bruno's involvement; Meditate on the importance of penance and sacrifice and resolutions to make changes in one's life — Carthusians live a severe life, but even we have a place for penance.

Blessed Marie Rose
Born October 6, 1811 at St. Antoine in Quebec, Canada, Eulalie Durocher was the tenth of eleven children. She was drawn to the religious life, but turned away because of her frail health. For 12 years she assisted her brother, a parish priest, as a housekeeper. With encouragement of the bishop, in 1843 she founded the Sisters of the Holy Name of Jesus and Mary, taking the name Marie-Rose. Her religious order was dedicated to Christian education, especially for the poor. She died on October 6, 1849 of natural causes. This Order first came to the U.S. in 1859. Marie-Rose was beatified on May 23, 1982 by Pope John Paul II.

Patronage: Bodily ills; loss of parents; illness; frail health.

Symbols: Lilies; lilies of the valley; white rose (these flowers are symbols of virginity); book (symbol of monastic rule).

Things to Do:

God used Marie Rose as an instrument for His great work, although she was an unlikely candidate. Think about the pro-life movement and ways we help. Each unwanted child is a person that God can work through to convert the world.
Read more about Bl. Marie Rose at the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary site.

Lauds -- Morning Prayer

Morning Prayer (Lauds)

If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, you should precede it with the Invitatory Psalm.

Introduction

O God, come to my aid.

O Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen. Alleluia.

Hymn

Hence, night and clouds that night-time brings,

Confused and dark and troubled things;

The dawn is here, the sky grown white,

Christ is at hand; depart from sight.

Earth’s dusky veil is torn away,

Pierced by the sparkling beams of day:

The world resumes its hues apace

Soon as the day-star shows its face.

But thee, O Christ, alone we seek,

With conscience pure and temper meek:

With tears and chants we humbly pray

That thou wouldst guide us through the day.

So many shades obscure each sense

Which needs thy beams to purge it thence:

Light of the Morning-Star, illume,

Serenely shining, all our gloom.

All laud to God the Father be;

All praise, eternal Son, to thee;

All glory, as is ever meet,

To God the Holy Paraclete.

Psalm 85 (86) A poor man's prayer in time of trouble

Make your servant’s heart glad, for to you, O Lord, I have raised it.

Turn your ear to me, Lord, and hear me,

for I am poor and destitute.

Keep my life safe, for I am faithful;

O God, save your servant, who trusts in you.

Take pity upon me, O Lord,

for I call to you all the day long.

Make your servant’s heart glad,

for to you, O Lord, I have raised it.

For you, Lord, are gentle and mild:

you are kind to all those who call on you.

Let your ears hear my prayer, O Lord!

Turn to the voice of my pleading!

In my time of trouble I call on you,

for you, O Lord, will hear me.

No other god is like you, O Lord,

and nothing compares with your works.

All people – all nations you made –

will come and worship before you;

they will give glory to your name.

For you are great, you work wonders:

you alone are God.

O Lord, teach me your paths,

and I will come to your truth.

Make my heart simple and guileless,

so that it honours your name.

I will proclaim you, Lord my God,

and give you praise with all my heart.

I will give glory to your name for ever,

for your great kindness is upon me:

you have rescued me from the deepest depths.

O God, the proud rise against me,

in the meetings of the powerful they seek my life:

they do not keep you in their sight.

And you, Lord, are a God of compassion,

full of mercies, patient and true.

Look upon me, have mercy upon me,

give your strength and protection to your servant:

your servant, the child of your handmaid.

Give me a sign of your goodness,

let my enemies see it and be confounded;

because you, O Lord, have helped me and given me comfort.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

Make your servant’s heart glad, for to you, O Lord, I have raised it.

Canticle	Isaiah 33

The Lord will give just judgement

Blessed the man whose speech is true and whose ways are just.

Hear what I have done, you who are far off,

and you who are near, learn of my strength.

In Zion, the sinners are afraid;

the hypocrites tremble.

Which of you could live with a devouring fire?

Which of you will abide in everlasting burning?

He who walks in justice, he who speaks fairly –

he who rejects the spoils of robbery –

he who throws back a bribe –

he who blocks his ears against murderous counsels –

he who shuts his eyes against evil sights –

this is he who will dwell on high, secure in a fortress of rocks.

Bread is given to him; his supply of water is secure.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

Blessed the man whose speech is true and whose ways are just.

Psalm 97 (98) The Lord has brought salvation

Sound jubilation to the Lord, our king.

Sing a new song to the Lord,

for he has worked wonders.

His right hand, his holy arm,

have brought him victory.

The Lord has shown his saving power,

and before all nations he has shown his justice.

He has remembered to show his kindness

and his faithfulness to the house of Israel.

The farthest ends of the earth

have seen the saving power of our God.

Rejoice in God, all the earth.

