The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

Information: St. Ita

Feast Day:	January 15
Born:	475, County of Waterford, Ireland
Died:	15 January 570
Patron of:	Diocese of Limerick, Ireland

Interactive Saints for Kids

St. Paul the Hermit

Feast Day: January 15
Born:229 :: Died:342

Paul was born at Lower Thebes, in Egypt. He belonged to an upperclass, Christian family, was well educated and was fluent in Greek and Egyptian.

Paul's parents showed him by their own lives how to love God and worship him with one's whole heart. Paul was very sad as both his parents died when he was just fifteen years old.

A few years later, in 250, Emperor Decius started a cruel persecution of the Church. Paul hid in his friend's house, but he still was not safe. His brother-in-law was after his money and property and could easily betray him.

So Paul ran away to the desert. He found a cave near a palm tree and a spring of fresh water. There he settled. He sewed palm branches together for clothes, and he lived on fruit and water.

Paul had only planned to stay there while the persecution lasted. But by the time it was over, he had fallen in love with the life of prayer. He felt so close to God. How could he give that up?

He decided to stay in the desert and never return to his wealthy city life. Instead, he would spend his life praying daily for the needs of all people and performing penance for sin.

There was another holy hermit at the same time named Anthony. Anthony thought he was the only hermit but God showed Paul to him in a dream and told Anthony to go visit him.

Paul was so happy to see Anthony because he knew he was going to die in a few days. Anthony was sad because he did not want to lose his new friend so soon. But, as Paul had expected, he died on January 15, 342.

Anthony buried him in a cloak that had belonged to St. Athanasius. Then Anthony took home and treasured the garment of palm leaves that Paul had been wearing. He never forgot his wonderful friend. Paul's biography was written by Saint Jerome.

Catholic

Almanac:

Tuesday, January 15
Liturgical Color: Green
Today the Church remembers St. Arnold Janssen. In 1875, he founded the Society of the Divine Word, a group of missionary priests. Today the Society has over 6000 members with missions in more than 65 countries.

Mark
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Mark 1
21.	And they entered into Capharnaum, and forthwith upon the sabbath days going into the synagogue, he taught them.	Et ingrediuntur Capharnaum : et statim sabbatis ingressus in synagogam, docebat eos.	και εισπορευονται εις καπερναουμ και ευθεως τοις σαββασιν εισελθων εις την συναγωγην εδιδασκεν
22.	And they were astonished at his doctrine. For he was teaching them as one having power, and not as the scribes.	Et stupebant super doctrina ejus : erat enim docens eos quasi potestatem habens, et non sicut scribæ.	και εξεπλησσοντο επι τη διδαχη αυτου ην γαρ διδασκων αυτους ως εξουσιαν εχων και ουχ ως οι γραμματεις
23.	And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,	Et erat in synagoga eorum homo in spiritu immundo : et exclamavit,	και ην εν τη συναγωγη αυτων ανθρωπος εν πνευματι ακαθαρτω και ανεκραξεν
24.	Saying: What have we to do with thee, Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know who thou art, the Holy One of God.	dicens : Quid nobis et tibi, Jesu Nazarene ? venisti perdere nos ? scio qui sis, Sanctus Dei.	λεγων εα τι ημιν και σοι ιησου ναζαρηνε ηλθες απολεσαι ημας οιδα σε τις ει ο αγιος του θεου
25.	And Jesus threatened him, saying: Speak no more, and go out of the man.	Et comminatus est ei Jesus, dicens : Obmutesce, et exi de homine.	και επετιμησεν αυτω ο ιησους λεγων φιμωθητι και εξελθε εξ αυτου
26.	And the unclean spirit tearing him, and crying out with a loud voice, went out of him.	Et discerpens eum spiritus immundus, et exclamans voce magna, exiit ab eo.	και σπαραξαν αυτον το πνευμα το ακαθαρτον και κραξαν φωνη μεγαλη εξηλθεν εξ αυτου
27.	And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying: What thing is this? what is this new doctrine? for with power he commandeth even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.	Et mirati sunt omnes, ita ut conquirerent inter se dicentes : Quidnam est hoc ? quænam doctrina hæc nova ? quia in potestate etiam spiritibus immundis imperat, et obediunt ei.	και εθαμβηθησαν παντες ωστε συζητειν προς εαυτους λεγοντας τι εστιν τουτο τις η διδαχη η καινη αυτη οτι κατ εξουσιαν και τοις πνευμασιν τοις ακαθαρτοις επιτασσει και υπακουουσιν αυτω
28.	And the fame of him was spread forthwith into all the country of Galilee.	Et processit rumor ejus statim in omnem regionem Galilææ.	εξηλθεν δε η ακοη αυτου ευθυς εις ολην την περιχωρον της γαλιλαιας

21. And they went into Capernaum; and straight-way on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.
22. And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the Scribes.

PSEUDO-JEROME; Mark, arranging the sayings of the Gospel as they were in his own mind, not in themselves, quits the order of the history, and follows the order of the mysteries. Wherefore he relates the first miracle on the sabbath day, saying, And they go in to Capernaum.

THEOPHYL. Quitting Nazareth. Now on the sabbath day, when the Scribes were gathered together, be entered into a synagogue, and taught. Wherefore there follows, And straightway on the sabbath day, having entered into the synagogue, he taught them. For this end the Law commanded them to give themselves up to rest on the sabbath day, that they might meet together to attend to sacred reading.

