Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

January is the month dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus

January 28: World Leprosy Day

Catholic Schools Week: January 28-February 3, 3024 "Catholic Schools: United in faith and community"

February is the month dedicated to the Holy Family 

Readings for the Rule of Saint Benedict for the Week: Ch 7:19-50 Humility

Come, let us bow down in worship.

JESUS, THE MIGHTY GOD,

HAVE MERCY ON US.

MARY, ARK OF THE COVENANT,

JESUS, MARY, AND JOSEPH, 

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

I should like you to be free of anxieties.

(1Cor 7:32)

Hi dear faithful readers, welcome to the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time. Even though we are still in anything but Ordinary Time, it is not too early to anticipate Ash Wednesday (February 14) and the holy season of Lent, coming soon to a theatre near you. Have you given any thought to how you might refuse to indulge in at least one evil habit and deny yourself of some food, drink, sleep, needless talking, also known as idle chit-chat, and so on (See Rule of Saint Benedict 49 The Observance of Lent)? Hmm.

Now by way of anecdote, I had the privilege of serving as hebdomadarian last week. Put simply, the sister who is assigned that "function" intones the Call to Worship at the Liturgy of the Hours, proclaims the proclamation, sings the Collect, leads the prayer before dinner, and so on. She also proclaims the reading at the midday prayer. It happens that on the day we commemorated the great Saint Francis de Sales (he was the oldest of 13 children how cool is that!), this was the reading:

Let us practice those ordinary virtues ... patience, forbearance toward our neighbor, service of others, humility, gentleness of heart, affability, tolerance of our own imperfections, and similar little virtues. I do not say that we are not to ascend by prayer, but that we do so one step at a time.

(Saint Francis de Sales, 1567-1622, Letters of Spiritual Direction)

So, as I boldly proclaimed, "slowly, clearly, and distinctly" as my dear dad of happy memory taught me, I stumbled over the phrase, "tolerance of our own imperfections." I thought I read "imperfection," so read the phrase again as "imperfections." As you might imagine, or not, there were a few glances thrown, as well as stirring about. A few days later, I learned that I did not read "imperfection" or even "imperfections," but rather "perfection" and "perfections"! Now how fitting is that? This true to life story caused me to think the last few days that, if a person has no tolerance for her own imperfections, she has even more intolerance for the imperfections of others. Or perhaps a person conveniently forgets her own imperfections and shortcomings and prefers to focus on everyone else's. Why on earth would Saint Francis de Sales include this call to action if it were not the case? I sometimes think of the business of perfectionism and imperfections as a plague of religious life, especially since a kind sister told me when I first entered the monastery some 24 years ago, "Welcome to the human race." However, since Saint Francis de Sales wrote primarily to the lay faithful, the plague must not be in containment. The business of perfectionism and imperfections must also be a plague of the married life, and surely the single life as I can attest. Otherwise, why would Pope Saint Gregory the Great have bothered to write this in the 7th century?

The married should not ... worry themselves so much about what they must endure from their spouse but consider what their spouse must endure on account of them. For if one really considers what must be endured on his account, it is all the easier to bear the things of others.

(Pope Saint Gregory the Great, d. 604)

And why would Grace, in the novel Major Pettigrew's Last Stand (Random House, 2011), have bothered to say this to Major Pettigrew?  "Oh, I deserved it completely," said Grace. "It's so much easier to tell other people how to do their job than fix one's own shortcomings, isn't it?" Hmmm. In any case, these are some things to reflect upon and pray about, or not, as we anticipate the holy season of Lent, coming soon, as I say, to a theatre near you.

Along the same line of thought, the Holy Father was on the business of evil and the devil at today's Sunday Angelus Address. He re-emphasized something he said at his November 27, 2023, General Audience catechesis. Pope Francis reminded us that, "There is no dialogue with the devil, because if you enter into dialogue with him, he wins, always. Be careful." When tempted then, to conveniently forget my own imperfections and shortcomings, and when I feel the chains of evil amid the devil's relentless attacks, it is best to call on the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth. That is what we do, folks, and that is our definition as Pope Benedict XVI tells us: "This is our definition: we belong among those who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ."* Invoke the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus, come to my aid; help me! Then be silent and listen. "Quiet! Come out of her!" (See Mark 1:25). And it certainly doesn't hurt to call on Saint Michael the Archangel as well, to defend us in the battle. It's not a coincidence either, that I just started to re-read C.S. Lewis's Screwtape Letters. Be careful. Wormwood, mentored by his Uncle Screwtape, is on the prowl. 

