Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

Catholic Schools Week

Saints: Saint John Bosco (1815-1888); Saint Alban Roe (1583-1642); Saint Thomas Green (c 1560-1642)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 7:34 Humility

Mass: 2 Sm 15:13-14, 30; 16:5-13; Mk 5:1-20

My glory, you lift up my head!

UNLESS YOU TURN AND BECOME LIKE CHILDREN, YOU WILL NOT ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, SAYS THE LORD.

(Communion Antiphon, Mass)

Welcome to the last day of January 2022. With that on this Monday of Catholic Schools Week, Pope Saint Paul VI speaks: "Modern man listens more readily to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses" (Address to the Members of the Consilium de Laicis, October 2, 1974). I have included several quotations from the delightful and remarkable Saint John Bosco, who certainly taught by his witness to the faith, and is "the first canonized saint in whose honour a national holiday was declared in Italy, for the day following his canonization" (Butler's, January volume, p. 230). Most of the quotations can be found in R. Chervin's Quotable Saints, with some also part of a letter by John Bosco, included in today's Office of Readings.

[A saint] was once asked, while playing happily with his companions, what he would do if an angel told him that in a quarter of an hour he would die and have to appear before the judgement seat of God. The saint promptly replied that he would continue playing because I am certain these games are pleasing to God.

It is easier to become angry than to restrain oneself and easier to threaten a boy than to persuade him. It is more fitting to be persistent in punishing our own impatience and pride than to correct the boys.

You should bear patiently the bad temper of other people, the slights, the rudeness that may be offered you. 

Never read books you are not sure about ... even supposing these bad books are very well written from a literary point of view. Let me ask you this: would you drink something you knew poisoned just because it was offered to you in a golden cup?

Holy purity, the queen of virtues, the angelic virtue, is a jewel so precious that those who possess it become like angels of God in heaven, even though clothed in mortal flesh.

Avoid those who in your presence are not ashamed to make use of scandalous works, and expressions of double meaning.

I want to die so poor that they may say that Don Bosco died without leaving a halfpenny.

Meekness was the method Jesus used with the apostles. He put up with their ignorance and roughness and even their infidelity. He treated sinners with a kindness and affection that caused some to be shocked, others to be scandalized, and still others to gain hope in God's mercy. Thus He bade us to be gentle and humble of heart.

The principal trap which the devil sets for the young people is idleness. This is a fatal source of all evil. Do not let there be any doubt in your mind that man is born to work, and when he does not do so he is out of his element and in great danger of offending God.

The chief thing is to take the burden on one's shoulders. As you press forward, it soon shakes down and the load is evenly distributed.

First tell the devil to rest, and then I'll rest too.

You can do nothing with children unless you win their confidence and love by bringing them into touch with oneself, by breaking through all hindrances that keep them at a distance.

It is a form of trade, you see. I ask God for souls and pay Him by giving up everything else.

Do not imitate those who deceive themselves by saying: "I will sin and then go to confession." How do you know that you will have time to make your confession? Is it not madness to wound oneself, in the hope that a doctor will be found to heal the wound?

When tempted, invoke your angel. Ignore the devil and do not be afraid of him: he trembles and flees at your guardian angel's sight. 

SAINT JOHN BOSCO,

SAINT ALBAN ROE,

SAINT THOMAS GREEN,

SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES,

SAINT ELIZABETH ANN SETON,

SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS,

SAINT JOHN CANTIUS,

SAINT JOHN HENRY NEWMAN,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: A mid-afternoon sky yesterday. Wow.

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

Catholic Schools Week

World Leprosy Day

In other years: Saint Aedan of Ferns (c.550-632)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 7:31-33 Humility

Mass: Jer 4:1-5, 17-19; Resp Ps 71; 1 Cor 12:31-13:13; Lk 4:21-30

Be my rock of refuge.

JESUS, OUR REFUGE,

HAVE MERCY ON US.

Words are few today. It's our reading from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah; it always brings a smile to my face. The Lord said to Jeremiah, and says to each one of us, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you (Jer 1:4). I simply marvel at this. What I come to is this: Lord, show me the path of life, the fullness of joy in your presence.

The Virgin Mary, model of every vocation did not fail to utter her "fiat" in response to the Lord's call. She is at our side and she guides us. With the generous courage born of faith, Mary sang of the joy of leaving herself behind and entrusting to God the plans she had for her life. Let us turn to her, so that we may be completely open to what God has planned for each of us, so that we can grow in the desire to go out with tender concern towards others (cf. Lk 1:39). May the Virgin Mary protect and intercede for us all. 

(Pope Francis, Message for the 52nd World Day of Prayer for Vocations, from the Vatican, March 29, 2015)

The second step of humility is that a man loves not his own will nor takes pleasure in the satisfaction of his desires; rather he shall imitate by his actions that saying of the Lord: I have come not do to my own will, but the will of him who sent me (Jn 6:38). Similarly we read, "Consent merits punishment, constraint wins a crown.

(Rule of Saint Benedict, 7:31-33)

LOVE NEVER FAILS.

(1 Cor 13:8)

To celebrate Catholic Schools Week, we will include in our daily litany some of the saints who were educators, devoting themselves to teaching our faith to young and old alike. Be alert; the litany may grow as the week progresses. And for today, as we pray for all those who suffer with leprosy, or Hansen's Disease, we invoke two saints who committed their lives to caring for those with the disease. 

