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