As we go forth this week, united in faith and prayer, here are a few other voices to consider. One step at a time. One step at a time. "For Scripture has it: 'Anyone who perseveres to the end will be saved,' and again, 'Be brave of heart and rely on the on the Lord'" (Rule of Saint Benedict 7:36-37). 

Do not be anxious. Rouse yourself to serve the Lord with steadfastness, attentiveness, and meekness. That is the true way to serve Him. If you can refrain from trying to do all things, but instead attempt to do only some one thing, then you will do much.

(Saint Francis de Sales, 1567-1622)

The Gospel of life is at the heart of Jesus' message. Lovingly received day by day by the Church, it is to be preached with dauntless fidelity as "good news" to the people of every age and culture ... It is therefore a service of love which we are all committed to ensure our neighbor, that his or her life may always be defended and promoted, especially when it is weak or threatened.

(Pope Saint John Paul II, Evangelium vitae Gospel of Life, 1, 77). 

And a couple of lengthy quotations, well worth it though. Dear Jesus, thank you for the gift of faith and the tradition of the Church, the Body of Christ. 

All things have value if they are inspired and carried out by love, while without love nothing has value, at least not in life's final analysis. If this is our focus, we will be able to say of each of our actions, "this will remain." This holds true for our work, as it does for our relaxation, for educating our children, for our conversations with others, our travels, our way of dressing, our manner of eating, and for any other smallest of actions. It holds true for all the unexpected things that each day brings, the surprises God has in store for us. It even holds true-and this is very consoling-if any illness forces us to inactivity and confines us to bed with no apparent end in sights.

(Servant of God Chiara Lubich, 1920-2008)

My last word to you, by which I implore you even with my blood, is that you live in harmony, united together, all of one heart and one will. Be bound to one another by the bond of charity, esteeming each other, helping each other, bearing with each other in Jesus Christ. For if you strive to be like this, without any doubt the Lord God will be in your midst. You will have in your favor Our Lady, the apostles, all the saints, the angels, and finally all heaven and all the universe. God has so ordained from all eternity that for those who for His honor are united in doing good enjoy every prosperity, and what they do turns out well, because they have God Himself and every one of His creatures in their favor.

(Saint Angela Merici, 1474-1540)

And as always, there is one more thing before we invoke the glorious saints. I was surprised to learn that there may be more faithful readers out there than I thought. Give God the praise. Yes, I know that not everyone reads everything, or even a bit, but a world record of over 200 people have at least opened this reflection each of the last four weeks. Maybe there was one word, or a phrase, or the name of a saint, or a quotation, or anything else that might have served as an inspiration. After all, we are about spreading the Good News, in word and deed. I believe, help my unbelief. Mary, please cover all of us in your protective veil. Keep going!

SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS,

SAINT ALBERT THE GREAT,

SAINT DAMIAN OF MOLOKAI,

SAINT MARIANNE COPE,

SAINT GILDAS THE WISE,

SAINT CONSTANTINUS,

SAINT PAPIAS AND MAURUS,

SAINT SULPITIUS SEVERUS,

BLESSED ARCHANGELA GIRLANI,

BLESSED VILLANA DE' BOTTI,

SAINT AEDAN OF FERNS,

SAINT HYACINTHA OF MARISCOTTI,

SAINT BRIGID OF IRELAND,

SAINT HENRY MORSE,

SAINT THOMAS GREEN,

BLESSED BENEDICT DASWA,

BLESSED CANDELARIA OF SAINT JOSEPH,

SAINT ANSGAR, BISHOP, THE APOSTLE OF THE NORTH,

SAINT BLAISE, BISHOP, MARTYR,

PRAY FOR US.

* Pope Benedict XVI, 1927-2002, General Audience, November 22, 2006.