SAINT AEDEN OF FERNS,

SAINT DAMIEN OF MOLOKAI,

SAINT MARIANNE COPE,

SAINT JOHN BOSCO,

SAINT ELIZABETH ANN SETON,

SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS,

SAINT JOHN HENRY NEWMAN,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: From faithful reader LR's ocean house, Rainbow over Sugarloaf Rock at Cape Mendicino on the Lost Coast, Humboldt County, California, not too far north of us, 50ish miles. 

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Saturday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

Saturday Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Saints: Blessed Archangela Girlani (1460-1495); Blessed Villana de'Botti OP (1332-1361)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 7:24-31 Humility

Mass: 2 Sm 12:1-7a, 10-17; Resp Ps 51; Mk 4:35-41

O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

MARY, COMFORTER OF THE AFFLICTED,

PRAY FOR US.

In today's Gospel, Jesus asks the disciples two questions. After His followers woke Jesus from sleeping, He calmed the wind and the sea. Then Jesus asked, "Why were you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?" (Mk 4:40). I opened my Bible to the Gospel of Saint Mark to see just how much the disciples had witnessed so far, up to this account in Chapter 4. One might think they would have faith by now. However, we too lack faith. There is no need to be terrified. The Lord is at our side, who or what should we fear? Nothing. Nevertheless, we do have anxiety, fear, worry, and like the disciples, may even feel as if we are perishing. The other day I suggested to a loved one that we pester the Lord to help us. And He is coming through. May we too be filled with great awe (Mk 4:41). I believe, help my unbelief. 

Mary was indeed full of grace

in good measure

pressed down shaken together and running over

for this reason:

that through her

the grace of God might abound in us.

(Baldwin of Forde, 1125-1190)

BLESSED ARCHANGELA GIRLANI,

BLESSED VILLANA DE'BOTTI,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: Sweet little white ones, with a hint of lavender, to honor Our Lady.

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Friday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

Saint: Saint Thomas Aquinas, Student of Saint Albert the Great, Priest, Doctor (1225-1274)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 7:19-23 Humility

Mass: 2 Sm 11:1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17; Resp Ps 51; Mk 4:26-34

Thoroughly wash me from my guilt.

MARY, QUEEN OF DOCTORS,

PRAY FOR US.

With yet more to celebrate, today we commemorate the great Saint Thomas Aquinas, also known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, and Doctor Universalis, another saint who put his light on the lampstand where it belongs. And that light continues to shine brightly. Thanks be to God. We pray for Dominicans throughout the world, members of the Order of Preachers, all nuns, sisters, friars, and also the students, staff, and professors at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome, commonly called, the Angelicum.

It is a good day to turn to anything that Saint Thomas Aquinas wrote, and it surely isn't difficult to find something. I usually open the Summa Theologica and here it is open to II-II, Q. 83, Of Prayer. It will keep anyone engaged with its Seventeen Articles. It works well as Saint Benedict's teaching on Humility in Ch 7, that we are busy with these days, refers to the Lord's Prayer in one of the verses assigned for today. Thomas Aquinas was closely connected to Saint Benedict too, as he was sent to the great Benedictine Abbey of Monte Cassino at the age of five and was there until he was thirteen. His parents wanted their son to be a Benedictine, and perhaps even the Abbot of Monte Cassino. As it turned out, Thomas's vocation lay elsewhere. In verse 20 of the Holy Rule, Benedict writes, "in the Prayer too we ask God that His will be done in us." In Q. 83, article 9, Thomas Aquinas writes this about "the Prayer", that is, the Lord's Prayer: "The Lord's Prayer is most perfect, because, as Augustine says, if we pray rightly and fittingly, we can say nothing else but what is contained in this prayer of Our Lord."

And while we are on the most perfect Lord's Prayer, we might turn to articles 7 and 8 of Q. 83. Thomas answers two questions: "Whether we ought to pray for others?" (art. 7), and "Whether we ought to pray for our enemies?" (art. 8). Should we pray for others? Thomas Aquinas answers: "When we pray we ought to ask for what we desire. Now we ought to desire good things not only for ourselves, but also for others: for this is essential to the love which we owe to our neighbor ... therefore charity requires us to pray for others." Should we pray for our enemies? Thomas Aquinas answers: "To pray for another is an act of charity, as stated above. Wherefore we are bound to pray for our enemies in the same manner as we are bound to love them." Amen. 

SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS,

SAINT ALBERT THE GREAT,

SAINT BENEDICT,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: Another look at the beauty at our front entrance, with a glimpse of the magnificent sky above.

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Saints: Saint Angela Merici, Virgin, Foundress of the Ursulines (1470-1540); Blessed Edward Oldcorne (1561-1606); Saint Henry de Osso (1840-1896); Blessed Marcolino of Forli OP (1317-1397)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 7:10-18 Humility

Mass: 2 Sm 7:18-19, 24-29; Resp Ps 132; Mk 4:21-25

In her will I dwell, for I prefer her.

A LAMP TO MY FEET IS YOUR WORD, A LIGHT TO MY PATH.