Again, Christ taught them by rebuke, not by flattery as did the Pharisees; wherefore it says, And they were astonished at his doctrine; for he taught them as one having power, and not as the Scribes. He taught them also in power, transforming men to good, and he threatened punishment to those who did not believe on Him.

BEDE; The Scribes themselves taught the people what was written in Moses and the Prophets: but Jesus as the God and Lord of Moses himself, by the freedom of His own will, either added those things which appeared wanting in the Law, or altered things as He preached to the people; as we read in Matthew, It was said to them of old time, but I say to you.

23. And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,
24. Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.
25. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold your peace, and come out of him.
26. And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.
27. And they were all amazed, inasmuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commands he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.
28. And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.

BEDE; Since by the envy of the devil death first entered into the world, it was right that the medicine of healing should first work against the author of death; and therefore it is said, And there was in their synagogue a man, &c.

PSEUD-CHRYS. The word Spirit is applied to an Angel, the air, the soul, and even the Holy Ghost. Lest therefore by the sameness of the name we should fall into error, he adds, unclean. And he is called unclean on account of his impiousness and far removal from God, and because he employs himself in all unclean and wicked works.

AUG. Moreover, how great is the power which the lowliness of God, appearing in the form of a servant, has over the pride of devils, the devils themselves know so well, that they express it to the same Lord clothed in the weakness of flesh. For there follows, And he cried out, saying, What have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth, &c. For it is evident in these words that there was in them knowledge, but there was not charity; and the reason was, that they fear their punishment from Him, and loved not the righteousness in Him.

BEDE; For the devils, seeing the Lord on the earth, thought that they were immediately to be judged.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Or else the devil so speaks, as if he said, 'by taking away uncleanness, and giving to the souls of men divine knowledge, You allow us no place in men.'

THEOPHYL; For to come out of man the devil considers as his own perdition; for devils are ruthless, thinking that they suffer some evil, so long as they are not troubling men. There follows, I know that you are the Holy One of God.

PSEUD-CHRYS. As if he said, Methinks that You are come; for he had not a firm and certain knowledge of the coming of God. But he calls Him holy not as one of many, for every prophet was also holy, but he proclaims that He was the One holy; by time article in Greek he shows Him to be the One, but by his fear he shows Him to he Lord of all.

AUG. For He was known to them in that degree in which He wished to be known; and He wished as much as was fitting. He was not known to them as to the Holy Angels, who enjoy Him by partaking of His eternity according as He is the Word of God; but as he was to be made known in terror, to those beings from whose tyrannical power He was about to free the predestinate. He was known therefore to the devils, not in that He is eternal Life, but by some temporal effects of His Power, which might be more clear to the angelic senses of even bad spirits than to the weakness of men.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Further, the Truth did not wish to have the witness of unclean spirits; wherefore there follows, And Jesus threatened him, saying, &c. Whence a healthful precept is given to us; let us not believe devils, however they may proclaim the truth. It goes on, And the unclean spirit tearing him, &c. For, because the man spoke as one in his senses and uttered his words with discretion, lest it should be thought that he put together his words not from the devil but out of his own heart, He permitted the man to be torn by the devil, that He might show that it was the devil who spoke.

THEOPHYL. That they might know, when they saw it, from how great an evil the man was freed, and on account of the miracle might believe.

BEDE; But it may appear to be a discrepancy, that he should have gone out of him, tearing him, or, as some copies have it, vexing him, when, according to Luke, he did not hurt him. But Luke himself says, When he had cast him in to the midst, he came out from him, without hurting him. Wherefore it is inferred that Mark meant by vexing or tearing him, what Luke expresses, in the words, When he had cast him into the midst; so that what he goes on to say, And did not hurl him, may be understood to mean, that the tossing of his limbs and vexing, did not weakening him, as devils are wont to come out even with the cutting off and tearing away of limbs.

But seeing the power of the miracle, they wonder at the newness of our Lord's doctrine, and are roused to search into what they had heard by what they had seen. Wherefore there follows, And they all wondered &c. For miracles were done that they might more firmly believe the Gospel of the kingdom of God, which was being preached, since those who were promising heavenly joys to men on earth, were showing forth heavenly things and divine works even on earth. For before (as the Evangelist says) He was teaching them as one who had power, and now, as the crowd witnesses, with power He commands the evil spirits, and they obey Him.

It goes on, And immediately His fame spread abroad, &c.

GLOSS. For those things which men wonder at they soon divulge, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks .

PSEUDO-JEROME; Moreover, Capernaum is mystically interpreted the town of consolation, and the sabbath as rest. The man with an evil spirit is healed by rest and consolation, that the place and time may agree with his healing. This maim with an unclean spirit is the human race, in which uncleanness reigned from Adam to Moses; for they sinned without law, and perished without law. And he, knowing the Holy One of God, is ordered to hold his peace, for they knowing God did not glorify him as God, but rather served the creature than the Creator. The spirit tearing the man came out of him. When salvation is near, temptation is at hand also. Pharaoh, when about to let Israel go, pursues Israel; the devil, when despised, rises up to create scandals.

Catena Aurea Mark 1

Christ the Healer

by Mary Katsilometes

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: January 15, 2013
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Attend to the pleas of your people with heavenly care, O Lord, we pray, that they may see what must be done and gain strength to do what they have seen. 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

PRAYERS

LIBRARY

Bl. Claude La Colombiere: A Priest after Christ's Heart | Rev. Walter Kern

Ordinary Time: January 15th

Tuesday of the First Week of Ordinary Time

Old Calendar: St. Paul, confessor, the first Hermit; St. Maurus, abbot; St. Claude de la Colombiere, religious; Our Lady of Prompt Succor

It was from St. Jerome (+ 420) that the west learned of the life of St. Paul; the book, which he devoted to the life of the first Christian hermit, charmed and instructed generations of the faithful and formed the inspiration of many artists. St. Paul is said to have died in 341, in a hermitage in the region of Thebes in Egypt after having received at the age of 113 a visit from St. Antony.