Today's photo: This sweet little one and its companions (forthcoming) are some of the first in each year to appear. Oh, that today you would hear His voice.

© Gertrude Feick 2024

Third Week in Ordinary Time

January is the month dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus

Sunday of the Word of God

January 18-25: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

January 22: Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children "It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish" (Saint Teresa of Calcutta).

January 27: Interviews Holocaust Remembrance Day

Readings for the Rule of Saint Benedict for the Week: Ch 4:63 The Tools for Good Works - Ch 7:18 Humility

Good and upright is the Lord.

JESUS, OUR WAY AND OUR LIFE,

HAVE MERCY ON US.

MARY, VIRGIN MOST PRUDENT,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

The world in its present form is passing away.

(1 Cor 7:31)

Welcome to the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, on the Sunday of the Word of God, still in the week of prayer for Christian Unity, with January 22 as a day of prayer for the legal protection of unborn children, all in the month of January dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus, and the inauguration of a Year of Prayer in preparation for the 2025 Jubilee Year! Whew. And if that is not enough, beloved Jonah is on the move through the enormously large city of Nineveh (Jonah 3:1-5, 10). May we, great and small alike, follow the people of Nineveh and believe God. May the dear Lord see by our actions that we are about turning from our evil ways. It is never too late to repent and believe in the Gospel, as Saint Cyprian of Carthage (d. 258) tells us: "To him who remains in the world, no repentance is too late. The approach to God's mercy is open." 

United in faith and prayer, we untangle the nets that ensnare us, abandon everything and follow the Lord. May Our Lady cover us in her protective veil.

And now a word from our sponsors in the manner of voices for the week:

Harbor neither hatred nor jealousy of anyone.

(Rule of Saint Benedict, 4:65-66)

Silence is good for the soul, essential to recollection, and conducive to humility. Remember Our Lord's silence throughout His life and during the hours of His Passion.

When I am in the company of others, for their good, I will talk freely on exalted and serious subjects, the discussion of which cannot fail to enlarge and strengthen both my own soul and theirs.

I will talk about nothing trivial and mean, and no petty grievances. My speech shall be recollected, and my silence living.

(Servant of God Elisabeth Leseur, 1866-1914)

There is a time to keep silence and a time for speech. Christ, the wisdom of God, has given us an example of both. We must not speak, so as to give advantage to cavils, we must not be silent as to betray the truth.

(Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, 1774-1821)

Run, jump, shout, but do not sin.

(Saint John Bosco, 1815-1888)

We must speak to them with our hands before we speak to them with our lips.

(Saint Peter Claver, 1580-1654)

There is no love without renunciation.

(Saint Josemaria Escriva, 1902-1975)

There can be no doubt that for us who love Jesus, prayer is the great pain-reliever.

(Saint Josemaria Escriva, 1902-1975)

We need not do a great deal of thinking to appreciate what Jesus has been for us. We need only recall some of the happy memories of our lives and, full of gratitude and love, we shall realize some of what we owe Him ... God grants His grace to souls not because they merit it, but because He wants to.

(Blessed Concepcion Cabrera de Armida, 1861-1937)

And a couple more on the importance of reading, and writing too!

I’ve always loved to read, long before I began to write. If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write.

(Stephen King, b. 1947)

I kept always two books in my pocket: one to read, one to write in.

(Robert Louis Stevenson, 1815-1894)

SAINT MARIA GABRIELLA SAGHEDDU,

SAINT AGNES,

SAINT NINO,

SAINT PUBLIUS,

BLESSED ANTHONY DELLA CHIESA,

BLESSED HENRY SUSO,

SAINT TITUS AND TIMOTHY, BISHOPS,

SAINT ANGELA MERICI,

SAINT VINCENT, DEACON,

SAINT MARIANNE COPE,

BLESSED BENEDETTA BIANCHI PORRO,

SAINT DAMIAN OF MOLOKAI,

SAINT ILDEPHONSUS

SAINT EUGENIUS,

SAINT LEOCADIA,

SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES, BISHOP, DOCTOR,

SAINT JANE FRANCES DE CHANTAL,

SAINT PAUL THE APOSTLE,

SAINT ALBERIC, ROBERT, AND STEPHEN, ABBOTS, FOUNDERS,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: It was raining cats and dogs when this one appeared, from July 10, 2019. By the way, it is still raining cats and dogs. 🐈🐶

© Gertrude Feick 2024

Second Week in Ordinary Time

January is the month dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus

January 18-25: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Readings for the Rule of Saint Benedict for the Week: Ch 2:30 Qualities of the Abbot - Ch 4:62 Humility

He stooped toward me and heard my cry.