(Gospel versicle, Mass)

How blessed we are to commemorate another great one in Saint Angela Merici. Born in Desenzano, she eventually settled in nearby Brescia, both in the Lombardy region of Northern Italy, where she devoted herself to the Christian education of girls from poor families. And she had plenty of offers to do other work for the Church. For example, when Angela was in Rome in the Jubilee Year 1525, Pope Clement VII (1478-1534) invited her to take charge of a Congregation of nursing sisters in Rome, and Angela was offered a similar post from the duke of Milan. Nevertheless, Angela declined both offers, convinced as she was that her calling lay with care of the local girls. One might say she was a lover of her place and its peoples. Fascinated by Saint Ursula from youth, and later a Franciscan tertiary, Angela eventually founded the Ursulines in 1535, the "'oldest and most considerable teaching Order in the Roman Catholic Church'" (Butler's Lives of the Saints, January volume, p. 199). By way of interest, Angela Merici was busy doing her thing for Lord at about the same time that Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) was busy doing his! Saint Angela Merici, and Saint Ignatius of Loyola right along with her, certainly did not place their lamps under a bushel basket or under a bed. Rather, they put them on the lampstand where they belonged (Mk 4:21). One of Angela's last pieces of advice was: "'Do in life what you would have wanted to do in death'" (Butler's, p. 200). Anyone who has ears ought to hear, says the Lord (Mk 4:23).

On this International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we invoke Saint Maximillian Kolbe and Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, along with our other saints of the day. 

SAINT ANGELA MERICI,

SAINT URSULA,

SAINT IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA,

BLESSED EDWARD OLDCORNE,

SAINT HENRY DE OSSO,

BLESSED MARCOLINO OF FORLI,

SAINT MAXIMILIAN KOLBE,

SAINT TERESA BENEDICTA OF THE CROSS, 

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: From a walk in our grove. Thanks, LR!

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

Day of Prayer for Peace in Ukraine

Saints: Saints Alberic, Robert and Stephen, Abbots of Citeaux and Founders of the Cistercian Order (12th century); Saints Timothy and Titus, Companions and Helpers to Saint Paul the Apostle

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 7:5-9 Humility

Mass for the Solemnity of our Founders: Sirach 44:1, 10-15; Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-16; Mk 10:24b-30

Mass for Ferial Day: 2 Tm 1:1-8 or Titus 1:1-5; Resp Ps 96; Lk 10:1-9

Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.

MARY, MOTHER OF GOD,

OUR LADY OF CITEAUX,

PRAY FOR US.

Your way of acting should be different from the world's way;

the love of Christ must come before all else.

(Rule of Saint Benedict, 4:20-21) 

Now I will praise those godly men, our ancestors, each in his own time (Sirach 44:1). Join us as we commemorate Saints Alberic, Robert and Stephen, great Abbots of Citeaux and Founders of the Cistercian Order. Among the wealth of information about our Order that can be found on our website, ocso.org, the interested reader will find this under History, The Cistercian Order, Early Citeaux: "The founders of Citeaux centered their ideals on their desire for authentic monastic simplicity and evangelical poverty. They believed that their inspiration for this renewal could be found in a more literal interpretation of St. Benedict's Rule for Monasteries", otherwise known as the Rule of Saint Benedict. And I am all over that. Turn to the Holy Rule today for wisdom and guidance.

We Cistercians, the founders of this church, by the present document are notifying our successors how canonically, with what great authority, and also by whom and by what stages their monastery and tenor of life took their beginning, so that, with the sincere truth of this matter made public, they may more tenaciously love both the place and the observance of the Holy Rule there initiated somehow or other by ourselves, through the grace of God; and that they may pray for us who have tirelessly borne the burden of the day and the heat; and may sweat and toil even to the last gasp in the straight and narrow way which the Rule points out; till at last, having laid aside the burden of flesh, they happily repose in everlasting rest.

(Prologue, Exordium Parvum, 12th century Cistercian document that includes the early history of Citeaux, including official letters and documents with narrative)

Idleness is the enemy of the soul. Therefore, the brothers should have specified periods for manual labor as well as for prayerful reading ...

Let them prefer nothing whatever to Christ, and may He bring us all together to everlasting life.

(Rule of Saint Benedict, 48:1; 72:11-12)

SAINTS ALBERIC, ROBERT AND STEPHEN,

SAINTS TIMOTHY AND TITUS,

MARY, QUEEN OF ALL SAINTS,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: This image is from our Order's website, ocso.org, and is of an icon from the Cistercian nuns at Arevalo, Spain, Monasterio de Santa Maria la Real.

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

Conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: We saw the star in the East, and we came to worship Him (Mt 2:2)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 7:1-4 Humility

Mass: Acts 22:3-11 or Acts 9:1-22; Resp Ps 117; Mk 16:15-18

Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.

MARY, QUEEN OF APOSTLES,

PRAY FOR US.

I have thought before that if someone like Saint Paul can be converted, there is hope for all of us, or rather me. If you aren't inspired by his conversion story, you can randomly open any of his letters and be inspired. My random (kind of 😊) search took me to two of my favorite passages, which I extend to you now, with gratitude for your faithful readership, united as we are in faith and prayer: "I give thanks to my God at every remembrance of you, praying always with joy in my every prayer for you" (Ph 1:3). And don't forget to "rejoice in the Lord always, I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Ph 4:4-7). 