St. Maurus was one of the first disciples of St. Benedict. In this son of a patrician Roman family, entrusted by his parents to the father of western monasticism, Benedictine tradition celebrates the perfect monk, and the model of childlike obedience. Many monasteries, particularly in France, adopted him as patron. He died about A.D. 580.

The Jesuit Priest St. Claude de la Colombière was the first to believe in the mystical revelations of the Sacred Heart given to St. Margaret Mary in Paray le Monial Convent, France. Thanks to his support, St. Margaret Mary’s superior also believed, and propagation of the devotion to the Sacred heart was started.

In some places today is the feast of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Patroness of the State of Louisiana.

St. Paul, the first hermit
St. Paul is called "the first hermit" in the Missal and Breviary, a rare distinction, for such titles are seldom appended. Our saint was the standard-bearer of those courageous men who for the love of Christ left the world and entered the wilderness to dedicate themselves wholly to contemplation amid all the privations of desert life. The hermits were the great men of prayer in those difficult times when the Church was locked in fierce struggle with heresy after heresy. For centuries the example of their lives served as the school of Christian perfection. Their action set the background for the rise of monasticism and religious orders in the Church.

The Breviary retains an edifying legend concerning today's saint. One day St. Anthony, then ninety, was divinely inspired to visit the hermit Paul. Though they had never met previously, each greeted the other correctly by name. While they were conversing at length on spiritual matters, the raven that had always brought Paul half a loaf of bread, came with a whole loaf. As the raven flew away, Paul said: "See, the Lord, who is truly good and merciful, has sent us food. Every day for sixty years I have received half a loaf, but with your arrival Christ sent His servants a double ration." Giving thanks, they ate by a spring.

After a brief rest, they again gave thanks, as was their custom, and spent the whole night praising God. At daybreak Paul informed Anthony of his approaching death and asked him to fetch the cloak he had received from St. Athanasius, that he might wrap himself in it. Later, as Anthony was returning from his visit, he saw Paul's soul ascending to heaven escorted by choirs of angels and surrounded by prophets and apostles. Further traditional matter may be found in The Life of Paul the Hermit, written by St. Jerome about the year 376.

Patron: Clothing industry; weavers.

Symbols: Dead man whose grave is being dug by a lion; man being brought food by a bird; man clad in rough garments made of leaves or skins; old man, clothed with palm-leaves, and seated under a palm-tree, near which are a river and loaf of bread; with Saint Anthony the Abbot.

Things to Do:

Bake a loaf of bread to celebrate this feast, as it is recounted in the Golden Legend how St. Paul received his daily bread every day from God.
Read St. Jerome's account of the Life of St. Paul.
The Order of St. Paul the Hermit (Paulines) runs the Shrine of Our Lady of Chestochowa in Doylestown, PA. Read more about the order and if in the neighborhood pay a visit (or a virtual visit) to the Shrine.

St. Maurus
In Benedictine history Maurus holds a distinguished place, taught and trained by St. Benedict himself. While still very young, Maurus and another youth, Placid, were brought by their parents to be reared in monastic life by the Patriarch of Monks. An incident reveals Maurus' spirit of childlike obedience. One day Placid was sent to a near-by lake to draw water. Soon he was at the shore, where, boy that he was, he fell victim to his own heedlessness. Eager to fill the vessel quickly, he reached out too far and was dragged in by the rapidly filling jar. He was being borne along by the waves when from his cell St. Benedict realized what had happened. "Hurry, run to the lake! Placid has fallen in!" he called to Maurus. Stopping only for his spiritual father's blessing, Maurus sped to the lake, seized Placid by the hair and brought him ashore.

Imagine his shock and amazement when he realized that he had run some distance on water! His explanation? Such a miracle could not have happened save by virtue of his master's command! St. Gregory relates the incident in his Second Book of Dialogues along with much other interesting detail from the life of St. Benedict. The Martyrology makes this comment on the miracle: How greatly he advanced in faith under his teacher (St. Benedict) is attested by an occurrence unheard of since the days of St. Peter; for, on one occasion he walked upon water as though it were dry land. The tradition that Maurus later became abbot at Glanfeuil in France lacks historical support.

Patron: Against cold; against gout; against hoarseness; charcoal burners; cobblers; cold; coppersmiths; gout; hoarseness; shoemakers.

Symbols: Monk saving Saint Placid from drowning while a cowl floats above him; abbot with crozier; abbot with book and censer; holding the weights and measures of food and drink given him by Saint Benedict.