JESUS, LOVER OF US,

HAVE MERCY ON US.

MARY, FULL OF GRACE,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.

(1 Cor 6:19)

Welcome to the anything but ordinary Second Week in Ordinary Time, during the month of January dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus, and the commencement of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. During this week, we turn to Saint Maria Gabriella Sagheddu of Unity (1914-1939), to intercede for us. In the papal encyclical Ut Unum Sint The call for Christian unity, Pope Saint John Paul II wrote this: "Sister Maria Gabriella, called by her vocation to be apart from the world, devoted her life to meditation and prayer centered on chapter seventeen of Saint John's Gospel, and offered her life for Christian unity. This is truly the cornerstone of all prayer: the total and unconditional offering of one's life to the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. The example of Sister Maria Gabriella is instructive; it helps us to understand that there are no special times, situations or places of prayer for unity. Christ's prayer to the Father is offered as a model for everyone, always and everywhere" (27). Saint Maria Gabriella Sagheddu's remains are at the Cistercian monastery in Vittorchiano, Italy; I have been there. For this, I give thanks to God. 

When preparing for today with today's Gospel, what came to mind when I read, "... as he watched Jesus walk by ..." (John 1:36), were the passages that I marked in my Magnificat this past week: "As He passed by the Sea of Galilee" (Mark 1:16); "On leaving the synagogue Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew ..." (Mk 1:29); A leper came to Him and kneeling down begged Him and said, 'If you wish, you can make me clean" (Mk 1:40); ... it became known that He was at home. Many gathered together ..." (Mk 2:1-2); and "As He passed by ..." (Mk 2:13). I took note of Jesus' movement, and if He wasn't on the move, people went to Him. I asked myself if I notice when Jesus walks or passes by, or when He is sitting or standing at home or anywhere else, do I go to Him. The straight answer is, no, I do not. What a pity. However, it is time to be more alert and pay attention. Jesus is always on the move, and He is always present in our midst. It is time to get up and follow Him more closely. Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. We are not our own; it is time to glorify God with mind, heart, soul, and in body. May we make known the name of the Father, so that the love with which the Father loves us, may be in all others. Here I am, Lord, I come to do your will.

The voices this week come from Helen Simonson, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand: A Novel (Random House, 2011). There are more than a few keepers in this engaging work. And the first one speaks of the importance of reading, no matter what.

You are right, of course, but I tell myself that it does not matter what one reads-favorite authors, particular themes-as long as we read something. It is not even important to own books.

(Mrs. Ali to Major Pettigrew, p. 63)

Memories are like tomb painting, thought the Major, the colors still vivid no matter how many layers of mud and sand time deposited. Scrape at them and they come up all red and blazing.

(p. 64)

"The world is full of small ignorances," said a quiet voice. Mrs. Ali appeared at his elbow and gave the young woman a stern look. "We must all do our best to ignore them and thereby keep them small, don't you think?"

(P. 66)

"You know my wife used to laugh at me in just the same manner," he said. "She said if I maintained my aversion to change I risked being reincarnated as a granite post."
(Major Pettigrew to Mrs. Ali, pp. 110-111)

"I don't believe the greatest views in the world are great because they are vast or exotic," she said. "I think their power comes from the knowledge that they do not change. You look at them and you know that they have been the same for a thousand years."

(Mrs. Ali to Major Pettigrew, p. 111)

"But on a spiritual level, there is something about the edge of the land that does make one feel closer to God. A sobering sense of one's smallness, I think."

(Major Pettigrew to Mrs. Ali, p. 193)

"A letter unposted is a heavy burden."

(Major Pettigrew to Mrs. Ali, p. 194)

"But I think a life of faith must start with remembering that humility is the first virtue before God."