Paul, more than anyone else, has shown us what man really is, and in what our nobility consists, and of what virtue this particular animal is capable. Each day he aimed higher; each day he rose up with greater ardor and faced with new eagerness the dangers that threatened him ...

This was why he was far more eager for the shameful abuse that his zeal in preaching brought upon him than we are for the most pleasing honors, mor eager for death than we are for life, for poverty than we are for wealth; he yearned for toil far more than others yearn for rest after toil. The one thing he feared, indeed dreaded, was to offend God; nothing else could sway him. Therefore, the only thing he really wanted was always to please God.

(From a homily by Saint John Chrysostom, bishop, in Office of Readings, January 25)

What is the only thing you really want? 

For a grin: In a recent communication with a friend in Rome, I inquired if my Christmas card arrived yet. I am slowly hearing from other Italian friends who say they just received theirs. In response to my inquiry, my friend responded with this about the Italian Post Office: "It has never been famous for its prompt and expeditious deliver system. I sincerely believe that one day they will even come up with one of St Paul's letters that got somehow waylaid and has only now found itself delivered to the addressee." lol!

SAINT PAUL THE APOSTLE,

BLESSED MARIA GABRIELLA SAGHEDDU,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: It was a privilege to see this the other afternoon. Praise the Lord, all you nations; glorify Him, all you peoples!

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Monday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: We saw the star in the East, and we came to worship Him (Mt 2:2)

Saint: Saint Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church, Patron of Writers and Journalists (1567-1622)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 6 Restraint of Speech

Mass: 2 Sm 5:1-7, 10; Resp Ps 89; Mk 3:22-30

On a champion I have placed a crown.

FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL TEACH YOU AT THAT MOMENT WHAT TO SAY.

(Lk 12:12)

Mondays come and go. Welcome to another 🙋! We are blessed today with Saint Benedict’s Ch 6. “Restraint of Speech.” I pass all eight verses where Benedict quotes the psalmist and two proverbs while adding some commentary. There is plenty of wisdom packed into such a short chapter, especially these days when there seems to be not a lot of listening amidst a “flood of words”, and not always nice ones.  

 Let us follow the Prophet’s counsel: I said, I have resolved to keep watch over my ways that I may never sin with my tongue. I have put a guard on my mouth. I was silent and was humbled, and I refrained even from good words. Here the Prophet indicates that there are times when good words are to be left unsaid out of esteem for silence. For all the more reason, then, should evil speech be curbed so that punishment for sin may be avoided. Indeed, so important is silence that permission to speak should seldom be granted even to mature disciples, no matter how good or holy or constructive their talk, because it is written: In a flood of words you will not avoid sin; and elsewhere, The tongue holds the key to life and death. Speaking and teaching are the master's task; the disciple is to be silent and listen. 

Therefore, any requests to a superior should be made with all humility and respectful submission. We absolutely condemn in all places any vulgarity and gossip and talk leading to laughter, and we do not permit a disciple to engage in words of that kind.

(Rule of Saint Benedict, Ch 6. Restraint of Speech)

SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES,

BLESSED MARIA GABRIELLA SAGHEDDU,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: Some of our trees received a needed trim, for safety's sake. It was fascinating to the see the joyful and respectful artists about their work, minding the trees, each other, and us, with careful attention. 

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: We saw the star in the East, and we came to worship Him (Mt 2:2)

Sunday of the Word of God

In other years: Saint Marianne Cope, "Beloved Mother of the Outcasts" (1838-1918); Blessed Henry Suso, OP, Rheinland Mystic along with Meister Eckhart and Johannes Tauler (-1366)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 5:14-19 Obedience

Mass: Nehemiah 8:2-4a; 5-6, 8-10; Resp Ps 19: 1 Cor 12:12-30; Lk 1:1-4; 4:14-21

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and Life.

DO NOT BE SADDENED THIS DAY, 

FOR REJOICING IN THE LORD MUST BE YOUR STRENGTH!

(Nehemiah 8:10)

As yesterday, today is certainly another busy day in the Church. Still in the Year of the Family (March 19, 2021-June 26, 2022), we continue to pray for Christian Unity (January 18-25). And this Third Sunday of Ordinary Time brings us to Sunday of the Word of God as issued "Motu Proprio", by Pope Francis personally in the Apostolic Letter Aperuit Illis "He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures", dated December 30, 2019, the Feast of Saint Jerome. In other years too, there would be more powerful saints to intercede for us, including German born Marianne Cope (formerly Koob), who immigrated to the United States with her family in 1839. After she entered the Sisters of Saint Francis in Syracuse, New York, Marianne was instrumental in the founding of several schools and hospitals for immigrants. Sister Marianne eventually led a group of sisters to the Hawaiian Islands to care for the poor, especially those suffering from leprosy. Her work led her to Molokai where she opened a home for girls with leprosy, then took over the home that Saint Damien of Molokai (1840-1889) built for boys. Saint Marianne was beatified (2005) and canonized (2012) by Pope Benedict XVI (Universalis, January 23, 2022). Whew! This may be enough for one day. Nevertheless, we keep going, united as we are in faith and prayer, with a bit more.