St. Claude de la Colombière
Missionary and ascetical writer, born of noble parentage at Saint-Symphorien-d'Ozon, between Lyons and Vienne, in 1641; died at Paray-le-Monial, 15 February, 1682. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1659. After fifteen years of religious life he made a vow, as a means of attaining the utmost possible perfection, to observe faithfully the rule and constitutions of his order under penalty of sin. Those who lived with him attested that this vow was kept with great exactitude. In 1674 Father de la Colombière was made superior at the Jesuit house at Paray-le-Monial, where he became the spiritual director of Blessed Margaret Mary and was thereafter a zealous apostle of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In 1676 he was sent to England as preacher to the Duchess of York, afterwards Queen of Great Britain. He lived the life of a religious even in the Court of St. James and was as active a missionary in England as he had been in France. Although encountering many difficulties, he was able to guide Blessed Margaret Mary by letter. His zeal soon weakened his vitality and a throat and lung trouble seemed to threaten his work as a preacher. While awaiting his recall to France he was suddenly arrested and thrown into prison, denounced as a conspirator. Thanks to his title of preacher to the Duchess of York and to the protection of Louis XIV, whose subject he was, he escaped death but was condemned to exile (1679). The last two years of his life were spent at Lyons where he was spiritual director to the young Jesuits, and at Paray-le-Monial, whither he repaired for his health. His principal works, including "Pious Reflections", "Meditations on the Passion", "Retreat and Spiritual Letters", were published under the title, "Oeuvres du R. P. Claude de la Colombière" (Avignon, 1832; Paris, 1864). His relics are preserved in the monastery of the Visitation nuns at Paray-le-Monial. (Catholic Encyclopedia) He was canonized by Pope John Paul II on May 31, 1992.

Patron: Toy makers; turners.

Things to Do:

Visit this website for more information about St. Claude.
Read "Spiritual Direction of Saint Claude De Colombière".

Our Lady of Prompt Succor
Devotion to Our Lady of Prompt Succor dates back to 1802, when the Ursuline Order in New Orleans pleaded for help in sustaining the Order with new sisters from France. Their prayers were answered with papal permission for sisters to be transferred from France to New Orleans. In thanksgiving for this favor, the Ursulines dedicated a statue in their convent chapel to Our Lady of Prompt Succor in 1810.

In 1812, a terrible fire broke out in New Orleans, and the wind was blowing the flames toward the convent. Prayers before the statue of Our Lady were answered with a reversal of the wind direction and the convent was spared.

During the Battle of New Orleans, in 1815, the sisters again invoked the assistance of Our Lady of Prompt Succor. As the sound of guns and cannons thundered around the chapel during Mass, they vowed to have a Mass of Thanksgiving sung every year if the Americans were victorious. At Communion time, a messenger arrived with the news that Gen. Andrew Jackson's overmatched army had successfully driven the British from the city. Once again Our Lady had responded promptly.

In 1928, the Holy See approved the selection of Our Lady of Prompt Succor as the Patroness of the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana. The Mass of Thanksgiving is offered each January 8 at the Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor in New Orleans.

Patron: State of Louisiana; the Archdiocese of New Orleans; City of New Orleans

Things to Do:

Read more about Our Lady of Prompt Succor at Miracle of the Rosary Mission.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Hebrews 2:5-12

1st Week in Ordinary Time

He is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. (Hebrews 2:11)

What’s in your newspaper today? Wars and uprisings? Murders and robberies? Celebrity marriages, divorces, and remarriages? “Bad news” seems to sell so much better than “good news,” doesn’t it? Well, let’s look at some good news instead: Jesus is your brother!

It’s easy to forget that Jesus is completely human and that he shares kinship with us. In fact, he is willing—indeed, happy—to be so closely connected with us. As today’s reading tells us, the One who makes us holy and we ourselves have the same origin (Hebrews 2:11). We are of the same stock. Yes, he is our brother!

Jesus knows our struggles. Not just because he’s God and he knows everything but because he shared our humanity (Hebrews 4:15). He knows firsthand our human limitations. He knows the tiredness and weakness and incessant whispering of the devil that we all face. He knows our grief, our fear, and our reluctance to do what the Father asks sometimes. None of these pulled him down, but he is our brother, full of compassion for us, even when we do fall.

As your brother, Jesus wants to strengthen you. He wants to speak truth to you. He wants to teach and encourage and protect you; to walk right with you through everything you face in life. What’s more, he is not ashamed to be called your brother. Rather, he is proud to have you. He loves you, understands you, and is deeply concerned for you. And more than anything, Jesus wants to pour the love, confidence, joy, and peace that are in his heart into your heart so that you can stand strong in this world, just as he did.

It may be hard to believe such good news, but genuine news has a way of surprising us. Just ask him to teach you. Sit quietly, and let him show you what it means that he is your brother. He may speak to you through Scripture, in a song, in a quiet voice in your heart, or through something a friend said to you yesterday. Write down whatever you sense him saying, and take it with you all day. After all, it’s the best news you could ever hear!

“Jesus, I want to know you as my brother. Open my eyes and my heart so that I can experience that closeness with you today.”

Psalm 8:2, 5-9; Mark 1:21-28

Marriage = One Man and One Woman

Til' Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for January 15, 2013:

The early years of marriage require adjustments and compromises. “My way is the right way” will only lock you into fights. Make sure it’s not always the same spouse yielding to the will of the other.

Vultus Christi

Our Oblates: One Year Later

By

Father Mark

on January 15, 2013 9:33 AM |

One year ago today, on the the feast of Saints Maurus and Placid, I received three men and four women into the year of noviceship that has prepared them to become Oblates of our monastery. I also received two other men and one other woman in February. Investiture in the black Benedictine scapular and the imposition of a new name, placing the novice under the protection of a particular saint, marked the beginning of the noviceship. Following the lesson from Ecclesiasticus 2:1-21, I addressed them in these words, which I am happy to share again with the readers of Vultus Christi, one year later:

Newness of Life

My dear sons and daughters, a novice is one who is embarking on newness of life. My first word to you today, then, is an invitation to throw yourselves into the embrace of the One who says, "Behold, I make all things new" (Ap 21:5), our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the Likeness of the Son

One comes to the monastic life, be it as a monk or as an Oblate living in the world, in order to be refashioned in the likeness of the Beloved Son in whose image we were created. "But we all beholding the glory of the Lord with open face, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor 3:18).