(Major Pettigrew to Abdul Wahid, p. 203)

He had always assumed gossip to be the malicious whispering of uncomfortable truths, not the fabrication of absurdities. How was one to protect oneself against people making things up? Was a life of careful, impeccable behavior not enough in a world where inventions were passed around as fact."

(Major Pettigrew, p. 253)

"It is funny, isn't it? she said in a quiet voice. "A couple may have nothing in common but the color of their skin and the country of their ancestors, but the whole world will see them as compatible."

(Mrs. Ali, p. 265)

She hurried down the driveway and as she disappeared, blue dress into deep night, he knew he was a fool. Yet at the moment, he could not find a way to be a different man.

(Major Pettigrew, p. 266)

"You have no idea, Major, how hard it is to keep up with the world sometimes-just to keep up with ourselves. I guess I let myself dream I could get out for a while."

(Sandy, p. 280)

"Oh, I deserved it completely," said Grace. "It's so much easier to tell other people how to do their job than fix one's own shortcomings, isn't it?"

(Grace to Major Pettigrew, p. 288)

"You are mistaken, Ernest," she said at last. "There is only the passionate spark. Without it, two people living together may be lonelier than if they lived quite alone."

(Grace to Major Pettigrew, p. 291)

"Unlike you, who must do a cost-benefit analysis of every human interaction," he said, "I have no idea what I hope to accomplish. I only know that I must try to see her. That's what love is about, Roger. It's when a woman drives all lucid thought from your head; when you are unable to contrive romantic stratagems, and the usual manipulations fail you; when all your carefully laid plans have no meaning and all you can do is stand mute in her presences. You hope she takes pity on you and drops a few words of kindness into the vacuum of your mind."

(Major Pettigrew to his son Roger, p. 298)

"How can we not all feel it? We are small-minded people, creeping about the earth grubbing for our own advantage and making the very mistakes for which we want to humiliate our neighbors."

(Major Pettigrew to Abdul Wahid, p. 341)

"But it's not enough to be in love. It's about how you spend your days, what you do together, who you choose as friends, and most of all it's what work you do."

(Amina to Major Pettigrew, p. 351)

SAINT FELIX OF NOLA,

SAINTS MAUR AND PLACID,

POPE SAINT MARCELLUS,

SAINT ITA,

SAINT REMIGIUS,

SAINT PAUL OF THEBES,

SAINT FURSA,

SAINT JOSEPH VAZ,

SAINT ANTHONY, ABBOT,

SAINT MARGARET OF HUNGARY, OP,

SAINT CHARLES OF SEZZE,

THE JESUIT MARTYRS OF THE REFORMATION,

SAINT WULSTAN,

SAINT FAOLAN,

SAINT HENRY OF UPPSALA,

SAINT CANUTE,

BLESSED ANDREW PESCHIERA,

POPE SAINT FABIAN, MARTYR,

SAINT SEBASTIAN, MARTYR,

MARY, QUEEN OF MARTYRS,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: I spotted this on a walk with my beloved sister. A hymn to our God. 

© Gertrude Feick 2024

First Week in Ordinary Time

January is the month dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus

Readings for the Rule of Saint Benedict for the Week: Prologue 45 - Ch 2:31 Qualities of the Abbot

From the River to the ends of the earth.

JESUS, THE MIGHTY GOD,

HAVE MERCY ON US.

MARY, HELP OF CHRISTIANS,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

Seek the Lord while He may be found, call Him while He is near.

(Isaiah 55:6)

It is most certainly a busy day and a busy week at the beginning of the still New Year 2024 fully immersed in January the month dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. Welcome to the Epiphany of the Lord, the Baptism of the Lord, and the First Week in Ordinary Time. And not a few saints to commemorate and guide us on our way. Whew. The life of a Christian is exhausting. It is true something Willie Graf (1918-1943) said: "To be a Christian is perhaps the hardest thing to ever become in life." However, we keep going, and heed the words of Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), who wrote, "Let the Christian be valiant." United in faith and prayer, then, and all in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth, we are valiant in word and deed. 