Break forth in triumph and song!

Sing to the Lord on the lyre,

with the lyre and with music.

With trumpets and the sound of the horn,

sound jubilation to the Lord, our king.

Let the sea resound in its fulness,

all the earth and all its inhabitants.

The rivers will clap their hands,

and the mountains will exult at the presence of the Lord,

for he comes to judge the earth.

He will judge all the world in justice,

and the peoples with fairness.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

Sound jubilation to the Lord, our king.

Short reading	Job 1:21,2:10 ©

Naked I came from my mother’s womb, naked I shall return. The Lord gave, the Lord has taken back. Blessed be the name of the Lord! If we take happiness from God’s hand, must we not take sorrow too?

Short Responsory

Turn my heart, Lord, to your judgements.

– Turn my heart, Lord, to your judgements.

Give me life and make me follow your path.

– Turn my heart, Lord, to your judgements.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

– Turn my heart, Lord, to your judgements.

Canticle	Benedictus

The Messiah and his forerunner

Remember your holy covenant, Lord, and take pity on us.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,

for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption.

He has raised up the sign of salvation

in the house of his servant David,

as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones,

his prophets through the ages:

to rescue us from our enemies

and all who hate us,

to take pity on our fathers,

to remember his holy covenant

and the oath he swore to Abraham our father,

that he would give himself to us,

that we could serve him without fear

– freed from the hands of our enemies –

in uprightness and holiness before him,

for all of our days.

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High:

for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path,

to let his people know their salvation,

so that their sins may be forgiven.

Through the bottomless mercy of our God,

one born on high will visit us

to give light to those who walk in darkness,

who live in the shadow of death;

to lead our feet in the path of peace.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

Remember your holy covenant, Lord, and take pity on us.

Prayers and Intercessions

Christ feeds and cares for the Church, for which he gave his very self. And so we pray:

– Lord, look after your Church.

Blessed are you, shepherd of your Church, because today you give us light and life:

make us truly grateful for such wonderful gifts.

– Lord, look after your Church.

Look kindly on the flock you have gathered in your name:

let no-one perish from the flock your Father has given you.

– Lord, look after your Church.

Lead your Church along the path of your commandments:

may the Holy Spirit keep her faithful to you.

– Lord, look after your Church.

By the feast of bread and the Word, give life to your Church:

nourish her and give her the strength to follow you with joy.

– Lord, look after your Church.

Our Father, who art in Heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come,

thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Lord, in your kindness fill our deepest being with your holy light,

so that we may be steadfast in our devotion to you:

for your wisdom created us and your providence guides us.

[We make our prayer] through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God for ever and ever.

Amen.

May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.

AMEN

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Galatians 2:1-2,7-14

“When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face.” (Galatians 2:11)

What should we make of this story? Here Paul is publicly confronting Peter, the chief of apostles, on something Paul considered scandalous and hypocritical. Was he being imprudent and disrespectful? Is this another example of Paul’s fiery temper? Or did his behavior stem from a deep love for the Lord and a zealous commitment to the truth of the gospel?

A group of Jewish believers from Jerusalem had come to Antioch claiming that the gentile Christians there had to be circumcised and were obligated to follow Jewish dietary laws. Even Peter felt pressured enough to stop associating with the Gentiles. But Paul saw that this teaching ran contrary to the heart of the gospel and needed to be handled aggressively.

Of course, we should admire Paul for his bravery and his undying commitment to the gospel. But we should also be careful to learn from his missteps and mistakes. The truth—no matter how important it is—cannot stand in isolation, as a solitary pillar upholding the entire church. No, the truth must always be connected with love. It must always be placed side by side with the call to fellowship and communion. Surely Paul could have found a better, more respectful way to correct Peter. Surely he could have found a way to preserve both the message of the gospel and the unity of the apostles!

Like Peter and Paul, we must do all we can to work together to serve both truth and unity. By responding to pressure the way he did, Peter gave the believers in Antioch a false impression of Christianity. And by overreacting to the situation, Paul brought the church close to a tragic division. It was only after they took up the whole issue with their fellow apostles—in an act of unity and trust—that it was resolved peacefully (Acts 15:1-31).

Just like Peter and Paul, we too can find the way to unity in our churches and in our homes. All it takes is a humble determination to uphold each other as we work together to honor the truths of the Lord. He can make us one!

“Thank you, Lord, for the truth of your gospel. Bring our divisions to an end. Unite us all in love as we strive to serve you in truth.”

Psalm 117:1-2; Luke 11:1-4

Marriage = One Man and One Woman

Daily Marriage Tip for October 6, 2010:

If you’re reading this marriage tip it means you care about your marriage and are smart enough to nurture it. Perhaps it’s time to share your good sense with others. Can you volunteer to help out with marriage preparation in your diocese or parish?