Spiritual Childhood

One comes to the monastic life, be it as a monk or as an Oblate living in the world, to be made new again in the newness of the grace of Baptism; one comes to recover the innocence lost by sin, and to take one's first steps in the path of spiritual childhood, mindful of the word of the Lord: "Amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Mt 18:3).

Leaving Former Things Behind

One comes to the monastic life, be it as a monk or as an Oblate living in the world, desiring to leave behind those former things that made our lives burdensome to ourselves and to others, the things that clouded our spiritual vision, stopped up the ears of our hearts, and so congested our spiritual nostrils that we could barely, if at all, catch a whiff of what Saint Paul calls "the good fragrance of Christ unto God" (1 Cor 2:15).

A New Heart and a New Spirit

One comes to the monastic life, be it as a monk or as an Oblate living in the world, because one has grown weary of what is old, and stale, and lifeless, and because one believes in the promise of Him who says, through the mouth of His prophet, "And I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and will give you a heart of flesh" (Ex 36:26).

The Sweet Yoke of Christ

One comes to the monastic life, be it as a monk or as an Oblate living the world, because one has heard the invitation of the Heart of Jesus, "Come to me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you. Take up my yoke upon you, and learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls. For my yoke is sweet and my burden light" (Mt 11:28-30).

Christ's Oblation to the Father

One comes to the monastic life, be it as a monk or as an Oblate living the world, because Jesus has drawn one's soul into the upward movement of His oblation to the Father. "And I," says Our Lord, "if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself" (Jn 12:32). Magnetized by the Cross and by the altar, one is compelled by the Holy Ghost to enter into the immolation of the Lamb. "Christ our Pasch is sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the feast" (1 Cor 5:6-7) by presenting "our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing unto God, our reasonable service" (Rom 12:1), that is, our mystic liturgy patterned after what God has revealed through His Word, our "adoration in spirit and in truth" (Jn 4:23).

In All of Life

The immolation of the Benedictine monk or Oblate, his participation in the victimhood of the Lamb, begins at the altar and returns to the altar, but it is played out in the most ordinary circumstances of daily life. For a monk, this encompasses his relationship to the Father of the monastery and to his brethren. For an Oblate, it encompasses one's relationship to one's spouse, one's children, one's grandchildren, and one's neighbours. It encompasses one's relationship to the guest who arrives announced or unannounced; one's relationship to the sick, the weak, and those in need of consolation, to little children to the elderly, the lonely and the poor. Finally, it encompasses the context of one's profession, employment, or state of life.

Never Despairing of the Mercy of God

There is nothing that cannot be brought to the altar. There is nothing that cannot be united to Christ's oblation. There are no circumstances in which we, monks and Oblates, are dispensed from owning our weaknesses, being humbled by our frailty, and uniting our wounds to the wounds, the weakness, and the frailty of the immolated Lamb -- and all of this, while never despairing of the mercy of God. This goes to the heart of what it means to be a Benedictine Oblate.

To be sure, one will also want to pray, insofar as possible, some parts of the Divine Office, the Opus Dei in communion with the choral prayer of the monks. One will want to open the ear of one's heart to the Word of God in lectio divina. One will want to adore the Eucharistic Face of Jesus, concealed and revealed in the Sacrament of His Love. One will want to cultivate a knowledge and holy enthusiasm for the Sacred Liturgy of the Church, for her Chant, her rites, her feasts, her fasts, and her seasons. In a word, one will want to submit to gentle yoke of the Rule of Saint Benedict, by receiving its wisdom, and by allowing it to shape the way one journeys through life, seeking God.

A Plan for the Noviceship

With all of this in mind, I am proposing a plan of study, reflection, and prayer in twelve points that will guide you through this year of your noviceship, and prepare you, by God's grace, for your Oblation in a year's time. Each of the twelve points corresponds to a month of your noviceship.

1. Listening With the Ear of the Heart

The first point has to do with learning to listen to the voice of God, to the gentle murmurings of the Holy Ghost, with the ear of your heart. Read and meditate the Prologue of the Holy Rule. In Luke 1:26-38 contemplate the Blessed Virgin Mary, the model of all fruitful listening. So well did Our Lady listen to the Word of God, that she conceived the Word in her virginal womb, and offered Him to the Father, and to us.

2. Obedience

The second point has to do with the practice of obedience, with learning to say "Yes" to God in all the circumstances of life, and with learning to say "No" to those things that pollute our minds, chill our hearts, and turn us aside from the royal way of the Cross, taken by Jesus before us. Read and meditate Philippians 2:5-15 and Chapter 5 of the Holy Rule.

3. Silence

The third point has to do with cultivating in us and around us the spirit of silence. It has to do with fasting from every form of speech that is self-serving, insincere, unkind, untrue, or lacking in mercy. It has to do with knowing how to abide in silence for God's sake, content to listen, to say nothing, to seek Him in faith, to desire Him with an irrepressible hope, and to cleave to Him in love. It has to do with moderation in the use of the tools of social communication, lest one become dependent on sounds and sights that distract us from The One Thing Necessary. For this you will want to meditate on Luke 10:38-42 and Chapter 6 of the Holy Rule.

4. Humility

The fourth point has to do with the practice of humility, with acknowledging and owning one's weaknesses, one's failures, and one's sins. It has to do with a willingness to learn from others who are wiser than ourselves, especially from the teachings of the Church, the writings of the saints, and from the whole monastic tradition. For this you will want to meditate Ecclesiasticus 2, Hebrews 11 and Chapter 7 of the Holy Rule.

