Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

September is the month dedicated to the Seven Sorrows of Mary

Rule of Saint Benedict Reading for the Week: Ch 4 The Tools for Good Works - Ch 5 Obedience 

Heals all your ills.

MARY, CALMER OF TEMPESTS,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

Welcome to the Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time still in the month of September dedicated to the Seven Sorrows of Mary. Thank you for tuning in after a couple weeks of silence on my part. It goes like this; I took a "vacation." Now this particular vacation was kind of like the vacation I took from regular Mass attendance when I was in my 20s or so. I thought to stop going to Mass to see how it went. In fairly short order, I missed Mass and realized that Mass was not something to take a vacation from. In like manner, with these weekly musings in the form of a blog, I tried to take a vacation. Well, as you can see, it took only two weeks to realize that random musings are not something for me to take a vacation from. And it is all fitting as about six years ago, when I inquired about vacations, I was told quite simply: "Cistercians don't take vacations." There you have it then: We don't take a vacation from Mass and so united in faith and prayer, none of us takes a vacation from the daily ora et labora. As Saint Paul tells us then: None of lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's (Rm 14:7-8). Encouraged, we keep going because "being a light to the nations," as I was told the other day, "takes a lot of energy." And in the words of Saint John Chrysostom, dear "golden-mouth": 

Do not say: it is impossible for me to influence others. If you are a Christian, it is impossible for this not to happen. Things found in nature cannot be denied; so here, for it is a question of the nature of a Christian.

Do not insult God: If you say that the sun cannot shine, you have insulted Him. If you say that a Christian cannot help others, you have insulted God and called Him a liar. It is easier for the sun not to give warmth or shine than for the Christian to not shed his light. It is easier for the light to be darkness than for this to happen.

Do not say that it is impossible. The opposite is impossible. Do not insult God. If we have put our affairs in order, these things will certainly come to be, and will follow as a natural consequence. The light of a Christian cannot escape notice. So bright a lamp cannot be hidden.

(Saint John Chrysostom, from a homily on the Acts of the Apostles, in Office of Readings, Common of Holy Men)

This week how about we focus on forgiveness and reconciliation starting with some of Saint Benedict's Tools for Good Works, namely, "harbor neither hatred or 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. And finally, never lose hope in God's mercy" (Rule of Saint Benedict, 4:65-74). And we have plenty of voices to encourage us, starting with one we heard a few weeks ago.

Seventy-seven times forgiveness acknowledges that I do not see the whole story, that God does not love me more than He loves those with whom I am in conflict. It is absolute surrender and love, and extravagant kind of grace, and undeserved forgiveness that holds out a hand that may be refused.

(Mother Saint Teresa of Calcutta, 1910-1997)

There are many ways of excusing sins. One will say: "I didn't do it." Another: "I did it, but I was perfectly right in doing it." If it was wrong, he may say: "It isn't all that bad." If it was decidedly harmful, he can fall back on: "I meant well." If the bad intention is too evident, he will take refuge in the excuses of Adam and Eve and say someone else led him into it.

(Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Steps of Pride and Humility, XVII, 45)

It is only by God's grace that we find the strength to put aside what we are due in justice and charity in order to turn towards others who have deeply hurt us with mercy ... Forgiveness must be unconditionally and freely given as Christ has given it to us ...

The question we are faced with each day as we experience the pain and sin of others, on top of the reality of our own sinfulness and weaknesses, is how do we want to live? Do we want to allow the rejections we endure at the hands of others-especially those closest to us-to stifle our willingness and ability to love others? Do we want to cling to bitter resentment, which turns us into shells of people? Do we want to join in Lucifer's non serviam because we don't want to be crucified on the Cross of forgiveness?

(Constance T. Hull, "The Supernatural Power of Forgiveness," in Catholic Exchange, September 7, 2023)

With Mrs. Hull's words, then, we might ponder something Major Pettigrew thought to himself:

No one really contemplates death when making life decisions, thought the Major. If they did, what different choices might they make?

(Major Pettigrew in Helen Simonson, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand: A Novel, Random House, 2011)

And of something Saint Benedict tells us:

Day by day remind yourself that you are going to die.

(Rule of Saint Benedict, 4:47)

And furthermore,

No one heals himself by wounding another.

(Saint Ambrose, 339-397)

An insult is either sustained or destroyed, not by the disposition of those who insult, but in the disposition of those who bear it.

(Saint John Chrysostom, 347-407)

Pardon one another so that later on you will not remember the injury. The recollection of an injury is in itself wrong. It adds to our anger, nurtures our sin and hates what is good. It is a rusty arrow and poison for the soul. It puts all virtue to flight.

(Saint Francis de Paola, 1416-1507)

Forgiveness often seems impossible, but nothing is impossible for God. The God who lives within us will give us the grace to go beyond our wounded selves and say, "In the Name of God you are forgiven."

(Henri Nouwen, 1932-1996)

And this prayer from the son of Saint Monica, Doctor of the Church Saint Augustine, bears another showing:

Grant that I may say with confidence: O my God, forgive me as I forgive others. Grant that I may pray to you with a peaceful heart for those who have hurt me, teach me to conquer myself and to check the impulse which would lead me to take revenge.

(Saint Augustine of Hippo, 354-430)

We have quite a few saints to intercede for us this week, plus a few of my favorites thrown into the mix ... For all the saints ... Please, help us to lift high the cross and forgive those who trespass against us. 

SAINT ROBERT BELLARMINE,

SAINT HILDEGARD OF BINGEN,

SAINT ALBERT OF JERUSALEM,

SAINT JOSEPH OF CUPERTINO,

SAINT MARY OF CAMPOROSSO,

SAINT EMILY DE RODAT,

SAINT EDITH KEMSING,

SAINT STANSILAW KOSTKA,

SAINT JANUARIUS,

SAINT THEODORE OF TARSUS,

SAINT ANDREW KIM TAEGON, PAUL CHONG HASANG, AND COMPANIONS,

SAINT MATTHEW, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST,

SAINT MAURICE AND THE THEBAN LEGEND,

SAINT THOMAS OF VILLANOVA,

SAINT PIO OF PETRELCINA,

SAINT ADOMNAM OF IONA,

SAINT THERESE OF LISIEUX,

SAINT ELIZABETH ANN SETON,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: This one helps to heal all that ills. So surpassing is His kindness toward those who fear Him.

© Gertrude Feick 2023