Continue to Pray for Pope Benedict [Ecumenical]

Secret Harbor ~ Portus Secretioris

06 October 2010

Se il seme muore, produce molto frutto

From the Museo della Certosa is the Italian publication titled, ‘I Colori del Silenzio’. And in that publication is a loving tribute to Holy Father Bruno. It is shared here at Secret Harbour, on this day where around the world the Carthusian Order celebrates the Solemnity of Saint Bruno.

(My translation)
There are lives, my God, which may be approached only with respect, holy grounds where your mystery shines. No one can contemplate them without being enlightened by you, no one can find them without being inflamed by Your Spirit.

6 October 1101, Sunday, at the Hermitage of Santa Maria della Torre in Calabria, Italy there were some monks, and in the midst of them a man laid down. Tears were in their eyes and choking cries in their voices. The guide of their souls, their father . . . had reached the time of his birth into eternity. This man is you, Bruno. In this instant, your whole life, more than seventy years, is in your heart, the final offering to the Father.

Behold your first years in Cologne, where you were born, your departure for Rheims in France, that great and celebrated school of theology, your scholarly enlightened intuitions, and your appointment as canon of that church. The face of Archbishop Gervais, his decision of promoting you, at the early age of twenty-eight, to master of the most celebrated school of this time; students from all over Europe flocked together to listen to you, as your fame continually increased; then came the archbishop’s death in July 1067.

Behold the newly elected Manasse, his greed, his rages, the first discords, the increasing disorder, the scandals, while the Church reforms herself thanks to the Holy Father, Gregory VII; your sufferings, and the firm decision to voice your displeasure of the papal Legate. In the final months of 1076 came the retaliations of Manasse, depriving you of all your charges and goods – leading to the way of exile, a long and painful fight which lasted four years. At last the decision of the Pope: to depose, to dismiss the bishop from his See, while all eyes looked upon you to be the successor. But . . . in the silence of your heart, suddenly, another Heart! Your exile was the first stage of a long interior pilgrimage.

Behold the call of Christ: to leave everything so as to follow Him, to resume the way of the first fathers of the desert; the astonishment of all, the admiration for you, the light of Rheims, who was already fifty-five years old; then Sèche-Fontaine, the first attempt at solitary life with two other monks, but soon they defected and you searched for a second hermitage.

Behold your new companions: Landuin, two men named Stephen, and Hugh; these four were clerics, and with them were Andrew and Guérin, the first lay brothers. Their faces are still now in your heart, your brothers so beloved. And all seven were united as the flames of the archangels before the Almighty. You asked Hugh, the holy Bishop of Grenoble, for a place to live, hidden in God. Hugh of Grenoble was a friend of your heart. He helped you immediately without reservation; he had a dream about seven stars that guided him into the desert of Chartreuse to glorify God.

On June 1084, nearing the feast of Saint John the Baptist, you arrived at the place foreseen in the dream, to begin a great adventure still unknown. Behold your monastery, lost in the mountains, the first years, the ascetic struggle, the peace of the Spirit. Such fire in your souls, such love in your hearts! You, Bruno, already possessed pure praise and cries of amazement: ‘O Bonitas! O Bonitas!’ (O the Goodness! O the Goodness!).

Six years of toils, six years of joy; God, God, God always, only God, together with your brothers! Then, unexpectedly, the trial . . . In the first months of 1090 a courier of the Pope arrived with this message: Urban II, a former student of yours, calls you to his service at his side. The sun sets, it is night. Leaving everything, abandoning all, again, undoubtedly forever, your solitude in God, that blessed solitude, your companions of life, your friends. But in your heart, the ‘yes’, which is your love for God and for the Church. But the tempest overwhelms your brothers, the bewilderment takes them, and they disperse. To be without you, the master, the star of the journey: How could they? This way is so difficult. Everything collapses. Everything! Your heart is on the cross. It is the hour of your passion. Has the beautiful adventure reached its end? ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass me by! Yet, not my will, but Yours be done’. The sky opens, a new day is born. Your brothers again gather in the desert guided by Landuin. Your soul is suffering less, Bruno, at the hour of departure.

Behold Rome, the holy city, the heart of Christianity! But Rome is threatened. Shortly after your arrival, the Emperor Enrico IV and his protected, the antipope Clement III, launched their troops towards it. Urban II and his court fled to the south, near the land of the Norman allies. And still another trial: the Holy Father offers you the archbishopric of Reggio Calabria. What were you to do, Bruno? This is such a difficult time for the Church, as a brilliant future opens up for you – a counsellor for the Pope, a trustworthy man, admired by all. But in your soul still resounds the call, continuous, powerful, captivating, even stronger in the splendour of this court: Only God! Only God! To be His, completely His, only His, together with other brothers! Only God! Your heart, a cry of love for Him! Father, will You forget Your son? It is You Who has sown the cry in him . . . Bruno, the Lord responds, Urban II blesses your vocation: yes, you may resume your solitary life. ‘O Bonitas! O Bonitas! My life and my all, my beloved forever’. (Autumn of 1090).