On this Sunday, "a day given over entirely to the word of God, so as to appreciate the inexhaustible riches contained in that constant dialogue between the Lord and His people", we are able to "experience anew how the risen Lord opens up for us the treasury of His word and enables us to proclaim its unfathomable riches before the world" (Aperit Illis, 2). Ask Jesus to open your mind and heart to understand the Scriptures, especially the word of God as proclaimed in today's readings at Mass. The constant dialogue between the Lord and His people continues. We are there in the open space before the Water Gate with the assembly of men, women, and children old enough to understand (Neh 8:1-2), when Ezra reads from the book of the law of God. We are there when Saint Paul addresses the Corinthians, "Brothers and sisters: As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ" (1 Cor 12:12). We are there in the synagogue at Nazareth with all our eyes looking intently at Jesus. Listen to Him: Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing (Lk 4:20-21). What is Jesus saying to you? How will you proclaim the unfathomable riches of His word before the world?

Listen readily to holy reading, and devote yourself often to prayer.

(Rule of Saint Benedict, 4:55-56)

Who is able to understand, Lord, all the richness of even one of your words? There is more than eludes us than we can understand. We are like the thirsty drinking from a fountain. Your word has as many aspects as the perspectives of those who study it. The Lord has coloured His word with diverse beauties, so that those who study it can contemplate what stirs them. He has hidden in His word all His treasures, so that each of us may find a richness in what he or she contemplates. 

(Saint Ephrem the Syrian, 306-373, Commentary on the Diatessaron, 1, 18)

O God, eternal Shepherd, who inspired Maria Gabriella, virgin, to offer her life for the unity of all Christians, grant that through her intercession, the day may be hastened in which all believers in Christ, gathered around the table of your Work and of your Bread, may praise you with one heart and one voice. Through Christ our Lord.

UT UNUM SINT.

(Prayer on the back of a holy card from the Shrine of Blessed Maria Gabriella Segheddu, the Chapel of Unity, Vitorchiano, Italy, home of the Cistercian nuns of our Order)

SAINT MARIANNE COPE, BELOVED MOTHER OF THE OUTCASTS,

SAINT DAMIAN OF MOLOKAI,

BLESSED HENRY SUSO,

MEISTER ECKHART,

JOHANNES TAULER,

SAINT IRENAEUS, DOCTOR UNITATIS,

BLESSED MARIA GABRIELLA SAGHEDDU,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: Welcome to a glorious sunset at Ft. Myers Beach, Florida, witnessed by my dear brother and sister-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. JA Feick.

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Saturday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: We saw the star in the East, and we came to worship Him (Mt 2:2)

Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children

Saturday Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Saint: Saint Vincent, Deacon, Martyr (-304); Saint Publius, First Bishop of Malta; Saint Anthony Della Chiesa, OP (1394-1459)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 5:1-13 Obedience

Mass: 2 Sm 1:1-4, 11-12, 19, 23-27; Resp Ps 80; Mk 3:20-21

Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved.

MARY, HELP OF CHRISTIANS,

PRAY FOR US.

It's a busy Saturday in the Church with a Day of Prayer, a Week of Prayer, in the midst of the Year of the Family too, saints galore, and the Blessed Virgin Mary! Praise God from whom all blessing flow! 

It happens that on this Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children, I am just finishing a recently published biography, Jerome Lejeune: A Man of Science and Conscience (Ignatius, 2021). The author, Aude Dugast, is the postulator for Dr Lejeune's (1926-1994) cause for canonization. He was recently declared Venerable by Pope Francis, in January 2021. A friend introduced me to Dr. Lejeune, who discovered the cause of Down syndrome and "was known for his courageous witness as a scientist in defense of human life" (Magnificat, January 2022, p. 317). I am learning about this remarkable man of faith and am grateful for the privilege. One thing I learned is that the passage of Scripture which served as "profound inspiration for [Dr. Lejeune] in his life as a physician, scientist, and Christian" (Dugast, p. 179), came from the Gospel of Saint John, a passage I reflected upon early this morning. It may serve as inspiration for others who share our faith and life of pray for the legal protection of unborn children. Jesus, Author of Life, have mercy on us.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ... In Him was life and the light was the light of men ... He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world knew Him not ... and the world became flesh and dwelt among us ...

(John 1:1-18)

It is also worth noting that Dr Lejeune faced, with integrity and respect for all of humanity made in the image of likeness of God, his fair share of adversaries. There were people who likely said, and continue to say, about him and other Pro-Life advocates, what others say about Jesus in today's Gospel: "He is out of his mind" (3:21). By way of example, I quote here a passage from the book found on p. 192, which among other things, prompted me to again read Pope Benedict XVI in his Encyclical Letter Spe Salvi In hope we were saved. The author related an exchange between Dr. Lejeune and one his children. Dr. Lejeune provides Christian witness and offers sound teaching. 

One day, one of his children asked him the question: "Papa, how do you stay calm and not insult your opponents when they attack you?"

Jerome answered his young interlocutor gently: "I do not fight against the man, but against his ideas; he has his reason for taking that position. Then, too," he added after a moment of silence, "it is more difficult to be an unbeliever than a believer. When you are a believer, you have hope; when you are an unbeliever, there is the void, nothingness-it must be very difficult to endure."

His son, pensive asked him: "And is it because you forgive them?"

"In order to forgive them, it would be necessary for them to have done me some harm; I would have to have something to blame them for, but they have nothing against me; they are against the reality that I remind them about. It does not matter what they say against me."

