Posted on 11/19/2013 10:03:05 PM PST by Salvation
Wednesday, November 20
Liturgical Color: Green
Today the Church honors St. Bernward,
bishop. St. Bernward was a great patron
of the arts, commissioning paintings of
religious scenes. He also constructed
new churches and refurbished old
ones. St. Bernward died in 1022.
Daily Readings for:November 20, 2013
(Readings on USCCB website)
Collect: Grant us, we pray, O Lord our God, the constant gladness of being devoted to you, for it is full and lasting happiness to serve with constancy the author of all that is good. 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
o Shorba
ACTIVITIES
o The Home—Training Ground for Life
PRAYERS
o November Devotion: The Holy Souls in Purgatory
o Little Litany of the Holy Souls
o Prayer in Honor of St. Felix of Valois
LIBRARY
o Sudanese Bishops' Appeal for American Help | Sudan Catholic Bishops' Regional Conference
· Ordinary Time: November 20th
· Wednesday of the Thirty-Third Week of Ordinary Time
Old Calendar: St. Felix of Valois, confessor; St. Bernward, bishop (Hist)
According to the 1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Felix of Valois, one of the courageous companions of St. John of Matha in the foundation of the Trinitarian Order for the redemption of captives in the hands of the Moslems. He died in 1212, at the motherhouse of the Order in the diocese of Meaux.
Historically today is also the feast of St. Bernward of Hildesheim, a Benedictine bishop, architect, painter, sculptor, and metalsmith.
St. Felix of Valois
Felix, born in 1127, and John of Matha founded the Order of Trinitarians for liberating captured Christians from Saracen slavery. He belonged to the royal family of Valois. The breviary recounts several marvelous events from his life. As a boy he frequently gave away his clothes to clothe the naked. He pleaded for the life of a murderer condemned to death and foretold that he would reform and lead a highly edifying life-which prophecy proved true. With St. John of Matha he journeyed to Rome at the bidding of an angel and requested permission from Pope Innocent III to found a religious Order (1198). During holy Mass the Pope was granted a revelation regarding the proposed foundation; an angel appeared to him clothed in white with a red and blue cross. At Innocent's bidding the Order took the name of the Blessed Trinity.
In the newly-founded monastery at Cerfroi, Felix was favored with a visit by the Blessed Virgin. During the night preceding the feast of Mary's Nativity all the brethren slept through Matins by a special divine dispensation. Felix alone appeared at choir, where he found the Blessed Virgin clothed in the habit of the Trinitarians, accompanied by a great throng of angels similarly dressed. United with them, with Mary as choir leader, Felix recited the Office as usual. When he was about to leave the earthly choirs to join those of heaven, an angel foretold to him the day of his departure; he admonished his brethren to persevere in love toward captives and the poor, and died on November 4, 1212, mature in age and merit.
— The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch
Symbols: Cloak with red and blue cross; white stage with cross between its horns; fountain; flag; purse; slave;
Often Portrayed As: old man in Trinitarian habit with a coronet at his feet; Trinitarian with a stag nearby; Trinitarian with chains or captives nearby; with Saint John of Matha; with the Holy Trinity.
Things to Do:
St. BernwardSaint Berward served as the thirteenth Bishop of Hildesheim, Germany during the middle of the tenth century. His grandfather was Athelbero, Count Palatine of Saxony. After having lost his parents, Bernward was sent to live with his uncle Volkmar, Bishop of Utrecht. His uncle enlisted the assistance of Thangmar, the pious and learned director of the cathedral school at Heidelberg, for the boy's education. Under the instruction of Thangmar, Bernward made rapid progress in Christian piety as well as in the sciences. He became very proficient in mathematics, painting, architecture, and particularly in the manufacture of ecclesiastical vessels and ornaments of silver and gold.
Saint Bernward completed his studies at Mainz, where he was then ordained a priest. In leiu of being placed in the diocese of his uncle, Bishop Volkmar, he chose to remain near his grandfather, Athelbero, to comfort him in his old age. Upon his grandfather’s death in 987, he became chaplain in the imperial court, and the Empress-Regent Theophano quickly appointed him to be tutor of her son Otto III, who was only six years old at the time. Bernward remained at the imperial court until 993, when he was elected Bishop of Hildesheim.
His knowledge and practice of the arts were entirely employed in the service of the Church. A man of extraordinary piety, he was devoted to prayer as well as the practice of mortification.
Shortly before his death in 1022 he was vested in the Benedictine habit. He was canonized by Pope Celestine III in 1193.
Excerpted from Catholic News Agency
33rd Week in Ordinary Time
He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins and told them, “Engage in trade with these until I return.” (Luke 19:13)
Does this story sound familiar? It resembles the parable of the talents found in Matthew 25, but Luke’s version has some important differences. In Matthew, each servant is given a different amount of gold with which to trade. But here, all of the master’s servants are given the same amount: one gold coin. So one way of looking at this parable is to understand that Jesus isn’t speaking of our diverse God-given abilities. Instead, he’s speaking of something that he has entrusted to all his servants: the gospel message. If you read it this way, you can hear Luke asking, “What are you doing with the gospel?”
Before you answer that question, it’s worth noting that the master doesn’t command his servants to make a large profit. He tells them just to engage in trade. God isn’t interested only in the bottom line of your work—how many people you evangelized this quarter or this year. He cares about you, not about your productivity. He has a unique plan for your life. You may not be in a position to reach thousands of people, but you can reach some. Each of us has a role in building the kingdom, and each of us has a unique way that we are called to put our “gold coin” of the gospel message to work.