Your heart would like to return to Chartreuse, to find your brothers. But the Pope asks you to stay in these lands and you accept his words as those of Christ. But where to dwell? A friend of the Holy Father, and soon to be your friend, Count Ruggero, offers you a vast desert territory. Behold your hermitage, Santa Maria della Torre, in the woods of the Serre, and the arrival of new companions, and later others, and yet more, up to thirty-three new sons. Nearby the hermitage stands the monastery of Saint Stephen where the lay brothers lead more a life in community; Landuin guides them, your faithful friend.

Eleven more years, eleven years of hard work and asceticism, eleven years of light and joy in praise, here, in this rich land of monks and hermits, whose history is blessed with their presence. And so, that your joy may be complete, Bruno, one day found the happiness of a visit: Landuin, who brings with him the love of your first sons, and their fidelity. ‘O Bonitas! O Bonitas’! -- so as to accept this friend of yours in this land that fills your heart, with an embrace and a gaze.

The autumn of life nears the end and your eyes rise towards eternity. Two years have passed since Urban II left this world; a year later, on his return journey, Landuin dies professing the faith in the prisons of the antipope; three months before that, in June, Ruggero died. Bruno, heaven calls you. Now . . .

The breath becomes briefer, perspiration bathes you, with your last brothers, you proclaim your faith, a hymn to the Trinity. The instant is near, time opens. Bruno, look at this grand light, so immense: ‘My Lord and my God’.

‘It is Me My friend, come! Enter into My Heart. Come! Come’.

‘O Bonitas! O Bonitas’!

Bruno, stay with us!

‘I will remain in your hearts’.

Everything stood still. Silence freezes us in its density. Fire has consumed the last twigs, the flame has vanished. Bruno . . . your face is so beautiful, illuminated by peace; and your eyes, open towards heaven, are overflowing with an infinite tenderness. A hand closes them in the ultimate sleep. Your life is hidden in Him, for all eternity. Fullness of joy! Ocean of love!

But your light still shines in our hearts and in your two letters, for your friend Raoul and your brothers of Chartreuse, who will bear witness forever to your mystery. You are so present in them, your profound humanity, finesse, your sweetness and goodness, your harmony throughout, your wisdom, all tenderness and humility, spiritual joy, simplicity -- Bruno, all-burning with your love of God, and the God-Love in you.

Yes, you are alive forever. And, like a planted seed, from you will rise a tree where different birds will make their nests. Are you not seeing it in the Eyes of God?

A life-flame of prayer still consumes itself roundabout you, Bruno; it burns in this place from where now you fly towards heaven, so as to make descend from there a great light of melody and love. Together with the first, behold all your sons and daughters, throughout the centuries, until this day and even further, all of us who, invisibly are around you on this 6 October, in this instant of your great birth, Bruno . . .

Vultus Christi

Saint Bruno

By

Father Mark

on October 6, 2010 10:03 AM |

If you can't see the picture, click on the links above.

Saint Bruno at the Cinema

Saint Bruno has been very much in the news over the past few years. And where? In the literary and film worlds! A film on the Carthusian life, shaped by Saint Bruno ten centuries ago, drew crowds of movie-goers. The film, produced by German cinematographer, Philip Groening, is a three-hour documentary with no spoken words. Appropriately enough, the film is called Die Grosse Stille, The Great Silence. The only sound in the film is that of daily life in the Charterhouse and of the Latin Gregorian Chant of the monks. The astonishing success of the film says, I think, more about the world's thirst for silence and people's readiness to accept a radical witness to the primacy of God, than it does about life in the Charterhouse.

Saint Bruno at the Bookstore

At about the same time, a book on Carthusian life appeared in the secular press. Written by Nancy Klein Maguire, a woman married to a former Carthusian, the book is called An Infinity of Little Hours: Five Young Men and Their Trial of Faith in the Western World's Most Austere Monastic Order. The book has become hugely popular. Again, this suggests that at very deep level, and not always consciously, people thirst for what is not of this world. "Not as the world gives do I give to you" (Jn 14:27).

Stat Crux Dum Volvitur Orbis

The Order founded by Saint Bruno has never been reformed because it was never deformed. Carthusian liturgy, observances, and customs remain unchanged. The motto of the Order is, Stat crux dum volvitur orbis, "The Cross stands still while the world spins." Precisely because the world is weary of change, it is attracted by what is changeless, timeless, and radically faithful to tradition.

Hidden in the Heart of the Church

The Carthusian vocation is extremely rare. Countless men and women have tried life in a Charterhouse and found themselves, after a few months or, even after several years, like Jonah cast from the belly of the whale, once again on the shore of the world. And yet, from one generation to the next, the Order remains: a living organism, hidden in the heart of the Church, pulsating with the eternal rhythm of a deathless love.