5. The Divine Office

The fifth point has to do with the Divine Office and the Sacred Liturgy as a whole. You will apply yourself, before all else, to a sapiential knowledge of the Psalms. You will learn to find in them the very prayer inspired by the Holy Ghost and entrusted to Israel in view of the day when it would become the prayer of Jesus to the Father, the prayer that He bequeathed to His Bride, the Church. You will want meditate Christ in the Psalms by Father Patrick Reardon (Conciliar Press), The Spirit of the Liturgy by Pope Benedict XVI, and Chapters 19 and 20 of the Holy Rule.

6. Discipline and Penitence

The sixth point has to do with understanding the value of discipline and penitence, not as ends in themselves, still less as punitive practices, but as a means of growing in freedom of heart, and as the application of tried and tested spiritual remedies to the sin-sick soul. For this you will want to read the Seven Penitential Psalms (6, 31, 37, 50, 101, 129 and 142) and Chapters 23 through 30 of the Holy Rule.

7. Created Things

The seventh point has to do the practice of a responsible stewardship of material things. It has to so also with reverence for the good things created by God, seeing in all things matter with Eucharistic potential, matter to be lifted up and returned to the Father of lights from all good gifts descend. For this you will want to meditate Chapters 31 through 34 of the Holy Rule.

8. Hospitality

The eighth point has to do with gentleness, compassion and mercy, and with the recognition of the Face of Christ in the sick, in the old, in children, and in guests. It has to do also with the Benedictine tradition of hospitality by which all guests are welcomed as Christ Himself. For this you will want to meditate Chapters 36, 37, and 53 of the Holy Rule.

9. The Communion of the Saints

The ninth point has to do with the friendship of the saints who surround us like "a great cloud of witnesses over our head" (Heb 12:1), and who intercede for us in the glory of heaven. Consider Chapter 14 of the Holy Rule. Acquaint yourselves with the lives of Saint Benedict and Saint Scholastica, Saint Henry the Emperor and Saint Francesca of Rome, Saint Gertrude, Mother Mectilde de Bar, Blessed Columba Marmion, your patron saints as Oblates, and the other saints of our Benedictine family.

10. The Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar

The tenth point has to do with adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, for this is the distinctive charism of the Monastery of Our Lady of the Cenacle. It has to do with the quality and generosity of your response to Our Lord who waits for you in the Sacrament of His Love, who offers you His friendship, and who invites you to make reparation for those who do not believe in Him, do not hope in Him, do not love Him, and for those who have grown cold and indifferent to the mystery of His real presence in the tabernacles of our churches. For this you will want to meditate the teachings of Blessed John Paul II in Ecclesia de Eucharistia and in Mane Nobiscum Domine, the translated texts of Mother Mectilde de Bar, my own conference on Eucharistic Adoration given at Adoratio 2011 in Rome, and Chapter 52 of the Holy Rule.

11. The Instruments of Good Works

The eleventh point will be a summary of all the rest. You will meditate Chapter 4 of the Holy Rule, the Instruments of Good Works, dwelling on the most important one of all: Never to despair of God's Mercy.

12. A Benedictine Ethos in All of Life

The twelfth and last point will be the ethos of Benedictine life that you, as Oblates, will want to bring into every area of your lives. For this you will want to meditate Chapters 72 and 73 of the Holy Rule.

The Bond of the Oblation

I have spoken to you today, my dear sons and daughters, as a father who loves you in Christ and who desires, above all else, that you may, as Saint Benedict says, "run, with expanded hearts in the way of God's commandments, with an unspeakable sweetness of love." The bond that your Oblation will establish between yourselves and us will be, I am certain, a consolation here on earth, and a cause of thanksgiving and praise forever in heaven.

Vultus Christi

Become Like a Consuming Fire

By

Father Mark

on January 15, 2013 9:47 AM |

The First Benedictine Oblates

In the Benedictine tradition, January 15th is the feast of the young disciples of Our Father Saint Benedict, Maur and Placid. Who are Maur and Placid and how do we know them? Saint Gregory the Great introduces them in his Life of Saint Benedict. He explains that after the holy Benedict had established his twelve monasteries at Subiaco, noble Christians came from Rome, presenting their sons to be raised and educated among the monks. These boys, offered by their parents to God, were the first "Oblates." Among them were Maur, an adolescent, the son of Euthicus, and Placid -- practically a toddler -- son of the patrician Tertullus. Maur quickly became Abbot Benedict's helper whereas Saint Gregory specifies that Placid was in "early childhood."

A Little Hand Wrapped in the Corporal

Picture for a moment the rite of their Oblation. It is intimately tied into the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We know exactly what was done from Chapter 59 of the Rule.

If it happens that a nobleman offers his son to God as a monk, and the child is still of tender age, the parents should make out the petition. . . . They should wrap this petition and the boy's hand together with the Mass offering in the altar cloth (the corporal) and offer him in that way" (RB 59:1).

I see Maur, a serious lad, conscious of what is happening when his hand is wrapped together with the offerings of bread and wine in the altar cloth. And I see, little Placid; his father probably had to lift him up in his arms to reach the altar. The poor little fellow must have been in awe of the solemn fuss being made of him.