Do you want to know who are the best at investing their gold coins? It’s the ones who are good friends. Their concern for other people and their willingness to listen encourages people to open up about their lives. They offer support and care. They are transparent about their own issues. Working from a foundation of friendship, they don’t feel the need to “force” Jesus into conversations like a sales pitch. But neither do they shy away from good opportunities to share about God’s love and healing. When they engage in the work of the gospel, it’s friend to friend. And as a result, they bring their friends to a deeper faith.
In God’s kingdom, we grow treasure by giving it away. Who are the friends in your life who need the treasure that you have?
“Jesus, thank you for entrusting me with your gospel. Please help me to give it away.”
2 Maccabees 7:1, 20-31; Psalm 17:1, 5-6, 8, 15
Daily Marriage Tip for November 20, 2013:
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me. (Mt 25:35-36) Which of these works of mercy do you already do? As a couple?
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Wednesday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time
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Father John Doyle, LC
Luke 19:11-28 While they were listening to Jesus speak, he proceeded to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem and they thought that the kingdom of God would appear there immediately. So he said, "A nobleman went off to a distant country to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return. He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins and told them, ´Engage in trade with these until I return.´ His fellow citizens, however, despised him and sent a delegation after him to announce, ´We do not want this man to be our king.´ But when he returned after obtaining the kingship, he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money, to learn what they had gained by trading. The first came forward and said, ´Sir, your gold coin has earned ten additional ones.´ He replied, ´Well done, good servant! You have been faithful in this very small matter; take charge of ten cities.´ Then the second came and reported, ´Your gold coin, sir, has earned five more.´ And to this servant too he said, ´You, take charge of five cities.´ Then the other servant came and said, ´Sir, here is your gold coin; I kept it stored away in a handkerchief, for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding person; you take up what you did not lay down and you harvest what you did not plant.´ He said to him, ´With your own words I shall condemn you, you wicked servant. You knew I was a demanding person, taking up what I did not lay down and harvesting what I did not plant; why did you not put my money in a bank? Then on my return I would have collected it with interest.´ And to those standing by he said, ´Take the gold coin from him and give it to the servant who has ten.´ But they said to him, ´Sir, he has ten gold coins.´ ´I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king, bring them here and slay them before me.´" After he had said this, he proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem. Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are the Alpha and the Omega. You have given me life and offer me eternal life with you. You deserve my honor, gratitude and love, and yet you never impose yourself upon me. Thank you for respecting my freedom so that I can offer myself to you. All that I have is yours; I return it to you. Petition: Lord Jesus, teach me to be patient and persevering in using my talents to serve you and my neighbor. 1. Jesus, the King of Kings: Nowadays there is renewed interest in the imminence of the Lord’s return in glory. Every Sunday when we recite the Creed we attest to our faith that Christ “will come again to judge the living and the dead.” But we also know that we do not know when it will be, as Our Lord clearly states: “But about that day and hour no one knows” (Matthew 24:36). So what should we do in the meantime? The answer is very simple: Live faithful to the values of Christ’s Kingdom and show that he is our King right now. Are there any areas in my life where Christ is not ruler? Am I faithful to my Christian commitments? Do I use my time well? 2. Earning One Gold Coin at a Time: In today’s parable each servant receives only one gold coin, but some invest it better than others. There are some gifts that God has given all of us in equal measure and some that we each receive in varying degrees. At baptism we receive the gifts of faith, hope and love in seed form, so to speak, and it is up to us to make sure they are cultivated, irrigated and exposed to enough light so that they will grow and bear fruit. These gifts of faith, hope and love are not given to us just for rainy days or moments of trial, but rather to keep us focused on who we are as children of God and heirs to the kingdom of heaven. Exercising these virtues is like earning gold, one coin at a time. How often have I thanked God for his gifts of faith, hope and love? Do I strive to grow in these virtues by keeping my heart set on the things of heaven and through charity towards my neighbor? 3. God’s Generosity: St. John reminds us that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). God’s essence is self-giving. The man who hid his coin could not discover or fathom this reality, but the man who “spent” his gold coin found this out as he was able to earn many more. Jesus tells us that “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain” (John 12:24). Later however a metamorphosis occurs which brings many new grains of wheat into being. Jesus’ death on the cross is the perfect example of the transformation of sacrifice and self-giving into fruitfulness. We can’t have Jesus as our king unless we are willing to follow him on his journey to Jerusalem and impending death. We have much to give up, but we have so much more to gain by using our talents for the Kingdom. Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, I am sometimes afraid of what it means to die to myself. Help me to use all of my talents for your kingdom. Help me to realize that I have nothing to lose and everything to gain and to take steps courageously to love you. Resolution: As a way of showing my love for Jesus, today I will practice patience with someone who annoys me. |
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The gospel today presents the parable of the talents. Jesus gives the message: “To everyone who has will be given more, but anyone who has not will be deprived even of what he has.”
The talents Jesus is referring to in the parable are the gifts of the Kingdom of God – all which makes a person grow in his Christian responsibility and spirituality which will lead him to his eternal reward in heaven. These talents are the capabilities of loving, of serving and of sharing. The servant who was given more talents made his talents grow the most. Among the three he was the most loving, generous, and self-giving. So the king was very happy with what he did and rewarded him abundantly. The second servant also made his talents grow, although not as much as the first. He loved his fellowmen and showed this love by serving them and sharing with them what he had. The king was also happy and rewarded him. But the third servant did not make use of his talents at all, out of fear, he said. Out of fear of what? Fear of losing what he had. He kept everything to himself. He was afraid to take risks in reaching out to others. He was selfish, indifferent, uncaring. The king was unhappy for what he did, reprimanded him, and did not give him any reward.
With whom do you relate yourself? Are you the first, second or third servant? Let us pray the Prayer for Generosity: Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous, to serve you as I should, to give without counting the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to seek for reward except that of knowing that I do your holy will. Amen.
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