Solitudes

Today's feast of Saint Bruno obliges us to look more closely at the place of solitude in our own lives. There are different kinds of solitude. There is the elected aloneness of the consecrated solitary: a person's free and conscious choice to live his life alone with God and for God alone. Sometimes this is lived within the canonical framework of an established Order such as the Carthusians. At other times it is lived outside that framework in obedience to an approved personal rule. Of those who aspire to this choice, a great number fall short of fulfilling it.

The Wounded Heart

The solitary life demands a maturity that comes only from suffering. Sometimes suffering causes one to shut down and close in upon oneself. In such a case, solitude is a particularly dangerous form of self-indulgence. Paradoxically, when suffering breaks one's heart and opens it to God, it is the best preparation for the solitary life. One who goes into solitude without having had his heart broken, or wounded, or pierced through, cannot remain there, because the transformation of solitude into communion with God passes necessarily, and always, through a heart that has been opened by suffering, through a heart that remains open because it is wounded by love. Perhaps this is why true solitaries find themselves drawn to the mystery of the Heart of Jesus wounded by our sins. The Heart of Christ, once opened by the soldier's lance, remains eternally open.

Our Lady of Solitude

There is the solitude of the widow. After years of a shared life, this solitude can be a terrible thing. It can also become a tremendous grace. The heart wounded by the loss of a beloved spouse can become a heart wounded by desire for communion with God and open to the sorrows of others. In the solitude of the widow the Virgin Mary holds a special place. Spanish-speaking Catholics have the devotion to Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, Our Lady of Solitude. The widow who acknowledges Mary and welcomes Mary into her aloneness, especially through the prayer of the Rosary, discovers in her company a hidden spring of ceaseless prayer, a source of courage and of hope.

Other Solitudes

There is also the solitude of the person who never quite fits in anywhere. There is the solitude of one repeatedly disappointed in love. There is the solitude of the child who, having suffered rejection or ridicule, knows a terrible loneliness at school and in the midst of his peers. There is the solitude of the person who never feels at home with her co-workers. There is the solitude of the person who, because he or she is afflicted and blessed with too great a sensitivity, cannot live in community without risking serious emotional damage. There is the solitude of one whose physical infirmities oblige him to live outside the arena of normal daily life. There is also solitude within marriages. There is solitude in friendships. There is solitude in community life. There is solitude in the marketplace and in the midst of a whirlwind of social activities.

The Aloneness That Poisons

All of these forms of aloneness, especially when they are suffered passively, can cause one to become bitter and cynical. They can lead to a permanent state of anger, manifesting itself in aggressiveness or in depression. They can lead to self-destructive addictions and destructive behaviour.

Solitude Sanctified

When does a solitude marked by absence become a solitude filled with presence? When, instead of suffering it passively, one accepts it consciously and generously and, after having said "Yes" to it, offers it to God as a chalice ready to be filled. Every emptiness, every loneliness, every void has a certain "Eucharistic potential." There is no void, no emptiness, no absence that God cannot fill with His presence.

Thou Searchest Out My Path

Psalm 138 is the perfect prayer for one experiencing the pain of aloneness. "O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me! Thou knowest when I sit down and when I rise up; thou discernest my thoughts from afar. Thou searchest out my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways" (Ps 138:1-3). God does not spurn the prayer of one who, with a broken heart, asks Him to reveal Himself as the One who is more present to us than we are to ourselves. It is immensely consoling to know that in the light of the Face of Christ one has nothing to hide.

Marian Solitude

It is not by chance that Saint Bruno's Carthusians and the other Orders of the Church most marked by solitude are the very ones marked by a strong and tender devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In a sense, Mary holds the key to every solitude inhabited by God. Mary holds the key to every solitude of adoration. A solitude consecrated to Mary becomes an experience not of absence, but of presence; not of emptiness, but of fullness; not of isolation, but of communion.

Our Lord has entrusted to His Mother the transformation of every loneliness into communion. "When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing near, he said to His mother, 'Woman, behold your son!' Then He said to the disciple, 'Behold, your mother!' And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home" (Jn 19:26-27). Mary will not come into your solitude uninvited, but if you ask her, especially by praying her Rosary, she will be there, filling it with life, sweetness, and hope.

Vespers -- Evening Prayer

Vespers (Evening Prayer)

Introduction

O God, come to my aid.

O Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen. Alleluia.

Hymn

To thee our inmost heart doth cry,

Our voice resounds in melody,

For thee chaste love with longing yearns,

Our humbled soul doth worship thee.

And when dense blackness falls to close

The day in thickest folds of night,

Let not our faith such darkness know,

But by that faith let dark be light.