A Eucharistic Vocation

The vocation of the Benedictine Oblate is essentially Eucharistic. The very word "oblate" is used to refer to the bread and wine placed upon the altar, the oblata, as well as to those who are ritually identified with the offering, the Oblates themselves. The Benedictine Oblate lives from the altar, and returns to the altar. Like the bread and wine destined to become the Body and Blood of Christ, the Oblate is offered at the altar and then given from the altar to live out his mystical identification with Christ, the hostia perpetua, by a life of conversion and obedience.

When Saint Benedict Prayed By Night

Saint Benedict obviously recognized the potential in Placid and Maur. Saint Gregory tells us that he chose the boy Placid to accompany him in a long nocturnal prayer on the mountain. "Accompanied by the little Placid," he says, "Benedict climbed the mountain. Once at the summit, he prayed for a long time." The solitary prayer of Saint Benedict imitates that of Jesus. "Jesus, rising early before dawn, went off to a deserted place where he prayed" (Mk 1:35). It is worth pondering how Placid's experience of seeing Saint Benedict pray by night must have marked him for life. Little boys are sensitive to such things.

Placid Rescued From the Water

The most famous story of Maur and Placid has to do with the little fellow going to fetch water in the lake. He falls into the water. Saint Benedict is made aware of the situation by a kind of charismatic clairvoyance. He sends Brother Maur to rescue the child Placid. Maur, having received his abbot's blessing, runs over the surface of the water, grabs Placid by the hair, pulls him out, and then runs back over the water to dry land, carrying the little one in his arms. Saint Benedict attributes the miracle to Maur's obedience. Maur says it was due to the virtue of Saint Benedict. Then the little Placid pipes up and settles the debate. "When you pulled me out of the water, he says, I saw over my head Father Abbot's hood, and I saw that it was he who pulled me from the water."

They Persevered

What is most significant, I think, in the story of Maur and Placid is that these two lads persevered in seeking God. If Maur and Placid persevered over a lifetime in seeking God, they surely suffered temptation and darkness, never despairing of the mercy of God. Maur and Placid, tested by suffering, became able to help those who are being tested. Perhaps this is why they became patrons of Benedictine novitiates everywhere.

Two Wise Old Nonni

The sign of the mature monk -- the nonnus, to use Saint Benedict's word for a senior in the monastery -- or of the mature nun -- the nonna -- is in their capacity for compassion, in their ability to identify with weakness, to sympathize with suffering, and above all in their refusal to judge.

We know nothing of the old age of Saints Maur and Placid but I see them as two wise old nonni. I see their youthful faces grown wrinkled and their beards white but in their eyes dances the flame of their first love, the interior fire kindled from the altar, set ablaze by the mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist on the day of their Oblation. It is the fire of the Eucharist that, burning in us, will consume all that is harsh, unbending, and ready to judge, leaving only the pure flame of a mercy that gives warmth and light. The Eucharistic vocation of Saints Placid and Maur bears witness to what Abba Joseph said to Abba Lot: "You cannot be a monk unless you become like a consuming fire."

Regnum Christi

The Steep and Thorny Road of Truth

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

Mark 1:21-28

Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers, and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are -- the Holy One of God!” Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!” The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. All were amazed and asked one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I long to put you first in my life. It is easy to get caught up in daily activities. But you are not just another activity: you are my Lord and my God. I do believe in you, but I know that I need to believe in you more strongly. I do love you, but I must still strive to love you more than I love myself and my plans. I wish to offer you the best of myself right now in this time of conversation with you.

Petition: Lord, may I understand that you are the truth. May I love you as Truth-made-incarnate in my heart.

1. Truth and the Good Interwoven: “For he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.” In his encyclical The Splendor of Truth, Pope John Paul II reminded us of the necessary link between freedom, truth and the good. He went so far as to say that a correct understanding of this link is essential for the salvation of the world. Jesus taught with authority because he was both the Truth and the Good. Our freedom consists in recognizing this and living accordingly. Do I sincerely seek the truth in my life? Do I sincerely seek what is truly good, or am I conforming myself in some way to the hedonistic and self-seeking standards of the world?

2. Multiplying Our Good: “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?” When our freedom refuses to recognize that Jesus is the Truth and that our greatest good consists in loving and following him, we feel threatened. We try to hold on to the good we imagine that we have apart from him. He does not want to take away the good we have, but rather he wishes to increase and multiply it. But to do so we must allow lesser goods we now have to die so that greater goods might rise with strength. Unless the seed falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a seed. But if it dies it rises to new life (cf. John 12:24).

3. The Demands of Truth: “All were amazed and asked one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching with authority.’” Today we live in a relativistic world, where truth is whatever we want it to be. “Whatever makes you comfortable” is the motto of the day. We are amazed when Jesus breaks the mold of relativism, revealing the lie hidden within it and proclaims that he is the Truth. When the Gospel makes demands on my life, do I shift into relativism and believe that it makes no difference how or if I respond? If the Gospel makes me comfortable I will obey, but if not…. Truth can be demanding, but what a blessing it is that, in the person of Christ, truth is also love, mercy, goodness and joy. Do I love the truth and strive to live in the light?

Conversation with Christ: Lord, you know how easily I excuse myself from meeting your demands for my life. I do so even while knowing that when I fulfill them I always discover new strength, hidden energy and untapped resources of love within me. Help me to give myself to you in love, to meet your demands, and to experience the power of grace unleashed within me.

Resolution: Today I will offer Christ something that is good but not necessary. By doing this, I will show my love for him and grow in self-detachment, so I can be more open to the good that he wishes to give.