Speaking of baptism, do you know the date of your baptism? It is an important day, the most important day in your life. As is customary, the Holy Father baptized 16 infants today in the Sistene Chapel. As Pope Francis said to the families gathered in the Sistene Chapel, we should see our baptism as a sort of "birthday." It is the day that the faith was received, a day to be celebrated. After all, it is the day we became a beloved child of God. So, celebrate the date of your baptism. If you do not know the date, contact the parish where you were baptized and find out. I was baptized November 29, 1964, when I was just 20 days old. For this, I thank my parents and godparents, and give God the praise for the gift. I believe, help my unbelief. 

And now, we let the people speak. ☺

The object of the new year is not to have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul.

(G.K. Chesterton, 1874-1936)

The obedience of the star calls us to imitate its humble service: to be servants, as best we can, of the grace that invites all men to find Christ.

Dear friends, you must have the same zeal to be of help to one another; then, in the kingdom of God, to which faith and good words are the way, you will shine as children of the light: through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with God the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.

(From a sermon by Pope Saint Leo the Great, in Office of Readings, Epiphany)

Christ is bathed in light; let us also be bathed in light. Christ is baptized; let us go down with Him, and rise with Him ... 

Today let us do honor to Christ's baptism and celebrate this feast in holiness. Be cleansed entirely and continue to be cleansed. Nothing gives such pleasure to God as the conversion and salvation of men, for whom His every word and every revelation exist. He wants you to become a living force for all mankind, lights shining in the world. You are to be radiant lights as you stand beside Christ, the great light, bathed in the glory of Him who is the light of heaven.

(From a sermon by Saint Gregory of Nazianzen, bishop, in Office of Readings, Baptism of the Lord)

The soul is regenerated in the sacred waters of baptism and thus becomes God's child.

(Saint Maximilian Kolbe, 1894-1941)

May the God of love and peace set your hearts at rest and speed you on your journey; may He meanwhile shelter you from disturbance by others in the hidden recesses of His love, until He brings you at last into that place of complete plentitude where you will repose forever in the vision of peace, in the security of trust and in the restful enjoyment of His riches.

(From a letter by Saint Raymond of Penyafort, priest, in Office of Readings, January7)

I am well aware, almighty God and Father, that in my life I owe you a most particular duty. It is to make my every thought and word speak of you ... 

Impart to us, then, the meaning of the words of Scripture and the light to understand it, with reverence for the doctrine and confidence in its truth. Grant that we may express what we believe. Through the prophets and apostles we know about you, the one God the Father, and on Lord Jesus Christ. May we have the grace, in the face of heretics who deny you, to honor you as God, who is not along, and to proclaim this as truth.

(From a sermon On the Trinity by Saint Hilary of Poitiers, bishop, in Office of Readings, January 13)

I want you to know that in this kind of warfare, the battering ram has always been the Rosary.

(Our Lady to Saint Dominic)

If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. My sickness, or perplexity, or sorrow may be necessary causes of some great end, which is quite beyond us.

He does nothing in vain. He may prolong my life, He may shorten it; He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends, He may throw me among strangers, He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide the future from me - still He knows what He is about.

(Saint John Henry Newman, 1801-1890)

But as we progress in this way of life and in faith, we shall run on the path of God's commandments, our hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love.

(Rule of Saint Benedict, Prologue 49)

SAINT RAYMOND OF PENYAFORT,

SAID APOLLINARIS,

SAINT NATHALAN,

SAINT PETER THOMAS,

SAINT ADRIAN OF CANTERBURY,

SAINT ANDREW CORSINI, OP,

BLESSED GONSALVO OF AMARANTE, OP,

BLEESED BERNARD SCAMMACCA, OP,

SAINT THEODOSIUS,

SAINT AELRED OF RIEVAULX,

SAINT WILLIAM OF BOURGES,

BLESSED MARGUERITE BOURGEOYS,

SAINT BENEDICT BISCOP,

BLEESED ANN OF THE ANGELES MONTEAGUDO,

SAINTS AGATHA YI AND TERESA KIM,

SAINT GREGORY OF NYSSA,

SAINT HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP, DOCTOR, 

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: I nearly lost it while getting this shot. Flow river flow. You will draw joyfully from the springs of salvation.

© Gertrude Feick 2024