Allow thou not our souls to rest;

Our sins in rest, we pray thee, bind:

Let pure, refreshing faith be strong

To cool all dreams that heat the mind.

Stripped clean from senses’ danger, let

Our inmost heart dream deep of thee;

Let not our envious foe disturb

Our rest with guile and treachery.

Psalm 125 (126) Gladness and hope in the Lord

Those who sow in tears will rejoice at the harvest.

When the Lord gave Zion back her captives, we became like dreamers.

Our mouths were filled with gladness and our voices cried in exultation.

Among the Gentiles they were saying,

“By his deeds the Lord has shown himself great.”

The Lord’s deeds showed forth his greatness,

and filled us with rejoicing.

Give us back our captives, O Lord,

as you renew the dry streams in the desolate South.

Those who sow in tears will rejoice at the harvest.

They wept as they went, went with seed for the sowing;

but with joy they will come, come bearing the sheaves.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

Those who sow in tears will rejoice at the harvest.

Psalm 126 (127) Without the Lord, we labour in vain

The Lord will build a house for us; he will keep his city safe.

If the Lord does not build the house,

its builders labour in vain.

If the Lord does not watch over a city,

its workmen guard it in vain.

It is vain for you to rise before the dawn

and go late to your rest,

eating the bread of toil –

to those he loves, the Lord gives sleep.

The Lord bestows sons as an heirloom,

the fruit of the womb as a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior –

so are the sons of one’s youth.

Happy the man who fills his quiver thus:

when he disputes with his enemies at the gate,

he will not be the loser.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

The Lord will build a house for us; he will keep his city safe.

Canticle	(Colossians 1)

Christ, firstborn of all creatures and firstborn from the dead

He is the first-born of all creation, he is pre-eminent above all.

Let us give thanks to God the Father,

who has made us worthy to share in the light that is the saints’ inheritance.

He has rescued us from the power of the shadows

and brought us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,

in whom we have redemption

and the forgiveness of sins.

He is the image of the invisible God,

the first-born of all creation,

for in him all things were created,

in heaven and on earth,

visible and invisible,

thrones and dominations,

principalities and powers.

All things were created through him and for him:

he is before all things,

and in him all things hold together.

And he is the head of the body, the Church.

He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead,

and so he is pre-eminent above all.

For it was the Father’s will that the fullness of God should dwell in him,

and that through him all things should be reconciled to himself.

Through the blood of the Cross he brought peace to all things,

both on Earth and in the heavens.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

He is the first-born of all creation, he is pre-eminent above all.

Short reading	Ephesians 3:20-21 ©

Glory be to him whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine; glory be to him from generation to generation in the Church and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen.

Short Responsory

Redeem me, Lord, and have mercy on me.

– Redeem me, Lord, and have mercy on me.

Do not cast me away with sinners.

– Redeem me, Lord, and have mercy on me.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

– Redeem me, Lord, and have mercy on me.

Canticle	Magnificat

My soul rejoices in the Lord

The mighty one has done great things for me. Holy is his name.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God, my salvation.

For he has shown me such favour –

me, his lowly handmaiden.

Now all generations will call me blessed,

because the mighty one has done great things for me.

His name is holy,

his mercy lasts for generation after generation

for those who revere him.

He has put forth his strength:

he has scattered the proud and conceited,

torn princes from their thrones;

but lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things;

the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel,

he has remembered his mercy as he promised to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

The mighty one has done great things for me. Holy is his name.

Prayers and Intercessions

God sent his Son as an example for our lives and as our Saviour. Humbly we pray to him:

– Lord, may your people sing your praises.

We give you thanks because you have chosen us to be the first-fruits of your salvation;

you have called us to be a new people to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

– Lord, may your people sing your praises.

May all who profess your holy name be at one in the truth of your teaching,

and on fire with the flame of your love.

– Lord, may your people sing your praises.

You are the creator of all things; your Son chose to work with his hands, among men and with men.

Remember the workers who earn their bread by the sweat of their brow.

– Lord, may your people sing your praises.

Remember also those who devote themselves to the service of their brethren:

may neither failure nor the failings of others distract them from their chosen task.

– Lord, may your people sing your praises.

Grant your mercy to our deceased brethren:

do not hand them over to the power of the devil.

– Lord, may your people sing your praises.

Our Father, who art in Heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come,

thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

In your kindness, Lord, let the cries of your Church come to your ears.

May your people receive pardon for their sins.

Fill them with devotion to you, and by your protection keep them safe.

[We make our prayer] through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God for ever and ever.

Amen.

May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.

AMEN

Homily of the Day

Willingness to Change Is a Sign of Greatness!

October 6th, 2010 by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.

Gal 2:1-2, 7-14 / Lk 11:1-4

St Peter is one of the most fascinating figures in the New Testament. He generally seems bigger than life, walking on water, slicing off the high priest servant’s ear, boldly proclaiming that he’d never deny Jesus. And, of course, his mistakes were usually bigger than life too.