VENERABLE JEROME LEJEUNE,

SAINT VINCENT,

SAINT PUBLIUS,

SAINT ANTHONY DELLA CHIESA,

POPE SAINT PAUL VI,

POPE SAINT JOHN PAUL II,

BLESSED MARIA GABRIELLA SAGHEDDU,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: My grandnephew, LGF. I've yet to see this precious little one not radiating love and joy. God is praised!

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Friday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: We saw the star in the East, and we came to worship Him (Mt 2:2)

Saints: Saint Agnes, Virgin, Martyr (-304)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 4:63-78

Mass: 1 Sm 24:3-21; Resp Ps 57: Mk 3:13-19

In the shadow of your wings I take refuge.

I WILL NOT RAISE A HAND AGAINST MY LORD,

FOR HE IS THE LORD'S ANOINTED AND A FATHER TO ME.

(1 Sm 24:11)

One never knows, maybe Saint Benedict was inspired in one way or another by Saul and David (in the account in today's first reading), and the witness of Saint Agnes too, when he provided us with these tools for good works: Harbor neither hatred nor jealousy of anyone, and do nothing out of envy. Do not love quarreling, shun arrogance, respect the elders and love the young. Pray for your enemies out of love for Christ. If you have a dispute with someone, make peace with him before the sun goes down (RB 4:65-73).

Never lose hope in God's mercy.

(RB 4:74)

SAINT AGNES,

BLESSED MARIA GABRIELLA SAGHEDDU,

PRAY FOR US.

NB. Friendly reminder that during this week of Prayer for Christian Unity, we invoke Blessed Maria Gabriella Sagheddu (d. 1939), a Cistercian nun of our Order, who offered her life to the cause of Christian unity. Before her death, she prayed, "Lord Jesus, I love you, and I would like to love you very much, to love you for the whole world." I had the privilege of visiting her shrine at the Cistercian monastery at Vitorchiano in Italy.

Today's photo: This cloud formation caught my eye yesterday afternoon around 3:30. It's a bird; it's a plane; it's Superman!

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Thursday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: We saw the star in the East, and we came to worship Him (Mt 2:2)

Saints: Blessed Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi, Cistercian monk and priest (1903-1964); Pope Saint Fabian, Martyr (-250); Saint Sebastian, early Christian martyr; Blessed Angelo Paoli (1642-1720)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 4:44-62

Mass: 1 Sm 18:6-9; 19:1-7; Resp Ps 56; Mk 3:7-12

My wanderings you have counted.

EVERYDAY WITH TEARS AND SIGHS CONFESS YOUR PAST SINS TO GOD IN PRAYER AND CHANGE FROM THESE EVIL WAYS IN THE FUTURE.

(RB 4:57)

In today's Gospel, we find those with diseases pressing upon Jesus to touch Him (Mk 3:10). It appears that Jesus was in danger of being crushed! Not to worry, the disciples are on standby with a boat (Mk 3:9). Let's join the crowd and press upon Jesus. Divine Physician, have mercy on us.  

We must concretely and beyond all limits believe in the mercy of Jesus; we must give Him the gift of our nothingness each time our shortcomings and weaknesses give us the chance to do so, convinced that this gift-if accompanied by the decision to begin again-is not a superficial gesture, but an act of pure love that attracts His forgiveness and grace. Further, we must be convinced that this would be the most beautiful response we could give to His love ...

Wouldn't it be the case for all of us, sinner as we always are, to return over and over again into the arms of God's mercy? For a world so torn to pieces by thousands of evils and dangers, couldn't this be a way to draw down God's blessings?

(Servant of God Chiara Lubich, d. 2008, in Magnificat, "Meditation of the Day", January 20, 2022)

 BLESSED CYPRIAN MICHAEL IWENE TANSI,

POPE SAINT FABIAN,

SAINT SEBASTIAN,

BLESSED ANGELO PAOLI,

BLESSED MARIA GABRIELLA SAGHEDDU,

PRAY FOR US.

NB. Friendly reminder that during this week of Prayer for Christian Unity, we invoke Blessed Maria Gabriella Sagheddu (d. 1939), a Cistercian nun of our Order, who offered her life to the cause of Christian unity. Before her death, she prayed, "Lord Jesus, I love you, and I would like to love you very much, to love you for the whole world." I had the privilege of visiting her shrine at the Cistercian monastery at Vitorchiano in Italy.

Today's photo: "Web in the Light" says faithful reader LR, from one her walks at Redwoods.

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: We saw the star in the East, and we came to worship Him (Mt 2:2)

Saints: Saint Wulstan (1008?-1095); Saint Faolan (8th century); The Jesuit Martyrs of the Reformation in Europe; Blessed Andrew of Peschiera, OP

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 4:22-43 The Tools for Good Works

Mass: 1 Sm 17:32-33, 37, 40-51; Resp Ps 144; Mk 3:1-6

My refuge and my fortress, my stronghold, my deliverer.

PLACE YOUR HOPE IN GOD ALONE.

(RB 4:41)

With Saint Benedict's tool for good works above in mind, I think about the man in today's Gospel with the withered hand. He surely wanted to be healed. Jesus is in town; He is our hope. Stretch out your hand (Mk 3:5).