Freedom From Evil Spirits

by Food For Thought on January 15, 2013 ·

It is clear that Jesus has authority over all the evil spirits. Evil spirits make people unhappy and slaves of all the concupiscence of the flesh. This gospel shows the great power of the Lord, God in the simple son of a carpenter who in his lowliness has victory over the pride of devils. The devils submit to Jesus of Nazareth. Capernaum has been known as a town of consolation which coincided with his healing of the man possessed by the evil spirit. Humanity now has a fighting chance to be rescued from our poverty of sin and elevated to the divinity brought about by the resurrection of the new Adam – Christ – who, representing the human race, found a way out of our miserable state. Heaven is now opened for us, freedom from the evil spirits awaits all those who believe Christ as the Holy One of God.

One Bread, One Body

<< Tuesday, January 15, 2013 >>

Hebrews 2:5-12
View Readings

Psalm 8:2, 5-9

Mark 1:21-28

SPOTLIGHT ON THE EUCHARIST

"At present we do not see all things thus subject, but we do see Jesus." —Hebrews 2:8-9

I walked to Mass today amid dark clouds and a blustery wind. Because of the cloud cover, the Church was relatively dark for a noon Mass. As the priest lifted the Holy Eucharist at the moment of consecration, a shaft of bright sunlight shone through the stained glass directly onto the altar, flooding the Eucharist in brilliant light. The beam of light continued during the elevation of the Precious Blood. Following the consecration, the clouds again covered the sky. The sun broke through once more, at the instant the consecrated host and cup were lifted at the doxology to close the Eucharistic prayer. After the priest lowered the host and cup, the clouds covered the sun the rest of the day.

We often "walk in the dark valley" (Ps 23:4). We know "all things" are subject to King Jesus, but often we can't see this (Heb 2:8). Instead, what we see is that at least half of the registered Catholics are so uninspired by His eucharistic presence that they can't manage to spend an hour with Him at Sunday Mass (cf Mt 26:40). If we aren't diligent, we might soon join this "other half."

The Eucharist is a "mystery of light" (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, Pope John Paul II, 6). "We do see Jesus" in the Eucharist (Heb 2:9), yet we must fix our eyes ever more earnestly on Him (Heb 3:1). The more we look at Jesus present in the Eucharist, the more we are able to see His brightness (Jn 8:12). The less attention we pay to Jesus in the Eucharist, the more we focus on the darkness and forget Him (see Jn 3:19-20). Go to Mass frequently, daily if possible. Devote your life to Jesus in the Eucharist.

Prayer: Jesus, Bread of Life (Jn 6:35), fill me with "eucharistic amazement" (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, Pope John Paul II, 6).

Promise: "He gives orders to unclean spirits and they obey!" —Mk 1:27

Praise: Josephine spends one or two hours per week in the quiet of God's presence in eucharistic adoration.

PRAYER FOR THE UNBORN CHILD

Almighty God, our Father, you who have given us life and intended us to have it forever, grant us your blessings.
Enlighten our minds to an awareness and to a renewed conviction that all human life is sacred because it is created
in your image and likeness. Help us to teach by word and the example of our lives that life occupies the first place,
that human life is precious because it is the gift of God whose love is infinite. Give us the strength to defend human life
against every influence or action that threatens or weakens it, as well as the strength to make every life more human
in all its aspects.

Give us the grace...

When the sacredness of life before birth is attacked, to stand up and proclaim that no one ever has the authority
to destroy unborn life.

When a child is described as a burden or is looked upon only as a means to satisfy an emotional need, to stand up
and insist that every child is a unique and unrepeatable gift of God, a gift of God with a right to a loving and united family.

When the institution of marriage is abandoned to human selfishness or reduced to a temporary conditional arrangement
that can easily be terminated, to stand up and affirm the indissolubility of the marriage bond.

When the value of the family is threatened because of social and economic pressure, to stand up and reaffirm that the family is necessary
not only for the private good of every person, but also for the common good of every society, nation and state.

When freedom is used to dominate the weak, to squander natural resources and energy, to deny basic necessities to people,
to stand up and affirm the demands of justice and social love.

Almighty Father, give us courage to proclaim the supreme dignity of all human life and to demand that society itself give its protection.
We ask this in your name, through the redemptive act of your Son and in the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

(From Pope John Paul II's homily of October 7, 1979.)

January 15, 2013

Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Heb 2:5-12

Responsorial Psalm PS 8:2ab and 5, 6-7, 8-9

Gospel Mk 1:21-28

St. Paul the Hermit

Daily Readings for: January 15, 2013
(Readings on USCCB website)

RECIPES

ACTIVITIES

PRAYERS

LIBRARY

Tuesday of the First Week of Ordinary Time

Meditation: Hebrews 2:5-12

Our Oblates: One Year Later

Become Like a Consuming Fire

Freedom From Evil Spirits

One Bread, One Body

SPOTLIGHT ON THE EUCHARIST

PRAYER FOR THE UNBORN CHILD

January 15, 2013

Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Heb 2:5-12

Responsorial Psalm PS 8:2ab and 5, 6-7, 8-9

Gospel Mk 1:21-28

St. Paul the Hermit

Daily Readings for: January 15, 2013(Readings on USCCB website)

RECIPES

ACTIVITIES

PRAYERS

LIBRARY

Tuesday of the First Week of Ordinary Time

Meditation: Hebrews 2:5-12

Our Oblates: One Year Later

Become Like a Consuming Fire

Freedom From Evil Spirits

One Bread, One Body

SPOTLIGHT ON THE EUCHARIST

PRAYER FOR THE UNBORN CHILD

Daily Readings for: January 15, 2013
(Readings on USCCB website)