Saturday Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Saints: Saint Stephanie, Martyr (4th century); Our Lady of Walsingham; Blessed Emilie Tavernier-Gamelin (1800-1851); Blessed Anton Martin Slomshek (1800-1862)
Readings of the Day
Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 6 Restraint of Speech
Mass: Ecc 11:9-12:8; Resp Ps 90; Lk 9:43b-45
Return, O Lord! How long?
MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE,
SORROWFUL MOTHER,
SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,
SAINT JOSEPH,
PRAY FOR US.
Light is sweet! And it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun. However many years a man may live, let him, as he enjoys them all, remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that is to come is vanity.
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth ...
[before] the dust returns to the earth as it once was, and the life breath returns to God who gave it.
Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, all things are vanity!
(Ecc 11:7-8, 12:1, 7-8)
Young or not so young, no matter, with however many days we have, we sing with the psalmist, teach us, O Lord, to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart (Ps 90). We consider and take to heart too, Saint Benedict's wisdom offered in Ch 6 of the Holy Rule, on Restraint of Speech. Our holy father Benedict calls us to "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 over my mouth, I was silent and was humbled, and I refrained 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 ... it is written: In a flood of words you will not avoid sin: and elsewhere, The tongue holds the key to life and death" (Rule of Saint Benedict, 6:1-2, 4-5). Our Lady will help us, for "Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart" (Lk 2:19).
Even though what Saint Rafael Arnaiz (1911-1938) has to say is about silence in his Trappist monastery of San Isidro de Duenas, it is relevant for anyone who lives a life of prayer and contemplation in one way or another, whether inside or outside a monastery, no matter their vocation. And come to think of it, that is likely all of you faithful readers out there who take the time to read these reflections. We are united in faith and prayer; the world needs our courageous witness to the faith. Thank you for being there.
It is silence that makes us humble; that makes us resigned; when we have some difficulty, silence makes it so that we tell only Jesus about it, so that He might take care of it in silence too...
Silence is necessary for prayer. With silence, it is difficult to lack charity; with silence, we show greater gratitude for a brother's love and affection than we would with words ... In short, silence is everything in contemplative life ...
A Trappist only opens his mouth to sing to God ... and here in the world it's the opposite, when you want to talk about God, everyone shuts up.
(Rafael Arnaiz in The Collected Works: Saint Rafael Arnaiz, p. 176)
SAINT STEPHANIE,
OUR LADY OF WALSINGHAM,
BLESSED EMILIE TAVERNIER-GAMELIN,
BLESSED ANTON MARTIN SLOMSHEK,
PRAY FOR US.
Today's photo: For Our Lady. Blessed is the fruit of Thy womb.
© Gertrude Feick
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