Today’s epistle finds him wavering back and forth, trying to keep the peace between the Jewish Christians and the Gentile converts. At issue was the matter of forcing Gentiles to observe all the Jewish dietary laws. Initially, Peter’s generous spirit told him that was foolish, and he, a Jew, ate regularly with the Gentiles. But then he got cold feet and, to buy peace, distanced himself from the Gentiles.

At that point, St Paul intervened, telling Peter plainly that he was wrong and that Jesus would have been astonished at his conduct, which made no sense in terms of the larger gospel values that Jesus had taught. Peter knew the truth when he heard it, and though it was embarrassing, he reversed himself and followed Paul’s advice.

It’s interesting to speculate what percentage of us would have the same willingness and ability both to listen and to change course in broad daylight with all the world watching. Maybe that’s a habit we could learn to cherish and practice. The people around us might well be astonished, and they’d certainly be grateful.

Regnum Christi

Prayer Has an Important Place in Our Continuing Conversion

INTERNATIONAL | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Wednesday, 27th Week in Ordinary Time

October 6, 2010
Wednesday of the Twenty-Seventh Week of Ordinary Time
Father James Swanson, LC

Luke 11:1-4
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test."

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are the master of the universe, and yet you wish to listen to me and guide me. You know all things past, present and future, and yet you respect my freedom to choose you. Holy Trinity, you are completely happy and fulfilled on your own, and yet you have generously brought us into existence. You are our fulfillment. Thank you for the gift of yourself. I offer the littleness of myself in return, knowing you are pleased with what I have to give.

Petition: Lord, teach me through the “Our Father” to pray more deeply.

1. Traditional Prayers Teach Us the Correct Attitudes to Have towards God. What better prayer could we devise than a prayer using the very words Jesus taught us here? Yet the “Our Father” is a traditional prayer, a prayer with set words, prone to be recited merely by rote. But in fact, traditional prayers are an invitation to meditate, set up in a way that appeals to beginners. In the “Our Father”, as in all traditional prayers, we repeat phrases that express the essence of a correct relationship with God. Whether we already hold these attitudes in our heart or not, the beauty of traditional prayers is not what we say, but how we say it. If we pray these words, trying to make them our own, conforming our heart with the attitudes they express, then little by little we will form a Christian heart, a heart that loves the way it should.

2. Traditional Prayers Can Change My Heart and Draw It to God. When I first turned to the Lord, I had a lot to work on. Most people do. I didn’t love the way I should have. I was flawed in many other ways. One of the things that helped me was the “Our Father” as well as other traditional prayers. When we first come to the Lord, we don’t know how Christians should think, what attitudes a Christian should hold. When we pray the “Our Father” from the heart, it helps our heart to change, to become more Christ-like. It takes only a moment to pray an “Our Father”, but from time to time, we should meditate on the words. Say each phrase and repeat it, not moving on to the next phrase until we feel that we have really gotten to the bottom of what it is saying.

3. Traditional Prayers Fight Off the Attitudes of the World. Our conversion to Christ is a change of attitudes from those of the world to those of a Christian. Every day, the world proposes its attitudes as something good that should be lived. But often what the world proposes as good is actually harmful to us. How do we resist? By constantly repeating to myself and meditating on Christian attitudes. This is what can happen in using traditional prayers. It is a way of helping our heart understand and embrace the Christianity we profess. The Christian who disdains traditional prayers is rejecting a powerful tool of conversion.

Conversation with Christ: Dear Jesus, too often I rattle off my prayers without thinking about the attitudes they contain. I want to get the full benefit of all the prayers I say every day. I want to pray these prayers more often, especially the “Our Father,” since it is the prayer that you, yourself, taught me.

Resolution: Today I will pray my traditional prayers with special attention and with the conviction that they will instruct me and change me in a way that leads me closer to God.

One Bread, One Body

<< Wednesday, October 6, 2010 >>

St. Bruno
Bl. Marie Rose Durocher
Saint of the Day

Galatians 2:1-2, 7-14
View Readings

Psalm 117:1-2

Luke 11:1-4

WEAK PRAYER

"Lord, teach us to pray." —Luke 11:1

One of the most important things that Jesus wants to teach us is that we are often weak in prayer. "The Spirit too helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in speech" (Rm 8:26). We must know our weaknesses in prayer: when we're only giving God lip-service (Mt 15:8), when our hearts are far from the Lord.

When we recognize our weakness, we can get help by repenting of our sins, turning to the Spirit, and asking others to intercede for us. The Lord does not expect us to be self-sufficient in prayer. He accepts us in our weakness, but we don't accept ourselves. We should be honest with God and admit we're not praying as we ought. We should humbly ask others to intercede for us because we aren't praying for ourselves rightly (Jas 4:3). Sometimes we should stop praying, leave our gift at the altar, and be reconciled (Mt 5:24).