The one who hopes lives differently; the one who hopes has been granted the gift of new life.

(Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi, 2)

SAINT WULSTAN,

SAINT FAOLAN,

THE JESUIT MARTYRS OF THE REFORMATION IN EUROPE,

BLESSED ANDREW OF PESCHIERA,

BLESSED MARIA GABRIELLA SAGHEDDU,

PRAY FOR US.

NB. Friendly reminder that during this week of Prayer for Christian Unity, we will invoke Blessed Maria Gabriella Sagheddu (d. 1939), a Cistercian nun of our Order, who offered her life to the cause of Christian unity. Before her death, she prayed, "Lord Jesus, I love you, and I would like to love you very much, to love you for the whole world." I had the privilege of visiting her shrine at the Cistercian monastery at Vitorchiano in Italy.

Today's photo: One last look at Yosemite National Park, here Yosemite Valley.

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

Commencement of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: We saw the star in the East, and we came to worship Him (Mt 2:2)

Saints: Saint Margaret of Hungary, OP (1242-1270)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 4:1-21 The Tools for Good Works

Mass: 1 Sm 16:1-13; Resp Ps 89; Mk 2:23-28

To God, the Rock, my savior.

NOT AS MAN SEE DOES GOD SEE, BECAUSE HE SEES THE APPEARANCE BUT THE LORD LOOKS INTO THE HEART.

(1 Sm 16:7)

Sadly, I have not commented on the Rule of Saint Benedict lately, since we began the Prologue, and that was at the first of the year. We've moved on to Chapter 4 now, The Tools for Good Works. It's a winner, and alone will keep anyone busy for a lifetime. 

Like yesterday, there are days when things just work out. Chapter 4 begins with Saint Benedict giving us the foundational tool for good for works. First of all, our holy father quotes from the Gospels and writes, love the Lord God with your whole heart, your whole soul and all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself (RB 4:1). Saint Benedict too echoes the words spoken by Moses in the Book of Deuteronomy, which happens to be the first reading in today's Office of Readings. As I say, some days things just work out. We hear what Moses spoke to the people, saying: "Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength" (Dt 6:4-5). It is no wonder Saint Benedict gives this as our first tool for good works, and adds that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. As Moses continues, "Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today. Drill them into your children. Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest. Bind them at your wrist as a sign and let them be as a pendant on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates" (Dt 6:6-9). We should follow suit, should we not, and take these words to heart. We are certainly going to need them in order to use the other tools for good works, for example, "you are not to bear false witness, honor everyone, never do to another what you do not want done to yourself, renounce yourself in order to follow Christ ... discipline your body, do not pamper yourself ... visit the sick, bury the dead" (RB 4:7-12, 16-17). United in faith and prayer, then, let's get busy. After all, our way of acting should be different from the world's way; the love of Christ must come before all else (RB 4:20-21).

Let the man truly possessed by the love of Christ keep His commandments. Who can express the binding power of divine love? Who can find words for the splendor of its beauty? Beyond all description are the heights to which it lifts us. Love unites us to God; it cancels innumerable sins, has no limits to its endurance, bears everything patiently ...

Happy are we, beloved, if love enables us to live in harmony and in the observance of God's commandments, for then it will also gain for us the remission of our sins ... This is the blessing given those whom God has chosen through Jesus Christ our Lord. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

(From a letter to the Corinthians by Saint Clement I, pope, in Office of Readings, Second Week in Ordinary Time, Tuesday)

SAINT MARGARET OF HUNGARY,

BLESSED MARIA GABRIELLA SAGHEDDU,

PRAY FOR US.

NB. During this week of Prayer for Christian Unity, we will invoke Blessed Maria Gabriella Sagheddu (d. 1939), a Cistercian nun of our Order, who offered her life to the cause of Christian unity. Before her death, she prayed, "Lord Jesus, I love you, and I would like to love you very much, to love you for the whole world." I have had the privilege of visiting her shrine at the Cistercian monastery at Vitorchiano in Italy.

Today's photo: We are back at Yosemite National Park, here a look Yosemite Falls.

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

Saint: Saint Anthony the Great, Abbot (251-356)

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 3:7-13 Summoning the Brothers for Counsel

Mass: 1 Sm 15:16-23; Resp Ps 50; Mk 2:18-22

To him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.

THE WORD OF GOD IS LIVING AND EFFECTIVE, ABLE TO DISCERN REFLECTIONS AND THOUGHTS OF THE HEART.

(Gospel versicle, Mass)

Today we commemorate Saint Anthony of Egypt, called "The Father of Monks", a great man who, it is said, lived to the age of 105. You can read about him in a biography by Saint Athanasius (296-373), The Life of St Antony. You will learn that, as a young man, Anthony went into a Church when the Gospel was being proclaimed. Anthony heard Jesus' response to the rich young man: If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor-you will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow me (Mt 19:21). It occurred to me last night, however, that the young Anthony knew something about Mary's words at the wedding feast at Cana: "Do whatever He tells you" (Jn 2:5). Anthony listened to Mary; he listened to Jesus. The rich young man in the Gospel did not. Come, follow me, says the Lord. 

Our turning aside from the way is not a loss to us only, but a weariness for the angels and for all the saints in Christ Jesus. Our humiliation gives grief to them all, and our salvation gives joy and refreshment to them all.

