First Friday of the Month
Readings of the Day:
RB: Ch 52 The Oratory of the Monastery
Mass: Jr 26:1-9; Resp Ps 69; Mt 13:54-58
And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.
In Ch. 52 of the Holy Rule, St Benedict writes about the oratory in the monastery. What is an oratory? Benedict is clear: 'The oratory must simply be a place of prayer, as the name itself implies, and it must not be used for any other activities at all nor as a place for storage of any kind.' An oratory is also a place of silence to express our reverence for God and also to respect the needs of those who wish to pray privately. Even though we all might not have access to an official oratory, we can find a quiet place to pray to the Lord. We can also pray in the silence of our hearts wherever we find ourselves.
On this First Friday of the Month, we pray, Lord, 'increase our faith' (Lk 17:5). We might also use the words of Thomas Merton:
Let my trust be in Your mercy, not in myself. Let my hope be in Your love, not in health, or strength, or ability or human resources.
If I trust You, everything else will become, for me, strength, health, and support. Everything will bring me to heaven. If I do not trust You, everything will be my destruction.
(Thoughts in Solitude, p. 39)
IF YOU HAVE FAITH THE SIZE OF A MUSTARD SEED, YOU WOULD SAY TO THIS MULBERRY TREE, 'BE UPROOTED AND PLANTED IN THE SEA,' AND IT WOULD OBEY YOU.
(Lk 17:6)
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