Honesty is the best policy in prayer. When we admit we need help, that's when we get help. When we admit our weakness, prayer-power reaches perfection (2 Cor 12:9).

Prayer: "Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice!" (Ps 130:1)

Promise: "Give us each day our daily bread." —Lk 11:3

Praise: St. Bruno devoted his life to deep prayer and solitude in order to be one with God.

Compline -- NIght Prayer

Compline (Night Prayer)

Introduction

O God, come to my aid.

O Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen. Alleluia.

This is an excellent moment for an examination of conscience. In a communal celebration of Compline, one of the penitential acts given in the Missal may be recited.

Hymn

Now that the daylight dies away,

By all thy grace and love,

Thee, Maker of the world, we pray

To watch our bed above.

Let dreams depart and phantoms fly,

The offspring of the night,

Keep us, like shrines, beneath thine eye,

Pure in our foe’s despite.

This grace on thy redeemed confer,

Father, co-equal Son,

And Holy Ghost, the Comforter,

Eternal Three in One.

Psalm 30 (31) Trustful prayer in time of adversity

O God, protect me; be my refuge.

In you, Lord, I put my trust: may I never be put to shame.

In your justice, set me free,

Turn your ear to me,

make haste to rescue me.

Be my rampart, my fortification;

keep me safe.

For you are my strength and my refuge:

you will lead me out to the pastures,

for your own name’s sake.

You will lead me out of the trap that they laid for me –

for you are my strength.

Into your hands I commend my spirit:

you have redeemed me, Lord God of truth.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

O God, protect me; be my refuge.

Psalm 129 (130) Out of the depths

Out of the depths I have cried to you, Lord.

Out of the depths I have cried to you, Lord:

Lord, hear my voice.

Let your ears listen out

for the voice of my pleading.

If you took notice of our transgressions, Lord –

Lord, who would be left?

But with you is forgiveness,

and for this we revere you.

I rely on you, Lord,

my spirit relies on your promise;

my soul hopes in the Lord,

more than the watchman for daybreak.

More than the watchman for daybreak,

let Israel hope in the Lord:

for with the Lord there is kindness

and abundant redemption.

He himself will redeem Israel

from all its transgressions.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

Out of the depths I have cried to you, Lord.

Reading	Ephesians 4:26-27 ©

Even if you are angry, you must not sin: never let the sun set on your anger, or else you will give the devil a foothold.

Short Responsory

Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

You have redeemed us, Lord, God of faithfulness.

– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

Canticle	Nunc Dimittis

Keep us safe, Lord, while we are awake, and guard us as we sleep, so that we can keep watch with Christ and rest in peace.

Now, Master, you let your servant go in peace.

You have fulfilled your promise.

My own eyes have seen your salvation,

which you have prepared in the sight of all peoples.

A light to bring the Gentiles from darkness;

the glory of your people Israel.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

Keep us safe, Lord, while we are awake, and guard us as we sleep, so that we can keep watch with Christ and rest in peace.

Let us pray.

Lord Jesus Christ, you lay a gentle yoke upon those who follow you. Meek and humble, you give them a light burden to carry. Receive the work and the prayers we have offered to you today; and give us rest, to make us more eager to serve you, who live and reign for ever and ever, Amen.

May the almighty Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end.

AMEN

	Salve Regina

Hail to you, O Queen, mother of loving kindness,

our life, our happiness, our hope.

Hear us cry out to you,

children of Eve in our exile.

Hear as we sigh, with groaning and weeping

in this life, this valley of tears.

Come then, our Advocate, turn towards us

the gaze of your kind and loving eyes.

And show us Jesus, the blessed fruit of your womb,

when at last our exile here is ended.

O gentle, O loving, O sweet virgin Mary.

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae;

vita, dulcedo et spes nostra, salve.

Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Hevae.

Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes

in hac lacrimarum valle.

Eia ergo, advocata nostra,

illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte.

Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,

nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.

O clemens, o pia, o dulcis Virgo Maria.

Daily Readings for: October 06, 2010(Readings on USCCB website)

RECIPES

ACTIVITIES

Optional Memorial of St. Bruno, priest; Bl. Marie Rose Durocher, virgin Old Calendar: St. Bruno, confessor

Morning Prayer (Lauds)

AMEN

Meditation: Galatians 2:1-2,7-14

06 October 2010

Se il seme muore, produce molto frutto

Saint Bruno

Vespers (Evening Prayer)

AMEN

Homily of the Day

Willingness to Change Is a Sign of Greatness!

One Bread, One Body

WEAK PRAYER

Compline (Night Prayer)

AMEN

Daily Readings for: October 06, 2010
(Readings on USCCB website)