(Saint Anthony the Great of Egypt)

SAINT ANTHONY THE GREAT,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: This one, taken in 2017, while on a day hike at Joshua Tree National Park, with dear KnR, is perfect with Psalm 50:23 and the quotation from Saint Anthony the Great. Some days, things just work out, even on a Monday.

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

Saints: Saint Fursa or Fursey (-c.650); Feast of Saint Nino (Philippines); Saint Joseph Vaz (1651-1711)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 3:1-6 Summoning the Brothers for Counsel

Mass:  Is 62:1-5; Resp Ps 96; 1 Cor 12:4-11; Jn 2:1-11

Tremble before Him, all the earth.

THE LORD DELIGHTS IN YOU.

(Is 62:4)

It is a good day to pay attention. Attentione! as the Italians express so nicely. Jesus is working in small ways, with subtlety at times, so we must be on our toes. Notice today. How is God presenting to you, in ways big and small, His marvelous deeds? Look around. Maintain a sense of awe and wonder. Ask Jesus to help you. Be open to receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, fear of the Lord (Is 11:1-2/Catechism of the Catholic Church 1831), so that you bear fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, modesty, gentleness, self-control, chastity (Gal. 22-23/CCC 1832). For, as Saint Paul tells us, "There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit ... but one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes" (1 Cor 12:4-7, 11). United in faith and prayer, we go forth, there is work to do. Buona domenica!

How beautiful it is to think that the first sign Jesus accomplished was not an extraordinary healing or something prodigious in the temple of Jerusalem, but an action that responded to a simple and concrete need of common people, a domestic gesture. Let us put it this way-a miracle done on tip toes, discreetly, silently. Jesus is ready to help us, to lift us up. And then, if we are attentive to these "signs", we will be conquered by His love and we will become His disciples.

(Pope Francis, Angelus Address, January 16, 2022)

It is a feminine trait to listen, to receive, to watch. Perhaps that is why more women pray than men. Perhaps that is why among contemplatives there are more women than men-it is the 'feminine' which listens and waits. It is feminine trait, also, to see, to observe. The wine has run out. Mary notices, and being a woman she has a practical mind.

(Basil Hume, Searching for God, p. 160, originally given as a Chapter to the monks of Ampleforth, 1971)

SAINT FURSA,

SAINT NINO,

SAINT JOSEPH VAZ,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: From a friend of a faithful reader. The former is working as a volunteer in Yosemite National Park this winter and was kind to share the grandeur of the place.

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Saturday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

Saturday Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Saints: Saints Maur and Placid, disciples of Saint Benedict; Saint Ita (c.475-570); Our Lady of Arabia; Saint Remigius, Remy or Remi (437-533)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 2:33-40 Qualities of the Abbot

Mass: 1 Sm 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1a; Resp Ps 21; Mk 2:13-17

Lord, in your strength the king is glad.

MARY, MOTHER OF GOOD COUNSEL,

PRAY FOR US.

Listen to Jesus, He is passing by: Follow me (Mk 2:14). Remember too, that Our Lord did not come to call the righteous, but sinners (Mk 2:17). Thank God for that. We are united in faith and prayer, as we draw strength for this day. Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who trust in Thee, have mercy on us.

God's blessing must be our objective, and the way to win it our study ...

We must recognize, therefore, that all upright men have been graced by good works, and that even the Lord Himself took delight in the glory His works gave Him. This should inspire us with a resolute determination to do His will and make us put our whole strength into the work of living a Christian life.

(From a letter to the Corinthians by Saint Clement I, pope, in Office of Readings, First Week in Ordinary Time, Saturday)

SAINTS MAUR AND PLACID,

SAINT BENEDICT,

SAINT ITA,

OUR LADY OF ARABIA,

SAINT REMIGIUS,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: I had to get down low to capture this sweet little flower. For Our Lady, Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee ...

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Friday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

Saint: Saint Macrina the Elder (c.340)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 2:30-32 Qualities of the Abbot

Mass: 1 Sm 8:4-7, 10-22a; Resp Ps 89; Mk 2:1-12

In the light of your countenance, O Lord, they walk.

JESUS, LOVER OF US,

HAVE MERCY ON US.

In the mood to share a poem today, I opened The Gift: Poems by Hafiz the Great Sufi Master. There are so many wonderful poems inside the treasure, which makes a great gift. How about this little gem ...

THE CONSTANT YEARNING

We are

 

Like lutes

Once held by God.

Being away from his warm body

Fully explains

This 

Constant

Yearning.

And sometimes we need a little help from our friends, like the four men in today's Gospel, who carried their paralytic friend to Jesus. So many were gathered in the room, the friends lowered the paralytic through the roof. Child, your sins are forgiven (Mk 2:5). May Our Lord find us with such faith. 

One of the saints profiled in Butler's for this date is Macrina the Elder. She was the paternal grandmother of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, whose elder sister is venerated as Saint Macrina the Younger (January, p. 98). How's that for a holy family. God is praised!

SAINT MACRINA THE ELDER,

SAINT BASIL THE GREAT,

SAINT GREGORY NAZIANZEN,

SAINT MACRINA THE YOUNGER,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: Faithful reader LR strikes again with a photo from Redwoods, fitting with our Responsorial Psalm. 

© Gertrude Feick 2022